shannon smith

This morning I had a few minutes to catch my Twitter feed via tweetdeck and noticed that my colleague in London, ON – Danika – had shared her students’ personal essays on their class blog.  I took a few minutes to listen to the students’ voice recordings of their essays and realized that they were a perfect pairing for my own students’ memoirs – a work in progress in our classroom at the moment.

Students in my class have been working on their memoirs in our writer’s workshop over the past week and we are focusing on developing word choice (expectation 2.3 writing - regularly use vivid and/or figurative language and innovative expressions in their writing) and voice (expectation 2.2 writing – establish a distinctive voice in their own writing).

After making a few quick adjustments to my afternoon lesson plans, I was able to set aside a little chunk of time for my students to listen to the personal essays and discuss them.  I facilitated the conversation to focus on content, organization, word choice and voice.  The discussion was rich and I believe that hearing the examples written by Danika’s students provided my students with excellent models of personal memoir writing.

After my students took a few minutes to ‘rapid write’ their reflections on the essays, we posted our comments to their class blog - a networked learning teachable moment!

- image “Cat-5 Network Cable” cc by Darren Hester

Summer vacation officially begins in just over a week and I have to admit I’ve already started initial preparations.  The first ‘cottage mix’ is ready to go (heavy on the chill out tunes of Ron Sexsmith, Hayden, Jim Bryson, Brett Dennen, etc…) and my summer reading list is coming together, thanks to suggestions from friends and colleagues.  Actually, the title of this post is taken from a book recommended to me by the social worker attached to our school.  In fact, when I got my hands on a copy, I couldn’t wait for summer to crack it open and have a look.  And, as it turns out, it struck a chord with me and pulled me in.

Lost at School

Lost at School:  Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them by Ross Greene, PhD, addresses an issue that has been on my mind for quite some time.   Working with an incredible group of educators over the past few years I have seen and experienced the rewards of finding the keys to supporting struggling students who begin to meet with success.  I have also worked closely with staff who grapple earnestly with how to support students for whom the keys to success seem lost.  We meet around student work, share observations, offer support to one another, try different approaches, and then repeat yet sometimes we are left feeling confused and stuck.  As difficult as these moments are, I am always awed and inspired by the relentless determination of my colleagues.  I figure if you’ve shed tears of frustration, as well as tears of joy for your students, you are truly a teacher who believes in your students.

Bt contrast, the “kids who do well if they can” philosophy carries the assumption that if a kid could do well he would do well.  If he’s not doing well, he must be lacking the skills needed to respond to life’s challenges in an adaptive way.  What’s the most important role an adult can play in the life of such a kid?  First, assume he’s already motivated, already knows right from wrong, and has already been punished enough.  Then, figure out what thinking skills he’s lacking so you know what thinking skills to teach.“(11)

… diagnoses don’t give us any information about the cognitive skills a kid may be lacking.  In other words, “bipolar disorder” provides no information about the specific skills a kid is lacking.  Nor does “fetal alcohol syndrome” or “lead poisoned” or “brain injured” or “Asperger’s disorder” or “ADHD” or “oppositional defiant disorder” or “antisocial” or “sociopath”.  All too often adults get caught up in the quest for the right diagnosis, assuming that a diagnosis will help them to know what to do next.  The reality is that diagnoses aren’t especially useful for understanding kids with behavioral challenges or for helping adults know what to do next.”(15)

For our PQP2 book talk, my group read and led discussion around Michael Fullan’s Turnaround Leadership.  Rather than prepare paper handouts, we decided to post our notes here.  We prepared guiding questions for each chapter and did a graffiti activity where candidates in groups of three visited each question and added their thoughts.  Below are the notes – feel free to jump into the conversation by adding a comment!

Chapter 1: The Real Reform Agenda

The guiding question for discussion of Chapter 1 is:

Michael Fullan discusses two gaps in our society that need to be “filled”:  Academic Achievement and Social Inequality.  As a system leader, where does our focus need to be?

 - By focusing on social equity you help to create a safe environment where students may thrive, both academically and socially.

- Maslowe’s “Needs” need to be met first

- Both depend on the other. 

