Author: Bret Olson

Thoughts on “Mastery Learning”

Bret OlsonLeave a comment

As I was searching for an article to support my rant this week I came across something better 🙂 Thomas Guskey writes about the concept of mastery learning as one of the most powerful strategies in education. It struck me; during the 11 goals meetings I had this week we talked about the ongoing work we are doing within our departments to develop plans for improvement. Last week as we sat with the curriculum leaders to discuss the English department improvement plan someone asked a question about what learning strategies we intended to implement to reach the goals outlined. This question is imperative to these conversations and I would suggest that the answer is even more important. So what place does “mastery learning” have in that process? Is it a viable approach to use at SCIS? Or perhaps more poignantly, why wouldn’t we use “mastery learning” as a strategy in our classrooms? I agree with Bloom and his beliefs that all students can achieve success at high levels under the right circumstances…how close can we come to creating that environment in our classrooms? I think we can reach this level and we should strive to find a path to do so in our department improvement plans…why not include “mastery learning”?!?! Those are a few of my thoughts…I’d love to hear your two cents!!!

This article summary is from the Marshall Memo, an awesome professional resource!!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on October 11, 2013.

Continuing Conversation on Re-dos

Bret OlsonLeave a comment

After about a month of hard work and countless conversations I feel like we are finally getting to a place in our Middle School where re-dos and re-takes have become a piece of the culture of high expectations that we need for our students. The day we all sat in C212 and watched Rick Wormeli talk about re-dos was the beginning of a big mindset shift for our middle school…that’s not over, we still have a long way to go before everyone (teachers, students, parents, etc) is truly on board. However, we have already come a long way! It’s a rare day that I don’t have at least one conversation about the theory of re-dos and how we can/should be implementing them at our school. As I continue to read about re-do theories and implementation I have come across a great summary of an article by none other than Wormeli himself…in it he outlines a number of strategies for successfully implementing a re-do culture. A lot of what he says we have talked about already but there are some really useful and validating pieces to this article…it is a must read in my mind. My favorite item on this list is the final statement about how to maintain your sanity despite the extra time and effort needed to be a champion for our students’ learning!! Have a look and let me hear your two cents 🙂

Rick Wormeli on re-dos video

This article summary came from the Marshall Memo, an amazing professional resource!!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on September 27, 2013.

Teaching the Growth Mindset (and Motivation)

Bret Olson4 Comments

I’ve been looking at a lot of articles and research recently about mindsets and the recent push forward that the “mindset concept” has made in the beliefs about intelligence. The attached article talks about ways that teachers can begin to actually teach Carol Dweck’s “Growth mindset” to students…it starts with the vocabulary you use and the way you speak to kids about their learning experience. It’s an interesting article and with our Mindset book discussion coming up next week as a part of SIPs, this is a great read to get you thinking about how the Mindset Revolution can impact our students! It’s powerful stuff and it plays a huge piece in helping our students achieve great things; not only now but in the future…but that’s just my two cents 🙂 As usual, I’d love to hear your thoughts!!

This article summary came from the Marshall Memo, an amazing professional resource!!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on September 20, 2013.

Computer Use and Gaming “Addiction”

Bret OlsonLeave a comment

Something that has been bothering me a lot lately is the amount of students in our school who can’t seem to tear themselves away from their computers. I don’t think I have to explain that to any of you; you see it every day just the same as me. I’ve been looking into a lot of research about teens and gaming; I’d like to share some of what I have found. (There is no attached article this week, so please bear with a little longer section here.)

To be up front, my “research” has been done completely on the internet with more than likely some reliability concerns…however, here are some of the things I’ve seen over and over: There is no definition for “Video game addiction” as there isn’t enough solid research at this time to classify this as an official addiction. However, survey upon survey has turned up signs of behavioral addiction symptoms in teenagers who play video games. Of those students who play video games, the number of students who show signs of addictive behavior ranges between 2-15% depending on the sources…the most common number I’ve seen is 5-8%. Again, this number isn’t an “official” number because there is no technical definition of gaming addiction.

However, if this number holds true what does that mean for you and your students? Well, using the 5-8% number would suggest that it is a good possibility that on average one student in each of your classes has developed some sort of addictive behaviors to gaming and/or their computer. How does this impact the students in your classroom? How can we help them? Are we even responsible to help them? A few of us have had these sort of discussions lately…I’d love to hear your two cents!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on September 13, 2013.

