0 Collegial Challenge

A colleague publicly challenged me stating that even though I talk about, and try new ways of teaching, my scores are no better than anyone else's.  Her colleague challenged me further to tell me that my students weren't partaking in a particular teaching strategy with strength due to my classroom management style.  Ouch!

I'm sure that I've done the same at times, boldly making a statement that unintentionally causes pain. When we're working with many philosophies, varied experiences, and roles, there's bound to be uncomfortable moments of finger pointing and painful statements.  Yet public humiliation is never a good thing, in fact the undesired weight it brings serves to undermine and hinder all the good work a team is able to do. Although I'd rather be at a table where people reach out to communicate with honest opinion, passion, and thought, than sit at a table where everyone is too afraid or uninterested to talk truthfully, share their point of view or debate.

In every statement, bold and painful as it may be, there could be truth. So I analyzed. Typically I do analyze my scores to see if I'm keeping up and over many years of many scores, as the teacher suggested, I come in with the pack--actually all teachers typically come in with the pack.  Some years, some scores are better for one, and some years some scores are better for another.  There's ways to share strengths and boost each other up, and there are times when the scores are low for reasons far beyond our control such as absenteeism, illness, botched schedules, and more.  Yet, I also wonder if the new strategies and tools are aimed at the old goals, and should they be aimed at the old goals?  Do we resist the temptation to try out new strategies for a new world because our scores might not live up to our colleague's scores? Is that a positive rationale?

Hence, further analysis.  As I analyzed multiple scores after that, scores of many dedicated teachers and hard working students, I found that for some students, new strategies seemed to hit the scores out of the ballpark.  Similarly I found that for some students old, tried and true strategies did the same thing.  Across all classes there were some amazing gains, and some not so amazing gains--even some losses.  And remember, this is only one small set of scores--a fraction of a year's effort and scores gained in a total of about 10 minutes altogether. My analysis demonstrated that steady effort towards worthy goals, does matter and in every class I looked at that steady effort was evident--the teachers I work with are dedicated, caring, and always go beyond the call of duty to serve students well.

Hence, what about scores in general. As we use data in schools, what does that mean for our work, teams, and effort?  Who sees and judges the data, and who puts in the most time to reach for optimal student growth?  How is the data analyzed?  In the example above, that colleague sees my scores, but I don't see her's--what does that do with regard to a level playing field of judgement?  Also, as the scores suggest, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for success for every student, yet we can work together to look for trends of success as we try out new technology and pedagogy for student gain.

Then the comment about management.  I don't want to be the teacher that mandates one way or approach for children.  My experience has demonstrated that typically when a child has tried something many times and still resists, it's not the right tool.  With the multiple tools available today, I believe, and Hattie's research supports, that once we do a thorough assessment, and students still resist and show no growth, then it's time to find another method, tool, or approach to move the student forward. Children at the early levels are typically eager to learn, and will resist when a method is too difficult, frustrating, or uninteresting to them.  I remember as a young girl, my teachers used an approach to build my reading fluency. The approach, a large screen quick reading approach, made me so dizzy and physically uncomfortable that I just gave up.  Eventually they stopped using the tool and I was so relieved.  I was an eager student, but that approach made me seasick thus unable to access.

Taking on the many challenges I face as I think deeply about schools in a blog has served to make me unpopular in many ways.  Have I become a "Harriet the Spy" divulging the daily ups and downs of a school system?  Is this blog a sort of reality show for school life?  Have the posts caused undue disruption and discomfort? Why do this? as one leader asked.

First, while I want to work with the team in earnest, the truth remains we simply don't have much time at all to discuss the big issues facing schools today.  Classroom teachers, like me, are mainly on task with large numbers of students most of the time each day.  Our time for planning in comparison to our time teaching is about a 1:6 ratio. Our regular time for collaboration is about a 1:29 as we have about 29 active hours of teaching/planning each week, and one hour for collegial work.  I can imagine that some think why not use the after hours time for that collaboration.  The challenge with that is that professionals have a great diversity of other school commitments and personal schedules thus making after hours collaboration difficult.  I know our administration is reviewing schedules and times to try to build in more common planning time and efforts, and at times hire substitutes to cover so we can have extended days for specific topics and initiatives.

As this post takes on the mood and motion of a rambling vine, I'll stop and make some final comments.

• First, I'll continue to blog as I journey to work with strength and success to teach children well. 
• Next, I will continue to try new strategies and pedagogy, and analyze those approaches with colleagues to determine the best ways to use new learning approaches and tools to move students forward.  It's essential that we prepare students for the world they are living in now and the world of the future.  Also new tools and approaches are engaging.
• As I blog and analyze, I'll make a special effort not to single people out, name names, or point blame. We're all in this together as schools evolve, and we all share a common purpose--to teach children well.
• Finally, I'll continue to work towards a better balance of planning and teaching, collaborating and working alone, and traditional vs. new methods and strategies. 

