Heat and Light

The terms "heat source" and "light source" have become popular in my office recently. As curriculum coordinators and instructional specialists, we work directly with classroom teachers as advisers and advocates and are specifically instructed to provide "light" (inspiration) rather than "heat" (punishment). It's made me think a lot about the type of leadership we provide for teachers and how or why teachers need light and heat sources.

In our structure, principals are primarily heat sources while curriculum and instruction staff act as light sources. When I was a building level specialist, I never needed to provide heat. Light was sufficient. For example, my strategy with teachers was as follows:

1. Inspire teachers to do the "right thing" (light)- This worked about 80% of the time, through modeling and student response.

2. Ask teachers to do the "right thing"- This worked about 18% of the time, by explaining why, setting the stage for teacher to try, then encouraging their successes and offering suggestions for improvement.

3. Tell teachers to do it, because it is the "right thing" (heat)- For the 2% of the time this was needed, I didn't do it. My principal did.

As I contemplate getting my administrative endorsement, it occurs to me that the administrators role must be a real drag! They are called in to supply the heat while the others get to shed the light. How unfair!

It made me think about the light/heat dichotomy. Maybe it's not either or. Too many heat sources forget that they can also provide light.

Think about it. Too much heat is dangerous, uncomfortable, deathly. But too little heat is dangerous, uncomfortable, deathly as well. When principals begin with heat, it can be a huge comfort for teachers. Think of my process in reverse.

1. Tell teachers what you expect and hold them accountable. Don't make them guess how to do the "right thing"  (heat)

2. Ask teachers to step out of their comfort zone in ways that are uncomfortable, but not unattainable. Support their work and show them that what you have asked them to do is valued by providing time and attention while also limiting the number of things you are asking them to focus on.

3. Inspire teachers to do the right thing (light) by showing them examples of the work done right. Send them to other schools, ask them to observe their colleagues, and perhaps most importantly, model it yourself.

It's not heat OR light. It's heat AND light.

Agree or Disagree?

The 5 Most Significant Responsibilities of the Online Facilitator

1.       Differentiate- Know the students

Create opportunities for getting to know the students: their interests, their learning preferences, their past experiences in traditional school and online environments, their tech savvy. Make the course personal for students in a way that is difficult to do in a traditional classroom.

2.       Set the tone- Ease tension by making a good first impression

Make the first experiences students have with the course positive. Send an introductory email that gives students a clear picture of expectations and requirements for the course, but personalize the first email and module so students get to know you as a person. Make sure they are aware that you are available any time.

3.       Be available- Provide feedback and respond promptly to concerns

Do what you say you’ll do. When a student sends a question, answer it as soon as possible. Check many times per day. Provide feedback as immediately as possible. Make sure the feedback is specific and helps the student understand how to improve and what to continue doing.

4.       Know the content- Be an expert in the information

Be well-versed in the content prior to class beginning and have a variety of professional contacts and information to access in case a question comes up that you cannot answer. Online classes offer students to opportunity to learn from anyone. Give the impression that you are the BEST person for students to learn from by knowing more than the person who may be teaching the traditional course.

5.       Be a good teacher- Utilize the best of traditional pedagogy, but adapt for an online environment

Use time-honored techniques from teaching in a regular classroom (see above), but also adapt to the online environment by trouble-shooting things like technology glitches and ethical issues. Utilize opportunities that online learning gives students and teachers that traditional classrooms would not be able to benefit from (such as asynchronous communication, videos, Skyping, etc.)

My Brain Hurts

Do you ever have the feeling your brain is so full that it can't possibly take another bit of information? I'm having that feeling this morning.

In the past 2 months, I have learned more than I have learned in the past 2 decades. I have read more books, blogs, and articles than I have in a lifetime (at least professionally), and I have had more in-depth, intellectual conversation in 2 weeks than I have had in my career.

It's awesome.

This is what it's about, this "innovation" thing you always hear about. It doesn't feel top-down because my colleagues are real people, with the hearts of teachers, trying to do right by kids in a way that will change our school system in a lasting way, not just to make themselves look good.

