The Power of Video

Focus on Teaching, Using Video for High-Impact Instruction, by Jim Knight highlights the value of video technology in the process of enhancing teaching methods.  Consider the statement, “The power of video is that it cuts through habituation, confirmation bias, and the complexity of teaching and shows a true picture of what is happening.”

Mentors and Proteges, prior to Friday, November 20, 2015, please share your experience with using video: 

• When you reviewed the video of you teaching, what did you learn about yourself that you did not previously consider?
• Discuss the process of using the video as a reflective tool.  Were you initially hesitant?  Discuss the value of the experience.  What are your possible next steps with utilizing video as a coaching tool?

Once you post your response, please respond to the post of two other peers. 

Educational Truths

Technological advancements have narrowed the gap of access to educational systems around the world.  Within those educational systems stakeholders espouse educational philosophies that guide their actions.  With such widespread belief systems we must guard against educational relativism – “there are no certain educational truths.”

How often at years end do we take the time to reflect on our educational beliefs? In what ways do we guard against educational relativism?

• All children can learn vs Some children can learn
• All students can be equipped for higher education or the workforce vs Some students are destined for the penal system
• All children deserve access to a quality education vs Quality education is reserved for students who show the greatest potential

What are your educational truths? Or, do you believe that educational truths do not exist?

21st Century Learning

In the field of education we seek to understand “21st Century Learning” so that our students are well equipped to face the challenges in higher education or the career of their choice. But, we have learned that defining the concept and creating an implementation plan is dependent upon the differentiated needs of the learner, the skill and experience of stakeholders, and access to resources to support implementation. 

The Global Digital Citizen Foundation article 9 Charecteristics of 21st Century Learning highlights functional processes to consider:

• Learner Centered
• Media Centered
• Personalized 
• Transfer-By-Design
• Visibly Relevant 
• Data Rich
• Adaptable
• Interdependent 
• Diverse

Source

The Power of Questions

Jim Faye writes about the power of questions: how questions can actually divert the brain’s focus. A person who is thinking in one direction can suddenly find himself/herself thinking in a totally different direction when hit with a question.
 
An example of this happened when Jill said to her teacher, “Well, I wasn’t the only one throwing food.” Her teacher responded with empathy and a question, “Oh, this is sad. Where are you going to eat now that you can’t eat in the cafeteria any more?”
 
“Huh?” Jill’s brain, driven by nature to answer questions, had to switch gears and go off in a totally different direction.
 
Most things we say can be turned into a question, putting us in charge of the conversation. Here are some examples of changing orders or statements into questions:
 
Order:  “You aren’t going to talk like that in this house.”
Question:  “Is this the right place for that language? Thank you.”
 
Order:  “If you don’t do your homework, you’re going to get a bad grade.”
Question:  “What kind of grade do you think you’ll get without doing your homework?”
 
Order:  “You are not going to drive if you drink.”
Question:  “What do you think will happen to your driving privileges if I start worrying about you drinking?”
 
Order:  “You guys better quit fighting over that remote control.”
Question:  “Have you guys thought about what might happen to the remote if you keep fighting over it?”
 
Order:  “Quit that bickering!”
Question:  “Hey, guys, what do you think is going to happen if that doesn’t stop?”
 
In the context of leadership coaching, questions can have a powerful impact on teacher development. Leaders who are trained to be cognitive coaches understand that they support the following outcomes:

1. The leader enables people to modify their capacity so that they are able to modify themselves.
2. The leader allows the thinker to evaluate what is good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate, effective or ineffective, so that the thinker builds the capacity to become metacognitive and make relevant growth decisions.
3. The leader helps to transform thinkers from where they are to where they want to be and ultimately foster a commitment of purpose in the thinker to do the same as the thinker coaches others.

Take time today and consider the following:

What interactions in the work setting presented an opportunity for you to ask questions?

Prior to going into your personal setting with family, consider previous interactions that did not have a positive outcome. Prepare a few questions in advance so that your questions can guide a positive outcome

William Price, EdD

Tweets by pricewilliam

https://williamprice357.wordpress.com

Empathy, Education, and Excellence

The fullness of our life journey might hinge on the amount of empathy we share along the way. The dictionary defines empathy as the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another. The ability to disconnect from ourselves and connect to others is easier for some individuals as compared to others.

