Having the Difficult Conversation

Teachers fundamentally have a requirement to do what is best for their students.  

Whether you agree with it or not, this includes having critical conversations with your colleagues.  These conversations are not easy to have, or else they would be called chit chats.  But when your students' instruction is impacted,  whether you are concerned with a support teacher's punctuality, or you question a homeroom teacher's instructional practices,  it is essential that you step in and address the situation.

My principal the other day said something profound about critical conversations; she said to talk to someone, not about them.  This really made a lot of sense to me, as schools are notorious for being gossip factories.  Instead of talking to everyone else about this teacher, put on your big boy/girl pants and go talk to the teacher directly.  

One thought to keep in mind when preparing for this type of conversation is to come at it from a place of empathy.  Teachers are human beings that have lives outside of school- which some of our students may doubt!  Sometimes, stressors from our personal lives carry over to our professional lives and impact our effectiveness in the classroom.  The teacher may not even be aware of the impact that a personal matter is having on his/her effectiveness, which is another reason to have the conversation.

When engaged in a critical conversation, try to steer clear from making it personal.  Keep the focus on the students and your concern for their learning.  While this may not be a fool proof method to keep the teacher from getting upset, it does keep the conversation on a professional level. 

These are difficult conversations to have, as no one appreciates being called out for something they are doing incorrectly.  But, by keeping the focus on what is best for students, you will be able to turn this critical conversation into a learning experience for the teacher that will benefit his/her students in the future.

What do you think about the critical conversation?  How do you handle these types of conversations with your colleague? 

image attributed to icanread

Are the 4 C's Pertinent to Teacher Learning, too?

Collaboration

Communication

Critical Thinking

Creativity

Those are the 4 C's of 21st Century Learning.  Their intent is related to the instruction that our students engage in.  (Notice I didn't say receive, because students should not be passive bystanders in their learning!)

Truth be told, though, these should be the pillars of a teacher's continuing learning, too.  No matter the curricular area of the teacher, all would benefit by participating in continuing education endeavors that focus on these same 4 C's.

I firmly believe that the answer to my original question is yes.  Below, I lay out how these critical components of 21st Century Learning should apply to learning for teachers, as well.

Collaboration- Years ago, there was a silo-esque quality to our schools.  Some would say that this is still true in some places today.  Teachers planned, taught, and assessed all on their own.  In today's school, a teacher needs to work smarter, not harder.  Relying on true, honest, collaboration with other educators would be classified as working smarter.  To go one step further, the explosion of social media has removed physical location as a barrier, allowing for teachers to collaborate with others around the world.

Communication- It is difficult to separate communication from collaboration, for when  engaged in collaboration, it is imperative for teachers to be able to coherently express their thoughts with their colleagues.  A teacher's thoughts and ideas are all for nought if they are not communicated effectively, easily received and understood by their colleagues.

Critical Thinking- When learning new ways to engage our students, a teacher must engage their critical thinking skills in order to effectively analyze evidence, evaluate alternative points of view, and synthesize and make connections between information and arguments.  Often, when collaborating with others, a variety of ideas will be thrown around, and it is critical that teachers possess the skills to sift through the vast amounts of information in order to make connections with how this new information will apply to their classrooms.

Creativity- Teachers must be able to creatively construct the vision for how learning will occur in their classrooms.  They must be able to think outside of the proverbial box to identify innovative ways to connect their students with the material.  Part of this creative process involves honest reflection of how things have been done, in order to identify ways to change these methods in order to better connect with students.

The idea that the 4 C's of 21st Century Learning only relates to how teachers need to structure their instruction and learning environments leaves out more than half of the equation.  In order to begin to apply these concepts in our classrooms, it is crucial that teachers actively engage these same components in their own learning.

What do you think?  What role should the 4 C's of 21st Century Learning play in educator's continued learning?


image attributed to icanread

Our Hippocratic Oath

Recently, I wrote a post about a teacher in my school that just does not use technology.  You can read it here.  The thought of a teacher not integrating technology in the classroom does not reconcile with what it means to me to be a teacher.  

