Each class at Pinehurst now has their own Shared Vision. The teachers guided the students on how to give input so each class came up with a Shared Vision a little differently than the class next to them. When you visit a classroom at Pinehurst that has a Shared Vision statement, you will notice how committed and invested the students are about following it. Because they helped develop the statement and they live by this each day, they know what is expected of them, and what to expect from each other. But most importantly, students have a shared purpose for why they come to school and know they have helped set their own personal goals for the school year.
By: Kimberly Kascak A Shared Vision for Pinehurst is complete with components from families, students and staff. After working at Pinehurst and creating a Shared Vision with the staff last year I saw the importance of a school-wide Shared Vision. As I went through the school year wishing we had input from students and families on the school-wide Shared Vision I made it my own mission that this would happen in the 2014-2015 school year. My first plan was to talk to families at Meet the Teacher night in August. We had a survey that asked parents what they felt was important in their child’s education and school life. We had an English version and a Spanish version (thanks to Ms. Osborne in the front office). I recruited Ms. Chaves from the front office to help me get the word out. She spoke to the Spanish speaking families and I spoke to the English speaking families. We stayed busy the whole night. I excitedly went home and tallied the results. The following few days were dedicated to getting input from students. They were able to provide feedback on a similar survey with iPads and Survey Monkey or with paper/pencil. Once again, I tallied the results. I presented the student and family results at the first faculty meeting of the school year. The goal for that meeting was to create a school-wide Shared Vision with input from all stakeholders. The teachers were in six groups. They studied the results and came up with six different Shared Visions for the school. After power voting on the school-wide Shared Vision the staff came up with: During time at Pinehurst, students will work towards becoming life-long learners in a warm and inviting environment that promotes individualized learning and collaboration. After power voting on the school-wide Shared Vision the staff came up with: During time at Pinehurst, students will work towards becoming life-long learners in a warm and inviting environment that promotes individualized learning and collaboration. To top off the Shared Vision event families signed the school wide Shared Vision that they had input in!
Each class at Pinehurst now has their own Shared Vision. The teachers guided the students on how to give input so each class came up with a Shared Vision a little differently than the class next to them. When you visit a classroom at Pinehurst that has a Shared Vision statement, you will notice how committed and invested the students are about following it. Because they helped develop the statement and they live by this each day, they know what is expected of them, and what to expect from each other. But most importantly, students have a shared purpose for why they come to school and know they have helped set their own personal goals for the school year.
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“EVERY CHILD DESERVES A CHAMPION - AN ADULT WHO WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON THEM, WHO UNDERSTANDS THE POWER OF CONNECTION, AND INSISTS THAT THEY BECOME THE BEST THAT THEY CAN POSSIBLY BE.” - DR. RITA PIERSON I remember the first time I watched Dr. Rita Pierson’s phenomenal Ted Talk “Every Child Deserves a Champion.” I was teaching at St. John’s High School and in the process of completing my Gifted and Talented certificate from the College of Charleston. The class was “Social and Emotional Development of Gifted and Talented Learners.” It was a “Wow!” moment from a “Wow!” class, and ever since then, she has been a powerful example of the type of educator I aim to be. She is greatly missed by many children and adults whose lives she directly or indirectly impacted.
