What’s All the Buzz about Rigor?

What’s All the Buzz about Rigor?

RIGOR!!! We’ve all heard it at least ten times over the last year…but what is it?  Rigor means different things to different people, I’ve even heard two different definitions from the same person.  While it is difficult to pin down a standard definition, there is no denying, it is a buzz word in our world.

In their article titled Recognizing Rigor in Classrooms: Four Tools for School Leaders, Ronald Williamson and Barbara Blackburn state that “rigor is more than a specific lesson or instructional strategy. It is deeper than what a student says or does in response to a lesson. Real rigor is the result of weaving together all elements of schooling to improve the achievement and learning of every student.” A definition that includes the standard terms deeper, improve, and achievement we often see when discussing rigor.  While Williamson and Blackburn do a remarkable job stating what they feel rigor is, I still am unclear as to what a rigorous classroom should look like. So here is Mr. Hattal’s vision of a rigorous classroom!

To me a rigorous classroom is:

          1) Student led

          2) Spirited

          3) Adaptable

          4) Focused on clear, yet flexible, goals.

          5) Devoid of the fear of failure

          6) Well supported

          7)  Community oriented

1) A rigorous classroom should be student led!  To achieve a rigorous classroom, students must “buy-in” to the process.  Students are more willing to buy-in if they are in control of the process.  The worst thing we can do when ramping up the rigor is force it upon the students!  In his amazing book, Learn Like a Pirate, Paul Solarz states “I can’t force my students to learn and mature academically, socially, and emotionally. But I can offer incredible experiences that make them eager to learn.”

2) A rigorous classroom should be spirted!  No, I am not saying we need to bring Ouija boards into our classrooms!  Our classrooms should have regular open and spirted discussions where students enjoy sharing and supporting their opinions.  They should learn to listen with objective and open minds.  Our school has regular debates built in to our LDC (Literacy Design Collaborative) Modules.  Students research specific topics, close read diversified texts, and draft an argument.  Then they engage in classroom, grade level, or even school wide debates.  They love it! 

3)  A rigorous classroom should be adaptable!   Everything from classroom set-up to curriculum should be fluid in a rigorous classroom.  How many times have you missed out on a “teachable moment” because you “really needed to move on”?  If we are talking about soil erosion along the St. John’s River, and our discussion turns to saving Sea Grass…I don’t want to stop!  Especially if the students have directed the discussion!  The rigor comes when we can tie these two important topics together.  We must be ready for these diversions.

Effective, adaptable classroom setup is another key component of a rigorous classroom.  Classroom setup should allow freedom of movement and expression while conserving space for individualized coaching.  Our classrooms should be setup to take full advantage of technology.  I am lucky enough to have 1:1 Chromebooks, but don’t let the lack of technology be a detractor.  Adapt and overcome!  Most of all, a rigorous classroom should be easily changeable.  You should be able to convert from test mode, to group discussions in a flash!      

4) A rigorous classroom must focus on clear, yet flexible, goals! To quote former President Ronald Regan “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose”.  Without goals our students wonder aimlessly through the year wondering what to do next.  In a rigorous classroom, the question “what do I do now?” should be met with “have you reached your goal?”  Students should write strong goals with obtainable and measurable objectives; they should not stop pushing forward until they reach those goals.  When they reach their goals, celebrate their accomplishment, then establish new, more challenging goals!  They should never rest, the summit should always be within sight, but just out of reach.

5)  A rigorous classroom lacks the fear of failure!  There are literally a million quotes on overcoming failure.  We’ve all experienced it and we’ve all had to overcome it.  Here’s one for you: “Failure is rigorous” – Rich Hattal. Let me clarify that a little.  It is not the act of failing that is rigorous, rather the act of recovering from the failure that is rigorous.  It is easy to quit, but it is very humbling to push forward.  Asking for help, trying new technics, and interacting with peers are ways to recover from failure.  All of which increase the level of rigor.  As a teacher watching a student struggle is difficult.  At times I just want to toss in a life preserver.  I must remind myself to hold back, observe, and be ready with CPR if needed.  Self-correction and perseverance are two of the most rewarding feelings the human mind can experience. 

