Sunday, December 6, 2015

Reflection on Checklists, Chapter 5.

Please write a response to the following reflections and comment on two of your colleagues'.


1.  Explain the following quote from Calkins as it relates to the use of the checklist in the writing classroom and share your opinion.
" Checklists are especially important if the person is intent on not just pulling off a complicated project, but also on getting better at that work --- on improving the odds of success, raising the rates, maximizing the progress. "







2.  Explain the following quote from Paul Tough as it relates to the use of the checklist in the writing classroom and share your opinion.
"When kids believe that they can change their intelligence they actually do better.  They try harder."

Following is a great video that relates to the above quote.  Enjoy. 


The language you use to praise students can help encourage or discourage a growth mindset and has broad implications for how students persevere in the face o...
youtube.com

18 comments:

  1. Quote 1:
    It seems to me that Calkins is making the point that checklists make you aware of what needs to be done and help you hold yourself accountable for doing it. Being aware of what you need to do is key because that reminder helps keeps you on track until doing those things becomes automatic. This really resonated with me because I’m a big list-maker; I use checklists and to-do lists for most tasks. While I agree that checklists aren’t a substitute for direct instruction (p. 44), once students are comfortable with various writing techniques, I think checklists could be a great tool for helping keep them on track and for helping them become more independent, as they’re assessing themselves as well as being assessed by the teacher.

    Quote 2:
    This quote made a lot of sense to me—I can imagine that, if they feel like their intelligence is a fixed quality, students are liable to feel like there’s no point to working hard. It seems to me that using checklists might help with this by making the point that writing is a skill that, like any skill, can be developed and improved through hard work, rather than writing being some mystical thing that you’re either good at or not. It seems to me that checklists could also help by drawing students’ attention to evidence of improvement. They can look at a checklist from early in the year and see how many things they were not doing, and then look at one from later in the year and see what they’ve improved upon. It makes things much more concrete than if they only had their pieces of writing to look at. I would think that most students would find seeing that evidence of improvement pretty motivating, and it offers a solid rebuttal to “I’m just not good at writing.”

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    1. Hi Hilary,
      I could not agree more. I see these comments as a reflection of Calkins' belief in metacognition - teaching children how to think...or write. This is such a huge shift from the idea of measuring intelligence, etc. ... that many teachers stumble before they can understand the process.

      Bravo!

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    2. I agree that keeping a checklist is most helpful in keeping your work in line with your goals. I am not as faithful with lists as Hilary, but when things get overwhelming, I do make a list. Hilary also makes a good point that checklists will help students stay on track and become more independent as writers.

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    3. I really like your comment about the ways checklists help us to internalize what needs to be done, or make important tasks "automatic," as you say. One of the habits I'd like to see many students moving away from is the idea that they can just sit down and write. Checklists break down the writing process into easily digestible parts and suggest that writing requires more mindfulness than just putting words on a page and meeting page requirements. Good point!

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    4. Hilary, Cherie, and Helana, All I can say is ditto! I believe if we consistently use the checklists we will not only help the tasks become automatic, but we will helps students develop a consistent vocabulary across the grades. Bravo!

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  2. Quote 1: Using checklists for writing is a way of empowering students to check their own writing for progress toward goals at their particular grade level. These goals need to be taught with the learner's needs in mind; the youngest writers should focus on one goal initially, and the list build as s/he gains understanding. The checklist itself should never be considered instruction. This statement in the text validated my initial reaction to NOT use the checklists for the initial writing prompt in Grades K and 1. It would only create confusion for the young students. It is also important to note that the checklist needs to match the student, whether the student is a grade level behind or ahead. As writing goals are taught by the teacher and learned by the students, Caulkins suggests that teachers have a double list; to include the next set of goals to gives them more to reach for, and remind them that the learning is continual.

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    1. Cherie, I totally agree with all of your statements. I think your point about using the lists to differentiate is important and one that is often overlooked by teachers. I think this method would help organize both the teachers and the students as well as fit into the proficiency format your school is moving towards. :)

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  3. Quote 2: Again, the checklist empowers the students to improve their own thinking and writing. Instead of writing without fully understanding expectations and hoping the teacher likes his/her writing, the student will realize his/her own potential for improvement. It is counterproductive for students to believe that their level of intelligence is fixed, and that writing is in their DNA or not. It is essential that the checklists are accompanied by the belief that progress is based on hard work, not intelligence.
    As I think about SOME of the students in our school, the bigger problem is getting them to care. Many students just don't want to work hard. It will be interesting to see if these students can be convinced that the effort is worth it. However, I have often noticed that students will reflect what they perceive their teacher's opinion of them to be; when teachers believe in students, they do try harder.

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    1. Cherie, you really combine some interesting points that I've been thinking about a lot lately. I'm totally on board with not seeing intelligence as "fixed," and I hadn't thought of the connection with getting students motivated.

      (Let's talk about this in person! I think motivation is so important!)

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    2. Cherie, I love the part about students reflecting what the teacher thinks about them! It is so true. The checklists, I hope will make teachers focus on the goals as well as the student.

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  4. I have used checklists for some time, however I see that they can be used much more effectively. Calkins talks about

    2. " But the success or failure of the checklist will have everything to do with whether or not you are able to create in your classroom a learning culture that values ... a growth mindset." This is so true. Kids saying that they can't or they're not good at a particular thing is incredibly limiting. I sometimes hear myself doing this when a student bemoans a drawing they've done during read aloud. I'll sometimes say that I am not good at drawing. Yikes. Got to stop that! I bought multiple copies of her book for a staff reading, but I never got around to organizing it. They're in Tim's office. Maybe it's time.

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    1. Robb, What a great point! Which book are you talking about? The growth mindset is a "new" buzz word, but represents an important shift in educational thinking when it is accompanied by the believe that all children can learn. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. One of the ideas Calkins suggests about checklists is how powerful they can be in helping student writers to pull off complicated projects. Throughout the beginning of Chapter 5 (40-43), Calkins uses the example of heart surgery to describe how easy it is to avoid complications (or failure) by fostering mindfulness (40-43). Although a simple idea, the “checklist” makes it less likely that students will forget essential things (44).

    The second important part of this quote is that checklists help students to invest in self-assessment because they are tasked with focusing on improving their writing. This role is an important part of effective checklist praxis: students need to understand it’s their job to become stronger writers, not their classmates or anyone else. As Calkins says on page 45, “You”—the student—“are in charge.”

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    1. Helana, I totally agree. I think our challenge is going to be to be sure the students are motivated to be in charge - as you mentioned earlier - and independent enough to use the checklist. Hopefully, our school wide efforts will pay off.

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  6. #1 Checklists are valuable tools that allow students to evaluate their own writing pieces. It is important for students to understand their purpose and value. I have seen checklists used in the classroom before and the students check the items off the list without actually checking their work..

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    1. Missy, I am wondering whether or not your students are using them or do you have a class checklist? I am eager to hear how this might work in your classroom. Thanks for joining us during the meeting I know you had to stretch yourself in many different ways. We all benefit from your participation. :)

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  7. Quote #2: Agency is such an important part of the writing process. I have often noticed that when you help students to celebrate their goals, they seem more intent and focused on achieving the next one. Calkins discusses the positive affects of celebration and goal setting towards the end of Chapter 5, stressing that goals should be “a big deal” if students are to believe they are more capable writers.

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  8. Helana, I totally agree. It has always seemed to me that papers covered with corrections lead students to feel they have failed. I was so glad to see the papers you shared with us had equally positive comments. Students need to know when they accomplish a goal and we can help them grow by articulating their success with the appropriate vocabulary.

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