Dirty hands

The current unit for science includes a bunch of stuff about erosion and weathering and dirt.  The textbook talks about red soil in Hawaii and loamy soil and nutrient-rich soil and clay-rich soil.  Since a field trip to Hawaii is out of the question, the pictures and text in the book is somewhat irrelevant.

Instead, we went out side and looked for evidence of weathering and erosion.  We walked the places that water flowed and looked at the different dirt in different areas around campus.  We found places where fine particles of soil collected and we found areas with no fine soil, only rocks.  We noticed the direction the water erosion took place on the grounds of our school and checked out areas for deposition.  They felt the moisture-rich soil and shared the different soils in their hands.

And while all of this was happening, we used the appropriate vocabulary.  We noticed and wondered.  We found relevance in the ground beneath our feet.  We created connections between our world and the foreign language in that textbook.  After a great science walk, the kids mostly owned the vocabulary.  More importantly, they didn't memorize it.  They experienced it.

I wonder...then I write!

Alan November says that most questions that we ask our students in schools can be answered fairly easily with  a quick internet search.  He goes on to say that in this country, we essentially see education as the lining up of facts.  He wants us to teach kids to ask questions.

He is not the only guy to say this.  Warren Berger loves great questions.  His book, "A More Beautiful Question," is excellent!  He discusses the importance of questions.  Especially the ones that do not have easy answers.

Earlier today, I was interviewed by a great teacher who is beginning her grad school experience.  She is in the first week of her first class and she was asked to conduct three interviews with folks from our school district.  The questions all dealt with leadership.

For so many of the questions, I found myself quoting Covey, or thinking Covey, or trying to channel my inner Covey!  It was an excellent opportunity to think about myself and my beliefs.

The last question asked me to offer one or two pieces of advice to her.  For that question, I wish that I had been given lots of time to think about it.  Just two???  Interesting!

I immediately thought of the things I do to drive my own improvement.  First, I try to always have a question that drives my thinking.  I am always investigating a question of some sort.  I told her to always have a question.  Always be curious.  Second, I told her to write about that question every day.  It doesn't take long.  Five minutes.  Putting your thoughts into written words puts them in order.

What is your question right now?  What makes you think?  Write about it!

Effort ignites ability!

I read Mindset, by Dr. Carol Dweck, awhile back.  I have been listening to the unabridged version in the mornings recently and I am still incredibly moved by her work.  As I listened today, she used the term, "recovering genius," to describe an adult who was in the process of overcoming a childhood filled with an overabundance of praise and adulation.

This made me think of the other side of the coin, the "recovering ignoramus."  Of course we wouldn't ever actually tell a student he was ignorant.  But it made me wonder how many kids leave public school with that mindset.

It also made me wonder which upbringing is toughest to overcome???  One of the best reading teachers I have ever seen told me that she struggled with reading as a child and her teachers were sure to let her know it.  She overcame the low expectations given by her teachers to become an expert in her profession.  I have also watched a teacher who completely knocked my socks off during her rookie year repeat that exact same year several more times without much improvement.  She arrived on campus with confidence and told me that she knew she would be good at teaching because she was good at everything she did.  She struggled to overcome the success that was seemingly easy for her during her first try, and left within five years.

From Dweck's work, the question is not whether we choose between over-inflating kids' egos or constantly pointing out their deficits.  The question is, "How do we talk to kids so that they develop a growth mindset?  How do we foster growth mindsets in a classroom of 25+ uniquely individual students? How do we ensure that every child leaves our school believing their efforts will ignite their abilities?

Suspend Judgment and Enable Curiosity

Elementary school teachers are the ultimate action researchers.  They constantly monitor the subjects in their laboratories for optimum learning, then tweak or change variables when needed.  They also find times when they need to seek the opinion of a fellow researcher, so they ask another teacher for ideas that might address a specific barrier to a child's learning.

Some of the most important conversations that teachers have are to answer the question, "What do we do for the kids who struggle to learn this?"

After many years of involvement with these discussions, I have seen a wide range of responses to the ideas that get thrown on the table in efforts to help struggling students.  Most of the time, teachers are willing to listen to as many strategies as possible, then choose one or two.  Naturally, the strategies that are typically chosen are the ones that feel most comfortable to each teacher.  Each teacher chooses the ones that seems most doable.  If three teachers hear fifteen different ideas, they may choose three completely different strategies, based on their own personal preference.

This has me wondering...when we hear ideas during a brainstorming session, do we make our judgments immediately?  As the ideas hit the table, do our experiences cause us to keep or discard ideas too quickly?  When brainstorming, what if we were better able to suspend judgment and enable curiosity?

#12books2015

Only a few more days to make yourself a few new promises for 2015.  I've seen a recent trend that makes sense to me.  Rather than the usual resolutions that end up as disappointments after a few days or weeks, quite a few people are setting goals that change habits and involve a support system.  Rather than a promise to "Do Better..." at some thing or another thing, make your resolution measurable and share it with the world!

Principal Salome Thomas-EL (@Principal_EL) set a goal of running 500 miles in 2014.  He challenged folks to join him on Twitter.  Check out hashtag #500in2014 to see examples of how a great Twitter community can work together to achieve goals!

