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Upcoming Events:
MON. (11/12) We Observe Veteran's Day
TUES. (11/13) INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDS @ LOS AL
WED. (11/14) Leadership Council Meeting
Room 500 @ 7am
THUR. (11/15) LATE START DAY FOR STUDENTS
WASC Chairperson, Bill Moyer, comes to
Los Al for a pre-visit to our Self-Study
Fall Play Begins: OUTAGE WINDOW
FRI. (11/16) CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FALL
SPORTS COACHES & ATHLETES :)
Winter Sports Start Soon... GO LOS AL!!!
9am - Noon, Room 500... Seniors Only
Nov. 21 - 23 Thanksgiving Break
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And The Winner Is...
Los Al Teachers Participate In Democracy With Students On Election Day
Ms. Grimshaw uses www.PollEverywhere.com to help keep track of her students' vote for President Of The United States as they text their selection to a carefully crafted keyword.
Ah, Election Day. Every History teacher's dream.
It's only once every 4 years that Social Science teachers across the country get to really show students what all this coursework is truly about: the ability to participate knowledgeably in democracy and vote for the office of President of The United States.
This year, our Social Science department hosted a range of activities in classes that allowed students to exercise their voice and their minds as they considered many of the Propositions on the California ballot this year, along with candidates for state office, and President.
Even on our new, favoroite website, EDMODO, had an Election Day voting protocol that encouraged students to submit their pick for President to the learning management forum. (They published results after polls closed on Election Night.)
It truly is amazing when students get to participate in making history right alongside the very teachers that help breakdown and analyze the effects of human decision-making.
Election Day helps to remind us what the core function of schools and schooling in America started as. When the first public school opened in Boston in 1635, it's job was simply to produce informed citizens that could make good decisions on their own. Schools, of course, have evolved since then. But our core mission of preparing students to participate in democracy still holds. And on the first Tuesday in November, every 4 years, it rises all the way to the top.
So, whoever you voted for, rest assured that as the new electorate of voters come of age, the ones with a Los Al diploma will be informed, confident, and wise in their democratic choices.
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Lecture? Ummm... What's That?: With Common Core Standards Around The Corner, Teachers Are Giving Students More Time To "Go Deeper"
These students "go deep," as their Chemistry lab has them calculating and measuring key characteristics of an unidentified foreign substance they'll need to figure out.
Common Core State Standards are here. Okay, actually, they're here --- http://www.corestandards.org --- but, you know what I mean.
As California teachers, schools, districts, and students prepare for a shift in policy, many Los Al teachers are way out in front when it comes to rigor and allowing time for students to "go deep" within each standard, further strengthening their learning.
One place where that's easy to see is in Science classes. "Going deep" doesn't necessarily mean that students have more labs to complete over the course of a year; rather, it means that students are tasked with more rigorous endeavors that involve multiple skills, and more layers of analysis. Teachers, then, don't need to build brand new lessons and add to their curriculum. In fact, Common Core is almost the opposite. It asks teachers to work with students in drilling down deeply into knowledge, and layer additional tasks that foster critical thinking and analysis onto much of what we already teach.
 One way to look at Common Core is that it limits the amount of "I Do" in class, and focuses more on the "We Do" and "You Do" of learning. As a result, we may see more students working collaboratively, or independently, on assignments that strengthen their skills and assess their knowledge over a variety of disciplines. It also may mean less lecturing...
So in this year of gearing up for the Common Core, try out a lesson or two under this paradigm. Intentionally try and shift the focus of class from input to output, and see what happens!
But don't stop there. Share your results and success with a colleague, and we'll be way out in front by the time full implementation comes around.
Good Luck :) |
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Los Al's First Instructional Round Starts Tomorrow:
Here Are The Details...
At 7:48am tomorrow morning, a group of 6 teachers will do something simple, yet historic. They'll gather in Room 702 to observe one of their colleagues, Mr. Kennedy, teach.