As I repeatedly state, I work in an optimal system.  Children come to us prepared to learn.  Teachers dedicate their days, nights, and weekends to the work.  We have multiple new and old tools to forward our efforts.  The community supports us, and our students do very well.  Systems like ours can serve to lead the way when it comes to new practice, efforts, and growth; we have what it takes to be an innovation incubation lab of sorts--a "Googleplex" of schools where students are invited to work with engagement, empowerment, and direction towards worthy, wonderful goals.

As I've heard many fine educators state, good schools demand "conditions of excellence" to move students forward.  Our system has those conditions, and that's something to be proud of, and something that we should advocate for with regard to every school in the country.  Having what it takes to be excellent doesn't mean that we don't have to work at it, develop, and move forward--education is an evolving institution, and it's imperative that we continue to work together with strength to evolve too. Finding just right systems, communication, schedules, tools and efforts will assist our journey in this regard. 

0 One Tough Meeting

Everyone knows, mistakes happen.  Everyone realizes that debate and discussion can result in disagreement.  It's true that we're not perfect.

Yet, when you have to face a challenging meeting that focuses on mistakes, disagreement, and imperfection, it's a bit like walking into a burning house.

And when it comes to walking into a burning house, survival depends on the way you walk (run) and the equipment you wear and bring with you.

Hence, I'll bring the following:

• Knowledge that I erred, and a humble acceptance of new learning, norms.
• Consideration of the factors that create opportunity for success and growth.  Factors, simply stated, that create better systems of decision making and discussion:
• decision making processes, 
• preparation, 
• online share, 
• right-sized issues that match time/intent, and 
• collective understanding of purpose and rationale.
• Listening and considering with an open mind the many opinions and ideas expressed. 

I'll walk with the knowledge that we're all working together to uplift and develop student engagement, empowerment, and education.  I'll also walk in with the open mind that developing our collective skill and strength when it comes to collaboration and shared work will serve to strengthen our ability to serve children well.

Walking into any storm prepared serves to develop empathy, compassion, and strength--hence I'll "walk into the burning house" today, and hopefully walk out the other side with renewed commitment, greater wisdom, and new goals for growth.  Onward.

Follow-Up
PLC Considerations: Moving Forward

0 Scope and Sequence Meeting: Purpose

Today, I'm attending the first of two scope and sequence meetings.  Today we'll review the math scope and sequence.

Is a scope and sequence document an important tool?
I believe that having a "loose-tight" scope and sequence is essential for a working team. At the elementary level our aim is to provide students with a strong foundation of concept, knowledge, and skill.  Our new standards provide us with a guiding sequence of concepts, knowledge, and skill--essential standards for life-long learning.  If we share a "loose-tight" plan for teaching the standards, we will be better able to implement strategies and schedules to share materials, craft, and approach.  "Loose-tight" is important because we are teaching students first, and they might need more or less time with varying standards.

Why a spring scope and sequence meeting?
Teachers often do a lot of reading and thinking over the summer months.  Creating, refining, or reviewing a scope and sequence plan in the spring gives teachers a document to digest and develop over the summer months with reading, research, and study.

Is a scope and sequence only standards-based?
It is essential that the standards are embedded in the scope and sequence, but the scope and sequence should not reflect the grade-level standards alone as there needs to be room for remediation and enrichment.  Also, when possible, the standards should be embedded into worthy learning design that reflects students' interests, the learning community's needs, and context.

Is the scope and sequence a working document?
The scope and sequence should be seen as a working document rather than a static piece of information. The changing learning landscape, tools, and efforts will impact the scope and sequence regularly.  Hence, the scope and sequence is a guide not a rule.

As I listen to the participants describe and explain the scope and sequence priorities and parts today, I'll take lots of notes.  I hope to mostly note the resources available to teach each standard.  I will be thinking about the diversity of students too, and how we can meet the needs of all.  Further, I'll note areas where I can strengthen my repertoire and effect with regard to mathematical understanding and teaching.

I'm delighted that our system put aside the time to discuss and create a guiding scope and sequence.  I look forward to the learning and collegiality ahead.

0 Guided Research Focus

Tech today offers lots of bells and whistles when it comes to creating research reports. Teachers debate the way to focus students' attention and process with regard to so many available choices.

I'm in favor of the following:

• Introduce students to what's available and possible.
• Give students time to investigate, explore, and try out the many research tools including video, image, text, and conversation.
• Schedule regular research meetings for focus lessons to guide work, engage in discussion, share ideas, and respond to questions.
• Observe student work, coach where needed.
• Once the project gets going, and you have a sense of the collective group's work, create a time line with students related to project "have-to's" and "extras."

Some might debate that allowing students to jump into all aspects of research at the start will delay the standards-base work of reading, thinking, taking notes, and writing the report.  After trying these projects myself, I believe it's best to introduce all aspects, and give children the time to try out their own paths and find their own, best ways to complete the project with significant teacher coaching and response. 

