When I talk about the “worst type” of racism in the United States I’m not speaking about grown men walking around in sheets and hoods, the rebel flag, or even mascots. Right or wrong those are things that you can “deal with” and are visible. I’m speaking about standards for future professionals at our major universities and the treatment of minority professionals in general.

One of the things that I’ve noticed while working, is that many of our native teachers are not properly trained or prepared by the universities. Because of who they are they are passed on by the “diploma mills” just because someone may feel sorry for them, or it looks good for the university whether they made the grade or not. When my wife was going into “Teacher Ed.” she inquired at several universities here in Arizona on requirements, as we were looking for the most economical way to get it done. One university found out that she is native and where she is teaching and only required a “term paper” about her experiences and of course our money in order to get her degree from the program. We were both “taken aback” and questioned them about the practice. The only thing they could say, “We are proud that we are able to graduate so many native teachers!” We never contacted them again. Still there are others that come out to our schools and hold ‘Master’s Level’ classes for our teachers, and they are the easiest classes ever. In fact, they are the easiest Master’s classes that I’ve ever taken. I watch as my colleagues struggle and receive “A’s” for their assignments and my wife and I both ask, “Why do we even bother to study?”

This even filters down to the State, when it comes to certification. I recently asked the state about how many "Native" teachers are passing the state exam. They told me that they couldn’t give that information out to the public. However, I often wonder when we have some teachers that can’t even identify a “noun” or “verb” in a sentence.

Someone wise that I know once told me about the efforts of the “church” and “do good liberals” in the US when it comes to Native people, “Natives don’t need saving, what they need are opportunities.” I would like to add that they also need to be trained properly in order to take advantage of these opportunities and do their best.

BTW - This post is not anti-affirmative action, and shouldn't be mistaken as such. I shall delete any post that attempts to make it so. Affirmative Action gives Women and Minorities an “opportunity” to prove themselves, though it is misused by many entities to make themselves look good. It is user error and not a policy fault.

“Why can’t we just group the same level students together?” asked the student teacher. I explained to her that if we grouped them by their current level the research shows that they continue to stay behind the other students and actually fall further behind as they advance through school. She looked at me bewildered and said “OK” and looked at me, as if I were from outer space when I talked about differentiation of instruction and the use of literacy centers to target skills of deficient readers. I walked back to my office and asked myself a rhetorical question, “What are they teaching new teachers in the major universities?” The sad fact is that they aren’t being trained in skills that will keep them a job in our “NCLB World” and aren’t providing them with the skills that can help kids right away. They are “out of touch” with the reality of education.

In today’s classroom, you must have training in the following areas:

Everyone is a “reading teacher":. No longer can teachers say, “I don’t teach reading because I’m a Math teacher!” It doesn’t work like that anymore. Everyone is a “reading teacher” and most schools have adopted reading programs (Most scripted) to help deal with the ever growing literacy problem in our country.

Data Analysis: You must be able to interpret data on reading skills and math skills from screeners such as DIBELS and AIMSWEB. After you screen your students you then need to be able to perform diagnostics that will aid you in deciding which skills your students are deficient in and then plan how you are going to instruct them to bring those skills to grade level. You have to know how to “progress monitor” your kids and continue the “Response to Intervention” program for each student.

Differentiation of Instruction: Different students have different needs, and they also learn differently. How will you be able to instruct all of these students and address each of their different needs? How will you group them? How will I be able to cope with all of the different reading levels in my classroom? These are questions that have to be answered from Day 1. You can’t effectively teach using “whole class” instruction because of the different needs of your students.

Four Quarter plans and Curriculum writing:. You also need to be able to identify the “Power Standards” at your grade level and plan by quarter what standards you will cover before your state test. Along with this, teacher's have to learn how to produce a daily “instructional plan” and “lesson plan” that aid in compiling the “district curriculum”.

Effective Classroom Management: How do I teach when I have a child that has ADHD and another that is a constant disruption in my class? Good question. I haven't really seen a course yet that covered that situation.

Communication with Parents: How do I effectively communicate with parents that put their trust in my ability as a professional? I Haven’t seen a course yet that addresses this issue either. It is a key part of your job as a teacher and is a godsend to get parents on your side if their child is having problems.

Unfortunately, the answer to my question is all too plain in a system that is “out of tune” with the reality that most teachers face in the classroom today.

