Learning Habitats and the Educational Environment

The word habitat is defined as: The natural home or environment of an animal, plant or other organism. Humans put great importance on most of our habitats.  Our homes are designed with furniture and decorations that make us feel comfortable and put us at ease.  When we bring a new baby home from the hospital we have a newly painted room, with kid-friendly wall paper (whatever that is), and special furniture. Our habitat accommodations even extend to animals when we put them in a zoo. I once saw a prairie dog exhibit at a zoo.  They had special grass, decorative driftwood, hollow logs... for prairie dogs... underground rats.  One more example--carnival goldfish.  Even those free fish we reluctantly win at carnivals get a round bowl with rocks at the bottom, fake plants, a castle to swim through, and sometimes we even buy them a friend.  We are all about the habitat.

Consider all of that, and then think about most secondary schools and the classrooms within.  Our elementary years are spent in colorful classrooms with decorations and sometimes a special rug where students can comfortably sit.  As students transition into junior high and high school they typically enter bland walls, desks in rows, maybe some "inspirational" posters about doing your best--an environment more suitable to prison life than student life.  The inside of most classrooms are institutional, stiff, and unwelcoming.

I think we need to create a habitat of learning in our classrooms.  A comfortable, welcoming learning laboratory   Students should sit in groups.  Seating should be comfortable--how creative and engaged would you feel sitting in a school desk all day?  Leading companies like Google have embraced this, how have we ignored it for so long?

Why I'm Convinced 1+1 can Equal 3

How can 1+1=3?  Its not an equation of numbers, but an equation of people.  I've always been a believer, but the immense value of collaboration has become crystal clear to me lately.  I now see every problem or project as a puzzle and I thoroughly believe the members of my PLN hold the pieces to that puzzle.  Between my local colleague and my virtual connectionsThe same rings true in the classroom.

Last week I was listening to a group of students reflect on their egg drop contraption.  One student brought up an idea to add more cushioning to the bottom, another group member jumped in and suggested adding a small ballon to the bottom of the egg holder.  Another student chimed in about needing to add something on top of the egg so it wouldn't bounce out.  The ideas continued to flow from all the group members.  Within 5 minutes the group had an amazing plan and they were all anxious to try again.  I don't believe those students could have came up with that idea individually.  The concept that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts goes back to the time of Aristotle and has never been more true than in today's economy.  Education has to embrace this reality.

There are countless benefits to collaboration in the classroom.  One benefit of small group collaboration is the breakdown of social anxiety.  So many students are hesitant to speak up in a class of 30 students, but feel much more comfortable contributing to a group of 3 or 4.  Another positive experience is students teaching other students.  They speak a common language and often learn more easily from their peers.

Just like any other skill, collaboration skills need to be taught and classroom norms need to be established.  Simple things such as establishing acceptable ways to give constructive criticism (ex. starting with, "I wonder if... ") can add important tools to your students collaboration skill set and allow 1+1 to equal more than 2.

Collaborative Skills Resource 1
Collaborative Skills Resource 2
Rubric for Assessing Teamwork

Egg Droppin' PBL

This week our 7th grade team did a two day PBL with our students.   Our team consists of Ryan Evans (Science), Jill Beals (English), Adam Hall (Social Studies), Marcia Kaufman (Special Ed), and myself (Math).   The project was something Ryan and I have done before in our classes.  It was a simple egg drop.  Fun and easy for us to connect to our standards.

Materials
1 paper plate, 3 straws, plastic bag, 3 coffee filters, 1 meter of tape, 2 feet of string, one plastic cup, 1 balloon

Grouping
We as a team ranked the kids from 1 - 3 based on how well they work in a group.  As a team we do a lot of group work so we know the kids really well.  Then we had a draft and combined a student from each grouping so a 1, 2, and 3 were together.  We had a lot of fun and the groups really worked well together.  We will definitely do this again.

Standards
Measuring, Converting, Speed Formula, Expository Paper, (next year we might add Newtons first law of motion)

21st Century Skills
Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Research, Application, Presentation Skills, Creativity

We took the kids out of their regular schedule for two days.  The kids that were selected by each teacher worked in that room for the entire two days.  Here is what each 1/2 day portion looked like.


Tuesday Morning
The kids came into class and got into their groups.  They were really excited to start building.  It was fun to watch them debate on different ideas and then try them out.  Our driving question was, "Which factor is more important: to save your egg, speed or cushion?"  They spent quite a bit of time planning, building, practicing with a golf ball, and redesigning.  After their group was done, they wrote their own individual expository paper on the steps they went through from start to finish.

Tuesday Afternoon
After lunch we headed outside.  We had four classes of egg builders.  Each teacher dropped their class' contraptions from 10 ft.  Each student had to keep the stats of every group in their class.  They recorded time, distance, and whether the egg broke or not.  If they made the first drop, they got to go through the "Evans Gauntlet".   Our science teacher took them up 4 more heights using our football stands.  The final height was on top of our press box.  At one point the entire class was chanting "break" all at once.  It was fun to watch.  Once that ended, the kids went back to the rooms and started putting their presentation together.  Five of the thirty-two groups completed the "Evans Gauntlet".