Although I've engaged in this endangered species research many times before, this is the first time that I'm delving into the project with a greater focus on 21st century project base learning and design--a worthy challenge for both teacher and students.  Stay tuned. 

0 Tech Choice?

The question of tech or no tech is outdated.  For systems that still lack technology, it's a crime.  Everyone knows that tech is here to stay, and the question that remains is how, when, and for what reason?

I will soon be part of a conversation that discusses where the tech needs are in our school and system?  I'm curious as to how educators will react to this question?

Before considering where we are heading, I believe it's important for educators to know what's possible--the choices that exist?  With that in mind, I created a tech integration list.  I'm sure that I'm missing many pieces, and I welcome your additions and response.

Once we work together to finalize a list of what's available, and what we deem worthy for student learning today, then it will be time for educators to make educated choices about their tech learning,  direction, and integration.

What would you choose?

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Tech Integration List

There are many ways to integrate technology into the teaching/learning program to engage, empower, and teach children well.  As you think about the tech professional development, consider the many venues for tech integration below.

Engaging, Effective Learning Design

Technology serves to differentiate, personalize, and develop learning design in effective, engaging ways.  By embedding responsive tools into student learning efforts, you will be able to serve all students with greater effect.

• Learning Design
• embed tech standards in teaching/learning units.
• creation, presentation, information and explanation tools.
• meet new standards in all disciplines.
• blog and share ideas in writing
• create films, infographics, illustrations, digital stories, presentations. . .
• Identifying and utilizing apps.
• skill and assessment tools.
• Research and Field Study
• Google Hangouts or Skype share and research.
• content websites to guide student learning and independence.
• virtual field trips.
• tech tools for field study recording and research.
• Independent Learning
• create menus of student learning options.
• "grow at your own rate" practice sites for student skill development.
• student/teacher engagement in online courses, conferences and events.
• Gaming for student engagement and learning.

Communication and Classroom Routines

Research today points to transparent, 24-7, two-way communication streams to support student learning.  Utilizing tech tools will help you to create communication streams and patterns that support the learning community’s collaboration and success.

• Create websites and/or blogs for learning community share and information.
• Online home study lists with links.
• Email, Hangouts, Skype, Google+, Twitter.

Professional Evaluation, Evidence, and Learning

Technology can serve to facilitate new evaluation systems in efficient, targeted ways.  Learning how to collect, revise, and input goals, evidence, and reflections will optimize your efforts in this regard.

• Accessing online assessment tools such as TeachPoint.
• Upload documents, screen shot, blog creation.
• How to create, save, and present teaching evidence.
• Blogging, professional ePortfolios, websites, and conference presentations.

Technology Tools and Programs

It’s impossible to learn all the tech tools out there with strength.  Focusing on one student-friendly, versatile tool or program with depth and breadth can serve to strengthen the teaching/learning program with focus and engagement.

• Digital cameras and video use.
• Use of Scanner and Printers.
• Google Apps Introduction, Use.
• Math: Symphony, EDM, That Quiz, Xtra Math, FastMath. . .
• ELA: Fluency apps, Lexia, Google Doc/Presentation/Sites, Digital books. . .
• Creation/Presentation Tools: KidPix, Google Apps, iMovie, GarageBand, Photobooth...

Invention, Exploration & STEAM (science,tech,engineering,art & math)

Companies like Google, FaceBook, IDEO and others are leading the technology revolution.  Providing opportunities for students to learn like scientists, entrepreneurs, and inventors serves to both engage and develop student creativity, exploration, and investigation at an early age which, in turn, will support the future generation of inventors we need to solve the world’s problems and create a better world.

• STEAM Tools: Sketch-up, Minecraft, Tynker, SCRATCH.
• New Science Standards.
• Coding, Exploration, and Investigation Time.

Assistive Technology

Technology can bridge the gap between knowing and unknowing in ways that were not accessible in the past. Finding the right tools can serve student learning in dynamic ways.

Data and Assessment Analysis

Data is here to stay in all disciplines.  The ability to understand, manipulate, collect, and analyze data is essential.  This ability informs the work we do to teach children well.  Tech tools are at the foundation of this data work, hence understanding and using these tools well is essential.

• Assess and utilize data lists.
• Create classroom data lists.
• Choose software that produces student reports/data lists.
• Spreadsheet creation and use.
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

0 Teaching Lenses: Collaborative Teams

The lenses of educators differ.  The difference originates in diversity--diversity in years, intent, experience, expertise, focus and more.

How do you effectively employ the diverse lenses of educators in efficient, effective communication and decision making systems?

As a veteran teacher, I bring a lot of experience to the job.  I see ways that our work is extraordinary and areas where we can make small changes for big effect.  Yet, I rarely get to use my voice or share--there are jobs for that, and for the most part the classroom teacher is the "doer," the one expected to carry out the plans of others.

