Helping Students to Know Themselves

Many of us have enjoyed getting to know our students throughout this first trimester. We recognize that deeper and more lasting learning happens when they feel understood, valued and respected in their learning environment. In addition to learning more about our students, we can also play a role in helping learners to know themselves! Most teachers, rather than focusing solely on the product of student learning, value the learning process as well. In order for students to take greater ownership of this learning process, they need the metacognitive ability to know themselves as learners. The following two educational theories have emerged as significant to student learning and present a great place to start when helping students to “think about their thinking”. Mindset Carol Dweck’s research regarding fixed and growth mindset has had substantial impact in the worlds of business, athletics, education and the arts. People with a fixed mindset believe that academic, athletic and artistic abilities are something one is “born with” and cannot be changed in any significant way. Those with a growth mindset believe that regardless of one’s current abilities, they can be significantly developed through instruction and hard work. Fixed mindset students shy from challenge, reject constructive criticism and generally under achieve. Our interactions and communications with students can help to cultivate a growth mindset. Students with a fixed mindset, however, need to “own” the difficult task of shifting. The following resources can help your students to get the process going! Power point with Questionnaire (slide 10) to help determine which mindset you have One minute video outlining the attributes of each Mindset Article by Carol Dweck on How to Change your Mindset Multiple Intelligences In 1983, Howard Gardner published Frames of Mind: the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This work caused a fundamental shift in the way educators approached teaching. The measure of one’s intelligence was no longer limited to verbal and mathematical abilities, but included a variety of other aptitudes. Personal inventories can help a student to determine where their “lights shine brightest” when it comes to the Multiple Intelligences. This can help them to use effective learning strategies and give them the confidence to embrace their strengths as valuable and necessary to our learning community. The following inventories are a great place to start! [ http://tools4sucessnotes.wikispaces.com/file/view/primary%2Bmi%2Bsurvey.pdf ]MI inventory for Primary Students [ fcp://@mail.gfs.org,%236000402/Mailbox/_blank/www.literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html ]MI inventory for Upper Elementary, Middle and Upper [ http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz ]General MI inventory through adulthood

Pitfalls of a First Year Principal

I am one class shy of finishing my graduate certificate in school administration and supervision from Johns Hopkins University. I've been asked to write a post predicting what might trip me up as a newbie adminstrator and explain how I would get past the skinned up knees and carry on with my leadership plans. My colleagues who know me well (or even not so well) would probably answer this the same way. When I become convinced of an effective plan of action or dream up an initiative I'm positive will work, I want to implement it instantly. I dismiss others' hesitations as insecurity and forge ahead confidently. Sometimes this "plan" works and I can fumble through the initial stages of development as it comes to fruition. Other times I find myself frustrated, isolated and cursing my lack of patience. These false starts will most likely come with the territory as a first year principal. I can think of several strategies, however, that can keep me on track. As in many professions, the possibilities of where to expend energy are positively endless. As a building administrator I would first make sure the faculty was on board with a shared vision so all curricular and programatic decisions would align with its goals. A leader is rarely choosing between good and bad, but most often is deciding between good and better. Secondly, I would assemble a leadership team who would temper my enthusiasm with heavy doses of reality. Shared decision making leads to shared responsibility for its implementation. A strong leader sees the potential in others and taps in to their creativity, leadership skills, expertise and passions to build a strong program. Most importantly, I would readily admit to mistakes and model the disposition of a life-long learner to the faculty and students. Teachers would see themselves as part of a professional learning community where collaboration and reflective practice is expected. I am thankful to the administrators who saw me as a teacher leader and allowed me to quietly hone my skills. Those experiences, coupled with this past year of course work, have well prepared me to reach my professional goals--but I'll be keeping the Band-Aids handy!

Wanted: Fearless (Curriculum) Leaders

A hundred years ago, colleges were determining the elementary and secondary curriculum. The humanities had to take a back seat to science and math, and effective teaching methods were determined in a scientific fashion. Later, the work of Dewey and Piaget brought child development to the forefront and curricular experts responded in fashion. During the time of Scholarly Structuralism (1957-1967) academic scholars had a voice in developing content specific curriculum. They determined requirements that should be attained by high school graduates and these “suggestions” were adopted in most schools. Education in the late 60s and early 70’s was what you might guess- student centered to the extreme, buildings with no principals being run by teachers whose main goal was to let children discover their interests and direct their learning. The reaction to this time, Privatistic Conservatism (1975- 1989) was the antithesis of the prior philosophies. School reform, rigorous curriculum and the Critical Thinking movement was designed to prepare students for a technological environment. What naturally followed was an even greater focus on the use of computers and a push for states to communicate and assess educational standards. The No Child Left Behind Act was signed in to law in 2001. NCLB was highly controversial as government funding was directly tied to student achievement. Voucher programs which give families more choice in their child’s education popped up around the country threatening the viability of public schools. This brief (and admittedly incomplete) history of curricular trends in education, illustrate how responsive our profession must be to the societal and political landscape of the times.

