A New Hope...4 things I learned this week

Perhaps some of you are like me. Each year I find myself getting a little wound up about new initiatives and buzz words in education. It makes me anxious and I often wonder what will happen if we find out much later that this was not the best path. Recently I have been reading COVA by my Lamar University professors (Harapnuik et al., 2019) in which they discuss the importance of giving students choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning experiences.

Truthfully I have been reading it with a skeptical lens as I do most new thoughts on education (or really anything I read). But then I came across a part in the beginning that immediately spoke to me and kept me wanting to read more. On page 15, Dr. Harapnuik begins to discuss how family often asks his opinion on hot topics in education, which led to a focus on four major presuppositions about education that made a lot of sense to me and will help me lower my anxiety as we begin a new year with a new principal. 

Here is a brief synopsis of his 4 presuppositions and what they mean to me.

1. Anything we do for a learner will improve achievement.

This presupposition is based on the work of John Hattie and gives me immediate peace of mind. No matter what the initiative we will never harm students. Our efforts will not be lost, we just may find varying degrees of effectiveness. So buying into a new building's culture will never take you to hell in a hand-basket!

2. There has never been a better time to be a learner!

This speaks to the incredible technology we have at our fingerprints and not that lectures are better than ever! We need to redefine how we interact with our students and begin to bring in tools that will enhance our classrooms and alleviate the stress of being the main actor on the stage trying to do five shows a day. This thought then flows well into the next presupposition.

3. No new approaches to learning; just new ways to combine well established ideas.

The ideas that seem new are really very similar to established ideas from great educational minds like Piaget and Dewey. Newer technology now allows us to engage and break down the walls of our classroom; if we let it! I personally need to do more lesson study and really plan out my lessons and all the variables and curiosities that could arise so that I can help make all moments teachable. So instead of wasting time making worksheets and copies I should use my planning time to see how the dots will connect for each of my students as their cogwheels begin to spin. With more individuality comes more questions. As I get to know my students I will begin to see how their brains work and now that I'm free from being the sage I can now help facilitate individual needs and curiosities.

And most importantly...

4. There is no quick fix to enhancing learning.

We are a culture of fads and instant gratification. And that can bleed into our work. We need to pick a course of action and see it through. Don't throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water. Real change takes time. As a parent of an autistic child I have learned so much about patience and staying on track even when there seems to be no light or end to the tunnel. I need that same persistence and patience with my classroom. 

So as this year approaches I plan to keep my cool and focus my attention on things that matter. Developing great lessons that have real world implications. Lessons where each of my students recognizes that they have choice, ownership and voice while I work to bring together tools that will provide them with authentic learning opportunities. If we create significant learning environments then we are doing our jobs. No worksheet will do it for us!

For more info on COVA e-book click here!

Dew on the Thorns

As I dive deeper into my graduate studies, I really want to buy into the COVA approach where I give choice, ownership and voice through authentic learning opportunities. It is a thought that goes back as far as John Dewey and even beyond. And you might say, what's the issue, just go for it! I worry because our schools still operate heavily according to Edward Thorndike and his factory style education that is based on averages. And you still might be saying, "what's the big deal, just shut your door and do you!" The issue with that kind of maverick thinking is...what happens to those students when they have a different teacher next year? What happens when I am required to give common assessments that scream of Thorndike and have very zero tolerance for anything COVA or Dewey related. If the system is not ready to change I become handcuffed. I have to color within the lines to a certain extent. This becomes very frustrating. However as the research of John Hattie tells us anything we do with students short of abuse will have affects on achievement, its just a matter of how effective. So I can take solace that my efforts to give my students choice, ownership and voice through authentic learning experiences will still have value and be worth the effort despite the fact that I will need to channel my inner Thorndike as I help my students prepare for their future Spanish teachers.

My New Approach

As I transition back into the classroom from my TOSA: Tech Integration Coach, one of my personal goals as an educator is to truly dive deeper into project based learning and the COVA approach. COVA is really just about giving students Choice so that they can take Ownership by using their Voice in Authentic ways. Now, that all sounds wonderfully academic and all, but what does that actually look like?