That makes the job frustrating, especially when you see room for growth and improvement.  Most suggest you just do the best you can with the systems that exist.  Others say choose one area to advocate for, and go after that.  Then some suggest moving into leadership (yet leadership and teaching are two very different jobs), and still more say find another job.

Personally, I believe the ideal is to minimize the numbers of leaders in a system to a few who manage the overall intersections, then employ most individuals in collaborative teams that share and grow their knowledge and craft to serve children well. The collaborative teams would manage their time, talent, intent and skill to best meet the needs of students utilizing constructs such as RTI, PBL and PLCs. When most educators in a system are responsible for direct student service, the system grows with strength. The collaborative team approach would make room for diverse voices, and build their positive effect in dynamic, diverse ways.

Auditing energy output and roles/responsibilities in a system might buy more time for direct student service, planning, and collaboration?  What roles and efforts significantly impact student learning in dynamic ways, and what roles and responsibilities can be revised for greater effect?  I believe that's one questions that lies at the center of educational growth and potential today.

0 Teaching Challenge: Professional Collaboration and Coordination

As I look back at the year, my greatest challenge has been coordinating teaching efforts with the many specialists I work with each week.

In schools today, not only the classroom teacher educates children, but multiple specialists do the job as well.

The classroom teacher is responsible for the overall coordination of the schedule and efforts, and specialist teachers, coaches, and interventionists are responsible for specific targets. The goal is to work together well in an effort to craft an engaging, responsive program for each child.

As I analyze the problem, I want to start with time. The chart on the left demonstrates time-on-task efforts, planning/prep, professional learning and lunch. Essentially a classroom teacher has about a 1:6 ratio of planning time to time-on-task with multiple children. If you add lunch periods, the teacher has about 1/5 time to meet (including lunch), prep, and plan, and about 4/5 time on task.  That ratio leaves little time for planning each lesson, personalizing curriculum for each child, and meeting to coordinate efforts with multiple specialists.  Yet, simply knowing the specifics about the time available can help one to plan for the best possible collaboration and coordination.  

Also, time up front to determine schedules, targets, goals, meetings, and communication protocols will help to focus efforts in optimal ways. Ideally that time would happen at the very start of the school year before students start their year.  That's one way to start the year with strength.  Using a chart like the one on the right would aid that effort. Also the following questions can serve to ignite the initial conversation:

• What are your overall goals this year with regard to student learning?
• What students or skills are you targeting, and what are the specific targets?
• How can we work well together to meet our collective goals and teach children well?
• What communication protocols will lead our collaboration? How do you prefer to communicate?  When is after hours communication welcomed, and when is it not welcome?
• How often will we meet, and what will the focus of our meetings include?

The more the yearly schedule can take on a responsive pattern, the better we are able to target our time for optimal effect. 

After school time needs to be considered carefully. Some teachers are able and willing to devote countless after school hours of time to plan, prep, and coordinate classroom efforts while others are unwilling or unable to devote those hours. After school hours/weekend efforts and communication can be face-to-face for some or digital for others.  It's essential to determine up front what a teacher's availability and interest is with regard to after hours work and effort as that can be a challenging point for teacher coordination and collaboration. 

Optimal coordination depends on communication and shared goals.  Analyzing the time available, then creating focused protocols and shared goals can lead one in a positive direction in this regard. I look forward to a renewed focus on collaboration and communication in the new year--one that I hope will serve to teach children well. 

0 Goal Reset

Goal setting in schools today is a continual, collaborative process that relies on student growth and need as well as collegial effort.

For good reasons schools are moving towards greater student response and stronger collaboration.

As we travel this path, and as I've mentioned before, this new process demands continual goal setting, reflection, assessment, and revision, and these efforts demand time and problem analysis.  Good work is rarely a quick fix or sudden decision.

Hence, as we move into the final weeks of school, many meetings are taking place and many new State- and System-wide initiatives are gaining traction that inform both individual and collaborative goals and direction.

What does this mean for one classroom teacher's efforts?

Communication
Changing schools and structure require revised communication streams and protocols.  What is the best way to communicate need, new ideas, and debate?  Is transparency welcome?  When one communicates a new initiative, idea, or effort, who should receive that communication?  Are regular meetings for some groups important?  How will varying teams communicate so that they teach children well?

Structure
The classroom set-up and materials should reflect the current goals and efforts.  Hence as we work together to determine "loose-tight" scope and sequences that reflect our community, current standards, and student needs, interests, and passions, we'll cull current materials and keep the best, order new materials, and rearrange furniture and supplies to best meet our present goals.

Professional Learning
Once we understand renewed initiatives and curriculum outlines, we'll work alone and together to boost our skill with professional learning through multiple venues online and off.

Schedule
A team has been developed to create the master schedule to meet the main system-wide goals, and then individual teachers and teams will create a schedule on top of that to meet individual students' and class's holistic goals.

