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Deep Breaths
Photo by Brian Harrison
Aspirations are the building blocks of life; literally and metaphorically- each breath we take sustains us and allows us to accomplish all that we do- the mundane and the glorious. It was the very meaning of this word that caught my eye as I skimmed the Twittersphere in early July and came across the report Teaching the Way We Aspire to Teach, a joint endeavor of the CEA and CTF. My attention was fixed on the word aspire because it is a word that is not currently used much our public education context, and it makes me wonder if that is one reason why we seem to be a little stuck these days.
- the time to apply their craft in a creative and engaging matter
- the trust that, given time and resources, they will make decisions that are student-focused
- the opportunity to work together to develop, define and refine their professional practice
Learning in Networks
Photo by Brian Harrison
“You teach best what you most need to learn.” Richard David Bach
I’m spending a few days in Bozeman, Montana at the Discovery Educators Network Summer Institute ( #DENSI2012). Those who know me in person or online know that networks, and networked learning for kids and teachers is something I care deeply about. The link below sums up how I feel about learning networks really well:
Stephen Katz on Learning Networks
We were having a dinner conversation the other night about the ways we could improve and scale up the professional learning for teachers and extend the use of web tools and social media for student and teacher learning. One of the things that I believe is that the learning needs of students are the best context to frame the learning needs of teachers~ or as Stephen Katz said, we need to move teacher professional learning “from the ballroom to the classroom.”
So, if we are to do this, I’m thinking there are a few things that we need to attend to as innovative teachers and connected school leaders:
- continue to document the learning of our students, and our professional learning, and share how they are intertwined
- focus on building professional relationships by inviting colleagues to learn and and collaborate using social networks
- engage in meaningful, classroom-based joint work with like minded innovative teachers and school leaders
For me, a conference or institute is a great way to meet people, but unless there is some structure built in to facilitate joint work it’s likely that the only thing I will leave with is validation for the ideas I already had and a few extra pounds from too many visits to the muffin table. I’m grateful that the DENSI team have created a structure for us; we have been placed in teams and been given a facilitator to guide and support our team.
I’m thinking about the work that Judith Warren Little has done in the area of teacher collaborative learning, specifically the 4 stage continuum she developed to structure and define this learning. Little’s taxonomy looks like this:
- Storytelling: the learning or communication is one-way (think keynote) or if in a conversation it is back and forth, like a tennis match. Storytelling is important as it builds familiarity and rapport, establishes context and forms and filters the group.
- Help and assistance: A knowledge sharing that is a transaction (think consultant or expert). The learning is one way, expert to novice and is grounded in a problem or challenge. Help and assistance is important as it acknowledges a need for change and creates a relationship based upon a degree of collaboration. It is worth noting that storytelling and help are based upon a hierarchical model.
- Sharing: There is an exchange of learning that flows in two directions (think of sharing units, links or resources) but there is no expectation that the parties will actually use what has been shared. We are great collectors of ideas and resources but tend to stick with what we know and prefer. Sharing is important because it fosters a norm that sharing is a good thing for teachers and builds positive interdependence; a precondition for true collaborative learning. It is worth noting that this phase, and the next one, are non-hierarhcical and based upon the principle of mutual benefit.
- Joint work: There is a collaboration that is grounded in the classroom practice of the members of the team (think Lesson Study, Action Research, Classroom Coaching through co-teaching). The context is based upon the student learning needs and how the teacher practice can be made visible in order to observe, describe, analyse, and predict different practices that would alter the outcomes for the students. Joint work is important because it is the only way to build common understandings around effective instruction and change teacher practice in a way that meets student needs.
What excites me about social media tools like Twitter or blogging and the DEN is they allow for wider connections and I believe it is really important for innovative teachers and leaders to have a network; we don’t always have one that can support and push us in our buildings or districts.
Our challenge, however, is to push our PLN’s, be they Twitter, Edmodo, Blogs or, the DEN, beyond storytelling, helping and sharing towards joint work~ that is where the true impact on teacher practice and student learning will be felt. Joint work is a phase that is created by those on the team, not mandated from above. Joint work sustains itself because is is a culture, not a system or process.
Because of this, ultimately, joint work is something we can, and need to, create together,
Photo Story
Photo by Brian Harrison (really)
“ You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” -Ansel Adams
It’s a well known in our family of five that I’m the fifth best photographer; the last resort in any situation that requires a picture. In reality, if we still used film, and not digital cameras, it’s likely that the only time I would actually be trusted to hold a camera would be if it were safely stored in the camera bag. We have two nice DSLR cameras in our home; one belonging to @techieang and the other to our 16 year old son Peter.
There was no chance that I would be bringing either of those cameras with me to Montana this week for the Discovery Education Network Summer Institute (#DENSI2012). No. Chance. Period.