- Student success initiatives must filter to elementary students as well.

Chapter 2: Turning Schools Around

 The guiding question for chapter 2 revolves around the following quote:

Accountability, collaboration and Initiatives are the framework for capacity-building.

Why do you think these three cornerstones are Key?

 -

 -

 -

Chapter 3: Change

In chapter three, Fullan quotes Howard Gardner discussing how to motivate someone to change:

The purpose of a mind-changing encounter is not to articulate your own point of view, but rather to engage the psyche of the other person.(37)

Take a moment to reflect upon a time when you have had a mind-changing encounter that changed your beliefs and practices.  What was it that engaged you and allowed you to see things in a new way?  What compelled you to change?

- “It’s like exchanging ideas to draw each other in to their side of the ‘bridge’”.

- Shared vision and goals in order to engage all parties.

- You don’t learn new ideas/have mind-changing encounters unless you be quiet and listen.

- “A-ha” moments – think of Piovesan’s “shift” – starting at their side of the bridge.

The second guiding question for chapter 3 is:

Why do you think that Fullan believes that successful change occurs when we see a deeper shift from “my” to “our”?

- shared responsibility

- Fullan is a ‘big idea’ person with lots of optimism

- ownership, collaboration, empowerment of staff – PLC

- there is no “I” in team

- It takes a village …

Chapter 4: Turning a Whole System Around

In chapter four, Fullan talks about the importance of networking with other schools in your district:

Instead of local autonomy, we need clusters of schools engaged in lateral capacity building, incorporating state and local agendas.(96)

As a principal or vice-principal, what activities would you envision your school involved with in order for this to take place?

 - family of schools arrangement

- subject councils

- shared agenda/networking with others on PA days

- baby steps – make sure you build capacity within the school

- networks (i.e. math, intermediate)

- observe at other schools

- at high school – matching subject teachers use technology

images:

Turnaround Leadership – book cover

reason, conclusion – emotion, action – cc Will Lion/Flickr.com

The image to the right is a visualization of those people in my Twitter network with whom I have the most exchanges.  I like the image because it shows the interconnectedness of my personal learning network (PLN) – there are lots of conversations taking place all the time.  My network is diverse and includes people with whom I work regularly, people with whom I have shared interests (education, technology, literacies), people I have met at conferences, and people I have met through others in my network.  My network is both local and global, including people with whom I live (my hubby) and work, people throughout Canada and the United States, and people across the globe in Asia and Australia.  Although we are connected by our shared interests, there are enough diverse views on those interests to make the network productive and challenging, as well as supportive and efficient.

why network?

In 2004, James Surowiecki wrote The Wisdom of Crowds, an examination of the idea that a large group of people is collectively smarter than a small group or an individual.  Surowiecki talks about how a large and diverse group provides you with information you might not have anticipated:

In other words, experts don’t know when they don’t know something.  That’s why it’s worthwhile to cast a wider net, and why relying on a crowd of decision makers improves (though it doesn’t guarantee) your chances of reaching a good decision.  Relying on a crowd rather than an individual improves your chances of finding information that you didn’t know was out there. (278)

One of the greatest challenges facing Principals and Vice Principals who must assume the role of instructional leader is staying at the leading edge in terms of instructional practices, curriculum revisions and new tools and materials for the classroom.  It isn’t reasonable to expect to fit time in to delve deeply into all of the ‘new’.  Having a strong network both within your school, within your board, and even beyond gives you the advantage of having a large group of people to provide insight, information and feedback in all of these areas.  I think it is the collective wisdom that we gain by being part of a learning network that makes it not only worthwhile, but crucial.

getting things done

If you believe that we still have a long way to go before we can say that we are providing the very best education for every single student in our system, then being part of a connected, challenging and supportive network becomes an imperative.  In Tribes author Seth Godin discusses the powerful potential of a connected group of people to effect change:

A movement is thrilling.  It’s the work of many people, all connected, all seeking something better.  The new highly leveraged tools of the Net make it easier than ever to create a movement, to make things happen, to get things done. (5)

Connecting with those whose passion and purpose resonate well with your own provides the opportunity to bring about changes, regardless of how seemingly small, that draw us closer to the realization of something bigger and better – in our case a system wherein all students can attain high levels of achievement.  

