5 ways to gauge student engagement: #edchat

Student engagement... a topic that is commonplace in schools and school districts around the world. The goal being that we want to have highly engaging classrooms where our students are intimately and passionately engaged in whatever task they are working on.

Engaged classrooms are where learning occurs and one of the defining characteristics of a great teacher is the ability to have his/her students engaged in learning.

But...I find student engagement to be a tricky and slippery slope at times because how we define student engagement can vary from educator to educator.

For example, when looking at a student who is working and doing what they are supposed to be doing, can we automatically assume they are engaged? Are they cognitively engaged or are they merely compliant and obedient? What about the kid who is passionately doodling and completely ignoring whatever the rest of the students and class are doing? Do we assume the student is not cognitively engaged because the student isn't compliant and obedient?

My point is simple... student engagement and the gauging of student engagement really aren't as easy or straightforward as some would think.

Also worth noting... I believe most of our kids are truly engaged at most times during the day. The question is... are they engaged in what we are wanting them to be engaged in...

Having said all that, here are 5 ways I feel pretty confident about in terms of knowing if your students are truly cognitively engaged in the learning occurring in your class.


1). Your students are asking in-depth questions that are specific and relevant to the learning occurring in your class and the questions go beyond simple yes and no answers.

2). Your students are curious about the topic and are expressing an interest in exploring the topic further beyond even your original intent.

3). Your students are taking the initial and baseline information and are creating and designing something completely different and completely new.

4). Your students are able to explain the purpose and reasoning behind learning what they are currently learning and see how it relates to their lives and the bigger picture.

5). Your students can clearly explain and articulate where they are in terms of their learning progression... they know where they are doing well and they know where they are still struggling.


What other signs and indicators would you say constitute true student engagement?

5 ways to make your classroom student-centered

A student-centered classroom allows students to be an integral part of the assessment development process. This doesn't necessarily mean every assessment is created and designed by students, but it does mean there is a collaborative and joint venture of teachers and students in the planning and implementation stages of assessments. Students who help to design and create their assessments will find the assessments to be more meaningful, and typically students end up creating assessments that are more challenging than what teachers would have created anyway...

A student-centered classroom focuses on finding solutions to real-world problems. Too often our classroom focus is on solving problems that lack relevance and purpose in the eyes of students. The student-centered classroom addresses real-world problems that affect or will affect students. This in turn will provide meaning and context to student-driven learning, which then will increase levels of engagement and overall student involvement.

A student-centered classroom is not about what the teacher is doing or what the teacher has done; it's about what the students are doing and what the students can do in the future. We all have experienced the teacher observation model that focuses just on what the teacher is doing, but more and more models are now focusing on what the students are doing. Obviously, what the teacher does affects and impacts what the students are doing, but the most important piece is what the students are doing or are able to do as a result of what the teacher is doing.

A student-centered classroom embraces the notion that there are multiple ways to accomplish an individual task. When we limit and confine students to following a certain and specific path, we ultimately end up limiting their levels of ownership, innovation, and creativity. A student-centered classroom allows, encourages, and embraces the multitude of paths one can take to solve a given problem. This also allows for students to follow their strengths and their interests when completing a task.

A student-centered classroom firmly believes that there is a partnership and a strong level of trust between educators and students. The teacher no longer is and hasn't been for a while the 'smartest' person in the room. Because of this, we need to continue forging a partnership between the teachers and the students and accept an equal playing field when it comes to learning, exploration, and discovery. This partnership is built on trust, and trust happens when we are vulnerable and open to learning with and from others...

Learning time loss: Why bell-to-bell learning matters

Imagine this scenario: You teach at least 5 classes or 5 hours a day (this accounts for both elementary and secondary teachers). Each 1 hour block takes about 5 minutes to get started and ends about 5 minutes early. 

This means that roughly 10 minutes out of every 60 minutes are underutilized. Over the course of the day, this means that roughly 50 minutes out of every 300 minutes are not focused on learning.

Over the course of a typical 5 day week there will be 250 minutes not spent on learning out of a total 1,500 potential learning minutes.

Over the course of a typical school year of 174 school days there will be 8,700 minutes not utilized for learning.