Today, technology, specifically the internet, is forcing educational leaders to continually revise curricular expectations. Our students will live in an uber-connected global society with information overload as a daily norm. What constitutes as “digital literacy” changes from day to day and the soft skills a high school graduate will need are becoming much more important than some of the hard ones. We ask ourselves, “What should our students master before they leave us?” We used to take the answer to that question and proceed to design an educational experience that would culminate in a student stepping off the stage armed with the necessary tools to succeed. It is no longer that simple. The society waiting to embrace that graduate has much to say about whom they want her to be and the wish-list seems to change too fast for educators to keep up.

Successful educational leaders are connected to the school community, the local community and the global community. They insist on keeping up with advances in technology and are constantly asking if their curriculum is relevant. They hire teachers not for their mastery of a content subject, but rather for their ability to adapt, to learn and to respond to the needs of a diverse student body. They accept the fact that there will not be a return to “traditional” education, and willingly move in to un-chartered waters. Educational leaders brave the unknown in order to secure the unknown: their students’ future.

Observation as Information, not Evaluation

I recently recorded myself meeting with a teacher for a follow up conference to an observation I had conducted in his classroom. I reviewed the recording immediately following my conversation with "Mr. Jones". I appeared very relaxed and smiled a lot throughout our discussion. As he spoke, I wrote down comments of note. There was an informal feel to the conversation that established a connection as colleagues, not as one of evaluator. I started by sharing that I had really enjoyed the Science lesson he had conducted. As he spoke about what he felt went well, I validated his responses by giving specific examples of student behavior that illustrated his comments.

We discussed the questions I had planned, but I did not bring up all three of the lesson suggestions I was going to make. In fact, I only addressed one issue regarding the importance of assigning roles to students when they work cooperatively. I saw in the video that he had a physical response to this suggestion. His shoulders slumped and he ducked his head a bit. He explained that he used to have name tags he would hand out to students to identify their role as reporter, recorder, leader or materials manager. He did not know where they were, but agreed that he should use them again. Knowing that my pointing this out somewhat discouraged him, I decided then not to discuss the other two items I had on my list. Had I not intentionally thought about Mr. Jones’ personality and learning style ahead of time, I am quite certain I would have plowed ahead with my plan to make all three of the recommendations. I knew there would be a better opportunity to discuss that with Mr. Jones.

Completing the full clinical cycle of teacher observation with Mr. Jones solidified my belief that effective professional development and supervision of teachers requires a multifaceted approach. Just as students need differentiated instruction, self-directed learning opportunities and experiences with both formative and summative assessments, teachers, as life-long learners, deserve the same. Supervisors must understand the personality and teaching style of the educators in their building. Knowing which Clinical Language to speak can go a long way in truly communicating what the teacher needs to hear (Pajak 2003). Supervisors should offer opportunities for teachers to learn in a variety of settings, taking into account the learning style, time constraints and interest level of the staff. Pairing new teachers with teacher leaders is a non-threatening way for inexperienced educators to learn new strategies and be reflective. Additionally, frequent, informal, non-evaluative classroom visits by the administrator can create a climate of trust where teachers feel comfortable identifying their struggles and asking for feedback.

Evaluative experiences should be structured in a way that invites the teacher in to the conversation and validates them as professionals. Co-planning lessons, co-creating the observation tool and designing a meaningful follow up conference can make the formalized observation experience less threatening and more effective for the teacher. Throughout the process, educators and leaders must not forget the ultimate goal: increased student achievement.

Learning to Arrange

I’ll never forget setting up my very first classroom as a fresh-out-of-college 4th grade teacher. I enlisted my artistically gifted husband to paint the perfect mural on a huge wall in my room complete with an airplane pulling a banner behind that claimed, “Reading takes you places!” I brightened up file cabinets with some spray paint and my mom made curtains for the windows. A few fake plants (I don’t have a green thumb) and I was ready! I remember wanting to try some of the room arrangements we had learned about in college, but I had 34 students to cram in to a fairly small room, so my options were quite limited. As a young idealistic educator, my initial priority was to help my students to feel that our classroom was a second home. I wanted to build a community on mutual trust and respect so there was a better chance for us to learn and grow throughout the year. Sixteen years and many trends later, room arrangements remain a reflection of a teacher’s values.