I clipped this article byAllan Kelsey from www.leadingleaders.net after an excruciating committee meeting where 16 people were expected to work as a team to write a unit using the UbD framework without dividing up any part of the work. I googled "idea group size" in a passive-aggressive attempt to make myself feel better about the futility of the project. Rereading that article today while looking for something else, a quote struck me:

"Perhaps it is at 5 that the feeling of “team” really begins. At 5 to 8 people, you can have a meeting where everyone can speak out about what the entire group is doing, and everyone feels highly empowered."

While my team of 8 is often divided in a variety of combinations of 2-8 people, the feeling of the 8 meeting together and working together to solve the problems of the world, is pretty amazing.

One of my current favorite professional reads...

... begins the final chapter with this line: "The best educational leaders are in love- in love with the work they do, with the purpose their work serves, and with the people they lead and serve."

I'm definitely in love, but my brain hurts today. Thank goodness I'm headed to a school for a learning walk this afternoon at:

Curriculum 2... 1?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gforsythe/5617505546/

As a 2001 graduate of high school, I have only taught in the 21st century, yet most of my general education took place in the 20th century. The term "21st Century Learner" was part of my vocabulary from the day I entered an undergraduate education course. The "skills" associated with these "learners" have been the focus of my training from my first days on the job.

I'm no closer to understanding who the heck this 21st Century Learner is.

Am I a 21st century learner because I went to college and began my professinal life in the 21st century? Is my brother? He graduated in 2005 so he was in high school only in the 21st century. Were my second grade students, most of whom were born in the 21st century, the earliest members of this group?

Ultimately, the question is pointless, because, really what is different in the 21st century? How is school that much different for students today than it was when I was in school? The internet and computers already existed. Social networks did not, but instant messaging and email did. Cell phones did (although they certainly did a lot less then!). My teachers forbade all of these things. We still mostly do.

One could argue that school is different, I suppose, but how is curriculum different? Are kids learning different things in different ways?

I suppose these questions led me to purchase only one book at this years' ASCD conference in Boston:

http://www.curriculum21.com/

I agreed and disagreed with much in the book, but I noticed a pattern as I was highlighting away: I was highlighting an awful lot of provacative questions. I decided to begin compiling a list of items to contemplate later, including:

• Is the use of technology an "event"?
• Do (the students) feel as if they are entering a simulation of life in the 1980's?
• How are millions of students still struggling to acquire 19th-century skills in reading, writing, and math supposed to learn this stuff?
• Do our students know what addition is, or only what it looks like?
• What if students are expected to demonstrate their readiness to graduate with independence? What if it takes whatever time it takes, with reasonable guidelines?
• What is the difference between the test we give students in formal learning settings, versus the work portfolios that we discover in the informal learning spaces on the Web?
• What is global competence?
• What values, lifestyles, points of view are included or excluded and why? Where can I get more information, different perspectives, or verify the information? (research, critical thinking)
• How will (our) students be different from how they were on the first day of school?
• Can we change our traditional culture of teaching and learning so that students are empowered to take more responsibility for making important contributions to their own learning and to their learning community?
• Are we educating students for a life of tests or for tests of life?

Wow. Now these are some "curriculum mindshift" questions! When I took a position in the Office of Gifted Education and Curriculum Development, this was the first book assigned to my group of curriculum developers. It has been the topic of 3 formal professional conversations and countless informal conversations. Some key ideas I have taken away from these professional opportunities include the following:

Oh... IN the computer!

In preparation for a professional development session I am attending, I have been reading Heidi Hayes Jacobs' "Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum & Assessment K-12". Though published in 1997, the book has new relevance for my school system as we prepare to map our curriculum K-12, all subjects, for a variety of features including, but not limited to:

• 21st century skills
• Macro concepts such as "Change" and "Systems"
• Habits of Mind
• Integration of content areas
• Literacy (including media literacy)
• Technology integration
• Models and strategies

While most of the book was surprisingly relevant and timely, one thing struck me as interesting and rather amusing: Jacobs regularly refers to putting district information "into the computer" with no reference to how, why, or with what program. My, how far we've come in our use of terminiology since 1997! I keep a OneNote notebook page for my professional reading and included the above image to summarize the HOW of mapping. Ohhhhh... we need to put the information IN the computer!

Stay tuned for a less-sarcastic update on the relevance to "Mapping the Big Picture" post-collaboration with my colleagues!

