MeTA musings

I've been traveling around Iowa a bit lately to lead professional development workshops on standards-based grading.  Usually after an hour or two, a teacher in the group says something like this:

I agree with everything you've said so far.  Although it sounds like a lot of work, I think it makes sense.  How do I communicate this with parents?

My response:

Communicate this idea with the students first.  If you don't, you'll be doing this to your students rather than with them.

I suggest teachers get students excited about the failures of the current grading and assessment system using the same illustrations I use to motivate the change with them during the workshop.  Here are a few examples.

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 "Too bad, Jo-Jo....you didn't get it by my arbitrarily set deadline."  

The new system should say,

"Awesome, Jo-Jo..let me go change that in the grade book.  I'm so thrilled you learned it a week after the 'test.'"

I was recently interviewed by SimpleK12 about our district's use of the Google Apps suite to motivate professional development.  We use primarily Google Docs and Google Sites to create a "one stop shop" for PD resources.  Each learning team has a shared folder for meeting agendas/minutes, data files and any other documents they collaborate on.  I think it's safe to say our staff appreciate the feedback loops we've created through the use of Google Forms surveys, too.  The professional development planning process has become much more transparent and dynamic.  Check out the video below for more information.

I'm not a big fan of #edchat.  Personally, I think it's difficult to solve the education system's problems in 140 characters and given so many different local contexts.  This isn't to say I think it isn't for everyone, but it's just not for me.

At the request of some folks in Iowa, I've helped start a weekly #iowacore chat.  Each week, we discuss a topic related to a statewide initiative called the "Iowa Core."  I view this time as an hour of information gathering.  We recently talked about Outcome 6, so I gathered some resources to share with the group.   Because the Iowa Core has created a common language around the "what" and "how" of Iowa schools, it's closing the geographical gap for us here in the heartland.  I can learn about the processes and current improvement goals from schools in all corners of the state.  I get most excited about the opportunity to connect outside of the hour reserved each week to talk about Iowa Core.  Whether it's emailing Bridgette or Brad a day later or Skyping with Karl the next week, there's more to #iowacore than the 140 character conversations (although our future Department of Ed. head provided some memorable humor!) because these are colleagues I can count on at anytime to share what's working in their district up the road or across the state.

Once upon a time, Iowa districts created their own local standards and benchmarks.  While local control seemed like a good idea, it was a potential headache for curriculum directors and teams to agree on what should be taught at each grade level and discipline.  Iowa is a little "behind the times" when it comes to embracing statewide content standards....until recently.

Educators are deeply entrenching themselves in the Iowa Core (that is unless, it's dropped, but that's a different topic of discussion) as a result of a new state mandate that includes both what and how.  In other words, Iowa school districts now have a framework for what essential skills and concepts all students should learn and how the instruction should happen:

Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, each district was required to complete a "self study" (more information here) based on the six outcomes of the Iowa Core.  This permits districts to annually review their work in each of the six areas.  Each local education agency chooses which outcome(s) to focus on in a given year, however several alignment-related deadlines have been mandated by the legislature.

In general, I think the Iowa Core is a really great idea and am thrilled to be leading my district's professional development right now rather than several years ago when it seemed to be raining initiatives in Iowa.  I do have a bone to pick with Outcome 6 and that's the reason I'm writing this post.  Before the nasty comments come in, I should say that I've previously shared this information with two members of the Iowa Core statewide network, so in my opinion, this is not an unfair public rant. :)

The purpose of outcome six is...

Educators implement effective instructional practices to ensure high levels of learning for each and every student.

Sounds good so far.  When digging deeper into the self study for outcome six, things get a little shaky.  Target 6a says:

Educators deepen their understanding of the Iowa Core’s characteristics of effective instruction through collaborative teams.

and the action steps are...

• 6.a.1 - Educators form and maintain collaborative teams.
• 6.a.2  - Educators acquire awareness of the characteristics of effective instruction.
• 6.a.3  - Educators engage in dialogue about practices that support the characteristics of effective instruction. 
• 6.a.4 - Leadership Team facilitates a process to determine the degree to which practices that align with the characteristics of effective instruction are in place in classroom instruction. 

Target 6b says:

Educators study and implement instructional practices that support the characteristics of effective instruction.

and the action steps are...

• 6.b.1 - Leadership Team makes decisions about how to strengthen the district/building professional development plans to address the Iowa Core. (See Outcome 5.)
• 6.b.2 - Educators engage in professional development that follows the Iowa Professional Development Model (IPDM) to implement instructional strategies, models, and/or approaches supportive of the characteristics of effective instruction (see Outcome 5).
• 6.b.3 - Educators implement with fidelity selected instructional strategies, models, or approaches that demonstrate the characteristics of effective instruction.

To summarize, teachers should be forming and maintaing collaborative teams so that they can deepen their understanding of the Iowa Core's characteristics of effective instruction. It all sounded fine and dandy until I took a step back and compared this to what I knew about Rick and Becky DuFour's professional learning communities (pdf) philosophy.  The three big ideas of a professional learning communities are....

1. Focus on learning. (What do we want students to learn? How will we know if they have learned? What will we do if they already know it?)
2. Build a collaborative culture. (Teachers working together are more effective when working in isolation)
3. Focus on results. (Results rather than intentions.  Results are based on student learning)

 Have I taught if my students haven't learned?

Any of this make sense?

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Thanks to everyone who was able to make the first #iowacore chat on Twitter.  Our next one will take place on Monday, January 17, 2011.  Your input is appreciated to set the time and topic.

Over Christmas break, I read Transforming Professional Development into Student Results by Doug Reeves.  Overall, I felt the book did not live up to its title, however one chapter stood out and continues to stick in my mind.

Reeves proposes a "Leading and Learning" matrix describing the effectiveness of school districts and their level of understanding why they are (or are not) successful.

Monday: 

• Middle school principal  blogs about it his smart phone purchase over Christmas break.

Wednesday: 

• Middle school teacher reads principal's blog and decides to give cell phones a try in the classroom.

Thursday: 

• Middle school teacher consults with district media specialist (Kathy is a rock star, if you haven't met/followed her yet) who sets him up with our district PollEverywhere account and shares a link with him about cell phone use in the classroom.
• Middle school teacher comes up to my office to explain it all with comments such as... "I told the kids I might be the only teacher in this school that does not own a cell phone, but it's time we start using them responsibly in our classroom" and "Tomorrow, the kids in my class will bring their phones.  Two of them do not have phones and they're going to use a laptop from the computer cart so they're not left out.  They walked out of the room excited."