The Notion of Teacher Leaders

A component of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad's education plan is the development of a five tier professional classification system.  You can page through the report developed by the Task Force on Teacher Leadership and Compensation here. While there are a wide array of opinions regarding the plan and its details, one element is intriguing- especially to an aspiring school administrator.  The concept of the teacher leader and a tiered system of increasing responsibility may be the ticket to alleviating some of the time constraints and clustered schedules hoisted upon school administrators. While the focal point of the report and the recommendations emphasizes funding and teacher pay, a rather sticky issue to say the least, this teacher leader concept shines nicely, especially when considering the use of retired educators to add value and best practice knowledge to the discussion.

Within the scope of improving the craft of our profession, there is an additional focus on recruiting and retaining excellent teachers. The system we have now is not perfect.  A new teacher's success tends to be based on a couple of walk-throughs and less than a handful of formal observations. This is not the case in all districts- some have quality mentoring and induction programs. However, in my experience and discussion with teaching pals, I find the former to be true in many places. Through implementing teacher leaders in buildings and districts, we have the opportunity to have many eyes and ears in the classroom to help nurture and encourage new and practicing educators in doing what is best for kids.

As it stands now, many teachers who desire a leadership position must leave the classroom to serve as an instructional coach, a facilitator, or an administrator...leaving them away from the majority of kids throughout the day. Often, the best teachers leave the classroom to take on those positions because their knowledge and methods are appreciated and should be on display as an instructional leader. The proposed tiered system allows for teachers to find a pathway that is suited for their individual interests and career goals without needing to leave the classroom fully.

Some questions still remain. What qualifications make me a good fit for which pathway? Who decides where I am placed? How will the State fund this initiative without reducing local control? How can we empower career teachers to be leaders in their own way regardless of title or designation? Will this help kids learn and succeed in a changing world.

The last question is the most important. How will what is changed- teacher pay, classification, licensure, whatever... how will it guarantee that our students are positioned for success beyond our schoolyard or Wi-Fi signal?

Persuasion, Media, the Election, and 8th Graders.

Whether or not you believe that this election is critical for our country, it should not be ignored that this election season presents a plethora of opportunities to engage students in thinking critically about how this whole democracy thing works.

In my 8th grade Language Arts course, my students are in the process of analyzing the influence of media in our society.  Luckily, this intersects marvelously with the campaign season and we have been provided a number of commercials to discuss and analyze. What has caught me off guard is how interested my students are in the election and the issues surrounding it.  Some are quite informed on the topics, likely from listening to what their parents say, but informed and opinionated nonetheless. This is the cool part about teaching...you get to see students construct their own beliefs and you have the challenge of facilitating a supportive environment in which students can politely discuss important issues with passion.

This analysis of media and persuasion has led us to a fun project wherein we are writing a persuasive letter to a political candidate. I am pushing them to research and load their persuasive toolboxes with facts, statistics, expert opinions, and examples of how and why this issue is important and what the candidate can do to address the topic.  These students are even analyzing where the candidates stand on the issue and imaging what that would mean if said candidate won the election.

In a time where we talk about rigor and relevance in the classroom, I find no better way to achieve both than to put the students in the moment and challenge them to not only explain why their issue is important but defend it and create a scenario that examines the possibilities of what could happen if the issue is ignored. Talk about higher order thinking! We are using technology to research and collaborate and my hope is that these students will grow not only as persuasive writers but as citizens through examining a key topic in our country and finding solutions to solve the issue.

Learning Targets:
-I will be able to identify and use the eight persuasive techniques.
-I will be able to classify ads and PSA's by the techniques.
-I will be able to create an argument for an issue that is important to our community, state, or country.

Essential Questions:
-How are we influenced by media?
-How are we able to influence others?

Want more info? Let me know...email

The Art of Leadership: Cultivating an Environment of Excellence

There are some rudimentary concepts we can acknowledge when it comes to effective leadership. I have started class discussions with the simple prompt, "A good leader..." Students readily fill in the blank and as we discuss, I eventually draw our attention to the verbs and adjectives that have emerged. At some point I offer to them this nugget, "Whoa, I said good leaders...you are giving me definitions of excellent leaders." They ponder momentarily how that scoundrel teacher has gotten them again, and we move on. Not. We talk about the difference between being good (which is a fluffy word and has no real meaning) and being excellent (a little less fluff).