6) A rigorous classroom is well supported! This feature goes hand-in-hand with #5 above.  Providing support when failure occurs is instrumental to recovery.  Pushing, challenging, and motivating our students to overcome failure is essential to moving forward.  Establishing trust with your students and “having their backs” helps to create a healthy environment for students.  Often times the fear of letting their teacher down will hold a student back. 

The grade driven mentality has no place in a rigorous classroom.  A student should know that effort is important.  Failure should not automatically mean an “F”: effort and perseverance should count, and your students should know that!

7)  A rigorous classroom should be community oriented!  Community can mean so many things.  It could mean the classroom, the grade level, the school, or the local area.  It could mean the playground or art class.  That being said in a rigorous classroom, the term community should simply mean the people you are interacting with.   

Rigor should not terminate as the student exits the door.  It must be the mentality of the community.  Rigor should continue on the baseball diamond, in the mall, at the lunch table, or on the bus ride home.  Students should be willing to share what they have discovered.  They should be digging deeper, exploring new topics, or putting the day’s math lesson to use at the grocery store.  After all that is the goal of rigor right?  To prepare our students for life after school, right?  If they can’t live rigor outside the classroom then we have failed! 

Let’s make one thing clear, I am no way an expert on rigor, in fact I would consider it a weak point for me.  I know it is a weak point for me, so I must improve.  If I cannot overcome my areas of weakness, how could I even begin to ask my students to do so? This blog posting is the first of many steps.   The route ahead will be difficult, but I except the challenge…and look forward to the ride.

Empowerment...It's not just for breakfast anymore!

Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It's about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity. -Guy Fieri

While I am not so sure just how insightful Mr. Fieri meant those words to be, they certainly resonate in many walks of life. Replace cooking with learning, and you could have a great meme that would represent how we, as teachers, feel.  After all learning is not about just a single ingredient.  Some ingredients make the end product sour or bitter, while some ingredients make for a sweet and delectable treat.  Some recipes simply don’t work, while others produce savory products craved by the masses.  Cooking can be done quickly on a gas burner or slowly in a slow cooker.  Regardless of the medium, the outcome is not complete unless it is combined with love and care.

In cooking or in learning we seek the same outcome, a wonderful morsel that is satisfying to everyone.  By harnessing a child’s imagination education can be sweet.  When child tastes sweetness, they crave more.  When we open imaginations broad doors, the possibilities are endless. 

When we empower our students, we allow them to use tools not normally available to them.  We allow them to become thinkers, movers, shakers, and stirrers, capable of making their own decisions, and to partner with others.  This is a recipe for success.  Success in school, in the kitchen, and in life starts with the having faith and confidence in oneself; empowerful breeds confidence.  

Creativity, becoming an individual, thinking outside the proverbial box is another wholesome ingredient to success.  Allowing students to broaden their mind, to try new flavors, and incorporate spice into their work allows them to develop flavors they would not normally taste.  It allows them to develop a pallet rich in color and texture.  They will want to share these flavors with others, collaborating and concocting as they go along, all in the pursuit of a culinary/scholastic masterpiece.

While I am not sure it was Mr. Fieri’s intent to be so poetic, but his words certainly resonated with me.  Empowerment, creativity, and fostering imaginative thinking have all become the buzzwords in my 2015-16 mantra.  I WILL MAKE CHEF’S out of my students!  

Lessons from a 2nd Year Teacher...

At the end of last year, I was exhausted!  My first year of teaching was tough.  What else would one expect, teaching at the 3rd ranked school in Florida was going to be hard work, I knew that.  So I went into year two with a lot more experience.  I knew what to expect, I understood the pacing this job requires, and I had a better understanding of how to manage a classroom!

Year 2, it all happened so fast…again!  Here I am with a little over 4 weeks remaining in the year…exhausted!  Where did the time go?! It seems like only yesterday that we were getting issued our keys, yet today we received our end-of-the-year checklist.  This year conversely, the feeling is not enervation but rather simply that feeling you get after you just ran a marathon!  I end this year with a much better feeling, one of vitality!  I had a great time this year! 

