April 15, 2013

How I Turned My Classroom into a ‘Living Video Game’ – and Saw Achievement Soar

If you’ve ever watched kids play video games, you know how it goes.  They try something.  It doesn’t work.  They try again a different way.  It fails.  They try again and again and again.  So, why is it that kids typically hate struggle, challenge, and failure in the classroom, but are motivated by it in the world of gaming? 

In this interesting post, second grade teacher Joli Barker shares her journey to turn her classroom into a living video game.

“I spend approximately 30-45 minutes a day in direct whole-class instruction. The rest of the time I am facilitating thinking through monitoring their work, asking pointed guiding questions, or pulling aside small groups and helping students develop skills they will need to advance in the game. It takes more meticulous planning on my part to create the codes and activities that elicit independent thinking and collaborative work, but the payoff in student behavior, self-esteem, motivation, and determination is well worth it.”

She has some impressive results, and students are developing critical skills.

How I Turned My Classroom into a "Living Video Game" - and Saw Achievement Soar

Inspirational Team Building

As we head down the home stretch for the 2012 - 2013 school year, we could all use a little motivation to carry us through.  I came across this short 3 minute video on my twitter feed earlier today and it was just what I needed.  I'll think you'll fine that many of the questions posed throughout the video align closely to our 7 Characteristics of Highly Effective Leaders, Teachers and Students.  I particularly found the last question posed most fitting with our theme of innovation and the opening of the ILC in the fall.

What if...

Inspirational Team Building Video

What teachers need and reformers ignore: time to collaborate

Linda Darling-Hammond, well-known author and Stanford University professor, shares new findings from educational practitioners about implementation of new Common Core State Standards.  Teachers weigh in on what they need to transform their instructional practice in order to meet the rigorous demands of CCSS.  

According to recent survey results by National Center for Literacy Education, teachers ..." most value time to co-plan with colleagues to create new lessons or instructional strategies and to analyze how their students are developing and what they can do together to advance progress."  The article may not contain new information to us in HCSD.  However, the message increases our awareness that teachers need time to collaborate, discuss and design updated teaching with other professionals.

What teachers need and reformers ignore: time to collaborate

The 10 Skills That Will Get You Hired in 2013

“The 10 Skills That Will Get You Hired in 2013” reminds us once again that technical skills and programming skills aren’t the only skills that make us marketable. As a matter of fact, skills proficiency is beginning to take a back seat to mindset, critical thinking, and problem-solving.  Casserly examines the top job of 2013 to demonstrate that it’s the less flashy skills that actually dominate when it comes to securing the best jobs.  She also reminds us that our students must be aware of the skills in highest demand in order to guide educational decisions and future opportunities.  The top ten skills, as defined by Casserly, are:

1. 1.  Critical Thinking

1. 2.  Complex Problem Solving

1. 3.  Judgment and Decision-Making

1. 4.  Active Listening

1. 5.  Computers and Electronics

1. 6.  Mathematics

1. 7.  Operations and Systems Analysis

1. 8.  Monitoring

1. 9.  Programming

1. 10.  Sales and Marketing

If we are directing our students toward greater innovation, we must help them secure the qualities that will help to thrust them forward in the job market.  Not only must they put these skills into action, but Casserly reminds us that we must also get them to think about how they put the skills into action and how those skills have contributed to their success.

The 10 Skills That Will Get You Hired in 2013

Personalized - not individualized - learning

People have asked during the many ILC presentations why the personal success network will focus on "personalizing" education for students and not individualizing. Mr. Zhao makes it clear in his quote and live speech that personalized is a better goal than individualized. As things come to close for you this year and things ramp up for the opening of the ILC, I want to ask you and your staff to really start thinking how the ILC can become part of your identity and assist you in reaching more students, not just the number that have indicated they will come here during the day, but also how can your teachers utilize this space to help personalize their instruction?

