Assessing and Advancing the Implementation of the Common Core State Standards

Image retrieved December 11, 2011 from http://www.ride.ri.gov/Division-EEIE/images/CC-RSG_LOGO.gif

I just returned from the national Learning Forward conference where I attended a session with the goal of teaching participants how to use a collaborative tool designed to assess and advance the implementation of the Common Core Standards within a system. As the Common Core Standards continue to be implemented nationwide and as national assessments are beginning to be developed in collaboration with the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), the message both facilitators echoed was ….“teach the standards well” (David Hill and Patti Bridwell).

In their message, Bridwell and Hill focused on the two facets of organizational change – people and structures. Noting that people are not easily changed, the duo walked participants through a tool that will guide leaders to modify structures that affect attitudes, behavior, self-image, people, and actions.

The “tool” (scroll down to Common Core subheading and if the hyperlink does not take you in automatically, use the username and password “coach”) is a pilot version that consists of 5 components...

1. 4 Levers (to help “lift” the heavy load of information and process)
2. Key Indicators (to give stakeholders the “why” behind the change)
3. Descriptors of Advanced Implementation (to guide the “how” of the process)
4. Evidence of Current Practice (to determine what is actually in place)
5. Recommendations (how can we use those current practices differently to affect change in the system at all levels within our control, aligned to the key indicator?)
   

Implementation suggestions included the following:

• Make sure you have a representative group of no more than 35.
• Model the use of the tool using key indicator 1.1; however do not complete the recommendation section at this time.
• Assign each table group two key indicators to complete.
• Facilitate a 'graffiti walk' so others have the opportunity provide evidence of current practice on additional key indicators.
• After the graffiti walk, ask the original group to consider all the evidence and generate recommendations for each of the key indicators.
• On a follow-up day, assemble a small subset of key leaders to consider and prioritize the recommendations. (Bridwell and Hill)

For more information regarding the Dana Center, Learning Forward members may access the following site – www.utdanacenter.org/pd/ila2010 – user name: coaches / password: coaches

Facilitators:

Patti Bridwell, The University of Texas, Charles A. Dana Center, Austin, TX

David Hill, The University of Texas, Charles A. Dana Center, Austin,

20/20 Vision for Education

Image retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/vision1.jpg

Have you ever heard the saying, “Hindsight is golden”? Well, if I had known THEN what I know NOW, I certainly would have/could have been a better teacher! But to my own defense, I really thought that I was doing what was educationally sound at the time. It just goes to show that we really never stop learning and that we can always become more effective collaborators, facilitators, teachers, …...

Looking forward to 2020, we could probably argue that what we are doing now is educationally sound “at the current time” but that with technology advances, collaborative learning environments, tips, strategies, and more all just a keystroke away, we are probably in for quite a ride!

Although 2020 is only 9 years away, my mind is racing to possible advances. For those of you who may remember the cartoon called the Jetsons, some of those “far-fetched” concepts are actually reality today, AND we're probably not that far off in realizing other changes in the world that would affect education.

Image retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.tv.com/shows/the-jetsons/

On the cartoon show, the characters would simply press a button and “zap” - their dinner would be ready...(long before microwaves became a typical household appliance); they could communicate on screens with teachers, friends, a boss......(long before Skype); and, they had cars they could program from point A to point B (long before GPS systems)! So.....what does this all mean for 2020 visioning and how the world may be in the year 2020?

If we reference futuristic research and the wonderfully creative TED website, we can see and hear examples of how changes affect people every day – from the Amy Purdy story of her recovery from bacterial meningitis that left her without a spleen, kidneys, and both legs below the knees to Joe Sabia's technology of storytelling that's a great pictorial of storytelling through its 6000 year history. As we contemplate our future, allow me to challenge your thinking by taking you for a 6.21 minute journey with some robots!



How can we build self-awareness in our own students? As Marge Scherer, (2011, February) indicates, “Education has to change. We can't pull kids into learning in school if they are engaged in a different world outside school” (p. 7). Effectively teaching the students in 2020 will depend on two basics – embracing the tools and then using them! In fact, Scherer reports in her interview with Karen Cator, the director of the Office of Education Technology at the U.S. Department of Education, that Cator envisions the day when “....broadband is as pervasive as electricity and when all students will come to school with digital devices in hand, much as they came with their pencil boxes in the past” (p. 7).

