To help encourage conversations and dialogue about a shared contributions in a community, our topic/question for the dinner table is: How can your strengths help our community? Communal Strengths (Week of 2/5/17) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
There was a good amount of excitement this weekend in anticipation of the Super Bowl in our house this past weekend, and I imagine that we were not alone! Katie and I enjoyed a night out in Cambridge on Friday, having dinner and then seeing Trans Scripts at the American Repertory Theater. After our 'typical' busyness with sports, errands, etc. on Saturday and Sunday, we enjoyed a small Super Bowl party with the kids - what an amazing game!
This past week I have been reflecting about community, and in particular, what constitutes a healthy community and then the implications for a community of learners. As most often happens, I have come up with more questions than answers - Why do we seek community? What defines a community? How can communities be shaped? What do we gain by being in a community? How do communities tell their stories? The list could go on and on. I know I seek 'community' for different reasons at different times, and I am a part of some by choice and others by 'default' (school is an interesting concept of community as the majority of members of our school communities - students - are there by 'default'). Just thinking about the last week and meetings/communication that took place, I can identify mini-communities that I am a part of in the context of Blake/Medfield (Administrative Technology Team, Blake Site Council, job-alike group, planning for the Blake faculty meeting, Teamworks, attendance at the Learn Launch conference, Teamworks Plus, etc.) and I know everyone, students included, could do the same. Before I digress too far, what has struck me most is that it is important for each member in the respective community to actively contribute for the community to thrive and be productive. For this to take place, some self and collective reflection should be continually taking place so that the respective strengths and contributions can be identified, fostered, and encouraged.
I encourage each one of us to think about what we can bring to the Blake (and beyond Blake as well) community each day. And, it is important that I do the same. As I reflect upon my role in the various communities for which I am a part, the contributions may and will differ. But, one common element that I hope to bring forth is the continued practice of asking questions, validating, listening, encouraging, and sharing different ideas and perspectives. I do love to read, learn, reflect, and share and I hope I can help foster these practices for the collective community. Blogging has been a 'practice', that believe it or not, I was hesitant to start but with the encouragement of others several years ago I decided to dive in. I have encouraged many of our staff to think about diving in with me to 'publicly' reflect and share thoughts, questions, and ideas - this is how I think our community of learners will grow.
To 'practice what I preach', I am sharing a few articles below along with some of my notes, thoughts, and reflections from the Learn Launch conference...
Ten Resolutions for Becoming a More Grateful Parent
by Madeline Levine in NAIS Independent School Magazine
Erik Ormberg passed along this post to me earlier this week and is one that I have come back to every day. I plan on printing a few copies so that I can come back to them on a regular basis.
The Science — And Art — of Friendship
by Brad Stulberg (@BStulberg)
Stulberg outlines a structure for looking at friendships, referencing Aristotle's view that there are three types of friendships: friendships based on utility, friendships based on pleasure, and friendships based on virtue. He argues that is those that are based on virtue - in which both individuals share the same values (think: people whom you admire and respect, and with whom you align on what you find most important in life) - that hold the greatest meaning. It is an interesting perspective to reflect upon in the context of education, students, and community.
The scientific literature offers plenty of insight on what close friends do for us. They give us confidence and bolster our sense of self, especially during tough times. They increase our sense of purpose and belonging. And they significantly influence some of our most important behaviors.
While all three of Aristotle’s friendships can be advantageous, only those founded in virtue — and with common core values — are enduring and meaningful: “Perfect friendship is the friendship of [those] who are alike in virtue,” he wrote. “For these [individuals] wish well to each other [in all circumstances] and thus [these friendships] are good in themselves.” Yes, these kinds of relationships demand lots of effort and are hard to come by — “great friendships can only be felt toward a few people,” Aristotle wrote — but they yield a wonderful sense of satisfaction and contentment. It is a rare blessing to connect with someone on this deeper level.
Some notes from LearnLaunch 2017...
Tom Vander Ark (@tvanderark) is the CEO of Getting Smart and author of Getting Smart: How Digital Learning is Changing the World, Smart Cities That Work for Everyone: 7 Keys to Education & Employment and Smart Parents: Parenting for Powerful Learning. He kicked off the conference with the keynote (The State of the EdTech Marketplace), and his words and message really struck a chord - one element I really liked was how he started by asking attendees to simply share some changes, thoughts, and questions that they have noted in regards to education as of late. (I may borrow that approach at some point...). Here are some notes from his keynote...
- Change is hard - we need to fundamentally change our perspectives to allow it to take place
- Growth is activated by Leadership
- Personalized Learning is Promising - adults in lives have a significant impact
- For most, learning happens in community
- The tools aren't transformative, it's LX (Learner experience) that is
- Personalized learning is complicated
- Competency Education is inevitable...but it is a generational shift
- Beware of unintended consequences
- What does machine intelligence mean for our schools?
- Learning happens in community
- Ideas of graduate profiles for a school or district
- What would a high-interest and high standards-based school look like?
- 'There's never been a better time to make a difference'
Erik Brynjolfsson (@erikbryn), a professor at MIT's Sloan School and Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, gave the second keynote (Will Robots Eat Your Job?) and shared some fascinating insights into artificial intelligence and the implications for education in the future. A few notes...
- We are now in the midst of the 'Second Machine Age'
- Changing the world requires two things (Power System - move or transform things; Control System - decide where and how)
- Mindful Optimism - a framework/perspective that he maintains
- We need to think about the traits and attributes for which we, as humans, have an inherent advantage over computers (creativity, interpersonal relationships, collaboration, critical thinking, and perspective taking, to name a few) and make these the focus of our efforts with students.
As a community of learners, it is important that we continue to think about the concept of 'communal strength' in the context of our students in our classes and day-to-day endeavors. I think this framework will help us to make progress towards answering our shared Essential Question - 'How can we Cultivate and Curate the progression of student learning and growth?' - and realize our shared mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.
At the end of Vander Ark's keynote, he shared a quotation that I think is worth sharing, as it speaks to the importance of listening, reflection, flexible thinking, problem solving, and 'opening up' to new perspectives - all key attributes to a vibrant community that I hope we can embrace...
The more strongly held beliefs you have on education policy, the more likely you are to (1) be wrong, (2) find it hard to admit you're wrong, and (3) mandate broad solutions that don't work in many circumstances. The more strongly oriented you are toward solving problems, the more likely you are to (1) be right in your specific circumstance, (2) change your mind if you're wrong, and (3) be willing to admit that your solution might not work in other contexts.
-- Neerav Kingsland (@neeravkingsland), relinquishment.org
I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
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Take care.
Nat