As a teacher and a coach I feel that it is always a good thing to be open to different methods for instructing learners of all types. This may require that we be open to alternative viewpoints and that we must "change" the way we think about our instruction. In my opinion, there is no room for the "It worked for me, it will work for them" attitude in education. Which brings me to my latest revelation as the school year has ended and the test results are in (We didn't make AYP!): I must find an Instructional Model that will help our kids learn.

How the Brain Learns

With the whole "Right Brain/Left Brain Person" theory being discounted now as a myth and the fact that we use our whole brain all of the time it should spur educators to change many of their practices. Or will it? Below are FMRI pictures of "Fluent Readers" and "Impaired Readers":

As you can see a "fluent reader" has more activity on the left side of their brain while reading and an "impaired reader" has more activity on the right side of the brain. The next figure shows a "before intervention" and "after intervention" for the impaired reader.

The full study: Reading Symposium
The implications for this should be "huge" if you are an educator or teacher of anything for that matter.

So it is with no training in developing an "Instructional Model" and this new information that I set a task and mission for myself over the next 6 months. Looking for a new "Instructional Model" that will help our kids!

As many of you know, my wife and I are Reading Coaches at a school on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. We both taught at this school from 1998 - 2004. We left, got development and came back to help improve the school that we started teaching at some 10 years ago. What I am going to present in this blog is our strategy (Our whole teaching staff K-8) to help our students.

Features of RtI or Response to Intervention

• High Quality Standards aligned with Research based-instruction : AZ Standards for Reading combined with SRA Corrective Reading, SRA Reading Mastery Plus, Reading Centers and Classroom Literature Series for Middle School.
  
  
• Universal Student Screening for Reading : All students are screened using DIBELS to see if they “at-risk” for not meeting grade level reading goals.
  
  
• Data-based decision making : Students are Progress Monitored with DIBELS throughout the year in order for teachers to make adjustments for reading instruction.
  
  
• Benchmark Assessment : Student progress is assessed with DIBELS three times a year against grade level benchmark goals.
  
  
• Tiered Intervention : Students receive increasingly intense levels of targeted, scientifically research-based interventions based on student needs.

All of our Teachers and Teacher Aides teach a reading intervention class in the morning grades K-8. The program that we use is scripted so it doesn't really take a "scholar" to deliver each lesson. We are talking about content area teachers as well as elective teachers are included in the program.

Later in the day our K-6 teachers and Language Arts teachers for grades 7 and 8 deliver extra instruction for those students that need intervention based on skills needed by the students. These are Reading Centers and last for about 30 - 40 minutes a day, everyday.

Features of our Reading Centers

• Small Group, Differentiated Instruction - All small groups are to be based specifically on the “skill” to be learned by the student and the “need” of the student for reading intervention. While the teacher leads the “intensive” group, the other groups work on activities based on their needs. Groups change activities periodically to work on other skills.
  
  
• Grouping - Students are grouped by skill level according to data gathered from DIBELS and Informal Assessments. Groups usually consist of 3 - 5 students.
  
  
• Active Learning - Activities promote “active learning” and not passive activities such as lecture or worksheets. Through the use of manipulatives teachers create active lessons to help insure retention by students.
  
  
• Skill-Based Instruction - Teachers focus on specific skills for the students to master. Once they master the skill, the teacher then moves on to more advanced skills within the group. The areas mainly focused on are the “Five Areas of Reading” such as: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension.
  
  
• Continued Progress Monitoring - Continued use of data through progress monitoring with DIBELS.
  

Our Reading Specialist takes care of our very severe reading problems as an extra class of intervention that they receive daily. We will be into full swing next year and hope to set a standard for the rest of the Reservation schools.

Sue me! I said the dreaded two words, High Post here on Tidefans! I thought I would share my favorite offense and our present offense here on Tidefans. Of course, when I don't have a player that I can put in the High Post we run something else. So here it is!

The Philosophy here is to attack the Zone from the side and attack the basket instead of throwing up low percentage 3's. You can use this against a zone defense or Man-to-Man. If they start "packing" the zone in I will have my guards put up some 3's or have my PG dribble into the top of the key to draw the defense every 3rd time down court by using hand signals. This will keep them honest on defense.


1. Players line up in a 1-3-1 set. Not a "true" 1-3-1 because the players on the wing line-up a bit high for spacing, but the same premise.

2. Option 1:

A. If 5 is open at the FT line 1 can split the defenders with the pass for a 2-3 zone.

B. 4 Moves into the lane to receive the pass for the shot underneath.

3. Option 2:

A. 1 passes to either wing.

B. 4 runs the baseline.

4. If there is no open drive or shot on the wing, 2 passes to 4. (Ball can go to either side.)

5. If open 4 can take the shot.

A. 2 cuts to the basket and the players on top rotate to fill the missing player on the wing.

B. 4 can pass the ball to 2 if open.

6. After 2 passes under, 5 cuts down to the basket and 4 can pass it to 5 underneath.

And we start the process again if there is no shot!

