The Launch! (I’d give it a B-)
Chromebooks charged? Check, Wifi conductivity good? Check. Teacher accounts established? Check. Student data sheets printed? Check. Caliber Beta Academy is ready for launch.
This past Friday, September 21, 2018, Caliber Beta Academy in Richmond, CA launched the Sown to Grow student reflection software in our 16 middle school advisory classes.
Preparation for the launch consisted of an orientation meeting with Sown to Grow support staff to familiarize teachers with the software, set-up teacher accounts, and sharing a common structure for reflections. Teachers then created Google classrooms for their advisories and linked the classroom to their Sown to Grow class.
Prior to the launch, students joined their advisors’ Google classroom (a process they were already familiar) and received instruction and practice on setting SMART goals related to our school’s academic and cultural expectations. The plan was for students to track their behavior (pluses and minuses), as well as their current academic grades.
As students entered my classroom that morning I had their student reports printed and waiting on their desks. I allowed them a few minutes to review the document before asking them to get their chromebooks and log on to sowntogrow.com. This was the first time this year students received their grades and the reactions were to be expected. There was a resounding response of, “Why did Mr./Ms [teacher] give me a [grade]?” and “How did I get a [letter] in [class]??” Many students wanted to go and speak with their teachers immediately to find out why they received such marks. This is an all too familiar scene that plays out in classrooms when students experience disconnection between the actions they take (or forego) and the grades they earn. This is also one of the problems we’re hoping to solve by implementing this tool!
After students were able to settle themselves, I projected the “student view” of the Sown to Grow website to allow them to follow along with me in logging in. Aside from a few who had questions about their Google username and password, the log-in went smoothly. Students referenced their data sheets to enter the numerical grades in all classes. Up to this point students were able to complete the required entries without too much individualized support.
The challenging part of the process was in inputting reflections about their cultural (behavioral) strengths and challenges. Most of the confusion was in the labeling and descriptions used on the data sheet provided by our school and students rushing to complete the reflection without following the SMART goal format.
In anticipation of students rushing through the reflections, school administration provided students with a SMART goal graphic organizer. However, this organizer was very lengthy and many students completed the worksheet but ran out of class time to transfer their goal from paper to computer. Some were overwhelmed by the organizer and inputted a general reflection instead.
Next week, I plan on having students focus on their behavior and cultural expectations only. I hope that simplifying the student data sheets and focusing on setting goals around cultural expectations (not grades), students and teachers alike will find their flow with Sown to Grow.
Recent colleague conversations have sparked my interest in considering the “offline” factors that impact the implementation of reflection practices for schools. Stay tuned for more on overcoming the hurdles of the reflection process. Follow me on Twitter @MrsFotouhi
GLOWS
- Easy to set up classes and share a common structure across the school
- Easy for students to log on and navigate through the app
- If students were able to get through the whole process, they seemed to engage in meaningful reflection (see examples below)
GROWS
- Most students could not get through the whole process as designed
- Provide more time/scaffolding for students to digest our data report
- Consider starting smaller, with just 1–2 data points to help everyone ramp up and feel successful!