I look forward to the efforts planned as I know those efforts have the potential to grow our team and effect.  I will be listening closely and thinking carefully about the following points when we meet.

• How are we growing our curriculum in ways that are making the learning brain-friendly and responsive to students' interests, passions, and need?
• How can we embed standards into effective, multimodal, learning endeavor?
• In what ways can we work efficiently and effectively to optimize our collaboration so that all children are getting a meaningful and responsive program?
• In what ways can we use honest, respectful dialogue, debate, and disagreement to refine programs?
• How can we clearly understand each other's roles and intersect those roles for students' advantage?
• In what ways can the effective use of online communication serve to target and optimize our face-to-face communication?

School can take over one's life as it is a limitless proposition--there is always more you can do for a student, a class, a school and a system.  Targeting efforts and energy is the way to make school both realistic and effective, hence my targets at this time include the following:

• Year's end focus on PBL with many curriculum standards embedded in student exploration, investigation, creation, and presentation.
• Collaborative work to identify curriculum scope and sequence.
• Individual focus to understand all new standards with breadth and depth.  Creation of documents that make the standards' connections and details clear and easy to share with the learning community unit by unit.
• NBPTS renewal completed and embedded into other professional goals.
• Strengthening teaching units: digital story/narrative and digital tools to develop students' use and understanding of the standards of mathematical practice (SMP's) throughout the math curriculum.

Goal setting, reflection, assessment, and revision with student engagement, empowerment and learning success as the goal is the ongoing step-by-step movement in schools today.  Establishing optimal communication, structure, schedule and professional learning will lead us in that direction with care. 

0 Hargadon's Beliefs' Reflection

I follow Steve Hargadon's work.  Steve has met with numerous educators and leaders, and read countless education books.  He has a holistic understanding and perspective when it comes to teaching children well.  I have added some dialogue (blue) to Steve's beliefs (in black)--dialogue that I hope to bring to my classroom as one way to represent Steve's beliefs, beliefs I also ascribe to.  I apologize in advance if I've simplified Steve's intent too much, but this is one way that I can bring these important ideas to my fourth grade learning community. 

My Beliefs by Steve Hargadon

http://www.stevehargadon.com/2013/05/my-beliefs.html

I produced a version the following "Core Beliefs" and "View of Change" statements for the Hack Your Education Tour I did in the fall of 2012. I think they give some context to my recent A Student Bill of Rights post (and website), and I welcome any discussion of them.

My Core Beliefs:

• That every child has unique inherent worth and value. Unfortunately, we tell huge numbers of children and their parents that they are "defective" or failures because they aren't succeeding based on a relatively narrow set measures used by schools. I don't believe that is the intention of most involved in the education system, but it is certainly the outcome. 

You are valued here, what can I do to help you grow with confidence, engagement and empowerment? 

• That learning is not an elite endeavor, is natural to being human, and takes place both inside and outside of formal educational institutions.

We all have the ability to learn.  The key is determining what we want to and need to learn, and then finding the best paths to access that learning. 

• That learning and "learning how to learn" help us to lead better lives, to be better members of our communities, and to build a better world. A large part of this is by recognizing and by overcoming uninformed biases, overly-simplistic thinking, the entanglements of personal interest, and cognitive traps. 

Learning gives us choice, and choice brings us happiness and fulfillment, the more and better we learn, the better able we'll be to navigate the complex, global society we live in with peace and success. 

• That agency - the ability to choose and act for oneself - is both the bedrock principle and our highest aspiration for how we should treat others in a democratic and free society. The ultimate goal of education should therefore be to develop the ability for students to take responsibility for their own lives and become increasingly self-directed and productive, first for their own benefit and then for the benefit of society as a whole. Systems of control and forced compliance, rather than agency, are tempting shortcuts that have unfortunately become the basis of many of our prominent educational philosophies. 

You are the driver of your learning.  With that comes a personal responsibility to benefit yourself in positive ways, and then to benefit society with your skill, knowledge and intent. If the learning is not meeting your need, speak up and act. 

• That modeling learning, rather than compulsion, should be the primary form of learning influence.

As your teacher, it is my job to model what it means to be a learner.  You will see me question, plan, revise, make mistakes and seek understanding.  We will all learn together this year. 

• That education should not be something that we allow to be owned, controlled, or mandated by any particular group, for as such it becomes a form of power and a means of enforcing compliance and removing agency from others. Education, like democracy, should be seen as a process involving the general public at all levels, and not seen as an dictated outcome. 

You are a part of a learning community including students, family members, educators, leaders and community members. Your learning community works together to build the community so that everyone in the community has choice and voice related to learning. 

• That learning is a form of personal and community power, and that there is a direct connection between independent thinking and the health of a free society. Our current expectations for conformity and compliance, not limited to the educational sphere, ignore the value of diversity and of civil dialog that are reflected in some of our most important institutions--witness the balance of powers in our government and the right to a trial by jury in our legal system.