The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine honestly. It is widely believed to have been written by Hippocrates, often regarded as the father of western medicine, or by one of his students.

While educators do not have a Hippocratic Oath per se, we do have a responsibility to do what is in the best interests of our students at all times.  In this day and age, where technology permeates all facets of our students' lives, I firmly believe that not teaching our students how to harness the power of technology for learning violates that responsibility.

I liken this dilemma to the one that many teachers face, including myself, when it comes to standardized testing.  While many of us decry the way standardized tests are used in education today, simply turning a blind eye to the existence of this culture would negatively impact the success of our students inside this culture.

As educators, it is our duty to put aside our personal views and do what is best for our students. Whether that is preparing them to take a standardized test, or giving them the tools to maximize their learning using technology, we can base decisions on what we do in our classrooms on our personal feelings.

It is a travesty to hear teachers profess that they always do what is best for their students, and then turn around and neglect to introduce them to the positive aspects of effective technology integration.  It flies in the face of our Hippocratic Oath, and we must bring it to an end.

Goodbye Twitter?

I was disgruntled with Twitter. I was ready to walk away from it all!  No more tweets, no more little blue bird taking up residence on my home screen.  It wasn't working for me, and I felt it was the time for me to leave.  Sure, occasionally I would find some great resource, or hear a quote that moved me.  But, it wasn't enough. It was decision time, should I stay or go?

As I thought about my decision, debating the pros and cons, all I kept hearing in my head was people extolling the virtues of Twitter and how it had revolutionized their teaching and learning.  It really made me think, if it has this superpower for others, why was I questioning it?  What was I missing?  Clearly, I was doing something wrong, or not doing something right.  But, what was it?  I needed to figure it out.

So, I decided to stick it out with Twitter.  I gave myself one month to see if I changed my mind.  I also decided that I needed to make some changes to my Twitter-self.

Here's what I did...

Go Both Ways
Before this experiment, I only read what others were posting.  I rarely tweeted anything out, and if I did it was to ask for something.  I never received a response, which only furthered my frustration with Twitter.

After my Twitter rebirth, I became more active on Twitter.  I started retweeting great ideas from others, commenting on what others tweeted, and just turning Twitter into a two-way street of communication.


Joined in the Conversations
Up until a month ago, I had only participated in a few #byotchats.  My participation in that chat was due to the fact that I knew, and respected, one of the moderators of the chat.  Other than that, I did not participate in any chats, mostly because I didn't see a great benefit from my participation.

During the month of April, I made a point to regularly join Twitter chats.  I even went so far as to put them on my Outlook calendar.  I searched for chats, using the Weekly Twitter Chat schedule on Cybraryman's website.  I participated in so many, here's a partial list:

• #aspiringadmin
• #educoach
• #edtechchat
• #21stEdchat
• #mnedchat
• #Iaedchat
• #COLchat
• #NBTchat

Some of these chats were better than others, to be honest!  But, what I found when I joined these   chats was a plethora of expertise!  These chats opened my eyes to new perspectives, fabulous resources, and connections with so many talented educators around the world that I can't imagine what I did before I started participating in chats.


The Findings

So, what did I find?  I found that my disgruntled feelings with Twitter were misplaced.  The lack of professional growth on my part from Twitter were a direct result of how I was interacting via Twitter.  

Since I instituted these two simple changes, I have been amazed at the results.  I have made connections with numerous educators around the world.  I have had my own thoughts questioned, causing me to re-examine them, and either solidifying my thoughts or resulting in a shift in my thinking.  I have heard different perspectives on many topics of great importance, perspectives that I would not have been exposed to would I have walked away from Twitter.  I have engaged in thoughtful discussions with other passionate educators about the current state of education, and how we can act to make improvements from a grassroots level.

In essence, as I write this, I am proud of my decision to not walk away from Twitter.  That, by taking these two simple steps, I have been able to grow my own PLN, and expand my wealth of resources available to me as I continue to grow.  For this, I am thankful, and hope others can find similar benefits from Twitter!

