The best way to combat the confusion of the greater community is to focus on the possibility of the intimate community of family, classroom, and other groups of close colleagues, friends, and clients.
Hence, today I'll focus on my classroom with careful focus.
We'll start the day with a team meeting about our learning goals, learning discomfort, and learning needs.
Next, we'll focus on our efforts to accurately solve partial product multiplication problems. Then time for the continuation of the factor game tournament.
After that we'll analyze reading response exemplars for rich language, evidence, and explanations in small groups. Then we'll discuss our analyses, and how taking the time to analyze/study exemplars in any area helps to move our skill and focus forward.
Then time for music and a time for me to catch up on procedural work, and after that I'll model narrative writing with my own story while students use a rubric to score my work and make notes about how I can improve my tale so that it's a better story.
The day will end for the students with another wonderful author film, and for me the day will end with our PLC focused on specific strategies and efforts related to students who are facing challenge. I enjoy hearing teachers' stories related to how they are working to care for, and teach, their students well. I shared last week so this week will be a listening and learning time for me.
When the day is done, I'll prep for my trip to Philly and all the ideas that Educon 2.6 will bring.
Time to push myself out of that unexpected rut, and return to the classroom with greater skill, focus, and understanding. Onward.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
The Path Continues: Thinking about Learning and Discomfort
It's been a week of deep learning for me and for my students. Multiple new classroom and school-wide initiatives have created questions, missteps, debate, discomfort, and new learning.
So today, aware of this busy tributary, I'll take a few minutes to discuss learning discomfort with students. I'll ask, When is learning uncomfortable? I'll be interested in their answers. After that I'll ask, Do you think it's okay that learning is uncomfortable at times? I expect that there will be a mix of answers to that, and then we'll discuss when is discomfort okay, and when is it not okay? Finally, I'll say, "How are things going? What do you need from me as learners in this class? How can I help you with the many big challenges in front of us right now including the challenge to write a great reading response, craft a wonderful narrative, and solve multiple math problems with precision, understanding, and skill. In the end I'll remind them that in some ways this is our learning boot camp time (yes, response to standards and upcoming standardized tests), but after this leg of the year will be our exciting, project base learning chapter--a time for lots of creation, integration, and collaboration.
I'll start the day as the coach, mentor, and cheerleader I'm supposed to be--the one who keeps a positive momentum and service to children going strong.
As for my own professional path, I realize that I have to gain more clarity about initiatives, efforts, and plans. Rather than just assume I understand the details, I need to see the expectations in writing. I also need to expect error and leave room in the schedule for that. As for the repetition of questions, concerns, and issues--this too is a part of the learning curve both in the classroom and without. I read an article about this last night, and accurate communication is a challenge in all disciplines, perhaps one of the greatest challenges of our times as information, change, and ideas flow freely amongst and around us.
Discomfort, yes. Discouragement, sometimes. Determination, remains. Onward.
So today, aware of this busy tributary, I'll take a few minutes to discuss learning discomfort with students. I'll ask, When is learning uncomfortable? I'll be interested in their answers. After that I'll ask, Do you think it's okay that learning is uncomfortable at times? I expect that there will be a mix of answers to that, and then we'll discuss when is discomfort okay, and when is it not okay? Finally, I'll say, "How are things going? What do you need from me as learners in this class? How can I help you with the many big challenges in front of us right now including the challenge to write a great reading response, craft a wonderful narrative, and solve multiple math problems with precision, understanding, and skill. In the end I'll remind them that in some ways this is our learning boot camp time (yes, response to standards and upcoming standardized tests), but after this leg of the year will be our exciting, project base learning chapter--a time for lots of creation, integration, and collaboration.
I'll start the day as the coach, mentor, and cheerleader I'm supposed to be--the one who keeps a positive momentum and service to children going strong.
As for my own professional path, I realize that I have to gain more clarity about initiatives, efforts, and plans. Rather than just assume I understand the details, I need to see the expectations in writing. I also need to expect error and leave room in the schedule for that. As for the repetition of questions, concerns, and issues--this too is a part of the learning curve both in the classroom and without. I read an article about this last night, and accurate communication is a challenge in all disciplines, perhaps one of the greatest challenges of our times as information, change, and ideas flow freely amongst and around us.
Discomfort, yes. Discouragement, sometimes. Determination, remains. Onward.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Let Down
You hope for the best.
You try to stay on top of things, prepare, do what's right. You see so much possibility, and you expect a sense of team.