Building Connections With All Students

Bret OlsonLeave a comment

As we pick up steam and near the halfway mark of the first quarter (time flies!) I would like to challenge you to think of the connections you have made with your students…now, think even more carefully about those students you haven’t connected with yet. Why haven’t you connected with them? Most likely it is because you and they haven’t found that natural “click” that leads to those bonds being built. The attached article summary looks, rather specifically, at different ways to help you break through with boys in particular. As with the last couple articles, this one provides actionable tips that require no extra time or planning…just effort and a conscious attempt to forge a relationship with some of your students; those with whom you may not have found that natural connection. Give it a look, try some out, and let me know what you think…as usual, I’d love to hear your two cents 🙂

This article summary came from the Marshall Memo, an amazing professional resource!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on September 6, 2013.

Praising Effort and Positive Parent Contacts

Bret OlsonLeave a comment

Already this year we’ve talked about how to contact parents if a student has missed work in class (e-mail the student, CC the parents and Bret) but what about positive contacts?!?  Last year a few teachers made concerted efforts to make positive contacts home each week…with a fantastic response rate!  They followed the same formula, e-mailing the student and CCing to the parents and me.  The response and “thank you” rate for these e-mails was nearly 90% compared to a response rate for missing work of about 40%…amazing, parents really do get those e-mails you send 🙂  When it comes to praise and motivation those of you who read Mindset this summer know that Carol Dweck’s research shows that praising effort as opposed to intelligence is the key to helping students “maintain their confidence in learning.”  This week I have two challenges for you:  First, read the attached summary of one of Carol Dweck’s past articles, it’s great stuff; especially the last paragraph!  Second, if you haven’t already, read Mindset (my copy is available to borrow) and join Dan and I during our first SIPs for a book discussion.  Let me know what you think…I’d love to hear your two cents!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on August 30, 2013

This article summary came from the Marshall Memo, an amazing professional resource!

Building Teens’ “Executive Function”

Bret OlsonLeave a comment

During our first six days of Dragon Time the 7th graders spent a day talking about organization. That was just the tip of the massive iceberg that is “executive function.” As middle school students, our kids are almost by definition unorganized, inattentive, emotional wrecks. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with them; quite the opposite, they are perfectly normal in this regard! Middle school students are just beginning to experience the expectations of responsibility that us adults associate with everyday activity. As they move down this path toward adulthood and all of the weighty expectations and implications that come with that title, our students need to develop their executive function…and we need to help them. The attached article summary comes from a wonderful professional resource called the Marshall Memo. It is a summary of a great article written by Rick Wormeli (you may recognize the name from Wednesday’s meeting on assessment.) In this summary, Kim Marshall, boils down the important points of Wormeli’s article and provides 15 actionable (and very realistic) items for educators to use in helping develop executive function in students. Have a look…how many do you use already? How many can you implement with little or no effort at all? Let me know what you think…

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on August 23, 2013

An Introduction and About me…

Bret OlsonLeave a comment

I wake up each day with the goal of making that day better than the last. Forever working to improve myself as a son, brother, friend, educator, colleague, and just as a person in general give me a purpose and direction every second of every day. I believe that life is meant to be lived and that you can never have too many experiences to shape your life…I read, travel, chat, share beers, wonder, play, and enjoy every opportunity that comes my way. I have good days and bad, I go through ups and downs, I’m as human as anyone and embrace the idiosyncrasies of my life. I laugh and cry with the best of them but despite all the wrenches that life inevitably has in store I try my best to always keep a positive outlook.

I’ve created this webpage to share myself and my thoughts on life and education with anyone who is willing to pay attention 🙂 However, through the process of creating this site, and the accompanying blog, I have realized how much I have grown both professionally and as a person. You see, this process has forced me to put my thoughts down on paper, so to speak. I can’t just tell myself that I believe in something or I think a certain way about a topic…nope, I need to own it, I need to process my thoughts, I need to believe in what I believe in (if that makes any sense). This adventure, of creating and putting myself out there; has taken time, effort, and courage…I’ve enjoyed it every step of the way, I hope you enjoy it as well.