 In my mind, educational leaders need to be excellent. Simple to say, right? After all, "excellent" is one of those words we throw around in education all the time; priding our district or building on the "Tradition of Excellence" or "Excellence for All." It has such a rich magnetism...we all are drawn to the desire of being excellent. True excellence cannot be feigned because it is incapable of being hidden. In these places, excellence isn't a slogan or sales tactic, it is an operating norm. Not that any school is going to change its motto to "Where Mediocrity Reigns Supreme." Sadly, on occasion, that is the cultural reality of the school. So how do you foster excellence? After all, it doesn't just happen because you have a caring staff who like what they do and are good at it. Excellence isn't necessarily present because you have the best standardized test scores in the state. Excellence is nurtured and cultivated by doing the right work, with the right people, at the right time.

Truly excellent schools promote learning environments that not only allow, but encourage teachers to take responsible risks for the sake of enriching and empowering students in order for them to take control of their learning. If your school doesn't allow teacher autonomy and empowerment, you likely have a sour culture.   When teachers don't feel trusted to make the right decisions, it negatively impacts the learning environment. If teachers aren't excitedly sharing something they tried that enhanced learning for all students, something is wrong. The principal has enormous weight in establishing what the staff and students are excited about, believe in, and do with fidelity. If you believe you have the best staff, who are there for all the right reasons, find ways to capitalize on that. Provide the time, tools, and other necessary resources to help growth happen.

If I encourage teachers to try something different, what do I do when it doesn't work? The best way to show teachers that you believe in them is to watch them in action and give them prompt and effective feedback. Tell them what you saw students engaged by. Offer advice for ways to tweak the lesson so that all learners are engaged. You can stay on top of the classroom activities by having teachers share lessons to a building wide YouTube channel. Teachers can post lesson examples to a collective Dropbox account. It is rewarding to watch teachers observing each other and grow from their own colleagues. Encourage everyone to try something new, either on their own or with a group. This next year could be the best yet!

Don't Hammer Screws...Use the Right Tools, Part 1.

Working through adopting a 1:1 laptop campus at our school for 2012-2013, we are coming to terms with the fact that we must begin to shift our thinking about how we teach.  There have been a number of reports lately that point to technology integration boosting test scores. These reports open a whole new can of worms when we begin to think about why we are adopting technology.  Is it because it is in the best interest of our kids? Is it solely to boost test scores? Given the current climate toward standardized tests and NCLB waivers, do we need more of an emphasis on these tests? Less?  I digress...

As I approach thinking about my teaching and shifting my instruction, I am aware that I am engaging in metacognition.  This dimension of thinking is critical to the revised Bloom's Taxonomy. A healthy amount of our discussions in planning professional development has centered on ensuring that educational practitioners are reflective and metacognitive about their teaching. Additionally, we are working to ensure that students are engaging in metacognition as they read for the content areas. In Anderson and Krathwohl's "A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives" metacognition is broken in to three kinds of knowledge: strategic knowledge; knowledge about cognitive tasks, including contextual and conditional knowledge; and self knowledge.

When it comes to a 1:1 computing initiative, strategic knowledge is a basic component.  As defined by Anderson and Krathwohl, "Strategic knowledge is knowledge of the general strategies for learning, thinking, and problem solving" (56). This level of metacognition applies to not only the students but the teachers who are encountering this shift in instruction.  If you are shifting the style of your instruction to include the integration of technology, knowing the strategies for learning including but not limited to mnemonic devices, summarizing, and paraphrasing are helpful in increasing levels of comprehension. Finding the right online tools or software to foster these activities is on the shoulder of teachers when integrating technology.

Perhaps more germane to metacognition and using the right tools in a 1:1 classroom would be the skills for problem solving and thinking that were identified by Anderson and Krathwohl.  When introducing these new 1:1 technologies to students and staff, there is a need to teach our colleagues and students how to think through solving problems. We also need to consider how to use the technology to allow our students to think about problems and develop solutions.  This is a blessing that comes with integrating technology.  We get to break from the comfortable and expand to a new style of teaching.  We can move to the intersection of metacognition and creation, the highest level of thinking our students can operate within.  Likely, some of my colleagues will adopt problem-based learning and use the technology to enhance student competencies within their content area.  Others may find it useful to have the technology as an aide to learning.

Strategic knowledge is simply recognizing the tools you have at your disposal to master learning. If you are using the right tools and letting your students discover the right tools, there will be increased success for all.  Once again, the technology isn't the solution to a problem, but it is a tool by which problems can be solved.      

Works Cited

Anderson, Lorin W., David R. Krathwohl, and Benjamin Samuel Bloom. A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman, 2001. Print.

