The Best Learning in My Classroom this Year Had Nothing to do with Me

By Nick McDaniels – Last week at the beginning of class, as I was taking attendance, I heard some of my students in my “quiet” class getting loud and starting to yell at each other.

Four years ago, I would have come flying into the conversation with some wisdom about why we should speak peacefully to one another. Now, I just let these things play out for a second or two because my instincts about what is and what isn’t going to get worse are better, fights don’t happen as often as they used to, and perhaps, I’m just a little more tired.

Regardless, I’m glad I let it go. After listening for a few more seconds, it occurred to me what the argument was about. No one hid someone else’s hello kitty cell phone cover, no one bonked anyone on the head for saying something dumb (this game is called Bonkaz and is as childish as it sounds), and no one made fun of (packed up) anyone’s shoes.

Of course: the ontological argument (I’m sure some more well-versed MU theologians than I might disagree about my terminology here, but bear with this non-Catholic for the sake of argument).

Why not? My students were arguing about the existence of a higher power. What fun!

I snuck from my desk up into one of the student desks, just outside of the argument — which at this point was engaging about 80% of the class. First things first, the argument was really well structured. People were listening as others spoke, people were taking time to think, people were deferring to “experts” (the preacher’s kid). I couldn’t have designed this if I had tried.

One student, Jermaine (names have been changed to protect the innocent), was asking most of the questions.

So He just snaps his fingers and the world is made? He hears everything? If I am saved, does that mean I can still go to hell? Are God and Jesus the same person? Is God a person? How come when I pray for stuff I never get it?

All open ended, all for which it was clear he had no answer. Then Marissa started weighing in with answers from her experience. And “Brother James,” the future preacher, started talking about God as perfection and humans as sinners. Then the cool guys, John and Javon, lent their approval to the conversation by quieting people down when they wanted to hear a particular answer.

I let it go for 20 minutes, void of test prep, void of teaching, oops. So fire me!

Then they asked me. What about all the other religions? What about their Gods? Can there be more than one?

I started into a discourse about world religions as constructs for creating meaning and answering the unanswerable. I tried to get them to fathom the expanse of the universe, and just when their brains started to hurt, I told them that if they needed a higher power, right where their brains started to hurt, that’s where it would be. In my mind, this seemed like a fun exercise. Naturally, they got bored, so I stopped and they started again, realizing that they didn’t need me for this one, because I, probably more than most of them, have no answers for their questions. And then Jermaine realized, as many admit, the answer often times cannot come from without. Wow! Everyone nodded and that was it.

On that day, my students asked a ton of questions, and I answered none. That sounds like bad teaching. But in this case, it was the best teaching I could have done. Sometimes we just need to get out of their way. I’m grateful to my students for reminding me of that.

Tuesday Trivia – April 30, 2013

Finally, it’s Spring! In honor of the (hopefully) warmer weather, we’re thinking about gardening and green thumbs:

Where is MU’s urban garden located?

Claim your chance to win by leaving the correct answer in the comments section below anytime today between 7am – 6pm. And don’t be afraid to play, even if someone has already posted the right answer! One winner will be randomly selected from ALL correct answers after the close of business and announced the following day.  The winner will be posted on our Facebook page and notified by email.  Please note that you must have a valid email address listed in your comment or WordPress profile to win.

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How much do YOU know about Marquette University and the College of Education? Test your knowledge every Tuesday during Tuesday Trivia!

Classroom Management: Data Driven Discipline

By Ryan Krienke – Data, data, data.  In the world of education we rely heavily on data to make decisions.

SAT\ACT guide colleges and universities in their admissions decisions.  We have become so cut-throat that 8^th graders take high stakes tests to gain entrance to the best local high schools.  The notion of merit pay is emerging in some districts where teachers are paid by performance, a performance that is largely measured on their student’s test data.  Some of our schools give computerized tests to our students, multiple times per year, use the data to group students, plan interventions and track progress.

In many of our schools and classrooms maintaining strong classroom management is an important element of creating a strong learning environment. However, collecting and analyzing data on behavior trends is not always used to guide classroom management.

I am not talking about the notes we send to parents.  I am talking about actually looking at spreadsheets that show how many students were sent to the principal’s office and for what purpose?  How many of these kids who were in trouble were repeat offenders?  How many teachers are sending them to the office?   What time of day?  What day of the week?  Has the trend of poor behavior increased or decreased over the last week?

