January 13, 2014

2013 Big Ideas in Education

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the plethora of information available for educators? This article is a summary of key issues from 2013. In addition to being a great summary of key ideas, it also references some additional articles you may wish to pass along to staff members. I hope enjoy the year in review, and have an opportunity reflect upon all we have accomplished as a district! Great article for keeping the key issues in the forefront of our minds!

2013 Big Ideas in Education

The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

Putting an emphasis on equipping students with learning strategies for the classroom is the best way to support students who struggle with attention and organizational skills to ensure life-long success.

The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder

December 2, 2013

21st Century Schools or 21st Century Learning?

The following is an article from one of my favorite online sites, edutopia.  It is easy to get lost in this site for a couple of hours simply perusing the articles.  The articles are always written in such a way that I am prompted to analyze my own practices and philosophy.  In addition, they are typically short and to the point!  This particular article explores the concept of 21st century schools.  As I read this article, I found myself asking several questions.  The following are just a few:

- What percentage of our classrooms would fall under the heading "Classroom A" versus         "Classroom B?"

- If one attribute listed under "Classroom A" was removed from EVERY classroom in the Hilliard City School School District, how would education be impacted?

- If "rules were unnecessary," would our students be highly effective?

- How many of our teachers are using devices to teach like the attributes listed under "Classroom A?"

- If every student in your building had a device what would change?

- Do the papers/handouts that get distributed to our students and community reflect the attributes listed under "Classroom A" or "Classroom B?"

As you read this article, I encourage you to pose your own questions, and I challenge you to take a scavenger hunt of your school looking for the qualities listed under "Classroom A" and "Classroom B."  

21st Century Schools or 21st Century Learning

5 Things I Want My Daughter to Learn in School

My selection this week comes from Jeff Delp, a Junior High Principal in Arizona.  Much like Jeff, I often find myself reflecting on the education I want my two daughters to have before they head off in to the "real world."  It's often hard for us as administrators to put aside everything we must balance on a day-to-day basis and view the education we provide in the HCSD through the eyes of a parent, or better yet through the eyes of the nearly 16,000 students that walk through the doors everyday.  As I read Jeff's blog, I found myself in complete agreement with what he identifies as the 5 things he wants his daughter to learn in school.  I can only hope the same for my two daughters and their peers.

Have a great week! 

5 Things I Want My Daughter to Learn in School

November 11, 2013

“Why Are We Doing This?” Establishing Relevance to Enhance Student Learning

Effective teachers strive to maintain student interest and motivation during every lesson. Most learners wants to know,  "Why do I need to know this and when will I use it?"  "Perceived relevance" is an important contributor to these two desired outcomes. 

In this week's article, author Jeff Fox says the way to build relevance is for teachers to do the following:  "1) regularly share and discuss the learning outcomes of the course; 2) clearly tie those learning outcomes to the required activities and assignments; and 3) orient students at the beginning of each class period by discussing the “What, Why, and How” of that day." These tips remind me of "Knows and Applies Best Practice", one of the Seven Characteristics of Highly Effective Teachers. The look-for of "Establishes Clear Learning Targets" is described in the professional text. 

"Why Are We Doing This?" Establishing Relevance to Enhance Student Learning

Formative Assessment Options

As we all know, formative assessments are a great way for teachers to monitor student learning and for students to monitor their own learning. Here are a few videos with various examples of formative assessment options that teachers could use (or you could use with your staff):

Video #1:  Communicate Learning With Silent Signals

Video #2:  The Stoplight Method: An End-of-Lesson Assessment

Video #3:  Tracking Tools: Assess & Celebrate Learning

Video #4:  Text What You Learned: Using Technology to Assess

October 28, 2013

Grading Exceptional Learners

Do teachers have to choose between fairness and accuracy when assigning grades to exceptional students? Can the grades for such students ever be both fair and accurate?

This article presents a five step model to provide fair and accurate grades for students with disabilities and English language learners.  I love the focus on individual progress as opposed to where they are-value added.

Grading Exceptional Learners

Who is Helping You Get Better, or Better Yet, Be Great?

