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.

December 10, 2012

How to Maximize Student Learning

Check out this video produced by the National Association of School Teachers of Youth.  Narrated by the "adolescent brain," this (sometimes cheesy) video offers some important reminders on the conditions needed for learning to truly take place.  The brain says learning happens if:

• I feel OK
• It matters
• It stretches me
• I have a coach
• I have to use it
• I think back on it
• I plan my next steps

It's worth the six minutes to watch.  As you're viewing, think about how many of the seven characteristics can be applied.

How to Maximize Student Learning

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers Using Technology

I came across this infographic recently, and I thought it fit perfectly with many of the great things going on in the Hilliard City Schools.  Obviously, the fact that 7 characteristics are highlighted ties nicely in to our 7's, but more importantly the following characteristics really stood out to me:

• They always start with the why
• They embrace change
• They actively care

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers Using Technology

Common Core: Solve Math Problems

This week's article, Common Core: Solve Math Problems, outlines a model for classroom mathematical assessment that distinguishes the student's procedural accuracy from his/her conceptual understanding.  Education professor and author, John Tapper, calls the tool 'concrete-represen­tational-abstract assessments, or CRA' and says, "It’s easy to do, and it provides a sophisticated portrait of kids’ models for mathematical concepts."   In addition, the assessment framework builds reasoning skills and could be replicated at any grade-level.  Teachers benefit from using a similar model in their math classrooms by "exploring what students understand, where they are struggling, and most important, why they are struggling."

He describes the assessment steps as follows: provide a rich problem for students to consider, then ask students to represent the problem's solution in three different ways at stations: concretely (physical items, Unifix cubes, place value blocks), representationally (drawings, charts, tables) , and abstractly (equations).  As students solve the problem, teachers observe, question, and listen as students explain their thinking.  The information gained during observation is formative assessment data.  It will be used to guide instructional 'next steps' by the teacher, such as small-group assignments for reteaching. 

Common Core: Solve Math Problems

The Most Powerful Educational Disrupter

I just returned from the Learning Forward Conference, where I had the opportunity to talk with professionals across the world about the ways they are moving educators and education forward in their respective parts of the globe. Scott Rocco reminds us that the most powerful educational disrupter is the educator, himself or herself. The educator can create a mountain of change, engage large groups, explore the virtual world, design and seamlessly integrate powerful learning, and richly reward self and others by moving both classroom learning and professional learning forward.

The landscape of education is constantly changing, and educators are the ones who have the power to continue morphing it. Rocco shares five ways to become the greatest educational disrupter. While attending the conference, I sought ways to evolve the delivery of professional learning experiences. I came home rejuvenated and ready to move forward, not forgetting that transformation begins with the educator.

The Most Powerful Educational Disrupter

Changing the Culture, One Teacher at a Time

This week my article focuses on changing the culture of a school through the lens of technology use. Too often educators believe that technology will fix it all.  Fix poor teaching, fix poor content, and fix poor scores. Educators dump thousands of dollars worth of iPad's into a culture that doesn't understand how to use it and what do you have? A lot of happy teachers and continued poor instruction.  This article focuses on a model I believe is one that all educators can learn from. Instead of focusing on the large problem and thinking we can fix it with large amounts of technology, the author says we should focus on those that are ready to utilize the technology and change the culture one by one. It's tough to do in the instant gratification culture we live in, but as you read you'll see the long term impact of this one by one approach gives the outcomes we are all searching for.  What if we all identified a small group of core teachers that would be our technology culture shifters? Interesting thoughts. Enjoy. 

Changing the Culture, One Teacher at a Time

November 26, 2012

Homework: It Fails Our Students and Undermines American Education

I know many of you are having philosophical debates with staff around the issue of homework . . . what it should look like, when it should be given, if it should be given, etc.  This is a thought-provoking blog entry about homework and its relevance in today's classroom.

Mark Barnes is a junior high language arts teacher near Cleveland.  He made the decision to give up homework.  Barnes writes:

"For more than a decade, I peppered students with mundane nightly activities, as I had been taught to do by education professors and mentors, all of whom ran the old-school teaching playbook, like a young football coach running the plays of Knute Rockne or Pop Warner — ancient coaching legends whose methods would likely fail in the modern era. Year after year, I watched students get low grades in my class and fail standardized tests, blaming them instead of questioning my own methods."

