Collective Commitments to Grow & Learn

In the hustle and bustle of the opening week of the school year there are so many important tasks to complete, meetings to participate in, and preparations to be made for our students who will soon arrive.  One of the most important things educators can do during this important week is to craft professional goals for the new school year.  At Dobyns-Bennett we have our teachers create two profession goals for themselves- an instructional goal and a professional learning goal.

The instructional goal is intended to bring focus to a particular strategy or best practice that will improve student learning in the classroom.  Teachers select goals that challenge them to refine their practices in providing responsive feedback to student writing, develop remediation and enrichment tasks in response to student needs, and design inquiry-based discussion opportunities, to name a few examples.

The professional learning goal sets a focus for what the teacher will do to grow as a learner throughout the school year.  Teachers choose to focus on researching and implementing blended learning approaches to instruction, delving into professional reading on educational topics, and researching, reflecting, and experimenting with standards-based grading practices.

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I shared my professional learning goals with the teachers and asked them to craft their two goals in our opening department meeting earlier this week.

Beth’s Professional Learning Goals for 2016-2017:

• I commit to being in classrooms daily to grow as an instructional leader.
• I commit to providing actionable feedback to teachers for all formal evaluations through a reflective process that begins prior to the post conference.

This year I am committing to daily classroom walkthroughs, even if it’s just for 20 minutes a day.  I know that there will be days where this is difficult to achieve, but I’m planning to make it my MIT (Most Improtant Task) of the day.  Being surrounded by the rich discussions and learning connections happening in the classroom is vital to my growth as an instructional leader.  I also think the teachers will become much more comfortable with my presence for formal evaluations if my presence is a more regular routine than in previous years.  For more details on MIT, check out Daniel Pink’s Pinkcast.

I am also exploring methods for providing better feedback to my teachers following their formal evaluations.  I recently picked up a strategy from some of the elementary principals in my district and I plan to implement this practice in the coming year.  I will be sharing reflective questions for the teachers to consider and develop responses to prior to their scheduled post conferences with me.  I may share an article or video along with the questions that will provide a focus for the refinement area we will discuss in the conference.  I’m hoping this will be an effective tool for making the evaluation experience even more meaningful for teachers and for myself as an instructional leader.

It is important for us to come back to our goals throughout the year in self-reflection and in team discussions.  Students need to see that we value learning and are continuing to learn from one another on a daily basis.  I think it would be incredible to see our teachers sharing their learning goals with students to promote a culture of committed learners of all ages throughout our school.  When we all come together with a collective commitment to grow and learn as educators we will truly see the payoff in the growth and learning of our students throughout the year.  Here’s to an amazing beginning to our new school year!

Cultivating Persistent Learners

This summer we’ve watched a lot of Disney’s Zootopia at my house.  Every time I watch it with my boys I come away with a new insight into how the themes of this film can apply to a variety of social issues that are currently relevant in our world.  I have also made some connections to education and since that’s the lens of my blog I’m going to focus on my insights in that regard.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie involves Judy Hopps, new police officer in the city of Zootopia.  Against all odds, Judy, a bunny from the country, graduated in the top of her police academy class and is ready to take on the world in the big city of Zootopia.  In her first day on the job her police chief assigns her to parking duty, much to her disappointment.  Judy tries to remind the chief about her qualifications and asks for a case of her own, but is told that she must fulfill her assigned duties, which includes writing 100 parking tickets by the end of the day.  Rather than being discouraged, Judy responds, “100 tickets?  I’m going to write 200 tickets before noon!”  I love Judy’s persistence and positive outlook in the face of disappointment.  Judy is unrelenting in her determination to do her very best work, even though it’s not her ideal job assignment.  Persistence is most definitely something we need to cultivate in the classroom with our students and in our daily work as educators.