One of my newest ideas is to have the students log a journal of them speaking/conversing so they have an actual record of the progress that can come from mindful practice. But I want these journals to be of real world phrases that they would need to use in their actual lives. Perhaps they work at a local restaurant and have colleagues or customers they want to interact with or there is an exchange student in their Math class.  Maybe their family takes vacations to Spanish speaking countries; whatever it may be I want them to be able to see the purpose in what we do each and every day.

So I will begin by introducing them to platforms like Flipgrid or Voicethread so that they have choice along with the choice of prompts based on the scenarios that seem most likely for them. Each unit has several phrases and scenarios to highlight. After a couple months they will start to notice changes to their rhythm and pronunciation, hopefully helping them take ownership and also building their confidence. Ultimately I want them to get to a level where they can pull all of these phrases together into mini blogs where they converse with peers or others in the target language about things that matter to them.

And although the beginning will be a slow build up we can start with culture. Having students choose countries they want to learn more about and giving opportunities for them to search out current events and cultural practices so they can become more knowledgeable about other cultures and spread that knowledge. Maybe we can even invite people in virtually from those countries with tools like Skype or Google Hangouts! In any event, I think this will be a great year for both my students and me; we are going to learn a lot together! This year there will be no sage on a stage, but a community of learners coming together through my facilitation of each day’s objectives.

Synergy: Technology and Humanity

Recently I attended an EdTech conference hosted by Canvas LMS. Over the years I have used many different LMS...from Moodle and Fusion pages to D2L and Blackboard. What has made Canvas stand out is that it is exactly as its name would suggest; a blank slate for me to showcase my creativity. It should be no surprise then that the company is structured the same way. In just a year of using Canvas I have been able to engage and connect with so many other Canvas users around the globe. And as I served my district as a teacher on assignment to help integrate a 1:1 and brand new LMS I most definitely needed the lifeline that the Canvas Community has always been able to provide; from the amazing tutorials to the user groups and blog posts. 

Now as I return from my second Instructurecon I am buzzing with all sorts of ideas, but the biggest takeaway for me came not in the latest feature idea, but in the message of all of the speakers of the week; whether it be members of the Instructure company or the keynotes I found an amazing narrative that truly spoke to me as an educator much in the way I found Canvas’ system spoke to me on how one can create a virtual classroom space without being forced into a cookie cutter shell.

My takeaway was that as we strive to integrate more technology in our schools, we also need to bring more humanity into our classrooms. We as teachers need to be free from the stress of the minutia so that we can really deliver lessons on empathy. We need to be responsive to our students and show them that they are valued. And as Dan Heath put it, “ we need to create more academic peaks” and we must always remember that “moments matter”. That last statement struck me significantly because it reminded me of a simple moment in kindergarten where my teacher held up a picture of a poorly colored rabbit and the letter R and exclaimed in a disdainful tone “whose is this?” I was surely not going to fess up and as a result the ABC booklet I made does not have an R in it to this day. That moment mattered to me. And now I find that I still shy away from arts and crafts in my classes and even with my own children. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on Carol Dweck’s research of mindset and those types of situations are all too common. We look to our teachers to help give us a sense of how we are all evolving. Technology can help us with the workload and giving timely feedback, but it is up to our humanity to dictate the quality of that feedback and the manner in which it is received and perceived. 

Technology also needs to help us provide authentic learning opportunities for our students. They need to have choice, ownership, and voice within those authentic learning opportunities. Something my current Master’s degree is helping me better understand as the COVA approach along with CSLE (Creating Significant Learning Environments). This is not a new concept. John Dewey espoused these same concepts in his writing of ‘My Pedagogic Creed’ back in 1897, but somewhere along the factory worker boom we lost education’s true purpose. Now it's a time of rebirth...a renaissance of education. Technology can help us get there. But we cannot forsake our humanity in the process. We need synergy of the two systems to help propel us into the future. We need to prepare our students for a future we can’t yet imagine. Are you ready to join the education revolution? Let’s tear down the teacher dominant wall and the theory of the sage or Wizard of Oz and step out from behind the curtain...let’s make our classrooms prep kitchens where teachers and students come together to make an amazing meal and then all sit down together to enjoy it. Who’s hungry?

