To help encourage conversations about trying new ideas and shifting paradigms, the topic/question of the week is...
Have You Ever...
Have you ever viewed this video (11:40)?
Sir Ken Robinson’s now ubiquitous, "Changing Educational Paradigms" talk. His first TED talk on creativity in schools is the most-viewed TED talk in the world.
- yes
- no
- maybe, I don't remember
- yes, but I don't recall the details
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I hope that the beautiful weather this past weekend helped to provide a nice break from the busyness of the school week. As has been the norm for our weekends this fall, we spent much of it on the sports fields and in the yard tackling the never-ending piles of leaves. We enjoyed a relaxed Sunday with the kids, going to cheer on the MHS boys soccer team as they play Walpole in the tournament – what a game! We then ended the weekend getting together with neighborhood friends for a potluck dinner.
Last Friday morning Kelly C. and I attended a workshop at MESPA (Massachusetts Elementary School Principal Association), facilitated by Kim Marshall. I have referenced Kim many times in the past, and I consider his thinking, writing, and presence to have had a profound and significant influence on my professional growth and development as an educator and administrator. The title of his presentation was ‘Major Mindshifts for Principals’, and he led the attendees through his talk by outlining the fallacies in these statements that have traditionally been adopted, endorsed, and accepted in the educational realm:
- Intelligence and talent are fixed at birth
- Poverty is destiny
- Principals can only be managers
- Great teachers are born, not made
- Teacher evaluation doesn't make much difference
- Students' input can't be taken seriously
- Tests are separate from the learning process
- Teachers can't be held accountable for student learning
Why Even ‘Good’ Schools Benefit From Trying Fresh Ideas
by Katrina Schwartz in MindShift
Schwartz's post is one that I shared last year and is worth 'bookmarking' as I believe we (Blake) can identify with the work that the highlighted schools are undertaking, in particular the project-based learning goals. I also believe it is important for 'good' schools to always stay open to new ideas.
“There’s got to be something else to make this stuff stick a little better,” Walach said. “If my goal is to have my students pass my final at the end of the year, then maybe I should keep teaching math as we are right now. But if we want students to be able to apply math to the real world, it’s not working.” He’s tired of watching students grind through school just because they know they have to show colleges a committed, consistent record.
...the teaching team is adamant that this idea is replicable in public schools elsewhere if leaders identify likely teachers, give them time to dream and plan, and make sure the program is teacher-driven. They’re clear that every school has its own culture and needs that will dictate what a new program looks like. “You can’t take a model and transpose it onto a different community or a different school, but it’s important to experiment with alternative learning environments.”
Why the Factory Model of Schools Persists, and How We Can Change It
by William J. Tolley in Education Week Teacher
Tolley references the work of Sir Ken Robinson (Sir Ken Robinson - Changing Education Paradigms, Sir Ken Robinson - Bring on the Learning Revolution, Sir Ken Robinson - Do Schools Kill Creativity?) and encourages disruption in our schools, with an eye towards altering the 'established' or 'traditional' definitions of success and happiness. I love the notion of 'lone nuts' banding together for the betterment of our schools.
The common theme of these conversations, presentations, and positions demonstrated that once you have eliminated the social and institutional obstacles to shifting educational paradigms, rapid transformation is hardly guaranteed...the reality is that no matter how well we learn how to hack and disrupt our schools, our best intentions for changing the factory model will fail as long as our efforts culminate in the calibration of our students to factory standards for the college admissions process or the workplace.
More than our schools, our social expectations need disrupting. Our definitions of success and happiness need a paradigm shift. To this end, the lone nuts who attend innovative learning conferences need to carry the conversation forward: Educators and education leaders guiding their learning constituencies toward a tipping point in public opinion. This is the natural way of bringing to reality the ideals of Sir Ken as articulated by Sam Sherratt—a reality wherein “schools … reclaim their power, the power to shape lives, the power to create cultures and to define societies, instead of the other way ‘round.”
Strive To Be What Is Expected
by Starr Sackstein in Education Week Teacher
Sackstein offers an open perspective on her own learning that resonated with me, and I hope it will resonate with others as well. Writing is the vehicle for her reflection - certainly a vehicle that I can identify with - and she offers suggestions for modeling the growth mindset with our students.
As we work to achieve this level of mastery in our own lives, we must outwardly model the process for our students and colleagues, making sure to share transparently the successes and failures that accompany the journey. There will undoubtedly be days where the cut won't be made, but rather than judge that experience too harshly, reflection is what's called for. Imagine the growth potential if when we don't have a great day, we examine the reasons why and put safe guards in place for making the best of a less than awesome situation.
Many people ask me how I manage to write as much as I do, but my writing is a part of my reflective practice. It offers me the opportunity to critically explore the realities of my day and make important decisions and adjustments moving forward. It keeps me honest.
I am encouraged by the shifts in thinking that were outlined by Marshall, as I believe we have made and are continuing to make significant progress with them here at Blake. I can not speak for all, but I can share that the conversations I have with students, teachers, and parents are student-centered and focused on our mission statement: 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. Please continue to engage me in your conversations and offer the shifts in thinking that you are experiencing. I will continue to do the same, with Tolley’s goal in mind of ‘carrying conversations forward’ to guide our learning constituencies towards the ‘tipping point’.
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Take care.
Nat Vaughn