Unknowingly, when we should listen, observe, and connect to the feelings of the other person, our actions might actually widen our understanding of the persons plight. Big Brothers and Big Sisters shared the “empathy blockers” that a person can use as a gauge to determine if their interaction connects or distracts from showing empathy.

The Empathy Blockers
1) Intellectual understanding of the situation. To understand at the thought level not at the feelings or heart level.
2) Sympathizing or commiserating. There is no “I” in sympathy – attention is on the other.
3) Giving advice or trying to fix.
4) Explaining. Let me tell you why this is happening to you.
5) Correcting. Connection before correction. Connection before direction.
6) Consoling.
7) Telling a story or one upping. Talking about your own experience taking attention off the other.
8) Shutting down feelings by offering reassurance before the person is complete.
9) Educating or evaluating. Empathy before education.
10) Interrogating. Asking questions to satisfy your own curiosity.

Source:

Click to access BBBS%20Mentor%20Learning%20Series%20Module%202%20-%20Non%20Violent%20Communication%20V2.pdf

Educational leaders are at the center of multiple stakeholder groups: students, staff, parents, community, central office. The balanced leader must carefully gauge each situation to determine how to be supportive and yet ensure that actions are aligned to their beliefs and the vision of the organization. Here are a few practical actions that a leader can follow to strengthen their ability to show empathy for others during daily interactions.

– Listen Attentively
– Validate the other’s emotions
– Offer personal support
– Be respectful to the person

Take a few moments today to evaluate the following statements:

1) In one of your most recent interactions with a stakeholder, identify your empathy actions or empathy blockers.

2) What indicators let you know your school’s/organization’s current understanding of the value of empathy?

3) In the next week identify empathy behaviors in the organization that you can affirm or empathy blocking behaviors that you can redirect.

Additional support:
Building Social and Emotional Skills in Elementary Students: Empathy
http://t.co/W41LK6hZtH

Suggested reading:
Teaching With Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk

Holographic Meetings

Considering the current digital trends in education, we have to consider innovative techniques that will allow us to stay connected with stakeholders. Our consistent challenge is what communication method is best used to meet the needs of each generation? This challenge continues to manifest as the average age in the workforce increases.

What medium of communication will be used in the future so that those that require a personal face to face meeting are connected with those that are comfortable with the digital environment? Hologram technology may be the thread that binds the communication needs of generations.

Microsoft could make Skype holograms a reality with new 3D meeting tech http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/26/4269144/microsoft-developing-holographic-meeting-tech

Teach Like A Champion – Techniques 1 – 3

Last week at Alcott we read techniques 1 – 3 of chapter 1. We learned that high expectations are directly correlated to high student achievement. Teachers are required to post a response by Friday, November 2. Please respond to a minimum of one question and take time to reply to a peer’s post.

1) Explain how the use of No Opt Out has or will increase performance in the area of I-2 Checks for Student Understanding or I-7 Promotes High Academic Expectations for Students .

2) After viewing the four No Opt Out formats in Chapter 1, discuss which of the four formats the teacher used in Video Clip #1 on the cd. Discuss how the teacher did or did not meet level 3 expectations for I-2.

3)Explain why it’s important for a teacher to understand student expectations developed by the state so that a teacher is able to facilitate technique #2 Right is Right. Secondly, choose one of the four categories of Right is Right (Hold out for all the way, Answer the question, Right answer – right time, Use technical vocabulary) and relate the skill to a Level 3 criterion in either I-2, I-4, or I-6.

4) Technique #3 Stretch It (Ask How or Why, Ask for another way to answer, Ask for a better word, Ask for evidence, Ask for students to integrate a related skill, Ask for students to apply the same skill in a new setting) requires the teacher to reward right answers with more questions. Discuss how you (can or do) incorporate the use of Kilgo question stems into your lessons to show students that the reward for achievement is more knowledge. Lastly, choose a Kilgo question stem and give an example of which Stretch It technique you would use to Stretch student thinking.

Teach Like A Champion – Introduction

Last week we read the introduction of our staff book study Teach Like a Champion. Mr. Lemov highlights the art of teaching and provides foundational direction on incorporating high yield instructional strategies. Each teacher is required to post a response by Friday, October 26. Please respond to a minimum of one question and take time to reply to a peer’s post.

