Blog Archives

Giving Gifts to Oneself

12/21/2015

December 22, 2015

To help encourage conversations about mindfulness and the ideas of taking care of oneself, our topic/question of the week is: What gift(s) will you give to yourself in the new year?
Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: Giving Gifts to Oneself (12/20/15) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

With vacation starting this week, I hope everyone had a nice weekend and hopefully found some calm before the busy and very full 3-day week of school. After enjoying a nice visit with teachers, both current and former staff, at the Blake holiday party on Friday afternoon we have enjoyed a busy couple of days - the weekly Saturday sports, a holiday neighborhood get together Saturday night, and on Sunday afternoon we are attending an annual holiday party with family and friends that I have gone to since I was Grayden's age. It's been wonderful to see the relationships of the different generations blossom over the years.

As I sat down to reflect upon this past week and share some thoughts, many of the ideas that came out of our professional development this week are very present and on my mind. We were very fortunate to have Christi Clark Barney lead our staff through the workshop on mindfulness, and on Thursday evening I took some time to review and process the notes I had taken from Christi Barney's mindfulness workshop. In the spirit of sharing, I have highlighted some of the points that have stayed with me...

Definition from Psychology Today: Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present.When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.
30 seconds - we all have it!
Borrowing principles - make it work the way you want to work
‘Standing at the door’ or ‘Tiger at the door’
What gifts can we give ourselves?
Key/importance of teaching portable skills
Collaboration (Have I leveraged my colleagues? Have I leveraged my resources? Have I spoken up if I am too near my edge?)
Resolutions (One thing I will do to take care of myself….One thing I will do Mindfully each day….One thing I will do to decrease work stress…)
Laundry can wait, phone calls can wait, work can wait
Be mindful of the present gifts that we have

I find myself coming back to these ideas and thinking about how they connect and relate to our students, colleagues, community, my professional relations/existence, and my personal relations/existence. Each of the notes above holds meaning for different reasons, but one that applies to much of our work in education and parenting is that of 'borrowing principles' - we do not need to adopt every facet of every workshop, lesson, conference, article, or theory. We should allow ourselves to simply apply what holds meaning - finding what holds true for us and making it work for ourselves. That is a mindset that I hope to carry forth and also foster for our students and staff. I recognize that I share a lot of information and resources each week and my intent is to continue to nurture the professional and academic nature of our profession - reading, learning, and sharing what is in the world of education. I hope that the idea of 'borrowing what holds meaning' is one that can be practiced with one another, as we continue to explore the avenues we want to pursue for our students and community. With this in mind, here are two posts that are carrying me forward this week before we take a break...

Winter PD: Learn One New Thing Over Break
by Lily Jones from Teaching Channel
This post has links and resources for teachers to peruse, either during vacation, or in the new year. I have to admit that I often feel obliged to keep up on 'everything current', but I hope to remember that these resources are here 'for the taking' at all times.

Our Dreams are Simple: We Want to GO OUTSIDE
by Bill Ferriter from Center for Teaching Quality
I am sharing this post as I appreciate Ferriter's question that he poses of students. It is important to get the direct perspectives of our students and to really listen. With vacation approaching it is important to make sure we take a break, get outside, and play.
So I had them to do a bit of dreaming about education last week. "If YOU were in charge," I asked, "what would you change about school? What would your dream class in school look like?"
Continuing this idea of 'borrowing principles' I have always appreciated 'end of year lists', as they provide a structured way to reflect upon the last 12 months. I do not always agree with the lists, but I enjoy learning more about the list creator as they tend to represent the core values and beliefs that he/she holds dear. I enjoy learning and sharing, and one of the things that keeps me going is a culture of growth, questioning, and reflection. Prior to my work with Medfield's new teachers a few weeks ago, I shared with the group some posts that have influenced my thinking and helped to shape my educational philosophy. As we wrap up this calendar year, here are links to the six posts that I find myself coming back to on a regular basis (some are from the past 12 months and others are carry overs from years past). They are the ones that ground my thinking and help me to stay centered on our mission...
Methods: Tradition vs Relevance
by Tom Whitby (@tomwhitby)

