Target & Re-Assess: A bat, a ball, and an older brother...

At Wapsie Valley we pride ourselves on two things recently established in our district:

1.  Mission Statement
• "Guaranteed Learning for Every Student."  
2. Core Instructional Values: 
• Through a collaborative environment, we:
• Focus on learning.
• Communicate clear learning targets.
• Provide timely feedback based on evidence of learning.
• Ensure a responsive system based on results.

Our professional development efforts (more on this in the blog post I have started, but just can't seem to finish) have been built predominately around both 1. and 2. above.  Our PK-12 admin team has worked to create a unique unit planning process that has allowed us to create PD opportunities to staff similar to what we want to see in their classrooms.  It allows them to improve their units and lessons, it emphasis effective instruction (see Characteristic of Effective Instruction), it challenges them to question past practice, and it has allowed us to create differentiated PD.  It is a work in progress, but it has been a game changer for us.
Two important aspects to teaching and learning that we have engaged in conversations with staff during this unit planning process have been targeted instruction and re-assessment efforts.  When we successfully target instruction with students, we see natural differentiation in pace and style of learning, and therefore a noticeable need for re-assessment. Differentiation, pacing, re-assessments, learning styles, all pose their own unique challenges on our way to meeting the needs of all learners.  The following was my best attempt to show our staff the importance of this process.....
......by breaking down my then 11 month old son, Dax's efforts to accomplish a very important life skill (at least from a baseball family's perspective) standing up and hitting a ball off of a tee.

It all began with a fascination with a bat, a ball, and an older brother.....

At 11 months, Dax could do very little with the bat and ball besides pick them up, drop them, and chase them around. He was able to stand without assistance and was not able to walk on his own. It was quite obvious there was a lot for him to learn in order to stand and hit the ball off a tee such as:

1. Learn to stand!
2. Grab and handle a wiffle ball!
3. Put the ball on a tee!
4. Lift and handle a bat!
5. Swing the bat!
6. Hit the ball!

Each one of them important skills needed to complete the objective.  As a parent (teacher) it was my job to work on these skills with him.  We got started with an introduction to a tee and a pre-assessment:

Dax's instant obsession will later be documented by his observation of his older brother Ajay (providing the background noise) modeling these skills for his younger brother.  However, you can see that Dax's journey begins with some obvious skill deficits including:

1. He cannot stand up
2. He cannot handle the ball or reach to put it on the tee
3. He is not strong enough to lift the bat 
4. He cannot accurately hit the ball

He has a lot to learn!! Even after some initial instruction and practice, he still struggles...

...so lets take the four skills above and find ways to target our instruction to help him learn: 

1. He cannot stand up
1. Work with him inside the house by letting him walk along furniture
2. Make him practice every night!
2. He is not strong enough to lift the bat with only one arm
1. Make sure to help him place both arms on the bat each time
2. Give him a lighter tool (plastic golf club) to practice his form
3. He cannot put the ball on the tee
1. Start with getting a ball w/o holes so his little fingers don't get stuck!
2. Cut the tee in half so he can reach it w/o standing
4. He cannot control the bat well enough to accurately hit the ball
1. Again, make sure to help him place both arms on the bat each time, and give him a lighter tool
2. Cut the tee in half, so he doesn't have to lift the bat so high

Let's re-cap:  We pre-assessed for a baseline assessment of his skills and planted the seed for learning, we worked with him on his skills, we re-assessed him, we worked some more with targeted instruction to develop his skills.  All that and this is what we get.....

....a frustrated student who is clearly fed up with this task and an angry teacher. (It felt better to put student and teacher and not son and father in that sentence!) "Clearly, this student didn't do his homework and just won't be able to get it!!!"  "Give him an F and move on, he has has his chances!!"  "All that work for nothing!"
However, this particular angry teacher will not give up, Dax clearly needs some help, so let's try again. His latest struggles and possible interventions include: 

1. Putting the ball on the tee
1. Get him a ball that is easier for him to pick up, smaller or squishy
2. Picking up the bat from the ground
1. Lift it up off the ground slightly to cut down on distance
3. Keeping his composure
1. Any advice for tantrums is welcomed here...
2. Don't let him give up!  Come back the next day and help him do the work!

We teach a little more (actually a lot more) targeting our instruction to his needs, we re-assess, and we continue the learning loop until we get.......

...SWEET SUCCESS!
Dax's process to be able to learn how to stand up and hit a ball off a tee was not easy.  Some of the skills came to him rather easily. However, it was difficult for him to learn a lot of the skills, and that is not taking into consideration the physical limitations he had to overcome.  He became angry, tired of attempting, and frustrated with himself and the task at hand. I become frustrated at times b/c of his attitude and resistance to keep trying. Not to mention it took him nearly a month to learn these skills...who has that kind of time!!
What we confirmed....learning is messy and can be a difficult task for teacher and student.
Our jobs as educators is to concentrate on what is effective in teaching, and important part of that is targeting instruction and re-assessment efforts to meet the needs of all of our learners.
Easier said than done?
Yes!  But it is worth the challenge.
Sometimes all you need is an older brother to show you why!