Instructional Conversations Newsletter - May 2023

InstructionalConversationNewsletter

May2023

LessonPlans

Belowaresomesamplesofexcellentworkfromyourcolleagues ThesecanbefoundundertheTaskCardDatabasetabontheIC Platform:

4th SS Abolitionists SortbyJessicaNewsome

6th Math OrderingRationalNumbersonaNumber

Line Sequence/Stick-It

9th/10th Science/Biology Howdoproteinsmove?

SequencebyJenniferLanceYauck

RelyonyourCommunityofPractice(CoP) Letthemhelpyoudo yourwork!Ifyouarehavingtroubleaccessingtheselinksonour NEWICPlatform,pleasecontactShannonRodríguezat sdpenton@ugaedu

RecentICBlogs

Checkoutourcoaches’insightsonthesetopics:

AreQuestionsMoreImportantThanAnswers?byBethPridgen

LearningContentThroughLanguage(OrTheOtherWay Around?)byCindyTu

ReadingandICsbyBethPridgen

GALEOPower Breakfast

Lastmonth,ourGoizueta FoundationGraduateAssistants KimberlyResendizChavez,Diego InnocencioandDominiqueLa BarrierepresentedCLASEatthe 2023GALEOPowerBreakfast

ThePowerBreakfastisan opportunitytoupliftLatinxsand Hispanicsandgivethema platformfortheirpowerfulvoices Thisyear'sbreakfastincludedtwo outstandingkeynotespeakers, GeorgiaStateSenatorJason EtevesandArtistandCartoonist LaloAlcaraz Theeventaimsto connectmembersoftheLatinx communityandinspirecivic engagement,andourGAswere abletoshareCLASE'smissionon outreachandsupportingLatinx youthineducation

OnlineCoaching

Ourcoachesarehappytohelpyouwithlesson plansoransweranyquestionsyoumayhave Pleasedonothesitatetoreachouttothem:

MarniCarter:mcarter1@ugaedu

DianneHall:drhall@ugaedu

DarleneHudson:darlenehudson@ugaedu

BethPridgen:elizabethpridgen@ugaedu

ShawnThomas:shawnthomas@gcpsk12org

CindyTu:cindytu@ugaedu

MayOfficeHours

OurcoacheswillbeavailableonZoomonthe followingdates:

May3rd-4-5pm:

"JumpstartNextSchoolYear'sICPlans"withDianne Hall

May10th-5-6pm:

"JumpstartNextSchoolYear'sICPlans"with DarleneHudson

May17th-4-5pm:

"OpenForum(Interests/Questions)"withCindyTu

May24th-5-6pm:

"OpenForum(Interests/Questions)"withShawn Thomas

MentalHealthAwareness

UpcomingEvents

Summer2023

Stay in touch

ugaclase clase uga clase uga

SummerInstitutes#1and#4hadpreviouslybeen reservedforGCPSeducatorsonly,butarenow opentoanyandallparticipants!

Fall2023

Registration

Learnmore:tinyurl.com/CLASEPD Register:ugaclase-pd.com/register

Ifyouhaveanyquestions,contact:

ShannonRodríguezatsdpenton@uga.edu

EducatoroftheMonth:DanetteP.O’Kelley

CongratulationstoDanetteP.O’Kelley,CLASE'sEducatoroftheMonth!

Danetteisa9-12ESOL teacheratJacksonCounty HighSchoolShehas recentlybeennamedas JCSS2022Teacherofthe YearandJacksonCounty SchoolSystemfinalist

DanettehasaBSin Linguistics,aMaster'sdegree inEducation,andanEdSin CurriculumandInstruction

Overthelasttwomonths, ourICcoacheswereableto visitherclasstwiceWhat

Danettewasabletocultivateinherstudentlearning communitythroughtheuseoftheICpedagogywasnothing shortofmagic!Alllearnerswereabletocollaborateand supporteachotherindeeplearningItwasheartwarmingto witnessherNewcomersfeelingasenseofbelongingand empowermenttoengageinacademicconversation

WhenaskedabouthowusingICshaschangedherteaching practice,Danettesaid:

"A year after my IC training, I went from being a 9th Grade Literature teacher to being my school’s only ESOL teacher Using ICs and JPAs has granted me a more challenging, reflective, and forgiving edge to my pedagogy. I feel my planning has become purposeful and is less opaque because the students are actually reading my plans via task cards "