Can you see the little George Jetsons of the world.....walking around with their digital devices – MP3 players, i phones, or whatever device the future may bring us - maybe even devices so small that we can't even physically see them? I'm picturing a time when my granddaughter can simply speak into a microchip and get the answer she's investigating.....instant feedback! Talk about differentiation in the classroom! Teachers will become facilitators of learning, channeling activities based on learning targets per child!
Imagine the possibilities!

Image retrieved November 30, 2011 from http://edinboroonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/brain_possibilities.jpg

Beyond the individual classroom, what can schools do to help prepare our students for 2020? According to Richardson (2011, February), we need to help students understand not only the safety and ethics of collaborating online, but we have to provide opportunities for them to find and follow their passions and to publish meaningful work for global audiences! We have to think beyond our walls, our community, our state..... We must teach “connections” - an opportunity to learn from those who take the time to read and respond. “Without sharing, there is no education” (Wiley, 2010). Teachers will be sharing lesson plans, thoughts, experiences, and will be utilizing wikis, blogs, voice threads, YouTube videos, photos, Skype, Googledocs.......intentionally having students share work online so that they can learn how to build their own foundations for their future sharing online.

My vision of the world in 2020 is one of immersion in technology – 24/7 – facilitating learning according to each child's needs, learning targets, and schedules, and getting our children more involved in their own learning!


References:

Scherer, M. (2011, February). Screenagers: Making the connections. Educational Leadership, 68/5

TEDTalks website retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.ted.com/

Wiley, D. (2010, March 8). My TEDxNYED talk. Iterating toward openness [blog post]. Retrieved November 30, 2011 from Iterating Toward Openness at http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/1270

Picnik in the Classroom!

Do you use pictures in your classroom, photos as writing prompts/wiki prompts, or catalog your students via pictorial portfolios? Well......let me share a new find with you -  Picnik! It's a free web application that only requires the Flash Player to be installed on your computer with no additional downloads, and it's easy to use!

Here's an example of a picture from Lucky Baldwin's estate in Lake Tahoe that I adapted to use as a conversation starter with my new teachers regarding their gains in technology. The "ice breaker" is a great activity to start any training session AND this particular activity was one that I used to transition their face-to-face conversations with an extended conversation on their new teacher wiki, sharing examples of technology applications that have helped their students learn.

Can you think of other possibilities utilizing pictures? My adult learners love using picture prompts and editing photos - in fact, even my two-year old granddaughter enjoys taking/editing pictures using her Disney camera! Learning can be so much fun!

Catch this video clip of inspiring education pictures.....(thank you, Adrienne and Shelby, for teaching me how to embed a video clip!)

Paperless......Going GREEN!

How comfortable ARE YOU when it comes to NOT having a hard copy of a document? My guess is that as a possible Gen X-er or Gen Y-er (Millenial), you may be a bit more comfortable than my Baby Boomer generation; However, as an environmentally conscious grandmother AND a technology embracer, I challenge you to start thinking about what YOU could be doing in the classroom WITHOUT PAPER!

Here are just two things I’ve begun doing so far:

1. All meeting agendas and subsequent minutes are posted on a Moodle course for each group (Principals, Department Chairs, ISTs, Instructional Coaches, New Teachers, etc.) If someone wants a printed copy, I ask them to print their own; however, I post the agenda on the screen during each meeting and participants are getting into the habit of bringing with them their own laptops for notetaking. In fact, I have also begun actually taking the minutes on my laptop as everyone sees them being typed on the screen. I’m finding that when something needs to be clarified, they catch it immediately!
2. All Power Points, video clips, articles, and websites used for professional development sessions are posted on appropriate Moodle course sites for participants to access during and after each session.

It’s interesting to consider how I may gauge the measure of success with my new system, but if one could judge by reading faces, I can tell you that the sense of panic I see when they come to one of my meetings now and notice that I no longer hand them a paper copy will hopefully soon turn to a new practice! We are scheduled for our third meeting next week, so I’ll let you know!

One advantage to going GREEN is the fact that there is one repository for all notes per topic instead of BINDERS! The principals, department leaders, IST teachers, instructional coaches, and even my administrative assistants know where to find documents that previously would have just been filed away in a binder. Perhaps I can even begin arranging more aesthetically pleasing knick-knacks on my shelves!

