My first observation conference - much like Apple Maps

Apple Maps is a bit of a disaster. It's a good first effort by Apple, but could be a lot better. Apple Maps is an excellent illustration for my first observation conference.

In reviewing the video from the conference there are several strengths and also improvement areas regarding the environment and tone of the conference. First, the seating arrangement for both of us was off-putting. Having the table between us made the conference feel almost punitive. I began to feel this early on and worked hard to put her at ease and be disarming. Also, she pulled her chair far up to the table due to the table so close behind her. I didn’t want to make her feel crowded, so I backed my chair out a bit as you can see in the video. One area of strength is the collegial tone that the two of us have, and this is a result of having worked in the same department since she began working at this school.

I feel as though I need to improve my confidence. As I mentioned earlier, I was trying hard to be disarming as she is a young, female teacher and I am somewhat physically intimidating. To that end, I tended to couch my suggestions in too much hyperbole. In part that comes from the fact that this is only “practice” and I don’t have any real authority. I didn’t want to come across as though I was a real administrator when I am in fact, not. Another area I need to improve on is my unwillingness to be more direct. This is related to the  first area for improvement. I did feel as though my suggestions were strong and well-received. I will follow-up to see if the suggestions are implemented and whether or not the implementation is successful. Also, there was no real collection and/or sharing of data.

As for behaviors, I tried to use listening, but I’m not sure I did a good job in that. I also tried to be non-directive which goes against my personality. I am also not terribly certain that attempt was successful. I was somewhat taken aback by the question about her lesson, as I had focused so much on the questions she asked beforehand about classroom management that I did not think enough about the lesson itself.

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo by bindermichi: http://flickr.com/photos/bindermichi/3678439687/

Learning Space Design Reflection

As I wandered the halls observing the different arrangements of classrooms I found that the vast majority of classrooms were arranged in the “standard” (as referenced in the classroom arrangement resources section) way of desks in rows. Before I began to leverage criticism against that I had to take a step back and ask myself a question:

What does the design of a learning space say to kids about the intent of the learning space?

The desks-in-rows arrangement says to kids “You are going to come in, sit down, and obey and listen to what you’re told”. Desks in rows screams passive learning. Many of the arrangements listed in the resources section still tend towards passive learning. With all due respect to the authors, just grouping kids or pairing kids up does not an active learning scenario make.

The design of a learning space informs its function. Take a look at this slidedeck, given by a colleague and dear friend of mine, David Jakes. Pay special attention to slides 27-31. Note that the tables are on wheels.

Re-imagining the Spaces In Which We Learn from David Jakes

Learning spaces of the future must be flexible. To see a real-world example of this take a look at any Starbucks located near a high school or University during exams. Upon entering, you will see students all over the space having rearranged it to suit their needs. You might find a group of kids working together at a large table moved into a corner because that’s where the power outlet is located. Or you might find a few kids quietly reading and highlighting important passages all the while sprawled out on a comfortable chair. In this day and age, we can learn anywhere.

The way learners learn in Starbucks is not limited to the USA.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/86354760@N00/6096918150

As I walked the halls looking into classrooms it hit me that we are telling our students here at my school that they need to be passive, obedient listeners and doers. We stifle creativity in part due to our space design. On the contrary, when I walk into the art room I see tables arranged in a U shape so the budding artists can all see expert demonstration. I also see those tables serving as a pottery surface and the teacher walking among the students guiding them when her demonstration is over. From there I walked into the Orchestra room and saw chairs and music stands arranged exactly like a professional orchestra would be. I saw the teacher acting as conductor and every student lending his or her “voice” to the beautiful mixture. Why are these classes the only ones where the learning space encourages student voices to be heard?

For the more traditional classrooms, traffic patterns were not observable because there was no “traffic”. Students sat and listened and worked on worksheets. This traditional model is rampant here.