Wednesday Morning
This day was planned for the kids to research the speed formula and figure out how to apply it to help answer the driving question.  They then took their data and put it into graphs so they could figure out their answer to the speed or cushion question.  They did this by looking at the data from the drops.  We were a little ahead on time, so the day before we added some interesting egg questions. That way if they got done early, they still would have something to work on.  They enjoyed trying to search and answer questions like which came first the chicken or the egg.  Our kids really worked hard and did a nice job in groups.

Wednesday Afternoon
The afternoon was set up for presentations.  Our kids are really learning how to create and give a good presentation.  In fact, most of our kids' presentations were better than some of the presentations from the last education conference I attended.  They are learning to use as little words as possible, if any, and tell a story through their pictures on a Google shared presentation.  Every group presented to their class.  The kids in their groups used a rubric and evaluated each group in their class.  The four winning groups then got to present in front of the entire 7th grade in our auditorium.

We had a great day.  It was fun to see them grow, learn how to solve a problem, and work together.  We are planning on doing one of these at the end of each nine weeks.  The next three are a murder mystery, catapult, and a rocket build and blast off.

What is an Expert?

What would you call a professional who did actual field research 36 weeks a year?  They were classically trained for 4-6 years and continue their education to stay current in the field.  They collect quantitative and qualitative data, evaluating singular and large samples sizes.  The record their data and make predictions, which they share with a community of other professionals who combine their findings to refine their theories.  Would you call them a scientist?  Would you call them an expert?  I would call them a teacher.

Unfortunately the de-professionalization of teachers throughout the history of public education has attempted to reduced our role to that of a worker on the assembly line.  More importantly it has reduced our public image and therefore our general influence over change in our own profession.  We are the receivers of educational policy.  We need to be the makers of educational policy.  Aren't we the experts?

Kids Can't Learn From Teachers They Don't Like

Rita Pierson grabbed the spotlight and spurred a great conversation with her recent TED Talk titled Every Kid Needs a Champion (below).  In her talk she asserts the title of this blog--'kids can't learn from teachers they don't like'.  A statement like this would likely sound like heresy to rigid traditionalists.

'I'm not here to be their friend'.

'I don't care if they don't like me'.

I remember teachers in my youth that made statements like this.  I even remember having instructors in college who reminded us that 'we are not there to be their friends'.

While all of this is true to some degree, being 'liked' by your students opens opportunities that wouldn't exist without the foundation of a strong relationship.  Your students need to know that you care about them and feel the passion you have for  your class.  If you don't show that you care and have passion, why should they?  And you have to be authentic.  Students can sniff out someone being 'fake' like a shark smelling blood in the water.  They have to truly believe that you care about them and the stories they tell, and wow, do they have some stories to tell! Listening to your students and asking them questions about their lives is an investment that will pay dividends throughout the year.  Building meaningful relationships with your students is the cornerstone of effective classroom management.  Here are some ideas:

• Ask questions--Show a genuine interest in students' lives by asking questions and then checking in throughout the year.  
• Be funny--I know its 'not your job to entertain them', but humor goes a long way and makes a good first impression.
• Individualize your relationships--I used to be able to describe the character of a class period, but not necessarily the individual students before I moved to conversations as my main assessment method.
• Let them teach you--Students love it when you are open enough to allow them to teach you something.  Its an act of sincerely listening and students eat it up because they love to be heard.
• Talk to them after/out of school--While I'm sure its been a long day, going to watch their game or chatting with them after school will earn you  a great deal of credibility. 
• Let them be heard--Most students love to be heard.  Their families, dislikes, funny stories, pets, etc. all provide good material for conversations and the beginning of a productive relationship.  
• Be playful--Once you have established the foundation for a relationship and that your class is a place of learning, its OK to lighten things up a little with some playful behavior and non-offensive sarcasm. There is a fine line here, but a little play will go a long way to show students you care about them as a person, not just as a student.
• Be the captain--Being open and playful requires the need to drop the hammer too.  Students need boundaries, and they actually like it when you fairly keep them within class expectations.  I alway error on the side of fairness when I have to discipline students.  

Many students come to school without the first levels of Maslow's Hierarchy satisfied   How can we expect a student to learn if they feel hungry, unsafe, or unloved?  As effective teachers, it has become an unspoken part of our jobs to find a way to bridge these gaps left by a bad home life.  Many of us would probably agree we are part teacher, part counselor.

Building an organic, individual relationship with our students will have a greater impact on learning than any piece of technology or model of pedagogy.  If we scoff at the idea that 'kids can't learn from teachers they don't like', we are undermining any other measure that we believe is effective and spinning our educational wheels.  