"I am here to tell you we do and if we are going to be great and inspire our students and others to be great, then we must model the way for others to see us being great and feeling great!"  We all desire to be Great, or at least I hope that's the case.  As I've spoken with many of you, I feel so fortunate to see how each and everyone one of you perform "Greatness" in your buildings in your own ways.  Often times, it's the little things we do that allow us to get better, and go from good to great.  This article provides four of these so called "little things" that can help us get better and become great.  I especially liked the the last suggestion...calling the parents of your new teachers to say Thank You! 

Who is Helping You Get Better, or Better Yet, Be Great?

October 14, 2013

Improving Practice with Sarah Brown Wessling

As you know, technology use can be challenging for everyone sometimes.  Technology does not always work the way that we think it should work.  Fischer's Gradual Release Model is an excellent strategy when it comes to helping staff and students to use technology effectively.  Students are very comfortable using and trying technology tools, but they are not always proficient user's of technology.

Improving Practice with Sarah Brown Wessling

Making a Difference

This fall administrators are using the new OTES rubric for wide-scale teacher evaluation for the first time. We realize that differentiation is a topic in which more learning is needed.  Educators use the term but often have misinformation about what it means or how to implement in classrooms with many diverse learners. 

This week's article is an interview with the 'mother of differentiation', Carol Ann Tomlinson, called Making a Difference. She defines differentiation as a teacher "...trying to address students’ particular readiness needs, their particular interests, and their preferred ways of learning." She speaks of "respectful tasks" in which the work of every learner "...is equally engaging, equally appealing, and equally important." In the interview, she shares practical strategies for gleaning information from students that would enable teachers to provide the desired tasks. I believe the article could be used as a powerful conversation starter with our teachers in HCSD.

Making a Difference

Breaking the Rules of Professional Development


“Breaking the Rules of Professional Development” reminds us of the importance of providing professional learning opportunities that offer educators the opportunity to take total control over what they learn and when they learn it.  Mary Jo Maddo wants to help Dan Callahan, co-founder of EdCamp, introduce the word “unconference” into more educators’ vocabularies.  The goal is simple.  Let’s not allow our colleagues to be tacit observers when it comes to professional learning.

Dare we provide professional learning experiences that are not reliant on assignments or rigid structure?  Could organized chaos and “radical openness” still result in high-quality learning?  Multiple EdCamps are held every weekend in states and countries across the globe.  Educators have the opportunity to learn and establish connections with other “education-enthusiasts,” whether it’s at the actual event or via Twitter.  The structure is simple.  EdCamp forms communities that people can become a part of and participate at their own leisure.  Sound familiar?  PD isn’t forced within the EdCamp Twitter forums.  Instead, it becomes an option that educators can utilize when they need to.

I fully agree with Madda.  The “unconference” should become the norm, not the exception.

Breaking the Rules of Professional Development

Teacher's Top Five Tech Tips

For this week I chose a short video about the "Ohio Teacher of the Year" and her Top 5 Tech Choices for education.  This is a short video about 5 tools she uses that give her the biggest impact on her students education.  She has identified a way for her instruction to be integrated with technology and it works for her.  What are the top 5 tools in your building we can be focusing on that will maximize the instruction for your staff?  It would be my hope that this teacher is leading PD in her building on how to use these 5 tools, and that her colleagues are learning from her.  Who in your building can lead PD like this on the tools they are "experts" on?  Allow opportunity for your staff to share their Top 3 or more Tech Tools that influence their instruction.  Then ask them to share how.  See what happens.

Teacher's Top Five Tech Tips

September 23, 2013

How We Can Actually Create Lifelong Learners

As most of you, I am also an advocate of Twitter and love how it brings personalized information directly to me.  However, it has presented me with a tremendous challenge, "Which of the several thousands of articles that come to me each day should I choose to share?" Decisions, decisions, decisions! I recently read a great one from ASCD but everyone knows that site and trusts in it's validity. Thus, I've decided to share one from a site I've recently come into contact with:www.edudemics.com. If you haven't visited this site you should! Articles are short, to the point, and filled with video integration.