As some know Vernon Bellecourt passed away recently. He was one of the founders of the American Indian Movement and part of the Wounded Knee takeover in 1972. I had the pleasure of meeting and working with him while I was at Florida State Univ. He was one of the many speakers that we brought to campus and of course he was unpopular, but popularity is fleeting anyway. Thought this was a good article to share with everyone.

From the Twin Cities: Daily Planet:

Vernon Bellecourt: The Man who spoke in Capital Letters

I found this article that I think some may like to read, others may find it a bit discerning. A different view of the "The First Thanksgiving":

From Counterpunch by Mike Ely (Column Native Blood)


Native Blood

Well, it’s basketball season again here on the Rez or as the locals call it, “Rezball”. I’m entering my 7 year of coaching MS Basketball and this year I return to my old school after a 10-3 year at Pinon Middle School last year. It is going to be a trying year as I break in a new round of volunteers, but it is worth it.
One of my favorite things to do is to have my teams play tight Man to Man defense and “Press” the whole game. Our Philosophy is that “Defense can create instant offense” and if you have a good Full Court Press you can equalize any height disparities that your team may have when matching up to other teams. Conversely, I also have to have a good “Press Break” to go along with your defense. So today I would like to share one of my favorite “Press Breaks” that we just call “Purple Break” (You can call it anything you want!)


1. We line up with two players at mid-court usually my 2 and 3 and our 4 in the post on the block.

2. We have our best ball handler either get the ball on the right side or left side.

3.Our tallest player will usually inbound the ball.

4. If the inbound is on the right our player on the left will come down to the middle. (If it had been to the left the player on the otherside would have moved to the middle.

5. 3 cuts the basket and our inbounder will follow the ball for a bit in the backcourt.

6. Our 2 then looks to get 3 the ball cutting to the basket while our 1 and 5 move up the court and trail.

7. 3 has an option depending on the defense:

a. 3 will pass to 4 on the block or down low if he/she draws the defense up the court. They will then crash the boards.

b. 3 will go to the basket if the defense doesn't respond and stays at home in the post.

“What is another name for a Social Studies teacher?” one of my major professors at FSU asked our class. “Coach”, he exclaimed with an evil grin on his face. Everyone looked at each other with a smug look and laughed as only an “academic” could, all the while thinking that we “teachers” were the saviors of the universe and that athletics in school were killing the educational system in America. It didn’t take me long to figure out that this was going to be a long semester and that Dr. Allen (A good teacher!) really didn’t like coaches for some reason because I guess they had stolen his academic candy in some way or another.

Those memories came back to me this past Sunday as a read a great story by Cecil Hurt over at the Tuscaloosa News that has never really reached the boards here at Tidefans. The story was called, Right now it's down to basics for Alabama and featured an interview with Coach Saban about some of the things that went wrong in the Arkansas game on Saturday night. Those problems were the two holding calls by Andre Smith that unceremoniously killed two Crimson Tide drives. Saban’s response:

Often in education the athletic coach is looked down upon as not being a teacher at all and is somehow responsible for the reason that “Johnny can’t read”. In truth and from my perspective it is not that way at all. Good coaching methodology contains what current brain research concludes is also good “teaching” methodology. Good coaches follow the “I do it, we do it, you do it” formula just like teachers are supposed to follow while teaching their subject. This isn’t something new, but it is what good coaches have been following for years! The problem now is that many teachers don’t really follow what is considered good methodology these days and THAT is why “Johnny can’t read!” Many teachers “worksheet” their kids to death and expect the kids to learn skills on their own without any modeling or guidance from the teacher. Yeah, I know teachers don’t really have that much time. Well, if you coach you have even less time than a regular teacher!

It is here that I will end my indictment of education this week by exclaiming to the world, “Coaches are better than teachers when it comes to teaching!” An academic “heresy” for sure!

My new position at school among other things takes me into the classroom to observe student and teacher interaction. What I am seeing more and more of unfortunately is a lack of instructional strategy and structure within the classroom. Why this is occurring I don’t know. It could be a number of things such as burnout, lack of development, lack of training at the university level, or just plain old apathy. So I decided in this blog to focus on some things that you should look for in child’s classroom just in case you have a chance to go and evaluate.