Data, data, data.  It can be overwhelming, but it tells us a story, a story that is free from bias.

As principals we can use data to determine if teachers have different expectations for student behavior.  We can learn if a child is struggling socially with something in a specific class or with certain students at a specific time of day.  We can probably even tell which classes a child likes and which they find boring just from looking at behavior data.

Teachers can analyze data to determine if a student is acting up in all classes or just a particular class.  Am I the only teacher who is having a problem with students being tardy?  What routines are my colleagues using that are more effective?

Just like teachers should be looking at assessment data to make instructional decisions, schools can use behavior data to make policy decisions, classroom management decisions, as well as decisions for school and classroom routines.  Student referrals, notes home, name on the board or any number of things we do as teachers to curb bad behaviors should become something much more useful than just a communication tool or deterrent for bad behavior.  These things should be logged as data to inform our processes.   And with today’s educational world being so fixated on test data, we need to find ways to use all of the stats available to our benefit.

Apps I Love

By Ashley McFadin – I have confession to make.  I’m not the most tech-savvy person out there.

Yes, I have a blog, other social media accounts, and multiple Apple products, but I’m more, um, tech-comfortable.  In addition, I’m sure you all are sick of hearing about technology in the classroom and are just dying to know what I love to use outside of school (of course).

With that, I recently started using two apps that are the BEST.

(1) Endomondo – I’m probably really late to the Endomondo party.  As someone who is pining over a Garmin Forerunner 10, this is the perfect placeholder until I save up that $130!  Using your phones GPS system, it tracks your mileage, pace, and time.  My favorite feature is that at every mile marker, it quiets your music and tells you the mile #, total time, and lap time.  AND, at the end of the run, it keeps a record of your lap times so you can see which was slowest and which was fastest.  *SWOON*  I’m a huge data nerd.  Endomondo also tracks many other forms of exercise such as yoga, walking, cycling and more.  In addition, if you upgrade to Endomondo Premium, it will also track your heart rate.

Something that I’m not super confident about is the calories burned portion.  It calculates that based off of information you input – including gender, weight, and height.  Since I haven’t (and probably won’t unless free!) upgraded to premium, I’ll just have to use the calories burned as a general guide.  Endomondo is available on multiple platforms (including iOS, Android, HTC, and Blackberry) and also connects to My Fitness Pal.

(2) What Should I Wear Running- I recently heard about this from Allie on Twitter.  But, I still waited a week or so to try it out for myself.  I really like it!  It gives you a general sense of what to wear on a run depending on the weather and whether or not you like to be warm, cool or in-between.

For someone that’s been “seriously running” for almost 18 months, I’m still really clueless about what to wear depending on weather and distance.  ”What Should I Wear Running?” is available for iOS and Android.

What kind of apps do you use in your non-school life?

The Power of Personal Experience

By Sabrina Bong – At the middle school last week, one of my students came to me and said that she had just failed a quiz in music theory.

She explained that she was confused when her teacher tried to explain the different notes on a scale and where they fell on a staff. After drawing out examples, my student asked if we could go into the music room and have me explain everything using the piano. Once we received permission, we went into the music room and we talked about the different piano keys, where all of them were on a staff, and how many beats each note counted as.

After a few minutes of this, my student said, “Miss Bong, do you know how to play the piano?”

I responded that I did take piano lessons for a long time when I was in elementary and high school, and that I had struggled with music theory as well. My student smiled and said, “Play something.” So I played “Let It Be” on the piano.

After that, two things happened: one, my student said she had no idea who the Beatles were (doesn’t that make me feel old!) and two, she said, “Wow, Miss Bong, you’re kinda cool. I didn’t know you could do that! Maybe I’ll learn how to do that too. And you said you didn’t like music theory.”

Whenever I work with my students, I do my best to keep my personal life out of my counseling life. There are times when it overlaps, like when a student goes out to dinner with their family and sees me three tables over. Or maybe they run into me when I’m at the mall. But for the most part, I try not to do a lot of revealing about my family, friends, and personal relationships.

However, I’ve seen how much revealing can do, when used in moderation. Simply telling my student that I too struggled with music theory allowed her to open up to me about her situation. She knew that I wouldn’t judge her, or laugh at her, or make her feel silly. And then having her see me play the piano seemed to reassure her that she was okay. She may not have done well on her one quiz, but this did not mean that she would be completely unable to do well in music. Despite my struggles, I still learned how to play the piano. It seemed like I was giving her hope.

