December, 2004 Volume 1, Number 3
In This Issue · Earl’s Corner · MYD Conference Arizona · Using Points to Improve Student Learning Plan now for the first day after winter break when you revisit MYD with your students. Don’t underestimate the importance of asking each student, “Is this your rule?” Materials: Your training manual Mid Year Review Cooperative Learning Lesson Single Concerns Multiple Concerns FAQS Need an answer to a question quickly? Go to the Frequently Asked Questions. Hundreds of questions can be answered when you need it – NOW. Discussion Forum Educators, parents and students participate in discussions related to various components of MYD. As a community, we can learn about each other’s perspectives and help each other. What’s on the Website Help for your substitutes Student Evaluation of MYD Websites: Parents Teachers Our school would like to use MYD Contact Us: 480 419-0605 Email	Earl’s Corner Last month we focused on the establishment of Student Committees. As promised, this month I am offering, for some, a new perspective on one of the basic goals within Make Your Day. When we initiated points, in the early days of Make Your Day, the objective in my classroom was to use these points to earn your way out. Doing what’s expected, the best you can hasn’t changed throughout the years. But several years ago, a middle-school student came to me and asked me if we could design a slip that was titled, “I Made My Day, But I Made It Dishonestly.” Her school had tied a tangible reward to Make Your Day. At the end of each day, students had to decide whether to assess themselves honestly or to lie in order to obtain the reward. This student brought to my attention what our true objectives should be for our students who participate in self-assessment. Most schools experience 90-95% of their students reporting enough points to make their day. After interviewing many students through the years, I found that a large percentage of students who are making their day are doing so dishonestly. Some have experienced negative consequences or punishment at home when they don’t make their day. This contributes to their dilemma of choosing the truth or avoiding punishment. Peer pressure, teacher pressure, and, sometimes, a school’s over-emphasis on achieving this success based on an arbitrary numerical system forces students into the same dilemma. Years later, we now have come to the realization that if there is to be value in the earning of points then the celebration should be (as a teacher in Clover Park School District pointed out) of the process. Students who make their day honestly and students who don’t make their day based on taking an abundance of responsibility are both deserving of celebration. We must be careful that we don’t condone misrepresentation or the avoidance of truth by focusing too much attention on meeting the numerical standard of Make Your Day. We have a responsibility to educate our parent and student community about the value of honesty and integrity. Thus, it is important that our parent community reinforce a student’s honesty when they don’t make their day. The opportunity to provide remediation and counsel should be encouraged when students bring home a School-Home Communication for Make Your Day. The objective of Make Your Day is not to make your day, but instead to celebrate the process. Next month, we will visit role-modeling and mentoring in points and steps and the importance that teachers play in that role. Need answers? Have solutions? We’ll have both. Be inspired by a Master Educator, Tacy Ashby, our keynote speaker. Remember: Space is limited and the registration deadline is December 31. Using Points to Improve Student Learning By Glenda Moss, Indian Bend Elementary School Points can be used in a powerful way to cement concepts learned and to build community.  In my fourth grade classroom I started setting the expectations for communicating points by saying something like:  For this point period, please state one math fact, or one question you know for sure that you answered correctly, or state how you helped someone this period, or how someone helped you.  As students reflect upon, assess, and celebrate their academic, social, and emotional behaviors for a 45 minute period, they hear each other's comments, also.  This point opportunity makes for a wonderful review of content material or focus on citizenship qualities that are expected and practiced in my classroom. I hold my students accountable for the listening of the stated expectations.  When they do not state why they earned their points with the expected reasons, I point this out during concerns.  This activity sharpens their listening skills, which is an Arizona Language Arts Standard, by the way! I am observing that my students academically are doing better and socially are getting along with each other in very friendly ways. These behaviors are becoming internalized and will then transfer into "meeting and exceeding the Standards" citizens.  And this is a VERY GOOD THING!!!!