Check out the blog.  Do you agree or disagree with Barnes?

Homework: It Fails Our Students and Undermines American Education

Finding Balance

My selection this week comes from Dan Kerr, a middle school principal, and discusses the importance of finding balance in your life.  With the holiday season coming up, I felt this article came at the perfect time.  We all have more than enough on our plates and our lives continue to move at warp speed, but as Kerr states below it is imperative we make time for ourselves:

"We all work hard to be the best educators that we can be, and sometimes we feel guilty for taking time for ourselves…….I get it. Don’t lose yourself in the process everyone, and be sure to put yourself first. It’s my feeling that without the proper balance in your life, you’ll never be the educator that your students really need. We still have five weeks to go until the Holiday break, so take care of yourselves! You’ll be all the better for it, and your students will feed off of your new found energy. Have a great week everyone, and remember to be balanced for our students and good to each other."

Finding Balance

7 Steps to Effective Feedback

Over time, the ‘Connected Leader’ has featured several articles about providing effective feedback to students.  The focus of this week’s article is principal providing meaningful feedback to teachers.  The author, Shira Leibowitz, is a practicing building administrator who speaks to overcoming the challenges of restricted time.   

As you know, one of the Characteristics of the Highly Effective Leader is  “makes regular classroom visits and provides on-going feedback to teachers”.   In our busy schedules and demanding roles, we must make time to observe the instructional practices of our teachers on a daily basis.  Leibowitz offers 7 steps principals can take that would allow time to give effective feedback to teachers:

1.  Schedule significant time in classrooms
2.  Schedule time for formal conversations with teachers
3.  Make feedback nonjudgmental and goal-focused
4.  Focus on relationships and face-to-face interactions
5.  Compliment
6.  Be transparent with evaluation
7.  Seek feedback for yourself.

7 Steps to Effective Feedback

Healthier Testing Made Easy: The Idea of Authentic Assessment

Grant Wiggins reminds us of the extreme importance of feedback and authentic assessment experiences in "Healthier Testing Made Easy: The Idea of Authentic Assessment."  While we balk at the die of more testing, it is clear that an increase in formative assessment is the key to improvement on tests of all kinds.  He reminds us to build authentic feedback into daily teaching and learning.  As for "authentic feedback," Wiggins says it's simply performances and product requirements that are faithful to real-world demands, opportunities, and constraints.  Students should be tested on their ability to "do" the subject in context.

We are reminded of a variety of analogies we've heard in the past...the soccer player who is unable to transfer the "drill and kill" to the playing field and the annual physical we try to "pass" rather than changing to a healthier lifestyle.  Understanding how and when to put knowledge to use is an important characteristic of expertise.  This is also the case for assessment of student learning.  We have to reclaim the primary purpose of assessment, which is to help our students learn better and to help our teachers instruct better.  Students deserve far, far more feedback (and the chance to use it) in our everyday assessment processes, especially assessment that models and demands "real-world" work.

Healthier Testing Made Easy: The Idea of Authentic Assessment

Gamification 101: Why A Badge Is Better Than An A

What if your son or daughter came home more excited about the badge that proves he/she can critical think to the point that they are a "Young Sherlock" than they were receiving an A?  Is it crazy to think that perhaps we are headed that way?  Does a letter grade truly represent learning or work? Does a badge prove that our students learning was earned by them instead of given by the teacher?  Why are students more excited about earning points on Modern Warfare and where they rank globally than if they receive an A or B?  It means more to their peers.  The value of a letter grade has declined in our students eyes because they can earn a C and pass just fine.  However, if you earn a certain ranking in Mind Craft, LOOK OUT…now you've reached "cool" status.  Is it hard to imagine that for some students, being the MInd Craft master is cooler than being the valedictorian? Interesting article that will challenge your thinking. Don't discard the thought that letter grades are losing value in the eyes of our customers.