In a recent professional growth training, we discussed a time when we experienced a shift in our instructional beliefs and practices. Watching Pierson’s talk, reading Carol Dweck’s Mindset, and entering this job as a personalized learning coach were huge, wonderful opportunities for my professional growth and each one completely changed my practice. For one, they sparked significant change in my teaching vocabulary. Instead of using the term “classroom management,” I now refer to this practice as “building climate and culture.” Instead of saying, “They can’t” or “I can’t,” I now say, “Not yet” or “I haven’t tried hard enough.” Yet the real shift is I now truly believe that nothing is more important both professionally and personally than developing relationships focused on growth. Little can be accomplished without it. A positive classroom climate and culture that focuses on relationships ensures that every child feels safe and supported to grow and learn. Additionally, it fosters the social and emotional development of our students. In order for every child to “have a champion,” we must be willing to build those relationships with our learners. We must understand who they are and ask them the appropriate questions to help them develop an idea of who they want to be. The framework for personalized learning requires us, as educators, to know our students and to have them collectively create their optimal learning environment. I believe wholeheartedly in the power of what personalized learning can do for our students, but I also know that it will never happen unless we create a climate and culture that supports student autonomy. I believe in the power of a shared vision, social contract, and standard operating procedures. I know from personal experiences the power of having and developing a growth mindset and setting goals. This skill is imperative for our students as they build their future. Yet none of this matters unless we are consciously and constantly checking in, monitoring, and most importantly, celebrating the environment, the learning, and the relationships being developed in the classroom. So, as we end the fourth week of this school year, I invite you to question: “What will help my students know that I am their champion?” “What can we do, as a class, to further build the optimal learning environment for all in the room?” “What can I do to consistently focus on maintaining that positive environment that fosters learning for my students?” and “What else can I do to make my students feel safe to grow and learn?” Then, ask “How?” Happy Friday to all, and I leave you with this quote from Dr. Rita Pierson: “Teachers don’t make a lot of money. They are usually not deemed worthy of news coverage unless there is a scandal or a strike. Most of the time, their major accomplishments are shared only with colleagues and family members and not the media. The celebration is often cut short by some catastrophe the next day. Yet, in spite of the highs and lows, I cannot think of another profession that brings both joy and challenge on a daily basis.” By Pam Hubler Standard Operating Procedures are common place in the business and military world. They are required in order to be have an efficient organization. In education, they are usually called rules but have the same purpose. The difference is, rules are often pre-determined by the teacher or administration and stay the same year round. They are usually listed on a cute laminated poster on the wall where they are never revisited or looked at again all year. This is where the "rules" change in a Personalized Learning Classroom! As adults, we know we have to follow certain rules in different environments whether we like them or not. Sometimes, a few of our more vocal adults will attempt to change those rules. This isn't always taken lightly by the creator of such rules. Well, imagine if the rules were presented and those same adults were asked to give feedback based on what they liked, didn't like and suggestion where welcome on how to change them. That is what makes us feel important and often helps us feel more inclined to follow the rules because we were a part of the process to create them. Now, think about kids...all they want to do in school is have fun and make new friends. If they learn along the way, that's great too! This is why we must have Standard Operating Procedures in the classroom for the different activities our students will participate in during the day. When students are a part of the creation of the culture and climate of their classroom, they will take ownership and become more self motivated. So, how do we get the students involved in the process of creating these "S.O.P's"? Possible steps to creating S.O.P's Although you will probably need to have some pre-determined S.O.P's with school wide procedures (hallway, bathroom, lunchroom,etc.), you can begin your class S.O.P's with guiding questions like "What steps should we take to go from our whole group activities to a small group?" Once you pose the questions, you can have students give ideas in partners, small groups with a "team leader" as the spokes person, raising hands, etc. The teacher can then compile the ideas in a checklist or decision-making chart (flow charts with yes or no directions). As the year goes on, you can "retire" charts once they are mastered. You could make a place in the room to hang mastered S.O.P's in case you need to revisit them. Since space is often too tight to have all your S.O.P's visible at all times, this may be necessary. You can also change them if you see that they are missing a step or add new ones as new routines are introduced. These are to help your class run efficiently, so check and adjust often and as needed. Once you start this process you may even hear students say, "Mrs.__, I think we need an S.O.P for __!" when they see a routine that just isn't running smoothly. That shows they know WHY Standard Operating Procedures are implemented and they will take ownership in their Personalized Learning Classroom environment! Good luck! If you want to know more, check back soon for more posts and see the links below for more resources. http://www.pinterest.com/personalmastery/standard-operating-procedures/
http://www.pinterest.com/reinventingscho/ http://ipersonalizelearning.blogspot.com/ *A personal blog by one of our CCSD teachers with great visuals of SOP's! By Kayela Wilkins Clark As we begin the second week of school, I pause and think of the many amazing things that occurred in our schools the first week. There is so much to celebrate! The Department of Personalized Learning is so proud of the hard work our teachers and students are doing! Hats off to you all! This past week in schools we saw the building of classroom climate and culture. Many teachers developed a Shared Vision and Code of Cooperation with their students. We like to think of the Shared Vision as the "Why" or "Purpose" for school. This is like the roof of the house. Supporting the roof are the walls. This is what we call the Code of Cooperation. Developed with student input, the code helps support the vision by providing structure. We like to the think of this as "how" we will achieve our vision. Additionally, in classrooms this past week, we saw teachers and students working alongside each other to craft and practice SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). These SOPs promote both independence and efficiency within the classroom and include procedures such as morning arrival, lining up, and walking in the hallway. SOPs make up the internal support structure within the house. They are the "nuts and bolts" that make everything run smoothly. All of these processes together rest on the foundation for any successful classroom, the learning community. During these first few weeks of school, strengthening this foundation is our focus. We can't wait to see what fantastic things our teachers and students do this week! We look forward to a tremendous year full of growth and success! Let's kick it into high gear and personalize! iPersonalize...do you? CCSD is in Motion Towards Personal Mastery CCSD: You Have Much to Celebrate! Change is so exhilarating and absolutely terrifying all at the same time, isn’t it? There are a lot of things that scare us about change; in all areas of our lives, we fight, sweat, and triumph with change, but everyone struggles with what it takes to be successful. Have you ever heard of the term Grit?
