Teaching/Learning

Farside, Leadership, Teaching/Learning

Critical thinking? You need knowledge – The Boston Globe

Critical thinking? You need knowledge – The Boston Globe

THE LATEST fad to sweep K-12 education is called “21st-Century Skills.’’ States – including Massachusetts – are adding them to their learning standards, with the expectation that students will master skills such as cooperative learning and critical thinking and therefore be better able to compete for jobs in the global economy. Inevitably, putting a priority on skills pushes other subjects, including history, literature, and the arts, to the margins. But skill-centered, knowledge-free education has never worked.  more…

Ed Hirsch brought this to our attention many years ago and this mantra is re-emerging as critical in a world that often swings out of balance with each new innovation.  Technology has much to offer here, but most significantly, it gives us access to vast amounts of “knowledge” that is constantly in a state of transformation.  While I value constraints on teaching critical reflection as part of the access dilemma, I propose that this confluence and fluidity of information is our best hope of enabling children to build quick and efficient access to elements of knowledge that must underlie a robust framework of process skills.  Thinking and knowledge go hand in hand on the net like never before.  So, before we tip the pendulum too far in the knowledge direction, lets seek the happy balance where each extreme is mutually supportive.

Leadership, Teaching/Learning, Technology

Students reflecting on learning…

This is a piece from Dr. Marilyn Simpson’s work on learning targets and students articulating their learning.


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Leadership, Teaching/Learning

Learning Targets from a leadership perspective…

Learning targets for students and what leaders look for in classrooms:

Consistent with our understanding of building to higher levels of meaningful processing, there is a connection that is developed between criteria and resources to achieve the incremental targets established by the criteria. For this reason, a student is guided to articulate their journey as well as their destination.

Washington State has done some exceptional work in linking pre- and prof- certification that forces close consideration of students understanding of learning targets.  Written from student perspectives to achieve personalization of instructional processes.

Washington State OSPI Professional Growth Needs Assessment worksheets and core documents.

Download and look closely at the “green book.”  Powerful work.

Leadership, Teaching/Learning

NCLB Under Scrutiny

For those of us in education, a lesson in leadership and its impact on policy is underway right now in Washington as hearings proceed on NCLB impact in advance of re-authorization sometime in the coming year.  Of particular import for leaders is the implications for the improvement of teachers, a key component of the legislation that called for Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) in the classrooms of America’s schools.  Susanna Loeb, Stanford University is attributed as the key professional looking at this dimension and the summary slide from her presentation is instructive for leaders:

Susanna Loeb's reflections on NCLB impact and forward thinking views.

Clicking the image above will take you to an Evernote link and you can also click through to her entire PPT with the data to support her conclusions.  What’s most striking about this is the clear reference to teaching quality being in the hands of local authorities and the perception that quality cannot be adjudicated from the federal level.  This is consistent with most leadership studies and team development principles in the information age and consistent with the ongoing development of professional learning communities in our schools nationwide.

This presentation also highlights the ongoing challenges of the achievement gap between the richest and poorest districts and provides research summaries that confirm that HQTP, while effective in improving general teacher effectiveness is not closing the most important gap and a main goal of the legislation.  As pointed out, it does not address the issues of appeal when looking at difficult-to-staff schools.

More links on this topic:

JZ

Leadership, Teaching/Learning, Technology

Alan November – He Gets It

During the EARCOS Conference now in play in Malaysia, Alan November presented a keynote presentation followed by two breakout sessions on Sunday last.  As always, I was impressed with the way in which Alan understands and generates that understanding in others.

While some may have walked away from his keynote scratching their heads, I was very aware of a purposeful lack of structure to his presentation.  While I cannot confirm my suspicions, I am aware that his methods were likely directed more toward modeling rather than the typical format of bestowing knowledge from the podium of vanity that is more often the standard of typical conference keynotes.  Alan attempted a “conversation” with an audience of 500+ and I applaud his efforts.

Ultimately, two things occurred as a result of his efforts:

1) Many left asking questions that inspired very competent conversations.  This is the product of a good keynote: creating a degree of tension in the audience that inspires dialog and discourse well after the presentation.

2)  Many left scratching their heads wondering what they just did.  Despite that, it is clear that as time allows the example of his performance to sink into gray matter, many will look back on their experience in an unpredictable “Ah-Ha” moment and realize the import of what they experienced.

Technology integration will have to follow a path like this to really achieve what its potential purports.  We need competent examples (exemplars) of integration and observers must walk away under inspirational moments to apply those skills in their own classrooms.  I remember in my own teaching career that the most effective staff developments were the inspirational and engaging speakers that brought information and emotion together into that critical tension that engenders both motivation and deep understanding.  Staff development and learning in general has to reach into your soul if you expect it to convert daily realities into visionary change.

So, thank you Alan for changing me.  Either intentionally or unintentionally, you brought new insight to how I might choose to achieve our common goal of preparing students for the world in which they will eventually thrive.