About a week ago, George Couros (@gcouros) published a blog post, “The Policies in Your Head.” More or less, the piece calls upon a specific experience George had with a teacher/district to illustrate how progress can be hampered when teachers convince themselves an outdated policy is still in place.
So, here are my thoughts based on my experiences.
A few weeks ago I was notified that a couple of teachers were looking to engage in a book study as part of their required yearly professional development hours. These teachers wanted a book recommendation…
Yes, some argue there are several problems with an hours-based approach to professional development. However, in this instance, I believe we were able to transform the need for hours into an opportunity.
[Read more…] about When Teachers Want Professional Development Hours
This post was coauthored with Lynn Fuini-Hetten (@lfuinihetten) and was originally published on Corwin Connect.
As an administrator, it is easy to fall into this trap of being a manager who does (almost) nothing but take care of day-to-day (or weekly) issues/problems/events as they arise.
As current administrators, we can definitively say…We owe our students and teachers more than being just managers.
All administrators, regardless of position should serve as managers, leaders, and instructional leaders…or instructional coaches who work alongside teachers to continuously move instruction/learning forward for the benefit of the students. According to Jim Knight, “When teachers receive an appropriate amount of support for professional learning, more than 90% of them embrace and implement programs that improve students’ experiences in the classroom” (p. 4). The majority of this support must come from administrators, as (1) they interact with teachers on a consistent basis and not just during defined professional development hours, (2) teachers often look to them for support/resources/approval regarding their instructional shifts, and (3) a sustainable culture of learning is unlikely to exist if administrators are not modeling and leading the way.
That being said…Here are five ways we are working towards serving our district as instructional coaches:
[Read more…] about 5 Ways Administrators Can Serve as Instructional Coaches
In a previous post we explored a potential problem with prepackaged STEM products (or STEM in a box). In short, the problem is when schools and districts invest more in them than they do in their teachers. Because, if the ultimate goal is to leverage these resources to promote inquiry-based learning (which it should be), some form of professional learning is most likely needed, as opposed to simply handing over the goods and believing their potential will be maximized.
Now, let’s examine how teachers can take a product with step-by-step directions and transform/reconfigure it in such a way that inquiry-based learning is promoted…For the purpose of this post, we’ll look at how I previously accomplished this task with solar powered cars, but I believe these same ideas and steps can be applied across countless products/contexts.
[Read more…] about How to Transform Step-by-Step Directions into Inquiry
This post was originally published on EdSurge.
In general, technology in the classroom is no longer a novelty, and solid pedagogy trumps those lists of “cool tools.” Yet time and time again, conference presenters lure in attendees by fixating entirely on apps, tech toys, or anything else hot on the market or App Store.
We can do better.
While all of these technologies may get us excited, the reality is we are absolutely ignoring the hard, necessary work when we decide to prioritize dog-and-pony technology shows over working together to move instruction forward for the benefit of our students. With these thoughts in mind, here are five ways for educators (and some of you entrepreneurs, too) to rethink technology-obsessed conference presentations.
[Read more…] about Why Your Tech-Obsessed Conference Presentation Stinks – and How to Make It Better
This post was originally published on Tom Murray’s (@thomascmurray) blog.
Over the last handful of years we have seen an explosion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. And, coinciding with this movement has been an influx of new STEM-related products that are school friendly. Some of the more popular merchandise includes littleBits, Snap Circuits, and Spheros.
The Problem
While there is no doubt in my mind many of our students will benefit from these products, and I do wish they had been invented while I was still teaching fourth grade…something is missing if we’re not doing much than placing these items in the hands of our students and teachers, crossing our fingers, and hoping for change.
At the end of the day, these are tools or resources that can help in shifting mindsets and culture, but I do believe an overreliance on them means too much time and energy is being spent in the wrong place.
What is Inquiry?
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. The process is often assisted by a facilitator.”
In short, through some form of productive struggle, students “uncover” material, as opposed to content coverage and the memorization/regurgitation of facts and knowledge…For a look at what this uncovering looks like and why it is so crucial, refer to a previous post, “Why I Refused to Flip My Classroom.” In fact, I highly encourage you to take a few short minutes to read the post and then return to this one.
Last Sunday, I attended the Tony Sinanis (@TonySinanis) pre-conference keynote for my state’s annual educational technology conference, PETE & C (Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo & Conference). The topic/title of the presentation was “Telling Your School Story.” In general, the focus was school/district branding, communicating with stakeholders, and a look at how social media is changing education.
Anyone who is a part of my Personal Learning Network (PLN) knows Tony, the principal of Cantiague Elementary School in Long Island, is a good friend of mine. However, prior to Sunday I had yet to see him deliver a formal conference presentation…To say I was blown away would be an understatement.
[Read more…] about 5 Soft Skills That Will Upgrade Your Presentations
This blog post was originally published on Kerry Gallagher’s (@KerryHawk02) blog, Start with a Question.
According to EdTechTeacher, “App Smashing is the process of using multiple apps to create projects or complete tasks.”
According to Wikipedia, inquiry-based learning “starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios – rather than simply presenting established facts or portraying a smooth path to knowledge.”
The Problem
On many occasions, I have seen/read about App Smashing being leveraged in a way that is entirely anti-inquiry. In instances such as these, an overly contrived and smooth, risk free process is followed, all for the sake of a “cool” product.
Here are directions I pulled from a real project:
In June 2014 I officially left my job as a fourth grade teacher, and the classroom, to become an administrator. Since joining the dark side, I continuously ask myself what I could have and should have done differently for my students.
While some of my previous work – such as this post on grading – has focused on how my teaching could have been enhanced, my biggest regret really has nothing to do with actual instruction.