Category Archives: Classroom Management

W.I.C.O.R

Anatomy & Physiology, AVID, Biology, Classroom Management, Day to Day, Science, students, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Any educator in a high school should recognize the acronym WICOR as an AVID instructional strategy.  Specifically, WICOR stands for Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading/Real-World Connections.  AVID is an acronym for Advancement Via Individual Determination.  Most schools in  Southern California actively support AVID and the use of the WICOR strategies.  In fact, Heritage High School is a demo school for AVID.  All teachers are requested to use WICOR strategies in their teaching because it is active, engaging, and is academically beneficial to the students.

 

Writing strategies                                                                           

  • Cornell Notes/Learning Logs
  • Quickwrites and Reflections
  • Process Writing
  • Peer Evaluation
  • Authentic Writing

Inquiry strategies

  • Skilled Questioning Techniques
  • Costa’s Levels of Thinking
  • Socratic Seminars
  • Investigations
  • Questions that Guide Research

Collaboration strategies

  • Socratic seminars
  • Philosophical Chairs
  • Group Activities
  • Peer Editing Groups
  • Service Learning

Organization strategies

  • Binders and organizational tools
  • Calendar,s Planners, and Agendas
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Focused note-taking system
  • Study groups
  • Project planning and SMART goals

Reading strategies

  • Deep Reading Strategies
  • Note-taking
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Vocabulary Building
  • Summarizing
  • Reciprocal Teaching

WICOR in my classes. 

Writing: All of my classes, Biology and Anatomy and Physiology use many of these strategies on a daily basis.  For instance, my students are required to take Cornell Notes from readings in the textbook.  If a Crash Course video is assigned, the students complete a GIST Summary, which is far more rigorous than simply writing down notes.  My students have completed Quickwrites and Reflections (along with SMART) goals.  We also use a Science Interactive Notebook, which truly helps with writing, organization and reading.

Inquiry: ‘To date, the classes have taught about Costa’s Levels of Thinking.  In addition, the classes have participated in Socratic Seminars and Investigations (Labs).  I am currently working on having them create questions to guide research.  At this date and time, I am responsible for creating guided questions and asking open-ended questions of the students.

Collaboration: All classes participate in group activities, including Socratic Seminars, Philosophical Chairs, and projects.  I have recently developed a real appreciation for think.pair.share.  I have been using it a lot lately.  Today, the students observed a peer “grading” their notebook.  Then the two students switched notebooks and they graded the other persons.  This is not for a grade.  It is an easy way to have them create peer editing groups and evaluate what they each need to complete before turning it in in a week.

Organization: Although began the year with digital notebooks, I was unable to achieve buy-in from a large number of students.  When it began to impact my pacing, it was time to stop and switch back to a traditional ISN.  I also strive to keep my students on track with being organized.  I put an outline on the board every Monday that includes information for in-class activities, and homework information and due dates.  Some students take photos of the whiteboard.  The students were also given an agenda record keeping planner to use to stay on top of assignments.  The students fill these in on Monday and receive a stamp.  Last, but not least, the students have access to their Haiku (Power School Learning), where the assignments are also posted under Weekly Overview.

Reading:  There are lots of reading assignments in Science.  I also either create graphic organizers or have the students replicate one in their notebook to use for assignments.  I began using Desmos a while back, which helps with vocabulary building.  The students are also very familiar with the concept of organizing because their classes have been AVID centered for many years.

 

My classes have participated in Philosophical Chairs discussion, and more recently have begun reading up for their next Socratic Seminar on Cancer.  The students also regularly work together on group activities, such as creating a poster of Mitosis with labels and definitions.  They also recently completed a five-day project for Photosynthesis, culminating in a slides presentation.  I could go on-and-on, but for the most part, my instructional style lends itself most easily to this type of instruction.