Even so, having grit isn’t exactly a road map for the answers. You’re constantly facing your fires and there really isn’t one correct way to do that; we all must discover what works for us in those moments. Grit doesn’t equate to one formula or even one answer. Internally, we struggle with our imperfections, failures, emotional intelligence levels, history, experiences-all of those things that make each of us a unique person, but it is precisely those things that create opportunities for growth. Without them, how do we know what to work on? People who wake up without purpose become lost. They aren’t reaching for mastery because they are preoccupied with the safe zone. Problem solving isn’t a priority. This is a formula that doesn’t necessarily cause a disaster each day, but it also doesn't build a better society. Avoidance or whatever else we use to prevent moving forward is just repeating the cycle and when we choose to model that method for our children, we choose to teach them to surrender, to take the easy route, or to not worry about what matters. In order to work on the right work, we must first work on ourselves. When we decide to put it all on the line and ask the tough questions each and every day, and face our problems head on, this is where the magic happens. This is what to celebrate during our lives, and the same is true for all aspects of our society. The same is true for the Charleston County School District. CCSD isn’t the only educational organization that is tackling change. Like many other districts, it is trying to figure out how to learn and grow together more effectively. The difference is in tackling not just change with a program, but change as a system-change that causes a systemic paradigm shift on all levels of the organization: students, staff, parents, community. How do you continue down this pathway with resiliency and grit, moving beyond the nay-sayers, and standing strong right next to the people that tell you it can’t be done? Answer: You remember why you are doing what you are doing. You know your vision. You know your core values. You know that this isn’t just about grades; in fact, it is about much, much more than that. It is about the students growing into something they can believe in not just for themselves, but for their society. Just like it is on a personal level, when you achieve something with all of your energy focused on that one goal, and succeed, you celebrate. And so should Charleston County School District. Celebrate all of your accomplishments regularly! Charleston County students are already celebrating personal mastery, and grit in their own way using their own words: “It was okay to be at your own pace. Nobody would feel ashamed. We were all one big happy family and you would never tease someone. You would help them, like you would help them break it down and walk them through it. We would always try to help everyone because it’s not, ‘Every man for himself.'” -5th grader “It’s easier to learn when we’re sharing because we don’t hurt people’s feelings and it helps us be friends.” –PreK “We have anger strategies, take a deep breath, calm down, tell them how we feel. People have gotten better at it. Now they can learn to calm down.” -2nd “The vision was to always remember to help in the community and to help with the teachers…because sometimes it’s not the matter of fact that the teacher doesn’t know what to do it’s the fact that we all don’t know what to do at some point and we need to depend on each other.” -5th grader “Those are the things we know how to do, the list, and if we read it we know it and it makes me proud of myself to show that I know and I’m acting like a big kid.” -2nd grader "I like being about to use my freedom of speech and get a say in what we do. The teacher might even change things that we didn’t like or that wasn’t working for us and it makes me feel really good to be listened to.” -4th grader “We always looked up to it and we read it every day to keep it as a great reminder in our head and to work together and to work as a team and to never give up on yourself or on each other.” 5th grader “We set our class goals and we set personal goals. Mine is to be my own person and not join in with bad behavior. Even at home if my brother is not doing his homework that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do mine. This goal is important because I won’t waste my learning time.” -5th “I like our voice and choice in Science and Math. I like being able to work it out together. I can work with a teammate. We talk and work it out together then we tell her what we came up with.” -3rd That is something to celebrate because your students are feeling the difference and when they feel it, they believe in it! Just in case you need some quantitative data as well, I’ve got that for you too: CCSD has in its own way and through its own terms, made progress towards a personal mastery system that is making a difference. Together, you are asking the right questions. In Leaders of Their Own Learning, Ron Berger states, “If we are going to give grades to students-and we should always consider carefully if grades are warranted-we had better be sure that the grading system we use actually promotes understanding and learning, communicates to students and their families exactly where they are in their progress toward concrete goals, and offers useful information about how students can improve.” In a nutshell, it goes back to what Harry Wong once said, “In an effective classroom, students should not only know what they are doing, they should also know why and how.” In other words, they should be leading their own learning. In the end, CCSD’s primary objective