As for technology, I feel this question is somewhat outdated. If we look beyond the surface of the question, we can see that the underlying supposition is that a classroom will have a certain number of computers and that the technology needs to fit into the space design. This is a problematic assumption in my opinion. With today’s availability of mobile technologies (e.g. laptops, Chromebooks, tablet devices, smart phones) the technology needs to become invisible and ubiquitous, like oxygen (paraphrasing my colleague and friend Chris Lehmann). We should no longer have to think about where to place computers in classrooms. We need to provide flexible options for students to learn in multiple spaces with ready access to a variety of technologies.  

These same conclusions can be extrapolated for staff development. In my experience, most all staff development sessions are “top-down”. A few weeks ago I went to a staff development session presented by a nationwide “expert” and was forced to sit and listen for an hour. I’d argue that’s ineffective presentation skills, yet we so often do this exact same thing to our students. If our learners deserve flexible learning spaces and the pedagogical shift to accompany it, our faculty do too. Teachers are first and foremost learners.

In case you're curious, my own classroom design is modeled after a Black Box Theater, except it's not me in the center, it's them.

The Journey from I to We

Image: 'lonely tree in the snow' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33760598@N03/3276510637

This first course in the Johns Hopkins Administration & Supervision Program (in conjunction with ISTE) has been quite the eye-opener. As the title indicates, it has been quite a shift for me to move from “I”, to “we”. As a classroom teacher I am accustomed to being the sole arbiter of learning for my students. I am used to being the center of attention and the source for knowledge for many students. Much like a lonely tree standing among millions of snowflakes, I sometimes feel isolated in my teaching. That’s because I was focused on the “I”.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of opportunities to collaborate with other teachers, plan with content groups, and discuss lesson plans. I have a thriving online community of learners with whom I interact daily through Twitter and other social networks. Despite these many opportunities for interaction with teachers and other colleagues, I have considered them as resources rather than team members. That designation on my part is deserved, as “resource” is the role these colleagues fulfill. They have never graduated to being a part of a “team” with me, as ultimately the success or failure of my classroom and my students is up to me.

Challenging
This course taught me first and foremost the importance of a good team. Early on in the course as I was writing the EL Assessment portion about Vision it focused on what I would do. My thoughts on vision focused almost entirely on my actions and goals in terms of reaching the community. My use of the word “I” was frequently and clearly my focal point. Points were justifiably deducted due to my self-centered focus. The loss of points served as a catalyst for me to rethink my notion of teacher as sole tree in a barren landscape. The task of articulating vision was the most challenging for me. Up until now I have found myself as subject to someone else’s vision. Moving into the JHU ISTE program provided me the first opportunity to engage in thinking about casting my own (collaboratively created) vision.

Image: 'Spring has Sprung' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124348109@N01/446371768

This leads to the big shift in thinking. I am no longer a solitary tree, I am now a tree in an orchard. Spring has sprung!

My shift in thinking came from course experience with Team ALEC. From day one, I found these ladies to be excellent in demeanor, pleasant to interact with, and capable of high caliber work. The ladies of Team ALEC proved over and over that teamwork can be worthwhile. I have been forced to work in “teams” in many an online course over the years. Most often, the experience has been abysmal. Typically there is one person that does the major portion of the work while the others simply tag along or make tepid excuses about their lives. Team ALEC showed that determination and desire for success can lead to productive teamwork. Working with these ladies - coupled with the shift in thinking from “I” to “we” got me thinking about a model for leadership success.

Interesting
A concept that I found particularly interesting was the notion of Leadership as Stewardship by Sergiovanni, as detailed in Chapter 6 of the Jossey Bass reader. Initially as I was reading I sketched an upside-down pyramid as a model for leadership. Nothing new here, but then I formalized it and imagined that I tasked with taking over the school at which I am currently employed (and the school with which I am by default the most familiar). The model I sketched looks like the pyramid to the left.

