Racing and Reflecting

There are markers in our lives that force some pause and reflection. I had one recently in the passing of my father-in-law. Over the past week, there were many instances shared about his interests, interactions, and impact. We all slowed down and measured our lives and the lives of those close to us against his. It is peculiar that the slowing down is what moves us forward. We were no longer caught up in the race of life (rat race, to some), compelled to the finish line; we appreciated the laps involved.

There is a reflective piece airing on IPTV today at 3:00 pm and Wednesday, 3:00 pm called "Race to Nowhere," which examines and questions current trends in education (trailer linked below). I'm interested to see how our efforts compare with the ideals presented. I'm sure it won't be a perfect match by any means, but I look forward to the perspective. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you're willing to share.

Attitude and Professional Development

<http://www.boomerinthepew.com/>

School years have an ebb and flow to them, no doubt. Most teachers will vouch for August and September as more of a tidal wave than flow. Within the tsunami: front-loading of information regarding safety, varying reviews of procedures, the latest whims of best practice, and, of course, actually dealing with students and classroom needs. The cavalcade of acronyms would be intimidating if it weren't comical in redundancy. Certainly this cycles through to students and parents, and we all try to tread these waters until the tide rolls out. By now, West Des Moines teachers have had several professional and staff development times, which contribute to rigorous treading and, eventually, some snarky attitudes regarding the value of professional development. Believe me, it's easy to buy into the theory that "this, too, shall pass" because, well-- it does, it has, and it probably will. New president: new educational fixes; new governor: new mandates; new principal: new beliefs... has, does, and will into perpetuity? Perhaps, but worse that trying to find good change: failing to try.

It is true, instructional coaching could be the latest magic salve peddled on the prairies. It may not last; grants don't last forever. What I do like about this model, though, is the focus on collegiality, attitudes, and building professional rapport. It's not all about the data, really, even though it does use that language. There are intangibles of high value not so easily quantifiable.

Jim Knight, director of the Kansas Coaching Project  from the University of Kansas, researched the affect of teacher perceptions and professional development, published with the appropriate pseudonym, "Another Freakin' Thing We've Got to Do." For educator's it's worth a look-- some corroboration of beliefs, some surprises. Among the findings were these influences on attitudes about professional development:

1. a history of interpersonal conflict with other teachers
2. a historical belief that professional development is impractical
3. a feeling of being overwhelmed by the tasks they need to complete as teachers
4. resentment about the top-down decision-making in the district 
5. anxiety about changes taking place in their schools

West Des Moines has committed to studying Knight's research and is making an effort to make the teaching experience better. I hope this begins to show in the experiences of teachers, students, and administrators alike in the near future. Perhaps, then, we can all desire that it's one thing that shall not pass.

On Your Time Staff Development

These past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time in teacher's rooms observing classrooms and helping integrate new technology tools.  I am so impressed with the willingness of teachers to learn and try new techniques and tools.  I am reminded of the quote, "Who dares to teach must never cease to learn" from John Colton Dana.  Teachers really do epitomize lifelong learning.  We must adapt our curriculum to meet the needs of our ever-changing students.

One of the tools that I have come to rely on to increase my knowledge is Twitter.  It is a social network where you can find all sorts of nonsensical and humorous information, but educators have taken it and made it a tool for their own personal staff development.  Through Twitter, I have created my own PLN, personalized learning network, a large group of educators from all over the world that I follow.  I learn from what they post, discuss issues online, and share my own passions in education.  There is so much information on Twitter it can be very daunting to start, but there are many organizational tools to help you with this, like using hashtags and Tweetdeck.  If you want to learn more about using Twitter or any other social networking site, like Pinterest or Facebook, to start your own personalized staff development, talk to one of the instructional coaches.  We can help you get started!

Counter-intuition

This week's adventures put me into a plethora of different classrooms, which is actually not a different experience for any instructional coach by now; we get the pleasure of experiencing it all, so to speak. What has emerged from this, however, is the theme of the value of differing perspectives, whether in science (Where did life come from, how did cells form?), math (more than one way to solve a problem), performance arts (varying interpretations), or other areas. What I internalized was a broader range of thinking, and, sometimes, discovering what was instinctive to me as a truth may actually not be the case when more deeply examined. 

With that, it seems appropriate to examine some divergent perspectives and taking it a step further by welcoming the others' insights into the mix. I offer these reading choices, and I'd like to see what others think about them. Please leave a comment or question regarding either, and we'll proceed from there. Bear in mind that these are counter-intuitive to many of us and are not necessarily representative of the beliefs of WDMCS, the Valley instructional coaches, or myself.

Article 1: Parental Involvement is Overrated

            Excerpts:

“Most people, asked whether parental involvement benefits children academically, would say, “of course it does.” But evidence from our research suggests otherwise. In fact, most forms of parental involvement, like observing a child’s class, contacting a school about a child’s behavior, helping to decide a child’s high school courses, or helping a child with homework, do not improve student achievement. In some cases, they actually hinder it."

“As it turns out, the list of what generally works is short: expecting your child to go to college, discussing activities children engage in at school (despite the complications we mentioned above), and requesting a particular teacher for your child.”

Article 2: The Lure of Statistics for Ed Researchers

            Excerpt:

“Quantification, I suggest, may be useful for the professional interests of educational researchers, but it can be devastating in its consequences for school and society.”