10 Norms of Improving Schools

Today I was thinking about this quote from Stoll and Fink:

'Schools are either getting better or they are getting worse, because the rapidly accelerating pace of change make standing still impossible'.

They wrote this in 1995.  If it applied then, how much more is it applicable in 2014!  

Louise Stoll writes about the culture of a school and identifies the 10 norms of improving schools
1. Shared goals—“we know where we’re going”
2. Responsibility for success—“we must succeed”
3. Collegiality—“we’re working on this together”
4. Continuous improvement—“we can get better”
5. Lifelong learning—“learning is for everyone”
6. Risk taking—“we learn by trying something new”
7. Support—“there’s always someone there to help”
8. Mutual respect—“everyone has something to offer”
9. Openness—“we can discuss our differences”
10. Celebration and humour—“we feel good about ourselves”
Stoll and Fink (1996)

Eighteen years later these norms are more important than ever. If educators develop and practice these 10 interwoven norms their school will improve. Unpacking how each of these will look in practice will be an interesting and valuable activity (exercise, experience) in some of the schools I work in. 

Thinking about Learning

I have listed all the learning phrases I can think of.  It's interesting to get teachers discussing their understandings of them. 
How is success achieved?  Thinking specifically about:

• Pedagogy
• Learning design
• Learning tools
• Key competencies
• Information literacy skills

Learning beyond the classroom

What does 'Beyond the Classroom mean in 2014? How can educators develop a range of learning behaviours virtually? What tools can be used and what are some ways this learning can be facilitated? This presentation shares some easy ways to use Google Drive. 
My goal is to prompt some meaningful discussion and eLearning exploration.  Achieving this depends on a teacher's starting point and whether their heart and head are open to new learning.   Are they willing to make changes to their teaching practice?

 

Beyond the Classroom from Lyn Ross

A learning tool

The class blog is a powerful learning tool both within and beyond the classroom.  It can be so much more than just a display space! It is an online community which can direct and support learning anywhere, anytime. 
In this video a teacher is discussing the class learning blog with her students.  Together they chose a virtual pet and added it to the blog.

Designing Learning and Blogging

I am a big fan of blogging!  Particularly educators using a class blog as a learning tool in the classroom.  Tapping into the motivational aspects of blogging can make a huge difference to student engagement and achievement.  Students really respond to the idea that their thoughts and ideas will be 'out there' for others to view and respond to if they choose.   By developing an online learning community students can continue learning after leaving the classroom.\
Some ideas for developing the use of a class blog:

Designing learning

Using the class blog

I was modelling to a class of predominantly Pasifika students.  They were learning more about their class blog and how to upload photos and videos. They had been talking about Maori games and leisure activities and the teacher asked my to upload a video showing Maori string games.

I showed how to embed the video below.  The students were asked to do they following (at school or home):

1. Make a loop of string or wool.
2. Watch the video below
3. Follow the video to complete a 'Jacob's ladder'.

Culturally Inclusive Facilitator Framework

My focus today is reviewing goals I set around the  Culturally Inclusive facilitator framework. My goals are:

Tangata Whenua

• To gain more understanding of Pasifika customs and stories.  
• Plan digital learning experiences for students around the stories of their culture

Two of my schools have high Pasifika rolls (80%), so learning about Pasifika cultures is of interest to me.

I found the resource Pasifika Digital Legends. This TKI website contains many stories retold by New Zealand students.

Another resource is a Virtual Learning Network group 'Maori and Pasifika Learners.

Principles of Effective Learning

These principles are compiled from an article by Julia Atkin. 

Every educator needs to reflect on how well their teaching practice and the learning environments they provide meet these principles.
As a facilitator how well do I embed these principles into my workshops?

Principles of Effective Learning

Changing practice

As a part of my professional inquiry I am looking for and planning ways I can change my facilitation practice.  I am trying out new ideas and changing the way I do things.  My main goal is to involve teachers more.   To be more transformational rather than transactional. 