Now, let's be realistic and cut that number in half because we all know there are assemblies and other events that cut into learning time throughout the school year. That leaves us with 4,350 minutes of time not spent learning.

4,350 total underutilized minutes divided by a typical 300 minute school day = 14.5 days per school year are slipping through our fingers. 

Does every minute need to focused on learning, of course not. Are there times when kids and educators need a few moments to simply 'breathe,' of course there are. 

It's unrealistic to think every minute can be focused on learning.

However, even with conservative numbers, almost three weeks of school each year are being lost. In other words, 8.3% of a student's year in a 36 week school year. And, there's one thing all educators can agree with... time is precious and we always need more of it. 

Let's really focus on making sure we are maximizing the time we have.

The ONLY question we should be asking ourselves...

10 questions to ask yourself before giving an assessment:

1). What's the point and purpose of the assessment?

2). Is this a preventative check-up (formative) type assessment or an autopsy (summative) type assessment?

3). Did your students have any voice and input into the assessment design and/or assessment process?

4). Are you able to assess more than one learning objective/goal with this assessment or is the assessment isolated to one specific learning objective/goal?

5). Is the assessment aligned to what you are currently teaching in a format similar to the way you've been conducting your instruction?

6). Will you provide multiple assessment formats for students to demonstrate their mastery/skills in a way of their choosing or will there be just one format? 

7). Does the assessment have a learning component to it that supplements the current learning objectives and goals?

8). Does the assessment allow for students to self-assess and track their overall understanding of the content/skills?

9). Are there a wide-range of questions at varying degrees of difficulty? What is the ratio of level 1 basic recall questions to level 4 higher order thinking questions?

10). Will you allow redos of this assessment? If not, please refer back to your answers in questions 1 and 2. Does this affect your decision not to allow redos?

BONUS: How authentic and realistic is the assessment format when compared to something a kid would experience when not in the traditional school setting?

10 myths undermining #education...

Myth 1 - Students will abuse and take advantage of a situation if we treat another student 'differently.' We all believe in differentiating, personalizing, and customizing the educational experience for our students as much as possible. Having said that, many believe that if you do something perceived to be 'easier' for one student or you 'cut them slack,' then other students will exploit and use this situation to their advantage. Here's the deal, what's fair isn't always equal, and what's equal isn't always fair, and a majority of students aren't going to take advantage of a situation just because you treated another student 'differently.'

http://goo.gl/Uo2PFN

Myth 2 - Students learn from 'zeros.' When a student receives a zero for not completing an assignment (this could be for numerous different reasons), there's a myth that the student will learn from the zero and learn not to repeat this behavior. For the record, I'm still waiting to find the kid who gets a zero and says 'I have now seen the light and I will no longer commit myself to such atrocities and hence forth all of my future assignments will be turned in completed and on time with a little pretty bow on top...' Zeros teach kids compliance and make grades a weapon rather an instrument for learning.

Myth 3 - Teachers need lots of 'summative' type assessments and excel spreadsheets to determine if a kid has actually mastered the content/skills. Teachers work with their kids on a daily basis and they know their kids really well, both academically and personally. For some kids, they see their teachers more than they do their own parents. It's unprofessional and degrading to educators to think they have to give their students a formalized 'test' just so they can prove what they already know. Save the time, save the aggravation, and focus on continuing to learn...

Myth 4 - More rigor is a good thing. We don't need more rigor in schools... if you've ever seen the definition, then you would probably agree that more rigor is NOT a good thing. How about appropriately challenging our students... that makes more sense to me:

Myth 5 - If a student has an 'A' they've obviously mastered all the content/skills for that particular course. Far too often we get lost in what grades really mean, and unfortunately, we are finding more and more that a grade really isn't very aligned with actual content/skill mastery. Pressure from students, parents, and society, make it difficult to transition away from grades, but the closer and closer we look at grades the further and further away we get from actual definitive proof of learning.

