The GAME plan… a great tool for all

Would you consider embarking on a road trip without a map? Do you grocery shop without a list? Might you bake a cake without a recipe?

Everything we do in life involves some sort of planning process, each of which focuses on an end result or a goal. We spend a good portion of our lives preparing for the next step, whatever that may be. Adolescents tend struggle with transition because of their inability to plan effectively.

The most successful teachers are those who hear about new technologies and do what it takes to learn about and integrate these new tools into their repertoires. Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) refer to these teachers as self-directed learners because they take the learning of new teaching tools and techniques into their own hands. Effective planning strategies are a key factor in the success of these teachers. As self-directed, life-long learners, it is important that we pass these traits on to our students. The best way for educators to do so is through the modeling of good planning and preparations. Cennamo, et. al. (2009) recommend the GAME plan as an effective method for setting goals, taking action to meet those goals, monitoring progress, and evaluating success, or lack thereof.

My original GAME plan included the integration of the standards promoted by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which incorporate technology into the classroom. Reflection and collaboration were the two areas which I saw as needing immediate focus. The reflective process came naturally to my students who like to share their stories. Collaboration, on the other hand, was far more challenging than I had anticipated. I assumed that students like to work together. On the contrary, while my students like to be together – they like to socialize. WORKING together is a whole new concept to them. I know now that this process must be as scaffolded as much of my instruction.

The GAME plan is a valuable tool that empowers teachers and students alike to create a plan in which we can reach goals; it also holds us accountable for either achieving them to the best of our ability, or reconfiguring the plan. Many people spend their entire lives making plans, but little time following through. Cennamo’s, et al (2009) GAME plan makes follow through a requirement. And these are the tools we want our students to take into the 21st century workplace.

So, could you bake a cake without a recipe? Sure, but it might not taste so great. Grocery shopping with no list gets pretty pricey. A road trip with no plan? Well, that still has an exciting ring, but consider the prospect to the mom of a two year old who has to use the potty. Some things are just better with an executable plan.

GAME plans for success in the 21st Century… that’s what’s on my mind!

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

ISTE International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). NETS-T. Retrieved November 10, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf

Student GAME Plans

The initial goal of my GAME Plan was to focus on the reflective process in my 8th grade language arts classroom. This particular goal aligns with the first of ISTE’s technology standards for teachers, which “facilitates and inspires student creativity and learning. Reflection is crucial to becoming a self-directed learner, a goal that I hope all of my students will one day have for themselves. Shellard and Protheroe (2009) assert that reflective writing “promotes metacognitive thinking, which research has linked to increased student motivation and achievement” (p. 48).

Reflection has been integrated into the daily routines of myself and my students. Learning logs have become a staple in my classroom, deemed effective tools by Shellard and Protheroe (2004) for progress monitoring, assessment, communication, and reflection (pp. 47-48).

The GAME Plan, recommended by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2009) is a strategy teachers can use to “set goals, take action, monitor learning, and evaluate progress” (p. 7). My students will benefit as much from creating their own GAME plans as I have. While I hope that my students will one day be able to align their goals with the Colorado content standards, that is not realistic. But that does not mean my students are not ready to set goals. On the contrary, my students can and will benefit tremendously from setting goals and being held responsible for monitoring their own progress.

Spring semester I will welcome an entirely new set of students into my classroom, at which time I will introduce learning logs and GAME plans. Each student will immediately set three goals for him or herself. Naturally, these goals will look different for everybody. One young man may set a goal to show up to class three mornings each week, while a young lady may decide that she will get straight As third marking period. Regardless of the goal, students will be responsible for choosing measurable actions with which to achieve chosen goal, while regularly monitoring and evaluating their own experiences and efforts of the process. These reflections will serve as reliable reminders to students that they do have goals which are attainable; while keeping them engaged and excited about the prospect of reaching these goals.

Student GAME plans ... that's what's on my mind!

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach (Laureate Education custom edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Shellard, E. & Protheroe, N. (2004). Writing across the curriculum: to increase student learning in middle and high school. Alexandria, VA: Educational Research Service.

My GAME Plan...on the horizon

Last week, our charter liaison called a series of meetings to alert all staff to the fact that big changes were "on the horizon," and that there would be a meeting this week during which they would roll out the new "reorganization plan." That's right. Meetings to alert us that there would be a meeting with a plan. Supposedly, the charter company was going to look beyond the budget in order to help clean up the mess. We had nothing to lose.