The Issues and My Ability
A portion of this assignment asks how these particular issues and/or ideas affect my ability to become a more effective leader. I’d like to answer this portion slightly differently, in that I want to focus on the practical applications of these new thoughts. First, when I become a leader I will make sure that it’s no longer just about me. While the big decisions may ultimately rest on my shoulders, the community, school, and others should know that decisions are made as a team. Second, I am no longer quite so averse to teamwork. On a more technological front, my deep love for the collaborative system that is Google Docs is solidified. Our use of Google Docs as Team ALEC has been exemplary. I will continue to use Google Docs in my work and will press forward to ensure wider adoption of such a collaborative platform.

Values
There are certain values I “bring to the table” that will inform my work as an administrator. The first value that is important in my work as an administrator is the value of servanthood. I place a high value on serving others. I am highly active in my local church and believe that I’ve been placed on this earth to serve. Until now, I’ve been tasked with serving my students and their families. As I move into administration the people whom I serve will increase in number and my mission will change to include serving my faculty and staff.

I also possess technological expertise. I am well versed in a variety of technological platforms and am familiar with the different affordances these technologies offer. As such, I can effectively lead my faculty and staff through the choppy waters of new technology. In addition, I can help avoid “fads”, which are so often popular in districts. By saving money through the prudent avoidance of fads, monies can be effectively leveraged into technologies that have a greater chance of positively impacting student achievement.

Issues in Ed Tech
There are many issues in educational technology that will impact my work in administration. One issue that will be prevalent in the next few years is the pressure to initiate a 1:1 program (ratio of student to device). Many schools/districts are going 1:1 with iPads, Google Chromebooks, or other devices. In doing so, they are offering students the chance to work with a device all day that is integrated into the curriculum. The proliferation of these programs is significant, and the pressure to implement 1:1 is great, and I will most certainly feel this pressure when I move into administration.

Complementary to the 1:1 pressures is the argument that students should be allowed to bring personal devices to school and use them for school purposes. This so-called BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) or BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program allows students to use devices with which they are already familiar. With both a 1:1 program and a BYOT/BYOD program come the immense pressure to correlate the use of these devices to a possible increase in MAP/PASS scores (at least in this geographic region).

These are but a few of the pressing issues in educational technology. There are many others, such as

• pressure to allow a more college-like system of choosing classes
• pressure to allow students to bring their own devices to school
• pressure to continue to increase MAP/PASS scores and to use technology to try and accomplish this goal
• pressure to implement STEM curriculum using technology (robotics, programming, etc)
• and more.

Information needed for my growth
Information is not what I need, I need access to information. When I was in graduate school, I could easily access relevant educational technology journals. These peer-reviewed publications offered me the ability to read the latest in research, opinions, and seek out further articles to read. Since graduating, I no longer have access to these journals, and my learning (as far as peer-reviewed research goes) has ceased. This is disappointing. Rather than encourage my school to fund journal subscription access, I would prefer that academia writ large embrace open access. Open access frees knowledge from the caged tyranny of the journal publishers.

Week 3 Reflection - Marzano Inventory

My top seven strengths were:

• Affirmation
• Ideals and beliefs
• Optimizer
• Relationships
• Visibility
• Discipline
• Outreach

My top seven areas of improvement were:

• Intellectual stimulation
• Change agent
• Communication
• Culture
• Flexibility
• Input
• Monitor/Evaluate

The leadership self-assessment was eye-opening to say the least. My top seven strengths were indicative of my personality more than my leadership style. I suppose there is overlap between those two but my personality should not be quite so dominant in the way it encroaches in on my leadership. Affirmation only correlates .19 with student achievement. If you had asked me before looking at the chart to predict the correlation, I would have expected it to be higher. Ideals/beliefs only correlates .22 to student achievement. Optimizer correlates at .20, continuing the trend of my personality correlating poorly with student achievement. Relationships correlates terribly at .18. Visibility correlates at .20, Discipline at .27, and Outreach at .27 also. Of my top seven strengths, it appears my personality might lend itself to leadership that does not correlate well with student achievement.