I am still leery at times to reveal personal things about myself, but now I’ve realized that it can really help build a counseling relationship when it’s used appropriately. I see now that it’s okay for me to tell students that I struggled with math when I was in elementary school, or that I sometimes fought with my middle school friends. All it does is help the students realize that once upon a time, I really was in their shoes. I’d walked that road before. But now, it’s my turn to help navigate.

Tuesday Trivia – April 23, 2013

This week is Alumni Awards Week where we honor alumni who embody Marquette’s mission. We are truly proud of all of our students, both current and alumni!

Who is this year’s College of Education Distinguished Alumna of the Year?

Claim your chance to win by leaving the correct answer in the comments section below anytime today between 7am – 6pm. And don’t be afraid to play, even if someone has already posted the right answer! One winner will be randomly selected from ALL correct answers after the close of business and announced the following day.  The winner will be posted on our Facebook page and notified by email.  Please note that you must have a valid email address listed in your comment or WordPress profile to win.

________________________________

How much do YOU know about Marquette University and the College of Education? Test your knowledge every Tuesday during Tuesday Trivia!

Being the Difference in a Struggling Milwaukee: 2013 Diversity Gala

Each year, the Graduate Student Organization of the Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology department hosts a celebration of sorts.

Their annual Diversity Gala aims to bring together CECP faculty, students, alumni and community members to celebrate the profession and raise money for counseling scholarships for students of color.

This year’s gala takes place on Saturday, May 4, 2013 beginning at 6:00 p.m. The event will feature hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and a cash bar. And everyone is invited.

“The Diversity Gala is such an important event because it highlights the department’s commitment to social justice and diversity,” says Dave Doucette, CECP master’s student in clinical mental health counseling. “As mental health professionals, we have discovered the significance of advocacy work and awareness of multicultural issues that might arise while working our clients, whether they are students in a high school or individuals battling substance use.”

“Our department recognizes the need to enroll and train individuals who identify as an ethnic or racial minority to diversify not only the department, but the Marquette community and overall helping field,” Doucette continues.

The Diversity Gala serves as a philanthropic effort to highlight, celebrate, and raise awareness to these issues, especially the continual fundraising for the Diversity Scholarship, awarded to an incoming or current CECP graduate student that identifies as an ethnic or racial minority.  This Diversity Scholarship is intended to reflect and support the value of students who are actively promoting diversity and social justice within the CECP department and will continue to do so within the mental health field.

In 2011, newly admitted master’s student Affi Okokon received the Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Diversity Scholarship award.

“The Diversity Gala was the first interaction that I had with the students and faculty of Marquette’s CECP department, and it was a wonderful way to be introduced to the counseling program,” Okokon recalls. “The whole gala itself was a very festive and exciting experience, and I really enjoyed listening to the keynote speaker.

“As an African American female, it was uplifting to know that I was starting a counseling program that had a strong emphasis on acknowledging and celebrating diversity in the Milwaukee community. After attending the gala and meeting influential faculty members, students, and community leaders, I left with a feeling of empowerment and reassurance that Marquette’s CECP department was where I belonged. The Diversity Gala is a wonderful event, and I have continued to attend every year that I have been a student in the counseling program.”

But, the gala is about more than scholarship funding.  Each year, the graduate student organization also brings in a well-respected keynote speaker that actively interacts with and engages the audience in issues of advocacy, social justice, and diversity.

For 2013, the keynote is Ron Kuramoto, Director and Facilitator for Future Milwaukee. As a facilitator and consultant, Kuramoto’s clients have included People of Color Conferences for the National Association of Independent Schools, the Institute of Diversity Education and Leadership (IDEAL) Milwaukee of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Community Transformation Project of Marquette University, the Leadership Southern California program as well as contracted programs for the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension, Cardinal Stritch University, and the University of Southern California.

This portion of the event allows all attendees to reflect on and pay particular attention to their own attitudes and glean useful knowledge that can be applied in every day life.

In other words, this interaction with the keynote speaker empowers all individuals to more deeply consider how they can become advocates for social justice and diversity in their everyday lives.  This sense of inspiration can unite the audience and larger community as a whole.

For more information about the 2013 Diversity Gala, including how to buy tickets, visit the College of Education web site.