Willett Elementary School teacher Kim Bobadilla, who instructs fourth- and fifth-graders this year, was one of 200 teachers selected from a pool of more than 3,200 applicants to attend the Learn Zillion TeachFest in San Francisco earlier this month.

The TeachFest event — which draws inspiration from the “hack fest” model popularized by computer programmers who spend weekends coding and trading tips — was designed to bring together educators from 41 states to work on the new Common Core academic standards, which several states already have begun implementing, and California will start putting into place next year.

The Common Core standards were developed at the urging of educators and governors from different states; the new standards have been adopted by 41 states.

In California’s case, the Common Core standards will replace existing standards that were developed in the 1990s.

“The new standards are going to teach more 21st century skills, more critical thinking,” Bobadilla said. “They’re more project-based, more ‘real life.’ That’s what I like about them.”

Putting together the application to attend the Learn Zillion conference “probably took about 30 hours,” Bobadilla added. “I put together a three-lesson outline set, and one video lesson, all covering a particular standard. It took a bit of time. So I was surprised when I heard that 3,200 people had applied (to attend the conference.”

She also was pleased when she found out she was one of just five teachers from California to be selected.

Bobadilla, who has been at Willett for nearly 13 years, will now spend a chunk of her summer developing three sets of lesson plans covering three math-related standards.

“I will spend several hours unpacking the standard, figuring out what the standard is asking kids to conceptualize,” she explained. “Then I’ll research how this information has been taught before, and how people are currently teaching it worldwide, and then set up a lesson set outline that will go to a coach. I’ll work on it with the coach to develop a PowerPoint and a video.”

And then the lesson plans, PowerPoint and video will go on the Learn Zillion website (learnzillion.com), which functions as a sort of library that can be accessed by teachers, parents and students. Each standard eventually will be addressed by lesson plans, PowerPoints and videos developed by two to four experienced teachers, so teachers will be able to compare several different teaching styles and pick the approach they think would work best in their classroom as a starting point.

All the Learn Zillion material is geared to the new Common Core standards.

Learn Zillion was started by two former teachers who met at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, and has been supported by funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in an effort to “seed high-quality content and develop a web-based platform” that can be easily accessed by classroom teachers and parents, according to Learn Zillion’s press material.

Bobadilla said a teacher like herself “can set up a Learn Zillion account, sign the kids up and assign lesson sets, with different sets going to different kids. It’s a great way to differentiate. …

“If a kid is having trouble in a certain area, I can assign them a lesson that addresses (this area). Students can read material and then do a quiz online, the computer scores the quiz and gives the teacher a report. And kids can review these things at home,” she continued.

“For students who are English learners who want to see the material just one more time, it’s very useful.”

The Davis school district is planning a set of professional development meetings relating to the Common Core standards in August, during the week before the 2013-14 school year starts, and Bobadilla is hoping to share some of what she learned at the recent San Francisco conference with her fellow teachers at that time.

— Reach Jeff Hudson at [email protected] or 530-747-8055.

BobadillaW

Willett Elementary School teacher Kim Bobadilla is among teachers across the state who contributed lesson plans as California switches over to new Common Core academic standards. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo

Comments

comments