Connected Principals

Learning goes deep. Evidence of higher order thinking.  Real and substantive conversations.  Personal learning.  Autonomy, mastery, purpose, choice, self-direction. 21st century skills integration. Reflecting

One of my core beliefs about school these days is that we need to get teachers off of the hamster wheel of the current school-day model. Teachers need time to collaborate, to plan, to innovate. And schools need to find ways to build frequent - I believe weekly - time for everyone to sit in a room and work together to make schools better.

Zipkes begins with the three R's, which he is quick to note should be engaged sequentially, but not in the conventional order of rigor, relevance, and relationships. Rather Manor begins by building relationships, then incorporates relevance and rigor. "Many schools try to put the rigor in first, but then they've already lost many of the students," he explains. "If you don't have a relationship with the students, they're not going to do anything for you; if it's not relevant, you're going to bore them. But when you look at relationships and relevance and then rigor, you're going to hit all students."

7. Where can I find samples of various exemplary AUPs?

"...we need to keep reminding ourselves that ed reform is not technology reform and that embedded, transformative technology is not simply digitizing what we've already been doing."

All of these data were ultimately distilled to those 9 factors (called Key Implementation Factors, or KIFs in the Project documentation) that need to be present in a school to truly realize the full potential of major 1:1 investments. While each factor is worth a post or two in and of itself, I'll just list them here.

Four years ago, we began looking at a PLC model. The ideas of creating time within the timetable for teachers to work interdependently to develop common emphasized curricula and assessments, to utilize the resultant data to modify instructional practice, and to create an intervention system that ensured the success of each student were very topical for our school.

...one phrase I saw in those documents some 20 years ago stuck with me. Reflective Practitioner. I sort of understood the concept but other than simply thinking about what you did in the classroom, I wasn't at all sure what to do with this term. PS. The only people allowed to criticize or challenge this idea are people who have blogged for at least one year and written at least 50 posts. The rest of you can ask questions but you can't dismiss it.

I write and think with the following assumptions: 1. All have the capacity to learn beyond the levels artificially set by the institution of school. 2. In schools, time and resources need to be the variables, not expectations. 3. Collective intelligence is more powerful than singular. 4. We need to prepare our students for a collaborative world, not a competitive one. 5. We are at the beginning of a revolution. 6. Failure should be celebrated, provided that it is unique. 7. Listening is more important than talking. 8. Sometimes in order to lead, one has to follow. 9. In order to learn, vulnerabilities need to be shared.

A few concepts have longevity such as "how effective is technology enhanced learning when contrasted with traditional classrooms?". Questions like this are boring. And unanswerable given the tremendous number of variables involved in teaching online and in classrooms. I'm firmly convinced of the following: ... ...many of the previously "hot" questions about technology in education no longer interest me. Some of these include:...

It is my main critique with the emotional-feel-good message of Ken Robinson's focus on creativity. First, we need to get over the view that our generation is astonishingly unique. Hasn't every generation faced new technologies to solve problems not foreseen? The present moment arrogance that invades much of school reform thinking is frustrating. And, I might as well add, the pendulum-thinking mindset that is evident in Robinson's view is damaging in the long term. See also http://daily-ink.davidtruss.com/elearnspace-its-new-its-new-george-siemens

I believe we should be rewriting elementary curriculum to address basic skills in a way that is truly integrated across disciplines. Stay true to constructivist theory - What I want to emphasize here is that constructivism is a learning theory, not a method of teaching.

# I will provide you with an extra prep per week ("A Fed Ex Prep") for 6 straight weeks. This would be prep-free for you as I would prep whichever subject the you would like. The time is also negotiable (ie. if you would rather have 2 periods a week for 3 weeks). # This time will be self-directed to ANYTHING you want with the only goal that you must DELIVER your ideas.

Although Ashley loved basketball, this was his first year playing on an organized team (grade 11). It was not that Ashley did not have a desire to play earlier, but because of his low grades and poor attendance, school rules prohibited him from doing so.

Douglas Reeves's consulting website (The Leadership and Learning Center), where he keeps full PDF text for many of his articles, past and present. SCORE! Check out this treasure trove of reading "when students improve the quaintly and quality of their writing, they improve in reading comprehension, math, science, and social studies."

Lecturing individual students is a common classroom management practice-just another tool in a teacher's tool belt. But it's a colossal mistake, born of frustration, that does nothing to curb unwanted behavior beyond several minutes. The reason?

Most exhilarating is Johnson's conclusion that with today's tools and environment, radical innovation is extraordinarily accessible to those who know how to cultivate it. Where Good Ideas Come From is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how to come up with tomorrow's great ideas. "Chance favours the connected mind."

I drew a triangle with "student" at two corners and "teacher" at the other. I wanted to see a community of learners where "student was teaching student", "teacher was teaching student" and "student was teaching teacher".

People who fear they will be hurt by a change speak up immediately, loudly and without regard for the odds or reality. People who will benefit from a change don't believe it (until it happens), so they sit quietly. And that's why change in an organization is difficult.

Someone who gets better whenever he fails will always outperform someone who responds to failure by getting worse. This isn't something in your DNA, it's something you can learn or unlearn.