So, I grabbed the Panasonic Lumix DMC from the bureau, found some batteries and a 4GB card and headed off to Bozeman. I was aware that I’d likely be some serious photo masters among the group but rather than be fearful of this I thought I might pick their brains and try to learn a few things about photography. On the bus ride, I was fortunate to sit with @jeffwhipple, who knows a thing or two about taking pictures and, as it turned out, the folk at DEN invited professional photographer (and Montana resident) Daniel J. Cox to join our group on our excursion to Yellowstone National Park and he led us gave us a little workshop on the nuts and bolts of good nature photography. Between these two kind mentors I headed off the bus ready to roll.
Here’s what I learned:
Proportion and Balance ~ just like we need to use a balance of evidence, tools and approaches when creating a learning environment, balance and proportion is a critical component of any photo. Photos are representations of light, colour, textures and shapes, the ‘rule of thirds‘ presents a framework for the photographer to account for all of these elements and look at the image as a whole, and not just the central focus of the image.
Feedback Counts~I learned that almost every digital camera has a feature called a histogram in the display settings. I had actually seen this feature in the past, but had no idea what it was there for. It turns out that the histogram provides a graphical representation of the light spectrum in the frame. Moving from left, the black, to the right, the white. If a photo is skewed too far in either side of the spectrum, then the image will suffer. This feedback allows the photographer a set of real time data to improve the photo. That is so much better than finding out the photo was not very good after~sort of like how on-going descriptive feedback is much more useful than a mark at the end of a unit or task.
Tell the Story/Trust the Tool~ Dan shared that, in his professional opinion, the quality of the equipment we have access to today is incredible. The technology of modern digital camera is such that the Auto Settings address the light and shutter speed issues as the photo is being taken, allowing the photographer to focus on the subject or story they want to tell with the photo. We have access to lots of technology in our classrooms, but do we focus too much on the way it works? Or, instead to we think about how we can use the tools to tell the stories? I wonder about that…
It was a good learning day and I feel a little more knowledgeable as a photographer. Earlier in the day, Dean Shareski, Shelley Wright and I had been talking how adults use their hobbies the same way that children often use play, to learn in an optimal learning environment. I think that the habits of mind that we learn at play lay a neural foundation or framework for all learning. Learning is something that is constant, persistent and pervasive, it is what we do, at work and at play.
Begin, Well…
“If you fail to build momentum during your transition, you will face an uphill battle from that point forward.” Michael Watkins
After the excitement of being promoted to principal in June and the rush of the transition process over the last three weeks of school, I spent the past few weeks offline; a little golf, some couple time, lots of swimming and driving my teenagers to their various work, social and athletic commitments. And reading, lots of reading.
Among the pile of mysteries, spy thrillers and magazines is a book that arrived the last week of school just for me. The book, Michael Watkins The First 90 Days is a gift from the folks in our district’s leadership development team and outlines some current best practices for making effective transitions when promoted into a new leadership position. I’ll likely post a few reflections as I carry on through the book, one that I would recommend to anyone making a similar transition.
There are 5 propositions that Watkins makes in the opening of the book related to successful transitions:
- transitions often fail where the opportunities and pratfalls of the context intersect with the strengths and vulnerabilities of the new leader
- leaders can apply practices that can help them navigate their new context
- a key goal of any transition should be to generate positive momentum leading to the creation of a productive patterns
- transitions are essential in the development of an organization’s leadership capacity
- using a framework to ensure smooth transitions adds value at each layer of an organization
I took the opportunity to schedule conversations with as many of the staff and learned a lot about the school culture,the strengths and struggles, from this process. Being an introvert, these conversations were also extremely helpful to me; meeting people for the first time one to one is always my preferred route. As I set up for our first staff meeting I already felt a sense of belonging (and I am grateful to the staff for making me feel as such). Over the course of our first morning together the staff learned a few things about me that I hope, offered assurance that I’m not a tyrant. I also had allotted a lots of time for small group processes, taking the chance to observe the team in action, how they interact, how decisions are made and the ‘who-ness’ of the group.
My goal was to listen, to observe and to offer the team some sense of what they could expect from me, their new principal. The staff had already learned a few things about me; my interests in technology, creativity and innovation prompted some wondering and some worries. A worry that was tempered somewhat by the realization that these interests are grounded in a keen sense of focus. I’m not a big fan of clutter in any incarnation, so we spent a good part of the morning looking at ways we could as I said, “take the stray socks out of the drawer.” and try to synthesize tasks and roles we know we must keep.
My sense is the beginning went well. The framework, structures and resources I had been provided with by our district were a tremendous help, as was the fact that I was following a highly skilled and supportive colleague. I don’t think that the observable fact that I was just happy to be there hurt either. I hoe that you can discern the essence of Watkins’ 5 propositions through this recount.
Watkins makes some great points on ways to match the strategies and approaches to the actual situation that I’ve been thinking about this week and will take some time to explore in a future post.
Goodreads
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