7 Things Every Kid Should Master
by Susan Engel in The Boston Globe

John Hattie's 10th Mindframe for Learning
by Peter DeWitt (@PeterMDeWitt) in Education Week

3 Reasons You Need Twitter More Than It Needs You!
by Peter DeWitt (@PeterMDeWitt) in Education Week

Ubiquitous
by Chris Lehmann (@chrislehmann)

Before Technology, The Power of Asking Questions
by Justin Reich (@bjfr) in Education Week

At the end of Christi's workshop, she encouraged us to all take some time over these last couple weeks of 2014 amidst the season of resolutions and beginnings to ask ourselves this question - 'What gift will you give yourself?' We are accustomed to this season of gift giving for others, but it is important to give gifts to ourselves as well. And, as she also encouraged us to do, let's share these gifts with one another as we leverage ourselves, colleagues, one another, and our community. I resolve to find the time to reflect upon this question and hope that you will as well, and I look forward to sharing and listening to our answers as we renew our energy for our students in 2016.

Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Take care.
Nat Vaughn

Blake Curriculum Updates, December 2015

12/18/2015

December 18, 2015
In our continued efforts to keep families informed and updated about the curriculum at Blake, each month we will be 'highlighting' updates from the different departments. We hope this will help facilitate conversations at home and maintain a bridge between home and school. Below please find the updates for the month of December, 2015.

Art
6th Grade: Sixth grade artists are putting the finishing touches on their slab constructions. They created sculptural houses from clay, which had to incorporate shape, line, and texture. Each house has a personality that has to be communicated through how they combine these artistic elements. They will also do a glazing of their tiles, which was an exploratory assignment to get them re-acquainted with the medium of clay.

7th Grade: Students used Visual Thinking Strategies when they examined the work of Auguste Rodin. He is most well known for creating The Thinker figurative sculpture, but the students looked at his expressive work, The Burghers of Calais, and discussed how the making of work creates meaning. Students are creating clay portraits that have emotion and expression.

8th Grade: How can we create with clay coils? Using coil construction methods, students must consider all points of view of their clay sculptures. They looked at the Mexican goddess Coatlique, who is the goddess of birth and death. She is covered with various lines, textures, and shapes, so that there is visual texture throughout her form. How can I make my work stand out as unique? The intent is that students will be inspired to create something one-of-a-kind when all students are working primarily with coils.

English
Grades 6 spent the last month learning how strong leads, sensory details and evocative endings can create a memorable imprint on readers. On December 23, students will complete the final version of their “smaller moment” within a memory personal narratives.
Grade 7 students completed reading A Christmas Carol this week and will be attending the play at the North Shore Music Theater on Wednesday, December 23. Grade 7 students also recently completed their review of the eight parts of speech and demonstrated their skill growth through a post-test. Many students saw measurable improvement in their grammar skills. As soon as school reopens in 2016, students will begin reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
Grade 8 students, who use this year in English to begin what will be a long apprenticeship in analytical writing, completed their Crucible papers, each with an original theme and textual evidence in support of that theme,

Guidance
All of the Group Guidance classes are in the second rotation. In 6th grade Group Guidance, we are practicing the art of getting to know each other and having face-to-face conversations. One of the 7th grade Group Guidance class is working on a presentation for Mr. Vaughn on how they feel Blake should structure retakes and test corrections for all classes. We started discussing failure and second chances and had a great discussion on the topic and decided to create a plan to share with Mr. Vaughn. The other two 7th grade Group Guidances classes have moved onto discussing gossip. The 8th grade Group Guidance is going over the transition back from school breaks and previewing a bit of the high school course selection process. Embracing Diversity is also just starting it's second rotation and will meet once a week for the entire second term.

Library
The first round of the eight week related rotation recently ended. The sixth grade Library/Media classes finished their South American country research reports and the coding class wrapped up as well. The seventh grade Inv/Tech class completed and presented their final Power Point project on the pros and cons of computer technology along with their individual philosophies on how they will maximize the benefits and minimize the downsides in their own lives.

Mr. Gagne’s English Writing Lab students are nearing the completion of their long-term fiction project. Students have been researching various locations – either geographically or in a different time period, or both. With their setting and information in mind, they create a fictional story in the genre – science fiction, fantasy, mystery or historical fiction – of their choosing. It’s a great exercise, both beefing up research skills while also creating an original story.