Personalized - not individualized - learning

March 11, 2013

Google Glass

Are you ready to be amazed?  The future is here.  Ian Jukes has been talking for years about the future arrival of “glasses” that are essentially the same as a computer and computer monitor.  Google just recently announced the release of this exact product, and they are piloting them with select people right now.  Take a few minutes to watch the promotional video (click the “How It Feels” tab after going to the site).  It’s really pretty neat, but more importantly, gives us all a glimpse of what’s soon to show up in our classrooms.  Remember, at the same time Jukes was talking about these glasses, he also mentioned “contact lenses” that do the same thing won’t be far behind . . . . .

Google Glass

Five C's: Creating a Committed, Dynamic Organization

My selection this week highlights the 5 C's: Culture; Climate; Community; Connection; and Capacity that are essential for a successful organization.  As we are preparing to welcome new students in to our buildings next year, I felt following quote about creating a sense of community reminds us how intentional we must be in establishing our culture:  “Creating community is an intentional act…as leaders we need to not only understand how to create it, but the kind we are trying to create.”

If you get a chance take a look at the video, I can't promise there will be a ball pit in the ILC, but I will sure try!

Five C's: Creating A Committed, Dynamic Organization

Teachers: What kind of students are you making?

This is a good one....it will make you think.  Blogger Seth Godin asks a few questions about the educational practices in our classrooms, buildings, and districts that make me wonder why we do the things we do.  He requests that we examine teacher behaviors that are carry-over from the industrial-era by asking "What kind of students are we really trying to create?  Are our classrooms built for creativity or compliance?"  

As the administrators in HCSD continue to lead educational reform, let's keep asking ourselves the difficult questions, reflecting on the culture in our district, and challenging the status quo. Our students deserve it!  

Teachers: What kind of students are you making?

Professional-development reform: 8 steps to make it happen

I found this blog, “Professional-development reform:  8 steps to make it happen,” and it made me realize even more how important it is to provide and engage in professional learning that is differentiated, relevant, and engaging.  Tom Murray outlines eight ways districts can reform their professional learning opportunities:

   1.  Clearly define and articulate the vision.  Do all stakeholders really understand the goal?  How are the kids going to benefit?
   2.  Lead by example and model professional learning.  Shouldn’t we, as administrators, help pave the way for new learning and learn with our staffs side-by-side?
   3.  Balance district-wide initiatives with the need for differentiation.  Murray points out the emphasis we place on meeting students where they are, yet we don’t do the same for the adults. 
   4.  Move from hours-based to outcome-based accountability.  He emphasizes the shift from “I attended” to “I learned and then implemented.”
   5.  Alter the traditional paradigm.  We need to view professional learning as a daily process, not special occasions.
   6.  Empower staff to design their own learning.  It’s no secret that I’m excited about finding ways for our educators to explore their own professional passions.
   7.  Solicit teacher feedback.  What do our very best people think about the professional learning opportunities we’re offering?  “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”
   8.  Expand your boundaries.  It’s 2013.  Let’s use social media to our advantage.

Murray’s blog is worth a look as we forge ahead in professional learning.

Professional-development reform: 8 steps to make it happen

5 Ways to Energize Your Team

This week I want to share with you an incredible article about energizing your team/staff. It's that time of the year, spring break is coming, it's testing time, scheduling time, etc…  tensions are high, fuses are short.  Michael Hyatt is one of my favorite authors on leadership, and in this blog he points out 5 ways to reenergize the team.  I'll share a little bit of it with you right here but I encourage you to read the whole article.  

"He had evidently forgotten that, at the end of the day, everyone is a volunteer. People will only go so far in the performance of a duty. If you want their very best, you have to have their hearts. You can’t demand this or even buy it with a paycheck. You have to earn it. In my experience, there are five ways to do this:

1. 1.  Assume others are smart and working hard.
2. 2.  Listen intently and ask thoughtful questions.
3. 3.  Acknowledge the sacrifices others have made on your behalf.
4. 4.  Express gratitude for their effort and their results.
5. 5.  Remind them why their work is so important and the difference they are making.

5 Ways to Energize Your Team

February 25, 2013

5 Characteristics of an Effective 21st Century Educator

My selection this week is yet another take on the characteristics that effective educators in the 21st century need to possess if they're going to be most effective and stay current with the ever-changing landscape that defines the classroom and students of 2013 and beyond.