How many times have we as adults been given a less than ideal situation to tackle or an assignment at work that is not so thrilling, at least at first glance?  I know we’ve all been there.  It’s how we move forward from those moments and use them as growth opportunities that reveals our ability to persist through anything life throws our way.  How do we teach this type of persistence and resilience in schools?  It starts with educators teaching and leading by example.  Students are observing our interactions with one another, how we navigate daily obstacles, and most certainly our outlook on learning through life.  It is critical that we model resilience and tenacity of spirit in the pursuit of our own personal and professional goals so that we can best inspire our students to pursue their goals for the future.

Daily encouragement also bolsters persistence in our students.  They need to receive feedback from us as they are navigating new learning and need to be recognized for their progress toward learning goals.  Educators need to celebrate the small steps, the individual growth that is happening all around them.  We must be champions for the success of all our students and be unrelenting in our pursuit of learning for all.  When students see and hear that we believe they can meet high expectations, they will fulfill our expectations and exceed them.

It’s really a matter of being intentional in all communications with students and being cognizant of the impact we can have on the mindsets of our students.  Our teaching should cultivate curiosity and a passion for creativity and problem-solving within our students.  We need to relentlessly pursue the planning and implementation of learning opportunities that captivate students and allow them to captivate us through their growth and new ways of thinking.  Persistent teaching cultivates persistent learners.

 

 

 

Learning from our New Teachers

For the past five years, I’ve had the privilege of leading our new teachers through professional learning in their first year at our school.  This is probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of my work as I am incredibly inspired by the infectious passion and enthusiasm new teachers radiate.  It is also one of the most important aspects of the work of the school as a whole, as the development of our teachers directly affects the learning of our students.  New teachers come to the profession with an energy that exudes positive expectations for their students and a zealous passion for learning.  In much the same way that a new school year brings revitalization and revival for me, so too my work with the new teachers prior to the school year brings its own elements of renewal for the upcoming year.

The program I design for our new teachers has varied over the years as I’ve tried various models, but my goal remains constant.  I want to provide our new teachers with a supportive community of learners who are committed to growing and learning from one another as we facilitate growth and learning for our students.  Last year’s new teacher PLC was built around a blended approach to professional learning.  We spent time meeting in person to discuss relevant topics and learn from experts, while also participating in online discussions of the two books we read as a group.  Last year we read Todd Whitaker’s What Great Teachers Do Differently and Carol Dweck’s Mindset.  The online component allows for greater flexibility  so that teachers can participate at a time that works for their various schedules.  This also resulted in evidence of deeper thinking and discussion than I have seen in years previous when we discussed the books solely in face to face meetings.  I’m planning to continue this model in the upcoming school year with some slight variations based on feedback and my own observations.

One of the most important aspects of my work with new teachers is the selection of mentor teachers.  The mentoring relationship is crucial for providing the new teachers with valuable learning from experienced teachers.  It is critical that I select mentors who embody a growth mindset in their teaching and in the expectations they hold for students.  I also consider their commitment to continuous improvement and reflective practice as these are two important aspects of the teaching profession.  Ultimately, I try to pair new teachers with mentors who will foster a collaborative relationship that results in learning and growth for both the new teacher and experienced teacher.

New teachers, whether new to the profession or just new to our school, bring fresh perspectives and diverse experiences that enhance the culture of teaching and learning within our school.  It is imperative that we build upon the strengths of our new teachers and support their professional growth during those first critical years of their careers.  A growth minded approach that values the contributions of both experienced and new teachers will ensure that all participants come away from the experience with  positive takeaways.  We must capitalize on the energy and passion of our new teachers and provide support, engage all teachers in growth opportunities, and foster collaboration from the very first moment.  An investment in quality new teacher mentoring is an investment in the learning of our students.

