WILL #14

What I Learned Lately (WILL 13/14 #14) by by Dr. Josh Garcia

1/24/2014
“I am, because of you - ubuntu”

Recently, I have been fascinated with the criticism that our society continues to embrace, not only in public education but in every aspect of our culture.  Rather than recognize ideas are better than what we currently have, we have become quick to minimize efforts because they are not good “enough” or the “right one”.  Additionally, there is the “credit vampires”, those who want credit for an idea or effort to ensure others don’t receive the attention for their contributions.  Like piranhas feeding, the negative energy can get violent.

As I have stopped to reflect, I have noticed that many of the criticisms come from a small number of very vocal individuals and that the vast majority of people are truly trying to just keep out of the feeding frenzy.  I fear this culture is paralyzing our innovation.  Many of you may have played the game “whack a mole”.  It is game where the contestant has a big hammer and tries to smack a small mole popping out of various holes.  After a few seconds, the mole goes faster and faster.  As the game progresses, more moles begin to pop out and it is impossible to hit them all.  The mole and

the hammer are entangled in a relationship.  Is there hammer because there is a need to smash the mole or is there a mole because there is a need to “brake” the hammer?

This past few week I stopped, reflected and examined a few leaders that I have respected and few others that have thrust themselves into the spot light recently.  I examined what they taught me, what they say daily and why they keep popping up.  Many of them have been called innovators at some point and at other points they been called trouble makers.  Here is what I have learned from them.

1. Never lose your identity, yet accept responsibility for the unintentional consequences of your actions.
2. Always be intentional, through the brightest and darkest hours.
3. Be humble when needed, but be clear about what you are humbled by.
4. Your actions speak louder than your words.
5. Integrity is a badge earned though your clarity, not something that can be bestowed upon you.
6. Empathy is a way of life not a moment in time.
7. Courage comes through thoughtful and rigorous training and strategy.  When the time is needed to display courage, it is the difference between reckless and responsibility.

There are many days, where I few like the mole.  I think many of our students and staff members feel the same.  This week it finally hit me, at some point the person with the hammer runs out of tokens, gets too tired and or loses interest.  The hammer never truly wins.  Yesterday, I saw the mole as the victim, today I see the mole as the innovator, relentlessly popping up.  The mole knows that the longer the game goes on, the more moles will join in.  I know life is more than a game, yet today I hope more moles will begin to pop up on behalf of our students.  Today, I am a mole because there is still a hammer…

Finally from Francis William Bourdillion,
The Night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
With the dying sun.

The Mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done

Get in the Boat, Not on the Bus

When I started teaching, I was often frustrated when students fell behind. We would be moving ahead as a class and invariably a student would tell me we were moving too quickly, or that they had missed something, or that they were absent for some reason that I deemed unimportant and needed to be caught up. I would tell them that the class had goals to meet, standards to teach, or an advanced placement test to prepare for and that we could not make an exception for them. I then reminded them that I had a responsibility to all of the other students to keep things moving forward and it was not fair to the other students to slow down. I would often close my response by telling them that, “the bus is rolling and not going to stop. You need to get on or you will be left behind.”

While I still have students falling behind, I have changed my outlook about what that means for the students and myself over the years. I have read too many articles, seen to many presentations and heard too many lectures not to recognize the critical importance of my classes for my students. With many of my students, the class is not a bus to get on or get off. For many of them, school is their best or only hope. Education is the only way they are going to change their station in life. There is not another bus coming along in thirty minutes to pick them up. Missing the bus is not simply an inconvenience, a slight change in the plans of their day, but rather it is life altering, and most likely for the worst.

With this in mind, my perspective has changed and instead of a bus, I have instead begun to see my class as a lifeboat. If the students miss the boat, there is not another one coming along to save them. They can tread water for only so long until it becomes hopeless and many of them simply give up. If they are not getting into the boat, they are going to be lost at sea.

