To encourage dialogue and reflection about the process of learning and role that creativity plays, our question for the week is: What helps you to be creative and learn? Why? Encouraging Learning (Week of 12/11/22) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
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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.
The most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - John Dewey
You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow. - John Dewey
With the mild weather we had last week, the cooler temperatures as of late and the snow on Sunday definitely felt more like December! Our weekend was filled with basketball for the boys, and we had a nice time celebrating a dear friend’s 50th birthday on Saturday. We did our best to slow down the pace of the holiday season and enjoyed a relaxed Sunday afternoon.
The varied ways in which Blakers experienced Computer Science Week through various disciplines (thanks, Diane!) and the 8th grade’s visit to Tilden Village last Thursday evening are tangible examples of learning that may not always be reflected in our scope and sequence (but, perhaps they should?). These endeavors foster learning and also spark connections and interests that encourage learning, providing different opportunities and avenues that may not always be ‘available’ or ‘accessible’ in the ‘traditional’ structure of schooling. Recent years have underscored the need for adaptable structures of learning, and the rapid changes we are continuing to experience support this need for our students and community as well.
Students will be receiving their Term 1 report cards in Advisory on Monday, and this marks our ‘formal reporting of learning’. We have spent a lot of time focusing on our feedback practices with the hope/intention that they serve as levers for learning and growth. ‘Speaking from the I’, that was not my own personal experience with report cards and feedback as a student (and, truth be told, as a teacher and administrator as well). These practices and the shift towards a learning-centered focus for the feedback (‘Does the feedback help inform my next steps for learning? What’s my next step to improve?’) takes time and I believe we are on the right path - a path that will continue to evolve, as it should.
The post below is one I remember reading when it was first written and it came into my feed once again this week. Within, Culberhouse asks some excellent questions and speaks to how we need to continue reflecting and adapting to the needs of our present and future students and environment. Our goal of learning remains constant, but the ways we encourage and foster learning must be a continuous and fluid process/cycle of progress. One of the most striking aspects of the post is that it was written and shared on August 15, 2016.
Measuring Creativity And Innovation?
by David Culberhouse (@DCulberhouse)
Creativity and innovation is not something we indulge because it sounds cool, rather it is the process of looking at new and novel ways to add value to the work and lives of those we lead at all levels of our organization. It is not an event, as much as it is a way of operating, doing and being.
…we need to determine not only if we are progressing with our work, but that it is providing value we intended to the user. Whether that value is in something that has been curated or created, the use or implementation of technology or tools, or even the flows,structures, processes and systems we have built up within our organization…And why shouldn’t this design of the user experience be the goal of education? Why aren’t we looking to design a better learning experience; from the learning spaces we create to the curriculum we curate value, rather than completion should be the focus of our work. The creator should always be working from the eye of the user.
…we are going to need to get more creative and innovative on how we set the metrics and measurements if we are going to do the creative and innovative work necessary to prepare our students for a rapidly shifting and changing world. Innovative work, bound by traditional metrics and measures, leads not only to deepening levels of frustration, but creates misalignment at all levels of the system.
…we like to repeat the mantra that what gets measured, is what gets done. But the funny thing about data, just like the questions we ask, is that if we are measuring the wrong things, if we are asking the wrong questions, don’t be surprised if we don’t end up with or where we expected.
If we want to prepare our students and educators for this rapidly shifting and turbulent world, then we may need to become not only more creative, innovative and agile as organizations and individuals, but more creative and innovative of the metrics and measurements we determine to chart our path of progress.
In this vein of practices and habits, this past week a colleague recommended the two episodes below from Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead podcast. They highlight the work of James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, and the ways that our habits establish our systems…
Atomic Habits, Part 1 of 2 - Brené Brown
(49:51)
Even before James Clear and I met, I knew this would be a two-part series. I just had so many questions for the author of Atomic Habits, which has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 50 languages. Not surprisingly, this turned out to be exactly the type of conversation I’d anticipated. In part 1 of our series, we talk specifically about developing identity-based habits and how we can become the architects of those habits, not the victims of them. We also talk about the intersection of his work and mine, the collective stories we make up, and how our mindsets and our systems can set us up for success. It was so meaningful to finally meet James, to hear his story, and to take in his insights into how he developed such a deep understanding of the importance of consistency over intensity when it comes to forming habits that last.
Atomic Habits, Part 2 of 2 - Brené Brown
(54:38)
It’s part 2 of our two-part episode with James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, which has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 50 languages. In part 1 of our series, we talk about building systems to create habits, and in this episode, we talk about how and why habits are atomic and how to build a habit or break a habit. We also look at our environments and how we can tweak them to support the habits we want to have, and then dive in and talk about organization habits and how we create habits in a team and in organizations. I took multiple pages of notes on this memorable conversation on forming habits that last.
Reflecting upon our practices and habits, intentionality is important. A big factor in establishing the foundation for learning to take place is the sense (and hopeful reality) of ‘community’ - and, the responses below help serve as some ‘habits’ to build towards a systemic community…
Sampling of Responses from Last Week’s ‘Question of the Week’: What can you do to help build a community?
- Always being kind to others
- We can always try to bring out the best in ourselves/others
- Be your best self and give all that you can.
- Connect friends with others
- Be kind to everyone
- Be nice
- Be kind
- Educate kids so they know what they are saying before saying it
- Give food to the food pantry
- Be nice
- One way I can help to build a community is make everybody feel welcome and everybody feel comfortable and everybody works together and everybody matters
- I can seek to know the cultures of others, now and historically!
- Say hi to random people
- Be kind and make friends
- Working together to make the town and school better.
- Accept the people in it, and be supportive towards them.
- Greet all students with a smile, ask students about themselves and the activities that they enjoy doing outside of school, do the same for colleagues ~ ask them about their interests. In this way, you can show that you care about them.
- Participate on sports teams and other town events.
- Stepping out of your comfort zone and join people to do something good
- Be kind and helpful to people
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Take care.
Nat