De-Professionalizing Teachers

Today in education you may hear people talk about "professionalizing the profession".   It dawned on me recently that the teacher's role in education has been historically moving toward de-professionalization and recent conventions have rendered us nearly obsolete.  The fact that we are discussing how to "professionalize" a profession like teaching is evidence of the erosion of authenticity and specialized skills of the modern concept of what it means to be a teacher.  Several events in the history of education have been key moments that have slowly de-professionalized the teacher.

Teachers were originally professionalized by their content knowledge.  They held special knowledge that was not easily available to their students.  Later, standardized textbooks and teacher editions provided a content crutch.  Teachers could lean on this one resource rather than learn a rich body of authentic, specialized knowledge that was once a premium.  The component of content knowledge was stripped away from the profession.  More recently, the Internet has 'flattened' the world and put the collective knowledge of humanity at any students fingertips.  Teachers are no longer needed to be the 'knower of everything' and 'answerer of questions'.

The required professionalism slipped further when textbook companies started to offer resource packages and curriculum guides.  Another pillar of professionalism began to crumble.  Flash to today where many large school districts create pacing guides to be used among all the teachers of a given class.  A dozen or more 8th grade math teachers teaching the same basic curriculum at the same pace.  While I can understand the concept of a guaranteed curriculum, this reduces teachers to a simple deliverer of a one-size-fits-all 'education'.  Large online classes are are natural extension of this model.  In this type of course the 'teacher' simply needs a general disposition to facilitate the provided curriculum.

All of these developments or what I would label education de-form, rather than reform, have created a completely different role for the once professionalized job of being a teacher.  It has also created low expectations.  You don't need to know too much.  You don't need to be able to create authentic course work.  You really don't need to plan a curriculum.  You simply need to implement.  All of the art has been reduced to a calculated, one-size-fits-all science.  The salary (which began low) followed the decent of professionalism.  This has made recruitment of unique talent a difficult task, but then again it isn't really necessary.  Often, when it comes to hiring, schools are more concerned with filling a role.

I am not a role.  I am not a deliverer of a pre-formed 'education'.  I believe many teachers would reject this description, but we are the sufferers of a system of de-professionalization that has come to dominate mainstream education.  The progression of our education de-form has created a culture of low expectations and reliance.

Despite the sad story I've told, I truly feel the tide is turning, or being turned.  Leaders such as Sir Ken Robinson and Will Richardson are changing the conversation.  School leaders and teachers are listening and the ranks of educators that reject de-professionalization is growing.  I was never really aware of all of this.  I accepted the de-professionalized role when I first became a teacher.  It was only when I got connected to Twitter and reading other educators' blogs that I realized a battle was being waged to change the culture.  A great deal has happened since then and the change is clear.  Will Richardson calls for authentic, personalized, real world learning.  He is keynoting 4 of the 17 major professional development conferences being promoted by the Indiana Department of Education.  His message is not well received by traditionalists, so his mere presence is an exciting sign of change.  

How can we re-professionalize the profession?  I think we start by philosophically rejecting the conventions above--textbooks, pre-made pacing guides, workbooks, etc.  A massive gulf exists between connected and disconnected educators.  Teachers need to be connected--not just to those in our districts, but to greater world of education.  We have to be aware of the efforts to reform and deform education, so we can recognize the difference.  We need more educators, student, and parents talking about real education reform.  Teachers need to exercise their professionalism and promote positive reform--in their classroom and publicly in social media.  This is a numbers game and we need to grow our ranks.  We have to change the conversation.  What are you going to do about it? 

Changing our Thinking

The name of this blog illustrates our desire to change the education paradigm, but it begs the question of 'how'.  One way we can do that is by changing our organizational thinking, the common wisdom that drives our institutions.  Recently I read a blog called Rethinking the Idea of Focused Goals by Ryan Bretag.  The general philosophy in education is that we need to create a specific, focused plan.  Create a mission statement and stick to the plan.

The author's contention is that focused specific goals have the potential to stifle innovation and growth.  Bretag references an article about how Google thrives by being unfocused.  They don't worry about how a new idea will fit into a focused plan.  This philosophy allows them to live on the cutting edge of innovation. Bretag suggests that schools use themes, "which by their very nature encouraged “flowers to bloom” instead of establishing such rigid goals that only allowed one type of flower to grow".  What would be some productive themes from which a school should operate?  I would think innovation, authenticity, and opportunity would be wide reaching themes that would foster excellence and flexibility.

Some might argue the strict requirements and scrutiny on public schools require a focused plan.  However, I think Bretag is on to something.  This is the Digital Age.  Things are rapidly changing and schools would be better off leading the pack with innovation rather than operating from a reactionary position.  If a school is "focused" on being flexible and innovative how can they go wrong?  I think the main problem that has plagued education is that we have not been flexible and innovative.