This new perspective has not changed the sense of urgency, but it has changed what I feel is the most urgent need of my classes. Before I felt the pressure to keep up the pace and push ahead out of fear of falling behind. This concern was mostly about myself and my own abilities as a teacher. Now I feel the pressure to help the students, out of fear of them falling too far behind. Instead of believing that if they miss out in my class, they will be picked up later, I try to help them believing they have no other chance. This concern is now about the students and my concerns have faded into the background. This has been much more challenging, and required much more work on my part, but it has to be done. When students do not get on the bus all they lose is time. When students do not get in the boat, they lose their lives. It is hard for me to not justify the extra investment if I know that I am their best hope for survival.

Changing from a get on the bus mentality to a get in the boat mentality means changing what the most important thing in the classroom is. In a get on the bus mentality, the schedule, drives the classroom. When we think about a bus, the most important thing is the schedule. The bus has to run on time so that it can get all of its passengers where they need to go. A bus is transportation to get you from point A to point B. Classrooms that function this way are focused on the teacher and the teacher not wanting to fall behind. In the get in the boat mentality, it is about the student.  A lifeboat is about saving lives and getting people out of the water. Its only purpose is to help. The focus becomes helping the students. It becomes student centered and student driven because the goal is helping students not maintaining a schedule.

As a leader, I continue to push others to think about getting in the boat and not on the bus. As my district has included more students into its advanced classes, I have had to try and encourage more colleagues to think this way. While some grow frustrated with those who refuse to get on, with the students who cannot keep up with the pace, I try to remind them that there is no other bus coming along. I ask them to think of their classes like a lifeboat and look at their students. If a student fall behind and we do not try and help them, we are throwing them overboard. While we can accept missing the bus, because another is coming along, we cannot accept missing the boat, because their is no regular schedule of lifeboats.They are either with you or they are with no one. Get them in the boat.

If you are interested in more posts from John, follow him on twitter @jhhines57. Be prepared for education mixed with PNW love. Go Hawks! Cross posted from: http://edge.ascd.org/_Get-in-the-Boat-Not-on-the-Bus/blog/6561686/127586.html

WILL #13

What I Learned Lately (WILL 13/14 #13) by by Dr. Josh Garcia

1/17/2014

“Afraid To Look into the Mirror”

As we enter a new year, many of us set new goals, establish new commitments and or renew old ones.  Often, I am asked what my resolution is for the New Year.  In the past few weeks, I have been struggling with establishing a “new” goal or a new way.  I have been struggling so much that I have not really been able look into the mirror or write about what I have learned.  I have been afraid to be honest with myself: what I have I done for our students; what have I not done for our students; why have I chosen not to do these things; what is my plan to actually act on the data that I have?  Each day, I make a decision on how much of “me” that I will bring out of the car to our shared work.  This decision is often based not only on my ability to examine the issue/s but also what is my plan to act, review, and respond and then act again.

I have learned that getting clear with our expectations, commitments and results is courageous work.  I know “hope” is not a strategy, but I often hope I have the courage to be the best “me”.  I hope that I will bring enough of “me” out of the car to be honest with myself and others about our shared results.  I hope that I can be clear enough to communicate that there is not “a single plan” that is the right answer, but there better be at least “a” plan.  We should be able to articulate our plan to improve our student outcomes with confidence and trust.  In previous learnings my “dream” has remained steadfast – each child, every day - safe, healthy, supported, engaged and challenged.  My relentless effort to work side by side with you on behalf of our students has grown even stronger.  We don’t need a new plan, we just need to be relentless at being a better “us”.  We must have the courage to not leave any of “us” in the car.  We must be honest about our results and be committed to act upon our data.  We must do this not only for our students and colleagues, but also for ourselves.

Finally from Jack Paar,

Looking back, my life seems like one long obstacle race, with me as the chief obstacle

Cross-posted from: http://edge.ascd.org/_What-I-Learned-Lately-WILL-131413/blog/6561506/127586.html

Optimizing Learning for the Long Run

People say that life is like a marathon, not a sprint. I believe a students' pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education is similar—it's a marathon, not a sprint. As students evolve during their educational careers, they are taught to leverage strengths, use specific strategies that often lead to success, and internalize their learning.