The Power of PLNs

As I gear up for my 2nd InstructureCon and continue working on a Masters in EdTech Leadership, I have really been putting a lot of thought into Personal Learning Networks. My goal has been to create a great inner circle with strong educators who can help me elevate my game and hone my craft. Thanks to Carol Dweck, I am no longer focused on being a natural. I have embraced the iceberg success metaphor of growth mindset and I must say it took me a long time to really internalize and change my semi fixed mindset. Now more than ever it is easier to really connect with other teachers. The power of forming connections around the world cannot be understated! Sometimes we might be the only teacher in our building for a certain subject or grade level and collaboration may not have been possible by just going down the hall. No longer do teachers have to feel like they are on an island! As a Latin teacher, I know very well how lonely it can be to connect with someone on my content, but now with social media I can find other Latin enthusiasts and get some really great ideas. And even if you have other colleagues in the building sometimes it can be easier to seek help from someone outside your building. We as teachers sometimes have a hard time asking for help from colleagues within our building for fear of being “evaluated” or “judged” or perhaps our department or team is involved in a lot of groupthink. We often shut our doors and dive into our own classrooms. The issue can be that our teaching becomes stale and we lack perspective. 

For the first 10 years of my career I was also the 8th grade baseball coach and I coached the team by myself with no oversight. As a result I had total control and did not have to run my plan by anyone, which was great. However, the last 4 years I have been promoted to our JV Head coach and Varsity assistant. This was a hard adjustment. I no longer have final say over the practice plan. And sometimes my roster is changed last minute based on what Varsity needs that day. However, my coaching game has greatly benefitted from sharing space with 2 other coaches. I have learned new ways of phrasing techniques, new ways to give signs and just new perspective on players and how I assess them. Once I got over being defensive about my game play decisions, I was able to really learn and progress instead of being afraid that I was being evaluated and judged with each decision I made.

I have 3 recommendations that really helped me reach a new level within my own career, I would recommend that each teacher/coach first watch a TED talk called ‘Are you human’ by Frank Ze. It helps us laugh at our humanity and not take ourselves too seriously or be too tough on ourselves. In addition to that I would encourage you to read more about Carol Dweck and her psychology of success with growth mindset. And finally think about what PLNs you are involved in and to also think about how much you consume as well as how much you contribute to that PLN. Here are a few PLNs that I have found very useful!

Canvas LMS Community

We use Canvas as our LMS and I love to pose questions as well as blog about my experiences for the benefit for others! And I am very excited to be attending my second InstructureCon next week! The people I have met through here has been vital to my personal success! I can’t wait to thank some of them in person next week! (Last year I was too chicken to go up and say hello to those who had inspired me-Laura Gibbs, Kona and James Jones just to name a few!)

Google+

We are a GAfE school and I have found posting here to be very useful when I have a Google question! There are also events I can sign up for in my local area and just a great place to connect with other Google educators!

FB groups-Spanish Teachers who use Avancemos

This allows me to connect with other Spanish teachers who use the same textbook as me! We can share resources and talk about activities and projects that we have found success with and maybe share some struggles in hopes of gaining some inspiration and insight

ISTE Connect

This allows me to connect with other EDTech fanatics and get access to research based instructional practices! With the premium membership (which I cannot afford) it also allows you access to 4 peer reviewed journals!

Twitter

I have only been on twitter for just under 1 year. I used to think it was a breeding ground for Kardashian wannabes. However by curating a strong Twitter feed I can see a lot of great ideas and articles. I love following Edutopia, Common Sense Media and local educators! It's great for getting a pulse on what others are doing as well as a way to showcase the great work you are accomplishing in your schools! Follow me @EdTechYoder!

The most important thing I have learned is to not rest on my laurels. I need to continue to practice and hone my craft. Just like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan perfected their swings and shots so must I perfect the way I ask questions, form assessments and give feedback. I hope that I never stop seeing the value in learning and trying new things! I hope the same for you too! 