I have used the 'discuss with people around you' technique a lot.  This works well in a conference workshop where teachers might be from different schools.  However, when I am facilitating a staff meeting for teachers from one school I want teachers to be thinking, discussing and co-creating - to put together planning and frameworks which are meaningful for their students and school community.  I feel that my facilitation skills in doing this successfully could be improved.

Getting teachers to co-create successfully is not always easy. I want teachers to include new ideas, not recreate the something that is pretty much the way they've always done things.  It's very important to set the scene well, provide new, relevant information for discussion and to pose thought-provoking questions.  Motivating teachers so they are compelled to contribute is also a major factor and often the culture of the school comes into play here.

I used group brainstorming (below) to get teachers to unpack the elements of effective pedagogy.  This followed a discussion about the pages related to effective pedagogy in the New Zealand Curriculum Framework.

eLearning Planning vs Teacher Hands-on Experiences

I'll start by saying that having meaningful eLearning planning docs in a school is essential - especially these: a vision for eLearning (related to the school vision); an eLearning strategic action plan to help you achieve your vision; a purchase or lease plan which provides a systematic, budget related plan for the acquisition of digital devices; a BYOD framework.

However equally important is individual teachers having a commitment to increasing eLearning in the classroom and beyond.  To achieve this teachers need to be given new ideas, they need to see examples and they need demonstrations of how these ideas can be integrated into learning areas.   They need to practice and build up their own IT skills.  They need to set goals, reflect, share and collaborate.

School leaders need to ask the  question 'In order for the school to achieve our eLearning vision and the desired graduate student,  what IT equipment and teacher practice is needed?'   How will we achieve this?

Achieving eLearning success across a school requires more than the usual eLearning action plan. It requires commitment to teacher PLD (practical ideas, hands-on, skill-building), scaffolding, mentoring, expectation and accountability.  Most of all the teacher needs to identify as a learner.

Level of teacher expertise and personalising learning

My job is an interesting mix of all levels of education practice.  I work with leaders on eLearning visioning, curriculum and professional inquiry. And I work with teachers, with all levels of eLearning expertise, to develop their use of eLearning with their students.  

This week I have been providing some blogging next steps to a group of teachers who are new to online spaces.  To model in a real context I set up a blog called 'The eLearning Sandpit.  Which I shared with the teachers.  The first post (above)  showed the WALT.  The second post shared the intended outcome (quick goal setting).  

 

 Using a blog as the 'presentation' platform worked well and I was able to demonstrate the skills before the teachers tried them.  We finished the session by sharing our goals (what?) ... myself included!

On the drive home I reflected on the workshop.  I had tried something different.  I changed my approach to suit the needs of the learners and I personalised the learning activity.   I was happy with the outcome.

We can't do what we can't imagine

As a part of my professional inquiry I have been researching and reflecting on effective eLearning leadership as a key factor for developing an eLearning vision and successful teacher practice.

I love this thought-provoking talk by Julia Atken.    She outlines things so well and provides many useful ideas for developing both leadership and eLearning in a school. Sharing it with a school's leadership team would be a good way of starting an eLearning vision discussion and the ways this vision will be co-created by staff


Leadership has two main key aspects:
Transactional - Supervision, organisation; getting things done (management)
Transformational - Enhancing the motivation, morale and job performance of staff.  ‘There is a basis of respect, encouragement, and influence that is involved in transformational leadership. The personality of the leader has to be genuine because any chance of inconsistency for the followers and all trust is gone, and the leader has failed.’ (Wikipedia)

Engaging staff in thought and discussion:
Why are we educating these young people?  What is the nature of the world we are educating them for?  After these questions are clearly thought about and answered, now ask the questions 'so where does eLearning fit in?' and 'Why would we want eLearning?'

Transformational leadershipAs a leader, providing the right opportunities for your staff - acknowledging where they are and providing the support needed to move them forward.  Nurturing the growth of each of the staff members. Teachers defining what learning they need to do.