Then, too often, what you hope for doesn't happen, and yet again you're left to wonder: Did I fail to ask? Am I expecting too much? Did I miss something? Am I wishing for something that is not possible?
A sense of team is a powerful notion--people working together with transparency, shared goals, and common efforts.
It's never perfect, but that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. Tomorrow's a new day, and a chance to move w/new resolve and understanding.
You try to stay on top of things, prepare, do what's right. You see so much possibility, and you expect a sense of team.
Then, too often, what you hope for doesn't happen, and yet again you're left to wonder: Did I fail to ask? Am I expecting too much? Did I miss something? Am I wishing for something that is not possible?
A sense of team is a powerful notion--people working together with transparency, shared goals, and common efforts.
It's never perfect, but that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. Tomorrow's a new day, and a chance to move w/new resolve and understanding.
Put it in Writing: Lesson Learned
Like a game of telephone, important directions were misconstrued. This happened because the directions were relayed by voice with no written protocol or document. Hence with each exchange, the directions were interpreted differently. Thus in some cases, a job well done, and in other cases, a job undone.
There's never a day without a lesson learned, and the lesson learned here is that if something is important, the protocol should be explicit, shared in writing, and reviewed with lead time. Onward!
There's never a day without a lesson learned, and the lesson learned here is that if something is important, the protocol should be explicit, shared in writing, and reviewed with lead time. Onward!
Learning Community Questions I'm Wondering About: Ideas Welcome
There are so many questions to ponder with regard to creating quality educational opportunities and experiences for all children. These are some of the questions I'm wondering about right now.
1. Do schools embrace deep learning? How can we grow that culture in our schools?
What are teachers doing to promote deep learning? How do teachers define deep learning? How is deep learning evidenced in the school learning community? What would a deep learning conversation look like with school personnel? (Deep Learning Points)
2. Do school communities embrace and practice the notion that school is a learning community of students, families, educators, leaders and community members?
What practices demonstrate that your school is an inclusive learning community--a community that values the contribution, questions, and ideas of all community members?
3. Do schools employ communication in ways that promote and forward the learning community/school system?
What communication systems and protocols lead and promote this effort? What regularity is expected and promoted with regard to communication? How does your school communicate and employ the latest research with regard to effective communication?
4. Do schools serve children well?
How do we define "serving children well?" What elements are included in that effort? How do we make sure that those efforts are embedded in the work of school communities? How do we assess, grow, and enrich those efforts?
5. Do leaders serve educators so that educators can serve children well?
What efforts do leaders employ to maximize the best of what educators can do and bring to students and the learning community? What do educators need in order to do a good job, and how can they relay those needs to leadership? Do leaders value and embrace a "servant leadership" mindset, or are there other leadership mindsets that are more effective and important when it comes to leading school systems, educators, students, and the entire learning community?
6. Are schools embracing 21st century tools, process, and strategy to teach children well?
How do we define 21st century tools, process, and strategy--what is the learning community's short list, and how do we assess if those efforts are successfully in place in our learning communities? Once we decide what we value with regard to 21st century tools, process, and strategy, how do we ensure that those elements are activated in our teaching/learning environments.
7. Are schools equal opportunity systems?
Do all the students in our schools have equal access to learning? Do we work to make sure that all students' physiological needs are met including nutrition, physical fitness, and healthy social/emotional support? How do we work to make sure every child has access to quality learning tools, academic support, and learning environments to forward their learning actions, dispositions, and results? Do we regularly update, communicate, and assess support strategies, efforts, and result?
8. Do schools maximize the potential of nearby institutions such as museums, farms, historical societies, government offices, businesses, and more?
Reaching out to the greater community can provide schools with substantive support, experiential learning, mentors, and inspiration. How do schools regularly reach beyond the four walls of the classroom?
9. What systems of research and development do schools employ to maximize relevancy, meaning, and effectiveness?
What do your research and development efforts look like? Are those efforts inclusive including the voices of teachers, families, and students on the front line of education? How is the research and development employed and assessed?
11. How do you post, update, and share the professional calendar/schedule with lead time?
A good professional calendar/schedule sets the stage for success in school systems. The process with which the calendar is set is integral to good planning and coordination of a system's valued events, experiences, and opportunities.
12. Who chooses the materials, strategies, methods, and employment of learning design?
Who is making the decisions about curriculum and learning design? How are they sharing their research, learning, and plans? Are your "choosers" keeping up with the latest research and efforts in the field, and are they aware of what is happening on a day to day basis in your system's classrooms? In what ways are the voices of all members of the learning community efficiently and effectively integrated in this effort?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)