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Succinct and useful advice on giving feedback which is "kind, specific, and helpful."  With the point being that you need all three to help students progress and learn from their work. Has implications for administration as well.

Pulling this back out. One of my favorite blog posts about what I feel makes for the best teachers...giving great feedback. "Learning" should not be a one-off event, it should be a process of feedback and improvement.

An unconference, free conference for teachers, administrators and anyone involved in education. Essex Middle School on April 14, 2012

29 Great pieces of wisdom for all educators to reflect on.

"The Campus Technology Conference is for higher education professors, instructors, administrators, curriculum developers and IT professionals who are tasked with integrating emerging technology into their programs. Over 4 days, the conference delivers the most up-to-date information on new tools, applications and services-and how they work on real campuses."

While this is for "higher ed" it might be interesting to attend. Sometimes I think that there is too much of a disconnect between what happens in high school and what happens in college. They are not exclusive of one another, but a continuing process to a student's achievement of their goals. I believe that both (hs and colleges) need to figure out how we can integrate more pieces of our work.

EdCamp Flyer "EdCamp Vermont (http://edcampvt.posterous.com), an education conference like no other, will be held at Essex Middle School on Saturday, April 14th. The structure of the conference is very informal, with attendees signing up to run sessions first thing in the morning. The conference will be free from corporate vendors and booths, with the focus being solely on conversations about education. Attendees will come from all over Vermont and will range from classroom teachers to administrators to coaches and school board members. There will be time for attendees to gather informally to share ideas as well as a variety of sessions for them to attend, run by their colleagues and fellow educators."

What a great way for a group of Fellows to share either individual initiatives...or to talk about the process of change...how change happens...how to maintain an initiative...how admin can be generative leaders...or any of a number of pieces that Fellows and their schools have learned from our experiences.

I am going to be there with our school's art teacher. We couldn't miss this.

"...there is an important lesson about the molding power of story. When we read dry, factual arguments, we read with our dukes up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally and this seems to leave us defenseless."

Interesting read as we prepare for our presentations next week. Also...has interesting applications for how administrators communicate new ideas with faculty and teachers engage students.

"...we are beasts of emotion more than logic. We are creatures of story, and the process of changing one mind or the whole world must begin with "Once upon a time."

"Those who hold leadership roles within our schools must come to terms with the fact that standards, curriculum, instruction, assessments and accountability will only get you so far in improving student achievement. If you do not address the underlying issue of the student experience, these efforts might not have a discernible impact." "...if students felt as if they belonged to the school community, the more likely they would be confident of succeeding in college." "...students who feel a sense of psychological connection to their school community are more likely to be engaged in their learning and are more likely to behave in ways that promote self-development and socialization."

Simple article with profound implications for students and for working with faculty.

"Generally teachers don't like traditional observations and they don't often result in significant improvements. Video transforms lesson observations, turning them on their head."

"...the most important thing about using video for CPD purposes is to get away from the idea of video as a management tool, and embrace it as something that you as an individual teacher can have control of."

"The idea is for teachers to start by self-reflecting, and once you are confident in doing so you can share videos with colleagues and develop coaching and mentoring relationships which are more productive and genuinely result in classroom based improvements."

"...argues that education policymakers should take a closer look at another accountability system-on-site inspections."

"...detailed look at the methods school inspectors use to evaluate schools. The process is thorough and rigorous: '[I]nspectors observe classroom lessons, analyze student work, speak with students and staff members, examine school records, and scrutinize the results of surveys administered to parents and students,' he notes."

IMHO Single most valuable piece of advice for successful #EdReform. As amazing as all of our programs are, I truly believe that programs have very little to do with successful EdReform. I believe that it is about people more than programs, about the freedom to teach, and especially about administrators supporting an entrepreneurial spirit in the classroom. It is not too much of a stretch to grasp the connection between ownership and passion. And, when we love what we do...we simply do it better.

A note. I am not saying the work we are doing isn't important...what I am saying is that you are the most important piece to making your work...work.

Agreed!