Are We Learning From Evaluations? – Leadership 360 – Education Week

In a recent article from Jill Berkowicz and Ann Meyers,

Are We Learning From Evaluations? – Leadership 360 – Education Week.

they make a case for fallacies that stand behind new evaluation systems that use scoring mechanisms for reporting “what isn’t being done well enough.”

I applaud them for their insight into this nutty problem of evaluation that has haunted us for decades.  I grew up in administration in Washington State where new evaluation systems continue to be debated while an instrument first crafted in the 1970’s is in continued use.  Changing educational practice is never easy!

But, Jill and Ann make the case that we should treat teacher evaluation on the same standard as student feedback, which is cornerstone to our current understanding of achievement and motivation.  Hattie (2008) has generally confirmed this precept.  As I read their treatise, I must admit that I experienced some tension over devaluing a professional appraisal process to the equivalent of providing effective feedback to a 6th grade writer.  Don’t misunderstand, I agree that giving a 6th grader a single grade on a written paper is unlikely to motivate them and does little in helping them learn how to become better writers.  I believe that the authors are making this argument quite effectively.

But, the evaluation system of teacher serves two purposes.  At it’s core, it does serve the purpose of informing improved practice.  The author’s quote here is quite profound:

In 1975 a Handbook for Faculty Development was published for the Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges.  In it they list 13 characteristics that certainly apply.  Feedback needs to be descriptive rather than evaluative. Sound familiar?  In the new teacher and principal evaluation systems, the requirement to provide ‘evidence’ is exactly that.  No interpretation, no value judgment, simply what was seen. Included in the 13 is also that feedback be specific, can be responded to, is well timed, is the right amount (too much can’t be addressed at once), includes information sharing rather than telling, is solicited (or welcomed as helpful) and plays a role in the development of trust, honesty, and a genuine concern.

I do find that our use of a framework of standards (Danielson, 2011) allows us to gather evidence and then align it to a set of descriptors that turns the evidence into feedback.  This feedback includes a score — and rightfully so!  Rubrics were written with the expressed purpose of quantifying the feedback and setting targets for performance in the form of exemplars associated with higher rubric scores.

This is where the authors fall short.  They forget that, without goals, exemplars, and appropriate targets, they are missing the true goal of effective feedback, to accomplish greater achievement – whether for students or as a professional.  To that end, we have to consider how the evidence we collect is utilized to provide for accountability.  Evaluators have to be able, through the noted relationships that must be in place, to have both facilitative and instructional conversations that drive improved practice and the development of expertise.  Somebody in that conversation has to make a value judgement for that process to be something more than just spinning wheels on the slippery slope of mediocrity.

Director’s Challenge

Thank you to all families who Contributed as a Globally Aware Citizen by participating in the Building Botswana Director’s Challenge! We have reached our goal of 20 families “taking the challenge”. The 2013-2014 Director’s Challenge is now closed.

Started by the Prozorovo Village Tractor Campaign two years ago, the Director’s Challenge is a program that encourages adults in our community to assist students in their fundraising efforts. Mr. Zurfluh challenges the AAS community to match his personal donation to help our children achieve something bigger than they can do on their own.

This year’s Director’s Challenge raised over $10,000 for the AAS Ambassadors’ Building Botswana Project, with 20 families matching Mr. Zurfluh’s $500 donation. The AAS Ambassadors are raising $25,000 to build a school in Pandamatenga, Botswana.

Our deepest thanks to all families who participated in the Director’s Challenge!

The 2013-2014 Director’s Challenge is now closed. If you would like to donate any amount to the AAS Ambassador’s Pandamatenga Project, please use the link below. If you would like to donate cash to the project, please come to the AAS cashier in the Admin Office.

Donate to the Pandamatenga Project | AAS Ambassadors

Thank you for your support!

Working on assessment @ AAS

Teachers spent the day honing their skills on assessment during the first of our PD sessions for the 2013-2104 school year. I was impressed with the way we dug deeper into our standards and the degree to which we unpacked the learning targets in our work together.

What was particularly powerful was the interaction across subject area boundaries in the morning. As one teacher pointed out, it was powerful to have others outside their discipline reflect on their understanding of learning targets. That objectivity helps us to uncover things we often take for granted. The CASL materials are well adopted in many schools around the world and help us to focus on the clarity we bring to students and the details of how our assessments align with our unpacking of the standards into learning targets.