Throughout my current building, I saw a direct relationship between the arrangement of desks and the way the teacher runs the class. In one particular math class, the desks are in clumps of six, with students grouped in threes. At times, the two groups of three would check in with each other, but then go back to working together in their smaller group. This seemed to work very well as it’s hard to “fly under the radar” when there are only two other people with you. Each day this math teacher places name tags on desks to form the best groups for that day’s lesson. Sometimes she wants to place strong students together and vary the activity to present a challenge, and other times she wants the groups to be heterogeneous. In another room where an ancient history teacher is known for his unique story-telling method, there are no desks! Students sit in chairs in a semi-circle facing the projector where images illustrate his animated speaking. Later in the class, a group who has been working in the hallway comes in to perform a skit based on Greek mythology. They don’t ever get out any paper or pencils. There was one room where all of the desks were separate and in rows. Knowing this teacher does lots of group work, I inquired about the arrangement. He shared that one section of his 6h grade Geography class could not handle the close proximity of other students yet. They needed more time to acclimate to his strict expectations of focus and engagement in class.

While most teachers have their large desks tucked in a corner to allow more floor space, almost every classroom had the white board/screen as the focal point with a table or desk in front of it where the teacher sits. Knowing how innovative some of my colleagues are, it surprised me that this is still the default arrangement. It communicates to me that while we’re grabbing on to some great technologies (every student has her own tablet computer), teachers are still directing the lesson and supplying the needed information. I believe a time is coming when learning will be so student-directed that where he or she faces in the classroom will be irrelevant. They will be sitting in groups and sharing research with their team that is needed for them to take the next step in building a machine, proposing a green initiative or developing a program to address illiteracy in their community. Instruction will happen through blogs, podcasts, streaming video or Skype sessions. Learning will not be limited to a classroom, a building or certain hours of the day. The real question will be whether or not the teachers in these children’s lives are willing to arrange for this type of learning to become a reality.

Effective Leadership

I just completed a graduate class in Effective Leadership. Having never studied anything like this in the past, I really didn’t know what to expect. I was excited to realize that the readings were completely fascinating to me and immediately applicable. I was presented with ideas that had me enthusiastically nodding my head, while others didn’t seem to ring true. Throughout the eight weeks, I began to shape a personal philosophy of leadership that will inform my decisions in the months and years to come.

While writing and sharing with those in my cohort, I found myself coming back again and again to Peter Senge’s idea of a “learning organization”. This is a place where “. . .people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where the collective aspiration is set free, and people are continually learning how to learn together (1990). This is a powerful vision that encompasses all we should be about as educators. We are faced with demanding expectations from our constituencies and need to prepare students for a challenging future. At no other time has there been a greater need for educators to reinvent themselves. As John Dewey said, “If we teach our children as we did yesterday, we rob them of the future.” To stay relevant and effective, we must see ourselves as learners; a connected community of learners, whose collaboration and common purpose make us much more powerful than we can be on our own. A learning organization celebrates ingenuity- doing things differently than they’ve ever been done. It encourages authentic exchanges where a teacher willingly admits gaps in knowledge, confident that a colleague will eagerly help to fill them in. This is a place where ideas aren’t owned and protected, but shared and collected.

This past year I saw my school begin a journey towards becoming this type of organization. A group of us were chosen to experience a job-embedded, year long, professional development experience through Powerful Learning Practice, or PLP. Using social networking tools like Twitter, Diigo, Nings, and wikis, we connected with education professionals from around the world. Sharing best practices, reading current educational theory and being exposed to new technologies caused enormous professional growth within our group. The excitement was not to be contained! Within several months, all three divisions of the school were taking part in professional development on a regular basis that was designed and implemented by teachers. Without paying one outside presenter, our teachers experienced a tremendous year of learning. Learning to learn with and from each other is not going to happen overnight. We have a lot of work to do in translating our knowledge to the classroom. We have paradigms shifting and teachers feeling unsure of the next step. But we are learners who will never claim to have arrived. What a powerful message to live for our students.

So here’s the rub: how do we assess success in this messy new landscape? It seems preposterous that we would teach students skills of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity and then measure achievement with a “fill-in-the-bubble” test. Throughout this class, however, I was asked to look at such data in regards to developing school vision and to evaluate the success of programs. There were very few members of my cohort who had anything good to say about state testing programs, and yet we didn’t question using the test results in this way. I understand that this is reality in American public education right now. I don’t understand, however, admitting defeat by leaving these methods unquestioned. A group of intelligent, passionate professionals should participate in rigorous discourse regarding these issues. Kenneth Leithwood’s essay, “Transformational School Leadership in a Transactional Policy World”, offered compelling reasons to fight the current system of measuring school success. He poses that effective leadership practices are being abandoned in order to answer the demands of these transactional policies. Administrators must remember what makes them good leaders. They have to commit to leading by example and from an authentic sense of self. They have to resist the path of rewards and consequences and continue to lead their faculty under a shared vision regarding teaching and learning. Policy should not preempt passion.

Moving forward I have much to learn about how to navigate the political side of administration. I will certainly have moments where I am desperate to rewind time and make a different decision. I will, however, be moving forward armed with a leadership philosophy grounded in authenticity, a desire to learn and the realization that I am surrounded by those who can teach me.