tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24661152314726450892024-03-13T13:05:19.478-05:00Jason Berg's Reflection on EducationJason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-87080840077568206872013-01-09T07:41:00.002-06:002013-01-09T07:41:28.984-06:00Focused Lesson StuffThe information below is based off of the work of Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, Doug Reeves and Mike Schmoker.<br />
<br />
A focused lesson needs to start with identifying the "right stuff" to teach. The right stuff is your enduring understandings or power standards. Standards are identified as enduring if they fit into one of the three categories:<br />
<ol>
<li>Endurance - knowledge beyond a single test</li>
<li>Leverage - knowledge and skills that of value in multiple disciplines</li>
<li>Readiness for next level - knowledge and skills necessary to be successful at the next level</li>
</ol>
<br />
Along with the enduring understandings students need to see and know what the learning target is for that day. They need to be clued into what they should be learning and what to look/listen for throughout the class. Students are much more likely to learn something if they know what they are supposed to be learning.<br />
<br />
The focused lesson is the beginning of the process of releasing the responsibility for learning from the teacher to the student. It is probably the most important step. The better the focused lesson the fewer students there will be that need interventions.<br />
<br />
The focused lesson is the time in class where the teacher is <u>demonstrating</u> and <u>modeling</u>, but the most important piece is that the teacher is also <strong>sharing their thinking</strong>. <strong>Transparency</strong> is critical to the focused lesson. In order for students to acquire new knowledge they need to see a <strong>more knowledgeable (expert)</strong> person using the skill or applying the strategy.<br />
<br />
<strong>Key features of focused lessons</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>It should should establish a purpose for learning - students need to understand the purpose and the goal of the instruction</li>
<li>Modeling of thinking - explaining vs. telling - expert's thinking is transparent</li>
<li>Focus of lesson should be tight and brief - less is more</li>
<li>Pay attention to your own thinking as your design your lesson - write down your think processes</li>
<li>Find your authentic voice - think like you are the expert</li>
<li>"I" statements</li>
</ul>
<strong>What focused lessons are not</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>A time when students ask questions - students should be focusing on listening to the think of the expert (the teacher) - not a time to guess what the teaching is thinking</li>
<li>A time to simply tell students things</li>
<li>A time when students simply read aloud to the rest of the class</li>
</ul>
In a math class the most common focused lesson will be modeling. Modeling is different than telling because it follows a pattern of:<br />
<ul>
<li>Name the strategy/skill</li>
<li>State the purpose of the strategy/skill</li>
<li>Explain when the strategy/skill is used</li>
<li>Link to prior knowledge</li>
<li>Demonstrate how the strategy/skill is completed</li>
<li>Alert learners about errors to avoid</li>
<li>Assess the use of the strategy/skill</li>
</ul>
Formative assessment must be part of a focused lesson. Students can turn to a partner and share/restate what they have learned, when they would use it, what to watch out for, and how to analyze it. <br />
<br />
<strong>Here are some phrases that can be used when modeling</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>When I see a . . . I remember . . . (background knowledge)</li>
<li>I have read this problem twice and I know that there is information included that I don't need.</li>
<li>This problem says . . . so I know that I'll have to . . . (selecting correct operation/function)</li>
<li>The first thing that I will do is . . . because . . . (sequencing)</li>
<li>I predict . . . because . . (estimation)</li>
<li><strong>The problem has . . . so I know . . . (reasonableness of the answer)</strong></li>
</ul>
<strong>Below are other questions that can help move students from cognition to metacognition</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>What am I trying to accomplish? Begin with the end in mind :)</li>
<li>What strategies as I using?</li>
<li>How well am I using the strategies? Monitoring. Students need to pause from time to time to see whether the strategy is working.</li>
<li>What else could I do? This helps students to think flexibly.</li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09936150198817157777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-10963156693362222852012-12-02T13:44:00.002-06:002012-12-02T13:44:47.501-06:00Tough WeekThis past week has been one of the toughest in my professional life. I was faced with a decision that was the best for me and my family, but one that I knew would create stress and anxiety for staff (and possibly students). I was offered a position as an assistant principal at the high school in the district where my family lives.<br />
<br />
The building I currently work at is one hour from my house. This new position would allow me to be closer to my family and have some flexibility in attending my children's activities during the school day. The conflict for me was the timing of the new position. I would begin within the next two weeks - so I would be leaving the staff and students in the middle of the year.<br />
<br />
The last week I have listed the pros and cons and what it really boiled down to was - what affect would this move have on my family versus the effect on staff and students? I sat down with my family last Tuesday night and we talked about the possibility of me changing jobs - this would also affect my 9th grade son since he would be in the building I would be moving into. I was a little surprised when he said it would be "cool" for me to be in his building. A little later he even asked if we could ride to school together. The solidified my decision. It was clear to me that being closer was important to my family.<br />
<br />
Now how to tell staff that I was leaving in the middle of the year. We met as at staff and I broke the news Friday morning (thank goodness this was a work day). The staff knew something was up (especially when the superintendent was there as well). I am not a big meeting guy and only meet when we need to. So when I asked them to meet they were suspicious, but I don't think they knew me leaving would be a possible topic. I broke the news and the looks on their faces broke my heart. Shock, disbelief, fear. <br />
<br />
Staff were awesome as I continued to talk about how I came about the decision to take the new position. I had always supported their family needs and they knew this would be a very positive move for my family. My main goal as an administrator was to support my staff so they could focus on student learning. As I met with staff individually throughout the day my greatest fear had come true - I could not support them through their fears of "what next." And and hated the feeling.<br />
<br />
Over the weekend I have been able to reflect on my decision and I am at peace with it. I know the staff and students will be ok because the staff are great people who focus on students. My family will be better off. <br />
<br />
Never did anyone in my building (or district) say anything to me if I needed to leave early to get back to one of my children's activities (as a matter of fact my secretary would get mad at me if she saw something on my calendar and I wasn't going to go), but I always felt guilty. What if something happened? It was my responsibility to be there and deal with it so staff could focus on student learning. This is the conflict I believe all administrators feel. I preached the importance of family with my staff - I guess this decision is me living it.<br />
<br />
I want to thank my staff for the support Friday, and want to apologize because I will not be able to help much moving forward. I know this was tough news for them because of how it will ultimately affect them. I also want to thank the other administrators and superintendent who were very supportive as well.<br />
<br />
I am sad to be closing one chapter of my administrative life - the staff, students, and families has been great to work with. At the same time, I am excited to begin the next. The next couple of weeks will be tough, but nothing compared to the last week.Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-5342067591185891392012-11-26T13:42:00.000-06:002012-11-26T13:59:50.231-06:00This is on a poster in one of our rooms<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Watch your thoughts</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>they become words</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Watch your words</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>they become actions</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Watch your actions</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>they become habits</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Watch your habits</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>they become your character</b> </span></div>
Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-50845405305323807652012-09-21T11:40:00.002-05:002012-09-21T11:40:30.062-05:00What to Trust??<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Schooling Beyond Measure</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By Alfie Kohn</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The reason that standardized-test
results tend to be so uninformative and misleading is closely related to the
reason that these tests are so popular in the first place. That, in turn, is
connected to our attraction to—and the trouble with—grades, rubrics, and
various practices commended to us as "data based."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The common denominator? Our
culture's worshipful regard for numbers. Roger Jones, a physicist, called it
"the heart of our modern idolatry ... the belief that the quantitative
description of things is paramount and even complete in itself."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Quantification can be entertaining,
of course. Readers love Top 10 lists, and our favorite parts of the news are
those with numerical components: sports, business, and weather. There's
something comforting about the simplicity of specificity. As the educator Selma
Wassermann observed, <span style="background-color: yellow;">"Numbers help to relieve the frustrations of the
unknown." If those numbers are getting larger over time, we figure we must
be making progress. Anything that resists being reduced to numerical terms, by
contrast, seems vaguely suspicious, or at least suspiciously vague.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In calling this sensibility into
question, I'm not denying that there's a place for quantification. Rather, I'm
pointing out that it doesn't always seem to know its place. If the question is
"How tall is he?," "6 foot 2" is a more useful answer than
"pretty damn tall." But what if the question were "Is that a
good city to live in?" or "How does she feel about her sister?"