Stiggins, Chappius, Chappius, and Arter teamed up to provide the definitive guide to bridging between curriculum and classroom practice.  Understanding the formative side of assessment is critical to our work in personalized learning and leads us done the path of achieving our mission and vision.

Teachers dedicated themselves at all levels to weaving these practices into their classrooms in the coming days.  Our facilitator, Natalie Bolton, led us on this journey and guided teachers in critical conversations about our practices.  Natalie comes to us from the University of Missouri – St. Louis (UMSL) and brings a strong instructional background to her interest in large-scale assessments, formative assessment, and standards-based education reform.

She continues with us this year as a key consultant on establishing practice and will return throughout the year on the following schedule:

Monday, September 30 – Thursday, October 3 (All Faculty PD on Thursday)

Monday, January 27 – Friday, January 31, 2014

Monday, March 3 – Thursday, March 6 (All Faculty PD on Thursday)

Monday, April 28 – Friday, May 2

We are thankful for Natalie and the many staff members that contribute to our work in all divisions in providing leadership on this critical goal. The work continues in earnest to assure that students receive both a guaranteed and viable curriculum and a personalized approach that is rich in formative feedback.

Great Start to a New Year!!

2013-2014 Opening Ceremony from AAS Moscow on Vimeo.

Graduation Speech 2013

ECIS Conference Presentation 2013

Technology Integration in Schools

At a session at International School of Prague as part of the Spring CEESA Conference.  Discussion about the integration of technology and pushing the boundaries of our thinking on the topic.  The SAMR model helps us to see the context of integration and the transformational aspects that we are all seeking:

TEDxAAS – My first one…

The students in charge of this did a fabulous job!!

NurtureShock

At our recent parent coffee, we discussed the important findings in the 2009 book by Bronson and Merryman entitled “NurtureShock.”  Our focus was on the first chapter where we discussed the new research on praise and what, at least in North America, has been a trend to utilize indiscriminate praise to bolster self-esteem since the beginning of the 1970’s.  Flawed research at that time supported the notion that we should support self-esteem at all costs to ensure achievement later in life.  In essence, there was a belief that children at a formative age should be spared the self-concept damage of criticism.  Recent research has shown us that this is an unfortunate conclusion that was based on inaccurate and even misleading research of the time.  We know today with more recent longitudinal research and brain studies that not all praise is equal and that praise which lacks the quality of feedback is potentially undermining persistence and determination later in life.  In fact, the strategies employed by parent between 1980 and 2010 maybe the root cause of an increasingly disenfranchised adolescent population.  Culturally, this damage may be limited to North America, but our discussion at the coffee today found some evidence that it may also be an issue for other cultures as well.

The slides from our discussion are included below for your reference and reflection:

Additionally, we touched briefly on the second chapter of NurtureShock and discussed the increasingly important literature supporting the need for sleep amongst teens and, legitimately, students of all ages.  The research here, again, is both sound and well presented.  Historical studies have shown that children, on average, are now sleeping about one hour less per night with highly detrimental consequences.  The recommendation is that parents become more proactive in reclaiming this lost time and, thereby, improve significantly their child’s quality of life.  The book and website are worth your earnest consideration: www.nurtureshock.com

Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy

Dear Parents,

Last Friday’s tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut has caused many to stop and think in the awful aftermath of this significant loss.  As an educator, I feel an extra degree of sadness when confronted with the death of so many children.  While we shoulder many tragedies through military conflict, natural disasters, and personal loss, this one is hard to bear because of its senselessness and magnitude.

I know I am not alone in this and the global ramifications are clear as friends from around the world checked in with me during the weekend to offer their support during this time of sorrow and mourning.

In response to the inevitable questions that are emerging amongst students, I have sent resource materials to staff to aid them in their conversations with children about these tragic events.  The topics covered in these bulletins are also being used at international schools around the world and recommended by school counselors in multiple regions.  These materials are posted here:

– Talking to Children About the School Shooting
– Sandy Hook Media Statement 
– New York Times Video: Speaking to Children About the Shooting

In order to reassure our community of our preparedness, you should take this opportunity to review our AAS Emergency Plan.  It is posted on our website in English and in Russian at the following link.

www.aas.ru/emergency

Our commitment, as always, is a steadiness and consistency that maintains the home-like environment that is the hallmark of AAS – a place of comfort and safety no matter what the circumstances.