You have the right to voice your thoughts and act according to your beliefs.  There is not one way to learn or think, and it is in sharing our honest thoughts, beliefs, and questions that we grow and learn in dynamic ways.  It is integral that our learning community represent the voices, values, needs and interests of the diversity evident in our community and elsewhere. 

• That active individual participation in decisions that affect us is a right, is a fulfillment of our individual capabilities, and is a protection against unjust rule. Our narrative for governance is democratic participation, and describes a process of open and engaged decision-making at every level of society--the process of which is more important than the particular decisions that are made. Our narrative for education should be the same: that participation, self-direction, and active engagement are more important than mandated curricula, and they should be taught and nourished. This is true for students, parents, and educators alike.

The focus of our learning community will be determined by regular meetings that include participation, self-direction and active engagement.  This is your classroom, and in every way possible we will work together to meet the needs of all learners in affirming, positive ways. 

My View of Change:

I've been somewhat stunned, through my interview series (http://www.futureofeducation.com), to find so many good examples of what education could be. Intriguingly, these good examples are usually operating in isolation and have little effect even on schools in relative proximity to them.

For some reason, we don't seem to have much current capacity to hold thoughtful dialog at the elite/intellectual/policy level. It's ludicrous to believe that on a topic as inherently human as education, we would actually get enough agreement at a philosophical level to move forward with only one particular set of practices--or, at a deeper level, that we would actually want that conformity of thinking. Instead we need to recognize the balance of valid approaches that comes out of thoughtful dialog.

So, after over 350 interviews, I've come to a conclusion: the message of educational change cannot center on the one particular group trying to convince another that their education ideas are the best. Even if you or I could convince policy-makers of a particular view of education, the single-solution mindset most of us have now would still leave us with a one-dimensional view of learning.

But something must clearly be done. The overwhelming education narratives on both sides of the political aisle increasingly revolve around high-stakes testing and accountability... and not around the inherent worth and value of every child, and not in the belief that the ultimate goal of education is to develop the ability for students to take responsibility for their own lives and become increasingly self-directed. The result  is deep discouragement for huge number of parents, students, and now teachers who are told that they are failures.We must find a way to give them hope that learning is not an arbitrary gift bestowed capriciously to a select few but is something anyone can own, and is infinitely better when so discovered. While I believe this disproportionately affects those in poverty, I don't think by any means that it's exclusive to any one group. 

The single most important goal of this class is to give students a positive, affirming experience of education--an experience that sends each child forward as a confident, empowered life-long learner. 

If education is not best seen as a policy decision, then I think we must re-cast it instead as a process of cultural dialog and of individual engagement, and we must each look for ways and means to hold these discussions at the most local of levels. We must stop discussingeducational policy and start discussing learning in a way that recognizes the importance of individuals learning about learning for themselves, not because we tell them to. We need to make it clear that no one owns the decision-making for another individual or group, and that to accept someone else's educational policy decisions for them is an inappropriate abdication of basic human rights.

We will think about the ways that we can work together to promote optimal learning in and out of school for all students. 

0 Challenge

Teaching shares many similarities to parenting--there are the good days and the challenging days.  The challenging days prompt reflection, revision, and renewed effort.  Similar to parenting, good teachers want to get it right--we want to serve children well.

Unlike parenting, the teacher works with system complexity which includes the many structures in place to provide materials, leadership, and support.  We can't do it alone, and we rely on many to do the job well. When systems work with organization, lead time, and support, schools thrive.

Also, when the structures are devoted in both time and focus to what's best for children, then systems move ahead with success.  When the focus moves from a child-focus, then systems distance themselves from success.

Hence as one reviews a learning community's strengths, I suggest the focus continually seek to understand actions with regard to what really matters for children, what truly helps children succeed with happiness, inspiration, and optimal learning.

System complexity can challenge that focus, but we have to resist that challenge and turn our attention again to children's needs and interests.

0 21st Century Schools: Team

I like the camaraderie and collaboration of team.

I don't mind debate, difference, and diversity.

I know that teams don't always agree, and it's not always a clear path to a goal.

Yet typically teams share similar goals.  They cheer each other on.  They share strategies, process, ideas, and tools. They also share the celebration of jobs well done, and the challenge of work that needs growth and effort.

Schools today demand a sense of team--dynamic, diverse collaboration with a focus on students' best interests.  That collaboration requires regular communication so that all the team members understand the gains made, current work, and future, ongoing vision and goals.

A team splinters without regular communication, support of one another, and clear direction.

School teams today require review, study, and new structures.  How do your school teams work?  Are your teams interacting and moving in new directions in light of education evolution and change?  What kinds of communication and leadership support your teams? Where can your teams continue to move in terms of positive growth and direction?

