Building Team: Acknowledge Success

This morning our two-class team will meet to celebrate a service learning project well done, and to start a new double class learning service initiative.

Recently students donated items to support a cause. Today we'll share the response from the group we honored. Then we'll discuss the next layer of support--what we'll do now to support the same group. We'll send notes home to families to detail the initiative.

When we meet we'll also take a few minutes to congratulate our team for their great efforts and work in the first three months of the year--three months already!

It's important to stop now and then to acknowledge and thank the team and teammates you work with. We'll do that today.

How Do You Assess Inspiration?

"Education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of a fire."

- William Butler Yeats

If you had the chance to pose a a question about your teaching and student learning that a large number of educators would assess, what would that question be?

That's a challenge the faculty at my school are grappling with since in a couple of months a large number of educators will come to our school and assess one question related to student learning. Every educator at my school has the chance to vote with a $1.00 worth of points for a question they hope the educators will assess.

The question I favor is, "Are students inspired?" 

I am in favor of that question because I know that inspiration holds high value when it comes to student learning. Yet, how do you assess inspiration?  What evidence demonstrates inspiration and what evidence doesn't when you "look down" and observe student learning.

I offer the following evidence that depicts inspiration:

• Students are on task.
• Student language demonstrates that they are inspired to learn with related questions, encouraging remarks to classmates, learning examples, organization steps, positive self talk, and progress remarks.
• Students work demonstrates investment with regard to meeting and extending the task.
• Students are excited and enthusiastic.
• Students' actions support their learning.

The following evidence would suggest a lack of inspiration:

• Inactivity, heads on the desk.
• Little discussion, questions, or self talk.
• Little effort or completion of tasks.
• Less bright eyes, eagerness and enthusiasm.
• Little to no enrichment or extension of the task.

How would you illustrate an inspired classroom? What evidence of inspiration would you look for? Do you think this is an important question to assess? If so, why? and if not, why not?  What question would you choose?

I know the educators I work with will contribute many wonderful questions, and I know we'll end up with an investigation of merit. However, in the meantime, I'll keep this question close at hand as I design, deliver, and facilitate learning experiences.

How Do You Embrace Change Strategically?

How do you embrace change strategically?

What systems and processes lead you and your organization forward.

I am mindful of this today as I read a large number of posts related to change and growth.

Both individuals and systems need strategic process for this.

I offer the following thoughts.

• Rid your systems of inefficient process and systems. One-size-fits-all professional learning and meeting in most cases is inefficient. Information that everyone needs to know can mostly be shared via video or newsletter.
• Embrace the practice of targeted, inclusive teams. For example, create dynamic teams to foster goal-oriented changes, and give those teams time, resources, support, and a communication vehicle with which to share and develop their efforts.
• Create vibrant, growth-producing communication streams of share.
• Set goals, assess goals regularly, and refine as needed.
• Identify inefficient, ineffective and less engaging learning practices, and replace with dynamic, student-centered process, structure, and schedules.
• Establish, nurture, and regularly review and refine school culture.
• Reach out and in for support, new ideas, and collaboration. 

In real time this effort might look like this in a school.

1. What goals have we prioritized for this school?

2. How are we going to effectively and efficiently reach those goals?

3. How are we going to share our work and assess the work's effect?

Specifically, as I look at my own practice I can put this process in place in the following ways.

Goal One: Teaching All Math Standards Effectively

• Study each standard using Khan Academy, CCSS, and other resources.
• Design and synthesize blended learning experiences for each standard with collaborating educators online, at PLCs, during grade-level meetings. 
• Review, assess, and refine learning experiences as we move along this learning path. 

Goal Two: Teach all Science Standards

• Learn and study each standard with students using Flocabulary raps and song, related videos, diagram design, and hands-on exploration.
• Allow each student one standards' base question to explore, research, write a speech about, perform a Ted Talk with accompanying headline/image Google presentation, and teach the class about.
• Write effective science response answers to questions that match key standards areas in preparation for spring standardized test. 
• Work with SuAsCo River Organization and colleagues to develop our outdoor education efforts in engaging, empowering ways. 

Goal Three: STEAM

• Work with grade level team to develop STEAM teaching ideas and mindsets.
• Facilitate one STEAM learning experience across the grade-level.
• Continue to develop and utilize a Maker Space in the classroom (and/or school)
• Continue to study STEAM teaching with school colleagues, at conferences, and with online PLN.