After much debate ,I've decided to share an article entitled, "How We Can Actually Create LifeLong Learners."  As schools begin to develop 1:1 initiatives and  B.Y.O. D. Policies, this article made me think about the true purpose for these initiatives. I have to admit that about a year ago, the phrase, "personalizing education" was just that - a phrase. However, the more I read and reflect the more embedded it becomes in my personal philosophy of education. I hope as you read this article, you find yourself making new and deeper connections about what public education should be! Finally, if you haven't explored the www.edudemic.com website, I strongly encourage you to do so. 

How We Can Actually Create Lifelong Learners

6 Ways to Use Google Hangouts in the Classroom

We are all crazy busy, so instead of sharing an article that requires your in depth attention, here is a quick hitter with a list of 6 ways you can encourage your staff to use Google Hangout.  First step.  If you don't know what Google Hangout is, then google it.   In all seriousness, Google Hangout is a platform for 2-10 people to join in a video conference.  Video conferencing like Skype, FaceTime, any Hangouts are something I believe can be a game changer for our students.  It's a practical, free way to tear down all four walls of the classroom.  This article gives 6 suggestions on how to do this, but it takes you (The Leader) to make it a viable option. What if you allowed your staff members to flex their day a little as long as they hold google hangouts twice a week.  Let me give you an example.  What if you have a staff member, team, or grade level that instead of reporting to their planning period, they hold a google hangout in the evening instead?  Free up that staff member during the day to run an errand, schedule an appt, and feel some freedom during their bell ringing factory style day?  The majority won't take you up on it, but what if one did?  Now, this teacher reaches more students during the evening of a Google Handout, than they ever would during their planning period?  Check out the rest of the options,  and think about ways you could use Google Hangout instead of having "meetings" after or before school.  Could we have Data Team meetings, without ever physically meeting?  Why aren't we having parent teacher conferences with Google Hangout? Stop yourself from saying "But……"

6 Ways to Use Google Hangouts in the Classroom

September 3, 2013

Creativity is the Secret Sauce in STEM

As the new school year begins, Hilliard City School administrators are considering how to implement the challenging district Continuous Improvement Plan for the benefit of their students. In particular, each leader is pondering the best way to create an 'innovation zone' in their school. 

Objective #3 of the CIP is 'Where' a World Class Education System occurs. It says, "Student learning will be enhanced through the creation of purposeful learning environments that promote innovative global experiences." We know that learning must be relevant, meaningful, and personalized to the individual student. The purposeful learning environments that we create in HCSD must cause students to develop the Habits of Mind, such a creating, imagining, and innovating.  Today's student must be proficient at solving unknown and difficult problems that arise daily in a global world. 

Forward-thinking educators enhance the creativity of their students. In the article "Creativity is the Secret Sauce", blogger Ainissa Ramirez says, "...the skills of the 21st century need us to create scholars that can link the unlinkable. These scholars must be willing to try many combinations before finding the right answer. They must be comfortable with concepts that they can play with in new ways." Lets all strive to create learning environments in our schools which develop creativity and other 21st century skills of tomorrow's leaders. 

Creativity is the Secret Sauce in STEM

Paying It Forward: Teachers Model a Passion for Learning

My selection this week serves as a great reminder to us all on why we chose to become educators.  It came through my email at that perfect moment when I needed that extra little boost to carry me through the week.  It describes the story of Dave, a student that we have all come across, one that is disengaged and uninterested in school.  A student that many teachers before Trevor Muir had given up on.  However, Trevor found a way to reach Dave and bring out his passions and his voice.  Something we have all done in our careers and what we hope to inspire our teachers to do on a daily basis with their students.

This paying it forward approach is best summed up by the following: "The best teachers are themselves hungry to learn as adults -- eager to find ways to reach "difficult" students, creating projects that motivate and engage, finding ways to coax the hidden talents out of each student, making learning real and relevant. Perhaps this is the best way to pay it forward."

Be sure to check out the video of Trevor telling Dave's story at Coming Alive at 14

Paying it Forward: Teachers Model a Passion for Learning