One thing I've learned about marathons is that, while every participant aims for the finish line, participants use different approaches, paces, and supports. Similarly, all students in preK–12 systems are aiming toward the finish line of graduating high school college-ready. In order to make the marathon of preK–12 education a success for each student, systems that support personalized learning are essential within today's learning landscape. Personalized, competency-based learning environments allow students to learn different strategies for success, transition between walking and running as appropriate, and leverage various tools that help them internalize learning.

History repeats itself. While there may not be a study that mirrors the personalized learning system you're considering, there are identifiable trends found in studies related to implementing systemic change, competency-based learning, and innovative reform.

I've learned that, in order to most effectively support personalized learning opportunities, leaders need to take a systemic approach that honors past research. Here is an infographic (best viewed in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox) that compiles trends from years of research and my experiences with schools and districts around systemic change.

Cross-posted from http://www.wholechildeducation.org/blog/optimizing-learning-for-the-long-run by @HannahGbenro

Always Watching!

Not to sound creepy, but I’m a people watcher.  I watch people – what they do, how they act and react, how they communicate.  I listen to people – what they say and how they say it.  I draw conclusions about people based on these observations.  It’s human nature to not only draw conclusions about a person’s preferences, aspirations, and background, but also his or her values.  Even others’ perceptions of what we believe as leaders is something that is piecemealed together by a series of snapshots in time taken through the lenses of others.  People create their image of us, who we are, and what we hold dear based on their limited or vast observations of our actions.    This can be a terrifying reality for school leaders.

As a young administrator, I prided myself in the fact that I became a principal at a young age.  In most situations, I presented myself as a competent, charismatic, aspiring leader.  Soon after taking my first principalship, I engaged in the reflective process of completing one of those surveys where different groups rate your leadership skills.  Knowing that I’m not perfect, I expected areas of needed improvement and areas of strength to magically surface and for these areas to be consistent between all groups surveyed – teachers, principal colleagues, and district office.  There were a lot of consistent scores, but there was an overwhelming pattern of unflattering comments from my new principal colleagues.  Terms like “ladder climber” and “arrogant,” combined with comments like “just wants to go to the next level” permeated the page representing the perceptions of my colleagues.  Was I upset?  Of course.  Have I gotten over the comments, now 7 years later? Of course not.  Did I and do I continue to reflect on my actions and statements that potentially helped others create this vision of me as a professional?  Yup.   

While these comments struck a chord with me and I have never forgotten them, I continue to grow and develop from them.  Most recently, I’ve caught myself questioning and jumping to conclusions about the values of others.  No matter how transparent we are as leaders about what we believe, what we prioritize, what we value, our every action is under the microscope of others.  What this means is that even the small things matter.  Even the smallest thing we do or say can completely “undo” what we want and work diligently for others to believe and know about us.    

I used to believe that transparency was the key to success in leadership.  Even with high levels of transparency, leaders can still lose the trust of their staff, create poor climates for teachers and students.  Successful leaders also are self-aware, constantly making sure that their true values shine through every action and word. Successful leaders also practice humility, openly acknowledging when mistakes are made and what was learned from them. 

We are all people watchers, and not necessarily the creepy kind.  We watch because it helps us understand what others believe and value.  We sometimes draw presumptuous conclusions based on insufficient evidence.  This reality is a great reminder for all of us, especially those in leadership positions where the spotlight shines frequently – whether we want it to or not.     

Binge Learning

Have you ever come up with a phrase, thought you invented it and were probably a genius, only to find out later (when you Googled it) that it had been around for years?

No?   Just me? 

Maybe it's because we are coming off the holidays....binge eating.  Maybe it's because I just - finally - got Netflix....binge watching. And maybe, it's because I am sitting at a conference, trying to assimilate a lot of information and thinking about models of learning....that I (did not) coin the phrase "BINGE LEARNING."