Godin explains what occurs as the conversational net is cast wider:

The movement happens when people talk to one another, when ideas spread within the community, and most of all, when peer support leads people to do what they always knew was the right thing. (23)

Doing the right thing.  That is at the heart of it, but it is often difficult and draining.  Having the courage, as well as the know-how, and bolstered by a strong PLN of passionately committed people, to do the right thing by each and every student might be the very raison d’etre for networking.

image:

map of shannoninottawa’s friends 

On June 2nd, 80 elementary teachers from across the Ottawa Carleton District School Board will have the opportunity to participate in a workshop exploring dance as a medium through which children can interpret their experiences of the world.  The revised (2009) Ontario Arts Curriculum separates dance into its own strand and explains the philosophical underpinnings of the dance strand:

Dance is expressive movement with purpose and form. All dance communication is transmitted through movement – that is, through the body movements and gestures of the dancer. A dancer is, therefore, both the performer and the instrument through which dance is expressed. It is not recommended that students at the elementary level be given instruction in formal dance techniques (e.g., ballet, Graham, Límon techniques).   Instead, students will develop their own movement vocabularies that they will use to create dance pieces that communicate their feelings, ideas, and understandings.  This approach to dance, as outlined in this curriculum, is based on dance pedagogies (e.g., Laban), and focuses on the use of movement and the elements of dance instead of rote repetition of dance steps. (16)

The OCDSB dance workshop is facilitated by Hannah Beatch, founding director of the Dandelion Dance Company here in Ottawa.  Hannah combines her classical dance training through the Royal Winnipeg and Alberta Ballet Schools with her academic background in social work to bring a truly unique approach to working with youth through dance.  The Dandelion Dance Company is a group of young women, ages 13 – 18 who develop the ideas and then choreograph the pieces.  The company’s mission reflects an inclusive philosophy:

Our commitment is to the creation of dance theatre pieces that reflect social issues relevant to the current company members. We are a fully inclusive company that is not only open to persons with different backgrounds and abilities, but we acknowledge the gifts and enrichment that evolves when persons with various backgrounds and abilities work together.

The dance company is committed to ’spreading the seeds of change through movement’ and I think that these young women are leading the way.  I had the opportunity to witness the company performing for our intermediate students last spring and it had a profound effect on my life.

the little ballerina that could

The Dandelion Dance Company performance changed things for me and for my daughter who is ‘in her element’, to use Sir Ken Robinson’s phrase, when she dances.  Born with a rare genetic disorder, her body isn’t long and lean like the ballerina ideal in a tutu.  To find ballet slippers to fit her feet required costly alterations to the ‘off-the-shelf’ slippers.  We tried out a few different dance schools and a couple of programs run by the city of Ottawa, but in the end, she struggled to remember which step went where in the routines.  Always a positive and happy little one, she enjoyed herself, but we didn’t feel that those dance programs allowed her love of dance to shine through.

When I learned that Hannah was also the director of Tournesol Dance, a creative movement and modern dance school for girls, I knew that we had found the place where my daughter’s love for dance would be nurtured and where her talents would be celebrated.  Finally.

This is why I am thrilled that 80 of my colleagues will have the opportunity to learn with Hannah on June 2nd.  Changing the way that we think about dance and the arts could provide us with an occasion to shift our perspectives on creativity and communication.  Rather than seeing dance as a set routine of ordered steps to be executed to the beat, see dance as a way of making sense of the world.  Rather than seeing the arts as separate from other literacies, see them as integral parts of the ‘literacies’ whole.  The revised curriculum addresses the arts as inquiry and interpretation: 

The arts are a way of knowing that provides ways of perceiving, interpreting, organizing, and questioning various aspects of our world through exploration and experimentation.  Artistic expression involves clarifying and restructuring personal ideas and experiences.  The arts enable individuals and groups to create ideas and images that reflect, communicate, and change their views of the world.(6)

If we think deeply and differently about this, the impact on our teaching practices could be quite profound.

images:

Dandelion Seed cc Bird Eye/flickr

ballerina that could – thedreamygiraffe on etsy.com

Last week I participated in a leadership conference hosted by my district and put together by an amazing group of people.  The speakers were great – a highlight for me was hearing from Flora MacDonald and learning about the power of one individual to make a significant change in the Taliban-ravaged rural communities of Afghanistan.  She is a “tipping point” individual with an incredible impact for change and it was an honour to listen to her speak.  For now I’m saving my deeper reflections on Flora MacDonald for another post.  Here I want to flesh out some of the thoughts I had as I listened to a speaker on the second day of the conference.

the story meeting

The second day of the conference began with small focus groups listening to speakers who were invited to share their thoughts on creativity and leadership.  The first speaker to work with my group was Laurence Wall, news producer for CBC Ottawa.  He began by telling us about the powerful and creative news stories that his colleague Rita Celli, who now hosts Ontario Today, crafted and delivered while covering the courts in Ottawa.  What set Celli’s stories apart was her incredible ability to capture the compelling angle while infusing her story with creative elements most often associated with a narrative voice in fiction writing.  Listening to Wall describe Celli’s work in this way got me thinking about the importance we are currently placing on non-fiction writing in school.  Asking students to develop their storytelling skills while finding the compelling narrative and connection across content areas such as science, geography and history would provide powerful and meaningful learning opportunities.

Wall went on to explain that the members of his news team came together for a story meeting to share two ideas for stories based on events that were happening in and around Ottawa.  Someone might begin by talking about an idea they have for a story and from there other members of the team would jump in with suggestions for a different perspective on the story or an idea about how to tell the story – what to include, how it plays out in different neighbourhoods, etc….  As ideas are bounced around, the original idea for a story morphs into what we as listeners end up experiencing – a well-crafted and engaging piece of journalism.  The process described is one of collaboration as creativity.  I could picture an almost jazz-like environment where ideas are passed around, added to and improved throughout the discussion.

the end of broccoli learning?

The idea of the story meeting really captured my imagination as a teacher.  I started to think about what it might look like to emulate this type of process across the curriculum in the classroom.  What if there were small groups – production teams - who worked together to grapple with the real story around some of the big ideas of, for example, the science curriculum?  Imagine groups of 5 or 6 students asked to find the compelling story connecting big ideas from the curriculum to issues occurring in and around their neighbourhoods.  What if students developed the ideas for their writing through a collaborative process similar to the story meeting?

Wall talked about the difference between news and gossip and how journalists at CBC select the stories with which they are going to work.  He drew a distinction between news stories that are engaging and compelling and news that you feel you need to consume because it is good for you to know – what his wife calls “broccoli journalism”.  When we ask students to memorize and regurgitate facts and figures, are we condemning them to broccoli learning?  Are the tasks with which we ask students to engage and demonstrate their learning really preparing them to participate in workplaces that increasingly demand highly developed skills in the participatory milieu of collaborative creativity and inquiry?  If we are still asking students to research and write 5 paragraph essays in isolation from their peers, then the answer is no.  If, instead, we ask them to pre-write by working through a story meeting with their peers, then write and publish a blog post and respond to comments as well as adding comments to their peers’ posts, then I think we are moving in the right direction.  If we ask them to work with peers to create and publish a digital story, I think we are closer.  Thoughts?

Over the past weeks Susan Boyle’s Britain’s Got Talent video has gone viral – with millions of viewers (and exponentially growing) watching her sing “I Dreamed a Dream” and blow the judges and audience away with her vocal abilities.  Dozens of blog posts have ruminated on the previously unknown Scottish sensation.  Something about Boyle has captured the global heart.  Following Boyle’s performance, Judge Amanda Holden expresses the sentiment of the (ever growing) crowd that watched:

I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you.  I honestly think that we were all being very cynical and I think that’s the biggest wake-up call ever.  I just want to say that it was a complete privilege listening to that.