Here's what eSchool News Readers identified as the top five characteristics:

1. 1.  Anticipate the future.
2. 2.  Be a lifelong learner.
3. 3.  Foster peer relationships.
4. 4.  Teach and assess all levels of learners.
5. 5.  Discern effective vs.non-effective technology.

"One of the most common responses from readers was that 21^st-century educators must be lifelong learners … and should be willing to learn not only from their peers, but from their students as well."

5 Characteristics of an Effective 21st Century Educator

The Essence of Leadership in Five Letters

Dan Rockwell, a.k.a. the Leadership Freak, discusses and publishes a particular aspect or approach to leadership on a daily basis.  In this recent blog post Dan highlights the works of Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller, two highly regarded leaders in their fields, and their "secret" to leadership.  This "secret" can be summed up with one 5 letter word, SERVE.  As I read the meaning behind each of these letters, I couldn't help but find similarities to the spirit of their meanings and how they relate to hear of our core values in the Hilliard City Schools.  These 5 characteristics are as follows:

• S = See the future
• E = Engage and develop others
• R = Reinvent continuously
• V = Value results and relationships
• E = Embody values

The Essence of Leadership in Five Letters

The New Ed-Tech Leader Models by Digital Example

"Modeling is crucial. If you want your kids and teachers to be users of 21st-century tools, … you have to show that you can do it too," he says. "It shows that I'm still a teacher—I can still instruct and still learn."  This quote embodies the essence of my selection this week.  The impact technology makes the day to day instruction and operations of our schools today is enormous.  As educational leaders, it is essential that we take the risks to utilize these new technologies to enhance student achievement, and, as the quote above illustrates, we must effectively model how our teachers and students should be utilizing the tools at their disposal.

The New Ed-Tech Leader Models by Digital Example

Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do

Larry Ferlazzo focuses on the fact that working alongside students, knowing their interests and goals, and developing trusting relationships that help students to connect their learning to their goals are paramount to working successfully with challenging students. In fact, he says there are eight things that truly skilled teachers think, say, and do (hence, the title of the article):

1. 1.  Remember that authoritative beats authoritarian. Authoritative wins (and this is a great one for professional self-reflection).
   
2. 2.  Believe that everyone can grow. Think Carol Dweck and mindset.
   
3. 3.  Understand that power isn’t a finite pie. Shared leadership isn’t a sign of weakness.
   
4. 4.  Give positive messages. Ferlazzo targets three practices – the use of positive framing (if
   you do this, these good things will happen), saying yes (emphasizing what you DO want people to do), and saying “please” and “thank you.” It’s our opportunity to help students feel valued.
   
5. 5.  Apologize. W e’ re human. W e must seize every opportunity to “humanize” our profession.
   
6. 6.  Be flexible. Ferlazza suggests that this may be the most important thing we can do to help those who challenge us. He points out three ways that flexibility aids teachers in differentiating instruction and managing the classroom.
   
7. 7.  Set the right climate. Extrinsic rewards don’t produce true motivation.
   
8. 8.  Teach life lessons. Consider “front-loading” the year with lessons focused on life skills, and
   refer back to them throughout the year in order to create a growth mindset.
   

This article serves as a wonderful reminder that fostering relationships can help to fuel student motivation. 

Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do

Those People

This is a dead ringer for a powerful read to share with your staff(s). If you haven't noticed by now I am a fan of Seth Godin and his thoughts on many topics, this one in particular.  How often have you heard one of your staff members or even yourself at times use the phrase "Those students".  You know the students we are referring to.  The same students that "all the other" students thought were going to be using the ILC as their new location.  The students that are predestined for mediocrity. Their family expects it, their teachers expect it, so they expect it.  Seth G. asks a simple question "What if we expect more?".  What if as a district we viewed 'those students" with the same expectations of succeeding at their highest level, just like Johnny straight A's ? What if we were a district of inspiring staff members that rallied around the common theme of every student can, and will succeed.  Success can be defined individually, nonetheless it's the goal.  I know all of you feel this way already, just thought you would like to see it in print from a guy that can write, Seth Godin. Have a great week.

