Fluid Conversations

As a teacher, what do you want from your professional development opportunities? Relevant content? Dynamic presenters? Structured learning? Time to talk and share with colleagues? Well thought out activities? As I planned for my workshop for K-6 teachers entitled, “The Power of Two: Differentiation + Technology”, I kept thinking about what we ask teachers to do: Plan with UbD in mind; Model effective instructional strategies ala Robert Marzano; Differentiate for their learners; So much to consider… don’t teachers deserve the same thought-provoking experiences when they take their seats as learners?

I began my planning with the end in mind, interested in digging past the surface layer of numerated strategies. One of the most essential understandings I wanted the teachers to walk away with was that differentiation is more than a checklist of strategies…it’s a way of thinking. So I knew it wasn’t enough to simply throw a bunch of platitudes at my audience; they had “been there, done that” and were honestly tired of hearing how they would need to add one more thing to their already mile high plates. I needed to inspire, provoke and leave them with further questions that would keep niggling at their brain.

I began my session with my honest attempt to acknowledge and honor the many obstacles that teachers face that make it far too easy to say “NO” to using technology in the classroom and “NO” to differentiation. Obstacles such as lack of time, minimal access to tools and little in the way of support for learning how to use the tools. I then asked them to put those obstacles away for the duration of our time together because, while real and true, they have a way of taking front and center in our brains, thus preventing seeds of hope from springing up all around us.

One of our first experiences was to participate in an Elluminate session with Dr. Grace Smith and Dr. Stephanie Throne, authors of “Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction.” These woman were my instructors for a course I recently completed as part of my master’s program. They spent the next 45 minutes sharing some of the ways in which they differentiate by interest using technology. The session delivered some interesting nuggets of information but the true beauty lie in the teacher’s exposure to how technology can be used to reach out beyond the four walls to connect with experts from other parts of the country. It also lent itself to the idea that our learners are visual, auditory and tactile…that these tools can greatly expand the pathways to learning.

For our final activity, I wanted to introduce some of the Web 2.0 tools that teachers could use with their students to differentiate by content, process and product. It was important to me, however, that the tools be connected to not only the content but the various types of learners in their classrooms. I asked the teachers to identify and list names of students of varying abilities and learning modalities on post-it notes. They also listed content units they teach. We then embarked on a Web 2.0 tour, with our conversation focused on how the tools could be used to support the students and content areas listed on their post it notes. Hopefully, it allowed the teachers to think more deeply about the reasons for using the tools, the reason the tools exist in the first place…to support the learning.

A week has passed since I facilitated the workshop, but my work is not done. As teacher Beth Lewis states, “In a profession as challenging as teaching, honest self-reflection is key. That means that we must regularly examine what has worked and what hasn’t in the classroom, despite how painful it can sometimes be to look in the mirror.”

So how painful is the reflection in the mirror? Well, for my very first attempt at facilitating this particular workshop, it wasn’t bad…maybe a solid “B”. Here are some of the ways in which I would change this session:

–I would plan less. I tried to do too many things.

–I would run this as a series of workshops with this session being the kick-off to five or six more sessions. I just don’t buy the one-shot deals anymore. I don’t believe we see deep changes; teachers go back to their reality of too much to do and they don’t have the benefit of continued conversations and reflections…absolutely essential for true transformation.

–I would give them more time to converse and reflect on their learning…again, too much content, too little time.

What do I celebrate about this session?

–That I had the chance to work with some of my favorite learners…teachers.

–That I had the guts to facilitate the session at all. Pushing past my comfort zone, I can feel myself growing.

–By facilitating this workshop, my own understanding of how technology can support differentiation has deepened. Shifts. More shifts.

How will I support continued learning of these folks? My plans are to send periodic emails providing the group with resources, thoughts/ideas and opportunities to continue the learning. I will invite them to have conversations on our district Ning site. I will be their greatest champion and listener. Why? Because our kids deserve nothing less.

This is the second entry cross-posted from my Wilkes blog:

With November 3 looming ever closer, I have spent many sleepness nights pondering how I can create a learning experience worthy of the time the participants are willing to give me. I haven’t really started formal planning, although I know these things for sure:

* I will use UbD to help guide my planning.
* I want to inspire.
* I will have two very special “Expert Voices” attend my session virtually. (Elluminate or Skype)
* My district bought copies of “Differentiating Instruction with Technology in K-5 Classrooms” for each participant.
* Although some theory will be shared, I want this to be practical, also.
* I will use a wiki to share ideas, resources and research with teachers.

I want to share the document from our course, entitled, “Synopsis of Differentiated Instruction, its Traits and Elements.” While fairly simple, it has had a profound effect on my understanding of differentiated instruction. Although my prior training used these ideas, visual organization of this diagram helps me see the “whole picture”.

