December 12, 2011

Online Classroom Infographic

My pick this week is an interesting infographic illustrating the evolution of online education technologies.  Some of the statistics are pretty amazing and important as we think of what the traditional classroom will become in the future.

Online Classroom Infographic

The Invisible Leader

My selection this week is a blog post by Tom Schimmer, an educator from Canada.  I chose this post since it stresses what I believe is one of the most important jobs we have as educational leaders, developing a “team” that works together in which no one member is more important than any other.  

Schimmer says it best in the following: “Being an invisible leader is what we all know great leadership is about, but it can be challenging – even privately – to park our egos and allow others to flourish.”

The Invisible Leader

Better Teachers, Common Curriculum Are Hallmarks of Finnish Schools

In the recent iGeneration seminar, Hilliard administrators discussed The Finland Phenomenon documentary.  The video explored the educational system that develops some of the world's highest achieving students in science, math and reading as measured by PISA.  Our local conversation centered around two pieces:  the components of Finnish schooling that most significantly impacted student learning and take-aways for Hilliard Schools.  

This week's article highlights Finland's extensive professional development investment.  Strong teacher content knowledge is built through feedback from students and masterful colleagues.  A reoccurring question to ponder with our colleagues:  How can Hilliard administrators promote teacher professional development in our buildings so that instructional skills are strengthened?

Better Teachers, Common Curriculum Are Hallmarks of Finnish Schools

The Trouble with Homework

At the iGeneration Seminar last week, we viewed the movie "The Finland Phenomenon".  In the film, leading Harvard educator Tony Wagner interviewed Finnish high school students and asked them to estimate the number of hours of homework that they were assigned per week.  They said that worked no longer that three hours per week on homework; most weeks, it was less than that.  Many of our high schoolers are assigned at least three hours per night!  Is the extra homework leading to increased student achievement?  Students in Finland spend considerably less time on homework than ours, yet their rankings on international assessments far exceed ours.  A vast number of studies on homework indicate that our practices fail for two reasons---there is too much homework being assigned and the homework focuses on low level busy work.   How can we get higher results from the amount of time being spent on after-school assignments?

A promising new line of research by neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, and educational psychologists reveals ways that students absorb, retain, apply knowledge. "Mind, Brain, and Education", this new field, offers three new insights into how homework can be turned into a catalyst for learning.  Read this article to find out what these recommended practices are and how they can be used to support our work with students and staff.

The Trouble with Homework

December 5, 2011

The Khan Academy Opens Its Virtual Doors - Carefully 

How connected are your teachers?  Are they paying attention to new trends in teaching?  Here’s a test.  Ask them if they’ve ever heard of a “flipped” classroom.  The Khan Academy is continuing to grow, and soon teachers will even be able to upload their own videos.  Check out this article about the expansion of the Khan Academy.  This type of instruction is going to continue to become more commonplace in our classrooms.

“In the very foreseeable future, teachers will be able to upload their own videos to the Khan Academy, but also be able to create their own “knowledge maps” or repositories of content for their classes, using videos – within or outside of the Khan Academy – and all of Khan’s analytics, and reporting tools, in order to customize their own curricula.”

The Khan Academy Opens Its Virtual Doors - Carefully

Points Don’t Work.  Respecting Students Does.

Wednesday, during our Late Start, our secondary teachers will be discussing grading practices.  As I was reading this article, I felt it would provide us with a good lead in to this discussion.  At the heart of the article is a Framework for Rigor/Relevance.  However, what I found to be most interesting was the author’s point that these two R’s can not occur without the trust that is formed between teachers and students through a third R, Relationships. 

Points Don't Work. Respecting Students Does.

Formative Assessment or ‘Formative Instruction’?

As we prepare for our second Late Start professional development of the year, I am reminded of the importance of convincing teaching staff that our district initiatives are connected.    As we carve out precious staff meeting time for work such as data teams, RTI, new Standards implementation, and grading practices, we need to assist teachers in realizing that all of this work is about improving the quality and focus of instruction.  

The blog I chose this week reminds us that assessment is a "reciprocal feedback loop of students and teachers figuring out together whether deep learning has taken place." Isn't that what our daily work should always be? 

Formative Assessment or 'Formative Instruction'?

As the Brain Changes, So Can IQ - Study Finds Teens' Intellect May Be More Malleable Than Previously Thought 

This article reinforces what we believe about highly effective teachers, leaders and schools.......what we do really does matter.