My areas of improvement, however, correlated much better than my areas of strength. Intellectual stimulation correlates at .24, change agent correlates at .24, Communication correlates at .23, Culture correlates at .25, Flexibility correlates at .28, Input correlates at .25, and Monitor/Evaluate correlates at .27.

It’s been interesting to note just how poorly my personality correlates with student achievement. Of course, this is all conjecture, but I have to assume myself to be sufficiently meta-aware enough to know how my personality informs my leadership. This experience has been beneficial in that now I know what areas to focus on so that I can grow as a leader and hopefully increase my correlation with student achievement.

EL Week 2 Reflection - Transformational Leadership

The definition of transformational leadership somewhat depends on who is articulating it. I prefer the Covey definition from the Transformational Leadership Report. He says, "The goal of transformational leadership is to “transform” people and organizations in a literal sense – to change them in mind and heart; enlarge vision, insight, and understanding; clarify purposes; make behavior congruent with beliefs, principles, or values; and bring about changes that are permanent, self-perpetuating, and momentum building."

Transformational leadership is a system that intends to take into account more than just behavior. It seems that many leaders focus exclusively on externally quantifiable factors (e.g. test scores, attendance, participation) as indicators of the health of an organization. This is often seen in today’s public education system. Recently, South Carolina opted out of the federal No Child Left Behind regulations and was granted a waiver by the federal government. However, the South Carolina Board of Education issued a letter grade to each school in the state that supposedly revealed the health of the school. The tragedy is that the letter grade was determined by a weighted algorithm that put significant importance on standardized test scores. So much so, that many schools report that their grades appeared to be based almost solely on those scores. The focus on test scores is a prime example of what not to do according to transformational leadership.

For an organization to be truly transformational, the focus must be on the larger goal and the inspiration of people towards that goal. Students must learn how to succeed for the purpose of learning and fulfilling their own version of the organization’s goal. For example, thanks to a recent PBIS initiative our students constantly hear us talking to them about doing their “personal best”. If a student does in fact score well on a state standardized test we trust they will know it is because the student truly did exert his or her personal best effort. This can impact the way a leader leads, as he or she must first articulate the goal with administrative staff. Once there is buy-in, the process must flow towards focusing on inspiring faculty and staff. This trickle-down method allows for the vision to be caught by all stakeholders, including (and especially) students.

If the goal is caught by all stakeholders, there is a natural flow to how to incorporate technology. The use of technology becomes a natural extension of the goal. As in my example from my school, the use of technology becomes a way for students to exert their personal best effort. A report/essay/project improves significantly when it is properly researched, created, and tweaked using modern technological tools.

Week 2 Reflection (Orientation Course)

Week 2 Reflection

My expectations for this program are lofty, in that I want to learn everything I can about being a principal and a leader. It's easy for me as a classroom teacher to say that I know how to lead because I have been led. However, I am certain of one thing; that as I begin this program my preconceived notions are going to come crashing down.

One step I will take is to set aside a time daily that I will check in on the OLMS. I've taken online courses before, and my way to make sure that I don't completely forget about the course it to make sure that I set aside a daily time to check in. I then tend to assign myself work. I feel that the checklist feature of the OLMS will work well for me, as it gives me a good sense of what work I need to do. Thus far, I am quite pleased with how the course is laid out, as it works for how I think about online courses.

I still need additional support getting my head around the JHU system. The OLMS is different from any other I've used, and I've used all the major ones (e.g. Blackboard, Moodle, etc). Having a proprietary LMS is potentially beneficial, but it means that I need to spend time really getting to know the features of the LMS. This orientation course has been helpful, but I am sure there are features I simply have not yet seen.

First post

This is my first post, to show you I did what the week 1 activities told me to.