Fast and furious, this year was full of ups and downs.  Trying to teach students to think for themselves was my greatest challenge.  For the most part, students at our school are well above average academically.  Their standardize tests scores are well above the average, they are decent writers, and can work out just about any math problem.  Yet they lack key skills, that personally, I feel are much more important than knowing how to find the area of a rectangle.  They lack the ability to think for themselves. 

We like to say that to succeed, we (they) must think outside the box.  Often, during restless nights, I would think about ways to add some color to my students otherwise grey school days.  I have been inspired by so many success stories, yet trying to implement things always seemed to lead to roadblocks.  Whether it was poor school infrastructure or time limitations, my ideas always seemed to end up in the circular file.    Then I had an epiphany, “stop coming up with excuses!!!!”  You see, one of my classroom mantras has always been “don’t come to me problems, come to me with solutions.”  Do as I say, not as I do was in full affect in my classroom!    

In order to present my students with the best possible opportunity to learn, I, me, this guy needed to think outside of the box!  So I started small.  I scrapped an ineffective reading program and began to offer alternatives to the kids.  I allowed students to prepare Glogsters, video tapped reports, blogs, PowerPoints, or the traditional, pen and paper reports…bottom line, I gave them choices!  The kids loved it!

Next was the way we took test…err…assessments!  First I banned the word “test” from my classroom.  At the end of each chapter, unit, topic I assessed what they had learned.  If they did not meet the expected level of understanding, they could readdress their areas of weakness and retake the assessment.  As the year progressed the assessments would become more challenging and include material from earlier in the year.  We would build on what we’ve learned…not memorize! 

The third area I changed is I stopped teaching to the test!  I wanted to add color, I wanted to learn by doing, and I wanted to allow my students to stray from the obvious.  We built rollercoasters, we created timelines that surrounded the room, we explored the lives of historical figures, we planted mangroves, we asked questions about authors, we ate what the confederate soldiers ate (shhh, don’t tell the principle, we aren’t supposed to eat in the classroom!) and we connected with others outside our walls!

Perhaps the greatest agent of change for me has been the building of my PLN.  While I wish I could take credit for my amazing ideas”, I owe most of it to my PLN.  One of my most successful adaptations was inspired by a wonderful teacher doing great things in Virginia (@Mr_B_Teacher), you see, we connected with the world outside our walls.  On several occasions we have “connected” with another 4^th grade class in Virginia.  Through the use of Google Hangouts, we’ve “met” on three occasions.  The sessions have allowed the students to grow both academically and socially.  The kids love it!  We’ve allowed the students to slowly take the reins. Now the students have full control.  They develop questions, they chose their roles, and they steer the ship!  These sessions have also been a tremendous boost to my personal psych.  It has shown me the power of collaboration and that learning outside the box is possible.  Simply stated they serve to inspire me! 

As we close out the year, I am exhausted.  But, I am also invigorated.  While some of my methods do not always sit well with others in my peer group, I hope to win at least some of them over next year. I do not, and will not for a while, know the results of the standardized to test. Frankly I don’t care.  In my heart I know I have done a decent job of allowing the students to grow.  Isn’t that our goal?  I cannot wait for next year, I have so many ideas!  With the guidance and inspiration of my PLN, in year 3 I will completely shred the box!     

Mr. Hattal's Classroom: It started with a mangrove tree. The ramblings of ...

Mr. Hattal's Classroom: It started with a mangrove tree. The ramblings of ...: I remember the day well, it was three days before the winter break, 7:30 in the morning. The annual contract teachers were all receiving...

It started with a mangrove tree. The ramblings of a bad teammate!

I remember the day well, it was three days before the winter break, 7:30 in the morning. The annual contract teachers were all receiving their mid-term feedbacks.  I was the first one scheduled that day.  As always, I was the first teacher to school in the morning.  The principle and vice-principle were reading from my evaluation sheet. Line by line, area by area.  Proficient, exemplary, proficient, proficient, exemplary…not bad for a second year teacher I’m thinking to myself.  Then we came to the heading “teamwork”. 

“I got this” I said to myself, fully expecting to hear the word “exemplary” roll across my principles lips.

Instead, “needs professional improvement” are the words that rolled from his lips….