Unpredictable Environments

One of my favorite times of the year is just around the corner.  Morel mushroom season.  For those who don't know, morel mushrooms are an elusive wild mushroom that can't be domesticated and are therefore a seasonal delicacy for those who are lucky enough to find them during their 3-4 week growth period.  The defining quirk of morels is their random growth patterns.  They tend to grow well near elm, ash, and poplar trees, but sometimes they pop up in the middle of a tree-less patch of grass or even a gravel driveway (I've seen it).  The unpredictability can make morel hunting frustrating, but it is also what makes it rewarding.  As I reflected on the nature of morels, I couldn't help but compare it to learning.

Morel growth is random, surprising, and inconsistant, and so is authentic learning.  I don't mean memorizing facts.  I mean that moment when a student makes a real, lasting connection to what he or she is learning, it clicks... an 'ah-ha' moment.  These moments are the cherished treasures of educators.  This is why we teach.  Unfortunately, these moments randomly occur in the same inconsistent fashion that morels grow.  So how do we create learning environment that increase the likelihood of these types of authentic learning moments?

While there is no good answer to making the inconsistant consistant--you have to play the odds, like hunting morels.  Since morels can grow anywhere, hunting them down can be maddening, so I play the odds by stopping at every elm, ash, and poplar tree I see as I walk through the woods.  Similarly, I try to play the odds by creating a culture of learning in my classroom with some of the following measures:

• Reward good questions, not just good answers
• Make creative, critical thinkers (students) famous by sharing their thinking with the class
• Provide multiple opportunities to show understanding--digital, physical, verbal, written, etc.  
• Be supportive, but encourage independence
• Award an informal "Genius of the Day" for good thinking
• Provide many opportunities for authentic creation rather than inauthentic regurgitation 
• Model and emphasize real learning as part of your daily language
• Develop sincere, individual relationships with students
• Get feedback from your students about your room, lessons, and class overall--let them be heard
• Have high, yet reachable expectations
• Have passion for EVERYTHING you do--if you don't have it find a new job
• Cover everything you do in a thick layer of enthusiasm--its infectious and makes everything better

I am continually surprised at the odd times that students have a moment of authentic learning, as I am surprised when I found a dozen morels growing in an empty grassy lot last year.  Both unpredictable environments can be frustrating, but also highly rewarding when you play the odds.  

ASCD Final Reflection

Its Monday night and time to wrap things up and reflect on the whole ASCD conference. Prior to the conference I shared my inclination that large expensive conferences might be an obsolete form of professional development. I always think about the scene in Goodwill Hunting where he tells the ponytailed Harvard grad-student that he 'wasted $150,000 on an education he could have got for $1.50 in late charges from the public library'. I think that situation has relevancy to the annual ASCD conference. Our district spent close to $10,000 (from a grant) on this undertaking. How many books could we have purchased? How many hours could we afford to pay our entire staff to collaborate? How many in-house training sessions could we have organized to set up each teacher with a high functioning PLN? Do large conferences like this simply subsidize teachers and administrators that are too lazy to self-direct their own professional development?  

The first half of day one was nearly a total loss partly due to the lack of organization, my mistakes, and poor presentation skills. If WiFi is down for more than 30 minutes someone should be fired. After we went without an Internet connection for half of the first day I was jaded. The long line to "register" was another immediate sign of disorganization.  I should give them more credit I guess.  There was 10,400 people attending over 400 sessions and it went pretty smooth.  I pulled an arrogant, idiot move by leaving during the introduction of the first keynote speaker Freeman Hrobowski because I thought the guy introducing him was Hrobowski--who I knew little about until I read about him that night. The introducer called a hashtag a “pound sign” and my nerd hackles shot up. Shame on me. I heard Hrobowski was fantastic. 

What was not fantastic was being read to in the next session. I call for legislation against reading text from a presentation slide, enforced by corporal punishment executed by the suffering audience. The highpoint of the entire conference luckily occurred at the end of the first day, so I ended on a good note.  Will Richardson’s session From Old School to Bold School was the total package for me. He is a fantastic presenter. His message was challenging and provocative--this is the draw of a national conference for me. I want to be blown away. I don’t want an idea to refine what I’m doing, I want an idea that forces me to completely rethink everything I’m doing. I don't want to spend this kind of money for incremental professional adjustments.

The second day was very similar to the first.  There was very little that I found useful with one saving grace--Maya Angelou. It was a great honor to hear her speak. Mother Angelou is a national treasure; a "rainbow in the clouds" for us all. Most of the garbage sessions (sorry, at this point my professional filter is getting thin) were about Common Core--they were sooooo boring. Mind numbing may be a better description. Common Core is all over the place these days.  ASCD surely wanted to delivery sessions on hot ticket items, but engagement has to be considered.  This isn't the tax code, its education for crying out loud.