Many homerooms in all grade levels have been taking advantage of the Makerspace area during Advisory time – a complete update will follow next month!

Mathematics
6th grade students will have an enrichment opportunity in math classes after the first of the year. We believe the ability to estimate is a cornerstone skill to numerical literacy. Estimation 180 by Andrew Stadel provides opportunities for students to build number sense ‘one day at a time.’ Teachers will provide access to this optional program through their websites. All learners are encouraged to participate at their own pace. Susan Bycoff will moderate this online learning experience. Please reach out to her with questions at sbycoff@email.medfield.net.

The holiday season brings shoppers to malls and restaurants as we celebrate our traditions. Wherever you go, math is all around us. How much should we tip on that meal? If we divide the bill by six, how much should each person pay? What is the discounted price of that gift? How many driveways do I need to shovel to buy that hoverboard? 7th grade students are immersed in percents and calculations with money. Pass the holdiay budget over to them. They just may be the ones that finally balance it!

8th grade mathematicians will take their first midyear examination in math in mid-January. This will be an opportunity for students to be assessed on all the material they have learned to date in Algebra. There will be a strong focus on preparation and organization of materials in class and for homework after the first of the year. For now, the homework for holiday break involves lots of R&R, time with family and friends and plenty of cookies:-)

Music
The Sixth Grade Band, Seventh and Eighth Grade Band and BMS Jazz Ensemble had their Winter Concert on December 7. All of the groups gave outstanding performances. We are looking forward to getting started on our repertoire for what will be a busy spring performance schedule!

The Blake Choruses are eagerly anticipating their Winter Concerts! The 7th and 8th grade Choruses will perform this Thursday, December 10th at 7pm in the HS Auditorium, and the 4-6th grade Choruses will perform in January on the 12th at 7pm. We hope everyone can make it to support our talented singers!

Other singing opportunities at Blake include the "Joy to the World" Caroling Contest held this past week, and the "Sing-Off" which will be held on February 4th, more info to follow.

Ms. Nothnagel's General Music classes are learning about Elvis Presley, and doing projects on other figures in music history. Guitar classes are learning a series of chords, and 8th graders are learning about "West Side Story" and other Broadway musicals.

We hope to see you at our future concerts!

Science
6th grade continued to demonstrate their understanding of the Scientific Method through the completion of their long-term experiment on plants in early December. The experiment introduced the idea of the Greenhouse Effect and provided students an opportunity to write authentic conclusions. Students are now applying their conclusion writing skills to a study of matter and it’s properties. They experimented with Mass and will move on to studying other properties such as weight, volume, and density in the next few weeks. We are looking forward to our “Journey through the Universe” where students investigate how mass and weight are affected by location in our universe.

December is a very egg-citing month in 7th Grade Science! The students are working on the study of Cells in Action. We have begun looking at movement across the cell membrane with a diffusion lab. The egg lab provided students an opportunity to observe how different solutions move in and out of our shell-less egg "cell" models. Students are engaged in a variety of hands-on activities supported by informational text and science vocabulary. This unit will culminate with a project where the students will create a cartoon, demonstrating their knowledge of active and passive transport with characters such as Captain Osmosis, a superhero with a very passive personality. In addition, we continue to reinforce graphing skills and have worked on fish respiration rates and graphing data during a controlled experiment.

Many changes occur in the 8th grade as we approach the winter solstice and our shortest day of the year approaches. In Tech class students will be transitioning into the West Point Bridge competition where they will be using a CAD like design program to compete against other schools in the state and country. They will also be creating model truss bridges out of fettuccine and testing their strength to weight ratio. In Science class students are diving deeper into Chemistry and exploring Physical and Chemical changes. We will be piloting a new project that brings both Science and Art together to look at the Periodic Table of Elements. Students will create their own artistic visual representation of an element based on the properties they have researched. Lastly, our new codeable drones have arrived and we look forward to experimenting with these new devices purchased from a grant by the MCPE.