Curriculum Survey

From UConn

Curriculum Survey

In my new capacity as an instructional specialist for the Department of Curriculum Development, I have recently been tasked to work with my colleagues to develop a survey of questions for teachers and administrators, grades K-12, across our school division to get a sense of the state of our current curriculum. Our aim was to keep positive and look forward, rather than backward. Our plan was also to keep the survey under 10 minutes because we are hoping for some really substantive feedback, but also realize that September is not exactly the best time to ask teachers and administrators for 10 minutes!

Throughout the creation process, one question kept rolling around in my head: How would I answer this question, 3 weeks after leaving the classroom and the world of curriculum consumers rather than producers? I thought it only fair that I answer the questions myself.

1.       What is essential and timeless in your curriculum?

• Inquiry (scientific, mathematical, historical, etc.):  One will always need to inquire, no matter the time or context.
• Written and oral communication: Basic writing and speaking skills connect us all and help us to understand one another. This may evolve over time (for example, Skyping skills or blogging), but will always be a relevant part of the way we connect.

2.       What is non-essential or dated in your curriculum?

• (Dare I say it?) HANDWRITING! This is not something we should teach over and over, but rather something we expect or practice over time. 
• Memorization of dates and names in the absence of conceptual understanding: Why bother? This is what our students are asking themselves (as they should be!).
• The "right" answers: I have a colleague who proclaims that nearly any right answer can be refuted if one "assembles an arguement with evidence".

3.       What should be created that is currently missing in your curriculum?

• Cohesive planning documents that help to integrate content, particularly at the elementary level: All subjects should agree and the order in which we teach should make intuitive sense to students.
• Flexibility guidelines: Explicit directions are needed for what can be changed and what must stay consistent throughout the years.
• An emphasis on LEARNING rather than on TEACHING needs to be evident when pacing guides are created.

4.       To what extent does your curriculum guide help you meet division objectives?

• Balanced assessment: The curriculum (in some areas) models a balanced assessment approach by providing formative and summative assessments, mostly in the form of performance tasks. In other areas, the formative assessment piece is lacking. A list of possible formative assessments or hints for places that may be good to evaluate students and provide feedback may help teachers make this a priority.
• Integration of technology: This is lacking. Specific tools are listed from time to time, but they can quickly become dated. Instead, a bank of different tools that suit different purposes could be included as well as hints for good places for KINDS of tools (such as social networking, collaboration tools, organizational tools, production tools, etc.)
• Responsiveness to student needs: The documents support it if the teacher prioritizes it. I would like to see a stronger emphasis on this part with tools for scaffolding. I would also like to see explicit pre-assessments that evaluate what individual students know/don't know against the standards with which the summative performance will be judged.

5.       The written curriculum is:

a.      rigorous and challenging for all (emphasis added) students. Disagree- Gifted units were locally developed to address this issue. In an ideal universe, this would not be necessary.

b.      engaging for all students. Disagree- This does not appear to be a priority in the curriclum beyond the superficial level

c.       differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. Disagree- Tiered tasks rarely appear and when they do, the activities are not equally engaging which is unfair and disrespectful.

d.      relevant to 21^st century learners. Disagree- Our curriculum (about 98% of the time) is firmly rooted in the 20th century, and occassionally in the 19th century.

Additional Comments: There is much room for improvement in the current curriculum, but there is also much good. Changes for conceptual understanding, transfer, engagement, and 21st century learning absolutely need to be made. Teachers are sporadically making these changes when given the chance and could have a lot to offer at a system-wide level.

What would YOU say?

Top Teachers List- Part 3



During my third year of teaching, I was introduced to someone who would prove to be a great influence on my teaching life. Until that time, the only meaning I associated with the term "consultant" was the "Bobs" from the movie "Office Space". If you have not seen this film, I recommend you stop reading this post immediately and check out the movie (or at least this scene) because this post will not make any sense to you. My next great teacher was an educational consultant. For humors' sake, let's call her "Barb".

Barb arrived at my school to host a session on creating a vertically aligned plan for improving vocabulary instruction in grades K-6. We determined that many of our rural, impoverished community was lacking a solid foundation of everyday and academic vocabulary and without explicit instruction, we would not be able to close many of the achievement gaps our school was suffering from. This was my first opportunity to represent my grade level at a meeting where not all of us were able to attend. I was nervous, but excited to be part of the team.