Those People

February 11, 2013

What Makes You Itch?  What would You Do if Money were No Object?

My selection this week is a short video that is sure to make you think!  As I watched it, I couldn’t help but think of how much it reinforces the importance of the “experience” we create for students every day.  The video’s messages illustrates the power in having choice, sparking an interest, and finding a passion.  It’s also a great reminder for us of just how important those college & career readiness skills and real life, authentic experiences are to all of our students!  Most importantly, it drives the question: How are we preparing students for their futures?

What Makes You Itch? What would You Do if Money were No Object?

7 Essential Principles of Innovative Learning

As we are well underway with HS course registration, and soon to begin both MS and 6th Grade course registration, it's amazing to see the types of new opportunities and experiences our students have been afforded.  My selection this week hits at the very core to the importance of how we create these experiences in our classrooms.  I think you'll find some major connections to these 7 Essential Principles and our 7 Characteristics of Highly Effective Leaders; Teachers; and Students.  Enjoy and have a great week!

7 Essential Principles of Innovative Learning

Why Leadership Requires Prudence and Temperance

In this week's article, "Why Leadership Requires Prudence and Temperance", we are reminded of the 7 Characteristics of Highly Effective Leaders. In HCSD, we know that effective administrators "challenge the status quo to address academic needs and establish clear goals". This characteristic requires courage on a daily basis!  Blogger Deborah Mills-Scofield recognizes the importance of leadership courage in order to "disrupt the status quo" and make the greatest impact.  However, she presents two additional virtues that leaders must practice:  prudence and temperance.
Leadership is a complex role that requires more than perfecting one isolated virtue. The author knows that great leadership is "...the ability to deal with overlaps, to integrate, to identify synergies and interdependencies and support our people in maximizing those opportunities to create profit (output) and purpose (outcome)." 

Why Leadership Requires Prudence and Temperance

Why Educators Should Spend 15 Minutes a Day on Social Media

Roscorla’s article, “Why Educators Should Spend 15 Minutes a Day on Social Media,” reminds us of the importance of staying connected for the benefit of our continued professional growth.  Professional Learning Communities allow us to go beyond sharing ideas with colleagues who have similar interests.  Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, just to name a few, help us to reach out to the online community to gain access to a world of rich, diverse perspectives.  

How do we find the time?  Roscorla shares a few ideas she’s come across through other educators.  Maybe we could spend a few minutes each morning on Twitter, “favoriting” thinks we might find valuable and then spending a bit more time with them when we have extended periods of time available.  More important than finding the time, though, is sharing the discoveries we make with our colleagues who need it most.  “None of us is as strong as all of us.”  

Why Educators Should Spend 15 Minutes a Day on Social Media

Solving the Problems of Dumb Leaders

Where does it say leaders can't be wrong?  Likewise, where does it say that leaders shouldn't admit when they are wrong? I know the reaction is that it comes across as a sign of weakness right? Leaders always tell their followers, it's ok to fail because you're going to learn from it.  The only problem with that statement is we remove the human decision and "assume" they will learn from it.  In order to learn from a mistake, you must first accept the fact that you made a mistake.  Can a leader admit to making mistake, learn from it, and still continue to lead?  I believe yes, but what do my beliefs matter for your leadership style? The important question is do you believe it? 

Do you believe leadership comes from a title? 

Are leaders expected to be perfect? 

Are you willing to be a learning leader?  See the article for a description of what a Learning Leader truly is. Have a great week.

Solving the Problems of Dumb Leaders

January 28, 2013

25 Signs You Might be a 21st Century Teacher

Do you think of clouds as good things?  

Do you plan lessons assuming that every student has Wi-Fi broadband access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?  

These are just two signs that you might be a 21st century teacher.  Take a look at this humorous, but true list that describes the 21st century teacher.  This certainly serves as a great reminder of how much the business has changed in the last few years!

