Camera on student engagement- making changes in the third quarter climb

https://teachlearnsucceedpa.com/camera-on-student-engagement-making-changes-in-the-third-quarter-climb/

The third quarter of the school year is traditionally an uphill climb: students are beginning to feel burnt out by the monotony, teachers are struggling to keep daily lessons fresh and exciting, and everyone is counting down until Spring break!  Especially this year in a hybrid or virtual environment, the third quarter “climb” feels more arduous than ever.  I find myself lecturing far more than I would like, and I have grown tired of staring at the student icons on my laptop in the hopes that someone will volunteer to participate (we do not force students to keep their cameras on while they are virtual).  

Student led presentations and projects help break up repetitive routines and foster student participation without pressure.  In addition, projects and presentations in a normal school year encourage students to connect deeper to the curriculum, promote classroom discussion and thought, and allow students to work together.  In an effort to promote those same integral components of classroom culture in this year’s virtual or hybrid environment, I have adjusted the requirements and objectives of some presentations to make them more conducive to function within our new learning limitations.  Here are a few ideas that have been successful in my classroom, from beginning levels all the way to the more advanced levels.  

• Look Book

In my level 2 class, students are learning fashion, prices, and demonstrative pronouns.  Typically, we would put on a fashion show in class and students would parade through the classroom with their “looks” while a moderator would describe the different articles of clothing using the vocabulary and grammar of the chapter.  For this year’s project, I decided to have the students create a “Look Book” of different styles.  The requirements for vocabulary and grammar are the same, but rather than a live presentation, the students create a document.  After the project is due, students share their screens to promote their one favorite “look” from their books, and each student ultimately votes (using Google Meet polls) on her 3 favorite looks.

7A Project

• Vamos de viaje

Travel is one of the most exciting themes in my upper level classes.  Students enjoy talking about future plans to study abroad and we eventually research different sites of ancient ruins in Latin America.  The Vamos de viaje project allows students to create a week long backpacking trip through Latin America in order to visit the ruins we study in class.  Typically, they research flights, hotels, activities, and restaurants and then ultimately present everything to the class live; however, this year I have turned the project into a podcast.  Students will use the Screencastify tool to record their presentations, which allows them to practice their scripts until they are satisfied with their grammar and accent.  I can share their presentations to the entire classroom on Google Meet, and then we can follow up with questions and answers from classmates.

Proyecto2021

• Un anuncio cultural

In my AP level class, we traditionally study different brands that originate in Latin-America and Spain during the Contemporary Life theme.  Students research one company and present a product or service to the class through a slideshow and then we discuss our likes and dislikes in an open forum in class.  This year, that same project will occur, but students will present their slide virtually rather than in front of the classroom.  We will follow the same 2 minute guidelines, as prescribed by the College Board’s AP requirements; however, this year the students are required to ask their classmates a follow-up question. The pre-planned questions will foster an environment for a more sophisticated dialogue at the end of their presentations and encourage more participation from the class.  

VA Vida

These presentations provide all of my students the opportunity to share their opinions and interests with their classmates while also connecting personally with our themes and curriculum.  By including a few different presentations throughout each week, I am able to break up the traditional routine and give students more control over their learning.  Each presenter has an opportunity to dive deeper into the curriculum, and the perspectives that he brings to the classroom motivate a more fun and engaging environment as we inch closer to the fourth quarter finish line.    

To cheat or not to cheat- assessments in a hybrid or virtual model

https://teachlearnsucceedpa.com/to-cheat-or-not-to-cheat-assessments-in-a-hybrid-or-virtual-model/

Assessing students’ retention is a critical piece of the puzzle in making the hybrid model work this school year.  We are halfway through the second marking period, and I have settled into a routine, established classroom expectations, and grown confident in my use of technology.  Creating targeted checks, quizzes, tests, projects, and presentations has become my new focus so that I can properly assess my students in an authentic and verifiable way.

The most difficult obstacle in assessing my students is creating an evaluation that eliminates the cheating factor.  In a World Language classroom, we routinely give vocab quizzes or simple translations to assess vocabulary and grammar retention; however, those assignments collect one correct answer, which (in a hybrid environment) can easily be transmitted between students.  This year I have to recreate all of my evaluations so that they are open ended in order to receive authentic, accurate data that assesses my students’ comprehension.

