To help encourage conversations and dialogue about continuous learning and improvement, our topic(s)/question(s) of the week are: How have you improved as a learner? Be specific. Learners - Intentional Improvers (Week of 5/19/19) (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.
I hope that everyone was able to enjoy the beautiful weather Friday afternoon and Saturday - such a welcome sight! Thanks to all who chaperoned our last dance of the year Friday night - Nancy Deveno, Jillian Shaw, Jen Dondero, Kelly Campbell, Matt Marenghi, Cynthia McClelland, and Elise Malone. The luau theme was a success! With Katie in her yoga training this past weekend, the kids and I spent time outside and at their sports - felt like the first spring weekend of the year, ironically.
5-10-19 Blake PD Prompt: Why did you choose education as your profession? and How are you looking to grow as an educator?
5-13-19 Blake Faculty Mtg Opening Prompt(s): What learning skill(s) are you focusing on with your students during the last month of school? What strategy(ies), tool(s), or idea(s) have you used or are planning to use to support your efforts?
5-13-19 Blake Faculty Mtg Closing Prompt: With the ‘Breaking Points’ video in mind, what can we do as educators (individually and from a ‘systems view’)? Be specific.
Topic/Question for Week of 5/12/19: What goal(s) do you want to focus on over the last month of this school year? What step(s) are you taking to meet this/these goal(s)?
The responses to these questions help to provide information as well as support for others in the process of learning. They also open up an avenue into an authentic form of feedback, hopefully helping to outline some actionable steps that can be taken. Our ultimate goal as educators is to help others learn - and, it is important to recognize that we have both intended and unintended learning taking place at all times. In order to assure that we continue to grow and learn, I firmly believe that we must commit to a practice of ‘intentional learning’. This may take different forms for different individuals, and it is critical that we recognize the needs for balancing both shared and unique experiences. A hope I have for our students is that they each discover and experience the ‘spark’ that instills a will and drive to intentionally learn more and more each day.
The post shared below from Jay McTighe (@jaymctighe), along with responses from last week’s question about ‘Actionable Steps’, have direct connections and implications to the intentional practice of continuous learning...
Three Lessons for Teachers from Grant Wiggins
by Jay McTighe (@jaymctighe)
I came across this post this week - it’s one I had read before and vow to come back to often for myself and others. Wiggins has also been a source of inspiration as he always had the ability to get to the essence right away. Some valuable lessons are shared within the post - and they are ones that apply to all of our work.
Lesson #1 – Plan Backward from Authentic Performance.
Grant advised us to think carefully about what students should be able to do with their learning. Rather than simply creating a long list of fragmented objectives, begin by identifying the authentic performances that will demonstrate student understanding and make learning relevant and meaningful...Grant argued that such a “backward design” approach offers an effective alternative to a practice we see too often in our schools and classrooms—a focus on learning long lists of discrete knowledge and skill objectives without application and relevance. Moreover, teaching students to be able to apply their learning will help them develop the very capabilities needed for success in college and careers.
Lesson #2 – Feedback is Key to Successful Learning and Performance.
Grant reminded educators that providing learners with helpful feedback was a key to successful learning and continuous improvement...Grant cautioned us against thinking that feedback takes the form of grades (B+) and exhortations (“try harder”). To be effective, Grant pointed out that feedback must meet several criteria:
• Feedback must be timely. Waiting two weeks or more to find out how you did on a test will not help your learning.
• Feedback must be specific and descriptive. Effective feedback highlights explicit strengths and weaknesses (e.g., “Your speech was well-organized and interesting to the audience. However, you were speaking too fast in the beginning and did not make eye contact with the audience. These are areas for you to work on for your next presentation.”).
• Feedback must be understandable to the receiver.
Lesson #3 – Empathize with the learner
Grant thought deeply about the craft of teaching and cautioned teachers, especially experienced ones, about succumbing to what he called the Expert Blind Spot. H
These three key ideas—the importance of planning backward from authentic performance, the need for helpful feedback and opportunities to use it, and having empathy for students—are but a few of the many lessons that Grant offered us. Although he is no longer with us, his brilliance lives on in his thought-provoking blog posts (https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com), articles and books. His advice elevates our profession and our teachers and students deserve the benefits of his wisdom.
Topic/Question of the Week (Week of 5/12/19): What goal(s) do you want to focus on over the last month of this school year? What step(s) are you taking to meet this/these goal(s)?
Sampling of responses...
- Creating the best experience I can for my students to end the year well. I am focusing on staying positive and enthusiastic as well as continuing to try new approaches to instruction.
- I want to ensure that students leave with an energized spirit. Keeping feedback positive, especially in writing, will be key.
- Making sure my students can articulate what they have learned this year. End of year wrap up that looks at big picture and links content to art.
- I want to just work hard and have a fun time
- Get good grades in all my subjects.
- Get good grades even though it is SBR.
- Organization: Helping students stay organized and myself.
- Setting Goals
- Creating benchmarks
- I want to work better with others!
- Preparing student art show with text for student work. Standard based Reporting grades along with Aspen grades. Inventory with media stock and then requisitions for new school year.
- I want to be more open with people, and I can do that by accepting everyone and all their ways that they do things even if it is different.
- Become over-kindhearted, and perform real magic and potions. (I know that sounds stupid, but I believe I can do it).
- Getting through school. Just because it’s almost over doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try my best.
- I am helping student focus on their own short and long-term goals for the remainder of the school year. I am asking them to think about what they want to accomplish by the year's end, work on strategies to help them reach those goals, and also how to carry over their successes to the next school year.
Through a cycle of reflection, actionable steps, and intentional practice we will continue to make progress towards the mission we have for our community of learners.
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Take care.
Nat