A Teacher Spotlight on Molly Revlett
Being back in the classroom after 13 years, was a scary leap for me. I hadn’t planned to go back to teaching, but life circumstances demanded that I did. I knew one thing, if I was going to do this I did not want to fail. I did not want to fail as a teacher and set my students back and I did not want to fail being myself, as in trying to be like everyone else. I had life experiences and skills that others didn’t, and I wanted to find a way to incorporate those into teaching.
My degree in college was not in education. That was something I fought against because I wanted to be different from my family. So, I majored in psychology. Life took me on different paths along the way, but I first started teaching in 2008 in an inner-city school. It was difficult, but I loved it. Then life took me elsewhere and then 13 years later – back in the classroom. I say all this to let you know that I am not your “typical” teacher, I tend to do things differently. I think out of the box in most areas of life and teaching is not any different in that respect.
I am blessed to have a dedicated support system and strong educators in my life that encourage and guide me. They give me things to think about and then we work out a plan. They let me bounce ideas off them. Because of their help and guidance, I not only did not fail my first year back, but I soared. Frank Desensi asked me to share some of what I did in this blog. I hope you find it helpful.
Where I teach, testing and data are a never-ending topic. I knew I didn’t want my students defined by their data, but I also knew I had to use it. I was able to break their data down and see what students needed in order to grow. However, many of my students thought they weren’t smart or couldn’t do well in reading. So, after testing, the first thing I did was make sure every 4th grader in my classes knew that he or she was AMAZING! If they did not have confidence, then I knew they would not grow. In my class we celebrated the so-called “little” things daily. A student volunteering to read to the class, answering a question correctly, even writing a coherent sentence, these were all reasons to celebrate in my classroom. As we did, the little things grew into bigger and bigger things, which led to students having confidence and thus moving upward with their data.
As the year went on, I found creative ways of teaching the material. We had text feature scavenger hunts. I had noticed they often confused text features and text structures. So, the students were divided into teams and given a list of features to find and a book to use to find their examples. They competed to be the first team finished. We also sorted text structures. It was a hands-on activity with scenarios that they had to figure out which text structure it was and why. They had their charts explaining what to look for and they worked together to figure out the answer and then taught the class. Both activities kept them engaged as well as allowed them to explain what different features and structures mean and how they help them understand the text.
One of my favorite activities involved reading and writing. The students were once again put into groups and they wrote a narrative. They had the freedom to write together, but it had to be appropriate for school. Once their story was completed, they were given question stems based on the standard they were learning and instructed to create 3 test questions for the class and an answer key explaining why the correct answer was right. Upon completion of the entire activity and once I had looked them over, they presented their stories to the class followed by their test questions. The students loved this activity so much that they invited my principal to their presentations so he could take their quizzes. It was a definite success!
At times, I would find myself comparing myself to other teachers in my hall and that would make me stressed. I didn’t and don’t do things like everyone else. I am realizing that is okay. My students are more than their test scores. I want to cultivate a love for reading so that they can move from reading for entertainment to reading critically. In my room we call it being a reading detective. They are learning to investigate the passages and pull out the important information. They are learning what the important information is and why it’s needed. They are learning to use the 4 column model for test taking. I call it their investigative report. If they can learn to do this and start thinking this way it will help them with their critical thinking in all areas of their lives.
These are just a few of the things I did and do in my classroom. More than anything else, my students know I genuinely care for them and believe in them. They want to learn and do well because they know I believe in them. That is huge! I don’t take it lightly. They are developing a love for reading that will grow with them and give them opportunities in life. We look at the big picture in my room and then figure out the steps needed to accomplish it.
I love collaborating with other teachers. I learn so much from others. If, while reading this, you have ideas to share I’d love to read them. I’m always open to sharing and learning with others.
– Molly Revlett
Follow up by Frank DeSensi – Ed Directions Chief Innovation Officer
Over our 25 years of working on school turnaround efforts, Educational Directions has concluded that there is no single strategy that universally guarantees success in improving student outcomes, especially for nontraditional learners. While we continue to engage with research on theories related to student learning and performance, we also conduct “action research” within classrooms where students have demonstrated success. The goal is to identify the factors that contributed to that success.
This often involves interviews to gather initial insights on the class environment, the teacher’s role, and the collaborative efforts between teachers and learners. We encourage teachers to reflect on their practices, as well as their students’ progress, to identify the key experiences that had the most significant impact on student success.
Case Study: Miss Molly Revett’s Class
When Miss Molly Revett’s class made remarkable and perhaps unexpected gains in reading, we conducted an interview with her to gain a deeper understanding of the context. This included her school, classroom culture, students, and her approach to lesson planning.
The interview revealed several important factors:
- The school had a principal who was not only an academic leader but also a strong systems manager.
- The classroom culture fostered a sense of safety and encouragement, enabling students to take on challenges as the academic rigor increased.
- There was a collegial working relationship among teachers, where collaboration and shared goals were emphasized.
- Teachers were supported in taking risks and exploring new methods to engage students in meaningful work that built both confidence and competence.
Building a Team for Success
Our observations indicated that Molly had established a collaborative teacher-and-learner team within her classroom. Together, they worked toward achieving student proficiency as defined by state standards. She focused on identifying both learning and performance needs for her students, designing various experiences that helped them become more confident and competent learners and performers.
From our interviews, we gathered a comprehensive list of strategies Molly employed. While too extensive to include here, these strategies were drawn from a variety of “best practices” in reading instruction, including:
- Recreational reading
- Critical reading
- Executive processing
She adapted these practices to address the unique, collective, and individual needs of her students. Molly placed particular emphasis on purposeful reading activities, such as reading to learn or linking learning to assessment. She also encouraged her students to respond to their reading through both written and oral formats.
Targeted Planning for Rigorous Learning
Through her analysis, Molly identified specific content and procedural needs that her students needed to overcome. She developed “learner” and “performer” teams that tackled increasingly rigorous tasks, building skills and resilience along the way.
Her targeted planning created a classroom culture that actively encouraged and celebrated student success. Students took immense pride in their accomplishments and were eager to share their progress with others, such as the school principal.
Creating a Results-Oriented Classroom
From our assessment of Molly’s work, it was clear that she was able to leverage the strengths of her school, her colleagues, and her personal approach to teaching to foster a positive, results-oriented classroom environment. Her students learned to:
- Engage fully in their learning process.
- Stay focused and motivated, even when tasks became challenging.
- Revise their work to meet proficiency standards.
- Apply their learning in meaningful activities.
- Take pride in their achievements.
Celebrating Success
At Educational Directions, we want to extend our wholehearted congratulations to the school leadership, the staff, Miss Molly Revett, and most of all, her students for their incredible achievements. This case study is a powerful example of how thoughtful planning, dedication, and a collaborative classroom culture can lead to remarkable results for nontraditional learners and beyond.
Well done, Molly and team!
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