Today (day three) I got a late start, possibly due to my overall lack of enthusiasm. I missed an early shuttle and arrived late to the session, which was full. I wanted to wait around and hear Van Jones talk about a green economy and educational opportunities, but we had to meet back at the hotel by 11:00 to check out, so the day was a total loss. 

 
Despite my muckraking negativity I did enjoy the conference overall, and I deeply appreciate being included in the group from my school that was fortunate enough to attend. As I reflect I realize that the real value in this conference were the great speakers/presenters, not the content.  I think a good deal of my sour feelings stem from the fact that I was not a good attendee of ASCD.  I had overly high expectations. I chose sessions poorly and more importantly I’m a self-directed learner with a huge appetite. It sounds arrogant, but I’ve heard many of these ideas before. I’m sure many of the 10,400 attendees experienced amazing growth, but the best idea I heard all weekend came over lunch with my principal, and was completely unrelated to any session (a whole other post).  I probably learned more on Twitter and Google Reader this weekend than I did from my sessions.  Did I just waste $1,000 on an education I could have got for free at home?  In the spirit of Will Richardson's book Why School?, I think I can summarize my feelings with "Why Conference"?

ASCD Reflection Saturday Afternoon

Redemption and mistakes.  I would first like to apologize for misjudging what I thought was the keynote speaker of the First General Session.  Turns out I walked out during the speaker that introduced the keynote speaker.  I heard Freeman Hrabowski was absolutely EXCELLENT and I missed him because I walked out during the guy who introduced him.  My bad.

My day was totally redeemed by Will Richardson.  His session From Old School to Bold School was so inspiring.  He pointed out that some people attend conferences like this to make their school better and some attend to make their school different.  The difference is significant. Are you simply trying to do the same old things better?  Will explained how school began in a time of information scarcity, but we now live in a environment of information abundance.  What are schools doing differently? What should they be doing differently in an era when every answer is a click away and you don't need to go to school to learn anymore?

Ubiquitous information has allowed individuals to pursue their own interests.  As our society becomes more self organized rather than institutionally organized, so too should our education.  Richardson gave 9 Qualities of a Bold School:

• Learning centered
• Inquiry driven
• Authentic work
• Digital
• Connected
• Literate
• Transparent
• Innovative 
• Provocative

My spirits are lifted and I'm looking forward to Sunday's sessions.  Some of my original feelings are being solidified,  but I want to keep an open mind and give ASCD a change.  More to come.

What is 1:1? Part Two

I still encounter educators who aren't familiar with the term 1:1, and thats understandable.  We lead busy lives and its hard to keep up in the rapidly changing world of education.  I see it as a failure of the general institution of education, not a failure of the individual.  For those who don't know or haven't experienced 1:1, lets talk about what it isn't (or shouldn't be):

• 1:1 is not just giving every kid a computer
• 1:1 is not just a method of increasing technology integration
• 1:1 is not just a way to save paper
• 1:1 is not a fad

Education has been stagnate for so long.  Its an institution that has proven difficult to disrupt.  Introducing a 1:1 initiative to an unchanging institution will produce the same results.  You have to change the institution.  You have to change the entire culture of your school. 

What is 1:1?  Its a springboard; a legitimate catalyst for big change.  Pedagogy, assessment, daily schedule, length of the day, faculty meetings, course offerings, community involvement, professional development--every aspect of education can be revolutionized by 1:1, and its a good excuse to start a long overdue change.  Obviously, all of these changes can't come at the same time, but a committee of stakeholders including teachers, students, parents, and administrators need to sit down, put everything on the table, and create a strategic plan to revolutionize and modernize their school.  

What other opportunity will schools have to make big changes?  I blogged about Greensburg Kansas who suffered an F5 tornado that destroyed their entire town.  They decided to rebuild a modern energy efficient town where every building would receive the highest rating (platinum) from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.  Its not complete yet, but they have a plan, and they had a springboard.  1:1 is your springboard.  Don't you want to have one of the schools that people talk about at TED?  Why not your school? What are you waiting for?  A tornado? 

Student Engagement and the School Cliff

Recently Gallup released some polling data concerning student engagement.  They also offered some commentary to help explain what they call, "The School Cliff".  I think anyone who has worked in education has observed this sad phenomenon.  What is mainstream education willing to do about it?

Gallop suggests more project-based learning, alternate paths for student who are not college bound, and making high school more like elementary.  I think thats pretty good advice.

One of the major obstacles to making those changes is the antiquated assessment methods that measure "student learning" and often affect teacher pay.  Teachers receive mixed messages of changing teaching methods and raising test scores.

If we would seriously address the issue of student engagement many of the other factors such as socioeconomic status would be mitigated.  Many of us throw caution to the wind and take the plunge into authentic learning and assessment and let the test scores fall where they may.  However, we will never see widespread changes until we free teachers from the shackles of standardized test pressure.

5 Characteristics of a Change Agent [Amended]

The following blog post is by George Couros.  He writes on his blog The Principal of Change.  Its fantastic and I wanted to share some excerpts of a recent post that really hit home for me.  Its about Change Agents.