InDanette’sperspective,usingICshaschangedherviewofhow ELslearnbest:

"ELs either talk incessantly, or they don't talk at all Through ICs and JPAs, I’m able to meet my students in the middle Through flexible grouping, I am able to assess, remediate, and enrich simultaneously Honestly, the students almost teach themselves! I’m able to be a facilitator, walking around and listening to their conversations, adding in little challenges here and there, and clarifying any misconceptions along the way The students reach a comfort level they haven’t been able to reach before because they are able to have structured conversations and ask meaningful questions of each other "

AboutthewaysinwhichICsarebeneficial forherandherstudents,Danetteadds:

"Using both the teacher and student Task Cards enables me to be deliberate in my thinking of how and what I want my students to learn When the lesson doesn’t work out the way I want it to, the teacher task card allows me to target exactly where things might have gone awry. The student task cards also focus the students. There is less “What are we supposed to do?”, or “I don’t get it” Additionally, being able to have those structured informal conversations gives relevancy to the tasks. What I love about the Task Card is that reflection and challenges are built into the format, which leads to bell to bell instruction "

Danettealsosharedtipsonhowtointroduce studentstoInstructionalConversations:

"The first thing I do is explain the art of conversation and conversation norms I give them my real life experiences of how conversations or group work turned out to be disappointing experiences We brainstorm together what my group and I could have done better I then put the students into groups, and have them create their own norms. This helps them take ownership of the norms, so they’ll be more likely to follow them. I love it when they call each other out when someone isn’t following a norm! Furthermore, having the students commit to their own personal conversation goal also aids in JPA success."

Finally,DanettesharesadvicetonewlyIC trainedteachers:

"When you first begin, it might seem overwhelming or like more work It actually isn’t! You’ve already been doing it all along ICs just structure your thinking, allowing you to reflect on your teaching practices. There are no mistakes, only learning experiences! Make sure you connect with someone already implementing ICs or utilize the CLASE coaches Remember, you are not alone!"

ThoughtstoConsider

BeyondBrilliance:UnderstandingtheMentalHealthStrugglesofGiftedandTalentedStudents

WhenIstartedelementaryschool,Iwasplacedin bilingualclassroomsfromkindergartentosecond grade.Whilenotovertlyexpressed,Ioftenperceived thatourbilingualclasswassometimesviewed unfavorably,andinferiorbyfellowstudentsand teachers Despitethis,IquicklyacquiredEnglish languageskills,andinkindergartenIwasselectedfor thegiftedandtalentedprogramtesting,resultinginme beingpulledoutofclassataspecifictimeeveryday Thisdifferentialtreatmentmademefeelsingledout,asI wasunsureofthereasonsbehindit Ialsoobservedthat myteachersfrequentlyassignedmeindependenttasks differentfrommyclassmatesandenlistedmyhelpin assistingmypeerswiththeirassignments Consequently,myclassmateswouldmakecomments tomesuchas“teacher’spet,”whichmadeitchallenging toestablishfriendships AsIprogressedtothenext gradelevelafterkindergarten,Iwasamongagroupof sixstudentswhowereacceleratedtosecondgrade, bypassingfirstgrade Thiscohort-likeexperience providedanenvironmentthatfosteredacademic excellence

AsIadvancedinmyacademicjourney,Idevelopeda stronginclinationtowardperfectionismandsought validationthroughmyacademicperformanceand achievements Thesebehaviorswerefrequentlylauded bymyteachers,whichservedtoreinforcethem. AlthoughoneofmyteachersdidmentionthatItended to“daydream”andappeareddistractedordisinterested, itwasnotperceivedasaconcernaslongasmy academicperformanceremainedsatisfactory This patternpersisteduntilmyhighschoolyears.

