thoughts from an elementary principal / curriculum nerd
Last weekend at the Long Island Connected Educator’s Summit, Tony Sinanis and I facilitated a session, 5 Ways to Support a Culture of Learning. A few days prior to the conference he shot me over a bunch of ideas and then we worked together to refine them for our presentation. So, as a disclaimer, these “5 ways” are more his than mine, although I do agree with them.
That being said, here are the five ways to support a culture of learning. And, after each one are three points to consider.
Over the past few weeks, my teachers and I have been exploring flexible learning spaces. And our goal is to hit the ground running with implementation at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. (Of course, we can experiment when our supplies arrive before then.)
Here’s the email (slightly modified) that officially began this movement. It was sent out about three weeks ago.
[Read more…] about Flexible Learning Spaces: The Start of Our Journey
On January 15 I began my first job as a principal, as the Elementary Principal of T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School (TBD) in the Old Tappan School District. About a month prior, as I was wrapping up my job as a curriculum supervisor, I started to prepare for my new job, mostly by (1) picking the brains of my educator friends and (2) reading The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins. The best of these thoughts and ideas made their way into an entry plan, which I started to execute soon after I became a principal.
In reading The First 90 Days, one of the quotes that stuck out to me the most was, “For leaders joining new organizations…it helps to think of yourself as an anthropologist sent to study a newly discovered civilization.” And it is this quote that sums up the overarching goal of the entry plan. Two more specific goals:
That being said, here’s the majority of my entry plan.
[Read more…] about I'm a New Principal, Here's My Entry Plan…
Before I move on to discussing my new job as an Elementary School Principal, one more time (for now) I want to look back upon my previous experiences as an administrator – more particularly, my last 2.5 years as a curriculum supervisor. Reflection is a crucial part of student learning, so as educators we should be modeling the way by leveraging previous experiences to better ourselves on both a professional and personal level.
That being said, soon after I completed my stint as a curriculum supervisor on December 22, I jotted down 15 thoughts on leadership (some of which directly relate to ways I know I can improve). Here they are. Enjoy!
What can you add to the list?
Connect with Ross on Twitter.
Yes, this is the longest I’ve gone without blogging in about four years. But, I have an excuse…
Since my last post I’ve made the transition from K-12 curriculum supervisor in Pennsylvania to Bergen County, New Jersey, where (as of January 15) I am now the proud Elementary Principal of T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School (TBD) in the Old Tappan School District. And, while I undoubtedly look forward to my work being the main focus of my writings, I do think it’s important to spend a post or two reflecting upon previous experiences.
That being said…
December 22 was my final day with the Salisbury Township School District. On this day, when I got home from work, I started to make the mental transition from curriculum supervisor to principal. As part of this process (aside from taking a much needed power nap), I hopped on the phone with someone I consider a mentor and one of my best friends, Tony Sinanis. As part of our conversation, we talked about a handful of Elementary Principals (current and former) from whom I could learn. Looking back, what stands out to me the most aren’t necessarily the names themselves, but the fact that these were educators who I was already following and learning from via social media, but I hadn’t had many one-on-one interactions with them that did much more than scratch the surface. In other words, I was learning from them and they didn’t even know it.
[Read more…] about What Joe DiMaggio Taught Me About Leadership
This post was written by Erin Murphy and was originally published on her blog.
Ross: What do you think about writing a book on PBL?
Me: I think you’re crazy.
Ross: Just think about it.
If I’m being honest, I tried not to think about it. Unfortunately, the idea got stuck in my head. At first I fixated mostly on my failures: terrible rubrics, lengthy directions, displays of content rather than displays of learning, and the list could go on. Eventually, my stream of consciousness turned to the solutions I created (often times through a conversation with Ross), and then my wheels really started spinning. The true tipping point, however, came later in the week, when I bumped into a former student. She approached my family and me, while we were waiting to be seated at a restaurant, and said, “I was JUST telling my parents about the time you let us save those plants in the school garden from that fungus!”
Nine years.
This learner was in my class nine years prior.
Well, that really got me thinking. If experiences in my classroom held up to the test of time, maybe I did have something to write about after all.