Reflaction

 

                                                    Steven Depolo

I participated in an inspiring #AspiringAdmin Twitter chat on Sunday evening about feedback.  Kevin Floyd shared the term reflaction, and I really think it hits at the heart of feedback.  The goal of feedback is to encourage growth of the evaluatee by purposefully reflecting, setting goals, and taking appropriate actions to achieve your goals. Reflaction combines those two key components of feedback succinctly.

We have all given and received feedback in our careers as educators.  But, not all feedback is created equally.  There are some key components of effective feedback that can help the receiver turn the feedback into a growth experience.

• Timely 

          In order for feedback to be effective, it must be timely.  As the distance grows between the                              observation and the reception of feedback, the impact of the feedback on the observation                              decreases.

• Constructive 

         Feedback that is punitive in nature, and not originating from a desire for growth for the evaluatee                       will not lead to an opportunity for growth.

• Specific 

        Feedback full of generalities does not provide the evaluatee with specifics regarding what the                            evaluator observed will not provide anything to work on future growth.

• Actionable 

       The feedback needs to contain items for the evaluatee to act upon.  Simply telling them that they                        did a good job, or their demeanor was unprofessional does not provide them with anything to act               on.  When combined with specifics, providing specific areas for the evaluatee to improve will                        improve the quality of the feedback.

The career of an educator is one of consistent growth.  This growth can result from many activities that the educator embarks on, and receiving effective feedback can be the impetus to start the educator on their upward trajectory.  It is the job of the evaluator to provide effective feedback to the educator, and utilizing these components can be a great place to start.

Are any of these components more important than others? Are there other components of effective feedback that I have left out?  Please add to the conversation in the comments section below.

What I Am Thinking for April 5th

                                                                                                             www.ideachampions.com

Sometimes, I have ideas or thoughts that I would like to share.  If you ask my wife, it may be more than sometimes!  Often times, though, these are not long enough to constitute a full-length blog post.  They seem more fitting for a What I Am Thinking type of post.

• I participated (I use the term participated loosely here) this week about gaming in education.  It was a combination of chats, called #1BigChat, that brought together four separate chats- #byotchat, #patue, #isedchat, and #leveluped.  I was excited for this chat, however, soon after it started, I realized that I was in the dark on this subject.  Sure, I know what Minecraft was, and I have played games on my own time, but it quickly became apparent that I had a lot to learn during this chat.  I had a choice to make, should I give up and look for a different chat to participate in, or should I stay and learn all that I could from these talented educators?  Hmmm, tough decision... in the end, I decided to stay.  Even though I shared with a colleague of mine that I felt like a fish out of water, I knew that this was a topic that I did not know much about, and that by staying, I would be able to learn some new ideas for utilizing gaming in the classroom.  Throughout the rest of the chat, I mainly lurked and tried to learn as much as I could!  It worked as I learned about Kahoot, Kodable, and Quizup.  I am excited to learn more about these resources, and in turn, share them with the teachers at my school!

• I am in my first year as an Instructional Technology Specialist, and I am learning new things all the time.  One thing that I am wondering about is the upcoming 'post-testing' season at my school.  In years past, it has always seemed as though once the testing is finished for the year, teachers 'open' up their classroom more (I will share my feelings on this subject at another time) and bring in more projects for their students to create.  This inevitably has led to a 'run' on the laptop carts that were in my building.  This typically had no effect on me as I never had to 'open' up my class after testing, and most of my students had their own devices to use in class.  But, this year, I am thinking that there may be more of an impact on me as the ITS at the school.  I can foresee emails from teachers about other teachers hogging the laptops, how the laptops are not being utilized appropriately, or how slow the laptops are.  I am preparing myself for these discussions, and am asking you for help.  How best is it to handle these conversations?  Do you have any suggestions for policies that would stem the tide of these types of concerns?  I look forward to your suggestions in the comments section!

