Ross Cooper

Yes, I’m Talking to You!

Last week I finished reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, which I highly recommend. In fact, at an upcoming faculty meeting I plan on showing my teachers his TEDx Talk, The Happy Secret to Better Work, which mirrors the book’s ideas.

Here’s how Achor begins the book’s final chapter:

A couple of months ago, I spoke to a group of CEOs and their spouses in Hong Kong. Afterward, over drinks at a reception, a very self-assured if slightly tipsy CEO shook my hand and warmly said, “Thank you, Shawn. That research was brilliant and rings true.” He then leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “I already do most of it, but my wife really needed to hear it.”

The author goes on to explain:

I relate this story not as an example of how to stir up trouble in a perfect stranger’s marriage, but to show that no matter where I am in the world, most people think this research is useful to them, but even more useful for all the people around them. The person we have the greatest power to change is ourselves.

These paragraphs remind me of a conversation I had awhile back with one of my educator friends who is a well-known speaker on educational leadership. In short, our conversation went a little something like:

“I bet there are educators who sit through your presentations and don’t get much out of them because they believe they’re already doing everything you’re talking about. Instead, they’re thinking or saying, ‘If only [insert colleague’s name] were here. She’s the one who needs to hear this presentation!’ Why do you think this happens?” – Ross

“It happens because these people in attendance don’t actually think I’m talking to them. But, I am.” – Ross’s friend

Yes, I am also guilty. At various points throughout my career I’ve announced something to the effect of:

“It was great, but I’m not the one who needed to hear it.”

And, if you’re reading this, I bet there’s a good chance you’ve also said something similar at one point or another. (If not, I apologize.)

When we make these statements they generally apply to presentations and workshops, but they are also relevant to any learning experience, such as reading books or watching TED Talks. Either way, we need to be careful with our words and the messages we communicate when we interact with others, as a misguided approach can easily stifle our own progress while at the same time alienating those around us.

Here are three ways we can check ourselves.

Didn’t You Read the Email?

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

Every school day at 7:45 am (about 15 minutes before students start to arrive) I try to make time to do a lap around my school to say “Good morning!” to teachers and staff, make small talk, take care of some housekeeping items, etc. (Of course, due to unforeseen circumstances, this lap doesn’t always happen. But, I try.)

A few months ago, when I made this lap, one of my teachers asked me a question that had already been answered via schoolwide email. So, I answered the teacher’s question (again) and then pointed out that “it was in the email.” Although her reaction wasn’t negative (on the surface), I immediately regretted referencing the email. In fact, I know there have been other instances in which I made the same error.

Why We Shouldn’t Reference the Email

Although I consider myself to be an organized person who is generally on top of things, there have been instances in which I have been on the receiving end of “Didn’t you read the email?” All of these events can be organized into two categories, and not just for me, but for anyone who has been the recipient of such a question.

4 Keys to Student Self-Assessment

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

At T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School in Old Tappan, New Jersey, we’re in the middle of a two-year process of implementing Writing Pathways across all grade levels. More or less, Writing Pathways is an assessment system that works hand-in-hand with the Writing Workshop framework, and the system will help us to better align our writing instruction, horizontally and vertically.

In addition, whenever we’re dealing with assessment, student self-assessment should be our endgame for the purpose of students owning the learning as much as possible.

As John Hattie tells us in Visible Learning for Teachers:

…the greatest effects on student learning occur when teachers become learners of their own teaching, and when students become their own teachers. When students become their own teachers, they exhibit the self-regulatory attributes that seem most desirable for learners (self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-assessment, self-teaching). Thus, it is visible teaching and learning by teachers and students that makes the difference.

That being said, taking into consideration Writing Pathways and my work with project based learning, here are what I believe are the four keys to student self-assessment.

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Brand Your School. Not Yourself.

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

This Tuesday I’ll be starting my first full-year as the Elementary Principal of T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School (TBD) in the Old Tappan School District. Since assuming the position last spring, one of my priorities has been making sure there is ongoing communication between the school and the community. Although nothing entirely replaces face-to-face communication (which should be our default, when possible), we have also been leveraging a weekly newsletter (created in WordPress), social media, and a district hashtag – #OldTappanProud – to inform our stakeholders and tell our story.

By the time last school year came to a close, pretty much all of our classroom teachers were on Instagram, pushing out photographs (and some videos) with their classroom accounts. And, the students and the community have made it clear they love the sneak peeks into what’s happening in our learning spaces. These previews help us to be transparent with our work, while assisting us in growing and promoting our school’s brand or identity.

As the principal, I’m currently the only person who posts to the school’s social media accounts (although, in the future, it may be advantageous to occasionally turn over the reins to students or teachers). Therefore, as the school’s default storyteller-in-chief, I have both the responsibility and pressure of making sure what’s posted accurately and positively reflects what’s taking place at the school. In other words, according to Tony Sinanis and Joe Sanfelippo, I have to “ensure that the brand promise matches the brand experience.”

