All or Nothing?

I'm considering making a change. With change often comes the traditional interview process and the preparation that comes along with that ritual. I suppose there is a benefit to this process in that it forces one to reflect. One of the interview questions is sure to involve my thoughts on what I think is the most important quality of an effective leader. After role playing this question in my head a dozen times, I have come to the conclusion that this is an impossible question to answer with any real depth. I compare it to what is the most important ingredient in a really delicious recipe? Without all the ingredients you don't get the really delicious food. The vanilla is no less important than the sugar or the flour.

                        
I feel the same with my top list of ingredients of a truly fine leader. What good is a clear vision without communication or relationship abilities? Is being responsive or supporting teachers meaningful if a leader doesn't have current knowledge around pedagogy? Does enthusiasm and innovation make an impact when organizational skills or the ability to really listen are weak?

Maybe I'm wrong, I'd like to hear others thoughts, but for me it seems to be all or nothing when discussing the qualities of a truly effective leader. 

a culture of learning

“... and now you're a wacko like me.” I'm not sure if I've ever had a greater compliment regarding my philosophies on education (assessment in this particular case) then hearing these words from Rick Wormeli on my shift in thinking over the past seventeen years in education. I haven’t always been the type of thinker I am today regarding education. Mainly, I think, because once I became a teacher, for a few years,  I stopped learning.

I think my beliefs first significantly began to move when I began my masters degree many years ago. I don't remember the title of the book, but in the first paragraph, there was a statement about how education is modeled after the industrial age and in many cases has never looked back. It went on to compare schools to prisons and hospitals as being highly institutionalized organizations. This message made me pause and reflect not only on educational practices in general, but what was going on in my own classroom. I took the balcony view and imagined the school that has its students sitting in rows, being taught one discipline for 60 minutes, the bell rings, students stand up, move to another room, sit in their assigned seat where another teacher lectures another subject in isolation for 60 minutes, the bell rings, repeat …

Today I work with some pretty amazing educators who help “push my thinking.” Conversations involving inquiry-based learning, relevant projects, Genius Hour, makerspace, flex time, interdisciplinary challenges, dismantling of computer labs, breaking down classroom walls, questioning why we need bells, deeper learning, community classrooms...all in an effort to make learning fluid, relevant, engaging and purposeful. None of this would be possible without having a culture that supports learning. A place where teachers are reading, talking, researching, forming learning communities. One of my most important roles as an administrator is to support that culture of learning and help it permeate throughout the school. Leaders, I feel, need be strategic and creative to motivate and support a school to continually have its professionals engage in learning.  George Couros recently posted the question  How do you make the great learning go “viral” in your school, to move from “pockets” to a “culture of innovation?” which he addresses in his new book (which I’ve ordered, but yet to read) The Innovator’s Mindset.. It's a great question and one I look forward to exploring further.

Finding The Balance

I believe technology is a wonderful thing. I rely heavily on it every day and it is one of my passions. I facilitate my school’s technology advisory  committee and am involved with tech at a district level as well. I provide release time to teachers so that they can plan ways to integrate technology into their lessons in a meaningful way. My teachers know the fastest way to get ahold of me is by first text, second email and then a distant third my office landline. Every teacher has my cellphone number. I Google Hangout with the secretaries when they need to get ahold of me.

In my house of four we have ipads, a mini ipad, android, iphones, a Mac, PC, Chromebook, laptops and tech toys (some of them mine). I tweet, email, instagram, blog, text.

I share this with the intent of laying the foundation to those who choose to read this that I am a tech guy and support it greatly, but….another one of my passions is wellness. I have always been pretty good at taking care of my physical well being, but up until a couple of years ago did not pay a lot of attention  to working out my mental health. Because I, like so many of us, are continually being bombarded with information through technology I have found it important to make a concerted effort to take time to let my brain rest.  For a couple of years now I have been practising “mindfulness” in an attempt to be more in the present, be more productive, less reactive and be more focused on particular tasks when I am working on them. At work our school created a mindfulness group for teachers and another for students. We are introducing mindfulness to all of our students to help reduce anxiety.

Recently the teacher-librarian handed me a copy of The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer and I found the book really resonated with me. The book is small (it can be read in one sitting) and has (at least for the past week) helped me “slow down” and appreciate things more. A good portion of the book talks about technology and its impact on our society. It in no way “bashes” tech, but rather provides some interesting insights on how we can ensure we don’t become too consumed with always being “plugged in.” The book provides plenty of examples from Google and Intel on how tech leaders like this who are often “leading the charge” also recognize the importance of slowing things down. The book states that according to “interruption science” it takes 25 min to recover from something like a cell phone call and yet on average we are being interrupted every 11 minutes so we never fully recover unless we train ourselves to.