My Learning Manifesto

As I continue to develop my ePortfolio, I really want to take advantage of my loquacious nature. As my wife will tell you, I am a talker. So I really think I should take advantage of podcasting. I would love to have an educational podcast mixed with a bit of humor. In today's culture we tend to get our entertainment a la carte. So perhaps this could be an effective means to stay in touch with my students, parents, colleagues and just the public at large. (Link to Podcasts)

But beyond myself, this might also be a cool concept for my students. As we dive deeper into the COVA model I realize that providing multiple outlets for students to show me how they learn is the epitome of UDL. If a student does not want to present live in class, but is willing to use Flipgrid or Anchor.FM and do some vlogging or podcasts that might be a great alternative choice while still maintaining authenticity. However, I still believe speaking in public is a valuable skill and ought to not be avoided. So I often walk a line with giving too much choice.

I also think that it is going to be a tough balancing act for teachers to really adopt a true UDL and COVA approach, because it is so outside the box. I recently watched Giovanni Corazza's Creative Thinking TEDx talk (2014) where he mentions that thinking outside the box feels unsafe and too new. We often feel like we are risking our dignity and reputation by discussing new and innovative ideas. This happens often in education wher teachers struggle to get away from the teacher dominant wall and factory style environment much like what Godin discussed in his Stealing Dreams TED Youth talk (2012). But as Corazza notes, we need to invest in "long thinking" and just because an idea is new does not mean we should disregard it. It just means it is harder to assess at first.

So I hope that as I continue in my educational leadership role that I keep long thinking at the forefront and really start working on items such as lesson study where we can have deep collegial dialogues about how to best facilitate our students in a variety of innovative lessons by giving Choice, Ownership and Voice in Authentic learning environments. It will take a while to become as ubiquitous as chalkboards, but I recently read a story that talked about how people were as up in arms about the Chalkboard years ago as they are about Chromebooks and other tech tools in the classroom. So I will continue to make new boxes to go outside of, because as John Dewey said in Schools of Tomorrow (1915), 'If we teacher today's students like yesterday's then we rob them of tomorrow.' And our students deserve better. I know for one that I can always be a better version of myself. Just like Tiger Woods hones his golf swing each and ever day so must we hone our craft of reaching every student in the classroom, every day!

My Learning Manifesto

Growth Mindset

The message of Carol Dweck is abundantly clear as we read and watch about Growth Mindset (GM) and its effects on not just classroom achievements, but in all facets of our lives. I believe it is easy for anyone to listen, read or watch these ideas and get behind them. However, the real challenge is the application in our own individual lives. Can we truly walk the walk?

I first was introduced to Dweck and her 8th grade math research while reading Grit by Angela Lee Duckworth. And in her book Duckworth puts forth a chart of GM praises versus FM praises that each group in the study were told. I was immediately taken aback because even though I so fervently believed I was team GM, I found that my words told a different story. In my own personal life I have struggled with weight loss, I have lost over 100 pound and it took 30 years for me to get there all of which did not occur until I started to change my own mindset and really believe I could do another mile or another rep when my brain was trying to tell me to just give up. And it's something I continue to struggle with daily. Why is that? Well, I believe it is deeply rooted in how I was (we were) raised. My mother, who I adore, was raised to keep up appearances like a Norman Rockwell painting. Thus praising talent and intelligence over process was ingrained just like you might nod your head when listening to someone. After hearing so much praise for me grades and natural talent, I began to use that as my compass for success. If I had to try then something was wrong with me, because I was always told how smart I was. I found and still find myself caught in a swirl of GM and FM. I think we all do and it's hard to undo that deep seeded FM of wanting everything to be easy. My buddy who I work out with is a huge inspiration and he always tells me to remember that my brain is going to mess with me, when people reach 40% into a new program their brain is naturally going to go into a flight mode that you will have to fight against. Hard work is just that, hard. We as humans have an ability to overcome our natural instincts.

As an educator and building leader, I work hard in paying attention to my words. I carefully craft even the smallest of emails to staff. I want to ensure that I am setting a positive and optimistic example that focuses on growth and the power of yet. Technology does not come naturally to a lot of people (of all ages) and this allows me great opportunity to put GM into practice and not just "Talk" about it. I find ways to praise teachers and students merely for leaving their comfort zone. And most importantly I have to constantly remind myself and talk to myself with the same care. Be kind to yourself, and keep focused on your goals. Every mistake is a chance to learn and an opportunity for growth-Keep the faith!

My Growth Mindset Classroom Plan