1) Mr. Lemov discusses how holding on to a philosophy might impede a persons opportunity to practice skills that impact student achievement. Discuss an educational philosophy and use Mr. Lemov’s concept to highlight an example detailing how the philosophy impeded practice .

2)”In practiced hands, it creates faces that emerge out of stone and are far more striking than even the most clever and ornate tool could ever be.” pg. 6 Discuss the relationship of the quote to this statement – simple strategies can have a powerful impact.

3)Discuss the teacher and student behaviors that you observed in clip 13. What strategies do you or will you use that relate to the clip?

4)Mr. Lemov discusses how teaching assessed standards, using data, incorporating higher-level lesson planning, and utilizing rigorous materials makes great classrooms. Discuss the relationship between the practices and give examples of how you might enhance your practice.

5) Which one of the seven teachers mentioned on pages 14-17 reminds you of an experience you have lived or observed? Highlight the correlation between the teacher and your experience (observation).

Alcott Holiday Literacy Drive

Our school improvement plan highlights our campus goals.  Enhancing literacy opportunities for our students has been our goal since last year and our commitment is evident in the investments we have made.  While we have made strides to increase our book to student ratio for our students (2:1 at the beginning of the 2010 school year) , we still need to acquire a substantial amount of books to reach our goal of 40 books for every student on campus.  Our current Holiday Literacy Drive: 1) Each student will leave with a book to read during the holiday break, and 2) Each classroom will have a classroom library of books, will help us move toward achieving our goal.

Please share the following:

1) What goal did your team set for the Holiday Literacy Drive?

2) What strategic plan did you create to reach your goal?

3) How have you or how do you plan to communicate your goals to students and parents?

Dr. Klineberg – HISD Principal’s Meeting

10/5/11 Houston Independent School District, Principal’s Meetings
Dr. Klineberg: Changing Face of Houston: Tracking the Economic and Demographic Transformation through 30 years of Surveys

Gone are the days that a high school drop out can earn a middle class wage. Companies now can produce products anywhere in the nation. Education is a critical determinant of a persons success.
The connection between education and work is highly positive during this era.
During 1950 – 1970 3.5 births.
There is a huge trend of dollars moving from the middle class to the wealthy.
We have the best health care in the nation, yet the highest number of children with no health care.
Dropping out of high school condemns a person to poverty.
In the past, the source of Houston’s wealth was oil. The new source of wealth will be tied to biotechnology.
Oct 7, 1999 USA Today Houston surpassed LA in pollution. If Houston is to continue to grow, there must be a focus on increasing the quality of life.
A focus on planting trees, decreasing build boards, enhancing bayous, enhancing downtown, a focus on creating housing conducive to activing living.
Most feel that Houston is a better place to live as compared to other places. This is contrasted with those that don’t live in Houston who say, “Why would you want to live in Houston?”
The ethnic population is changing. 82%, 12% Africans 1492 – 1965 came to America. National Origins Quota Act of 1924 was a European focused Act. 1920’s – 30’s Asians were limited from immigrating to US. 1965 the racist law was changed.
The percentage of those immigrating to America has now flipped 82% Asian, 12% European. LA and NY are urban integration centers. Houston has been the city that has drastically been impacted by immigration.
Houston has stayed a vibrant city because of how immigration has benefitted the city. Current percentages: Asians 7%, Hispanics 40%, Blacks 18%, Anglo’s 33% are a balance in Houston.
Two demographic revolutions: the browning and aging of America. This creates an interesting dynamic – Anglo’s over representation in the 55 & older group. While the young generation is browning.
Any business that wants to succeed will have to tap into the ehnic diverse balance in Houston.
Our port is the second largest port in the nation and the 6th largest port in the world – which is a major asset.
We are the only nation that focuses on one language. Most other nations focus on more than one language. This places American’s at a disadvantage in a global economy.
As we look forward, we must balance between danger and opportunity. How we navigate between the two will determine the future of our city.
We are the only nation in the world that believes that everyone should not have health care.
Investing in early education is one of the most critical investments that the business community can make.
Obama – “Those countries that out educate us today will out perform us tomorrow”
http://www.kinder.rice.edu