A recent study by researchers at University College London found that environmental factors during the teenage years can impact intellectual capacity.  I.Q., which may be more malleable than previously thought, can be influenced by environmental factors such as tutoring, personalization, feedback, and at the opposite end, neglect.  "A change in 20 points is a hugh difference", said the team's senior researcher Cathy Price.  " It can mean the difference between being rated average and being labeled gifted- or conversely being categorized- as substandard."

As the Brain Changes, So Can IQ

November 21, 2011

The Top 25 Temptations of Leadership

This is a pretty good list – certainly some important reminders and great things to think about as we all work to be the best leaders we can be this year!

Here are my favorites from the list.  What are yours?

·        Believing talent, experience, or skills compensate for preparation.

·        Overlooking the destructive behaviors of high performers.

·        Allowing people to think you agree when you don’t.

The Top 25 Temptations of Leadership

5 Tips To Get All Students to Participate

If you had the opportunity to hear Dylan William speak this past August at the ILE Conference, or have watched the most recent webinars centered around feedback using Dylan William’s book Embedded Formative Assessment, I’m sure you’ve walked away with a few strategies to share with your staff.  In the article I’ve selected this week, the author, Chris Atkinson, provides us with five tips for increasing student engagement.  Additionally, he provides a short video clip of Dylan William sharing his thoughts on the topic.

5 Tips To Get All Students to Participate

The Principal as Formative Coach

As we reflect on our practice as administrators, I am reminded of the 7 Characteristics of Highly Effective Leaders.  The first few characteristics challenge the principal to lead teacher professional development based on current knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.  The intent of The Connected Leader blog is to provide tools that you might use to give instructional leadership.  

The article The Principal as Formative Coach reminds us that "Even in those schools fortunate enough to have a curriculum coach, the principal must still set the expectations for student learning.  To effectively sustain school improvement, the principal must be the epicenter of school change".  The authors use "student work as the foundation for mentoring (teachers) and professional development".  A building leader might use the suggestions in this article to strengthen the work in data teams, staff meetings, or the upcoming Late Start.

The Principal as Formative Coach

Starting the Conversation About Grading

The entire November 2011 issue of Educational Leadership is devoted to effective grading practices.  This topic will be the focus on the secondary Late Start Day in December and the elementary one in January.  The issue of grading gets right to the core of teacher belief systems, and there are strong feelings about adhering to certain practices.  "Even though opinions about why grades are important differ, more and more educators are beginning to question traditional grading practices that were developed to sort students into learners and non-learners, not to support learning for all," writes the author of this article.  Is your staff questioning traditional grading practices?

Before we explore these ideas during the professional development time slot, this is an excellent time to begin the conversation in your school.  The reading will provide ideas to challenge our thinking and lead us to determining what the purpose of grading is.

Starting the Conversation About Grading

Webinar: Gives & Receives Feedback – Part II

Webinar #6:  Gives & Receives Feedback – Part II

Part two of this two part webinar on giving and receiving feedback offers practical strategies for implementing all types of feedback in the classroom and should serve as an important springboard for discussion about additional effective feedback strategies that can be implemented.

Gives and Receives Feedback - Pt 2 (2011-2012) from Hilliard City Schools on Vimeo.

Webinar: Gives & Receives Feedback – Part 1

Webinar #5: Gives & Receives Feedback - Part 1


Part one of this two part webinar on giving and receiving feedback establishes a common framework and understanding for the meaning of feedback and what it means for teachers and students in the classroom.



Gives and Receives Feedback - Pt 1 (2011-2012) from Hilliard City Schools on Vimeo.

October 31, 2011

High School Students Learning by Skype

I’m writing this entry on the heels of a great session in the iGeneration Seminar in which Dr. Larry Rosen participated in our book discussions via Skype.  It was literally like he was right in the room with us! 

This experience was a reminder for me that we need to encourage our teachers to take advantage of the resources available to connect with experts, students, teachers, and classrooms all over the world.   My selection this week also reminds us of this and the power of Skype in schools.

“Skype created its first education-focused community, Skype in the classroom <http://education.skype.com/> , where teachers could create profiles, post classroom projects for other teachers to join, and find tips from educators on how to use Skype as a teaching tool. The site has grown into a community of more than 17,000 educators since it formally launched in March.”

