First Month of Project Based Learning a Success Friday

We completed our first month's session of PBL, collaborating with three other teachers to create lessons on the driving question, "Do you know what you are eating and does it matter?" The final project was for the students to create an infographic showing a particular point of view and a product and how GMO or Organic labels can affect the product.

The final presentation was to parents, other teachers, students and a large group of central administrators. Simply put, the students nailed their ability to demonstrate what they had learned. Two of us were positively giddy with excitement as the students displayed their authentic learning to adults.

Now that the teachers have the direction and support to lead the way, learning is happening.

Back in the saddle again

Back after being away from all this for a spell. I have spent time renewing my National Board Certification that involved formal reflections on my practice and took most of the appeal of blogging away. On the other hand, the old blog helped me to recall the experiences of the past couple of years on the reform which proved useful in my renewal process.

The last year with a new administration team proved a success. We doubled our number of graduates and reduced the number of dropouts by 50% or so. We showed a Student growth percentile of 54 in Math and 62 in reading over the year with about 40 students participating in all three measures. These results caught the attention of the state in a positive way. We were able to apply and receive another $100,000 to follow up on the grant.

I stepped away for several reasons. The perceived lack of an audience discouraged me. I found better ways to reflect on my experience mostly through long walks and internal reflection. The drama and stress that developed during the first two years of the TIG grant. I kept positive in my conflicts with administration. So much so that I still socialize with my former principal. Two of the teachers were not able to handle the changes and they directed their anger at our new administrative team, affecting a transfer to new schools for this year.

The change has been dramatic. The Project Based Learning that other teachers proposed has given me the chance to be a driving force and not the lead element. I can sustain change through my energy and hard work. Here we are near the end of the first session, showing more engagement on the part of our learners and becoming a pilot program for the district. Soon we will again become a model program in the state.

We continue to struggle with focus. Too much randomness on the part of some staff and administration. I'm talking about an effort to revise a curriculum that we all teach, is aligned to career and technical education standards, and has been the cornerstone of our school for decades. We've been trying to create a revised course for months. I have been replaced as chair of the effort by a woman I respect and who has experience in career development. During a meeting this morning, three folks started with "what if we did..." comments that totally set a different direction for the course.

I responded forcefully that we have been working on this for months and now is NOT the time to brainstorm and experiment. I felt a deep shot of adrenalin and was a bit out of sorts. However, after the meeting, five colleagues congratulated me for speaking what they were feeling and were too timid to say. One in particular pointed out that some of the objectors may be unwilling to teach the course, so they are dragging their feet as a way to keep the changes from taking place. I liked that idea.

Now my understanding of how change can be effective involves using the processes to determine a course of action and then stay on that course for at least long enough to implement it. One teacher in particular is using verbal bullying to make her random observations. She cuts me off and continues to be completely random with her ideas. While brilliant, she also is unable to set a clear direction for her thoughts. She's extremely tough to deal with.

Nothing like a couple of months off the let the ideas ossify. I've left to focus on my Mock Trial team and to table the source of my frustration with the Careers curriculum. My focus on the team has made a difference for the twelve students involved. They are more involved in their learning, have gained from participation, and are now on a more successful trajectory. What's my lesson? When I can focus on student learning, accept help from committed experts (my lawyer coaches), and have an authentic learning experience to provide for the students, I do well.
Confronting the less than successful section of the pair- the Careers curriculum- forces me to critically examine why this became such a chore. I just spoke with Maggie who has taken over the lead of the endeavor. The staff met Monday morning with the same frustrating results that characterized my efforts. The combination of personalities in the staff make consensus impossible and focus on a few essential learnings problematic. Part of me wanted to enlist as much help from the new staff who were likely to evidence a stong level of commitment to the curriculum in the future. The weakness of that strategy? The experienced teachers overpowered most of the new teachers and brought their dysfunctional behaviors to the forefront.
Our consultant arrived in the second week of February to move the teams forward as well as help content areas "crosswalk" their content standards with the CTE standards. The content work fed the specialized knowledge of the teachers, so that complex part moved forward with surprising ease. The Careers work became mired for a number of reasons: lack clear, focused leadership; unproductive teamwork skills among teachers; and a lack of work experience among the staff.
My personal theory about the staff is we are now primarily teachers without the work history necessary for a Career / Technical Education perspective. The standards to obtain the CTE certifcation have broadened to the degree that pretty much anyone can obtain the certifcation after taking the classes regardless of work experience. This is not the best development. We have a divergent set of opinions on what makes a good job seeker from people who haven't sought a job in twenty years. This does not allow for enough perspective to be successful.
Okay, the rust is off and I'll be back at this with more if nothing more than cloud storage for my NBCT renewal documents in 2015.

I took Thanksgiving week off for a well deserved rest. Survived the School Support Team (SST) review well. The team presented preliminary results that centered around two themes: prioritizing and structuring for success. I can agree with both since I have been hammering the prioritizing goals and working on a few whenever I have the opportunity. They cited many positives, especially around the dedication and professionalism of the staff. That worked for me as well.

The formal roll out of their recommendations will be December 10. Students will not have school and we will all face the music in the morning and work on the tune in the afternoon. Should be an interesting experience. However, I remember a reputed Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times."

Prior to that, we will receive the feedback from the highly paid consultant who has already sent her recommendations to the administration. I have been asked to help design a survey tomorrow to collect responses to some of the recommendations she has made. And I thought I'd have a week to rest up.

That Chinese curse had two other parts: "May you come to the attention to those in authority" and "May you find what you are looking for." Apparently R5 is in this process because we came to the attention of the authorities. All that remains is that we find what we are looking for.

A retired principal has returned to volunteer. I admire Lee Searcy a great deal and view him as a mentor. He made some observations about the school that reflect the initial themes from the SST. I look forward to talking with him at some point once I get a break. I suspect that this will be during the week of the 17th of December when my sole duty will be to act as Santa Claus during the Holiday event.

The Colorado Department of Education Staff Support Team (SST) completed its review today and gave a brief overview of its findings. We received commendations for our level of commitment to teaching and our students. We have a high level of professionalism and we are a welcoming bunch, open to suggestions.

Their recommendations will have two themes: narrowing our focus and planning for student success. I think I would have arrived at these conclusions as it is. I have been using simplify as a mantra for a few days, so it's great to see an outside source see the same thing.

Our anxiety level has taken a step down, so that's good news. The big rollout will be on December 10th when we will receive a detailed view of their changes. More to come I'm sure.

The fundraiser is tomorrow, so on top of this work load, we have all the arrangements for the sale to handle too. I'm whipped. Time for bed.

Consultants are back this week, and the clarity they have coaxed out of administration has had a positive impact. Setting up clear lines of responsibility after studying transformational leadership has been a boost to productivity and focus.

My angst after the negative feedback from the in-service has passed. After meeting with the CTE consultant, we have established a plan that will enable us to use the group work productively and improve the curriculum as a team. Input from everyone will develop buy-in from the staff.

Heading into a 500 hour yoga teacher training this weekend. The physical, spiritual, and emotional challenge of this course will take my mind off the issues around the school. A clear head on Monday will be a great relief.