1. Purpose – What is the purpose or objective of the lesson for the day. The students should not only know what they are learning, but why they are learning it. Are the objective clear enough for your child to understand. My supervising teacher always told me, “You need to know three things about each lesson. What you’re teaching, how you’re going to teach it, and why you’re teaching it! If you can’t figure why they need to know it, DON’T TEACH IT! Most objective come from "Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning".


2. Structure – When I say “structure” I mean how the instruction is organized. Is it organized to with a purpose of meeting the objective and is it organized to maximize learning.

In the 80's an educator by the name of Madeline Hunter developed an instructional model by observing successful teachers. This model outlined how we should present lessons to students and structure our classes. * There are many other "up to date" models out there but they basically stress the same steps.

1. Anticipatory Set - This beginning step basically is the "hook" to what students are learning for the day. A good "hook" gets the students attention and ties the learning to the previous day's learning or past experiences. This makes the student more receptive to the information.

2. Input - The teacher provides the information needed for students to gain the knowledge or skill through lecture, film, video, etc. Warning: Lecturing more than 15 minutes is bad practice. Students are not there to act as empty cups for the teacher to fill with information. They are there to create their own knowledge from the information presented!

3. Modeling - The teacher shows examples of what is expected as an end product of their work and shows them how to perform. This takes them to the "application" aspect of their learning.

4. Checking for Understanding - The teacher determines if the students "got it" before moving on to more complicated tasks. Questioning techniques should be incorporated in this step. (See Bloom's Taxonomy)

5. Guided Practice - An opportunity for students to practice the activity with the supervision of the teacher. Teacher moving around the room and not sitting at the desk!

6. Closure - an opportunity for the teacher to conclude the lesson appropriately. "Everybody understand?" is not closure.

A . Closure ties the learning to the objective and helps organize what was learned in the activity.
B. Closure reinforces what students learned for the day.

7. Independent Practice - Provides extra practice and application for the student on what was learned during the day. It is usually done for homework or in class with a group of students or independently without teacher supervision.

I hope that some find this useful. I have really only scratched the surface of Instructional Theory and Practice, but it's a start!

You know one of the questions that I'm always asked about life out here is, "Why is there no development?"

Quite simply because there is really no natural resources to sustain businesses and a comfortable life. The biggest resource that is missing of course is Water. We are currently in a 10 year drought in Arizona and it is starting to take a toll on the water supply.

Just some highlights from a recent article in the Arizona Republic:

Navajo Nation endures water crisis

Teachers and Physicians are the "Elite" of the community. You know your community is in trouble when a teacher is part of the elite. The school is a major employer of each community mostly providing janitorial positions to members. Those that do go to college go to the cities where they can find employment and don't come back to their communities. As a result their is not an educated populace to solve the problems which lie ahead of the Tribe.

As you might realize, the students that grow up here face many challenges in day-to-day life. Suicide rates are 10 times the national average for teens between the ages of 13 and 17. Last year one of my former students committed suicide in a dorm at Flagstaff by hanging herself. She was 16 years old.

Since I have a new job this year as "Reading Coach" at my old school I've decided to dedicate my blog to my new job. Hopefully, I will have time to update it more often.

1. What I do:

My job as "Reading Coach" has taken me out of the classroom. Instead of having students for students, I now have teachers for students. We have adopted the "Student-Focused Coaching Model" by Jan Hasbrouk. This model is sort of a "peer coaching" model designed to focus on helping students achieve. I help teachers problem solve to come up with better instructional strategies in the classroom. As part of my job, I also perform "Informal Reading Inventories" on students to find reading levels and diagnose any problems that a student may have if certain interventions are not working, as well as helping teachers make "data driven" decisions about their instruction.

2. Here is our Profile:

Below is a diagram of what a "normal" school population should look like as far as literacy. Popularly this is known as the "Three-Tier Model" and it can be used for just about any subject or set of data at school.


Our profile is exactly the opposite. We have a large population of students with "Intensive Needs", while having a small population at "Grade Level". This seems to be the "norm" here on the Rez. It looks as though we have our work cut out for us!

3. Basketball for me this year.

The school that I currently work for has a very inconsistent program at the High School level. Traditionally, this school has been a "powerhouse" when it comes to athletics at the K-8 level. However, Once students finish 8th grade the "good students" transfer to other schools and it hard to maintain a "feeder system" for the HS here. I see that also as part of my mission!

I like my new position and it is very challenging, however I find myself longing to be back in the classroom and teaching students!