It is hard to believe that summer is winding down already! It seems like only yesterday I was walking off of our soccer field after celebrating the class of 2012 graduation, and although it was hot and I was tired, there was some extra "pep" in my step, as I was ready to swap my tie and dress suit for a bathing suit and head down the shore for the summer!
The Sun, however, about to set on another summer vacation. So, how are you planning on beginning the new year? Hopefully it is not going to be more of the same! This is an exciting time in education and no better time to look to make a change in your practice. For those of you heading back to the Principal/A.P. office, here is a great link to provide a few thoughts on how to do things differently this year: http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/6047.
If you are heading back to the classroom, here are two quick reads (I know you don't have much time to spare) that reminds us of the new "Three R's" in education: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glen-lineberry/school-starts-over_b_1716445.html and how to become "connected" educators: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/new-teachers-becoming-connected-educators-lisa-dabbs.
Wait, parents...don't start "belting out" lyrics to "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" so fast! There is one for you to read as well! After all, we are all partners in maximizing your cherub's education, especially in today's high-tech, connected world: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/5-ways-to-teach-kids-to-use-technology-safely/2012/07/30/gJQAbEClLX_blog.html.
Regardless of your role in back-to-school time (and maybe you have multiple responsibilities...I know I do), it is important to know that this is our time, and theirs for a fresh start. My wife and I are HUGE fans of the Olympics, and I just loved London's mantra of "Inspire a Generation". As we prepare to lead our students through the doors of yet another opening day, please try to keep that message in mind. Put down the syllbi...don't pass out the textbooks yet...remember you are not just teaching content, you are teaching kids. Connect with them. Empower them. Inspire them. They are capable of great things...so much more than simply learning reading, writing and arithmetic. http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2012/07_youth_converts_culture/
I hope you, your staff and your students have a terrific school year filled with innovation and inspration!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Tee it up for Learning
Last week I had the pleasure of playing Jericho National (http://www.jerichonational.com/Golf.aspx), an absolutely beautiful golf course in New Hope, Pennsylvania, with my father-in-law and his friend. Leave it to my over analytical, always reflective mind to relate learning to golf!
As we approached the 5th Tee, a 179 yard par three, I thought to myself, "where in the hell are the easy 125 yarders? None of that here, as this place is not for the faint-of-heart "hacker". Once the initial shock wore off, I noticed that all three of us were approaching the tee box with different clubs and strategies. I was taking the traditional approach in using an iron off of the tee. My father-in-law was using fairway wood, which is loftier and easier to contol...the safe play. Dad's friend was using a hybrid iron (used to replace the more difficult to hit long irons) to try to get the best of both worlds...distance and control.
If only we did more of this in the classroom. The three of us knew what kind of ball strikers we were, so we played to our strengths in order to maximize our chances of success. Not a bad philosophy for education, huh? If we know how our kids learn...better yet, if we can teach them to be more metacognitively aware themselves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacognition), then maybe they can approach learning like the three of us approached the 5th tee...a bit intimidated at first, but then confident about "taking a swing" because we knew what club to use!
The perfect ending to this post would be to say that we all parred the hole, but those of you who have seen me putt would never believe it! Either way, I had a great day at Jericho where both the golfer and "edu-nerd" in me went home satisfied. Our students and staff deserve the same feeling, so let's work to help them learn which club works best for them!
As we approached the 5th Tee, a 179 yard par three, I thought to myself, "where in the hell are the easy 125 yarders? None of that here, as this place is not for the faint-of-heart "hacker". Once the initial shock wore off, I noticed that all three of us were approaching the tee box with different clubs and strategies. I was taking the traditional approach in using an iron off of the tee. My father-in-law was using fairway wood, which is loftier and easier to contol...the safe play. Dad's friend was using a hybrid iron (used to replace the more difficult to hit long irons) to try to get the best of both worlds...distance and control.