Best regards,

Jon P. Zurfluh
Director

Chris Waddell Visits AAS

AAS Guest: Chris Waddell from AAS Moscow on Vimeo.

Kony 2012

I got an email this morning from a group of concerned students that had come across something interesting on Facebook.  After watching the 30 minute video detailing the atrocities of a Ugandan rebel named Kony, a group of 7th graders were inspired to setup an email account (invisiblechildrenaas@gmail.com) and organize around this inspirational cause.

Here was their email to me, but please read all the way down as there is more to this tale.

Dear Mr. Zurfluh,

A couple of days ago there was a video spread around Facebook on the topic of Joseph Koney, we understand that this does not concern us but I think to show how much this school is internationally available and how it can help poor children in need like the ones in Uganda, Africa.

To find out more about this you can visit this website http://vimeo.com/invisible/kony2012

You will find out about everything in this 30 minute video which is worth watching. We have organized some ideas about the way to spread the word, but before we can take any serious action we need your permission to continue.

This is a great opportunity to show everyone that we care about people as far as Africa, we can easily raise money and donate it to this foundation.
Please take this into consideration.

Thank you,
[7th Grade Students]

WOW!  This is wonderful on so many levels.  Kids inspired by media and grouping together around a cause that is clearly immediate and urgent to protect children that are being tortured and kidnapped!

HOLD ON!  Let’s pause a moment!  These kids did a great job, but here’s where adults and educators need to step in, because a little digging found that the video they viewed told only a partial truth, as viral content often does.

So, here was my response and you can help me with molding their energies a bit as we dig further. I don’t want to dispel their enthusiasm entirely. But, instead, let’s see if we can capture it, inspire it, and move it in another direction.

All,

Thanks for writing to me in regards to this video via your new email address.  This video was also circulated in a variety of other news and web feeds in recent days.

I’m sorry to inform you that there is some controversy emerging regarding the maker of this video and whether the video is an accurate portrayal of the current situation in Uganda.  I value that the video has gone viral on Facebook and through other social media, but there is an important need to study this further before considering any action – part of what we teach here at AAS, as I’m sure you know.

While it is clear that Kony is a bad person by all reported accounts, it is unclear if he is still in Uganda and whether he is a threat to children any longer.  Also, at least two articles point to the government of Uganda also participating in the kidnapping of children for military service – as is the case in a few countries around the world today (suggest you research this).  The group responsible for the video also seem to have some controversy around them with regards to their finances and involvement with other military forces.

I would suggest that a carefully researched approach to this issue might still lead you to some other appropriate social action.  Maybe your own video response?  I’m sure we have many teachers and staff who would be willing to help.

To that end, please read some of the following, do your own searching and then come and chat if you want to discuss further.  I’m always open to your visits!

http://justiceinconflict.org/2012/03/07/taking-kony-2012-down-a-notch
http://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/18920717928/thedailywhat-on-kony-2012-i-honestly-wanted-to
http://bit.ly/yPXsCK
http://rosebellkagumire.com/ 
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/09/world/africa/uganda-kony-profile/index.html?hpt=hp_c2 

Looking forward to discussing with you more.

Regards,

Mr. Z

Can You Feel the Buzz?!

Kids are happy and showing up at our doorstep with a record number of smiles on this first day of the 2012-2013 school year.  It’s a pleasure to greet and encourage everyone as they arrive and it was fun to hear about snippets of summer vacations.

We then proceeded to the PTO meeting and greeted faces both new and returning in a packed room.  We shared our vision for the year and discussed how we find “gravity” together and keep our connection to core values while we take the next logical steps in our strategic plan.  At our core, we have some broad goals for students and these are linked to our Outcomes that were established during our strategic planning process just over a year ago.  Here they are for your review:

By 2016 each student…

• Advocates and exhibits a healthy lifestyle and respect for self and others
• Drives his/her own learning and turns it into ACTION, and
• Demonstrates the competencies and attitudes of a 21st Century learner.