High School Students Learning by Skype

Becoming a Connected Leader: A Journey

In the spirit of this blog, The Connected Leader, my selection this week comes from the blog of Chris Wejr, an elementary principal in Canada.  In this post, Wejr chronicles his journey in developing an online personal learning network (PLN) and becoming a "Connected Leader."  He's embraced all forms of social media (twitter, Facebook, blog, etc.) to find new ways to connect with his school community.  

So, jump on board and join those principals (@connected_leadr, @theheritagems, @memorial_ms, @weaverdctrip, @BradleyHS, @Hilliard_Darby) that have begun using twitter to reach out to their school communities.  Following these will be a start, but I promise you will soon find more in developing your own PLN.

Becoming a Connected Leader: A Journey

The Five Stages of Data Analysis

Frequent data analysis is a behavior that we want every educator and Data Team in Hilliard Schools to weave into their craft.  Research indicates that student achievement will increase when teachers and administrator frequently examine the results of common formative assessments and respond with different instruction.  However, we know from experience that Data Team work takes practice!  

The author of this week's blog choice states that, " When teacher teams analyze classroom data and district data, they often experience one of the Five Stages of Data Analysis...similar to the Five Stages of Grief.  The five stages for teacher teams are similar because each person on the team may experience a different emotional reaction to the data that is presented."

An awareness of the five stages could help us as we nudge our teachers and colleagues to "accept" the current reality of the data.  

The Five Stages of Data Analysis

Study Reveals Brain Biology Behind Self-Control

Here's a new study into student achievement that will peaked my interest, and I am certain that you will also find this fascinating!

"A new neuroscience twist on a classic psychology study offers some clues to what makes one student able to buckle down for hours of homework before a test while his classmates party.  The findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that a student's ability to delay gratification can be as important to academic success as his or her intelligence- and educators may soon know how to teach it."

Read to find out how this research is being used by educators at the KIPP schools to improve both academic and social behavior.   Seven character indicators, including zest, grit, and social intelligence, have been added to the student report card twice a year to measure growth using school based strategies to improve self control.

Study Reveals Brain Biology Behind Self-Control

October 24, 2011

How Did The Robot End Up With My Job?


Why are we learning this?  What's the purpose of this activity?  How will I use this?  What do you want me to get from today's lesson?  These questions all get to the heart of "learning targets" -- questions that students all too often are not able to answer in our classrooms.

My selection this week comes from Thomas Friedman -- and as he always does so well -- Friedman makes us stop and think in this New York Times op-ed column . . . Students better understand how today's learning will help them tomorrow, and, even more important, we better make sure that it really will help them tomorrow.
"In the hyperconnected world, there is only “good” “better” and “best,” and managers and entrepreneurs everywhere now have greater access than ever to the better and best people, robots and software everywhere. Obviously, this makes it more vital than ever that we have schools elevating and inspiring more of our young people into that better and best category, because even good might not cut it anymore and average is definitely over."

How Did The Robot End Up WIth My Job?

20 Things Students Want the Nation to Know About Education


As a district, we have identified "7 Characteristics of the College & Career Ready" Student.  Now more than every before, it is imperative that we prepare our students for the college and career demands they will face when they leave the Hilliard City Schools.  

My selection this week comes from Lisa Nielson's blog, The Innovative Educator, and it's centered around an NBC News special, Education Nation.   The special consists of a student panel and their thoughts on what they think needs to be done to ensure a world-class education for everyone.  The blog includes the video of the special and recaps the 20 things they want us to know.  As the post states, "Students wanted to say something that made a difference to you (adults) and they did. Now adults need to listen."

20 Things Students Want the Nation to Know About Education

How Small Wins Unleash Creativity

What motivates students to learn at their greatest capacity?  It could be the same thing that motivates employees to be enthusiastic about their work.  Researchers for the Harvard Business School recently released the top motivator of employee performance:  making progress on meaningful work.

Researchers Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer indicate that employee motivation can be positively influenced.  They share 7 catalysts for enhancing "small wins" and promoting the feeling of forward progress.  

How Small Wins Unleash Creativity

Five Reasons to go to College (Besides Career Advancement)

More young people today are asking, “Do I really need college?”  With soaring tuition rates and so many unemployed or underemployed college graduates, some students are rethinking their options.  These students argue that more money can be earned by pursuing real world skills than by writing research papers and taking final exams.  This article provides the top five reasons why college is more than preparing for a good career.  It is also about preparing for “life” as a responsible, productive citizen.  We need to continue to remind students of this as we motivate them to think deeper and set challenging goals for themselves. 

Five Reasons to go to College (Besides Career Advancement)