Review of Eric Sheninger's Digital Leadership

Digital Leadership, by Eric Sheninger, is a comprehensive examination of what being a connected leader in today's school looks and sounds like.  Throughout the book, he provides clear examples of leaders that have made the transition, utilizing many of the 7 Pillars of Digital Leadership that Sheninger discusses in his book. These tools all incorporate the use of free social media to engage stakeholders related to schools- students, staff, parents, and community members.  Sheninger details how he utilizes Twitter, Facebook, blogs and more to communicate the stories from his school, New Milford High School, to the public. As he states in the book, if you don't tell your story then someone else will, and it might not be the story you want told.

The world of our students has changed with the instant information available to them via the multitude of devices on which they spend a great amount of time.  This shift, Sheninger argues, needs to carry over to our schools.  He posits that our schools are still functioning as if we were still in the age of Frederick Taylor's assembly line, which is a far cry from the world that our students currently inhabit.  If we are professing to be in the business of preparing our students for the real world, it naturally follows to wonder why it is that our schools are still operating in an outdated paradigm.  After reading this book, I came away with many questions about the way that we are educating our students.

Thankfully, contained in the book are examples of current practicing leaders that have begun to make the switch inside their schools and districts.  These stories provide an insight into how it can be done, all using the aforementioned free social media tools, along with shifting instruction to increasingly engage our students in much the same way that they are engaged during their own time.  Most reassuring is that these examples show the possibilities that exist within all of us, as many of the leaders documented- including Eric Sheninger himself- were once unaware, or unapproving, of this shift towards instant information allowed by the growth of the internet.

I highly recommend this book for all educators in a position of leadership, as its straight forward style is easy to follow, without having to research vague techno-terms!  It provides easy-to-follow examples of how our schools can effectively tell our story and engage our students in this digital age!

Who Am I?

This was an assignment for my Aspiring Leaders Cohort class.  Writing a 'Who Am I' story was a great experience for me, as it really helped me pinpoint my core values, and identify where they may have originated.  This type of story is ever-evolving, and it will be great for me to come back to this in a few years and compare it to where I am at that point of my career.

Who Am I

I am my mother’s son, a product of learning early on the importance of, “it’s not what happens to you, but how you handle it that counts”.  My mom frequently explained to me that the ‘what’ is often beyond our control, while the reaction to it is completely ours to own.  Because of this mantra, I try to focus on what I can control in all areas of my life.  The things that are beyond my control are left to the side, not to be focused on during my day. 

I am a product of a single mother trying to raise three boys.  I learned the importance of never making excuses and always pitching in to help others.  My mother never allowed us to make excuses for life’s events, that was not being productive.  Productivity looked like searching for solutions and finding a way, regardless of circumstance.  Similarly, turning our backs on others was frowned upon.  In order to make it, my mother reluctantly accepted the help of others  and passed that kindness along when and where she could.  She instilled in us the belief that it is both important and beneficial to help one another—no excuses.

In losing both parents by the age of eighteen, I learned early of the frailties in life..  From this experience, I have gleaned the importance of making each day count.  Living in the moment and enjoying what it has to offer is more productive than waiting for the “right” moment;  for, as I have learned, that moment may never arrive.

I am a product of becoming a father while still young—some would argue, too young..  During my college years, I learned how to put the needs of others in front of my own.  I discovered the joy I received from seeing others grow and achieve new heights.  I enjoy those successes as much, if not more, than my own.

I am a product of a family of educators.  My father was an educator; I had aunts and uncles who were also compelled to serve in this noble profession.  My own interest in education began during a service-learning project in high school.  During this project, I worked at a day care for children with special needs and realized that I had an innate ability to interact well and enjoy working with young children.  I experienced the joys of helping children be successful and continue to revel in that realization today.  The image of success looked different for each child in that day care and the idea that the definition of success is unique for each child remains with me today.

I am a product of wanting to make my parents proud.  While my parents were not here to see me succeed during and after college, I strive each and every day to show them how much they prepared me for life, in spite of the limited time that I had with  them. .