or "Would you rather have your child in this teacher's classroom or that
one's?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"To be overly enamored by
numbers is to be vulnerable to their misuse."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The habit of looking for numerical
answers to just about <i>any</i> question can probably be traced back to
overlapping academic traditions like behaviorism and scientism (the belief that
all true knowledge is scientific), as well as the arrogance of economists or
statisticians who think their methods can be applied to everything in life. The
resulting overreliance on numbers is, ironically, based more on faith than on
reason. And the results can be disturbing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In education, the question "How
do we assess kids/teachers/schools?" has morphed over the years into
"How do we measure ... ?" <span style="background-color: yellow;">We've forgotten that assessment doesn't
require measurement, and, moreover, that the most valuable forms of assessment
are often qualitative (say, a narrative account of a child's progress by an
observant teacher who knows the child well), rather than quantitative (a
standardized-test score). Yet the former may well be brushed aside in favor of
the latter by people who don't even bother to ask what was on the test. It's a
number, so we sit up and pay attention. Over time, the more data we accumulate,
the less we really know.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You've heard it said that tests and
other measures are, like technology, merely neutral tools, and all that matters
is what we do with the information. Baloney. The measure affects that which is
measured. Indeed, the fact that we chose to measure in the first place carries causal
weight. His speechwriters had President George W. Bush proclaim,
"Measurement is the cornerstone of learning." What they should have
written was <span style="background-color: yellow;">"Measurement is the cornerstone of the kind of learning that
lends itself to being measured."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One example: It's easier to score a
student writer's proficiency with sentence structure than her proficiency at
evoking excitement in a reader. Thus, the introduction of a scoring device like
a rubric will likely lead to more emphasis on teaching mechanics. Either that,
or the notion of "evocative" writing will be flattened into something
that can be expressed as a numerical rating. Objectivity has a way of
objectifying. Pretty soon the question of what our whole education system ought
to be doing gives way to the question of which educational goals are easiest to
measure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'll say it again: Quantification
does have a role to play. We need to be able to count how many kids are in each
class if we want to know the effects of class size. But the effects of class
size on what? Will we look only at test scores, ignoring outcomes such as
students' enthusiasm about learning or their experience of the classroom as a
caring community?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Too much is lost to us—or warped—as
a result of our love affair with numbers. And there are other casualties as
well:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">• <i>We miss the forest while
counting the trees.</i> Rigorous ratings of how well something is being done
tend to distract us from asking whether that activity is sensible or ethical.
Dubious cultural values and belief systems are often camouflaged by numerical
precision, sometimes out to several decimal places. Stephen Jay Gould, in his
book <i>The Mismeasure of Man</i>, provided ample evidence that meretricious
findings are often produced by impressively meticulous quantifiers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">• <i>We become obsessed with
winning.</i> An infatuation with numbers not only emerges from but also
exacerbates our cultural addiction to competition. It's easier to know how many
others we've beaten, and by how much, if achievements have been quantified. But
once they're quantified, it's tempting for us to spend our time comparing and
ranking, trying to triumph over one another rather than cooperating.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">• <i><span style="background-color: yellow;">We deny our subjectivity</span>.</i>
Sometimes the exclusion of what's hard to quantify is rationalized on the
grounds that it's "merely subjective." But subjectivity isn't purged
by relying on numbers; it's just driven underground, yielding the <i>appearance</i>
of objectivity. An "86" at the top of a paper is steeped in the
teacher's subjective criteria just as much as his comments about that paper.