Social Studies
6th grade World Geography students continue to hone their memory mapping skills. They are wrapping up the mountain unit and will soon be studying rivers. The students will look at how rivers are formed, how they are related to the creation of mountains and contribute to the earth as an important physical feature.

After finishing the Egypt unit, 7th grade Ancient Civilizations students learned about the Indus River Valley which provided some challenges because their ancient language has never been translated. Students viewed images of visuals including pottery, city plans, archaeological ruins, weights and toys to determine how they lived. They learned about their advanced urban planning and sewer systems. The 7th graders have begun their study of the Ancient Hebrews and the birth of monotheism.

8th grade World History II students are finishing up their unit on Islam and are now moving on to the Middle Ages. This is a very interesting unit that will offer many project and research opportunities. Students will explore how traditions and culture shifted after the fall of Rome, and how these changes led to national identity.

Wellness
Health:
Grade 8 students have finished their unit on Accessing Information and completed their tri-fold brochure projects on either a mental illness or eating disorder topic. Their work is displayed in the back of the classroom in our health resource center, where other students have access to those brochures as an informational resource. Starting next week and after winter break, we will begin our new units on Decision Making and Analyzing Influences. Students will learn how to take time to work through the decision making process and relate it to healthy relationships.

Physical Education grades 6-8:
All students have been introduced to Blake’s brand new fitness center. Students are excited to use the new space and the new equipment. Our focus is on proper technique and execution of each exercise as students are learning to use the equipment safely. We have opened up the gym for after school workouts for students who have been certified. The certification process includes an evaluation of all exercises and making sure students understand the progression for each exercise along with safe use of the space and equipment. For students interested in getting certified, sign-ups are on the PE office door. We wish everyone a happy and healthy winter break!

Consumer Science
Students in all three grades are learning how to use the stovetop and the oven safely. They have now begun to develop good independent routines relative to food preparation and clean up, and you should encourage them to plan, prepare and clean up with you at home! Enjoy the break from school this month ~ wishing you the very best in 2016 from our kitchens to yours!

World Language
Sixth grade:
In sixth grade Spanish, students are actively engaged in creating weather forecasts that cover many different parts of the Spanish speaking world. What they have learned in 6th grade Geography is having a wonderfully positive impact on their understanding of Latin America in Spanish class too!

Sixth grade French students have been sharing likes and dislikes with each other. We have made recordings of our conversations in the language lab, and then listened to them afterwards.

In sixth grade Mandarin, students are starting the Unit two-sub theme 1: I am an American.

Seventh grade:
In seventh grade Spanish, students are just beginning to study vocabulary to talk about what is found in a typical bedroom. Expressions such as "Oh! What a disaster!" or "All of my clothes are on the floor!" are highly used phrases so far! Teddy bear and beanbag chair are the most popular items to talk about!

The seventh grade French students are learning school supply vocabulary and colors. They will soon be able to discuss what they need for each class, all in the target language!

In seventh grade Mandarin, students just finished Unit five--sub theme 3: Occupations.

Eighth grade:
In eighth grade Spanish students are learning about lots of foods and how to describe their opinions of them. Many of the students are doing well expressing their passionate preferences for and dislikes of foods they eat at home!
Señora Manning's students are excited about creating their comida puppet shows as they begin the foods unit!

8th grade French students are creating a skit about inviting a guest to dine. They will incorporate a market scene to purchase ingredients and then use them to serve a French dinner.

In eighth grade Mandarin, students just finished Unit ten--sub theme 3: International food.

An Openness to Growth

12/14/2015

December 15, 2015

To help encourage conversations about the role vulnerability plays in learning, our topic/question of the week is...
"...a person with nobility already values vulnerability"
"True nobility lies in being superior to your former self."
Do these two statements compare or contrast, work better together or apart?

Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: Vulnerability and Nobility (This is an anonymous Google Form)
I hope that everyone enjoyed the lovely, unseasonal weather and had a nice weekend. After dinner out with the kids Friday evening, our Saturday was full of sports and parties for the kids. On Sunday we headed into Boston for lunch and The Nutcracker with Katie's mom. There is definitely some excitement in the air at our house!