Writing Hacking Project Based Learning: 10 Easy Steps to PBL and Inquiry in the Classroom was just as much about the failures as it was the triumphs (in fact, the failures probably had a greater impact). Mostly, though, it was about the kids. For us, this book is about sharing a clear framework for implementing PBL, with the ultimate goal of creating more educational experiences worthy of conversation after nine years.
This last year has been a whirlwind. Ross and I could not have predicted the positive acclaim that has surrounded our first book. Our work has connected us with opportunities, adventures, and people for which we are endlessly grateful. We continue to learn and grow with each moment, each interaction, and to show our appreciation, we want to offer you a Hacking PBL Birthday Gift!
We have compiled our favorite resources into an interactive online course, and we are giving it to you FOR FREE.
Thank you for joining us on this journey and for adding to the PBL conversation around the world!
We appreciate you.
Here's what's included…
Under the leadership of our Middle School Principal, Ken Parliman, we’re in the process of rethinking some of our middle level electives to provide students with more personalized learning experiences.
In preparation for these shifts, not too long ago I led the facilitation of an all-day professional learning session for our middle level specialists (those who teach the electives). I planned for this day alongside Ken and my Assistant Superintendent, Lynn Fuini-Hetten.
The theme for the day was student choice, and everything was encompassed by the essential question:
What decisions am I making for students that they could make for themselves?
What decisions am I making for students that they could make for themselves? via @spencerideas & @ajjuliani #EmpowerBook Click To TweetThis question is from Empower, by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani. This a book I can highly recommend, and Spencer’s work served as the basis for what we accomplished.
The Agenda
Here’s the agenda for the professional learning:
The Culminating Activity
Directions
In the End
Shortly after the session, I posted the following on Facebook:
Today I worked with my Middle School Principal to facilitate an all-day session on student choice during project design. Great stuff! Feeling inspired! (Sometimes if we remove the buzzwords and drill down to what matters, moving forward is that much easier.)
Through professional learning, there are countless ways to tackle such practices/topics as: inquiry-based learning, project based learning, personalized learning, learner agency, etc. However, often times, when we lead with these terms, we can easily intimidate and possibly “turn off” participants (especially when a district doesn’t have a common definition/understanding of what these terms involve). So, in this particular instance, we chose student choice as our entry point. By the end of the day we ended up exploring all of the above and a whole lot more. And, in the process, I do believe we comfortably “met participants where they were” without being disrespectful of the work they had already done.
Finally, as usual, I look forward to improving upon this professional learning for when we decide to roll it out again!
How do you encourage student choice?
Connect with Ross on Twitter.
My first few years in the classroom I wasn’t a big fan of learning targets or posting learning targets prior to each lesson for students to see. These feelings were mostly driven by my experiences as a student teacher, during which I had to write the standard on the board prior to each lesson. (I mistakenly thought standards were the same as learning targets. But, in reality, posting the actual standard was even worse.) I also thought the learning target approach to revealing content was both generic and lame.
However, I can say now that I started to “get” learning targets when I began to give my students more choices in regards to how they expressed their learning. In short, I was making the transition from, “Learn this in this way!” to, “This is what we’re learning, and you can demonstrate your understandings however you’d like!”
This shift was most evident when examining the rubrics my students and I used during our project based learning experiences. Initially, these rubrics looked like project directions regurgitated in another format, which promoted compliance, not creative learning. Many of my students were able to “play the game of school” and earn an A by simply following what had been outlined for them in their rubric/directions: appropriately title your work, include three photographs related to your topic, include at least ten adjectives, cite five sources, etc. Furthermore, in the end, all finished products usually looked quite similar.
Then, after a few years of this productive struggle, it was nothing short of groundbreaking for my students and me when I decided to start populating each rubric’s left-hand column with learning targets (as opposed to tasks). As students made their way through these projects, I gave them feedback in relation to where they were on the continuum of hitting each target (instead of telling them what hoop to jump through next in order to earn an A). Increasingly, feedback and assessment focused on what students were supposed to learn, not what I wanted them to do. And, because feedback wasn’t task-specific, students were able to naturally own how they learned and displayed their knowledge.