Here are three different types of assessments that I have found to be invaluable in providing true feedback about the students’ retention of material:

 Choice boards.  Rather than the traditional vocab quiz where a student typically memorizes a determined set of words and writes the translations on a sheet of paper, these choice boards allow students to participate in different activities that utilize the words through a written or spoken action.  Students can choose the way in which they demonstrate their own retention by picking activities that are worth different amounts of points (they have to make 10 points to complete the assignment).  Some students have even admitted that they are memorizing the words just as well this year compared to rote memorization for traditional quizzes from prior years.  This type of vocab activity can also include grammar points from the chapter and I can differentiate each choice board for diverse learners, from beginners to AP.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j0bW4RWoHqssRJ9UzOqlLis_ZQ3BCt-ZeGsyOMLNLRo/edit?usp=sharing

Open Ended Translation tests.  In an upper level World Language class, we often assess students’ retention of grammar based on a translation exam.  Students would normally translate the sentences from English into the target language; however, this year I am asking students to assess their grammar retention in a more open-ended way so that no two students’ tests will look the same.  There is a slimmer possibility for students to cheat as they are creating part of the test on their own.  Some tests require students to come up with their own English sentences and then translate them while other assessments provide the beginning of a translation and students have to create the ending of the sentence with their own ideas.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12mQi7Pf0QGUCAnGSfQQ77a11cLZTtSlM7jyf7XrtAoM/edit?usp=sharing

Flipgrid Q + A.  Typically students collaborate in a World Language classroom through skits and role playing, but this year we are unable to group kids together physically.  One way of recreating spontaneous conversations is through Flipgrid.  I post prompts to which students can respond.  After they record their responses, I connect them with a virtual partner who can leave commentary, post a follow-up question, or record a separate, personal message.  I can grade the students and give feedback on pronunciation, spontaneity, and authenticity.  

While creating each of these assessments from scratch is reminiscent of my first year of teaching, it also gives me perspective on how I have been evaluating my students in the past.  It does take more time to grade each assessment, but the work that my students are producing is quality.  It is obvious that they truly value and enjoy having a choice in the activities and projects that they produce.  Despite all of the challenges we are facing in the classroom, these new activities prove that my students are learning and retaining the information as well. 

Tips from a hybrid teacher

https://teachlearnsucceedpa.com/tips-from-a-hybrid-teacher-2/

When I first learned that my school district was opening a hybrid model for in-person and virtual instruction and that teachers would return back to the building full time, I felt deflated.  I could not imagine how I could teach to live students and virtual students simultaneously…and in Spanish!  Despite the 18 years of experience I have in the classroom, I was more nervous to start school this year than any other time, including my first year in the classroom!  That first week was daunting, but I’ve learned a few tricks along the way that have helped guide me through my first month with success, gratitude, and admiration for my craft.  Here are some of the tips I have been following:

1. Take it day by day. From day one, I had no expectations for myself regarding the amount of material I could fit in each class period. I typically follow my lesson plans from the previous year as a guide, but this year will be completely different…and that’s ok! Everything moves slower in this environment. Lessons that took 15 minutes last year now span over 2 class periods. I know that I will get through all of the required information that my students need eventually, but the pace is slower and therefore some extraneous projects or activities may need to be deleted.

2. Take risks. Teaching Spanish requires communication between the students, and I traditionally break students into pairs for informal conversation practice in the classroom. In a hybrid model with students in front of me and students online, I had to rethink my entire method. Since Google Meet does not yet have a function for breakout groups, I decided to try to open a few meets at a time and let the students connect with each other in that way. I was able to pair together both the virtual and the hybrid students so that we felt like a seamless classroom for those activities. I felt like an adventurer as I toggled back and forth between 4 different screens to monitor the students, but after various attempts, the activity is much easier.

3. Remember to smile! Under all the face shields, masks, and PPE, I find myself smiling more than I thought. When I see the proverbial light bulb go off in my students’ eyes, I feel instant gratification and I remember why I chose this profession. I am reaching my students (albeit in a different way than ever before) and they are so thankful for the opportunity to connect with their teachers and peers.

I regularly follow these guidelines, and I am building confidence with each passing week in this new environment.   Now that I have mastered the delivery of the material in a hybrid model, I am beginning to think about how to assess it, which will entail building new activities that will be meaningful, verifiable assessments of my students’ retention.