That being said, as I continue to reflect upon how I represent my school on social media, and as I continue to learn from other educators who post about their schools, I’ve started to think it’s possible to categorize the different ways in which posts contribute (or don’t contribute) to a school or district’s brand. Awareness of these categories can help us to ensure our intent goes hand-in-hand with the perceptions of our stakeholders who view what we publish.

Although it’s impossible to categorize every post, here are five categories I have found to be common amongst administrators. (Keep in mind, the lines between these categories can also be blurred.)

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Four Reasons to Tackle Flexible Learning Spaces

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

Since this past January, I’ve been the Elementary Principal of T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School (TBD) in the Old Tappan School District. And, as I’ve previously detailed in my blog post – Flexible Learning Spaces: The Start of Our Journey – one of our first initiatives involved flexible learning spaces. In short, every teacher was given money to spend on furniture for his/her classroom.

Why Every Teacher?

Yes, every teacher had the option. This idea probably sounds a bit unconventional, as most initiatives begin with a pilot group that paves the way, making it easier for late adopters to follow. However, in this instance, due to certain constraints (timing, budget, etc.), I believe it made more sense to let everyone jump on board, which has its upsides. As Prakash Nair announces in Blueprint for Tomorrow, “Indeed there is evidence that reform efforts focused on improving the capabilities of individual teachers are less effective than those that engage teachers collectively.” There is value in everyone moving in the same direction at the same time while learning from one another and continually refining their work (or learning spaces) as necessary.

Why the Classrooms?

I also played with the idea of taking a look at other parts of the school, such as (1) furniture that would allow for students to more comfortably work in certain sections of the hallways, and (2) rethinking the area right outside the main office, which is what is first encountered when entering into the building. However, it didn’t take long to realize all of these changes would have been too much too soon. And, if we’re going to start anywhere, it makes sense to start with the classrooms, as this is where students and teachers spend the majority of their time. In The Third Teacher, John Stanford, the late superintendent of schools in Seattle, tells us, “The victory is in the classroom.”

Now let’s take a look at four reasons why we prioritized flexible learning spaces.

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How Do We Assess (And Possibly, Grade) Project Based Learning? #HackingPBL

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

Last week, Erin Murphy and I facilitated a two-day project based learning (PBL) workshop for an inspiring group of educators from Madison City Schools, Alabama. As part of the workshop, we spent some time focusing on what assessment (and possibly, grading) can look like within the context of PBL.

When discussing this topic, it’s first and foremost important to keep in mind there is a difference between assessment and grading. Whereas the goal of assessment is to improve student learning, grading (or a grade) is generally used to evaluate current level of performance.

Should Projects Be Graded?

In short, the answer is a resounding “No!”

Project based learning experiences should call for a great deal of student critical thinking and creativity. And, research tells us that “carroting and sticking” these types of skills isn’t just ineffective, but detrimental.

Pause for a second and watch this Daniel Pink TED Talk, The Puzzle of Motivation, which is based on his book, Drive. Or, if you are in a rush, just watch from 1 minute 30 seconds to about the 7-minute mark. And, if you really don’t want to watch the video, here is the take-home point for this segment:

If-then rewards work really well for those sorts of tasks, where there is a simple set of rules and a clear destination to go to. Rewards, by their very nature, narrow our focus, concentrate the mind; that’s why they work in so many cases…But for the real candle problem [a problem that requires creative problem solving], you don’t want to be looking like this [tunnel vision]. The solution is on the periphery. You want to be looking around. That reward actually narrows our focus and restricts our possibility.

Pink also makes it clear this experiment is not the exception to the rule: “What’s interesting about this experiment is that it’s not an aberration. This has been replicated over and over again for nearly 40 years.”

Looking back on my work as a fourth grade teacher, I can draw a straight line from Pink’s work to my use (or misuse) of grades as the carrot and the stick. The more I engaged my students in project based learning, the more I realized that grading the actual project was not only unnecessary, but potentially harmful.

If Not Grades, Then What?

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Throwing Our Own Ideas Under the Bus

By Ross Cooper 4 Comments

For next school year, I’m throwing around the idea of a community book study for the school at which I’m the principal – T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School in Old Tappan, New Jersey.

Right now, I’m in the process of reading through a few books that could potentially be used. One of these books is Originals by Wharton professor, Adam Grant. While most of the book doesn’t directly discuss education, it does contain countless implications for the field.

In Chapter 3, I was particularly drawn to a section – Putting Your Worst Foot Forward – in which Grant emphasizes the importance of proactively calling attention to the problems with our own ideas. He first illustrates this point by examining how the popular website Babble gained traction:

After having their first child, Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman were appalled by the amount of false advertising and bad advice being offered about parenting. They started an online magazine and blog network called Babble to challenge the dominant parenting clichés and tackle the cold, hard truth and humor. In 2009, when Griscom pitched Babble to venture capitalists, he did the exact opposite of what every entrepreneur had been taught to do: he presented a slide listing the top five reasons notto invest in his business.

