Friday Flash: August 16, 2013

Conditions for Learning

I went on a bit of a walk about through the classrooms and halls of our school this evening. As I walked I reflected on our first days together and the outcomes we set together for beginning the year.

We talked about two things. We talked about the classroom environment and we talked about transferring some of the ownership for learning outcomes to the students.

So as I walked, I looked for what we have created. When you have a minute - pop in to classrooms and see the wonderful things for yourself!

Transferring ownership for meeting learning outcomes to the student

Creating Learning Targets so that students are in charge of assessing and improving their learning

...learning is visible and reflected

in an Expeditionary Learning way

...stewardship and service are evident

How is the learning visible in the classroom?

Big picture of student work displayed in window...

Now - zoom up close to see what they said...
"I hope thet I becom gud at math."

In what ways do students have ownership

in the classroom environment?

Learning is visible -

Student work displayed -

Evidence of the personalities of the learners in the room

Expeditionary Learning

'Beautiful Environment' Rubric...

Have you looked at it again?

Learning is visible and reflected in an

Expeditionary Learning way

Big picture of student work...

Zoom in...Solo: Teambuilding

Co-creating the classroom environment

so that students are the owners

Learning is visible and reflected in an

Expeditionary Learning way

Personality of students in the classroom is evident

Transferring ownership for meeting learning outcomes to the student

Creating Learning Targets so that students are in charge of assessing and improving their learning

Personalities of the students are reflected

in the learning environment

and, student work is displayed

Environments that are inviting to learners

Take a minute and pull the materials back out from our two days together on August 1st and 2nd. Do a little progress monitoring of yourself. How are you doing on the following targets that we set? What have you accomplished and what are your next steps?

Classroom Environment:

Targets:

I can co-create a classroom environment in which:

students are owners
learning is visible and reflected in an Expeditionary Learning way
stewardship and service are evident

Guiding Questions:

In what ways do students have ownership in the classroom environment?
What about the classroom environment says ‘We are an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school?
How is the learning visible in the classroom?
Is the environment a testimony to our values of Stewardship?

You have an Expeditionary Learning - Creating a beautiful learning environment rubric. Score yourself again.

You have the Core Practice Book - go back and see if you accomplished what you set as a target for yourself.

Learning Targets:

I can transfer ownership for meeting learning outcomes to the student
I can create learning targets so that students are in charge of assessing and improving learning (tracking with feedback)

Walking about I saw very few Learning Targets posted. Doesn't mean you haven't been using them - just didn't see them on this one evening.

Calendar:

Week of August 19-23:
Monday:
5th grade Discovery to Educo
Mr. Kenny's Crew to KMAC

Tuesday 8/20 :
* RTI meeting 7:30 a.m.

Wednesday 8/21:
2nd grade leaves on Voyage to Camp Elim

* Professional Development: CITE work session
We briefly talked about this when I gave an overview of our Professional Development plans until October. This session is to create your Eportfolio and have the opportunity to input evidence, collaborate with others about what evidence might be and to make links between the Core Practices and the CITE evaluation too.

This initial session will be held twice. The next session will be Sept. 4th.
We will have the CITE work sessions every 6 weeks throughout the school year.

Week of August 26- 30th:

Josh's Crew to Educo on Fall Voyage

Tuesday:
* RTI meeting 7:30 a.m.

Wednesday:
* All School Meeting 9:00 a.m.
* Professional Development: Creating a school wide Balanced Assessment System
This session may change between now and August 28th. I have some new information since meeting with the Leadership Team and am rethinking how we might attack the work that needs to be done.

Featured Folks -
It's BACK!

Why I Am Not Leaving Until They Carry Me Out

by Noreene Thibault-Chen

The reasons I went into education is a bedtime story from the last century…why I stayed in education for so long might make better telling. I think I can put it in less than a 140 character tweet…be ready, you might miss it…freedom…I know I am supposed to say I’m in it for the kids…and I am. I dearly love kids. They are funny. They are truthful and perceptive. I can talk to them. I love the stuff of kids…books and toys. And I maybe kidding myself, but I think I understand them for the most part. And I am also in it for myself.

I have been incredibly lucky in my career. I have had spend very little time marching to someone else’s beat. I have had the extreme pleasure of participating in a cycle of inventing and reinventing my career. I have had almost only opportunities for extreme educational creativity…some by choice some by situation. From inventing curriculum where none existed, to building my dream science room complete with everything a teacher might need for hands-on-minds-on science, wiring a computer network in my school and working in a truly 1:1 computer to child environment. I’ve taken advantage of every training/reinventing opportunity I could find. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching every grade k-8 + art/music and PE the latter of which consisted of cross country skiing and swimming lessons…FUN! I’ve done a stint as principal and superintendent of schools (we are talking a really small district here.) This is truly ALL because I’ve worked for and with people and communities that valued autonomy, shared trust, and cared about taking risks. Point is I’ve reinvented myself right into The Renaissance School. It has not necessarily been a soft landing, but then soft landings don’t make for developing risk takers. So take a risk, do something different, or at least don’t do the same thing and expect different results. Avoid being complacent, be grateful for where you work and with whom, or find a place and a role where you can be grateful, get inspired, be inspiring…it is all about staying in YOUR ZOPD baby.

Goal Setting Conferences:

I'll be getting a schedule to you beginning next week scheduling goal setting conferences. In the meantime, be sure you set up a google doc and title it: REMS: Your Name. Please be sure to share it with me.

Thank you Lauren, Tyler and Cody

for your leadership and expert facilitation

of the 3rd grade Voyage!