1:1, Gradual Release of Control, and Calming Fears.

I am blessed to work in a district in Iowa that is joining the practices of many others in adopting 1:1 computing as a learning resource.  With this shift in operating norms comes excitement, wonderment, and a dose of apprehension.  After all, the unknowns are always a bit daunting.  How do we know it will work?  How am I going to incorporate these computers in my classroom? Why do we need to do this? Will this help kids learn?

In adapting the instructional model, it cannot be ignored that for many, this is a second order change. As Marzano (2005) identified, "Second order change is anything but incremental.  It involves dramatic departure from the expected, both in defining a given problem and finding solution...Deep change alters the system in fundamental ways..." (66).  With the adoption of the 1:1 instructional model, it may seem apparent that the way one teaches must change.  However, that is a dramatic departure from the expected if what we teach is the same set of lessons from year to year.

The computer is not a solution for poor instruction. Whether your school is adopting iPad, MacBooks, netbooks, Chrome Books, or some other portable computing device, it is merely a tool that helps students access the world more easily and engage with the material in a new way.  Putting computer-handed students in a room with a poor teacher will likely not result in a better learning experience for the students.  Effective technology integration is something that comes with practice, even for the best teachers.  This takes extra effort on the part of teachers to find what is out there that can be used in the classroom.

One expectation that we have made clear in our district is that the computers should not be used to do the same old things.  Perhaps you give out worksheet after worksheet in your class. Not necessarily higher order thinking stuff. What we don't want is for teachers to simply digitize their worksheets.  We want the students to gain a powerful experience and use the technology to accomplish those higher order thinking skills: analyzing, applying, evaluating, and creating.  What is more powerful than having students create a filmed adaptation of Hamlet using animation? What better evaluation of student learning than using GarageBand to create a podcast about photosynthesis? Is there a departure from the expected? Yes. Will it feel different? Absolutely. Yet the questions we have to keep at the forefront of our minds in moving to a technology enriched classroom are, "What benefit does this have for the student?" "How is the student thinking differently?" "Are they learning in a better, more useful way than before?"

What is critical to making a 1:1 initiative successful? According to Stanhope (2010)

              adequate management and technical infrastructure (including connectivity, a wireless network, hardware and software resources, and school procedures/policies), professional development (PD), technology support personnel, and the use of the laptop by teachers and students leading to changes in instructional practices and student learning outcomes.

Infrastructure cannot be ignored.  We are discovering the wrinkles in our infrastructure in terms of connectivity and continually ironing them out. It is a learning process that requires patience from all involved.  Of equal importance is professional development. Effective PD that addresses the concerns of educators will do a great deal to preserve a positive culture and alleviate some of the fears that may be associated with a change in procedures.  We are spending a healthy amount of time in block meetings with our technology consultant from the AEA to guide us in the tools and uses for the MacBooks our teaching staff have been issued. Having these moments with technology personnel is extremely helpful in seeing potential uses for the technology in the classroom. This is just the beginning of the journey though, and the road is likely long and winding.

At the cost of discomfort for some teachers, we have new learning tools and are unlocking potential for our students. So how do we overcome the fears that accompany releasing more and more of the instruction to the students? More on that later.

Works Cited

Marzano, Robert J., Timothy Waters, Brian A. McNulty. School Leadership That Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2005.

Daniel Stanhope, et al. "How Laptops Digitize And Transform Learning." Online Submission (2010):ERIC. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.

Listening to Student Ideas for Improving Schools

In addition to teaching courses in English/Language Arts, I also teach a college credit course offered by our local community college.  "Exploring Teaching" currently has 16 bright, enthusiastic juniors and seniors who are getting their first glimpse at the teaching profession while in high school.

One thing I know about kids is that if you ask them their opinion on something controversial, they usually have a strong reaction and rarely hold back sharing their thoughts.  So after an English department meeting one morning, I was interested in what my students felt they had missed out on in their high school courses.  What do they feel inadequately prepared for on the march to college? I lobbed them an easy hook..."School is boring, right?"

"YEAH" they replied in unison.  "Why?"

"Teachers just talk to us all day."
"There is no reason to get excited about the class when the teacher isn't excited about it."
"We don't do stuff that applies to our lives."
"We take a test, everyone fails, and then we just move on without realizing why we failed."

I needed to change the direction of the conversation before we spiraled in to a complaint session. So I asked them, "What does good teaching look like? You are all preparing to be teachers, so what would you do to engage your students?"