I'm fortunate to work with a school leader and grade-level team that honors transparency and collaboration.  I appreciate that every day.

Classrooms require a similar sense of team and camaraderie.  That's something I'll focus on today as I work to teach children well.

0 The Website: Guided Research Home Base

The website is the home base for guided research.

The website provides the initial paths to student exploration and investigation.

The website is an efficient self-guided resource center that responds to students/families' questions and needs 24-7 leaving room for important coaching and guidance during the time-on-task in the classroom.

A useful guided research website should include the following:

• Project introduction and checklists.
• Project examples and exemplars.
• Project research resources, both online and offline.
• Project Enrichment

The website should not be static, and instead serve as a flexible piece that morphs and changes as students' needs, standards, and resources change.

Utilizing a website as the home base for project/problem base learning brings all students and their families into 21st century learning and design, and prepares our students for the information-laden, connection-full world where they will one day independently live, learn and work. 

Here's an example of our latest project website.  What would you add?  What would you take away?  

0 Changing Patterns to Optimize the Journey

Jason Pollock (@jason_pollock) and Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog) inspired me this morning with thoughts of life journey and thinking outside of the box.

This inspiration made me think of life patterns--the regular routines that make up our journey for better or worse.  I wondered about the pattern constructs that contributed positively to my life, and those constructs that hinder a joyful journey.

Professionally, I'm thinking about the small details and patterns in place this year that need revision and change for the better.  This is a start of a list of changes I'll make in the new year to improve the professional journey with the focus on teaching children well.

• Parent Conferences: I'll offer parents conferences as soon as they'd like beginning with the days prior to the school start.  Often parents have important information to share, and an early conference can serve to start the year with strength.  I'll also plan the traditional family conferences on one or two days and one or two mornings rather than spreading them out for weeks the way I did this year.  When spread out for weeks I lose a lot of curriculum planning and response time that negatively impacts my work with students.  I'll also offer regular parent-student-teacher coaching sessions so that we can work together to optimize a child's learning and experience.
• Specialist Services: I will use a form to optimize my collaboration with the many specialist teachers I work with.  The form will highlight specialist times, targets, and other important information.  I will spend time at the start of the year to schedule specialists as close to the first day of school as possible in order to coordinate students' programs for best result.

This is the start of a pattern refinement list I'll add to in the days, weeks, and months to come as I approach the new school year. Refining the pattern, and still leaving time for spontaneity, serendipity, and surprise, is one way to plan for a joyful, successful school year.  What pattern constructs do you hope to change to optimize your teaching year?  I welcome your thoughts and ideas. 

0 Designing Learning: Details

Crafting the best lesson means crafting a lesson where children are engaged, active, inspired, and learning. Signs of a lesson taught well include the following:

• Students are active, engaged, and focused throughout the lesson.
• It's not too easy. Students have to struggle a bit with conversation, debate, and research.
• Students express questions and new ideas related to the lesson concept, knowledge, and skill.
• Students use the language of the lesson in their speak long after the lesson.
• Students replicate the lesson in their independent and collaborative work.
• Students embed the lesson's intent and focus in future work.

The age old adage, "You can give a man a fish and he eats for a day or you can teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime," is a good rule of thumb when crafting lessons.  Every lesson should be crafted to help students become independent and inspired in their learning.


Note:
Great Learning/Teaching Design Film:

0 Project Base Learning: Details

Patrick Larkin's recent post about relevant classrooms connects nicely to the current focus for my fourth graders as we embark on our endangered species study.

Truly, the start of this project has had the give-and-take quality of a dance or conversation.  Initially, I plan, they respond, and we move forward together.  Currently, we're laying the foundation for the project with background information and experiences including the following:

• A class lesson on "reading to find out" and research as we study biomes.
• Introductory film and crossword puzzle practice related to the unit vocabulary. 
• A field study experience at the zoo with an expert presentation, exploration, and note/image taking
• Exploration and investigation of the Endangered Species Website created to support student research. 
• Using an online presentation to find/learn specific facts/standards related to biology. 
• Crowdshare (studentshare) creation of a project time line.
• Project topic/question choice and targets.
• Project team and team space decisions.  Who will work together and where will their classroom project/presentation space be?
• Library resources investigation and exploration. We reserved the school library space for this event.
• Creation of a classroom project resource space with books, computers, and other resources.
• Introduction to project "have-to's" and project choices.  Grade level standards in reading, writing, and science are embedded into this project and those standards make up the project "have-to" expectations.  

Once the introductory activities have been completed, then students will begin their individual and team research. After that students will create online presentations, short films, and other displays as we prepare for our class share presentation and open house.  

Project base learning is a conversation and dance between teacher and students--we work together to develop skill, concept and knowledge in relevant and meaningful ways. 

0 21st Century Decisions: CrowdShare

How has decision making and collaboration changed in the 21st century?  What are the protocols and practice that lead these efforts in schools today, and how has this changed from the past.

