Dear Blake Families:
Hopefully everyone was able to enjoy some of the mild weather this weekend before the inevitable New England storms begin to arrive! We have had a full weekend thus far - Trivia fundraiser for MCPE Friday night, a 40th birthday party for a friend Saturday evening, and some yard work (the leaves just keep coming...). We enjoyed a relaxed Sunday afternoon with a family dinner - Katie made chili and we had friends come over.
As you may know this past Thursday and Friday I was in Boston for a conference with a team of teachers from Blake. Admittedly, ending the school week with a two-day conference can be hard, especially with the shortened week, as it brings forth feelings of being 'out of touch' and 'removed' from the school. Over the two days, I found that I had to remind myself to be present at the conference, be mindful about checking e-mail, and to simply take advantage of the opportunity to learn, connect, and reflect. Professional development is at the core of my belief system for education, and I continually find myself recharged and invigorated having stepped out of the normal day-to-day routine. If I can find at least one 'take-away' or idea, I leave knowing that it was worthwhile. Fortunately, the conference was excellent and the amount of ideas, thoughts, and affirmations of our current efforts were abundant. Although the focus of the two days centered around mobile learning (specifically iPads) and technology integration, the underlying and thematic message from each of the break-out sessions had its roots in sound teaching practices and student-centered learning endeavors.
Although my notes and ideas are plentiful, and I look forward to sharing them with all of you, upon review there were three essential takeaways for me from these two days. None of them are new concepts, and I believe they are part of our culture here at Blake, but they are worthy of mention as we can always 'delve deeper' and improve. First and foremost, it is critical to keep all initiatives reflecting the mission and vision we have for our students. In order to do this, we must understand the age level and developmental stage of our students. Knowing our students - really understanding the beauty of the middle school being - is essential. Heather Wolpert-Gavron's recent post from Edutopia, Brains, Brains, Brains! How the Mind of a Middle Schooler Works, is a great snapshot of the 'tween' mind as she references the desire for them to 'control' their lives and, in turn, their learning: "It's this concept of "control" that's so fascinating to middle schoolers. For in every other aspect of their lives they are out of control. They wake up with different faces than the ones they went to sleep with, marked by zits while they slept. They don't drive but they want to go places. They can't get a worker's permit, but they need cash. Meanwhile, many adults tell them that they are too old for this but not old enough for that; so to realize that there is something that they can control, their own level of learning, is empowering. It's empowering for them to feel their level of intellect is in their hands and isn't a hand they were just dealt at birth. It's also empowering for the teachers to know that any student they get in the fall can have the ability to grow by the spring. All it takes is teaching 'tweens about what makes them tick and how they can tick better." She then shares sound advice that we must keep this development in mind as we help to shape the learning experience: "The 'tween brain is different developmentally than that of the elementary students and of the high schooler, and it must be treated as such. Even though we teach to the standards, our lessons should still reflect the existing solid science that proves how the brain learns best at this stage of development. If we want what we teach to be embedded into long-term memory instead of being discarded from short-term memory, we need to create lessons that send it to the area of the brain reserved for long term use."
Second, it is important for our entire learning community to embrace a culture of failure, and to provide opportunities for students to practice resilience. I have posted for your interest a blog posting by Peter DeWitt, What Can We Learn From Failure?, that emphasizes the importance: "It's important to remember that no matter the weight of accountability, students should be taught how to be resilient to failure. Quite honestly, during this time of increased accountability, we can all learn a thing or two about resilience." We need to recognize the modes and avenues by which our students exist and interact, and respond accordingly so that coping skills are introduced and fostered: "...in this day and age, which sounds really old, mistakes on social media is the modern way for kids to experience failure. As much as the adults around them may want to prevent it, we also have to teach kids how to handle it. They need to learn how to accept their failures, apologize if they hurt someone, and move on to other ventures. Instead of protecting students from failure, especially if they are at high risk, we have to teach them that it is a natural part of life. One of the ways they can better handle the failure that we all experience, is to teach them the coping skills they need to move forward. Without coping skills, life becomes a series of negative events."
Finally, it is vital that we continue to maintain an open dialogue with parents/guardians and the community. We need to share, share, and share some more. We all have a vested interest in our students and need to work together. With this in mind, here are two resources that I believe are helpful for both educators and families: Justin Reich's post from Education Week, Pediatricians Release New Media Policy Statement, and Common Sense Media's Customizable Device Contract. In this post Reich notes the report's statistic that "...70% of children and teens claim that their parents set no rules about children's media consumption", and the recommendation that families exercise some boundaries: "This finding and recommendation has particular importance for school systems that are creating policies encouraging 1-1 device ownership and usage. Schools: if you are giving kids tablets to take home, you are sending those tablets into communities where 70% of parents will have no guidelines for their use. If you don't help parents think through those challenges as part of a 1-1 program, learning gains from school settings can be offset by problems with sleep, family strife and so forth. Parents and families need help and guidance in order to be good partners in a 1:1 program." I particularly like Reich's belief that the 'dialogue' and 'cultivation of habits' are essential: "On the one hand, there should be strict rules for serious transgressions, but a compliance-oriented framework isn't what keeps kids safe throughout their whole lives. What keeps them safe throughout their lives is a rich dialogue with adults about cultivating good judgment and good media habits. Setting strict rules isn't an end in itself, it's a means to create a safe space for a deeper inquiry. Parents and educators need to set safe boundaries, so they can work with young people to learn how thoughtful use of media can be an enriching part of life." I am encouraging all Blake families this week, if they have not already done so, to take some time to establish a 'device contract' and 'house rules' for screen time, perhaps using the template from Common Sense Media.
As you have read, I gained a lot of food for thought this week and am indeed motivated and inspired to continue our good work together - not simply with technology, but rather in the focused area of educating our students. I will do my best to be measured in the approach and hope that you all will 'keep me in check' - sharing ideas, encouraging one another, pushing back when appropriate, and fostering a community. I look forward to it.
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Take care.
Nat Vaughn