We seek to achieve these values with the same vigor and enthusiasm that we apply to our mission statement where we profess love of learning and a commitment to “individual academic and holistic excellence.”

To that end, we encourage your continued partnership.  I suggested the following at the PTO meeting:

You need…

• To be hungry for information and involvement.
• To become a partner with teachers in educating your child.
• To remember the profound impact we have on children every minute of every day.
• To choose your attitude and make every moment count, for your kids and for yourself.

ECIS Panel Discussion – April, 2012

Initial thoughts:

The initial question posited to the conference panel that I’ve been asked to address:

Information Technology in school – Does it improve  learning?

Gathered some resources to begin to address this question and related topics:

https://www.evernote.com/pub/chinazurfluh/technologyitems

The key issue associated with answering the question revolves first around how you define improving learning.  The learning targets that are currently accepted often revolve around norm referenced test scores because of our reliance on these measures to show growth or performance against a larger data set.  There is some validity to this because of the large data set available after decades of using these measures and the large body of experience with these measures.

However, these kinds of measures are ill prepared to measure 21st century skills.  They effectively measure math, reading, writing, and core knowledge competency, but they do little to measure attitudes, intellectual processing skills, and skills revolving around independence, collaboration, and innovation.  We have scores of examples of students who are truly gifted as leaders and complex thinkers that routinely scored below average on the accepted measures.

So, if you are asking me whether information technology improves learning, I would have to answer “No”.

There is no clear empirical evidence that information technology as an independent variable has a correlation to improved student learning as a dependent variable in the traditional, measured definition of the term.

I would suggest that addressing this question from a quantitative point of view is faulty at the outset.  This is the same logic that has led to American ignorance of the impact of poverty on education and learning.  We’ve spent more than a decade comparing our results to international measures only to ignore how poverty has impacted our bottom line.  A recent AASA blog entry highlights the fallacy of the standards movement to address educational reform while ignoring this poverty gap between the countries (e.g. Finland with 4% in poverty vs. U.S. at 21%).  Quantitative measures are insufficient in addressing complex issues.

Logic confirms that If we want to address what technology enables, we need different goals for education.  In the truest tradition of backward design, it begins with this question:

What world are we preparing kids to live in?

Addressing that question and looking at essential skills for a 21st century world is where we truly should be focused.  In regards to this question, the next logical qualified questions is:

Does the use of information technology in schools prepare kids for a technology rich world we can scarcely describe in the current moment?

Then the answer would be a resounding and passionate — YES!!  Now let’s design and build measures for addressing skills that emerge from this backward design and use measures that are meant to really test whether students are developing 21st century skills.  Let’s get beyond the issue of technology as an entity and look at how we create technology rich environments that eminently prepare students for the world of their future.

Hattie research:

and one recently reported danger from CNET:

Christmas Letter 2011

Jamie McKenzie Reflections

Dr. Jamie McKenzie inspired us recently with a short visit and spent time with teachers, parents, and administration.  He reinforced the notion that our hopes and dreams for students are not always about preparing them for a technologically challenging century, but that we must always remind ourselves that the primary goal is nothing less or more than a good life!

With this engagement, Dr. McKenzie reminded us all of the critical balance we seek.  We do not seek to ignore or escape technology, but instead we choose to engage with technology along with other aspects of a holistic approach to teaching and learning.  The two are connected. But, we dare not overly depend on  technology forgetting the thinking and questioning skills necessary to prudent discovery and diligent inquiry.  To have a good life, we would argue that students must be prepared for a bombardment of often devilishly deceitful media.  We dare not create a generation of automatons controlled by search engine narrowing.  Excellence rather than mediocrity!

Jamie helped us to think a bit about our messages – to students, to parents, and to each other.  We’re nervous, but that’s a necessary precursor to prudent decision making.  Thanks, Jamie!

http://vimeo.com/33096283

Dr. Jamie McKenzie, Technology Consultant from AAS Moscow on Vimeo.

The Holiday Season Begins @ AAS

AAS 5th Grade from Jon Zurfluh on Vimeo.

Erin and her classmates entertain parents at recent gathering.