Does anyone else feel like time is moving quicker than ever? I can not believe it is December 15 and 2016 is on our doorstep! Even though our days are full and the weeks are busy, it seems as though they blur together and it is hard to slow the clock down a bit. As I shared last week I look forward to the opportunity each week to reflect and share what is on my mind and to think about implications for our students and one another. I have been thinking a great deal about the notion of the mantra for Blake ('a willingness to adapt') and I experienced several examples at Blake and beyond the last few days (these are just a few)...

At each of our winter concerts, I saw students listening and adapting to the respective directors and their peers in an effort to contribute to their ensembles
At my monthly job-alike meeting with other middle school principals, we took time to examine each other's master schedules - sharing ideas and thinking about ways to improve the programming at our schools
Teachers discussing ways to improve their instruction to better meet the needs of students and understand the perspectives of parents
During our #hourofcode teachers and students challenging some traditional ways of thinking to try something new and stretch their comfort zones
Discussing ways to rethink our physical space at Blake to accommodate and adapt to new ways of 'teaching, thinking, and doing'
At classroom observation follow-up meetings, chatting with teachers about some different questioning and feedback techniques they have implemented or are simply thinking about
Having some individual conversations with teachers about their 'current state of thinking' and some long-term hopes for their own career paths

In order for us to adopt this willingness to adapt, I think it is important to identify what needs to happen first - a non-defensive openness to feedback and self-reflection. In essence I think it is very much a willingness to be transparent and vulnerable. Although it is often perceived in this manner, vulnerability is by no means a sign of weakness and it is an attribute we want to nurture in our students. In reality it is a significant contributor to growth - 'I need help with this...I am unsure...I want to get better...I want to improve...' I am sharing three posts this week - the first two directly connect to this notion of vulnerability as a part of learning, and the third post is one that I have shared in past years around the holiday season where new gifts may be given to students.

Why The Best Leaders View Vulnerability as a Strength
post by Jim Haudan
Although the intended audience for this post is leaders, the implications for our students and all of us is clear in the learning process. He suggests three key steps: Change your view on vulnerability; Accept vulnerability as a strength; Practice and be a student of vulnerability. We could simply substitute 'leaders' with 'students, teachers, administrators, colleagues, parents, friends, etc.' and it would hold great meaning.
Almost everyone seems to think that being vulnerable is a bad thing – it implies that you’re weak or defenseless. In fact, when someone is willing to admit they’re vulnerable, it demonstrates a level of trust and respect with the person or people they’re opening up to. Great leaders recognize the importance of bringing vulnerability to work because it is the foundation for open and nonjudgmental communications. The boldest act of a leader is to be publicly vulnerable.

Being vulnerable at work simply means you are ready to let your guard down, put aside any pretenses, and be your real self. A vulnerable leader is one who checks his or her ego at the door, is comfortable with not having all the answers, and is ready to wholeheartedly embrace the perspectives, opinions, and thoughts of his or her people.

Quit Blaming the Devices
post by John Spencer (@spencerideas)
Spencer's post grabbed me right away as he looks at the shifting the mindset of 'solitude' in learning. The notion of 'openly admitting one's frustration' is true sign of growth and is one that we should welcome in our students and ourselves.
See, lively and talkative are great components of a classroom. However, so are silence and solitude. Susan Cain reminded us in Quiet that we need space of silence in our classrooms. Loud, noisy, and chaotic are great. But so are silence and solitude. It's not just a matter of accommodating introverts. It's a valuable part of introspection and deep thinking.

We have developed nuanced positions for other strategies and materials because they are so ubiquitous to the learning experience. However, iPads or Chromebooks seem so different that a teacher, suddenly faced with new challenges, will be tempted to focus on the device rather than rethink her pedagogy.

After making sense out of the technology journey and openly admitting their frustration, teachers were able to think about integration and transformation. I challenged them to ditch the device part of the time but plan a few intentionally transformative learning experiences. As they planned out video projects, podcasts, and collaborative blogging projects, teachers were able to build student discourse into the process.