The three main points for me: 

1. A leader going into a back room and writing the eLearning vision will make no difference to eLearning in the school.
2. Be a transformational leader - a role model, inspire, understand, nurture to enhance performance, challenge
3. Helping teachers imagine the possibilities - we can't do what we can't imagine.

eLearning Strategic Planning Flow Chart

This flow chart provides a path to follow to help a school create links between their school vision, vision for eLearning, number and placement of devices (IT model) and their eLearning
strategic action plan.

e Learning Strategic Plan Guide

Strategic Planning for eLearning

One of the BEST resources for developing eLearning in a school has got to be Enabling eLearning  Whatever you need to know, it's here and it will provide a valuable resource for my professional inquiry.
To successfully develop eLearning capability and practice, leadership is the key!  This sounds obvious but many school leaders are unsure about how to provide leadership in eLearning across their school.  This video from Holy Cross School provides some useful ideas.

Effective Pedagogy

At the moment here's a lot of talk in New Zealand education about one to one devices, BYOD (bring your own device) LYOD (lease your own device), and having a MLE (modern learning environment).  I have discussions with educators about these every week.
However successful eLearning and eTeaching requires teachers to look at their own practice and make changes.  What was considered effective pedagogy (great teaching) in 1990 would probably be the opposite now.  In a 'digital classroom' you can't teach the way you've always taught and expect success.

Unpacking what effective pedagogy looks like is an interesting activity for teachers.  Working in groups they were asked to brainstorm their ideas and practices about:

5 Stages for effective teaching and meaningful learning

1. Learn about it. 

it is an unrealized or perceived need that is a motivator, not an “interest” or the merely novel. So, awaken in the learner’s the insight, “This is why I need to learn this.”   Remember that meaningful learning is knowledge that addresses a need, solves a problem, or satisfies. 

• Most helpful pedagogy: Lecture, explication, problem-posing.
• Teacher action: identify knowledge category (skill, information, concepts, principle, self-understanding, etc.). Lecture on concepts and principles (not information). Apply appropriate teaching taxonomy

2. Understand it.

Regardless of how important it is, merely receiving information is not sufficient to bring about meaningful learning. At appropriate intervals, test for comprehension and check for misunderstanding.

• Most helpful pedagogy: dialog, question and answer, self-assessment, test for misunderstanding.
• Teacher action: share information, provide sources of information or knowledge, test for comprehension, test for misunderstanding using appropriate assessment taxonomy.

3. Manipulate it. 

For knowledge to become meaningful, learners must be able to manipulate it. Manipulating information helps internalize knowledge by creating pathways for connecting with what is known, and, processing knowledge through multiple intelligences.

• Most helpful pedagogy: Interpret it, enhance it, diagram it, depict it, change it, deconstruct it, combine it, illustrate it, interpret it, model it.
• Teacher action: provide appropriate experiential learning activity.

4. Retain it. 

Meaningful learning is bringing about change to long-term memory–if the students can’t retain it, they haven’t learned it. Meaningful learning must be rehearsed in order for it to be retained and to achieve mastery.

• Most effective pedagogy: rehearsal, memorization and recall, association, application.
• Teacher action: Provide for rehearsal. Use transition induction and summary-review induction. Test for retention and accuracy of retention. Plan intervals for revisiting and rehearsing core concepts.

5. Use it.

Knowledge becomes meaningful when a learner can use (apply) it. The challenge for classroom learning is that knowledge must be applied in the context it must be used (avoid “pretend learning.”). Failure to follow this principle results in the tendency to “teach for the test” as evidence of application.  Find ways for students to apply what they are learning in the “real world,” outside the classroom.

• Most helpful classroom pedagogy: simulation, experimentation, application in context, projects.
• Teacher action: provide an application step. Provide feedback on application.

From a blog post by Israel Galindo is Associate Dean for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary

My inquiry into practice 2014

Experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience, i.e., "learning from experience".   For me in my job as an eLearning facilitator, this means developing my own practice and then reflecting on how it went.    First I need to ask myself 'what am I trying to achieve?'  There are many answers to this question - the job has many facets to it.  Some things I know well. other are new to me.  

During 2014 I want to think about why I do things they way I do i.e. the focus of my facilitation (workshops, leaders' meetings, staff meetings).  What do I think is important and why.  I hope that experiential learning will help me in this journey.

David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model (ELM)