Now that the end of the school year is here, there are many decisions and meetings taking place related to ordering, curriculum, and summer work.  Meetings have been planned and the discussions are made up of many voices. Sometimes there are so many voices and ideas, that efficiency and focus are at risk. Also, there's usually limited time for meeting face-to-face.

One solution to these decision making and collaborative challenges is crowdshare. Crowdshare occurs when a collaborative document is shared online to elicit feedback. Crowdshare is best done with guiding protocols at the top of the document to lead the sharing and feedback.  To optimize the crowdshare, I recommend using protocols as color coding your response, adding your initials, guidance about the nature of the response including length and focus, a timeline, information about how the document will be used in the days to come (will the document be published and if so, to whom, and who will be credited with the ideas), and information about follow-up face-to-face meetings' agendas, focus, purpose, and planned result.

Crowdsharing as part of the decision making, collaborative process has many advantages including the following:

• There's a place for all voices.
• People can study the document and thoughtfully respond with the time and focus they need.
• There's a chance for individuals to respond to each other's comments and potentially change or refine their initial comments.
• A lot of the initial "talking" and thinking is done prior to the face-to-face meeting leaving that time for the most critical points in the discussion.
• Leadership has a chance to know their upcoming audience and plan for the potential debate points, strong comments, collaborative focus as well as plan the face-to-face meeting accordingly.
• Leadership has a chance to alter protocols, clarify focus, and communicate with all collaborators prior to the meeting.

Crowdsharing has the potential to optimize collaborative process which in turn may help us to target our discussion, collaboration, and action to teach children well. 

0 Transparency is Efficient

When news and information is forthcoming, efficiency reigns.

When information and news is hidden, efficiency wanes.

Unnecessary repetition also occurs when transparency does not exist.  On the other hand, when people know what's going on, and have voice, then intersection and collaboration occur.

Yet, is there such a thing as too much transparency, overshare, and cumbersome communication?

I believe it is in the best interests of organizations to review communication and streamline those efforts so transparency and efficiency reign leading organizations small and large towards optimal performance and growth.

0 Impatient for Change

I am often impatient for change.

I see potential, and I see walls that stand between what is and what can be. I'm an idealist.

As an idealist, I constantly bring myself back to the mission that lies at the center of my ideas and actions: children.  I focus on the need for the ideas to be student-centered rather than me-centered, and I acknowledge that I don't hold all perspectives, understand all systems, or have all the answers.  I know that true, positive growth and change lies in dynamic, diverse conversation and collaboration.

I speak up with passion, strength, and positive intent.  I welcome your push-back, retort, and debate because it is that discourse that will bring positive change.

As systems move forward there is a need to build in regular idea streams and efforts for all stakeholders to make the debate, passion, and change a normalized part of the organization.  That will build strong, fluent organizations that serve children well. This change marks the movement from "factory model" to "team model," a change that has terrific potential as schools move forward.

0 PLC's: Why the Rush?

Sometimes there's a sense of rushing at our PLC--a race to get a word in. Why the rush? I think the rush comes from the fact that teachers have multiple solo responsibilities, but little time to talk, share, know each other, and work together. One hour a week is not enough, and the time alone vs. collaborative time is a ratio of about 50:1 when you consider at-home time and planning in addition to school time-on-task with students.

What would slow us down?

What would make the conversation more relaxed?

Those are difficult questions when teachers have such great responsibility for multiple children each week.

One idea that might make a difference is to target the talk, focus the time, and decide on common problems to solve--problems that are meaningful to all in the group with regard to student success and teaching efforts. Another solution is to build in more time for collaboration, talk, and working together--make that 50:1 ratio a lot more reasonable. An additional idea suggested by a member of my PLN is to share what we can online, leaving the PLC for the important discussion.

I don't have the answer, but there are probably some ideas out there. We've instituted PLCs, and we've enjoyed significant progress at the start. Now we're at a point of strengthening the focus, conversation, and share so that our work serves children and teachers well. This is a challenge I'll be thinking about.

0 Setting the Stage

Today was like a giant slumber party as children snuggled up in blankets with books, and it was also like a giant slumber party when rain forced an indoor recess and the blankets became forts while children played with abandon--that's a lot of play for 25 students in one room on a humid day.

After lunch we cleaned up and had tech choice to calm everyone down and complete the transition from test prep/test mode to project base learning.

Tomorrow we'll set the stage.  We'll spend the morning reading about biomes and the afternoon turning our now dull bulletin boards (we had to take all content info down for the tests) into biome displays.  Next week we'll create the infographics.  Then the review, and at last, independent endangered species research, writing, and project work.

The tests tired us out--both teachers and students. We did a lot of prep, and the tests themselves take a lot of stamina. I get tired just watching the children labor during the assessments, but as I've mentioned a zillion times (and to cheer myself on) we're now embarking on the PBL.  Onward.