“Wait…what???” I think to myself, too shocked to speak.  22 years in the military, 7 years as a contractor, never, never, never had I been told teamwork was an area where I need to improve…NEVER!  Yet here I am, two years into teaching, being told my teamwork “needs professional improvement!”

That night was restless…tossing and turning, I spent my night reflecting on what was said.  In my mind, I went over everything I had done in the first half of the year.  I coordinated the planting of 100 mangrove seedlings, I arranged for a Skype lesson with the Virginia Historical Society, I set up the other teachers Google Classroom Accounts (which they never use), I created PPTs for Science and Social Studies, I single handedly created a wonderful Civil War LDC…there must be some mistake! 

So the next day I went to the AP for some clarification.  They do 25 of these evaluations, who knows maybe there was an error.  Nope!  The AP told me I was marked down after discussions with the team lead. 

“Really, can I ask why?” I inquired.          

“Because you gave the students an “extra” book report during the 1^st quarter” was the AP’s response.

What he said was true…sort of!  At the beginning of the year, 4^th Grade had no defined reading program.  Having lost the A/R program from the year before, we were left with our pants down so to speak.  During “pre-planning” we discussed many options, finally settling on a computer based site “Reading Rewards”.  Students were to enter their reading minutes, then complete a monthly “blog” on a book they had read. 

As the first couple months went by, it was evident that our reading program was ineffective.  Several of my students did not have regular access to computers therefore completing the daily entries and the blog was impossible.  I went to the team for guidance.  Their input included suggestions like “have them go to the library” or “have them come into class early”.  When I suggested an alternative, the idea was shrugged off as “not fair for those that complete the program as assigned”. 

The issues continued, and my frustration grew.  So I (giant gasp) went against the grain (heaven forbid) and provided students with an alternative: an optional format for the monthly “blog” and a pen and paper log.  Little did I know, providing alternatives (isn’t differentiation a buzz word these days) would cause such issues among my peers. 

As it turns out, after some discovery (dare I say investigating?), the real reason my colleges were upset was because the parents in their classes were asking for the same type of alternative system.  “Why can’t we have a reading program like Mr. Hattal’s?” they asked.

I digress…my intention for writing this blog post is not to smear the good names of my colleagues.  The purpose is to show how it motivated me!

After spending many sleepless nights reflecting, I finally came to a realization; I was reflecting on the wrong question.  The first couple of nights I kept asking myself “where did I go wrong?” Instead my focus should have been “where did I go right?”  Well, it all started with a pile of mangrove seedlings.  

As a grade level, we were doing an LDC on Interdependence.  We read text, we had a visitor from the Forestry Service, and we watched videos.  While interesting, there was nothing “hands-on” about what we were doing.  I took it upon myself to arrange for a local botanist to come to our school and help us plant 100 mangrove seeds.  The kids loved it!  They watched as their mangroves grew from an ugly “finger” into a budding, full of potential seedling.  Much like the students in my class, some of the mangroves thrived, some grew at an average rate, and some lagged behind.  We watered them, gave them nutrients, and provided them with sunlight.  Still some grew, some did not.  Regardless of the outcome, each and every student took something away from the experience. 

Next up was an LDC on Florida’s involvement in the Civil War.  Was Florida important to the outcome of the Civil War was the essential question.  Again, we read text and watched videos.  To add an alternative approach, I arranged for a Skype with a representative of the Virginia Historical Society.  This provided an “outsiders” view of the events.  Not necessarily “hands-on” but certainly an alternative method of teaching.  The students loved it!  They were engaged and they learned a ton!  Most of which they can recall today!   

As I reflected on my “teamwork”, I finally heard the bells and whistles!  The students loved what I was doing!  I provided them with alternatives, I allowed them to learn by doing, I provided an different method of learning!  I redirected my reflection from “what am I doing right?” to “what kind of teacher do I want to be?”

Since my “awakening” I have enjoyed teaching so much more! I now focus on my students and worry less…much less, about what other people think!  Don’t get me wrong, I still value the critiques of my peers, but my focus has switched to what is best for my students.  I realized I am a teacher that wants to explore the boundaries…to push the envelope…to recover from failures, in the hopes that my through these “this alternative methodology”, my students will become more productive members of society. 

Will you join me?