And here's the best part... they'll meet collectively afterwards for an open discussion on the student engagement practices they observed, and how they might apply to their respective disciplines and teaching style.
This is Instructional Rounds.
For teachers, by teachers, the Instructional Rounds initiative is led by Katy Currie and a team of teachers (Mossy Kennedy, Mark Celestin, Joni Bigley, Lori Franzen, and Shari Kaulig), and is meant to simply open up the doors of the classroom and bring about professional dialogue of instructional practice ---something that's sometimes hard to talk about in schools.
Rounds is different from most kinds of observations and conversations held in schools in that it intentionally seeks to not talk about curriculum. Instead, its focus is on the "how" teachers teach, not the "what."
Three cycles of teachers will participate tomorrow (18 in total), with a second round already scheduled for December. Teachers have been subbed for 1 period before or after their conference period, and will use the 2-hour block of time to, both, observe teaching and debrief their thoughts in Conference Room A, afterwards.
Have fun everyone! And if you're ever interested in participating in a Round throughout the year, just email kcurrie@losal.org, and Kathy will get you all set up!
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LEARNING is DOING... Collaboration @ the Catalina Island Marine Institute
 Los Al science students gear up for a group photo before some serious snorkeling...
Ms. Rofe and Mr. MacDuff are outstanding science teachers. But even they know that there's only so much they can bring to life in the classroom. That's why. every year, they take their classes to CIMI (the Catalina Island Marine Institute) for a three-day getaway full of "learning by doing." And it couldn't be more impactful.
Students spend their time adding to the collective knowledge they've gained throughout the semester in their Marine Biology and Marine Science courses. Kids snorkel, visit a museum, and learn first-hand from scientists who work in the field applying the very same concepts Los Al students have been studying all year.
It makes the learning real, no doubt. And after so many successful trips to CIMI, this field trip has really become a hallmark of an already thriving course of study.
Learning by listening is one thing... but when students get to "do," they acquire the nuances of practice that only application can provide.
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LEARNING is DOING (pt.2), THE ARTS:
The Practical Application Of Skill @ Los Al
In this photo, students in Mr. Carthew's Ceramics course make cylinders....
The Arts @ Los Al have long thrived in their ability to provide students with a creative outlet for their skill and imagination. And over the years, our Arts program has only grown to become more and more robust.
What students and teachers rave about the most in regards to Visual Arts classes at Los Al is how often and how deeply students get to "do" the work. With less notetaking, and more mistake-making, students in the Arts are encouraged to try, fail, and try again as they constantly refine their craft and get better at the skill they are practicing.
Even more amazing is how skilled of an artist all of our teachers are. (In this pic Karissa Ferrell shows off her 3-D Design skills as she models how to make a one-of-a-kind keepsake box for her students.)
Of course, this isn't all that different from the kinds of tasks we assign students in core academic subject areas. When tasked to apply new skill, we encourage students to try, take risks, garner feedback, and try again.
 To foster this process, the ability to form close and meaningful relationships with students is paramount. While getting to know your students doesn't magically make them more apt or able to perform better, it does decrease many of the filters that get in the way of learning, and almost always allows students to access more of what's being taught the first time around.
Doing is definitely a form of learning. And whether it be in Arts classes, CIMI field trips, or anywhere else on campus, the more we can ask students to do, produce, and create, the more some of that learning will stick :)
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iHeartJasonFarvour!
That smile says it all :)
Jason Farvour, teacher, innovator, and Director Of Activities for ASB is all smiles all the time...
And why shouldn't he be?
He only wakes up @ 4am, attends nearly every sports game and dance our school offers 'til the wee hours of the night, and teaches three periods of Social Science (2 of them AP classes).
The man is a machine, and we all benefit from the time, energy, and effort that he puts in.
Two words, Jason: Thank You.
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NEW PICTURE
DOWNLOADING SITE
From now on, if you need a picture from any of these Monday Morning Memos,
The pics there are high quality, easy to access, and always downloadable.
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Los Alamitos High School
3591 Cerritos Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
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