Embracing the Innovator’s Mindset

Of all the professional reading I’ve delved into this summer, none have impacted my thinking as much as George Couros’ The Innovator’s Mindset.   Couros’ work has an incredible number of takeaways, but I want to focus on my top three insights from the book.  Before I delve into those, let’s examine Couros’ definition of an innovator’s mindset.  Couros builds upon Carol Dweck’s growth mindset (the belief that abilities, intelligence, and talent can be developed) and asserts that the innovator’s mindset is “the belief that the abilities, intelligence, and talents are developed so that they lead to the creation of new and better ideas.” School leaders must endeavor to foster a school culture that serves as a springboard for innovative thinking and invigorates the minds of all stakeholders to create ideas, connect to the ideas of others, and improve on the ideas of others.

 The three most powerful ideas of The Innovator’s Mindset that resonate with me are:

• Connection- to students, other educators, to learning
• Empowered Learners
• Learner is Driver, Technology is Accelerator

We are presently living in a connection economy in which our connections to others and connections to ideas are interwoven throughout our daily lives.  One of the most powerful assertions in Couros’ work is, “If we want meaningful change, we have to make a connection to the heart before we can make a connection to the mind.”  Wow!  We know that students are profoundly influenced by the positive interactions they have with us and we know how important it is that we take that knowledge to heart, but how often do we really remind ourselves of the monumental impact our relationship building is on all aspects of our work as educators?

School culture has an incredible influence on the ability of educators to engage students in innovative learning opportunities and encourage them to become innovators themselves.  We must work to foster a spirit of collaboration among our leaders, teachers, and staff members so that our students have a model for their own collaborative work.  The school community must be supportive and nurturing for all stakeholders to provide an optimal environment for innovative thinking to thrive and expand.

A key component of this community is the shared belief that individual growth leads to collective growth.  Couros contends that, “effective leadership in education is not about moving everyone from one standardized point to the next but moving individuals from their point “A” to their point “B.”   Leaders must meet teachers where they are and likewise, teachers must do the same for their students.  When we make demands of our teachers that can be overwhelming for some, they may be more apt to cling to the “old way” of doing things or to that which is familiar.  However, if we come alongside them and seek to personalize an approach that is manageable for where they are in their thinking, the results will be positive for all involved.  The same is true for students.  Incremental, personalized growth is empowering.

Another key takeaway for me is Couros’ discussion of empowered learners versus engaged learners.  Educators often talk about the need to develop instruction that engages students in meaningful learning opportunities.  Though engagement is a huge piece of the work we do, we should put our focus on developing instruction that empowers our students.  Couros cites Bill Ferriter’s definitions of engagement and empowerment in his book.  Ferriter indicates that, “Engaging students means getting kids excited about our content, interests, and curricula.”  While empowering students “means giving kids the knowledge and skills to pursue their passions, interests and future.”

We must spend time getting to know our students’ strengths and tailoring instructional tasks that allow them to thrive while challenging them to higher standards.  We must also ensure that we are connecting with students as individuals and empowering them to become passionate learners. Our students must be able to make meaning, construct, and create learning.  To engage and empower our students to become innovators we must provide them with rigorous instructional tasks that require evaluation and creation.  Couros identifies eight things to look for in today’s classrooms to promote a vision for innovation.  Today’s classrooms should be learner focused, providing students with voice, choice, time for reflection, opportunities for innovation, critical thinking tasks, problem solving tasks, self-assessment, and opportunities to connect their learning with real world application.

My third powerful takeaway from The Innovator’s Mindset is the notion that “learners are the driver and technology is the accelerator.”  Sometimes we can be tempted to incorporate technology simply for the sake of being tech-integrated.  We need to intentionally embed technology in meaningful ways so that student learning is maximized.  According to Couros, when considering a new technology resource or instructional practice that utilizes technology or in the development of instructional technology policies, we should ask ourselves the following questions.  What is best for kids?  How does this improve learning?  If we were to do______, what is the balance of risk vs. reward?  Is this serving the few or the majority?