Gamification 101: Why a Badge is Better Than an A

November 12, 2012

On Feedback: Thirteen Practical Examples Per Your Requests

The influence of feedback on student achievement is well documented.  Of course, it is also one of the seven characteristics of highly effective teaching that we have identified for our teachers.  Many schools have chosen feedback as an SIP focus for the year, and many of you are having ongoing conversations with staff about what quality feedback looks and sounds like.  Author and researcher Grant Wiggins recently published a blog entry with real, concrete examples of quality feedback.  

Here's one of my favorites (connecting to the feedback look for - "Students give feedback to the teacher about what they know, what they understand, where they make errors, when they have misconceptions, when they are not engaged, etc."):

"Every Friday, teachers collect index cards in response to two questions they pose to their 6th graders: What worked for you this week? What didn’t work for you this week (and why)?  Teachers report back to students on Monday, with a summary of adjustments that the teachers might be making, based on the feedback."

Take a look at all 13 examples and think about how you can share and discuss these with your staff.

On Feedback: Thirteen Practical Per Your Requests

The Future of Learning in a Networked Society

I've selected a video this week that ties in nicely to our ongoing focus on Innovation in Education and the need for change for the types of students we see today.  

“This is the first generation of people that work, play, think, and learn differently than their parents … They are the first generation to not be afraid of technology. It’s like air to them.” – Don Tapscott

If you can't squeeze in 20 minutes to watch the entire video, at least take the time to watch the first 5 minutes, as they truly capture the entire theme.

The Future of Learning in a Networked Society

Off the Clock: Giving Students More Time to Demonstrate Learning

As you know, our district's CIP has an action step around grading and homework practices.  This week's article, Off the Clock:  Giving Students More Time to Demonstrate Learning, provides fodder to continue our thinking about these somewhat controversial topics.  Teachers make independent decisions about how and what constitutes a student's grade on a daily basis.  Often, their grading practices mimic the way they were graded in school.  When we pause to consider if our practices make sense in today's educational landscape, we often discover that they do not.

Today's article asks us to think about the antiquated practice of restricting the time students are allowed to demonstrate their learning.  Author, Kyle Redford points out that in our professional careers, it doesn't matter how long it took us to prepare the presentation or complete the report.  He correctly states, "Individuals are evaluated on the quality of their work."  I believe a School Improvement Team could have a meaningful conversation around this article.  

Off the Clock: Giving Students More Time to Demonstrate Learning

Performing Innovation Before the Norming and Storming

Jeffrey Phillips defines “forming and norming” as those meetings in which leaders trying to kick off an innovation initiative are blocked by issues, obstacles, and gripes that really aren’t reflective of the innovation, but have to be addressed before any innovation can truly begin. According to Phillips, it’s quite rare that a kickoff is actually about the innovation. Let’s face it. Until folks have shared their two cents’ worth and cleared the air about other issues, innovation takes a back seat. Too often, the very roadblocks that stymie innovation should have been addressed well before the big kickoff event. Phillips calls this “skipping the forming and norming, and moving immediately to the storming.”

Leaders become frustrated when laying out and implementing an innovation doesn’t happen naturally or easily, but this frequently happens because we have ignored the layers of issues and resistance created over time. Instead, Phillips reminds us to “clean up issues, communicate [our] goals, and set a consistent infrastructure in place.” Otherwise, the intended innovation will land at the top of the stack of other poorly defined, poorly supported projects and initiatives. So, the message is simple. Address key issues early, or as Phillips puts it, “...start the forming and norming activities early, so when your team is ready the storming and performing can begin in earnest.” 

Performing Innovation Before the Norming and Storming

Preparing Students for the Real World


I had the pleasure of taking a quick vacation to Florida this past weekend for a family members wedding. It's always great to reminisce with family isn't it? Catching up on what has been happening since the last time you spoke is always worth the travel time, until you broach the subject of education. You know what it's like, you're the educator so all targets zero in on you. This time I listened to a diatribe about how our students and teachers are failing and why can't they just learn like "we" did and perform like "we" did? I bit my tongue until I couldn't take it anymore and gave my best political answer to shut down their thought process. When boarding the flight this article popped up on Zite, and I thought it would be a good summary of the thoughts I wish I would have conveyed. All students are not the same, and they are dealing with so many underlying things that sometimes we aren't aware of it until we read a story like this. 

Preparing Students for the Real World