is to grow people that can lead their own lives, and infuse our society with problem solvers, and to do that, CCSD is putting students first. CCSD is saying yes to fostering grit for each and every student. Don’t forget why you made the first step on this journey, and always take the time to celebrate your accomplishments! Laura Hilger Educational Specialist Re-Inventing Schools Coalition The Department of Personalized Learning had an absolute blast learning and growing alongside of you during the Charleston Educator Symposium last week! It was truly a world-class event showcasing the amazing talent and ideas from around the district! Impressive to say the least! We especially want to thank you for stopping by our photo booth to snap a quick picture and share your inspirational words. You all blew us away with both your clear vision and profound voice advocating for education and personalized learning! Not to mention, some of you were looking (in the words of Tyra) “fierce!” Ha! We loved every minute spent with you and look forward to continuing our journey together for years to come! Come back and visit our blog to help us lead the charge of "re-imagining" education!" By: Sterling DeVries Sterling DeVries is a second grade teacher at Angel Oak Elementary School. She is a Personalized Learning Department model classroom teacher at Angel Oak ES. Personalized learning has been an adventure this school year. I decided to dive right into the concept and I have been pleasantly surprised. First and foremost, I had to give up control of my classroom. I handed the learning over to my students and they ran with it! It began with the shared vision. My students shocked me with their investment in our class shared vision. They wrote it by themselves and they referred to it weekly if not daily. That was the starting point for me. After I witnessed the change in my class simply over a shared vision, I was hooked! Personalized learning is the way in which I wish I have always taught. My students are goal oriented and eager to master standards. We embrace differences and ideas. We have created a classroom family that supports one another. Giving up control and becoming a facilitator has been the most challenging aspect of personalized learning. I have to state again, the way my second graders responded to their personal goals, left me in awe. Each one of them had an intrinsic investment in their own learning.
Next school year I will begin with data binders and enable my students to track their accomplishments. I am excited about this new endeavor and look forward to my next group of personalized learners! We are a family of sailors, and my father is the best sailor I know. We have sailed for over 22 years on Lake Wateree; we take regular sailing vacations down to the Caribbean; and I do not remember a beach trip where we were not trailing a 16 ft Hobie Catamaran for the week. My fiancé, Jacob, also caught the sailing bug since meeting the Beaty family. I would have said if you put my dad, my sister, my fiance, and myself on a boat then we would be an expert crew. That was until my sister bought her 35’ ft. Pearson sailboat and docked it at the Ashley Marina in Charleston Harbor. On our first sail out of the Ashley Marina, we quickly realized we were not the masters of sailing we thought we were and we struggled in this new environment. In all of our previous sails, we had never experienced one thing - a 5ft tide. There is no tide on the lake, the Caribbean only has 1ft of tide, and you do not have to worry quite as much about the tide when you are beaching a boat. But you must know that a 5ft tide is most definitely something to worry about when you are docking a boat, especially in a really tight harbor, and we have had some accidents - very embarrassing accidents. Yet, we practice, we keep coming back for more, and we have had some fairly successful sails. Last Friday, my family yet again took the boat out, and for a majority of the sail everything was wonderful and a feeling of success was in the air. That is until the final docking of the day. The tide caught the boat as it was backing into the slip, the reverse on the boat could not combat the power of the ocean, and the port side of the sailboat was thrown against the neighboring motorboat. Needless to say, it was a boating tragedy and the feeling of success was snuffed out quickly. In fact, a wave of dejection passed through the crew and everyone in my family questioned whether or not, we could do this, if it was worth it. The answer I came up with is - It is! We are sailors, it is in our blood, and we, as a family, are not quitters. My fiancé and I want to take sailing adventures, and if we are going to do it, we must be able to sail and dock with powerful tides. (Tidbit of information: The tide increases as you go further away from the equator and farther north.) But are we ever going to achieve mastery in sailing? I think not. We must work to master this environment and then continue to pursue more challenging ones. In the Ted Talk below, Sarah Lewis discusses near wins and the difference between success and mastery. She states, “Mastery is in the reaching, not the arriving. It's in constantly wanting to close that gap between where you are and where you want to be. Mastery is about sacrificing for your craft and not for the sake of crafting your career.” In teaching, we face a number of failures and successes; yet, while we strive for mastery, we must realize that we will never obtain it nor do we necessarily want to. When we see ourselves as masters of our craft, we will either falter in new environments or fail to grow and learn new things. There is always something