Some questions I need to ask myself as I plan for this workshop include:

* Why am I offering this training?
* What do I want teachers to know?
* What do I want teachers to be able to do?
* How do I assess their understanding?
* How do I turn a one-shot deal into something sustained and embedded?

Obviously I have a lot of work to do. I’m hoping to really dig in this weekend. If you want to follow some of work I’m doing, you can check out my delicious bookmarks here:

http://www.delicious.com/charrod/nov3

http://www.delicious.com/charrod/differentiation

Stay tuned…

This is cross-posted on my Wilkes blog:

On November 3, I will be facilitating a 3-hour workshop on using technology to differentiate instruction to our K-6 teachers. I’ve learned so much through participating in this course and feel there is a need for our staff members to re-imagine what differentiation looks like with the advent of these tools. Most teachers I talk to feel like differentiation is “just one more thing to do”; they haven’t yet seen the power of differentiation to more readily meet their students’ needs.

So what are my goals for the session? Well, for one, I want to help them shift their thinking; instead of seeing differentiation as something we “do” to the students, they need to see it as a way of thinking about learning. If we truly understand and believe that each person comes to us with a unique learning style and differing needs, then the natural consequence is to design learning experiences that reflect that belief. Secondly, I want to re-introduce them to differentiation strategies such as learning contracts, surveys, pre-assessments and compacting. Finally, I want to expose them to some of the tools available to make differentiation more effective and efficient.

That’s about as far as I’ve gotten in my planning. I know I want to “walk my talk” and differentiate the session for my learners. I know I want to bring in some expert voices to bring multiple perspectives to the learning. I know I will create a wiki to house all of the session information. What do you think? If were going to plan a three hour workshop on using technology to differentiate instruction, what might your plan look like? I would love to hear your thoughts.

I came across this little blurb and it’s got me thinking:

According to Carol Ann Thomlinson, a high quality curriculum…

–Is clearly focused on the essential skills of the discipline
–Affectively engages the learner
–Is enjoyable and satisfying
–Provides choices
–Is clear in its expectations
–Allows for meaningful collaboration
–Focuses on products (things students make or do) that matter to students
–Connects to students’ lives
–Is fresh and surprising
–Is real, coherent, and challenging to the student
–Calls on students to use what they learn in interesting ways
–Involves the student in setting goals and assessing progress

It might be helpful for teachers to reflect on these components as they create experiences for their students. In particular, I’m interested in those that separate the 20th Century classroom from the 21st Century classroom.

Allows for meaningful collaboration

I would extend this one to read, “allows for meaningful collaboration with people from around the world”. For me, this is one of the most profound differences between education in the 20th Century and the 21st Century. These technologies have afforded us increasing access to the collective knowledge of people outside of our four walls. How do we harness this power? Where do teachers begin? How do we collaborate with others from around the world in safe, effective and ethical ways?

Connects to students’ lives

I don’t believe we should ever underestimate the importance of this idea. Our curriculum is bursting with content that is irrelevant to our students’ lives and yet we find ourselves perplexed when they aren’t engaged or motivated to learn more. Our job is to take the curriculum and find those links…those connections… so that our students find school interesting, relevant and dare I say, real?

Involves the student in setting goals and assessing progress

Do you involve your students in setting goals and assessing their progress? We have to start asking ourselves, “who owns the learning?” The 20th Century classroom was about the teacher; the 21st Century classroom is about the student. It’s about putting the students in the driver’s seat.

Which of these components of a high quality curriculum resonate with you? Which ones do you need to focus on to re-imagine what it means to learn in the 21st Century?

So, another year begins and as usual, I find myself with a list far too grand for mere mortals. Let’s see…

• Leading Year Four of our T.A.B.L.E.T. Project
-Keeping it fresh and constantly reflecting on how to improve this innovative pd opportunity. A blended PD program, we spend the year becoming more comfortable with technology, so we can focus on the really important work…learning.

• PLP-A second chance to work with Sheryl Nussbaum Beach and Will Richardson. This time our district is the host district and we’re fortunate to have three teams participating plus an administrator piece embedded in the process. This go around, I’ll wear at least three different hats: Organizer/Fellow/Year Two Participant. This is some of the most important work of my career.

• Moodle Administrator-We are slowly expanding the use of Moodle in our district. I am a huge fan of Moodle and hope to see more teachers using it with their students.

• Elluminate Administrator-Another fine tool. We are currently rolling it out to administrators to use as virtual offices and for pd purposes. I look forward to considering the implications for using it as a tool for students to communicate and collaborate globally.

• Access 21-Our district plan for increasing access to technology. A cornerstone of this initiative is creating professional development to assist teachers in re-imagining what it means to learn in the 21st Century. Soliciting proposals from high school teachers to spend the year exploring how to create authentic, meaningful learning environments that look nothing like a 20th Century classroom.