 

And it was.  I have to admit, I’ve watched the video several times and get a bit teary everytime.  I love listening to Boyle and, apparently, so does the world.  It seems we share in her moment, assuming the collective surprise, then guilt, then jubilation at Boyle’s performance.

the semantic mash-up

While I was trying to figure out what it was about Boyle’s story that drew me in, I was reminded of the dedication by the late Kingston, ON poet Brownwen Wallace in her slim collection of poems Keep That Candle Burning Bright.  Wallace dedicates the book of poems to EmmyLou Harris, and in particular to the song “Burn That Candle”:

A song that reminds me of the kid who wanted to be a singer, who was me.  Who couldn’t believe it when the choir teacher said (the Sunday School choir, where they had to take everybody), when she said, How be you just mouth the words, dear, and put me inthe back row as if it was no big deal.

These poems are for then and for now, too.  All those times when I just can’t help it and a song bursts through and the people around me contort to poses from the Spanish Inquisition screaming Stop! Please stop! - so I don’t even sing in the shower anymore, out of respect for the water’s perfect pitch, how it sings out onto the tiles.

…

They are homely like that and corny and cliched. 

And necessary, yes, as my love for that kid who still embarrasses me, angers, hurts,  the kid who fails

The kid who fails.  That is what gets me.  When I tear up listening to Boyle, the connection I make is to that kid who fails.  In some weird semantic mash up, Boyle, in her underdog that makes it story references the kid who doesn’t make it.  She reminds us of our own unrealized dreams.  And this, for me, is teachable moment #1.  It is a wake-up call for me, as a teacher, to remind myself that I am surrounded by a roomful of dreams.  It is critical that I encourage my students to pursue those dreams and to ignore those voices that tell them to ‘mouth the words’.

a critical reading of the dream

How ‘genuine’ a story Boyle’s will be remains to be unseen.  And, perhaps authenticity isn’t the critical issue, at least in terms of understanding the ‘teachable moments’ of the story.  Dennis Palumbo, in his Huffington Post article asks the question: What if Susan Boyle couldn’t sing?

The unspoken message of this whole episode is that, since Susan Boyle has a wonderful talent, we were wrong to judge her based on her looks and demeanor. Meaning what? That if she couldn’t sing so well, we were correct to judge her on that basis? That demeaning someone whose looks don’t match our impossible, media-reinforced standards of beauty is perfectly okay, unless some mitigating circumstance makes us re-think our opinion?

This is the interesting question.  Ask a class full of students (or teachers) to think about that for a bit.  I would imagine that the conversation could be quite rich.  Ask how many episodes of American Idol and similar reality-based television shows are dedicated to exploiting the failings of the hopeful but not particularly talented contestants who draw the implicit (and sometimes explicit) ridicule of the judges/audience?  

Susan Boyle photo collage “Untitled” by Bert Kommerij   

This week I was invited to share my experiences along the road to leadership with colleagues who are considering pursuing the administration (Principal / Vice Principal) route themselves.  I have always considered myself very fortunate and I felt honoured to be asked to present.  I am on a two week break from my PQP2 course, but working on my presentation has given me the opportunity to continue reflecting on my journey and my goals.  As promised to those who attended, you can download a copy of my practicum here:  shannon-smith-practicum-log-and-reflection.    Of course, keep in mind that there are countless projects you might consider – the key is to find a project that will allow you to explore your leadership style and expose your strengths and your passion while adding to your school or your district – think character education, technology integration, literacy, etc….   I will add a post with a synopsis of my ‘talk’ tomorrow.

It was nice to see my blog post / reflection on staff development garner a few comments.  The conversation is what it is all about for me.  I decided to post my reflections for my PQP2 course on my blog in order to make my learning more open, as I mentioned in a previous post.  Earlier today, Will Richardson posted about the importance of leaders making their learning transparent:

So here is the money question: What two things (and only two) would you tell educational leaders are the most important steps they can take to lead change today? I got that one from a professor at Oakland University last week, and after pausing for what seemed like an excruciatingly long time, I answered “build a learning network online, and make your learning as transparent as possible for those around you.” And while I really think the first part of that answer would make sense to most leaders out there, I think the second would have them running for the hills.