that will challenge us to be better if we allow for the opportunity. As we move towards developing a personalized learning environment in our schools and classrooms, we are going to find ourselves failing and succeeding in ways that we never thought possible. We will face the 5 ft tide and overcome it. Yet, as we experience success, we need to never accept that we have become the best and have obtained mastery. We must keep moving north! By: Mark Connors @mconnors11 Now is the time of the year to take a moment and ask yourself, "Did I meet my goals for the year?" Heck, you might be asking yourself, "Did I even set any goals for myself this year?" or "Why is goal setting important?" Why Goal Set? Did you know that people that set goals make twice as much at those who don't set goals? Now I know as teachers money isn't our "goal," but goal setting as teachers can help us reach new heights of teaching with our students. We often ask our students what their goals are or ask them to write down goals, but if we don't or can't do it ourselves, how can we expect our students to accomplish it? By setting our own goals, we will model for our students how to set and monitor their own life goals. Tips for Goal Setting! 1) Start small- Pick a small goal that you know you can attain so you can begin practicing. 2) Write it down- Write your goal down somewhere. It can be in a notebook, on a form, anywhere. Just write it down! 3) Be Selfish- Write down your goal for you and only you. Don't compare yourself to somebody else. 4) Plan- Not only write down your goal, also list action steps and timeframes that will help you reach your goal. 5) Be SMART! Classroom Implications Students and teachers who goal set together regularly show amazing trust and growth as a classroom community. These can be academic, behavioral, or leadership-based goals. Here is an example from one of our classrooms of students keeping track of their goals around their Code of Cooperation. This is an example of a personal academic goal. You can see that the teacher and the student both had input, the goal is clearly stated, and the goal has action steps for the student to follow to attain their goal. Last, but certainly not least, CELEBRATE! When you and/or your students meet their goal(s) take time to celebrate your hard work and your accomplishments. This will make you come back for more! LEAVE A COMMENT: What are your goals for next year?
By Kayela Clark @klaclark In our schools, we believe technology is a tool for learning just like crayons and paper. It is not the learning. We recently deployed ipads into many classrooms around our district. This great influx of technology within the classroom has given me pause to ponder and reflect about what it means to successfully integrate technology into the classroom. The SAMR model, developed by Ruben Puentedura, is gaining momentum in the realm of Educational Technology and provides a framework for how technology impacts both teaching and learning. It is not new or revolutionary. In fact, you may have heard of it before. Or, you may have seen it on Twitter and Pinterest (if you are a closet “pinner” like me). The SAMR model not only provides a model for technology integration, but it also follows a progression that adopters of educational technologies may follow as they grow in both their skill and comfort level. The model is clear and succinct with only four levels. The model progresses from Substitution to Redefinition. Substitution is the lowest level of the SAMR model where the technology acts as a direct “substitution” with no functional change. For example, using the Notes app on the iPad to record notes rather than pencil and paper. The next level is Augmentation. Again, in this level, the technology acts as a direct substitute, but there is a functional change or improvement. For example, using the search feature on the Notes app to search for previous notes. One step higher on the model is the Modification level. This is where we begin to see significant changes in the task and redesign. For example, highlighting text with the Notes app to define with the built-in dictionary, look up on the web, or even “speak” the word(s). The last and final level of the SAMR model is Redefinition. During redefinition there is significant transformation of the task occurring that was previously thought impossible. For example, using the Notes app to share information by exporting or emailing. Are there any coffee drinkers out there? (Not me...I'm a Diet Coke girl, but I'll concede for the sake of the analogy.) Tim Holt compared the SAMR model to coffee you brew at home versus coffee you purchase at Starbucks. You can read his post here. At the Substitution Level you are simply substituting a regular cup of coffee made at home for one made at Starbucks. There is no change. But, at the Redefinition Level, we are getting a Pumpkin Spice Latte (something only Starbucks does!). They use their trademarked recipe and redefine our regular cup of coffee with their special flavors and syrups. One important feature of the SAMR model is the dashed line between the Augmentation level and the Modification level. This simple line has spawned the catch phrase, “Do you teach above the line?” But, what does it mean? If you teach above the line you have moved beyond simply enhancing student learning to truly transforming the learning with technology. When thinking about the SAMR model and your own practices within the classroom, consider the following reflective questions for moving up the progression: Substitution to Augmentation
So...the question remains, “Do you teach above the line?”
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