November 22, 2013

The more you know,

the more you don't.

I've been thinking a lot about some of the things I've asked you to do because now I'm just not so sure.... 

I started off the year asking you to think about creating systems for students to track their learning, as a way to increase student ownership. In addition, to think about creating systems for providing student with authentic feedback. Then I started reflecting about myself as a learner.

 I worked hard over the summer training to run in the Ragnar Relay. Running any distance was not something I had ever been able to do successfully. I started off by driving the roads on a four-wheeler calculating the distance( I still wasn't running :) I looked at the Ragnar training schedule. I started in...I tracked my progress (and lack of it...). Then Lauren showed me this great app for my phone that calculated my distance and now my speed. (Gulp.) I rarely embarked on any run without it. I noted the days that I didn't complete the scheduled training and berated myself. I decided if there was a rubric for this, I would just have to be okay with developing and not mastering this thing...but I could 'see' that I was no longer just beginning. That felt good. Just being able to track that my distance had increased was monumental for me. It was concrete.

Then the race was over - I'll never forget the first day I went for a run and didn't take the app and didn't chart the course. I just went out and ran. For the first time, I actually enjoyed it. I decided I was no longer interested in tracking any of it. I would just do it for the joy of it.

Hmmm. If I had just gone out and run and never looked at the training schedule or tracked myself would I have progressed? Would I have had the same level of commitment? Would I have been as successful?

So, what does that mean for other areas of learning? Does it mean that first when I'm learning something new I have to break it down, keep track, assess my progress until I reach a level of independence and then I can let that all go? Did I feel successful because I had a way to really define my success by tracking it? Do learners need to track anything? Do they need to know how they are doing? Does that take the joy away? Does it support the victory?

What do you think?

Then....

What about learning targets?

I do see power in making it clear for kids what they are trying to learn. AND I also can see that posting a learning target before a lesson kills the curiosity and inquiry. Is this one of those 'it depends' responses? Could there be times when the learning target should be clear at the end of a lesson? Could there be times when figuring it out - deciding what we've discovered and learned should be part of the shared inquiry? What about this idea of posting a question instead of a learning target? Hmmm....

Would someone please figure this all out and just tell me?

 During our Creativity course we overlooked

 the importance of constraints in the creative process.

 If you want to know more about this element of a successful creative process 

you might want to read Pam's blog post, Creativity Loves Constraints 

 Pam's favorite resource on creativity is Ken Robinsons book, Out of Our Minds. 

The most comprehensive, thorough and entertaining look at creativity she's read.

Teacher/Crew Blogs

I just love reading your blogs! I find out so much about what you are doing that way. You should all check out one another's blogs from time to time! I promise you'll find inspiration!
I was looking at our school website the other evening and noticed on the staff page that most everyone has their bio's posted. However, there are many missing their blogs. Take a minute to check - if you haven't sent the link to your blog to Ryan  to be uploaded into the website, please do that.

Peek Into the Life of our School

Service - Recycling Diva's

Skyping with their sister school in Australia 

Using the Circle of Courage with Drum Circle -

Tyler's Crew focused on Independence this Monday

Dynamo Diana

Diana - thank you for you passion, enthusiasm, abundant energy and dedication to create such an awesome Book Fair!!!

The Book Fair, and the special events you created, brought our community together and strengthened everyone's sense of belonging. I don't know how you maintained your high level of energy and enthusiasm all week. Impressive! Bravo!

Our own personal movie star:

Mr. Doug

Speed Stack, a local company off of County Line that has since gone global and in partnership with WSSA, recognized Doug's expertise and how his program has taken off. They contacted Doug and asked if they could come and film him to use as an instructional video on their website. In addition, they are using photos of Renaissance cup stackers in their new catalog, promotional materials and on their website.

Yeah, Doug - 

You deserve to be their 'poster' teacher to get

other schools interested!

Calendar

Week of November 25th:

* Only two day week

Monday:

* New Parent Orientation

Tuesday:

* RTI 7:30 a.m.

Wednesday - Friday:

Thanksgiving Holiday Break

Week of December 2 - 5th:

Monday:

* New Parent Orientation

Tuesday:

* RTI meeting 7:30 a.m.

Wednesday:

* Professional Development - Balanced Assessment System 

Have a great weekend!

Deborah

(How's your creativity challenge coming along?)