Two years later, Griscom took a similar approach when pitching Babble to Disney. One of his slides read: “Here’s Why You Should Not Buy Babble.”

In both instances, Griscom’s strategy worked. The year he pitched to venture capitalists, Babble brought in $3.3 million. Then, Disney ended up buying the company for $40 million.

Grant cites four reasons why we should accentuate the flaws in our own ideas when “pitching a novel idea or speaking up with a suggestion for change.”

“Leading with weaknesses disarms the audience.” When we’re only presented with positives, we become skeptical and look for holes as if to say, “What’s the catch?”
“People think an amateur can appreciate art, but it takes a professor to critique it.” We hold in higher regard those who can praise and critique vs. those who heap on nothing but lavish praise. Think restaurants reviews, movie reviews, book reviews, etc.
“It makes you more trustworthy.” This speaks to the credibility of the person pitching the idea.
“It leaves audiences with a more favorable assessment of the idea itself.” If the idea is a good one, and we’re already pointing out its worst problems (which aren’t so bad in the first place), there’s nothing damaging left to uncover.

Implications for Education

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Here’s How We’re Moving Forward as an Elementary School…

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

As I continue to document my journey as the Elementary Principal of T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School (TBD) in the Old Tappan School District (which began about five months ago), here are my posts from oldest to newest:

Now let’s take a look at how we’re moving forward as a school.

Below is a slightly modified version of a document I sent out to my teachers and staff with about two weeks remaining in the school year. Going into the summer, I believe it’s beneficial for everyone to have this information, (1) in case they want to get a jumpstart with the learning over the summer, (2) so everyone knows what to expect when returning to school in the fall, and (3) so everyone can better wrap their heads around how the different areas of focus fit together.

For curriculum, this is what will serve as our main areas of focus for the 2018-2019 school year. For each area, for this blog post, I’ve included additional background information.

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I’m a New Principal, Here’s How I Followed up on My Entry Plan…

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

In a previous post – I’m a New Principal, Here’s My Entry Plan… – I outlined my entry plan for when I became the Elementary Principal of T. Baldwin Demarest Elementary School (TBD) in the Old Tappan School District, about five months ago on January 15.

For easy reference, here’s a very brief rundown of the entry plan’s components:

One-On-One Voluntary Interviews with Teachers and Staff
Meetings to Learn About Core Subject Areas
Student Meeting(s)
Parent Meetings
Questions for Superintendent
Digital Communication

Now, here’s a look at how I formally followed up on my entry plan at a Faculty Meeting on May 21.

Prior to the meeting, teachers were sent a Google doc, divided into three sections: Entry Plan Overview, Entry Plan Results Summary, Entry Plan Activity.

Entry Plan Overview

To remind teachers what the entry plan involved, this section outlined the plan in very much the same way as the previously mentioned blog post. Everyone was encouraged to look at this on their own time.

Entry Plan Results Summary

Here I included the results from the student meeting and parent meetings. More or less, the teachers received a cleaned up version of my notes. To preserve confidentiality, I didn’t include what I learned from the teacher and staff interviews (more on this in the next section). Once again, everyone was encouraged to look at this on their own time.

Entry Plan Activity

This activity encompassed the entire Faculty Meeting. Here are the activity’s directions, verbatim:

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It’s the Learning, Not the Lessons!

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

Not too long ago I tweeted the following:

“It’s powerful when we shift the conversation from ‘What lesson are you on?’ to ‘What are your students learning?’”

It’s powerful when we shift the conversation from “What lesson are you on?” to “What are your students learning?”

— Ross Cooper (@RossCoops31) April 1, 2018

This tweet was motivated by a conversation I witnessed, during which a principal from another district said something to the effect of, “I’m working with my teachers to understand that it’s ok for students to demonstrate their learning in multiple ways, but we’re struggling.”

Although I still don’t know the entire context of this particular issue, I can say with confidence that a similar problem exists across countless schools and districts.

So let’s unpack it.

One of the Many Problems with How Textbooks Are Used

From what I have experienced, the majority of teachers still rely on a textbook when determining what to teach. And, if the principal’s problem is present, there’s an even greater likelihood the textbook is being used as a crutch, with teachers spending the year going through the textbook from cover to cover (more or less). This isn’t to say there is anything wrong with the actual book itself; the problem lies in how it is used.

The first warning sign is when the textbook is referred to as the curriculum, when in reality it’s a tool or resource that can help us to meet the needs of our students. And, if we’re treating the textbook as the curriculum, I’m more inclined to point the finger at the administrator (curriculum supervisor, principal, etc.) who is allowing for such abuse to take place.

So, if I’m a teacher heavily relying on my textbook, without the proper professional development to “move away from it,” I too would be baffled by someone telling me, “Teach Chapter 2 in a different way!” or, “Let your students show they understand Unit 7 however they want!”

At least three major steps are required for a paradigm shift to take place.

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