I certainly have a ways to go to strike the right balance (whatever that is), but lately I have been feeling calmer, more content, appreciative and more productive. So as I sit in a little coffee shop with my Chromebook and Android looking out the window on a nice fall day, I know that later, when I head out for a walk, I won’t be using that time to make phone calls, answer emails while I clumsily maneuver the sidewalks, think of work projects that I should be working on and instead I will (at least try) to appreciate my surroundings so that when I do return will be rested and more capable to tackle what may be left on my list of things to do.

Journey towards inquiry-based learning through P.B.L.

I have always known that inquiry-based learning is a very effective method for structuring learning. It also aligns very well as a process that meets many of the requirement of Alberta’s Ministerial Order on Student Learning. I just wasn’t sure how to go about implementing...inquiry can be easier said than done.

Our journey going deeper with inquiry based learning began last May when a fellow administrator told me he was arranging to bring in a Project Based Learning (PBL) facilitator, Charity Allen from www.pblconsulting.net, to put on a two-day workshop for his middle school teachers. He had 18 available spots he was going to open up to the district. I asked him to hold all 18 openings for two days until I had an opportunity to talk to the middle school teachers at my school. The following days I spoke with the teachers and by the end of the second day the middle school team had committed to doing the training and pursuing PBL implementation this school year. Only one of the teachers had already received the training and was using PBL in her classroom. She was excited to take the training again and support teachers new to the process.

Knowing ongoing support would help the chances of follow through, I asked our Teacher Librarian to participate in the training so that she could offer her expertise throughout the year. Having already received the training and already using PBL with other classes, she knew the benefits of providing support to teachers. She could use her flexible timetable in order to offer this vital ongoing support.

For two days, Charity facilitated an Intro to PBL workshop for our two schools. As president of PBL Consulting, she was extremely gifted in managing the workshop. She guided us through the why of PBL, the what of PBL and then moved us into how to design high quality, inquiry-based projects.  By the end of the workshop, participants reached near completion of their projects. She explained that inquiry was basically attempting to resolve the unresolved using a process. She shared multiple processes and methods of inquiry upon which projects could be modeled. She further instructed us that projects need to be in a context that is connected to the real world in a way that is relevant to students. Teachers developed projects such as: how to revitalize a vacant city lot, input into our district’s new school design, school renovations, the impact on environment from invasive aquatic species in provincial water bodies, how to sustain society on another planet (MarsOne) and more.

After two days, teachers were very impressed with the workshop and eager to develop and implement their projects in their classrooms. The priority now will be offering support and encouragement so that our middle school continues with this approach.

Start up

This year began with a change in my role as an administrator. I find myself working with an exceptional group of middle school teachers. The past three days of school have been what I can only call inspiring as this teacher cohort has dedicated itself to welcoming new students and welcoming back returning students.

The first day began with teachers volunteering their prep time to facilitate activities planned by the counsellor. The purpose of these activities was to build relationships with one another and their teachers as well as to get familiar with a large new school. Activities included a “fashion infraction” where teachers modeled clothing deemed unacceptable to a school setting (I wore a beer shirt with sunglasses), how to open up your lock, an amazing race to explore the school and much more. The grade sevens were the only students in the school and had free reign to explore and get comfortable for the entire morning before the first day of school started two days later.

Another teacher organized “activation.” A series of stations where each grade level (seven through 12) came in at different times and within an hour had their picture taken and received school ID, text books signed out, lockers assigned, timetables handed out.

I visited every middle school classroom the following day and watched how teachers had planned activites around getting to know one another and building relationships. Another noticeable characteristic of most of the classrooms was how their rooms were set up. All rooms had desks or tables set up for cooperative learning (not group work). Most classrooms had “soft seated” areas in the  classrooms and many had light filters or lamps to adjust the lighting. Words of welcome and encouragement were displayed throughout.  

I am confident all of this preparation and dedication in the beginning will pay huge dividends throughout the year. I am very proud to be a part of this team and look forward to supporting them however I can.