<span style="background-color: yellow;">Even a score on a math quiz isn't "objective": It reflects the
teacher's choices about how many and what type of questions to include, how
difficult they should be, how much each answer will count, and so on. Ditto for
standardized tests, except the people making those choices are distant and
invisible.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Subjectivity isn't a bad thing; it's
about judgment, which is a marvelous human capacity that, in the plural,
supplies the lifeblood of a democratic society. What's bad is the use of
numbers to pretend that we've eliminated it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Skepticism about—and denial
of—judgment in general is compounded these days by an institutionalized
distrust of <i>teachers'</i> judgments. Hence the tidal wave of standardized
testing in the name of "accountability." Part of the point is to
bypass the teachers and indeed to evaluate them, too. The exalted status of
numerical data also helps explain why teachers are increasingly being trained
rather than educated.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To be overly enamored of numbers is
to be vulnerable to their misuse, a timely example being the pseudoscience of
"value-added modeling" of test data, debunked by experts but
continuing to sucker the credulous. The trouble, however, isn't limited to
lying with statistics. None of these problems with quantification disappears
when no dishonesty or incompetence is involved. Likewise, better measurements
or more thoughtful criteria for rating aren't sufficient.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At the surface, yes, we're obliged
to do something about bad tests and poorly designed rubrics and meaningless
data. But what lies underneath is an irrational attachment to tests, rubrics,
and data, per se, or, more precisely, our penchant for reducing to numbers what
is distorted by that very act.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Alfie Kohn is the author of 12 books, including
The Case Against Standardized Testing (Heinemann, 2000) and The Homework Myth
(Da Capo, 2006). He lives (actually) in the Boston area and (virtually) at </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.alfiekohn.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">www.alfiekohn.org</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Our superintendent shared the above article which was published in this week's Education Week with our staff this morning. I think it makes some very interesting points - which I have highlighted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">I believe the biggest take away from this article is that there is a general distrust of teacher's judgements. Probably a bigger distrust than any other group of professionals. This is institutionalized under the mask of educational reform by "reformists" and politicians. Standardized tests and the idea of accountability have not taken the subjectivity out of education. The subjectivity has just moved to a different group - those as far away from out students as possible. If we truly want to help all students learn and achieve we need to trust and allow educators closest to the students make decisions based on what is best for their students. Until we start trusting educators again we will not be able to move forward.</span></span></span>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-49338812306939289932012-07-11T11:51:00.002-05:002012-07-11T11:51:53.735-05:00Jimmy V - Don't Ever Give Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HuoVM9nm42E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I heard this speech again as I was driving to work and it reminded me how important it is to be positive. If you have never seen or heard this it is very powerful. The video is 11 minutes long, but well worth it.Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-50194040968381358672012-06-19T11:07:00.002-05:002012-06-19T11:07:58.049-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzBqYM1Y1UUmFisEskmJItcZ7YIIi8_FuC4aqCLrrhmUPj4w2H6dMwo2M_NBS4VSNUxPRa0HdM-RWToYTGESw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
I just wanted to share the video from our Identity Day. Students took all the pictures and one of our teachers put the video together. Each person in the building (staff and students) created a project and we took time for everyone to see every project. It was very fun to see all the talents, strengths, and passions of our Lincoln community. We had over 550 projects displayed around the building!! I want to thank Chris Wejr (K-6 principal at Kent Elementary in Agassiz, BC) for sharing all his resources. It was nice to see what others had done before beginning this journey. He has a great blog - worth a look - chriswejr.com.<br />
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This day fit so nicely with our Leadership theme and our integration of Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This was another way for our students to see leadership is not a position, it is a principle.Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-57557145671786743442012-06-11T12:25:00.001-05:002012-06-11T12:25:39.405-05:00Defending American Education<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/IAivikFLJvU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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If you have not seen this video it is<b> very</b> good. Diane does a great job of dispelling myths that are used by various reform movements. There is no doubt changes need to be made to our education system. We need to make the right changes for the right reasons. Change for change's sake is a waste of energy, time, and money. </div>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-76234659399345601322012-06-05T16:19:00.003-05:002012-06-05T16:19:42.234-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYXyBobBhisZ0USGqUwSj1_HiMGEyGXC1JvJ6H2ZxFfYYtNjlM6jTHuqfu0ae0_FmnCLYxYAbUTnG2DS7J4GxPO6hZceLkcwrSac_CCJFY57nHvhGhooJaYrd6AqmGtRBySA7grdwDlg/s1600/schools+out+for+summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYXyBobBhisZ0USGqUwSj1_HiMGEyGXC1JvJ6H2ZxFfYYtNjlM6jTHuqfu0ae0_FmnCLYxYAbUTnG2DS7J4GxPO6hZceLkcwrSac_CCJFY57nHvhGhooJaYrd6AqmGtRBySA7grdwDlg/s1600/schools+out+for+summer.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
Now that school is almost out for spring here is some of the things I learned during my first year as a principal (I am sure these are similar to what others have learned, but this was good reflection);<br />
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<br />
<ol>
<li>The office staff makes the building go. I am blessed to have a great office staff that made sure I did what I was supposed to when I was supposed to do it. They provided great feedback when I had questions or ideas. The made sure I did not make any major mistakes. They handled many situations before they got to me which allowed me to focus on students. Sara, Pam, and Julie - thanks for all the help this year!!</li>
<li>Take time to be the undercover boss. I found time to help every person in the building with their job a couple different times during the year. I served lunch, cleaned lunch tables, picked up trash, filed, answer the main phone line, checked out books, cleaned bathrooms, modeled lessons, created flipped classroom lessons, and cleaned the microwave in the staff lounge to name a few of the things I helped with. If people see you willing to do what ever it is that needs to be done they are much more willing to pitch in. If you are not willing to do it then don't ask someone else to.</li>
<li> Set some parameters and then let professional make decision on the best way to get the job done. Allow people freedom to chose and take risks. Build a culture where it is ok to fail. You can learn more from making mistakes than being safe and doing the easy thing. Failure is not a bad thing. Learning lies in mistakes and misconceptions. Being not afraid to fail frees you up to take risks and try something new. Try to do something new on a regular basis.</li>
<li>Get into classrooms daily. I made it a point to get into a multiple classrooms on a daily basis. This lets you know what is going on and you can talk to students and teachers about what you saw. This is a great way to engage students in their learning and teachers in their instruction. </li>
<li>Talk to every adult in the building everyday. I stopped by and talked to every adult in the building on a daily basis - even if it is just to say hi. Great way to build relationships and find out what is really going on in the building. </li>
<li>Get out and play with the kids. School and learning is supposed to be fun - go have some fun every day.</li>
<li>Smile. A smile will change any one's mood. </li>
<li>Talk to other principals. Tap into their expertise and knowledge. </li>
<li>Don't waste people's time. Cancel meetings if there is nothing to meet about.</li>
<li>Be a great listener. Sometimes people just want to talk/vent. If there is one skill that is vital to being an effective principal it is the ability to listen.</li>
</ol>
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<br /></div>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-12074110749226114432012-05-21T11:28:00.002-05:002012-05-21T11:28:11.461-05:00Testing Season is Almost Over<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9563NLWZ3VmJKRA6Ikw7LJJMIwZqppt9XYLdGCAcShMNIhj89YaVPlEyf51Obo8ct5RIeC6L6wcHAECNJFCgqC72wtcobiqa-zhsewUPC_q6Pkwxr9lI5O3nNu-KLsZG3WPiDwZ25MLM/s1600/Testing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9563NLWZ3VmJKRA6Ikw7LJJMIwZqppt9XYLdGCAcShMNIhj89YaVPlEyf51Obo8ct5RIeC6L6wcHAECNJFCgqC72wtcobiqa-zhsewUPC_q6Pkwxr9lI5O3nNu-KLsZG3WPiDwZ25MLM/s1600/Testing.jpg" /></a></div>