5 Characteristics of a Change Agent: "In my work through school and organization visits, I have been fascinated to see the correlation between the speed of change and an individual who is “leading” the charge.  The schools that have someone (or a group of people) helping to push the boundaries of what can be done in schools seem to move a lot quicker with a larger amount of “buy-in” through the process..."
"Below is a list of what I have seen consistently."
1.  Clear Vision – As mentioned above, a “change agent” does not have to be the person in authority, but they do however have to have a clear vision and be able to communicate that clearly with others... It is essential to note that a clear vision does not mean that there is one way to do things...
2. Patient yet persistent – To have sustainable change that is meaningful to people, it is something that they will have to embrace and see importance.  Most people need to experience something before they really understand that, and that is especially true in schools... change agents just help to make sure that people are moving ahead.
3. Asks tough questions – It would be easy for someone to come in and tell you how things should be, but again that is someone else’s solution... Asking questions focusing on, “What is best for kids?”, and helping people come to their own conclusions based on their experience is when you will see people have ownership in what they are doing.  Keep asking questions to help people think, don’t alleviate that by telling them what to do.
4.  Knowledgeable and leads by example – Stephen Covey talked about the notion that leaders have “character and credibility”; they are not just seen as good people but that they are also knowledgeable in what they are speaking about...  If you want to create “change”, you have to not only be able to articulate what that looks like, but show it to others...
5. Strong relationships built on trust – All of the above, means nothing if you do not have solid relationships with the people that you serve.  People will not want to grow if they do not trust the person that is pushing the change...
"...positive change is not reserved to be the responsibility of any position... I can think of many people that I have encountered who have helped pushed their organizations ahead that have no formal “authority” over any individual... some of them do it in spite of their principal or superintendent and often feel that they are in constant conflict..."

I was part of a group of people who brought major changes to my school district.  We implemented a 1 to 1 program in grades 4-12 and are working to change instruction and assessment across the board, while maintaining rigor and expanding opportunities for students.  This would have never happened were it not for the change agents within our school.  The list provided by George Couros is excellent, but I would like to offer a few amendments.

6. Willing to challenge conventional thinking -- Change can never happen unless we have someone who is willing to think outside conventional wisdom.  This goes with 'asking tough questions', but the difference is important.  Traditions must be challenged, routines should be questioned.  Are we doing this, because it is what is best for kids in this day and age or because this is the way we have always done it?  I say question everything.  Often change means glueing a new idea to an old one, but rarely do we evaluate the entire substructure and foundation and consider rebuilding from ground zero.
7. Draws knowledge from a diverse PLN -- I don't know how an agent of change could have the knowledge and inspiration without being plugged into multiple social networks that help them maintain a diverse professional learning network.  A PLN dramatically expands the vistas of possibility.  My list of blogs in Reader, Twitter community, and other smaller communities in other social networks inspire and motivate me daily, e.g., George Couros.
8. Works overtime -- Change agents don't work from 8-3.  They are driven by passion, and that often means they never "stop working".  They reflect on their lessons all day, they think of new class activities at home, they listen to education podcasts when they have time, they participate in Twitter chats, they answer emails until they go to bed, they "talk shop" with teachers and non-teachers, and they read.  They read a lot.  Change never comes easy, and it will never happen during school hours only.

What else can we add it this list?

Campaign of Kindness Part 2

I feel obligated to give an update on our Campaign of Kindness at Wabash Middle School (Indiana).   The obligation comes from the outpouring of positive feedback and comments on my original blog post on behalf of the students' acts of kindness and the continued efforts of this anonymous group of students who have lifted the spirits of their fellow students.  The group now goes by what has become a mysterious name here at Wabash--"S. KMMA".  Student are talking about it and trying to figure out the meaning.

Recently, S. KMMA has setup a Google+ account.  They regularly make positive general comments to fellow students and they also target random students with personalized compliments about their school work, cloths, or good attitude.  Last week they bought about 375 pieces of gum and other candy, wrote 375 positive notes, and taped the candy and note to every student locker after everyone had left.  Unfortunately, a few students came in early and stole maybe a dozen pieces of candy.  It happened near my classroom, so I was lucky enough to hear a few students immediately offer their candy to those who had had theirs stolen.  It was a powerful moment.

S. KMMA is growing.  They have absorbed new members and are now beginning to think long-term.   How will this group survive once the current students go to high school?  They are also trying to think bigger.  How can they make a HUGE difference for student who really need it?  How can they expand out of the school?  Its all exciting, especially because this was 100% student driven.  I only report and support.  We really do have some amazing things happening at our 1 to 1 school here in the tiny town of Wabash, Indiana.