By resolving to run 500 miles during the year, he was able to change his exercise habits and involve others.  He didn't promise to run every day, or even more generic, to get more exercise.  He sustained an injury along the way.  It slowed him down for a bit, but it did not kill his goal!  His goal was a year-long endeavor rather than a simple resolution to do better!  Way to go Principal EL!

He also publicized his progress on Twitter.  What a great way to keep yourself motivated!

Now I need your help.  For 2015, I am going to create a list of books to read.  I am thinking somewhere between eight and twelve for the year.  I will track my progress with #12books2015.

What are the must-read books for 2015?

Drive Safely!

I remember loving cars when I was little because of the dashboard.  I loved all the little gauges with the needles that pointed out one measure or another.  I wondered what they measured and I liked to watch them move.  It took me a while to understand the tachometer.  I didn't quite comprehend how the engine speed could differ from the car's speed.  I was also intrigued by the "red zone" on the tach.  That was the engine's danger zone!

These days, I keep my eyes on the gauges in my truck to make sure my car doesn't over heat and everything is running well.  I'd prefer not to break down on the side of the road!

I was chatting with a co-worker a few days ago and he told me that he was hurrying home from work and there was a Sunday driver in the left lane with a line of cars backed up behind him and an empty lane ahead.  He was traveling 15 miles an hour under the speed limit and gradually getting slower and slower.  He said, "The slower he went, the higher my road rage gauge climbed!"

That got me thinking...we all have personal gauges for a variety of things.  We all have measures that go up and down depending on our circumstances.  Theses gauges may be more or less sensitive to certain issues than other folks.  For example, your road rage gauge may not budge when you encounter a slow driver in the left lane.  But, maybe you get cranky when that same driver throws his cigarette out of his window.  That may make your litterbug gauge jump to eleven!  I think these personal differences are somewhat based on your own personal wiring.

 I know there are tons of inventories out there to help get in touch with our personalities, our internal wires.  I think those inventories can be quite helpful for people to get to know themselves.  I have done several of them and I know that I am a learner, I am orange (True Colors), and I like to ask questions.  I also know that I need to be more patient and I need to be a bit more organized.

However, those inventories provide a snapshot.  A somewhat static, overall measure.  Realistically, many of the traits on our personal dashboards are more like the gauges in our cars.  They change constantly due to other factors.  How often do we monitor our personal gauges?  Do we know when we are about to hit the "red zone?"  Do we monitor our dashboard to make sure we don't break down on the side of the road?

Drive safely, my friends!

Buckets!

I have always had career goals, but I've never written a career bucket list.  The idea excites me!  I'm definitely going to write down the things I want to do!  I'm also going to give myself a running head start by writing down some of list-worthy items that I have already accomplished!

What is on your career bucket list?

I googled the term, "Career Bucket List," and, as usual, someone else has done this before me!  This website by Tal Gur has some ideas: http://belowzerotohero.com/career-bucket-list-ideas

My favorite is, "Become the sheriff of a small town."  I'm probably not going to add that one to my list, but it is fun to think about!

Where did those words come from?

Last night, during the Teach Like a Pirate twitter chat (Mondays 8pm to 9pm CST, search the hashtag #tlap), I replied to one of the questions with a statement that I have been thinking about all day.  The question was, "How do you empower your students and colleagues with shared leadership?"

I responded with, "Don't be a school leader that doles out permission.  Be a school leader that clears paths for innovation."

Wow!  I am quite sure I channeled someone much wiser than me to get those words out.  I can't stop thinking about the realities of fully bringing this ideal to life.  So many times, folks have great ideas so they go to their supervisor for permission.  How do we move to a place where people grant themselves permission based on a few questions:

1. Is this best for students?
2. Does this idea move us towards achieving our vision or our goals?
3. Will any of the other excellent facets of our campus suffer because of this?

With the right answers to these questions, permission would not be needed!  Instead, wouldn't it be excellent if the school leaders could respond with:

1. I can't wait to see how it goes!
2. What paths can I clear for you?
3. How can I support your leadership?

Finally, can this be done in a classroom full of students?  With excellent design, I think it can!

The Door

Do you teach with your door open or closed?

Some teachers keep their door open all the time.  Some keep it closed all the time.  And for some, it depends on the learning activity in the classroom.  I've seen great teachers in all three categories.  I started asking folks if the opened/closed door was a choice or not.  The reasons I heard were pretty common and not unexpected:

• It's just a habit to close every door I walk through;
• The hallway is usually too loud;
• I leave it open so it doesn't slam 300 times a day with every bathroom trip;
• My class pours out into the halls for flexible learning settings, and;
• I can't teach when it is open.  I'm scared people will judge my teaching.

 Years ago, I feared teachers with closed doors.  I wondered what they were hiding.  Were they keeping the greatest lessons to themselves or hiding a horrible classroom?  Now, I know that some teachers may simply be hiding their lack of self-confidence.  Even some of the best teachers, magic in front of children, lack a bit of confidence in front of another adult.

Teachers are almost always their own worst critic!  We love to praise the great things we see in other classrooms.  We also love to find the faults in most of our own lessons and we brush off any praise that others may give us.  I would like to challenge you to see things through a different lens.  Before critiquing the learning in your classroom for things you want to improve, find the greatness in your own designs for learning.  Pat yourself on the back for what worked well.  Celebrate your expertise and share it with others so that they may improve by watching you and hearing from you!

Whether your door is open or closed, I challenge you to share the great things you do with each other! Bravely share your expertise!