In August of 2009, fourteen teachers and an undersized administration opened up a brand new middle school in a shared campus project. A national for-profit charter merged with Denver public schools in order to promise "something different" to the inner city youth who were in danger of dropping out of school before they even reached high school.

The charter promised a wealth of resources - technological and other - along with a support system comparable to no other. Long story short, the resources never arrived, and the support system gave up long before it ever showed up.

We, the teachers, were getting eaten alive. Our students told us they didn't care, they didn't like teachers, they didn't like white people (double whammy for many of the staff) and that there was nothing we could do about it. They were right. The administration was far too overwhelmed to provide the level of support we needed. We were left to fend for ourselves. Despite the fact that with each struggle, the team strengthens; we are tired; and we're frustrated. There is not a single staff member who actually wants to return after the holidays.

The drama teacher and the art teacher qualified for disability leave due to "on-the-job stress." Substitute teachers will never return. Gang-related threats, inappropriate name-calling, and sexual gestures and innuendos have gone unpunished and unsupported. There certainly is no "learning" happening. This is not a safe place for staff or students.

...on the horizon...
Today was the big day. The "reorganization plan" has been rolled out, to begin January 4th, 2010 upon return from winter break.

Currently an eighth grade reading and writing teacher, I have been reassigned to teach reading and writing to one group of seventh graders (two classes), then provide literacy support to that same group throughout the day. I have never participated in co-teaching, but the prospect is very exciting to me. No teacher will ever be alone in the classroom which is sure to aid in the remaining behavior struggles. A solidified discipline structure will also be put in place. The entire plan is surprising and new; I need time to process the information.

The most exciting piece of the puzzle is that my new schedule includes an entire 65 minute class period in the computer lab every day. This is in addition to my reading and writing classes! The technology director is in the process of creating student accounts on the network so that any and all inappropriate activity (mostly gang-related) can be tracked and stopped short. She is prepared to assist with full integration of web 2.0, social networking, blogs, wikis, videos, and podcasts. NOW that I have access to the tools, I will reconfigure my GAME plan to integrate technology across the curriculum. I still intend to start with one thing at a time, as so many things will be new in the months to come. And I will continue to focus on the reflective process first with my new students, because it is familiar, and important to my pedagogy. The opportunity for technology integration in which to engage my students in all content areas has just multiplied tremendously. It's so exciting, I'm not sure where I will begin!

I don't know who, and I'm not sure how, but it seems someone, somewhere was listening. The new "reorganization plan" may just give our school a chance at surviving; a chance to make AYP; a chance to teach our students to value education; a chance to provide a scaffold that may lead these youth to a thriving life in the 21st century.

...the horizon... that's what's on my mind.

My GAME Plan...Small Successes

Just a couple weeks ago, I decided that students who ordinarily complete classwork in a timely fashion would be granted computer access on the classroom computer or my laptop. The goal for this time on the computer is to research and ideally discover myriad resources on the great World Wide Web which could be integrated into the current lesson. I rewarded the first few students this week and am elated with the results!

I originally created my own personal GAME Plan as suggested by Cennamo (2009) in order to align my goals as an educator with the best interest of today’s students. My goals focus on integration of the reflective process as well as responsible and ethical use of Internet resources into my reading and writing curriculum. The GAME plan is a formal one in which I plan actions to carry out, monitor and evaluate the progress of achieving my own goals.

Overwhelmed with attempts of adding fancy newer technologies, such as blogs and wikis to my already demanding schedule, I became discouraged about ever meeting my goals. What I am realizing is that the integration of technology into my classroom does not have to be so complicated.

The unit I introduced this week focuses on complex processes. The twelve students who were rewarded Internet access after completing assignments have really excited over the opportunity to search the Web for “fun” resources to add to my lessons. Each of these eighth graders found a complex process that met his or her personal tastes. One young lady pulled together a collection of recipes, while a young man printed up a series of plays from an old Denver Broncos’ playbook. In the meantime, the behavior of my more challenging students has improved because they want the opportunity to “surf the web” in order to add their own interests to my “lame Language Arts” class. One student actually paid me a visit this morning before school to show me that he had printed up his bus route, explaining how important it was for him to be more familiar with that process.

It never occurred to me that such a simple suggestion would make such a big difference. Richardson (2009) reminds educators that “we cannot honestly discuss twenty-first century learning skills for our students before we first make sense of that for ourselves” (Preface, p. x). I still learn something new every day.

It is time to begin discussions on the ethical use of Internet, and all, resources. One day at a time.

Today, I am so grateful for small successes…and that’s what’s on my mind.



References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating technology across the content areas. Baltimore: Author.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.