Authentic Assessment and Professional Development

I made the complete switch to authentic assessment two years ago.  Since then, I haven't given a traditional quiz or test for a grade.  My students demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating authentic projects and presenting them to an authentic audience--other teachers, community members, professionals--when time and personel allow.  Designing the projects and assessments has taken a great deal of time and effort, but my students have definitely reaped rewards of engagement and enthusiasm, as well as opportunities to build their collaboration and communication skills.  This is a tall task for many teachers.  Its hard to know where to begin on a journey to authenticity.  An article I read may supply an answer.

Recently Edutopia published a great article by Bob Lenz of Envision Schools.  Titled How Authentic Assessment Heightens Accountability in our Schools, the article explains how Envision Schools have their students create a public showcase of their work in a museum-style exhibit throughout the school.  Lenz extols authentic assessment, as opposed to traditional assessment, because it publicizes student work and by extension, teacher support.  Teachers feel the pressure of facilitating student growth that will be on public display at least twice each year.  When everything is in plain view, students and teachers both work harder to demonstrate their competencies.  Does this practice help students memorize facts and facilitate higher scores on standardized tests.  Probably not, and I'm Ok with that.  Just as I would not pander to a dictator, I won't indulge an inferior assessment model at the expense of authentic learning.

Another fantastic idea in this article is the idea of "instructional rounds".  Teachers, administrators, schoolboard members, community members, and other stakeholders...

"gather at each school in the Envision network twice a year to help each school investigate a "problem of practice." The school opens all of its classroom doors for observation from the group assembled in the morning. In the afternoon, the group works with the school to move from observations to action -- concrete next steps. Envision Academy asked the question, "How are teachers moving students towards more independent learning?"

This strikes me as a great professional development model.  When we train doctors, we don't stick them in a classroom for six years and then rush them right into surgery.  Doctors are constantly observing and evaluating their peers to learn new practices and hone their skills.  Teachers could learn a great deal from taking guided rounds through the school.  For teachers who want to learn authentic practices, observation is invaluable.  I've sat through several project-bases learning training sessions, but nothing prepares you more than experience.  I would have loved to be a fly on a wall of a few classrooms that were using project-based learning before I actually took the plunge.  The teachers being observed will also work that much harder to ensure their project goes smoothly because they are being authentically assessed by their colleagues.  This could completely change the climate of a school if exercised on a regular basis.

Assessing teachers with a one-time class visit will create a dog-and-pony show.  Using test scores and other quantitative data will encourage teachers to teach to the test.   Regular instructional rounds will create a more authentic assessment of a teacher's classroom.  The added benefit of using this a as supportive teacher observation/professional development process makes this a win, win, win.  A process is often defined by the method of assessment, so too is education.  In the famous words of Will Richardson, "if we don't assess what we value, we will only value what we assess."

A Campaign of Kindness for Education

Last week, Jason Markey's blog post inspired me to show the video below to my class.  Jason Markey is the principal of Leyden High School and also fellow 1-to-1 practitioner. The video chronicles the work of Massoud Adibpour who decided to embark on a campaign of kindness by holding uplifting signs along the streets of Washington DC. I briefly met Jason when he hosted Edcamp Chicago. You can read about Jason's planned campaign of kindness on his blog.

I showed the video to my Apache Way class, which is like a homeroom period where we usually read and write reflections on our reading.  I periodically use this time to show the class an interesting video and have them write reflections on it.  Quick sidebar: Several students have chosen to create their own blogs about various topics and I'd like to plug them: Chaney, Cody, Alexis, and Olivia are the most active bloggers in the 7th grade (that I know of).

After the class watched the fulfillment that Massoud felt and the real affect he made on people's day we discussed the video.  We talked about the power that each person has--the power to affect people's lives in a good way or bad way every day, with every interaction.  Several girls stayed after class.  They said they wanted to launch a secret campaign of kindness.  Their plan was to write hundreds of notes and slip them into random lockers.  The notes said things like, "I saw you today and you made me smile, thanks", "You are a funny person, so don't forget to laugh today", "Don't forget that there are lots of people that love you", etc. They were so excited.

The girls stayed after school on Friday to write notes for teachers.  After everyone had left, I let them in the office and they filled the mailboxes with kind words to be discovered on Monday.  I gave them my Flip camera to film their work and promised I would get some student or teacher reactions on film and put a short video together for them.  My heart was swelling with pride all day.

Imagine the exponential ripple of happiness that would tear through our nation if every school launched a campaign of kindness.  John Lennon would be proud.  #campaignofkindness

Status of Education in 2012

Technology has pushed education into a transition period on many fronts.  Our tech-based economy, ubiquitous information, the need for 21st Century skills, PLN's and the sharing of best practices, publishing to authentic audiences, and global competitiveness are just a few areas where technology has forced the education industry to question itself.  All of this questioning has led to, potentially, the most revolutionary period in public education's 100+ year history.  As in all revolutions, there are several interested groups pushing and pulling the revolution in the direction they think is best.