Everyone is on a binge these days. Look at Beyoncé. Tease an album and release a single? No! Surprise drop an entire album, releasing all the songs with accompanying videos. Binge -er.  So, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that someone beat me to this term. I found it mentioned once in 2008/9, and then much more beginning in 2013. (Remember 2013?)

Now to be clear, the metaphor does not entirely hold water, mostly due to the troublesome word learning. Whereas sitting and watching an entire season of Breaking Bad is a passive reception of one-way communication, learning is generally a different program altogether.  Just work with me here.

So, what is binge learning? What are the pros and cons?

Binge Learning:

Usually, by accessing on-demand content, a person indulges an interest in a topic and vigorously pursues it until achieving some form of mastery or another interest supersedes it. Online content is accessed to support the endeavor.
Sometimes this takes place in MOOCs - Massive Open Courses. But even those can be meted out at a pace that does not permit the rapid consumption of content that is a hallmark of binge learning.

Pros of the best versions of BL:
-Interest-based
-Just in time and on demand
-Desired level of intensity, at your pace
-Focus on singular tasking, decreases the noise of multitasking
-Less context switching, fewer task/focus shifts (ex. As in moving from class to class/ideas/subjects)
-Potential for use in formal education

-Potential for cost savings

Cons of BL:
-Purging knowledge - Decreased retention versus longer term designs
-Purging learners - high attrition, most "students" of this method do not persevere
(For example it is common for over 90% of those engaging in MOOCs to not complete the course.)
-Difficult to implement or institutionalize in the context of seat time and credit hours
-Slimmer bandwidth of content, due to interest-driven nature

When was the last time you binged on learning? (Was there a subsequent purge?)
I wonder, if positively harnessed, what kind of potential this metaphor might have when applied to formal education? Or, is it best made available only informally?

How would it look?

Think on that. I've got to go finish the last season of Game of Thrones.
-Suzann Girtz

References
1-  http://theumlaut.com/2013/03/06/binge-learning-is-online-educations-killer-app/
2-  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-gilbert/should-universities-mimic_b_3354671.html
3- https://blog.provost.georgetown.edu/mooc-morphing-binge-learning-and-whats-happenin-over-the-summer/

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Being in education, the opportunity to experience two ‘new years’ during each calendar year provides time to reflect on successes and challenges, as well as time to set goals for the coming weeks, months, and year.

The excitement of a new school year in September brings a fresh start, new classes of students, and a new promise for the next 180 days of providing a top-notch educational experience for each and every child in your classroom and school.

The most recent New Year celebration often lends itself to personal reflection and goal setting – health, organization, giving up a bad habit, saving money, etc. But the January 1^st milestone also provides the perfect opportunity for a mid-year reflection of your professional work, too.

This is my first year as an elementary principal and winter vacation has served as a check-point of reflection on accomplishments as well as goals. I have a feeling of much success in terms of staying organized and not being too overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities that come with being a building administrator. Beginning in a new job is exciting and challenging as the learning curve is steep and hundreds of hours are devoted to learning all that is involved in the new role. It can feel all-consuming but I’ve loved every minute of the job this fall.

Further personal reflection at the New Year has identified a desire for me to work on the idea of balance in the coming weeks and months – finding ways to ensure that my work-life and personal-life are both being tended to and valued.

Over the winter vacation I had lunch with a friend who is also a first year administrator. She was telling me about how her 10 year-old son serves as her ‘check-in person’ and helps her gauge the amount of time she is focusing on her work versus personal life.  When Cameron comments on how much time mom has been on her computer or that it’s 8:00pm and they haven’t had dinner yet, my friend knows it’s time to refocus and find balance.

Our conversation made me think about ways in which I could have this same kind of gauge and its importance. Beyond borrowing Cameron for a reality check now and then, I jotted down some ideas on my phone that I’d like to try out in the coming weeks and months. Some of these include:

·         Knowing that working on the weekends is inevitable, I will provide myself a set amount of time to get work done on Saturday or Sunday and then give myself permission to stop when that time is up.