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This Friday will mark the end of the testing season here at Lincoln Elementary. Since the middle of February we will have had only four weeks where our students have not had some sort of state testing. I fully understand the need for accountability and measurement of student progress, but as I see our students around the building they continually say one thing "When are we done testing?" </div>
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I want our building to be alive. I don't want our students confined to their desks or rooms. I hate the silence that the testing season brings to our halls. Our students want to be engaged and we have spent a lot of time and energy to integrate inquiry as the basis of our instruction. Our students want to ask questions and find answers to the those questions. They want to take what they have learned and apply it. Students want to move around and work with each other. Students want to talk. </div>
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The amount of testing we ask our students to do gets in the way of authentic learning. It takes the fun out of school. I am glad we are nearing the end of the testing season. We will have two weeks to light that fire again before our students take off for the summer. If we are not careful students will leave elementary school thinking school is boring and nothing but tests. If we truly want to raise achievement of all students it is simple - increase engagement. Tests are not engaging, tests are long and boring. I can't wait for the testing to be done so we can have some noise in the building - it has been too quiet for too long!!</div>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-2015744013783141652012-04-04T12:42:00.000-05:002012-04-04T12:42:00.735-05:00Create A Culture of FailureI want to create a culture of failure in the teachers and students I work with on a daily basis. You may be thinking what?? This is the age of standardized testing and accountability!! In some respects, if you feel that way you may be right, but I would say if that is indeed true then there is an even bigger need to create a culture of failure in our schools.<br />
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For our students to succeed in the world they are going to live in they need to be very good at problem solving and be flexible in their thinking. Preparing for standardized tests does just the opposite. Those assessments teach students there is one right answer and a specific way to get to that answer. I would say these assessments and the preparation that some teachers/schools do to get students ready for them are sucking the creativity and flexibility our of our students. And in turn taking away the joy of learning for all.<br />
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Failure and doing something wrong is a great way to learn. The wrong way can lead to the right way if teachers and students are willing to fail. In our society failure is a dirty word and the fear of failure paralyzes many people. Most would rather do nothing than do something and fail.<br />
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We need to allow students (and teachers) the freedom to fail. Encourage students to try something when they are struggling. Don't be in a hurry to give them the solution. Use what they have done as a teaching tool. When I taught high school math I would have students stop by after school and say "I don't get #21!!" My reply would be "what did you try?" If the answer was nothing I told them I would help them once they helped themselves by doing something. At the beginning of the semester this was difficult for many, but once they understood there was no punishment for doing it wrong and their wrong answer could be used to help get the correct one students began to be ok with doing something wrong as long at it helped them learn. And isn't that the goal? Have students help themselves learn?!?!?<br />
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The same holds true for teachers. They need permission to fail. If a teacher comes to me and wants to try something (as long as it is sound instructionally) I tell them to go for it and not worry about if it does not go well. If you try something you think will be good for students and it does not go well chances are you can improve what you did. But you can't do that if you don't try!! Teachers worry about "what if it doesn't work?", my response is "what if it does?".<br />
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Dr. Reeves said this at a conference "try it, test it (assess it), improve it". We can do this, if we are ok with failure. Don't be afraid of failure, embrace it and grow from it!! Instill this in your teachers, teammates, and students. If you do, our kids will be better off for it!!Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-7782268680369974082012-04-03T16:52:00.000-05:002012-04-03T16:52:02.372-05:00Are you a victim of TTWWADI?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGB2TdbiZEtWXloUGATVrYVDwrtMQbsmM4YLwYYn0OKh287clPPQBl8WKm9bRUi1tLFZCqEDLVI36yW19W5hmO6QTC1m4xCH6EYbOxsRupVWWeLN7HdrG9CWUHs4eXt9mOmKqNOjwxa8/s1600/TTWWADI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGB2TdbiZEtWXloUGATVrYVDwrtMQbsmM4YLwYYn0OKh287clPPQBl8WKm9bRUi1tLFZCqEDLVI36yW19W5hmO6QTC1m4xCH6EYbOxsRupVWWeLN7HdrG9CWUHs4eXt9mOmKqNOjwxa8/s1600/TTWWADI.jpg" /></a></div>As educators we must change the way we deliver instruction to our students. The school system most of us currently work in is based upon decisions that were made for another time. Most people in education have no idea why they do the things they do on a daily basis. Little do they realize most of what they do was developed in the early 1900s - the prime of the <u>industrial age</u>. We are now in the <u>information age</u> and the students who we see everyday have not only grown up in a digital world, but this world has affected their thinking patterns.<br />
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If the world around the education system has changed - especially in the last 15 yrs - then why has it been so difficult for the education system to meet the demands of the new world? It think it is pretty simple. Many people in education suffer from <b>TTWWADI</b>. It is the mindset that develops as people form habits - <i><b>That's The Way We've Always Done It</b></i>. TTWWADI becomes a powerful force that prohibits change as people embrace doing things the way they have always been done without ever examining the original decision to do something a particular way. People just accept the preexisting mindset because it is the path of least resistance.<br />
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Ted McCain said "Conventional wisdom is that it takes great strength to hold on to something. In my view, it takes the greatest strength to let go of something you have done the same way for a long time." I would encourage all educators to look at how they instruct on a daily basis. Is it the same as how you were instructed when you were a student? If so, then you suffer from <b>TTWWADI</b>!! <br />
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If you are not engaging your students in asking and answering good questions then you are not preparing them for the world they will live in. Schools can no longer focus on information. Students have instant access to all kinds of information. Memorization and low-level thinking problems are taking the enjoyment out of school for our students. We must focus on higher-level thinking skills and instill a love of learning in every student that walks into our schools. The only way to do that is to reflect on what you do in the classroom and question why you do it. If you can't answer why you do something then you suffer from <b>TTWWADI</b>.<br />
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Be willing to let go of something you have done for a long time. Especially if you just assumed that is the way it's supposed to be done. Challenge yourself and your teammates to look at instruction differently. Our students need all educators to show great strength in this regard. The way things have always been done in education is no longer good enough for our students. Don't allow <b>TTWWADI</b> get in the way of positive change.Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-22135988062435793842012-02-14T13:05:00.000-06:002012-02-14T13:05:38.615-06:00Committed Sardines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCqkzaig_iCdNjFLCm0tNlNOXGMxIDYBnP0esoYtDr5NFWUUdjnsdjprYHe7-EaHoEIwnGWoUJMqduJGObIQSDgU8dvWcEOtMGV3lwoXBZfdD47lsikv08y0jb4ZYS9HQQQPyiX3fXNQ/s1600/sardines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCqkzaig_iCdNjFLCm0tNlNOXGMxIDYBnP0esoYtDr5NFWUUdjnsdjprYHe7-EaHoEIwnGWoUJMqduJGObIQSDgU8dvWcEOtMGV3lwoXBZfdD47lsikv08y0jb4ZYS9HQQQPyiX3fXNQ/s1600/sardines.jpg" /></a></div>I received this from a teacher in our building - it is awesome!!<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="color: #015794; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What's a Committed Sardine?</span></b><span style="color: #015794; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
First, an aside. A blue whale is the largest mammal on earth. An adult blue whale is the length of 2 1/2 Greyhound buses put end to end, weighs more than a fully loaded 737, has blood vessels large enough for an adult to swim down, a heart the size of a Volkswagon Beetle, and a tongue 8' long and weighs 6000 lbs. A baby blue whale is estimated to gain more than 50 pounds an hour from birth to age one. (now that's a high fat diet - certainly not Atkins). The blue whale is not only the biggest, but the loudest animal. At 190 decibels, a blue whale's call is louder than a jet (140 decibels), and much louder than a person can shout (70 decibels).<br />