Generally, we have progressive education gurus such as Will Richardson, Alan November, and Sir Ken Robinson pushing school teachers and administrators toward a major paradigm shift.  On the other end legislators, politicians, and the high stakes testing industry hold school administrators and teachers accountable to standardized test scores.  The dichotomy of pushing and pulling has left teachers and administrators moving in two directions.  Teacher salaries and administrators jobs now depend on test scores, but we all nod our head in approval of people like Alfie Kohn.  We see the future, but we are still anchored to the past.

Some people feel there are not two different directions.  They would argue that progressive education will/should lead to higher test scores.  This can be argued and legitimized by data, but its new music in old ears.  I think it is safe to say the average teacher or administrator feels like they are being given opposing orders.  Mom says 'stay' and dad says 'go'.  The Google Story Builder video in this blog probably describes the general feeling across many school districts.  The polarized status of education in 2012 needs resolution.  A simple, well-framed resolution.  Opposing sides will need to come together, lest we live in pedagogical limbo, which will result in a low-profile maintenance of the status quo and continue public education's glacial slip into obsolescence.

DIY Education

I haven't cracked open a textbook in 2 years.  When I did use the textbook, I used it sparingly.  The Internet provided me with all of the content I needed to teach my 7th grade social studies class.  I would be willing to bet that ANY class's curriculum requirements could be met with FREE materials from the Internet.  I'd love to take that challenge.

Worksheets?  When I used them, I always used my own worksheets.  I don't even like to say the word. Worksheets are an artifact of an obsolete teaching method, especially in a 1 to 1, digital curriculum.  Engaging projects are easy to build and far more effective.

Most people love a good Do It Yourself project.  Why do we shy away from it in education and rely on stale, static resources (textbooks/worksheets) that everyone agrees are not best practice?  A DIY Education would be authentic, engaging, and cost effective.  A small district like mine can easily spend $90,000 on textbooks and related materials every six years.  EVERY SIX YEARS!  While we are reimbursed for that expense, the money has to come from somewhere.  It would be much better, in many ways, to pay teachers a higher salary and require them to create their own materials.  If teachers simply pass out textbooks, assign questions, grade, and repeat, we should probably be replaced by a computer program.

Middle School News Team

One of the many things I love about my school, Wabash Middle School, is that we offer something for every student.  I have never seen such a small school with so many opportunities for diverse student interests.  We offer everything from tennis to Spanish Club.  Our newest edition is the APAX News Team.  Since our school is 1 to 1 we have incredible digital potential.  We have about 20 students who do a variety of jobs.  We meet everyday in our after school Computer Club.  Some days we have several stories to cover, on slow days we just hang out and think of fun things to include in the next broadcast.  I work with another teacher-sponsor who was a journalism major at one point.  She writes or at least edits most of the script, and I handle the video editing.  We are planning to hand this off to the students eventually, but its middle school.  One the things I love about this is the diverse group of students who are involved.  We are attracting new members all the time and the APAX News Team is all the rage in Wabash.

This is a perfect example of the fantastic opportunities afforded to 1 to 1 schools.  This would be very difficult without our infusion of technology.  You can follow our broadcasts at our website found here.

Computer Club

The summer before my school went 1 to 1, we tried to prepare for any foreseeable problems our students, parents, or teachers might encounter.  One issue was Internet access. There are many in our community who suffer from unemployment or underemployment and roughly 70% of our students receive free or reduced lunch.  What are students supposed to do if they have homework and they need the Internet to complete their work?  While they likely have local hotspots, friends, or relatives who have Internet, as a school we can't ask them to "just figure it out" without a reasonable option.  My experience has been that students are efficient excuse machines, and if given any legitimacy, they, and their parents, will overrun you.

Thus, the creation of Computer Club.  Computer club is an after school, supervised place for students to  work on homework or just hangout and use the school's Internet access.  This is also a place to get help with computers.  Teachers often send student to me in Computer Club to learn how to use iMovie, iPhoto, or some web tool.  Teachers themselves regularly drop in to get tech advice or troubleshoot a problem.

To be fair, lots of kids come to Computer Club to play non-educational games like Minecraft, and hang out with their friends. However, one could argue this is a great alternative to having them walking around town getting into trouble or returning to an empty house because their parents are at work.  Last week I sat up and surveyed the kids in Computer Club.  There were several athletes using it as a pre-practice study hall, there were 2 kids discussing their new blog and how to promote it, our APAX News Team was planning their next broadcast, about 12 hardcore Minecraft builders hunched over their computer, and another 6 or 7 kids floating from group to group socializing and casually working on homework.  It was exciting to see kids engaged in what they were doing and having fun in school.  Computer Club has been an integral part of our 1:1 plan, it has also become a time for clubs to assemble like APAX News Team and the new upstart SWAT Team (Students Working to Assist Technology).  Great things are happening in little Wabash, Indiana, and like our announcements regularly say, "its a great day to be an Apache".