• Placing myself BACK in the classroom to work with teachers and students. I will have the opportunity to work with two sixth grade teachers as they explore the use of blogs in the writing classroom. I’ll also continue the work I started with my seven “tribesmates” (think Seth Godin) this past summer. After articulating what it means to learn in the 21st Century, we began the challenging task of rewriting units to reflect our beliefs of how children learn best. We’ll attempt to create a “picture” of what this looks like in the classroom. Oh, and there is my new work with our District Math Coordinator. We haven’t yet articulated what our work will look like but I imagine we’ll begin to wrap our brains around the ways in which technology can enhance and support learning math.

• I am also the person responsible for Gifted Accelerations in our district. Having been a gifted specialist for 10 years, finding alternative learning environments for children is rewarding and a constant challenge.

Finally, a personal goal is to expand my digital footprint. I find my connections to my PLN to be my number one source of inspiration as I look for ways to grow professionally.

Well, there you have it. A rather lengthy list of “Big Rocks”. I am excited by the infinite possibilities. As I navigate my way through these swiftly moving waters, I’ll allow Dewitt Jones’ inspiring words to light my way:

Four keys to an extraordinary vision…
~focus the vision
~train your technique
~put yourself in the place of most potential
~be open to the possibilities

What are your plans this year? How do you want to grow? How can I help?

So, I got caught…finally. It was only a matter of time before someone discovered the truth. It actually feels good to be “found out”. It’s probably just the impetus I needed to situate my “walk” and my “talk” on the same straight line. Mahatma Gandi said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in complete harmony”. In other words, walking your talk. Confused?

If you spend any time with me, you will inevitably hear me say that reflection and transparency are essential to deep learning. Blah. Blah. Blah. What good are those words if I don’t practice them myself? When was the last time I posted to this blog? January 2009. Evidently I haven’t learned anything since then because you’re not going to find too many places or spaces where I’ve shared my learning. I continue to lurk…lurk…lurk. Why? Because…I just don’t believe I have anything more to add to the conversation. There. I said it.

I must admit the pull to perseverate over the “why” behind my resistance to being transparent is large and tempting; a better question…a more productive question is “what am I going to do about it?” Because quite honestly, I no longer care to be out of sync with what I say, do and am. I want to trade in the straight jacket I’ve clung to for so many years (it doesn’t fit anymore) and find my rhythm…the place where my walk and my talk are in perfect, precise syncopation. I want to erase the imaginary line of not being “good enough” and re-discover the me I was before I became less than I was meant to be.

So, to Sheryl Nussbaum Beach, thank you for calling me out…for refusing to let me be small. In the spirit of transparency, I think I owe you (and everyone else) a post. (Or two.) Stay tuned…

I just finished reading a post by Patrick Woesser over at Academic Info entitled, “Putting the Education Back in the Ed Tech”. In it he states,

“This week, I attended an educational technology conference that drew participants from several states. Although turnout was low due to inclement weather, I couldn’t help but notice that the most popular sessions focused on tool-based technology integration. Web 2.0 applications were all the rage…and I’m not sure why.”

He goes on to clarify that although he is a proponent of web 2.0 tools, he cannot understand why people are still so mesmerized with the tools. I, too, have wondered the same thing but then I remember that I, too, was once mesmerized by them…oh, wait…I still am! He wants more “sustainable, meaningful transformation of teaching and learning” sessions because he feels teachers have an “obligation to become more independent in professional growth.”

I agree with almost everything he says; however, I keep hearing Patrick’s sentiments echoed over and over again from people all over the country and I’m beginning to wonder if we’re spending far too much time and energy resisting what IS. Perhaps we should be looking for ways to capitalize on their interests as a segue into a more meaningful discussion about how these tools can be used to support and enhance learning. To be sure it’s a “backdoor” way to get to the same place…I think we in education refer to it as “differentiation”. Who knows? The tools might ultimately lead teachers to re-imagine learning in their classrooms.

Yes,the stakes are high; there is an almost frenetic urgency to change education before we become irrelevant to our students. I’m not sure, however, that beating teachers over the head by insisting that the conversation begin with “meaningful talk about teaching and learning” is going to help us reach the goal of “getting students to take ownership of their Learning”?

As one of the people in charge of professional development for our district, I’ve stopped resisting the talk about the tools. Now, I may introduce a new tool, get past the “Oh’s” and “Ah’s” and THEN engage them in conversations about teaching and learning. Hopefully, one day, the conversations we have will ONLY be about learning… but until then, I’m going to meet them wherever they are on their journey. It was Bob Nelson who said, “You get the most effort from others not by lighting a fire underneath them, but by building a fire within them.” You bring the marshmallows and I’ll bring the chocolate.