25 Signs You Might be a 21st Century Teacher

5 Characteristics of a Change Agent

As I read this article from Geourge Couros, I couldn't help but be reminded of the 7 Characteristics of Highly Effective Leaders and our focus this year on "Innovation."  As we have said many times this year, Innovation doesn't end with the ILC, it is only one piece of the puzzle.  It is clear we have embraced this philosophy, as we continually see and hear about many new "innovative teaching practices" at all levels.  Couros states "(change agents) – People who act as catalysts for change…"   I'd say Hilliard City Schools administrators clearly embody this role of a change agent!

5 Characteristics of a Change Agent

3 Investments Good Leaders Make in Creating Other Leaders

 

It is mid winter--gray skies, short days, and lot of tasks on the 'To Do' list. People, including teachers and administrators, need encouragement to 'keep striving' for our goals of improved student achievement.  This week's article provides important reminders for busy and task-oriented principals like yourselves.  Blogger Joe Mazza reminds us of "Three Investments Good Leaders Make in Creating Other Leaders": 

1. Invest daily in a healthy school culture. Support new teachers and invite others to contribute to the positive atmosphere in the school building through trust and respect.  

2. Invest in personal relationships.  Take the time to ask staff about their family and personal circumstances.  Those brief conversations help folks feel important to us and valued in the organization. Superintendent Dale McVey provides outstanding modeling of this behavior by remembering details of previous conversations about the kids, the home, and movies you've watched. 

3. Invest in an "outside the box" lens.  Encourage your staff members to think differently and take risks. Find a way to say 'yes' to their new ideas. 

Leaders benefit greatly from our small investment of time and concern for those who work along side of us daily. Students and families reap the real benefits of content school personnel. 

 

3 Investments Good Leaders Make in Creating Other Leaders

Ten Secrets to Surviving as a Teacher

It’s that time of year.  We leave for work in the dark.  We head for home in the dark.  The holidays are over, and it’s easier to give in to crankiness.  It’s also the perfect time to remind ourselves why we do what we do.  “Ten Secrets to Surviving as a Teacher” shares some of the things that are easy to lose sight of in our daily professional lives.  Terry Heick also infuses videos to add some levity to the message.  There are no major surprises on the list…just good reminders.  Heick shares common sense advice like knowing when to stand strong and when to bend in the wind, standing out by finding or creating "your own brand," and never losing sight of your purpose.  Ultimately, teaching is "the artful and thoughtful marriage of learner and content."  January/February is the perfect time to share reminders with our colleagues, especially if they find themselves lost in the groans and growls that accompany Ohio winters.

 Ten Secrets to Surviving as a Teacher

'Girl Rising': Educating Girls

I hope this link isn't blocked like my last one, I apologize for my previous article on creativity, not having a simple way to view it. Nonetheless, this week I want to bring you something different.  This isn't an article focused on technology, innovation, or even the future.  Maybe the latter isn't so far off, but I thought I would reach out to you through your heart strings this week. I watched this trailer the other day and thought about it several different times over the weekend. The documentary is about 9 girls from 9 countries that are striving to find an education in their suppressive culture(s). I have one simple reason for sharing it.  We need to remember how much "good" we are doing and can continue to do for our students that come to us each day. Somewhere deep inside, even the toughest child, is a desire to earn an education.  Perhaps we haven't discovered what that desire is yet, but it's there looking for an interest or passion to grab on to and grow.  Here at HCSD, look at the many opportunities that you/we are providing for growth of passion?  If that doesn't excite you on this final monday in Jan. then watch this trailer and go out into the hallway and start high-fiving some students, you may be the spark of their interest or passion.

'Girl Rising': Educating Girls

January 14, 2013

Education & Video Games are No Longer Enemies

You’ve probably heard me reference the text by Steven Johnson, Everything Bad is Good for You.  In it, Johnson warns us not to be too quick in judging the time young people spend with television, video games, and online apps.  In fact, he suggests that modern day games and television are actually making children smarter because they encourage the development of problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration skills.  Aligned to Johnson’s thinking, some educators are starting to use these “distractions” to their advantage to capture the engagement of kids and create an educational value.