To My 13-Year-Old, An iPhone Contract From Your Mom, With Love
by Janell Burley Hoffman in The Huffington Post
This post was in the Huffington Post one year ago, but I believe it is worth sharing and reading once again. I think it has great implications for us as adults (educators, parents, aunts/uncles, family members) who are invested in the care and development of our students and children. I love Hoffman's transparent and open sharing of her values.
It is my hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply to the iPhone, but to life. You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Keep it simple every chance you get. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone.

With seven days of school left in 2015, I encourage our entire community to take some time to reflect upon the accomplishments of the year and to think about the goals or resolutions you have in mind for 2016. For a resolution to be set we must embrace vulnerability and be open to what we want to do and know. Katie's mother, Betsy, was a fourth grade teacher for many years and Greece was the Central Subject for the thematic curriculum. She has traveled there a great deal with families and every few trips brings back a t-shirt for me with the following quote from Socrates: The only thing I know is that I don't know anything. I love the openness and sense of possibility in these words and it is a culture I hope we can continue to foster along with our 'willingness to adapt' at Blake. We have a supportive community and I look forward to sharing my own thoughts/resolutions/hopes and hearing the thoughts/resolutions/hopes of others in the near future.

Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Take care.
Nat Vaughn

A Willingness to Adapt

12/7/2015

December 8, 2015

To help encourage conversations about the prospect of changing one's mind, our topic/question of the week is...
Please choose which quote below, found in the readings today, more closely expresses your sentiments?

'One person's flip-flopping is another's enlightenment.'
'Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.'

Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: 12/6/15 Discussion Starter (This is an anonymous Google Form)

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving was only about a week ago! Our weekend was very busy, and Katie and I felt like 'passing ships in the day and night' - chaperoning the dance on Friday evening, attending the Google Jamboree at MHS on Saturday and then taking the boys to the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium to cheer on Holliston (I know - rivals in TVL), and Sunday afternoon I enjoyed running in the Angel Run! (This is all, of course, while we are trying to find some time to breathe amidst the busyness of December.) I would like to thank and recognize all of the staff who helped to chaperone the dance this past Friday evening: Matt Marenghi, Kelly R., Kelly C., Travis, Elise, Jen, Keri, Lisa, Greg, and Kayla. I truly appreciate (and I know the students and parents do as well) the cross-section of teachers who helped to assure a safe and positive experience for our students.

Each week I look forward to the time on the weekend to reflect and write. It probably comes as no surprise that 'Reflection' is certainly my favorite 'R' of our core values at Blake, and the journaling process - blogging - is one that helps me to take a step back, frame my thoughts, hold myself accountable, ask questions, and share ideas. I would be lying if I did not admit that it can be a challenge to find the time to write and read and 'fit it all in'. Our 'to do' lists seem to be ever-growing, both personally and professionally, and I do recognize I am a contributor to these lists for our staff. It is a struggle - finding the right balance of newness and excitement with maintenance.

The end of this past week was very full - all good for sure, but full...a workshop with Medfield's new teachers on assessment, traditions and relevance; Google Jamboree at MHS on Saturday; hosting a visit from Principal Alex Todo from Uganda; etc. These, of course, are all in the midst of the day-to-day work. As teachers and educators (and, to be honest, just people) I feel like we are often simply 'tending to fires' that are burning - some small, some big, some urgent, some slowly burning, some productive, some emergencies, etc. We need to be continually assessing the status of these fires to determine where our energy is best served. For our content specialists meeting this week, I am asking the content specialists to reflect on this question: 'What is your brightest burning fire right now at the middle school?' In other words, what fire needs to be tended to the most? My hope in this exercise is to not place a hierarchical value on our challenges/successes, but simply to recognize where we are at and to share/reflect. I also hope that the sharing process can lend itself to support. Challenges can lead us to growth and progress and it is important to embrace the messiness that may ensue. But, we need to first name these challenges or ideas for the 'ball to start rolling'.

In the spirit of sharing and reflection, as I have done in the past, I have bulleted some of the thoughts that have stayed with me since Saturday morning at MHS. These all come from the 'Ignite Keynote' talks from Tom Daccord (@thomasdaccord), Justin Reich (@bjfr), Greg Kulowiec (@gregkulowiec), and Richard Byrne (@rmbyrne). I would love to talk more about them if you want to chat...