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A little known fact is that a blue whale is so large that when it decides to turn around, it can take 2 to 3 minutes to turn 180 degrees so that it can swim in the opposite direction. As a result, some people have drawn a strong parallel between blue whales and our school systems. It just seems to take forever for schools to turn things around. Our ability to adapt to changing times helps explain at least in part the rise in demand for vouchers, charter schools, home schooling and virtual schools. There are some people who just don't believe or don't want the public school system to turn things around in time.<br />
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But compare the way a blue whale turns around (slowly) to how a school of fish turns around - specifically a school of sardines - which has the same or even a greater mass than the whale, does the same thing. A school of sardines can turn almost instantly. So the question that comes up is - How do they do this? How do they know when to turn. Is it ESP? Do they use cell phones? Are the using the Internet<br />
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The answer is simultaneously a little simpler and quite a bit more complex. If you take a careful look at a school of sardines, you'll notice that although the fish all appear to be swimming in the same direction, in reality, at any time, there will be a small group of sardines swimming in a different direction, in an opposite direction, against the flow, against conventional wisdom. And as they swim in another direction, they cause conflict, they cause friction, and they causes discomfort for the rest of the school.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But finally, when a critical mass of truly committed sardines is reached - not a huge number like 50 percent or 80 percent of the school, but 15 to 20 percent who are truly committed to a new direction - the rest of the school suddenly turns and goes with them – almost instantaneously!<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Isn't that what has happened with our attitudes towards drinking and driving? Isn't that what became of our feelings about smoking? Isn't that exactly what happened to the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union? Isn't that what caused the Internet to suddenly appear overnight. Each and every one of those events was an overnight success that took years in the making. Overnight successes that took a small group of people who were truly committed despite the obstacles, challenge, yabbuts, and TTWWADIs to make the necessary change.<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Noted anthropologist Margaret Mead once wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
</span><b><i><span style="color: #015794; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world -<br />
indeed it is the only thing that ever has."</span></i></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">That's why we're Committed Sardines - Thinking Outside The Can!</span></b>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-2338809223035784752012-02-08T13:39:00.000-06:002012-02-08T13:39:00.958-06:00Inquiry - Let the fun begin!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZk_lDDhxrhS3n3M6nDhhx0hov5gmqhFPGvkH4TOKYXV35tCGBFIIRBaDhhZ46iwgV107T0FSYivu8wOd3atLPi5WW874SupEhpCSL_2qycfEWDryf4cdsQiLXFi2hwmVruPh-5FWJBUc/s1600/Inquiry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZk_lDDhxrhS3n3M6nDhhx0hov5gmqhFPGvkH4TOKYXV35tCGBFIIRBaDhhZ46iwgV107T0FSYivu8wOd3atLPi5WW874SupEhpCSL_2qycfEWDryf4cdsQiLXFi2hwmVruPh-5FWJBUc/s1600/Inquiry.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Our district had the opportunity to have Steph Harvey come and speak to all our K-8 teachers on a staff development day. The foundations for our K-8 buildings is leadership (based on 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) and inquiry. We have had an opportunity to really integrate leadership into our schools. Steph was our kick off to integrating inquiry.<br />
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Below are some random take-a-ways from our day with her:<br />
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<ul><li>kids really want to know stuff</li>
<li>all kids are desperate to learn</li>
<li>instantaneous access has changed our lives, but the need to be curious never changes</li>
<li>we need to cultivate the natural curiosity that all students begin school with</li>
<li>most direct rout to learning is <b><i>engagement</i></b>, the most direct route to engagement is<b><i> FUN</i></b></li>
<li>every 5 minutes of whole group instruction students need time to process - turn and talk</li>
<li>if students can't make up their own minds someone will do it for them</li>
<li>learning is a consequence of thinking</li>
<li>we turn info into knowledge by thinking about it</li>
<li>smart is not something you are it is something you get</li>
<li><b>the questions students ask after reading a text are a better assessment than the questions the student can answer about the text</b></li>
</ul><div>The final take-a-ways are that teachers need to be the chief learners in the classroom and principals need to be the chief learners in the building. The adults in the building need to learn something completely new so they can experience what our students are going through on a daily basis.</div>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-67404691348870327832012-02-01T14:18:00.000-06:002012-02-01T14:18:05.935-06:00Simplify "Reform"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXvPr2iWPEDZW4k-aV7Wsjd-Nls4gKrr51-fUn_djkhKjGqER2ZxnB1XlPQ2h6gPb44B7bvvEuGl0d4KsRbgC1VdaAGfSx4WgEhXHsdFPVyrtualIr6La2qJXRmTSIUWWv2W2fZ97TGg/s1600/No+child+left+behind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXvPr2iWPEDZW4k-aV7Wsjd-Nls4gKrr51-fUn_djkhKjGqER2ZxnB1XlPQ2h6gPb44B7bvvEuGl0d4KsRbgC1VdaAGfSx4WgEhXHsdFPVyrtualIr6La2qJXRmTSIUWWv2W2fZ97TGg/s1600/No+child+left+behind.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This is an e-mail I wrote to the legislator from my district in Minnesota after getting into a discussion on Twitter regarding education reform.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pat,<br />
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Sorry this took so long to get to you, but it has been a crazy couple of days at school. I am not sure this is what you were looking for, but this is my thoughts on strengthening our education system in Minnesota.<br />
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Most of what I believe I have gotten from Mike Schmoker, Doug Reeves, and Rick DuFour - so I don' t claim to have come up with any of this on my own, but I do believe strongly in the principles and have worked to implement these in the districts (Farmington and now Owatonna) I have worked in over the past six years.<br />
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We have over complicated "education reform". I learned along time ago - mostly in coaching - that when I focused on the essentials my teams and students did better. As I was asked to do more (added initiatives) or became distracted with things that were not essential my players and students performed worse.<br />
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If we truly want to improve education we must focus on the essentials. I contend those are not that hard to figure out. We know the number one factor in student achievement is instruction. Teaching has six to ten times as much impact on achievement as all other factors. So if we want to impact the achievement of all students we need to improve instruction.<br />
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Here is what I think needs to happen to improve instruction:<br />
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A) Each district needs to identify a coherent curriculum based on state standards that is actually taught. These power standards should be about 1/3 to 1/2 of the state standards. This would allow these standards to be taught in adequate depth with adequate time for reading, writing, and discussion arounds essential topics. Instead of simply covering standards to get them all done, students would be able to apply their learning. Teachers would also have time to do frequent checks for understanding (formative assessments) and react to student needs immediately.<br />
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B) Implement structurally sounds lessons. These lessons would involve 1) teacher modeling -where the teacher explicitly thinks out loud so students can hear how an expert in the subject thinks while working with the content. This is a significant departure from lecture. 2) there would be intervals where the students are allowed to practice or apply what has been taught while the teacher is there to guide and observe (guided practice). This would typically be done in pairs or small groups. 3) Throughout all of this there would be forms of checking for understanding. This on-going check for understanding allows the teacher to see what needs to be clarified, who has mastered who has not, when instruction needs to slow down, and when it can speed up. Teachers can react to student needs immediately.<br />
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C) There needs to be more authentic literacy within our schools. Authentic literacy is purposeful reading, writing, and talking. This is the key to learning both content and thinking skills.<br />