Asahigh-achievingstudent,mymentalhealthoften wentunnoticed Theassumptionseemedtobethat someonewhoconsistentlyperformedwellacademically couldn’tpossiblybeexperiencingdepression However, duringmysophomoreyear,whilestudying“Catcherin theRye”inmypre-APEnglishclass,Ifoundmyself relatingtotheprotagonist,HoldenCaulfield,andhis

existentialdreadreflectedthroughstruggleswith depressionandsuicidalthoughts Iopenly expressedthesefeelingsinanessay,anditwasthe firsttimeanyonebecameawareofmymental healthchallenges Theacknowledgmentfrommy teachermademefeellessinvisible Despitethis,my battlewithdepressionandsuicidalideation persistedwellintoadulthood,buthighschoolwas thedarkestperiod Duringmyjunioryear,oneofmy teachersremarkedthatIwas“different”frommy peersand“matureformyage”WhileItookitasa compliment,inhindsight,itwaslikelyduetothe severedepressionIwasexperiencing. Infact,itwas duringthatsameyearthatImademyfirstsuicide attempt Theschool’sresponseafterthefactwasto “allow”metohavelunchwithmyguidance counselor,whowasnotqualifiedtoprovidemental healthservices.Itwasnotasufficientformofhelp. Instead,Iwasconstantlyremindedof“howmuch potentialIhad”and“howgoodmygradeswere” Despitethewell-intentionedcomments,theydidnot addressmymentalhealthstrugglesandonlymade mefeelunheardandashamed.

Subsequently,Itookituponmyselftodelveintothe fieldofpsychology,engaginginindependent readingtobetterunderstandandhelpmyself Atthe ageof16,Ifoundmyselfattemptingtofulfilltherole ofatherapist,ataskthatrequiresextensivetraining andeducation Thisexperienceeventuallyledmeto pursueamajorinpsychologyandacareerinthis field However,itwasn’tuntilcollegethatIfinally soughtprofessionalhelpformymentalhealth throughthecounselingandpsychiatricservices availableatmyuniversity

ComingfromaLatinxfamily,wherediscussions aboutmentalhealthwererareandexpressionof negativeemotionswereuncommon,Istruggledto articulatemythoughtsandfeelingsintherapy (Fuentesetal,2023) Asaresult,myconcernswere

oftendismissedandattributedtostress,leadingto referralsforstressmanagementgroupsandthe discontinuationofindividualtherapy Unfortunately,this approachprovedinadequate,asIexperienceda secondsuicideattemptsoonafter Fortunately,Iwas thenconnectedtothedeanofstudentlife,whomIam immenselygratefulfortothisday

Overtime,Ihavedevelopedhealthiercoping mechanismstomanagemymentalhealth Currently,it hasbeenpreciselytwoyearssinceIstartedtaking medicationforsymptomsrelatedtobipolardisorder, depression,anxiety,andADHD,inadditionto maintainingconsistentengagementwithatherapist.

AsIreflectuponmyownexperiencesasachild, adolescent,andadultgrapplingwithmentalhealth challenges,Ihaveemergedasanadvocateformental health,particularlyfocusedonpreventionamong children Frequently,academicallygiftedstudents, particularlygirls,areoverlookedintheclassroomas theyoftendonotexhibitdisruptivebehaviorsand performwellacademically,leadingtoapresumptionof theiroverallwell-being(ElKhouryetal.,2018).In addition,adultsmayoccasionallyholdcertain expectationsforthesestudentsthatareappropriatefor adultsbutnotforchildren,assumingalevelof emotionalmaturitytounderstandthatmaynot necessarilycorrespondtotheiractualsocialand emotionaldevelopment(Freedman,2017) Despitetheir intellectualprowess,giftedstudentsmaylackthe necessaryemotionalskillstoeffectivelymeetsuch expectations.Consequently,theymaystruggletoselfregulatetheiremotionsandmanagestress,often maskingtheirchallengeswiththeirstrengths(Baumet al,2014) Thus,itisimperativetorecognizethe significanceofaddressingthisgapandsupporting the holisticdevelopmentofgiftedstudents.

Talentedandgiftedchildren,despitetheirhigh intelligenceandabilities,arenotimmunetomental healthchallenges Infact,researchhasshownthat giftedchildrenmayexperiencementalhealthproblems relatedtoperfectionism (Gruganetal,2021) Many giftedchildrenmayalsoexhibitneurodivergenttraits, suchashighsensitivity,intenseemotionalexperiences,

andheightenedlevelsofanxietyandperfectionism Thesetraits,combinedwiththepressuresand expectationsthatoftencomewithhighcognitive ability,cancontributetomentalhealthconcerns suchasanxietyanddepression(Rinn&Majority, 2018) Thisdualityofhighcognitiveabilityand mentalhealthchallengesisoftenreferredtoin childrenas“twiceexceptional”or“2E”(Assouline& Whiteman,2011).Byrecognizingandaddressingthe uniquementalhealthneedsofgiftedchildrenand employingproactivestrategies,parentsand educatorscanplayacrucialroleinpromoting positivementalhealthoutcomes Earlyintervention andsupportcancontributetotheoverallwell-being andsuccessofgiftedchildren,enablingthemto thrivenotonlyacademically,butalsosociallyand emotionallythroughtheirdevelopmentalyearsand intoadulthood