I tend to be pretty reflective about my instruction and am always self-evaluating, to do that requires deep analysis.  I create a checklist based on the items and/or information I can find about the strategy.  After that, it is simply comparing what I already do to what I have not explored yet.  At least with regards to WICOR, it would appear I am on top of it.

The backbone of every Effective Educator

Classroom Management, Day to Day, Psychology, Science, students, , , , , , , ,

There really is no secret here.  From my experience, there is no educating or learning occurring if the class is out of control.

Every teacher has to weather this particular storm and find out what truly works for them.  The wisdom of the ages tends to conflict on a few of the finer points.  However, what they all agree on, unanimously, is classroom management is key to successful teaching.

First, a Classroom Management Plan is essential.  This can be tricky if you are new to the school you are at.  For instance, a tenured teacher can get away with simply sending a student out.  Period.  Finito.  They may have their knuckles rapped for “not following procedure,” but that is about it.  Probationary Teachers – either Prob 1 or Prob 2 – are on a little bit more of balancing beam.  The Plan has to include what is and what is not allowed on your school’s campus.  For instance, last year I worked at a school that allowed or tutorial detention.  Awesome.  If the students were misbehaving, before detention, “real detention,” they would receive tutorial detention with me.  Typically, this would require a chat, along with some pointed questions about behavior and goals.  This is quite different from another school site where the students are bused in and out.  There is no after school detention (bus coming).  There is no tutorial.  The students even have separate lunches, so that is not a possibility.

Second, posting your expectations, rules, procedures, and consequences.  This is key as I learned the hard way.  Although the students and parents had signed a syllabus, it was out of sight out of mind.  Although the students had access to the information online through Haiku, it was still out of sight, out of mind.  Emails with parents and counselors did not seem to help.  It was not until I posted the laminated expectations and consequences ON THE WALL, that I finally enjoyed some peace.

This district prefers the term “Expectations,” over rules.  Works for me.  I use a modified version of “Whole Brain Teaching.”  I am quite sure many teachers are aware of it.

  • Expectation #1 – Follow Directions Quickly
  • Expectation #2 – Raise your hand to Speak
  • Expectation #3 – Raise your hand to Leave your Seat
  • Expectation #4 – Make Smart Choices (pretty much the umbrella catch-all)
  • Expectation #5 – Believe in yourselves, because I already do.  (This was my modification). 

My consequences are pretty standard.

  • Consequence #1 – Warning
  • Consequence #2 – Quick Chat After Class
  • Consequence #3 – Email or Phone Home (pun intended)
  • Consequence #4 – Contact counselor
  • Consequence #5 – Detention AND Parent Teacher Conference

To introduce them to the “new” way of things, I surprised the class with a quick get up and move around to the corner on the left side of the room.  The students were excited and all a-twitter.  Then, I simply asked them to do an about-face and read the board in unison.  That part was very important.  They did.  Then, I had them step three steps to the right, and read the consequences in unison.  They did.  I asked if they understood what was going on and they responded they did and some even volunteered that now they had to behave.  Now?  That is on me.

Third is consistency.  Believe me, I did not get peace immediately.  The students had to test me first.  The first day a few students went past the warning to the quick chat.  Only one student opted for the E ticket ride, straight from #1 to #5 within 15 minutes.  When he came back to my class after detention I reminded him that he had a fresh start.  It was water under the bridge.  It was his responsibility to stay on task.  He agreed.

Pretty long blog about something laypeople consider “simple classroom management.”  Personally, the only thing I can compare it to is ministers giving a sermon at church.  Of course, their audience is voluntary, but that is what makes it all the more impressive.  How do ministers inspire so many people to get up early on a Saturday or Sunday, get dressed in their best, and go sit in an auditorium quietly, attentively listening, for as long as the minister wants to speak?  Clearly, I am a church-goer.  We just moved to a new area so it will take us awhile to find our new church.  I need to find a pastor that “touches” my heart, and engages my mind.  Sounds a lot like teaching, doesn’t it?