A timely coincidence!  I agree whole-heartedly with Will’s response.  This is one of my goals as I move into a leadership role within my own district.  I don’t want to adopt a preachy stance on it, but I will choose to model transparency in my own learning, partially through this blog.  

be the change

I know that everytime I model, there will likely be at least one early adaptor in the group who will ask questions and, possibly, join in the conversation and begin to think about and try out some open learning.  There are already at least 4 Principals and Vice-Principals within my district using Twitter.  My aim is to ‘be the change’ that I would like to see happen around me.  

I recently found this video on YouTube and, without commenting on the product being advertised, found that it really resonated with my thoughts on leading learning and changing to a higher degree of transparency within my learning.  I would never expect anything to change without jumping in and making the change within myself and my own instructional and learning practices first.

not a big shift

Something else that Will mentioned in his discussion on the value of transparent learning struck a chord with one of the strategies that we use every day with our students:

Transparency can support all of the ways in which my kids must be able to acquire expertise, act ethically, display creativity, respect diversity, and synthesize and make sense of information.

Reading this I was reminded of an instructional strategy that we use every day to help students acquire solid high-order thinking skills: the think aloud.  When teachers use the think aloud strategy, they model their own thinking and questioning of a text.  In other words, they make explicit – transparent - the cognitive processes that go into making sense of the text by inferring meaning, asking questions, finding important details, etc….  Teachers and students use the think aloud to talk through the text.  Learning becomes more conversational and more social.  

Asking instructional leaders to do the same is, in that sense, not a big shift at all –  What it asks us to do is to replicate that which we want to see in our classrooms across the curriculum.  Using a PLN to extend professional learning through online tools such as Twitter and blogging is, really, not that different from thinking aloud.  Be the change.

This week we were to reflect on the staff development standards issued by the National Staff Development Council (NSCD) in terms of what staff development would look like in our own school when we assume the role of Principal or Vice-Principal.  After reading through the 12 standards, I decided to narrow my reflection to three:  Design, Equity and Learning.

Design

Staff development that improves the learning of all students uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal.

Far too often, teachers find themselves sitting through lengthy (and well-intentioned) workshops where the design and delivery of content reflects the ’sage on the stage’ model of teaching.  It is not learner-centred, multi-modal, interactive or engaging.  Although teachers are intended to provide instruction for students that is personalized to their learning needs and styles, the staff development designed for them is typically neither.  As an instructional leader, my goal would be to model throughout staff development opportunities the type of learning environment that I would hope to see throughout the building.  Here are some thoughts:

• Student work would always be at the centre of staff development (teacher moderation & planning).
• Staff would be encouraged to develop a Personal Learning Network using social networking tools such as Twitter (see Twitter for Teachers) to personalize their learning.  See the National College for School Leadership paper on networked learning.
• There would be opportunities for job-embedded learning built into the day so that teachers could work together to support each other in their learning.
• TEams would be encouraged and given the opportunity to lead staff development and to model effective instructional practices.

Equity

Staff development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly, and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement.

Until I know that every staff member truly believes that all learners can achieve success, a learning environment cannot be said to be equitable.  I am thrilled that the Ministry of Education will be releasing a new version of the Education for All document in the near future.  As instructional leader, I would ask each of my colleagues to join me in honestly and critically examining the biases, assumptions and beliefs that underpin our teaching.  I would model this by assuming a position of vulnerability by demonstrating my own self-reflection.  I would ask questions such as:

• How does my teaching and learning embrace diversity (gender, race, socio-economic, religious)?
• How do my daily interactions with staff and students demonstrate my commitment to equity?
• How do my hiring practices model my belief in creating a safe and supportive learning environment for all members of the community?

Learning

Staff development that improves the learning of all students applies knowledge about human learning and change.

We need to continue to learn about the human brain and how it learns.  Knowledge about how we think and learn is an exploding field.  It is imperative that teachers have access to current information on what teaching practices will be most effective for learners with a variety of life experiences, learning styles preferences and learning needs.  We know that our students need multiple opportunities to develop and hone their higher order thinking skills.  I would want to use staff development opportunities to:

• engage in conversations around how teachers feel that their students learn.
• model my own professional learning about human learning and change.
• demonstrate how my own learning has changed and continues to change.
• participate in inquiry into how the brain works and what our students need to learn well.