I think HPI can be used at my school to train us in things like blood borne pathogens and hazordous training. Tasks that need to be taught, but aren't necessarily teaching me how to teach. I can learn new concepts through HPI, but I think on the job training is also important. I think most of what is learned about effective teaching comes from experience with actual kids. You realize how different and unpredictable people think at times. I can still be amazed at how students come up with answers.
The book explains that incentives and giving feedback increase performance. I agree with this. I try to write comments on papers whenever possible. This can be time consuming, but when there is a little note they tend to try harder. For example, if I write "good" on a test I will get a different result if I say "Good! I'm happy to see you took your time taking this test!" Just that little difference can change the outcome of the next test. They see that I really am investing myself into their learning. I also think everyone needs incentives of some kind. I would not take this class if I didn't get something out of taking the class. I want the credit and I want to receive a new degree when I've completed all courses. I want the knowledge I'm gaining so I can do better in my job now.
The podcast I chose is one that shows Daily 5. I chose this because I do Daily 5 in my classroom too. I've read the book, but I wanted to see a different take on how to organize my classroom and reading groups. I actually really like a lot of the ideas. It was nice to see that the teacher explains that she only does three of the groups. I do all five, but last year found one to not be working the way I wanted. It was one of the groups she also took out so it is making me rethink my strategy for this coming year. I really liked a lot of the ideas the teacher had. I also chose this podcast because it came from a teacher and not an author or someone who hasn't worked with kids in years. I think podcasting would work really well as a way to introduce ideas and share ideas during professional developments. I would love to see podcasts of teachers doing small groups in my school district. I would know they had the same expectations and same curriculum as me, but would get to see how they organize things and why. This would be very beneficial.
I think that HPI is more than just training. It involves evaluating performance, identifying the cause of any deficiencies, and then customizing an intervention (which could include training) to fit those specific needs. For instance, the HPT model in Figure 14.2 could easily be used as a guide to helping teachers in a low performing school. It looks at a wide range of questions beyond "what did the teachers do wrong?" or "what did the principal do wrong?"
ReplyDeleteHowever, you are absolutely right that being specific with your feedback is a lot more effective than a generic "good job." I find that my students try harder on the next assignment if I am specific about what they could have done on a project to get a higher grade (or tell them what they did right when they do get a good grade).
Because I don't have my own classroom yet, I think a lot about what problems (behavior, effort, comprehension) I'll face. The cause analysis part of figure 14.2 (page 141) stuck out to me because it deals with all of the reasons a student (well, worker according to the book) won't perform as desired. I think that HPI is beneficial for looking at why a student isn't performing, what I can do to change my teaching style, and how to evaluate the outcomes. No, it's not great for teacher-specific examples, but it is meaningful as a process.
ReplyDeleteI love to find things that help me see what other teachers are doing, and what is successful, and what to avoid, like your Daily 5. It sounds like that will be a great resource for you.
ReplyDeleteEven at the high school level, your remark about writing a more meaningful comment on assignments or tests applies. As much as I can, I try to give positive feedback about the things that they have done well, so they don't feel like all I have to say is negative, and I think it has a tremendous impact on their willingness to put forth effort on the next assignment.
I believe getting comments and feedback are very important. If the student had completed their assignment on line-it would be even easier to post comments. Just like we all do on our blog entries. Great idea.
ReplyDeleteMargie