Today at a workshop I had a teacher get very excited about a simple idea I've used for years. While it is an older idea, it works so well I decided to mention it again on my blog. I call it "Work Masks."


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​All you need to do is cut the front covers of file folders into thirds. Students slide their worksheet, test or paper into the file folder and uncover only one third at a time. This decreases the visual processing load, as well as the motivational load -  ("I can't do all this!")  - so that students persevere with the work. I usually roll it out by having all students use it the first day, and then allowing students to choose to use it on following days. 

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I am so excited to share an idea I saw demonstrated by Stephani VanGroll and Greg Verhagen, co-teachers in Little Chute, WI. They created a version of “Phone a Friend” to use with students during a review for the upcoming math test.
 
Here's how to do if for your students.
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1. Provide each student with two Ziploc bags, both labeled with their names or initials.
 
2. Using two different colors of paper, print out Phone a Friend and Phone a Teacher slips. Give every student several of each.   
 
3. Have students write their names or initials on the backs of their slips and place them in one of the two bags.
 
(Greg and Stephani had created on-line documents with multiple-choice questions at three different levels. Each student was sent a link to the leveled questions designed for them, and they opened these on their Chrome Books. If they answered a question incorrectly, it would suggest that they might want to phone a friend before trying again. However, this strategy can work on paper and pencil reviews or other projects, too.)
 
4. Explain to students that if they are struggling to get a correct answer to a review question, they can phone a friend or a teacher. To do this, they take one of their slips to the friend and place it in that friend’s second bag.
 
5. Encourage students to seek out a variety of friends, rather than always going to the same person.
 
At the end of the lesson, Stephani and Greg collected the student bags and could see who sought help, and what the patterns of student interaction were.  This activity can provide interesting data regarding peer relationships, which students are seen as possible resources and whether students are making sound decisions about who to seek out for help. 

Thanks to Stephani and Greg for this great idea!

In bringing in the New Year, I’ve decided that it is time to bring in a new title for one of my co-teaching models. I figure if Prince renamed himself, why not me? What I have previously called the “Lead and Support” Model will now be referred to as the “Map and Navigate”Model.
 
I have encouraged teachers to aim for one of two models – either the Duet or the Lead and Support, with my other seven models becoming components of either of those. The major difference I see between the two is the amount of co-planning that takes place. In my Duet Model, both teachers do all of the big, up-front planning together. They determine curricula, big ideas or essential questions, major themes, projects, assignments and assessments. After this big work is done, they continue co-planning the specifics of each unit, each week and each day. Of course, this requires an enormous amount of co-planning time, and can only be done successfully with sufficient staffing. I usually suggest the Duet Model if a specialist is co-teaching with just one or two classroom teachers, and the Lead and Support Model if the specialist is co-teaching with three or four classroom teachers.
 
My Lead and Support Model expects that the general education teacher will take the lead on the big, up-front decisions about instruction and sketch an outline of the unit, including daily learning targets. The specialist jumps into the co-planning at this point and suggests various ways to tweak, adapt and implement in order to support students who may struggle, as well as to address IEP goals.
 
Unfortunately, my old title, Lead and Support, left some partners with the impression of a hierarchy of power. It occasionally resulted in classroom teachers who felt they were in charge, and in specialists who believed that wandering the room and helping students was an adequate way to support.  
 
The Map and Navigate Model (formerly known as Lead and Support) has been named to put a greater emphasis on the collaborative relationship and role of both in the planning process. While the general education teacher will map out the general direction and destination, the specialist works to navigate the distance, finding one route or multiple routes to get all students to the final location. While the general education teacher gets started on planning by him or herself, together they co-plan the details. The expectations still are that both teachers plan and teach the lessons together.
 
If you have any questions about this change, or how to maximize the efficiency in your co-planning, please let me know. I would be happy to help!