BIG SHIFT - Teaching is Conversation, Not Lecture

As Richardson (2006) so eloquently states of the Read/Write Web, it is “one of seamless transfer of information; of collaborative, individualized learning; and of active participation by all members of the class” (p. 127). With the continuous process of creating and sharing content, Richardson relates ‘shifts’ in thinking about content and curriculum and how educators can best teach students.

One of Richardson’s (2006) ‘shifts’ identified as “Big Shift #4: Teaching is Conversation, Not Lecture”

(p. 129) resonates with me personally. Although I am somewhat of an auditory learner, I have found over time that I do actually understand more after I’ve had the opportunity to discuss the learning with colleagues. Gone are the days when the teacher was the ‘sage on the stage’ lecturing to large groups of students who sat scripting everything, and welcome are the days that students can engage in their own learning by accessing multiple sources for understanding!

Today’s technology has opened the field of education to one that empowers the learner! As Siemens (2002) indicated, collaborating, having conversations, and making connections are simply starting points to learning and the ideas generated by networks propagate further discovery and understanding. Students become active participants in the design of their own learning and we, as educators, are preparing them to be more involved in their own futures.

I see this with my own practice as a professional developer with new teachers! I even feel guilty for what I made those new teachers 10 years ago endure! I am a MUCH better “collaborator and conversation facilitator” than lecturer! AND, the resources, tools, and strategies I am learning from others in the PLS “Building Collaborative Environments” course is the best example of teaching and learning I’ve witnessed since being a part of my blended doctoral cohort! This has definitely shaped me as an educator and as an educational leader, and I value continuing opening many more windows for future learning, sharing, extending, and probable ‘shifting’ of my own!

References:

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Siemens, G. (2002, Dec. 1). The art of blogging. Elearnspace: Everything elearning. Retrieved November 19, 2011, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/blogging_part_1.htm

Connectivism – Is it New or Part of a Continuum of Change?

As Group C has so nicely prompted my thinking, I found myself asking the very same questions I was reading…..

1. "Is Connectivism really new or part of a continuum of change?”
2. “Are the changes created by technology advances and the internet that new that we need a new learning theory?” and,

3. “If the changes differ only in degree but not their fundamental nature, do we need a new theory?"

These are great questions, but from my perspective, does it really matter? Isn’t the goal for educators one of connecting with students for their understanding and meaningful application of that understanding to life?

In my opinion, Connectivism is simply the 21^st Century way of making learning even more effective! We no longer need to muddle through the encyclopedias that in the 1960’s and 70’s cost an arm and a leg for our parents! Our children and grandchildren can access information at the touch of a button, AND get more accurate and up-to-date information than any of us had even dreamed of!

Permit me to challenge YOUR thinking, and focus not on whether it’s a theory, but rather on its impact on learning!

Skype is NOT just for Grandmothers!

Although utilizing Skype is a great way to connect with my granddaughter, it is ALSO a great tool to use in the classroom!  Let me share how some teachers in our district are utilizing this wonderful tool!

Ø      Grade level and content teachers have used Skype to chat with various authors. This has provided students with a wonderful experience extending their understanding of authors’ points of view.

Ø      Science and Health teachers have used Skype to chat with doctors and physicians’ assistants from Lehigh Valley Medical Center.

Ø      Grade level and science teachers have chatted with a scientist from NASSAU.

Ø      Students researching their graduation projects have utilized Skype to converse with business partners and senior citizens, among others.

Ø      Students in World Language classes chat with students in various levels, different schools, and even different countries! What better way to learn a language than to speak with a native speaker!

Ø      Students in our East Penn Cyber Learning Program (EPCLP) utilize Skype to access their online teachers and for extra tutoring help.

As I reflect on my use of Skype with other educators and what I’ve seen other educators doing, it amazes me how far we have come! The ability to actually see, to speak with, and to hear a partner “live” via one’s computer not only helps student understand but also helps develop their relationship skills – a vital component of 21^st Century learning!

I know that as I continue professionally developing our teachers, I will continue to utilize Skype. It’s a great way to model a 21^st Century chat and to “connect” with other educators worldwide! I can’t think of a better way to extend learning in the classroom!

Universal Design for Learning and Utilizing Digital Content!

I'm in a session at our Intermediate Unit learning more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how learning has changed in our everyday life.  The session began by asking the group, " What are you doing digitally in your everyday life?" Answers include paying for gas, getting directions, getting cash, finding phone numbers, checking on the weather, getting recipes, paying bills, and even buying and/or listening to music.  WOW, if you're from the Baby Boomer generation, "We've come a long way, Baby!"