BTW – All video done with iPhone and edited with iMovie on the iPhone. Amazing…

Director’s Challenge

You may have seen the notice in the recent Dispatch that I’m launching a new annual tradition that I would like to call“The Director’s Challenge.”

From the Dispatch:

AAS has always been quick to take on community service projects at all levels and divisions in support of good causes or to reach out to groups of people who are struggling in some way. This year, the three divisions have come together on one project, the Prozorovo Tractor Fund, for which we feel we can have a lasting impact on a the lives of villagers in our host country. The village of Prozorova is located northwest of the Golden Ring, approximately 400km north of Moscow and they are desperately in need of a new tractor. This tractor is essential to the lives of the villagers as the local roads are poor with dirt tracks that are often only navigable by tractor. The tractor is used to supply wood and food to the elderly villagers and plough fields and transport crops in the spring and summer.

This is a new tradition to assist our students in their annual fundraising efforts. I am personally donating 15,000 rubles to the Prozorova Tractor Fund. In order to reach the “Director’s Challenge 2011-2012” goal, I encourage 30 individuals or groups in the AAS community to match my donation by also contributing 15,000 rubles each. By participating in this fundraising effort, each donator will recognized by a plaque on the “Director’s Challenge Wall.”

Please note, after 30 donations have been received this year’s challenge is closed.

I’m excited by this opportunity for the adults in this community to join together with our children to help them achieve something bigger than they could do on their own. I hope you will help our students by taking part in the First Annual Director’s Challenge!

The Emotions of Youth

Two events this past week reminded me of the often-raw nature of student expression. Emotions bottled up seemed to often find their way to the surface and spill into the hallways and various events that are part of the AAS smorgasbord.

On Monday last, our IB Drama students took to a small stage to put on 24-hour theater. These original works brought some very difficult language and emotions to a mixed audience. We laughed, we cringed, and we saw some deep wounds exposed for all – a connection to difficult issues in our world. There were poignant message of the horrors of abuse, power, corruption, and related themes. Their hearts and souls were in these short pieces and the underlying theme was obvious with emotions sharp and like daggers thrown in the dark. From the technical standpoint, it was amazing to see what emerges in 24 hours – costuming, lights, staging – everything well done! The Malyy Theater was the perfect venue for this intimate expression of something so personal and intense.

On Friday last, our “Middlers” entered their first evening social at about 5:00 p.m. A large crowd turned out for dancing, games, movies, food, and friendship. As a father, I signed up as chaperone for the night to give me a chance at connecting with my son, his new friends, and everyone else in attendance. It’s always amazing to see the range of this group of kids and reflect on the growth that emerges in these often dynamic and challenging years. Equal to the range of height was the range of emotions on display. The energy on the dance floor in the Malyy was almost overwhelming at times. We had constructed a multi-tiered dance floor and the room was filled throughout the night. The tunes belted out lyrics with intense emotional themes and resonated with the crowd as they mimicked the words while dancing alone, as couples, and in groups. The dynamics were like a complex nuclear reaction where one particle hits another building the energy exponentially to a fevered pitch of movement, color, and sound moving in waves around the room. And then the music slowed, the room emptied a bit, and a brave few remained for a subdued dance at slower pace, some as couples and others comfortably swaying on their own to the flowing cadence. Friendships were made and broken that night. There was both laughter and tears. One past student from AAS even attended the event virtually from South Korea via Skype on a student’s computer.

Tina Quick was here talking to us about the emotions of youth and how vibrant and unpredictable they are. It’s fabulous that we have an environment at AAS where occasional open expression is valued and encouraged. Some might react to a dance or a play as a moment of supervisory weakness. Not us. We see it as an important part of becoming – an important part of childhood.

Tina had some valuable messages for us on emotion and transition. If you missed it, watch below a video reminder of her important lessons. Listen for the themes of how the emotions of youth guide our understanding.

http://vimeo.com/29644833

Parents – Listen to your kids and tune in to their emotions – often raw and unrestricted. They are learning!

Students – Bring your emotions to the surface and learn from them. Be honest with yourself and others. This is the time to learn about what you can teach yourself.

Thoughts?

Wow…

Hard to find words to describe this…  Wonderful!!!

What a great capture of what goes on at AAS every day.