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D) The above suggestions are much more effective if teachers work in teams. This type of team work - work focused on student learning - is commonly called a PLC. PLCs work is centered on four questions 1) what do want students to learn (power standards) 2) how will we know if they have learned it (check for understanding/formative assessment) 3) what will we do if they don't learn it 4) what will we do if they have already mastered it.<br />
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Does this sound too simple? I don't think so. Jim Collins found the "essence of profound insight into organization improvement is simplicity. If priorities are not simplified and clarified they are at the mercy of the next new thing. This is what has happened in education.</span></span><br />
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</span>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-90515475241261167252012-01-30T17:34:00.000-06:002012-01-30T17:34:27.893-06:00Flipped Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzmjX5CdLCD3gErF2Hu_zBpeA695RJttnZCunZ377-Q4yQxaz96qsnWW6O9begBYHyQExXqIXdtDVDtnxVheKiIrv7htwkxnPGSD8gUFbVZqF7Vjaz9ggqTE4orRY8_r-tWPZVTlZSMs/s1600/flipped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzmjX5CdLCD3gErF2Hu_zBpeA695RJttnZCunZ377-Q4yQxaz96qsnWW6O9begBYHyQExXqIXdtDVDtnxVheKiIrv7htwkxnPGSD8gUFbVZqF7Vjaz9ggqTE4orRY8_r-tWPZVTlZSMs/s1600/flipped.jpg" /></a></div>I just got back from a school visit at Lake Elmo Elementary School in the Stillwater Area School District. We had the opportunity to hear about their pilot program, and go into classrooms and see what a flipped classroom could look like. I loved it. Kids applying what they have learned, and teachers acting as facilitators. An active, engaged classroom. A room I would want my kids in!!<br />
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When you hear about flipping a classroom technology immediately comes to mind, but after seeing the classrooms in action the technology is just a tool. Flipped classrooms are about instruction, plain and simple. By flipping the classroom and having a majority of the direct instruction outside the classroom the teacher is actually creating more time to work directly with students in the classroom.<br />
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To make use of the additional time teachers need to effectively use formative assessment to be able to group their students according to need. To me, formative assessment is what drives any classroom, but especially the flipped classroom. Teachers may still do some whole group instruction, but it will be very targeted depending on the formative assessments.<br />
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Flipped classrooms also give students the opportunity to move ahead, or go back and review. They have the direct instruction at their finger tips for when ever they want to access it.<br />
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I have introduced the concept of the flipped classroom to our staff by doing some flipped staff development around technology. We have screencasted some videos for staff to look on using Twitter, and creating Smart lessons. We then set aside time for teachers to come in and work on lessons or play with Twitter with people to support them while they are using what they have learned. Teachers appreciate this help, why wouldn't students???Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-563395254261967422012-01-09T13:48:00.001-06:002012-01-16T13:37:03.603-06:00How Can Gamification Help Improve Instruction?This is a great Ted Talk by Gabe Zichermann. Gamification brings together game mechanics (game thinking)and marketing to create engagement and solve problems. I had a change to list to Zichermann speak at the TIES conference in Minneapolis, MN in Dec. I truly believe a lot of what he speaks to can be used to increase student engagement, and we know if we increase engagement we can increase learning. The first video is only 16 minutes and to the point.<br />
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The second video is a little longer and goes into more detail. Both are worth a look!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6O1gNVeaE4g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Our students today are not the same as the students schools had 10-15 year ago. They way they learn and want to be engaged is different. My goal is to continue to learn more about digital learns and find ways to use their strengths to help them achieve.Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-47336242635118392892011-11-30T13:19:00.000-06:002011-11-30T13:19:54.757-06:00Homework and Grading for LearningWhile following #edchat last night on Twitter there was a lot of discussion around homework. So it got me thinking about some of the things I have read and how it has impacted my view on the use and effectiveness of homework.<br />
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First of all I want to touch on the impact that homework has on student learning. Marzano's research showes that homework has a much greater impact at the secondary level than at the elementary level. The biggest benefit of homework at the elementary level is that it develops good study habits and can reinforce the idea that learning can take place outside of school. If that is true do we really need to have students complete 50 math problems, or spend hours on homework - I would say NO!! Just because parents want to see homework does not mean we should be send stuff home. We need to get out of this mindset for our students sake.<br />
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Homework should be practice around content that students already have a high familiarity with, not skills they can not do on their own, or it should extend learning that has already taken place in the classroom. In either case a teacher should not send work home if they are not positive the student can do it without assistance. If parents need to help their students with their math homework it should not have gone home. In general if homework goes home I prescribe to the less is better mentality.<br />
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I believe if we are truly grading for learning we should not include homework as part of the grading process. Homework in essence is practice, and students should not be penalized for practice. We don't penalize a basketball player for shots they miss when practicing, nor do we penalize the musician who misses a note while practicing. Homework is a formative assessment, and should be used to guide instruction. Students should be encouraged to challenge themselves, and if their only goal is to accumulate points they won't do that. NO PENALTIES FOR PRACTICE!! Coaches and music directors learned this a long time ago. We need to apply the same principles to the classroom.<br />
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Extra credit is another way to accumulate points. It is very rarely about student learning. More work should result in a higher level of achievement, not just more points. Students should all have the opportunity to show they can achieve at a high level.<br />
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Ed Leadership's November issue has some great articles about effective grading practices. Another great resource is the book <i>A Repair Kit for Grading - 15 Fixes for Broken Grades</i> by Ken O'Connor. I would contend that they way we grade students negatively impacts a majority their learning.Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-17377442075019255672011-11-28T16:38:00.000-06:002011-11-28T16:38:58.831-06:00Making Math Facts StickGetting students to learn their math facts can be a very trying process. Teachers and parents are always looking for ways to help students learn their facts. To me, this has become even more problematic with elementary math curriculums becoming more and more problem based. With the newer curriculums students learn by problem solving and making their own connections. This is a huge leap from the days when I was in school and everyone was told how to do math problems and if you "got it" great and if not too bad. Students are encouraged to create their own paths to problem solving and create their own connections. This approach has help many student make sense of math, but their are still students who need strategies that make sense to them and that they can apply to other problems.<br />
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I have had the opportunity to work with Nancy Nutting on numerous occasions. She developed a system of introducing and instructing math facts so that students have strategies that apply throughout math fact acquisition. I have seen the effectiveness of this system in two different school districts. I will briefly outline the system, and if anyone is interested I can direct you to Nancy!!<br />
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Addition facts are taught off of students learning the "Doubles". 1+1, 2+2, 3+3, etc. This is the only group that needs to be memorized. Addition facts are introduced in this order:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Doubles</li>
<li>Doubles +1</li>
<li>Doubles +2</li>
<li>Adding 0 and 1</li>
<li>Adding 9 and 10</li>
<li>Using What You Know</li>