Final Exams...a tradition worth questioning

I have been having many conversations this year with teachers about our practice of administering final exams for students. Although I cannot confirm with certainty, I recently read that the final exam process has been happening since the 1830s. With all the current research on effective assessment, how students learn and knowing that we are required to make decisions that have a student's best interest as the primary consideration, I have to question why we are still doing this, this way. What is the purpose of a final exam and is it the best way to achieve that purpose?  Many people indicate that a final is a way for teachers to measure whether or not a student has learned what has been taught in the classroom, some indicate its how universities do it so we should too and others sometime claim it prepares them for the “real world.”

I watched a teacher work with a student the other day. She was watching him explain to another student how to do a math calculation. Through this process the student was truly able to demonstrate what he knew. Her biggest fear for this student will be when he is required to write a timed high stakes test with a hundred other students in an extremely structured setting. What approach seems to be more reliable and really indicative of what the student knows?

At random I chose two well known universities, Harvard and Berkley, and googled their final exam procedures. At Harvard only 259 of the 1,137 classes offered finals. Furthermore, it is expected that unless the professor declares early in the semester and notifies the Office of the Registrar that they plan on having a seated final exam they will not have one. Berkley communicates that oftentimes the alternatives (to final exams) may even be advantageous to promote student learning and be a more authentic means of students demonstrating what they have learned.  Surely if these two institutions have changed  we must question this approach in our schools. Even if universities are not changing their final exam procedures, is poor practices by other institutions really an excuse and reason for us to do the same?

As for real world application, other than school and my driver license I can’t remember writing a high stakes exam to demonstrate what I know. Not that long ago I was held accountable to my colleagues and had to demonstrate what I knew regarding a leadership approach. This was not done by sitting in  a room for two or more hours writing a multiple choice exam that would determine whether or not I  could continue as a school administrator. I worked with partners and presented to an audience.

I understand that there are limitations and perhaps different subjects require different approaches, but continuing to do the same thing the same way, just because it's how it's been done decades or perhaps even a century ago seems to be unfair and outdated.

New School Design to Support Today's Learners

It’s not that often that a smaller city gets to build a new school so when the Superintendent put out a call for people interested in providing input for the design of it I leapt at the opportunity. The district that I work in will be building a new school that will serve 600 students from K to grade six. I had no idea what to expect as I entered the meeting room along with approximately 20 other educators and professionals including:  teachers, central office staff, school administrators and architects. Being the only administrator from a high school I was a little uncertain at first if I was in  a position to offer much in the conversations. What I soon discovered, however, is  that regardless of grade level, good philosophical and pedagogical ideas in education transcend age and grade levels. To be certain there are many differences between a high school and an elementary school, but the “big” ideas are aligned regardless of whether you are talking elementary or high school.

The process began with our Ministerial Order on learning. In groups we were asked to pull out pieces that resonated with us when deciding how a new school could  support the Order. It quickly became clear that student centered, flexible, inquiry based opportunities were a priority. A building that supported technology necessary. We also noted the movement towards a greater emphasis on competencies and less on content and meeting the needs of a variety learning styles.

From there we were asked to create a visual metaphor representing what the school would look like. We were asked, what would teachers or community members see when they came into the building that support our beliefs on what learning looks like ? The commonality with all the groups was not unnoticed. Themes of collaborative, flexible and fluid learning environments with the ability for students to pursue their interests and inquiry were prominent. A school that is welcoming and supports 21st century learning skills emphasized.

An architect team then gave a presentation that included the history of schools. They educated us on how the structure of schools have evolved and in some ways impeded research proven ways to enhance learning. The schools that once relied on tall windows that opened along with high ceilings for natural light and fresh air circulation have been modified and distorted as society felt the need to control the environment. The team also shared the policies and guidelines they are responsible for, but also how flexible space can be. The total square footage is locked, but how it is used can be manipulated.

Armed with information and beliefs we were then able to start listing physical suggestions to the building. Ideas such as glassed-in breakout rooms so that students could be supervised while they work in small groups or independently, garage door type doors in the gym that could be opened so the space could spill out into a large welcoming entryway foyer, outside walls constructed so that they could help with outdoor classroom space, a learning commons that is a focal point and easily accessible, natural lighting, spaces to create, inquire and explore, flexible walls….I think our group probably came up with over fifty suggestions. Architects sat at each table and continuously wrote notes, asked questions for clarifications, offered suggestions and informed us of constraints.

Five hours went by very quickly. We still have much work to do, but what inspired and gratified me as I left the first meeting was how I truly felt a part of the process and how everyone at the table was putting the best interest of the child into every consideration.

I  welcome any comments or ideas from others who have experienced or have ideas on how they feel a new school environment should support student learning.