Before that time, my professional development experience was limited to in-house meetings with long agendas of to-do items or data analysis based on own students' performance led by the building administrator. My only other sources of educational information came from my step father, a teacher in the school district, and my mother, a guidance counselor in the school district. Barb was my first outsider.

The vocabulary meeting was good, but relatively uneventful. Barb worked with our school on several other projects throughout the year, but it wasn't until my second year working with her when I began to really see her as one of my "top teachers".

My building principal created a leadership team and asked a representative from grades 3-6 to attend a series of workshops about becoming teacher leaders. I was in the midst of obtaining my masters' degree at the time and had heard the term "PLC" and others thrown around, but knew very little about what this would entail. The first day of training was fabulous, with a fancy lunch, time away from the classroom, other adults to speak with, free books... but it was the content that truly made a difference.

"I wouldn't say I've been missing it, Barb."

The first session was a very emotional one. Barb asked us to examine our own beliefs about teaching, our attitude towards our students, our demeanor when faced with change. As a new teacher, I'd spent precious little time examining my philosophical beliefs about teaching because I was still learning how to read a manual and get my students to line up quietly. I learned that year that building my own content knowledge by reading current information about education was absolutely vital to my growth. Barb exposed an area of weakness in me that I didn't not even know was there. Luckily, I had a supportive principal and colleagues who shared this value so it was nurtured in me early on and still serves me well today.

"I celebrate his entire catalogue..."

Another great lesson I learned from Barb was that every original idea that I've had is not even remotely original. Someone somewhere has probably already written articulately on the subject. Conversely, I learned that I have something to add to that body of research based on my personal context and expertise. I wasn't ready to understand this lesson that first or second year with Barb, but it is something I walked away from and revisited later in my career. Some of my most beloved authors (Wiggins and McTighe, Marzano, Maxine Greene, Brunner, etc.) were introduced to me in snips and quotes. These little soundbites resonated in my mind and I was able to read their work in its entirety when my own capacity was greater.

"Do you know I have eight different bosses? Eight, Barb. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation, it's not to be hassled, that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Barb, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired."

We spent a great deal of time talking about teacher motivation. It was at a session with Barb when I first learned the link between student success and teacher effectiveness. Building the capacity of teachers is the number one most efficient pathway to increased achievement. I also learned that being motivated myself was not enough. If I wanted to be an effective teacher leader, it was my job to motivate my colleagues, some of whom were worn out and disenchanted with the changes to public education since the beginning of their careers. This continues to challenge me today, but at least I know now that blaming is not the answer. I need to advocate for children by building the capacity of my colleagues whenever possible.

"The pleasure's all on this side of the table, trust me."

I also learned the power of an energetic and passionate speaker. Barb cared about her topic, she cared about us, and she truly believed that change was possible. The very next year after my Barb experience, I took a new position that thrust me into the role as presenter. I spend a lot of time these days in front of adults, both parents and teachers, who need to see my passion and belief in the success of each and every thing I am recommending. It made all the difference in myself as a participant and I hope it does the same for participants in the workshops I now lead.

"Oh, oh, and I almost forgot. Ahh, I'm also gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Sunday, too..."

The most important lesson I learned was that my job would never be an 8-3 kind of job. I looked with envy upon my older co-workers who clocked in and clocked out each day. I longed for this kind of freedom and automaticity in my teaching. I learned from Barb, however, that these were no longer effective teachers (or at least that they were not working to their potential). A truly effective educator does not "clock out". As a classroom teacher, I often stayed at school until 6 or 7 PM (and on one memorable occasion until 9 PM because of a blinding snowstorm!). As a resource teacher, I am often able to leave much earlier with much less work. I could, if I wanted to, clock in and clock out, but Barb instilled in me a passion for working to my potential. This may mean reading educational philosophy in my beach chair in July or attending a conference during a holiday vacation. It may be as simple as maintaining a blog that helps me to reflect on my practice or making a connection via Twitter that can make me see things differently.

Regardless, Barb "fixed the glitch". I now see my role in an entirely different way.