</ul><div>We no longer just give a student a sheet with 100 addition problems, or work on adding 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, etc. Students are able to build off prior knowledge (the previous strategy) to gain the fact acquisition. To put it in simple terms we are not throwing a bunch of random math problems at students and asking them to make connections. We present the math facts in a connected way to start with!!.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Multiplication facts are taught in different order that what is traditionally done in most curriculums. We introduce 2's, 5's, and 10's since most students learn to count by these numbers in earlier grades - remember multiplication is really skip counting. We then move to 0's and 1's. These two can present problems because they are very different than when adding 0 or 1. We then move to 9's (because there are a couple of quick "tricks" students can learn). Square numbers come next. The last ones we introduce are 3's and 4's, and then the 6's, 7's, and 8's (that haven't been covered in one of the previous strategies).</div><div><br />
</div><div>I should talk about timed math test real quick - they do more harm than good - especially the 5 minute ones with a hundred math facts. In most students it creates anxiety and very few students are motivated by this. We do our assessments in 30 sec snippets. Students take a quick 10 question assessment on a certain strategy - we allow 3 seconds on each problem thus the 30 seconds. This gives us a good idea of where a student is in terms of their fact recall, but does not take a lot of time. If student struggles writing we allow them to verbally give the facts, but again we use the 10 problems in 30 seconds.<br />
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We have a bunch of different games the students play to get direct practice - they don't even know they are gaining accuracy and speed. We have buddy classrooms that work with each other a lot. There are also a couple of other activities that allow for differentiation. Your whole class can all be working on a different strategy on the same sheet!! </div><div><br />
</div><div>I really like how this has helped our students, it connects and gives teachers a way to help with direction instruction if needed - if you are not teaching math facts this way you should reconsider. </div>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-54193569068433464712011-11-20T20:03:00.001-06:002011-11-20T20:32:00.476-06:00How Digital Learners Prefer to LearnI have started reading <i>Understanding the Digital Generation: Teaching and Learning in the New Digital Landscape</i> by Jukes, McCain, and Crockett. I am through the first four chapters and the distinction they make between how digital learns prefer to learn and how many teachers prefer to teach really made me think about how we are instructing.<br />
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Digital Learners Prefer:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>receiving information quickly from multiple multimedia sources</li>
<li>processing pictures, sounds, and video before text</li>
<li>to network simultaneously with many others</li>
<li>learning just in time</li>
<li>instant gratification with immediate and deferred rewards</li>
<li>learning that is relevant, active, instantly useful, and fun</li>
</ul>
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Is this going on in your classroom?</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>slow and controlled release of information</li>
<li>text provided before anything else</li>
<li>students working independently before they interact</li>
<li>teaching stuff just in case they may see it on a test</li>
<li>delayed rewards</li>
</ul>
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As I continue the read this book it is apparent that I, and many teachers, have not had the training needed to incorporate what the research tells us about how the digital brain functions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We are in the process of incorporating the Gradual Release of Responsibility as our instructional model, and I see this as a step in the right direction of having our learning opportunities be more relevant and engaging to the students. I see PLCs as a big piece of this as well. Whether we will admit it or not we have too many standards. This leads to the "teach it just in case" scenario. That is about teaching - not learning and that is not goo for kids!! PLCs allow teams to narrow their focus on what is important and creating learning opportunities that are rich and authentic.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My goal is to figure how to support teachers and narrow the gap between digital learning styles and teachers' non digital perspective about teaching, learning, and assessment.</div>
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TIES Conference 2011 here I come :)</div>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-55853275039452438252011-11-11T12:41:00.000-06:002011-11-11T12:41:39.059-06:007 Habit RapBelow is my rap that I performed for the students during our leadership assembly. Sung to Paul Revere by the Beastie Boys.<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Now here’s a little story I got to tell<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>About 7 cool habits you’ll learn so well<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>They started way back with Dr. Stephen Covey<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>And now we’re bring’em to this elementary<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The 1<sup>st</sup> three habits start with you<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>So here is all the stuff you’ll want to do<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Habit #1 is about being proactive and being in charge<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>You’ll do the right thing and you’ll be livin’ large<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Habit #2 is to have the end in mind<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Always have a plan and won’t get yourself in a bind<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Habit #3 is putting first things first<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Only start to play when your work’s done first<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The next 3 habits are about working well with others<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Remember to think of everyone as your sisters and brothers<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Habit #4 is always thinking win-win<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Find a solution for everyone and make it the best it’s ever been<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Habit #5 is seeking to understand then being understood<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>If you can remember to do that then it will be all good<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Habit #6 is the habit of working together<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Synergizing with others will help you forever<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The final habit is remembering that balance feels best<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Remember to sharpen your saw and it’ll take care of the rest<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Take time each day to make the 7 habits who you are<o:p></o:p></b></div><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Don’t forget being a leader will take you really far</span></b>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-29875341889358475472011-11-09T21:14:00.000-06:002011-11-09T21:14:11.676-06:00Single StoryTwo of the teachers I work with led our staff through some powerful learning at our staff meeting today. Our discussion centered around the concept of a Single Story, and how these Single Stories effect our perceptions of others. The video does a terrific job of explaining what a Single Story is, and gives very specific examples of how these can be harmful.<br />
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This is a powerful video that would be great for any staff to watch and discuss.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/D9Ihs241zeg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-45393698703948038442011-11-08T19:49:00.000-06:002011-11-08T19:49:46.630-06:00Focus by Mike SchmokerI just finished reading <i>Focus</i> by Mike Schmoker for the second time. If you have not had a chance to read this book you need to find time. I love the fact he preaches simplicity. I truly believe we make things too complicated. That is one reason I really love PLCs - they focus on four questions and that is it. Schmoker believes there are three elements that need to be understood and implemented in <b>every</b> subject area.<br />
<br />
<b>1.</b> <b>What we teach</b>. Basically we need to have an understanding of what is essential and teach those standards in depth, with enough time for deep writing and talking. Marzano states that this "guaranteed and viable" curriculum is perhaps the most significant school factor that effects learning.<br />
<b>2. How we teach. </b>Effective lessons feature a concientious effort, throughout the lesson, to ensure that all student are learning before moving on.<br />
<b>3. Authentic Literacy. </b>Purposeful reading, writing, and talking.<br />
<br />
Obviously PLC work facilitates implementation of these three elements. Schmoker states, and I concur, that these three element - even if reasonably well-executed, will have more impact than all other initiatives that a school would take on combined.<br />