Couros’ work is full of many other rich ideas that I plan to further explore and experiment with in the coming school year.  His ideas resonate with me and challenge me to become a leader who embodies the innovator’s mindset and most importantly, empowers students to become passionate learners.  You can learn more about George Couros and his work here: George Couros’ Blog

Twitter: A Platform for PL

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been intentionally trying to soak up as much professional learning as I can from Twitter.  My focus is now shifting to that of a contributor of ideas as I’m becoming more comfortable with putting my thoughts out there for the world to see.  If I had to sum up the benefits of Twitter in one word, it would be CONNECTION.

Just this morning as I spent about ten minutes perusing my Twitter feed I came across a tweet from a director of professional learning for a district in a neighboring state, whom I had the privilege of meeting this year at the annual conference of the Institute for Learning.  He retweeted the tweet of one of his district’s principals who was sharing her experiences in transitioning her school to a 1:1 digital learning environment over the past school year.  I then viewed her social media story on Storify to learn about this digital learning transition in her school.  In the span of about five minutes I was able to gain tremendous insights into how this initiative unfolded and started thinking about how I could use Storify to share ideas, student learning, etc. in my own school.  Thus, I gained content and also a different approach to presenting content in the few minutes I took to follow the link in my new friend’s tweet. Connections… starting with an in-person connection at a conference and continuing through connected learning via Twitter that begets even more connections to other educators.

One method for connecting to professional learning through Twitter is by following prominent educational authors and thinkers.  When I start a new book I always look to see if the author has a Twitter presence.  Following authors allows you to see more of their thinking through their tweets and gives you access to others with which to connect as you can see who they are following.  It’s also rather exciting to tweet your thoughts about the book and tag the author by including their Twitter handle in the tweet.  You may get a reply or a retweet and trust me, it’s rather thrilling!

One of the most powerful methods of connection for educators through Twitter is through the variety of Twitter chats tailored to content areas, specific educator groups, and special topics in education.  I spend most of my time with #satchat, which is a network specifically dedicated to educational leaders (principals, assistant principals, district leaders, and teacher leaders) that convenes on Saturday mornings at 7:30.  The beauty of the Twitter chat is that you can participate in real time or check in when you have time by searching for the tweets associated with the hashtag assigned to the chat.  I recently discovered a chat for new teachers (#ntchat) and plan to explore this one further to share with the new teachers at my school.  To further dive into the variety of Twitter chats available for educators, check out the following link.  Twitter Chats & Hashtags for Teachers

As you begin to explore the opportunities available through Twitter chats keep in mind that you don’t always have to engage in the discussion to glean benefits from the learning.  If you’re more comfortable as a “lurker” you will still be able to soak up tons of information and new ideas to take back to your colleagues.  I encourage you to begin with small steps and then venture out to become a full participant in a chat that interests you.  Oftentimes, the moderators of the various chats will designate certain topics for discussion and publish those in advance to give participants the time necessary to come to the table with their own perspectives and insights.  Start by following a chat as a lurker and then when you see an upcoming topic that you can contribute to, jump into the conversation and start building those connections.

As you begin to tweet, retweet, like, and participate in Twitter chats you will find that your professional learning network will organically expand.  Participants in Twitter chats will reach out to you by following you, retweeting your tweets, and responding to your tweets.  For example, a couple of years ago I connected with a principal through #satchat who started a Twitter trend for educators called #CelebrateMonday.  He encourages educators to tweet about the positive things that are happening in their schools on Monday, so that we can transform the first day of the work/school week into a positive learning experience for our students.  Mr. Gaillard is great about responding and retweeting all #CelebrateMonday tweets.  What a great way to connect with other educators and illuminate the amazing things happening in our schools!

 

The connection possibilities afforded by Twitter are endless.  Educators can connect with each other to share new learning, innovative ideas, and positive student learning experiences.  I encourage you to join me in continuing to learn and explore through Twitter and most importantly… make connections.  Happy tweeting!

-Beth