'Monday/Someday' - what can we do/think about on Monday and what can we do/think about for someday?
What's your vision for great learning?
Fundamental question - What is it you want students to understand and be able to do?
‘What does Awesome look like?' - We have to start somewhere
‘Are we using computers to program kids or kids to program computers?’
We should be finding and publishing examples of extraordinary work by our students
Technology in the service of learning
Looking for systemic change - Who can I get to do this with me? Who can be my partners?
'We should consider a bigger playground for our students'
Is what we are doing ‘value added’?
We should open the playground and embrace the chaos' - embrace the messiness!
‘Our students are expecting more choices’
‘What’s an expert?’ - What’s normal to you can be amazing to someone else
Create wise consumers of information
Acknowledge when you are stumped and need help
What do your students want to be?

As I list out these bullet points and reread them, many of them center around the ideas of change - change in mindsets, change in a framework of thinking, changes in practices, or simply questions. One way to think about them is a willingness to be open or simply adapt. I am sharing three posts this week that directly connect to this concept of change - validating its importance, putting it in context and finding meaning, and relating it to the need for it in education...

The Virtue of Contradicting Ourselves
by Adam Grant in The New York Times
In this op-ed, Grant addresses the concept of cognitive dissonance (the feeling of saying something that is inconsistent with your beliefs), in particular how the term 'flip-flopping' comes up in the election cycle with the candidates. Grant's brief post highlights the importance of change and that the process of change reflects growth and holds real value. Although this piece may have been inspired by politics, the underlying message and implications for our students and ourselves is important.
Intelligence is often defined as the ability to learn, and a sign of learning is changing your views over time.
“Progress is impossible without change,” George Bernard Shaw observed, “and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” And when it comes to facing our own contradictions, perhaps we should be more open as well. As the artist Marcel Duchamp observed, “I have forced myself to contradict myself, in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.”

It can’t just be new…it has to be significantly better.
by George Couros (@gcouros)
As we continue to read and hear about new ideas and are asked to change, Couros expresses a fundamental tenet - we need to ask 'why' and 'how' these changes will improve our efforts.
What I do understand is that change for the sake of change is not good enough. There has to be proof on why it is better. There has to be something that compels me to see that the change I am partaking in creates something that I could not do before without it. All change takes time, and since time is the most valuable asset in the world, we need to prove that change will be an investment, not an expenditure.

Does Education Need a Software Update?
by Peter DeWitt (@PeterMDeWitt) in Education Week
DeWitt's blog post centers around this question by Ray McNulty - "Why is it that in the tech world most people look forward to a software update, but in education we resist it?"
We update our wardrobes...Many of us update our haircuts...We even update our furniture...Do we update our teaching?

Whether we always like them or not, updates are important. They cause us to think differently, and challenge us to step outside of our comfort zones. We struggle and learn through our own errors, and then find mastery...to the point that our struggles seem far, far away.

In education we have not developed a culture of growth-inspired change as much as we have fostered a culture of accountability. Technology breeds creativity-inspired updates, and education seems to be forcing compliance-based updates that don't lead to better outcomes.

Thinking back to the Guy Kawasaki's (@GuyKawasaki) keynote at the iPad Summit a few weeks ago, he encouraged educators and schools to veer away from a mission and think about a 'mantra'. I must admit that this challenged my thinking/values as I believe that the mission statement guides all of our work and we need to keep it front and center: 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. Guy's point was that we need to keep it simple and really pare it down to the essence to guide our thinking and work. So, I've been thinking about it more and more, and for me the mantra that I want to hold up for our students, staff, community, and myself is this - 'a willingness to adapt'. If we can maintain a 'willingness to adapt', we can then be open to the ideas of change and learning. Again, this does not mean that we must always adapt, as Couros notes in the post referenced above. But, if we can keep a willingness and openness present in our thinking, and the thinking of our students and one another, our steps towards progress can begin, minimizing resistance and maximizing potential. Term 2 begins this week, and this brings forth new opportunities and 'fresh starts'. I'm looking forward to it.

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Take care.
Nat Vaughn

Giving Gifts to Oneself

Blake Curriculum Updates, December 2015

An Openness to Growth

A Willingness to Adapt

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