Itisessentialforparentsandeducatorsto acknowledgeandaddressthementalhealthneeds ofgiftedchildreninaproactivemanner Thisentails providingappropriatesupportandresourcestohelp thesechildreneffectivelymanagestressand anxiety,promotinghealthycopingmechanisms,and fosteringanenvironmentthatencouragesopen communicationaboutmentalhealthconcerns Implementingavarietyofstrategiescanbe instrumentalinpromotingpositivementalhealth outcomesforallchildren

Aneffectivestrategyistoencouragephysical activity,suchasengaginginregularexerciseor participatinginsports,asitcanhelpreducestress andimproveoverallmentalhealthwhilealso facilitatingsocializationwithpeers Providing opportunitiesforcreativeexpression,suchas throughartormusic,canalsobebeneficialfor giftedchildrenasitallowsthemtochanneltheir emotionsandthoughtsinahealthyand constructivemanner Furthermore,promoting mindfulnesspractices,suchasmeditationoryoga, canequipgiftedchildrenwitheffectivetoolsto managestressandanxiety,helpingpreventthe escalationofmentalhealthissues

Waystoincorporatesocio-emotionallearninginthe classroom:

Encourageopencommunication,activelistening, andunderstandingofothers’perspectives

Incorporatemindfulnessandrelaxationtechniques, suchasdeepbreathing,guidedimagery,or progressivemusclerelaxation,tohelpstudents developself-awareness,self-regulation,andstress managementskills Theseskillscanbeintegrated intodailyroutines,suchasinthemorningbefore beginninginstruction,beforeclasstransitions,or beforeexams

Provideopportunitiesforself-reflectionandselfassessment.Encouragestudentstoreflectontheir emotions,thoughts,andbehaviors,andprovide opportunitiesforstudentstoexploretheirstrengths, challenges,andareasofgrowth

Somethingtothinkabout:

The“giftedandtalented”labelimpliesthatintelligence isafixedtraitandthereforeastudentiseither“gifted” ornot Thiscanbeadouble-edgedswordas educatorsmighthaveanimplicitbiasandevaluate “gifted”studentsmorepositivelythannon-“gifted” students,hinderingthe“gifted”student’sgrowthby overpraisingtheirabilityandthenon-“gifted”student byunderminingtheireffort Thisisknownasthehalo effect Ifaneducatorhasbeenprimedtothinkhighly ofastudenttheyaremorelikelytogrademore lenientlyanddisciplineless,whereasiftheyhavehad negativeimpressionsofastudenttheyaremorelikely toassignlowergradesandpointoutdisruptive behaviormoreoften

LuciaQuezada

It’s foryouandforyour st difference Startsmall bu urstudentswilldiscover (o oflearning!

LuciaQuezadaisaPhD studentintheCounseling PsychologyprogramatUGA SheassistsCLASEthrough researchsupportthatinforms professionaldevelopmentand outreachinitiativesfor studentsandeducators

Congratulationstoour UndergraduateAssistant, SunnyMathauer,on graduatingfromUGAwith amajorinLinguistics

Congratulationstoour GraduateAssistant,Jacky Fuentes,whomatchedat KaiserPermanenteOakland forherPsychologyInternship. Jackywillbemovingto Californiainthesummer

Thankyouforthewonderful year!

Thankyoutothe428educatorswhojoinedusfor our2022-2023Summer,Fall,andSpring InstructionalConversationsInstitutes Weare happytowelcomeyouintoourCommunityof Practiceandcannotwaittocollaboratewithyouin theyearstocome Wewouldalsoliketothankall theeducatorswhojoinedusforourRenewals, Webinars,LearningLabs,andWorkshopsthis academicyear Yourcommitmenttoeducationis aninspirationtoallofusatCLASE!