To help encourage conversations and dialogue about finding meaning through connections, our topic/question of the week is: What do you wish others knew about you as a learner? Finding Meaning Through Connections (Week of 1/14/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our 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.
After the 'January Thaw', I hope the temperature drop was not a hindrance to time with family, relaxation, and enjoyment. Beyond our typical schedule of basketball games and swim meets, Katie and I enjoyed seeing Paddington 2 with the boys on Friday evening and enjoyed some family time with the kids in my continued effort to embrace and practice my intention of 'slowing it down' for 2018! Monday was meaningful and fulfilling as I headed to Blake for our annual #DayofService for MLK, Jr. - thanks to Cynthia Mcclelland for her leadership and to all of the students and staff who have supported this wonderful endeavor and tradition.
With our 'no homework weekend' this past weekend I have been doing my best to 'practice what I/we preach' and unplug a bit - carving out time for 'things' outside of school. As one who has a tendency/leniency towards continued work (dare I say workaholic tendencies?), I am learning that it is important to name that and set intentions/boundaries for myself. We often talk about and share that one of the overarching goals we have for students is that they gain a clearer understanding of who they are as learners - in essence, understanding and identifying one's own learning profile. In that vein, and in the practice of our joint mission of a 'willingness to adapt', part of my own learner profile is that in my desire to set boundaries I need to be very explicit in that practice - and, most important, be willing to struggle through this practice and then practice some more. It is equally important for me to listen and ask questions to embrace and understand the learning profiles of others as well. And, in turn, my own learning will increase and connections will be fostered.
On the way to work this past Friday afternoon, one intention with this practice that I outlined for myself was to try and keep the blog brief this week - a step towards unplugging. I am sharing some quotations and two articles that made connections for me this week - connections locally, globally, and intellectually to our efforts (and my own personal efforts) to grow as a community of learners.
by Jim Dillon in SmartBrief
I referenced this post at our faculty meeting last week - a timely read, as it directly relates to our connectedness survey and endeavors at Blake. The last line of the post (copied below) is critical - communicate the care that we have for our students. Feelings and environmental care are critical.
We take test scores and most of our data about student performance and draw conclusions about what students can or can't do typically without providing qualifications or clarifications about what could be influencing what we observe. Walk into any classroom when a test is being administered, and it appears as if the conditions are the same for all students. We don't see, nor do we understand, what is going on inside the students. The fact that we can't see what is going on doesn't diminish the profound effect that prior experiences, relationships and feelings about oneself has on the results of a test.
My recommendation for improving any assessment of student learning and performance is simple: Ask students some questions to determine their sense of belonging. This might require more time than many teachers feel they can afford. Making this investment of time, however, is worth it. It can provide information that will increase the accuracy of assessments. More importantly, teachers can use this information to take specific steps to help students feel safe and accepted.
When students feel like they belong, they learn more. We shouldn't leave it to chance that they do. A student's sense of belonging is too fundamental for all learning to remain hidden from educators. Assessing it by asking students how they feel not only provides a more accurate assessment; it is a powerful first step in demonstrating to them that they do belong and that teachers care about them. I once asked a group of faculty members to raise their hands if they cared about every student in the school. All hands were raised. Then I asked if every student knew that fact and no hands were raised. Their challenge, I said, was simple but profound -- communicate the care that was already there.
Will Letter Grades Survive?
by Laura McKenna in Edutopia
This post is an important read for all educators, parents, and community members. It outlines some of the work of the Mastery Transport Consortium (MTC), along with information about different models (a new model) of assessment and feedback across the country. The connections within this post are real, encouraging, and provide a greater context for the narrative of learning we are practicing with the goal of fostering for our students.
Under pressure from an unprecedented constellation of forces—from state lawmakers to prestigious private schools and college admissions offices—the ubiquitous one-page high school transcript lined with A–F letter grades may soon be a relic of the past. Somewhat independently, schools and lawmakers have come to the same conclusion: The old models of student assessment are out of step with the needs of the 21st-century workplace and society, with their emphasis on hard-to-measure skills such as creativity, problem solving, persistence, and collaboration. From Harvard and Dartmouth to small community colleges, more than 70 U.S. institutions of higher learning have weighed in, signing formal statements asserting that competency-based transcripts will not hurt students in the admissions process.
“Our learning structures have to be much more nimble to allow today’s learners to navigate through opportunities where they can see themselves as the authors of their education,” said Martin. “Proficiency-based education is about getting every single student up to a certain skill level and ensuring every student can succeed.”
Dr. King's words above and below, along with those of Peter DeWitt, help me to foster connections, make meaning, and ground our work. I do believe that is at the heart of learning and growth.
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Take care.
Nat