Goal Four: Learning to Learn Mindsets and Behaviors

• Continue to foster this through regular teaching, coaching, feedback, and research.
• Continue to organize these materials for the learning community's use and reference.
• Model this in all collegial and classroom efforts. 

Deeper Teaching Week

For the last two weeks, my colleagues and I focused on at-risk students. We came up with new ideas and tried some out. That will remain a focus.

This week, I'm thinking more about deeper teaching--how do I promote a deeper level of work and share.

Yesterday, I came up with a list of learning/teaching attributes, I'll think about as students engage in lessons.

What will I do to foster this deeper teaching?

First, I need to be mindful of the details:

• Am I "present" when students enter the room in the morning? Am I attuned to their questions, affect, needs, and early morning efforts?
• Do I have all the materials prepared for the day's learning? This week's materials include calculators, color copies of pictures for number lines, sharpened pencils, tech menu, and measurement tools. Is the schedule up? Are the materials visible and easy to access?
• Do I wait until everyone is ready before I relay important learning information?
• Do I put students' emotional needs first and make the time for positive conflict resolution, listening to a child's important story, or considering a request?

Then I need to think about the learning experiences and what I expect this week. What paths will we travel and how will I encourage students' deep learning efforts on those paths?  The important learning that will take place this week will require the following questions and actions.

• How do we work well as teams?
• Is the room organized well for good teamwork?
• How can I best coach each team?
• Making the time to model the use of an online program for best learning.

Throughout the week, I will take notes as I teach, notes that I'll refer to later as I think about deep teaching and learning.

How do you define deep teaching?  How do you effect deep learning with your students?  This is my theme this week and I look forward to your thoughts. 

What Happens When the Metrics are Wrong?

Last night, an online colleague notified me that Hattie's research has been challenged with the fact that his measurements are incorrect. I was struck as I've been using Hattie's research heavily as a teaching/learning guide in past few years and I had just created a new initiative to deepen my teaching with his words. What's a teacher to do?

I thought about it, and while his measurements, in some or many cases, are not correct, I still hold there is merit to his findings as many of the findings have been written about in other books too. For example when I read Willingham's book, Why Don't Students Like School?, where I found some similar recommendations about teaching well.

As a generalist, I don't have the time to dig deep enough so that I'm analyzing everyone's work to the specific details. Therefore, I use the following process with any research, advice, or ideas I read, view, or hear about.

First, I consider the information, and think, "Does this make sense?"  I've been teaching for 29 years. I've been a mom, daughter, and sibling during those years. I have lots and lots of cousins and heard many education stories. I've attended many conferences and taken multiple courses. I read the newspaper every day. In other words, I have a lot of experience, and can quickly determine if research makes sense or doesn't make sense in the broad view.

Next, I consider the source. If the source of the information is a person or event that has good merit, I will consider the information with care. For example, a couple of years ago, an expert came to our system. At first glance, her work didn't make sense to me, but many of my talented colleagues followed her lead. I listened more and watched closely, and I integrated the research too. I found that the research did indeed make sense and helped my students learn more with confidence. So even if it doesn't make sense to me at first, if well respected colleagues, mentors, or leaders support the information, I'll look deeply and try it out.

After that, I watch how my students react. Do they all resist the learning or do they gravitate towards the new initiative? How does the new information affect their classroom efforts, assessments, engagement and empowerment. This matters to me?

And, does the information match information and need in other disciplines?  For example, sometimes education research is slow to keep up with other areas of thought and work, and if information seems to match "where the world is going," I'll often look more deeply at that information and try it out.

As a teacher, I'm a synthesizer. I synthesize old and new, individual and collaborative, research-based and intuitive, multiple disciplines, and many ideas. I'm sorry to hear about Hattie's measurements' news, and I'll be more mindful about quoting his book and work. I'm not sorry, however, about the many ways his book and research have moved my teaching forward. My students are more engaged, empowered, and happy--their learning is good. There's always room for more growth however so I'll keep an eye out as to how others rethink his work and research, and I'll continue to look to experts in my school learning community (families, students, educators, citizens), professional learning network, and in the world of education to guide my growth. Let me know if you have thoughts about further thoughts about this as I'm sure that issues like this will arise often as the education landscape continues to develop and change.