The Graphic
As I continue to wrap my head around learning targets, I’ve created the graphic (above), which illustrates the various degrees to which learning targets can impact learning. From top to bottom, choices range from most restrictive to least restrictive. For example, after choosing one from each column (as the graphic indicates), we can end up with, “Teacher chooses target(s). Hit the target(s) this way, by this date, at this time.” Here, we’re one-size-fits-all without student choice. The other extreme is, “Learner creates target(s). Hit the target(s) however you want, at your own pace.” This path resembles personalized learning. And, with all the buzz about personalized learning (and student choice, student agency, learner-centered spaces, etc.), I have found that these abstract (and sometimes, intimidating) approaches are much more concrete (and far less scary) when considered through the lens of learning targets.
Two more ideas related to learning targets…
[Read more…] about Yes, Learning Targets Can Make Our Lives Easier
Inquiry-based learning can be defined as learning that “starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios – rather than simply presenting established facts or portraying a smooth path to knowledge.” In short, we uncover material, as opposed to content coverage and the memorization and regurgitation of facts and knowledge.
As a teacher, everything I taught was infused, in one way or another, with inquiry, creativity, and/or literacy. And, inquiry was often integrated with the other two.
As an administrator, whenever I walk into a teacher’s classroom, one of the first things I almost always subconsciously look for is whether or not the students are engaged in inquiry. However, telling a teacher, “Your students need to engage in more inquiry,” is comparable to letting a comedian know she needs to be funnier or asking a pizzaiolo to make a better dough. And, vague directives in the absence of explicit instruction typically generate anxiety.
To avoid these anxieties, and for progress to actually take place, we need to drill down to the nitty gritty and be as explicit as possible. In other words, we need to be explicit about being explicit and leverage specific strategies to comfortably move forward for the benefit of our students.
With these thoughts in mind, I’ve been obsessing over inquiry’s common denominators – the strategies or drivers we should always consider when implementing an inquiry-based lesson.
That being said, here are the six drivers of inquiry-based learning. And, while I don’t think every lesson or activity must have all six, I do believe that once we (and our students) become comfortable with an inquiry approach, all drivers will naturally find a way into learning experiences on a regular, if not daily, basis.
Since Hacking Project Based Learning came out last December, Erin Murphy (my coauthor) and I have had many requests for a project planning template that ties everything together. So, without further delay, scroll/swipe to the bottom of this post to download the template! Meanwhile, below is information pertaining to fives features of project based learning, which are included in the template. And, for additional (free) Hacking Project Based Learning resources, check out the book's official page.
3 Tracks
PBL can unfold in a variety of ways. Teachers should choose a track based on the needs of their students, their readiness as facilitators, and the demands of the curriculum. While it would be unrealistic to detail every possible track, below are the three we find are most common:
High Impact Content/Priority Standards
To determine your High Impact Content / priority standards – the content that should serve as the basis for your PBL unit – apply the following criteria while exploring your planning materials:
High Impact Takeaways/Enduring Understandings
This is the predominant learning with which students should walk away as a result of experiencing your project. While High Impact Takeaways / enduring understandings can be continuously refined, we should be able to answer yes to all of the following questions before giving them the seal of approval:
Umbrella Questions/Essential Questions
Your Umbrella / essential question is the glue that holds everything together. Think of your project as a mind map, and everything students learn is connected in one way or another. Right in the middle of your mind map is the Umbrella / essential question, which serves as the project's main idea or “brand.”
When designing an Umbrella / essential question, we should be able to answer yes to all of the following questions:
Learning Targets
The understandings we want students to achieve as a result of a project or lesson could be shared with students (or uncovered by students through inquiry) in the form of learning targets to give them a clear picture of what they are supposed to learn. Standards are not the same as learning targets. Here are three tips to consider when converting the former to the latter:
For a project based learning unit, students can analyze exemplars, found by them or the teacher, so they can see what each target looks like in the context of their current work.
Connect with Ross on Twitter.