The session challenged us to think about our STUDENTS' learning profiles - what motivates them, what their strengths/challenges are, what barriers they have to learning - and moving from a deficit-oriented remediation to a student-centered, resource-oriented and compensatory model. UDL anticipates the needs of diverse learners.

Image retrieved November 10, 2011 from http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/

This concept mirrors Danielson's Framework for Teaching in that the focus is on the learner AND Wiggins' and McTighe's Understanding by Design where the focus is learning/understanding.   Image retrieved November 12, 2011 from http://math.coe.uga.edu/olive/Portugal/Image3.gif

As educators, we need to have access to as many resources as we can so that we not only can provide optimum learning, but so that we can also work smarter, not harder! In otherwords ......, we need to not add more to our plate, but provide more choices on that plate!

For an AWESOME site to share with all of your teachers, whether they're new or veteran, check out this tool kit!

"What 'tools' do you use in your everyday practice? What sites are in your toolbox? How do you provide choices "on your plate" rather than adding more to it?"   

Image retrieved November 12, 2011 from http://ministryhealth.org/HealthConnectionOnline/2011Summer/plate.jpg

Podcasts for the Professional Developer

Image retrieved November 8, 2011 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/15319336@N07/2060971197/

Are you an educational leader, instructional coach, professional developer, or a university instructor who works with teachers, new teachers, or those who are studying to become teachers? If you are any of the above, have I got a resource for you!

Podcasting, a free service that allows Internet users to pull audio files from Websites, provides educators with an almost endless supply of content. One Podcast site that I recently found is that of Dr. Laura Riffel, otherwise known as the "Behavior Doctor".  Although I first learned of this site through one of our district special education supervisors, I quickly began incorporating the site into my own online "New Teacher Induction" course. Any question a new or veteran teacher may have regarding student behavior is captured in a radio podcast! The tips Dr. Riffel provides are applicable to ALL students, and I think you will find her site a welcome "go to" spot when you have questions from any teachers regarding discipline!

Here's a link to the Podcast I just used with new teachers yesterday entitled, "You Can't Make Me Yogi", a short session to guide teachers for those students who say, "I don't want to and you can't make me"!

Dr. Laura Riffel

Image retrieved November 8, 2011 from http://www.blogtalkradio.com/behaviordoctor

Flickr Possibilities

Who among us does not want
                or need
             more TIME?





Image Citation: Time. Retrieved November 8, 2011 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/hartlepool_museum/5633910355/sizes/s/in/photostream/

I am not an expert on time management nor do I pretend to be one; however, among the myriad of technology tools out there for educators is a recent new find for me -  Flickr! Flickr is described as a Yahoo Photo/Video Sharing Service and according to Wikipedia, hosts more than 6 billion images as of August 2011.

As I searched through the gallery, ideas just started to flow! Talk about saving time and my favorite adage, "work smarter, not harder"! This morning I visited a 6th grade classroom where the teacher provided four project options for her students as a culminating activity to having read the book, The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis.  One of the options was to create a mind map utilizing pictures! I should have thought of this then, but I want everyone to know that I did just follow through with an email to her with the link to Flickr! What a great resource - not only for the teacher, but for her students, too!  Not only will this resource save her TIME, it will provide the students with more options AND 21st Century skills - a win/win

As a professional developer,  I can see endless possibilities for encouraging teacher use of this tool from not only the classroom project perspective, as mentioned above, but also for writing prompts and reflections - just think of the possibilities. 

One site, the Teachers Network, recommended that teachers create their own Flickr class accounts, making it easier to access class work while also providing the option of keeping all work private. This particular site also provided an example of students who were not able to find some images on flickr, but uploaded Google images to their flickr group page, enabling them to collaborate with each other and to embed comments on the images by using either the notes or description features.

I can't wait to begin using this more!

Fundamental Instructional Practices

As we continue to learn more about "what works" and "what doesn't work" in the field of education, one question continues to surface....."What makes a fundamental instructional practice 'fundamental'?" Our district is currently investigating Instructional Rounds , a network approach to  improving teaching and learning. 