“Gillispie’s love of gaming led him from the classroom to the district technology job, where he created a ‘WoW’ club for at-risk middle-school students in 2009. He teamed up with a New York teacher launching a similar club, and the two schools created a guild.  That experience evolved into the ‘WoW’ curriculum, which is designed to meet the standards set in the new Common Core curriculum. For instance, one ‘quest’ requires students to study riddle poetry and share their notes within the guild. They write their own riddle poems based on Azeroth, edit and critique each other, then take their riddles into the wider game world to challenge outsiders.”

Education & Video Games are No Longer Enemies

And What if We let Students Design the Learning Objectives and the Assessments?

As you know, we have recently placed a great deal of emphasis on Learning Targets.  As I read this article, I couldn't help but think that this teachers approach required students to take ownership in their learning, ultimately meaning they knew the purpose of the lesson.  The author summed up this process best in the following: "when letting the students design their learning consistently, the outcomes will include, though not be limited to:

• More risk-taking
• Creativity
• Heightened awareness of knowledge
• Heightened awareness of the learning process
• Ownership
• Increased Motivation
• Increased opportunities for collaboration
• More opportunities to refine communication skills"

And What if We let Students Design the Learning Objectives and the Assessments?

8 Things to Look For in Today's Classroom

As I read "8 Things to Look For in Today's Classroom", I was inspired by the classroom vision cast by author and blogger George Couros.  It would be my desire to observe learning environments similar to what George describes as the 'rule' in Hilliard City Schools, not the exception.  

The author shares the list below as "...some things that I believe will help the learner of today be successful in our world, both today and tomorrow." He suggests that teachers create a classroom space in which learners have: 1) voice,  2) choice, 3) time for reflection, 4) opportunities for innovation, 5) time to become critical thinkers, 6) chances to be problem solvers/finders, 7) self-assessment, 8) connected learning.  

What types of amazing educational experiences could our teachers create for students if administrators challenged them to shape class time in ways that allow students to follow learning passions with their peers? 

8 Things to Look For in Today's Classroom

12 Digital Tools to Implement Exit Slips

I’m sure that we can all agree on the importance of formative assessment as a regular part of classroom instruction.  Along with understanding the importance of gauging student learning throughout the learning process, we must also acknowledge that the term “exit slip” has become almost synonymous with “formative assessment.”  If we aren’t careful, it could go the path of the Venn diagram…sometimes overused and undervalued.  Felicia Young, in “12 Digital Tools to Implement Exit Slips,” reminds us that we can keep a useful tool fresh, new, and valued by our students. 

Using Fisher and Frey’s three categories of exit slips -- those that document learning, those that emphasize the process of learning, and those that evaluate instructional effectiveness – Young explores digital apps and web-based tools that not only make exit slips easy to implement and analyze, but also keep a tried and true instructional tool fresh and interesting.  I encourage you to share this article with your staff members.

12 Digital Tools to Implement Exit Slips

Why is Creativity Important in Education

Perhaps my favorite question we get about the ILC is "Why is Hilliard doing this?" It's a loaded question with just as a complicated answer, but I believe this article helps support it.  Creativity is what employers are saying they want to hire.  Before they check the GPA, the senior year thesis, or the well written reference letters, employers of the future want one thing, creativity. Shouldn't we in the education business be trumpeting the creativity movement?  If we truly believe in educating the "whole" child and making them college and CAREER ready, then creativity needs to be an embedded focus of all curriculum. For some reason creativity is a scary word at times, it doesn't need to be.  Charles Mingus says this about creativity "Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."  

Why is Creativity Important in Education

January 2, 2013

Webinar: The Power of Learning Targets

When developed and implemented correctly, the learning target can be the most important part of a lesson.  In fact, the target can be used to influence and determine every action and strategy the teacher and students use in the classroom from best practice to feedback to assessment.  The learning target is often confused with the standard or objective or enduring understanding . . . .and when this happens, the teacher and students miss out.  Take some time to watch this webinar so we can begin to form a common understanding of a learning target and how it should be used in every district classroom.

Webinar: The Power of Learning Targets

 

The Power of a Learning Target from Hilliard City Schools on Vimeo.