Research Focus Meetings

Now that student research is off and running, I look forward to our research focus meetings.

Typically I introduce a new aspect of research during these meetings and then students share a learning/presentation discovery they've made.

Today I'll discuss ways to avoid plagiarism.  Then I'll make the time for one of the young, skilled researchers to present her extraordinary project--a project with wonderful, creative graphics, pointed information, and a passionate ending that leaves the audience ready and willing to support her cause.

Regular research focus meetings serve to share students' brilliance and inspire the research team to continue their work with enthusiasm and skill.

The Know-it-All

Recently, a colleague described a student as a "know-it-all."

I feel this student's pain and stigma.

The child is not a know-it-all, but the child is a very curious, quick, and creative individual--one who is hungry to learn in dynamic, differentiated ways.

Sitting through long, repetitive lessons demands that this child focus more on behavior and obedience than dynamic learning and work.

Hence, when I get these so-called "know-it-alls," I give them a chance to grow with strength, passion, focus, and support.  I typically converse with students like this and help them make a viable plan for learning--then they're off doing extraordinary work that enriches the classroom environment, project or endeavor. I also work to help these students work well with others and find positive workmates to collaborate with.

It's true that the "know-it-alls" in our midst can sometimes be so goal driven that they trample the landscape around them, and when that happens it's time for some thoughtful coaching and care.

Our "know-it-all" students have the drive to solve important problems.  They need our coaching, care, and support.  They also need our humility because as young as they are, they often know more than we do.

Good Work?

What is good work today?

Good work today includes the following steps:

• Tight focus.  This is our aim.
• Timely, transparent research and rationale. This is why we are choosing this learning path.
• Drafts and Proposals: This is the research-based, plan or design.
• Crowdshare and Face-to-Face Choice and Voice.  What do you think?  What would you choose? Why?
• Decisions and Direction. Here's where we're heading.  This is what we've decided. 
• Reflection, Revision and Communication. How's it going? How can we make it better?  Here are some examples.
• Assessment. Quantifying effect. Creating next steps.

Good work today includes positive relationships too.

• Time to meet, talk, collaborate. 
• Optimal teams in numbers, intent, focus. (not too big, not too small)
• Regular communication.
• Protocols, norms.
• Empathy, compassion, care, and respect. 
• Commitment, investment. 

The complexity in schools is mainly due to numbers--numbers of daily interactions, numbers of daily transitions, numbers of initiatives and goals, numbers of new ideas, and limitless potential.

Thinking about what it takes to do good work as a member of a learning community is daunting as there's always room for improvement and growth.  

Collaborative Decisions in Schools?

There is an effort to build team in schools through the use of PLCs and RTI.

This team building involves collaborative decision making with multiple, diverse voices.

The learning community which represents multiple, varying years of experience brings many ideas to the table.

How can decisions be made with so many diverse voices and perspectives in efficient, targeted, positive ways?

• First, leaders research and determine a collective focus and rationale, create a process and time line, and advertise the focus, rationale, process and time line to the learning community in an organized, concise way with lead time. Establish a small, diverse and dynamic leadership team to forward the goal and focus.   Example:  We are creating a "loose-tight" scope and sequence related to the new science standards.  We are adopting the standards since this work represent worthy research and design, and serves the needs of our students well. We want to create a local scope and sequence that represents the standards and responds to our students and community well. 

• Next, the leadership team creates a proposal, and the proposal and request for comments is shared online with the learning community (students, families, educators, leaders and community members) in an organized fashion.  The learning community crowdshares comments in a live document. Example: With attention to timely research, past efforts, new standards, and system goals, a scope and sequence draft has been created.  Please make the time as collegial teams or individual educators to comment in the space provided.  Add your name to your comments.

• After that, the leadership team carefully reviews the comments and thoughts then redrafts, and sends that draft out online for crowdshare comment and response.  Then once again the draft is edited and refined to reflect educator voices and perspectives.  Example: The initiative has been redrafted, please review and comment. 

• A face-to-face meeting occurs prior to the final revision. Interested members of the learning community are invited to this debate.  Redraft once again.

• Finally, a "loose-tight" protocol, action, or result is determined and published with a guiding letter from the leadership team in charge. The protocol or plan is "loose-tight" leaving room for student response and need as well as the natural way that learning evolves. 

Backwards design works well for initiatives.  Making the time first to visualize the process from start to finish, then embarking on the process is integral. Research, time, voice, rationale, and focus are important factors when it comes to making positive decisions for the learning community.  

As schools move forward, there is a need to move our decision making protocols and actions forward too, and it's important to relay information about changed protocols, expectations, processes, and time lines to the learning community with lead time, transparency, intent, and effect. It is equally important that initiatives are timely, efficient, and publicized regularly. Often when an an initiative is shared in advance of its start, much of the thought and work can be done with ease ahead of the actual decision process.

Most members of learning communities today want choice and voice so that they can do a job well.  Most educators also welcome efficient, targeted collaborative work to grow their skill and craft with a focus on student success. To integrate educator choice and voice well we need to continue to look at the way we communicate and create decisions--decisions that impact the work we do each day for children's gain.