·         Identify goals each week of things I want to accomplish outside of my work-life

·         Putting after-work activities on my calendar and sticking to them the same way I do with work appointments. If it says, dinner with friends at 5:30, it happens!

·         Identify my own check-in person to help me gauge my progress toward more balance.

We all know what research says about the importance of finding a balance in the different parts of our lives – mental and physical health, reduction of stress and burn out, overall productivity, and improved work performance. Yet, the constant feeling of there is more to do can quickly overshadow what the research says. I absolutely love my job and I’m grateful every day that I get to be the principal at our school, but I have to remember that I will be an even better leader if I can work on managing the balance and nurturing of my professional and personal life.

 

What are YOUR indicators that one aspect of your life is outweighing the other?  How do you ensure your work-life/personal-life balance? Do you have a check-in person?

 

Each and every child deserves the very best of you every day… Best of luck to each of you in the new year!

The Why Question

Along with my schedule of social studies classes, I also serve as an advisor for fifteen students once a week. Through advisory I spend time looking at their grades, checking in with their lives, and mostly building relationships that are often lost between teachers and students in high school. While I love the chance to have such a close relationship with a handful of student, it seems like a week does not go by without one or more of them asking me about why they have to study this subject or another. “Why do I need to take Calculus?” or “why do I need biology when I am not going to be a biologist?” For a long time, I would simply tell them that learning math, science, English, and history were all part of what made them well rounded students, able to succeed in college and beyond. Recently, I came to a different conclusion.

With a continuing pressure from many groups to push the idea of making students successful in the 21st century employment market, to focus on STEM, and to teach classes that have a direct and measurable economic impact, social studies are often neglected. It seems as if in the short time students have in school, they could spend their time much more effectively learning computer programming, or physics, or calculus than “soft skills.” As a recent New York Times article by Gerald Howard stated:

We live in a time when college enrollment in the humanities is declining precipitously, in good part because majoring in such subjects seems unlikely to result in gainful employment in a strapped economy.

Yet the social studies themselves allow me to answer these recalcitrant students. It is the social studies that answer the why question in education. Social studies are the reason why we learn everything else in school. It is through the social studies that we learn a practical application of everything else that we study.

When we study science, we are preparing to understand the things like climate change, deforestation, and desertification that we look at human geography and current world issues courses. When we study math we are learning about principles and equations that allow us to understand government debt, economic crises, and future trade issues as they come up in world history and economics classes. When we study English and look at literature, we are gaining a deeper appreciation of the lives and views of people that we come across in our classes and the rest of our lives. While the science, math, and English courses provide the tools we need to understand our world, it is the social studies classes that provide us the laboratory space to apply them to the world around us.

Without these labs of citizenship, our students will be unprepared to lead the change that will be called for in the future. Instead of getting practical experience guided by experts deeply committed to their field, they will be set adrift in the world and need to learn fast without the resources to do so. As social studies teachers,  we must defend our work as the birthplace of citizenship.

Many people believe education must have an direct economic impact, and that there needs to be a return on investment that is clear and tangible. They focus on STEM because it will prepare students for the jobs of the future, but they neglect the fact that we will want more than just workers in the future. We live in a democracy, which requires more than just workers, it requires engaged citizens willing to take charge and lead their country forward. If we neglect to train actively engaged citizens, we will have a country of people who know how to take orders and do their jobs, but no one able to lead and question if those job should even be done. Social studies courses are where we learn to ask the questions needed to sustain democracy.

While I used to tell my advisory students that they learned math, science and English because these subjects made them well rounded students, I have now changed my response. Now, when I am asked the same question I answer, “so you can be successful in your social studies classes.”

Blog is cross posted from: http://edge.ascd.org/_The-Why-Question/blog/6560540/127586.html by +jhhines57