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I learned this fact through coaching. My high school basketball team always performed better when we did less and focused on only a few things. We don't need to be complicated or fancy. We just need to be more FOCUSED!!Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-8324709723289442212011-11-08T19:21:00.000-06:002011-11-08T19:21:00.157-06:00PLCs and Leadership<div align="center"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: white; border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed;"><thead>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;"> <td style="background: #B0B3B2; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after: avoid;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">PLC<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="background: #B0B3B2; border-left: none; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after: avoid;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">7 HABITS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> </tr>
</thead> <tbody>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Teachers establish common, concise set of essential standards and teach them on roughly the same schedule<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Habit 1</span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">: Be Proactive, <u>Habit 2</u>: Begin with the End in Mind, <u>Habit 3</u>: Put First Things First<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Teachers meet regularly<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Habit 4</span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">: Think Win-Win, <u>Habit 5</u>: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood, <u>Habit 6</u>: Synergize<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Focused on student learning<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Habit 4</span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">: Think Win-Win<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Frequent use of common formative assessements<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Habit 1</span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">: Be Proactive<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Learn by doing - "try it, test it, improve it"<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Habit 4</span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">: Think Win-Win, <u>Habit 5</u>: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Systematic response when students don't learn<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Habit 4</span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">: Think Win-Win, <u>Habit 6</u>: Synergize <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 35.0pt; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes; page-break-inside: avoid;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; height: 35.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Expand learning when students are already proficient<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 35.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B2B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 3.25in;" valign="top" width="312"> <div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">Habit 4</span></u><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt;">: Think Win-Win, <u>Habit 6</u>: Synergize <o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table></div>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-6645822576352743842011-11-08T12:42:00.000-06:002011-11-08T12:42:17.836-06:00What is a Professional Learning Community (PLC)?<div class="MsoNormal">This is an article I shared with my staff as we began our journey this year of formalizing our PLCs. Obviously it is based off the work of DuFours :). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">PLC, MCA, RtI, CFA - it seems like you cannot hear about education these days without hearing an acronym. Very rarely does anyone explain what the letters mean. Hopefully this article will shed some light on how professional learning communities (PLCs) function at Lincoln Elementary School.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Jim Collins (author of <i>Good to Great)</i> found that great organizations “simplify a complex world into a single organizing idea, a basic principle, or concept that unifies and guides everything.” The most exciting characteristic of a PLC is that it simplifies the complexities of the work of schools to three big ideas:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i>1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><!--[endif]-->Big Idea #1 - The fundamental purpose of the school is to ensure that all students <i>learn</i> rather than to see that all students are <i>taught</i> – an enormous distinction. If the emphasis is on learning members of a PLC will concentrate their effort and energy on four critical questions thus ensuring learning for all:<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i>a.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><!--[endif]-->What is it we want students to learn – by unit, grade level, and course of instruction?<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i>b.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><!--[endif]-->How will we know when each student has learned – this is, acquired the knowledge or skills deemed essential?<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i>c.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><!--[endif]-->How will we respond when students experience difficulty in their learning?<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i>d.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><!--[endif]-->How will we enrich and extend the learning for students who are already proficient?<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i>2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><!--[endif]-->Big Idea #2 – Educators that work as a PLC recognize that they must work together to achieve their collective purpose of learning for all. They strive to promote a collaborative culture. The powerful collaboration that characterizes PLCs is a systematic process in which teachers work interdependently to analyze and improve their classroom instruction in order to improve results for students.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><i>3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><!--[endif]-->Big Idea #3 – PLCs judge their effectiveness on results rather than intentions. They strive to find the evidence of student learning and use that evidence to inform and improve their instructional strategies. Common formative assessments (assessments used to inform instruction and not assign a grade) are used so teachers can compare their students within their classrooms and with student in other classrooms. Individual teachers can call on their PLC team members to reflect on areas of concern.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The following are examples of activities teachers participating in a PLC may be involved in:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->identifying essential outcomes<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->creating common formative assessments based on essential outcomes<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->examining student progress on formative and or summative assessments<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->identifying students who are in need of additional time and support<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->identifying specific instructional strategies designed for specifically identified students<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->reviewing data over time<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The professional learning community model is a powerful way of working together that can affect the practices of a team and school. It requires school staff to focus on learning rather that teaching, work collaboratively on matters related to student learning, and hold itself accountable for the result that each student is learning.</span>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2466115231472645089.post-12579500681420226052011-11-08T12:35:00.000-06:002011-11-08T12:35:49.666-06:00Habit 2 - Begin with the End in Mind<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This habit teaches our students that mental creation <i><u>precedes</u></i> physical creation. It is the thought that you live life by design, and not through default. In essence it is teaching students the ability to make a plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> One important behavior that we are working on with our students is to envision outcomes before you act. If students are able to do this they will have a clearer definition of their desired results. By knowing exactly what they want to accomplish students will have a greater sense of meaning and purpose in their work.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Giving students the ability to make meaning of their work will also give them criteria for deciding what is or is not important. Being able to determine importance will allow our students to improve their outcomes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> One activity that can really help clarify what is most important to students is having them write a personal mission statement. This statement helps provide students with focus and allows them to design their life instead of feeling like it is designed for them. Personal mission statements can be used to guide day-to-day decisions students must make. It can act like a road map guiding students based on what is most important to them.</span>Jason Berghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372132854447387411noreply@blogger.com0