Their responses were delightful.  For forty more minutes, these students shared their thoughts on lectures, worksheets, collaboration, useless homework, technology, and test questions that don't make them apply their learning but simply regurgitate what they have heard. I was impressed! My talented principal and I reviewed the scribbling I was able to put on the chalkboard while trying to capture my student's ideas and enthusiasm.  What we were reminded in this time was that our kids care deeply about their learning. So much so that they will suggest even harder course offerings in order to feel academically prepared and challenged. It is days like this in the middle of the winter, when the kids teach me...that I feel so honored and excited by the very nature of a profession in which moments like this exist.

Top 5 Challenges for Educators in 2012

I have now finished my Master of Arts in Education Administration.  It feels good to say that.

What I have learned in the past two years about leading a community of learners is exciting in theory but without hands on, daily practice and continued learning, anything I gained will eventually become useless.  That is the nature of our world, and education is not without its own evolution. It is ever changing. It should be. The reality for schools is found in increased pressure for rises in achievement data, shortsighted budgeting, and the challenge of meeting each learner daily.  However bleak it might sound for educators, there is so much to be excited about every day. Since it is nearing the end of 2011 and everyone seems to be posting the "Top Ten..." of whatever, it may well be a good use of my time to list my "Top Five Challenges for Educators in 2012."   

5. Don't Do It Alone.
PLN's, PLC's, PD...all acronyms, all start with P. These are all rooted in Professionalism.  Being a teacher, an administrator, a para educator...no matter what part of school life one is in, he/she is a professional. It isn't a job for a paycheck or a standby, "just in case I don't find anything else." It is a profession and it can feel so very isolated in your room with 30 kids. Principal's can't lead the school alone. Teacher's can't feel satisfied in being alone.  Talk to a colleague. Bounce ideas off your teacher friends in the lounge rather than wishing it was Friday (I know, we all do it). Use PLN's to connect with other professional educators to share resources and reflect. Many good teachers are lost in the first five years because they feel alone and are just trying to survive. Many veteran teachers feel comfortable and stick with what works. Branch out, break the barriers, and learn with someone.

4. Try Something Tech Based.
This doesn't mean making your worksheet in to a Google doc. Helpful, but not quite the idea.  Use a technology tool to help kids engage and grow.  I have listed websites and tools in previous posts.  My student's favorites are Prezi, PhotoPeach, and Glogster. The best part about those tools are that the students are creating the product. I have limited control and leave them to their own resourcefulness to create something awesome and I am proud that so often their original creation is so much richer than a lecture I could have given. They get to go deeper and love it! I have colleagues who use Edmodo to connect and share information with their students.  Kids use twitter...what can that do for your classroom and learning beyond the walls?  What can any technology tool do for learning beyond the walls?  Email and chalkboards are fine but meeting kids where they are is essential.

3. Keep Learning.
Practice makes perfect.  Even if that isn't true, practice does make better.  The more time and effort we invest in taking a class, attending a conference, searching the web for a strategy...whatever learning is for you...the more we do those things, the better we are becoming as professionals.  If we adopt the idea that "Everything I need to know I learned with my BA in teaching," then you are not only hurting yourself but your students as well. Subscribe to a professional association, which have phenomenal resources and keep you on top of new data about your field. Classes cost money but find one that is really worth it and will enhance your teaching. The payoff is greater than the tuition cost. Believe me...I'll pay off my debt until my kids are 40. My motto that I have stolen from a wise colleague is, "When you stop learning, get out of my profession." She is right and I keep that at the front of my mind.


2. Make the Learning Accessible.
Let students collaborate. Let students know what they are going to know and be able to do by the end of the lesson/unit. Give students the chance to experiment, fail, and try again.  Show students why they should care about what you have to teach.  Don't tell them they are learning something "because it's good for you." Give students the chance to practice the skill in a real world scenario or a mock scenario that tests their understanding of the skill you have focused on.  "But I have to get through the whole textbook!?!" you say. So what?  Do your students need "Page 30, problems 1-15" to succeed? If so, how can you use the problems to enhance understanding and application of specific skills?  Make students aware of the connection between the material and their futures.


1. Make Every Kid Worth It.
We know the challenges that accompany teaching and are so preoccupied by them that we sometimes forget the greatest part of the profession: the kids.  We get to spend time with the future. Even the kids that drive us nuts...whose parents we wait for at conferences so we can glean some understanding for why they are the way they are...even those kids deserve our best. See what your students can do. Help them find their strengths and positively encourage them to beef up their weaknesses. Remind yourself why you chose this profession and why you are good at it!

Happy New Year and bring on 2012!