Before, during, and after each monthly session (since August), our goal has been to learn as much as we can about what "our beliefs" are as they relate to best practices (fundamental instructional practices). As we journey together to learn more about "rounds", we research, discuss, plan, collaborate, engage each other in conversations about fundamental practices, and then go even more deeply during each subsequent session ......all before we plan to embark on our very first "rounds" (not slated to begin until January).

During our most recent session, we decided to charge each other with scanning our district classrooms for pieces of evidence that relate to practices such as an opening set, providing directions, questioning, lesson tasks, assessments, and closing sets. A resource that was shared with us and provides over 1200 strategies and their definitions is hyperlinked for you to visit. I found it to be a great resource as I began informal visits around the district.

I hope you find this information valuable, and if anyone has additional sites that could serve to provide resources for helping us develop our answer to "What makes a fundamental instructional practice 'fundamental'?", please share!

Using Social Bookmarking for Professional Development

Have you ever thought about how you might outline a plan for using social bookmarking as a professional tool yourself, either for your own continuing professional development or to collaborate with colleagues?  I've just recently been exposed to Pageflakes ( a wonderful tool, I might add), and my imagination is going wild with ideas!

I've already started utilizing social bookmarking with my new teachers (the "ever-so-ready" digital natives) who have even taught me more about various sites, like the Khan Academy that has over 83 MILLION lessons, including those for instructional coaches - my passion!  Check it out!

As I continue to explore this great tool, I will keep you posted with other bookmarks. Until then, check out my Pageflake that incorporates other great links!

Wikis and How they Can Help on our Journey to the Common Core

Do you know the saying, "Work Smarter, Not Harder"? Well, ..... after attending the Learning Forward PA Institute this past Thursday with Grant Wiggins encouraging districts in Pennsylvania to work collaboratively to meet our 2013-2014 goal of fully implementing the Common Core Standards, it only seems like a natural progression to keep the conversations going by creating a wiki!  "Yes, a wiki!"

A wiki is a collaborative space where everyone works together to write or brainstorm ideas, and what better way is there for participants who began capacity building conversations to continue? Talk about "building community"!

Many of the participants were district leaders, whether superintendents, curriculum directors, professional developers, instructional coaches, or teacher leaders, who came together with the same goal -  learning how to move forward on this journey toward implementing the Common Core Standards.  I plan to contact the current president of the organization to highly suggest the creation of such a wiki.  Stay tuned!

Opening up a Whole New World through RSS Feeds!

I have JUST discovered RSS feeds and despite being a little frustrated with my laptop, I am ecstatic over the concept of the feeds bringing my interests to me rather than me searching for them!  What a novel, forward-thinking 21st Century tool!!!! The BEST part of all of this is the TIME it will save.  I cannot thank the creators of this ENOUGH!!!!

One of my favorite blog sites is Education Week and since I am also passionate about professional development, I also link to the Learning Forward blog. One of the blogs recently posted dealt with "Evaluating Technology Tools"

Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director of Learning Forward, will be interacting with many technology developers over the next few days to discuss "education space." She intends to raise questions and challenge these developers to give the questions posed in her post thoughtful attention. She is hopeful that if they can successfully answer these questions, they will find educators eager to partner and confident in the results they will acquire together. Hopefully many will discover the "game changers" we need to accelerate the process of improvement in schools everywhere.

Personally, I can foresee using this feature (the RSS feed) in my online teaching for my new teachers and having them utilize RSS feeds with their own students!  In an educational era where "time" is so critical, the use of RSS feeds can only maximize teacher planning, teacher and student collaboration, and other 21st Century learning skills.

Tips from the Field

As I was searching for "blogs" about instructional coaching, I came across this AWESOME blogger, named David Ginsberg who specializes in instructional coaching and provides great tips for all educators. His blog site is "Coach G's Teaching Tips" and although he provides great tips throughout his entire blogging history, the one that is piquing my interest currently is his blog about homework. Our teachers are currently exploring the book, "Rethinking Homework" by Alfie Kohn, and it has opened up a dialog beyond what we could ever have hoped for! I look forward to following his blog for cotinued inspiration!

Can We Afford NOT to Have Instructional Coaches?

As school budgets get tighter and we are faced with doing more in education with less, please explore with me how important it is to have job-embedded professional developers (coaches) by our side every day to help make learning meaningful for all students.
My goal for creating this blog is to not only provide my thoughts about instructional coaching but to also get feedback regarding how to continue if we have to teach without them.