If only we did more of this in the classroom. The three of us knew what kind of ball strikers we were, so we played to our strengths in order to maximize our chances of success. Not a bad philosophy for education, huh? If we know how our kids learn...better yet, if we can teach them to be more metacognitively aware themselves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacognition), then maybe they can approach learning like the three of us approached the 5th tee...a bit intimidated at first, but then confident about "taking a swing" because we knew what club to use!
The perfect ending to this post would be to say that we all parred the hole, but those of you who have seen me putt would never believe it! Either way, I had a great day at Jericho where both the golfer and "edu-nerd" in me went home satisfied. Our students and staff deserve the same feeling, so let's work to help them learn which club works best for them!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Because We Have ALWAYS Done It That Way!
Once upon a time, physicians would utilize a technique called bloodletting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting) to help cure patients with various diseases. Over time, this practice was proven to be more harmful than helpful, and thus it was abandoned. Physicians stopped practicing bloodletting, even though it was what they had always done, because they realized it was not working.
Why do we have such a difficult time with this thought process in education? The "Powers-To-Be" want to put harsher sanctions on school districts (not helping), give more and more assessments to students (which takes away instructional time) and make teachers and administrators more accountable (not always a bad thing) to motivate us. In response, school leaders break the budget on more technology, instructional and content consultants and illustrious keynote speakers, combined with one-and-done/"drive-by" professional development (this to shall pass) to inspire faculty to use best practice initiatives. All this to ensure no child is left behind. Is it working yet? Let's stop bloodletting!
Maybe, with the rapid changes of a more and more tech-savvy society, along with what research says about the way children think and learn today (http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm)
maybe, just maybe we need to go deeper...to the root of the issue. Maybe, we need a systemic change! It is sad to think that with all of the many innovations that have improved our lives over the last 100 years: Antibiotics, Personal Computers, Speedo Swimwear (okay, maybe not that last one for all of us!), the basic structure and format of education has remained unchanged. Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream, yet the public school system is still pushing, for the most part, only vanilla. Some people are just not vanilla (50 Shades of Grey reference...for the ladies)! It is time we start really looking into incorporating some other "flavors" into the public education mainstream.
The "pockets of progress" that some school are experiencing (http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools) need to be celebrated and emulated if we really hope to make real, lasting, positive change to education. We all do not have to think "outside the box" to start making a difference in our schools, but thinking along the "edge of the box" (Seth Godin on creativity, http://lateralaction.com/articles/seth-godin) is a good start for some of those still holding onto the syringe (reference to bloodletting). It is beyond time to stop doing the same-old same-old simply because it is what we have always done!
Why do we have such a difficult time with this thought process in education? The "Powers-To-Be" want to put harsher sanctions on school districts (not helping), give more and more assessments to students (which takes away instructional time) and make teachers and administrators more accountable (not always a bad thing) to motivate us. In response, school leaders break the budget on more technology, instructional and content consultants and illustrious keynote speakers, combined with one-and-done/"drive-by" professional development (this to shall pass) to inspire faculty to use best practice initiatives. All this to ensure no child is left behind. Is it working yet? Let's stop bloodletting!
Maybe, with the rapid changes of a more and more tech-savvy society, along with what research says about the way children think and learn today (http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm)
maybe, just maybe we need to go deeper...to the root of the issue. Maybe, we need a systemic change! It is sad to think that with all of the many innovations that have improved our lives over the last 100 years: Antibiotics, Personal Computers, Speedo Swimwear (okay, maybe not that last one for all of us!), the basic structure and format of education has remained unchanged. Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream, yet the public school system is still pushing, for the most part, only vanilla. Some people are just not vanilla (50 Shades of Grey reference...for the ladies)! It is time we start really looking into incorporating some other "flavors" into the public education mainstream.
The "pockets of progress" that some school are experiencing (http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools) need to be celebrated and emulated if we really hope to make real, lasting, positive change to education. We all do not have to think "outside the box" to start making a difference in our schools, but thinking along the "edge of the box" (Seth Godin on creativity, http://lateralaction.com/articles/seth-godin) is a good start for some of those still holding onto the syringe (reference to bloodletting). It is beyond time to stop doing the same-old same-old simply because it is what we have always done!
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