My Notes are Like Nets

I have been trying to capture every slide and everything said by taking copious notes, but the ESSENCE of what I have heard slips through the holes and falls, unwritten, between the lines. Today, I will focus on ESSENCE.

Books Recommended:
Active Strategies for Engagement and Differentiation in the Secondary Classroom (at the printing house)
Visual Learning by John Hattie
Professional Capital by Hargreaves and Fuller
Ethics of Excellence by Ron Berger

Quotes: "Culture is to humans, as water is to fish" --Wade Nobles
Leaders need to create working environments where people are comfortable being uncomfortable.

Hattie's research shows a .72 effect size when strong relationships are developed in a classroom. This is the largest effect size of any strategy. It seems so simple! Build a relationship and you will get engagement, motivation, and academic growth! I BELIEVE this, but I am uncertain how to TEACH teachers to do this "simple" thing! Some do it intuitively, naturally; others seem to come devoid of any skill in this area.

Ed Jarvius had some critical things to say about PBIS, and I think our districts response to this type of criticism is adding the CR part! However, I haven't seen many "deliverables" from all the hours of training. I go home with a huge amount of information on changing MIND SET first and then strategies. Surveys that will allow teachers to reflect on their unconscious biases,  Seeing past the "hoodie" and the "hood" for all that is good! (I made that up...corny.)

Once again, we spent a LOT of time on KUD and knowing what you want the kids to walk away from the lesson knowing, understanding and being able to do. Lessons are framed around these NON-NEGOTIABLE items and then differentiation strategies are applied! High expectations. We need to have our radar up for over-scaffolding and transmitting a message to our students.

We need to affirm, validate and bridge cultures.

Ed had some great advice on starting the shift of mindset. He said to start with those who would roll with us first. The early adopters and proactive people in the school can help lead. We then talked about two kinds of teachers:

Firefighters: Those teachers who say, "It can't be done," "We tried this before," "They don't know our kids", "I can't take one more thing on my plate," "Teachers are too stressed to take the time to....," and huddle in the teachers' lounge and halls waiting to put out the fire of a new idea or a new teacher.

Fire Starters: Bring the passion and contagious enthusiasm, see beyond the possible to things thought impossible   Beware: fire starters are often not popular, you may lose your pass to the party

Start with the WHY...why are we doing what we are doing? motivation and Mind Set
Move to the WHAT....what are we doing? Is there a better way?
End with  HOW....how can we change...how can we do it better...


All too often we deny students the right to COGNITIVELY STRUGGLE. Why? My thought is that some teachers don't want the "push back" from the student which leads to discipline and confrontation. It is easier to give them what they are used to getting and will sit passively doing. (the worksheet, the flashcards, busywork) People learn when they are in the ZPD (zone of proximal development), the place where they need a PUSH to achieve and need to work.

Culture intrinsically motivates. At this point, we did a lot of thinking about FISH...the analogy was that some students are fresh water fish and others are salt water fish. The environment of school is fresh water. If you take a goldfish from the county fair and dump him in your fish tank he will start to fail and eventually die. You have to acclimate him to the water by integrating him in his bag into the tank. We have to add the "Lowry Salt" into our curriculum. Where can the student see himself and his culture?

At this point, it just got so good that I stopped writing altogether! I have handouts with surveys. behaviors that are common in black/brown males, mind set and strategies! We should not advance a student to tier 2 strategies because of cultural differences. We must affirm and validate their culture and then instruct them in the culture of school, while simultaneously re-thinking this culture!! (Why do we have to sit still? Why do we have to be quiet? )I will share all via email if requested.

One of the biggest "aha's" was when we looked at the Common Core and saw that talking, moving, doing are Common Core BEHAVIORS! Sitting passively and silently are NOT. Thinking..thinking..thinking...

I saw a bunch of examples of DI and process/product/content by readiness/learning profile/interest, but I won't share that here. That is my "wheelhouse"....ha ha ha