Myth 6 - We have to toughen kids up for the next grade level and/or life experience. How often do we hear a teacher say 'well, in _____ grade this is how they do it.' Or, even better, 'in the real-world you'll have to do _____.' When we say these phrases to kids we are basically saying that their current life and existence pale in comparison to what they will experience next year or later in life. We are also saying that to prepare you for a certain level of misery later in life you need to experience misery now. We don't prepare kids for what's next by making them endure misery now... we teach them and hold them accountable to learning so the next level of misery isn't so miserable.

Myth 7 - When we offer rewards and incentives to get kids to perform at higher levels we are going to get a sustainable and long-lasting positive difference in their effort and overall performance. We live in a society where saying 'what do I get' is far too commonplace. Kids and adults always want to know what's in it for them. This strategy and mindset of using extrinsic motivators and rewards to get better and higher performance is short-term at best. Perhaps you get a boost in performance for a couple weeks, but eventually that 'reward' is going to wear off and the current reward will no longer be enough to warrant that level of performance. True reward is born out of intrinsic motivation and a self-driven interest in doing whatever the task may be. Rewards and incentives are a dangerous game to play and I fear the game has been spinning out of control for a while now...

Myth 8 - Kids need schools to learn. Kids can and are learning all the time. It's time for education to stop assuming that learning can't occur unless it's in a classroom with four walls and a teacher in a school. In fact, we should be embracing and encouraging students to take advantage of the learning that's always around them. The sooner we educators can break down the 'mindset' barrier of when and where learning can occur, the more relevant and applicable formal education will become for our students.

Myth 9 - To be a good and 'tough' teacher, you need to give out tons of homework and do lots of pop quizzes. Parents hate to see their kids at home without any homework because without any homework they assume the students aren't learning anything, thus the teacher must not be teaching anything. This couldn't be further from the truth. Aside from the negative effects of homework and the fact that many students are missing out on what really matters as a young kid growing up, homework is becoming a 'love of learning' killer.

Far too often homework is used to replace a lack of class time and kids are expected to teach themselves and learn on their own. Many kids then struggle and end up doing the work incorrectly anyway. If the kids can already do the work, then homework becomes a simple task of compliance. Lastly, pop quizzes should be avoided. If you trust the validity of your assessments, you shouldn't fear the kid knowing your expectations and knowing the exact time and place of the assessment. Pop quizzes shift the focus away from the content and skills, and put the focus on kids being stressed and pressured... neither of which are good for academic performance.

Myth 10 - School is preparing kids for the real-world. Kids are experiencing the real-world each and every day and believe it or not, school is a part of that real-world. Let's stop treating school and outside of school as two separate entities and acknowledge that the more they become one, the better off our students will be.

An open letter to all educators...

I write this post for all those who call themselves educators.

I write this post for superintendents and the schools boards for whom they work.

I write this post for both central office and building level administrators.

And finally and perhaps most importantly, I write this post for teachers of all grade levels and all content areas.

There is a vicious epidemic that has been spreading and continues to spread unchecked across the globe. The achievement gap that is so often spoken of is merely a cover for what is really happening.

We don't have an achievement gap, we have an opportunity gap...

We have schools that are providing life-changing opportunities and experiences that others can't even fathom. We have kids who are doing work in their classes that is both impacting and affecting the world in which they live while other kids are doing worksheets from outdated textbooks about material and content they can't relate to.

There are kids who are being positioned to be game-changers in their respective parts of the world while others are being comfortably placed among the ranks of industry that is disappearing with skills that haven't been in demand in a decade.

The opportunity gap is widening at an accelerated pace during a time when technology and global connectedness are soaring.

Sure, it's easy to say that kids and their families have a choice as to which schools they attend. Families can move to different communities or choose to attend private or parochial schools that provide some of these wonderful before-mentioned opportunities.

But there's a reality that most know but seem to ignore.

Most families and students don't really have a choice as to where they reside and where they attend school. Communities are built around schools and more frequently than not, those schools who offer vast opportunities exist in communities that most can't afford. The 'haves' and 'have nots' legacy is deeply entrenched in education.

For educators, there are many variables that we can't control and as a result we must learn to work with and accept what we are presented.

This challenge can look very similar to an excuse and justification for why we can't or aren't able to do something.

I refuse to let what we can't control dictate what we can or can't do... and so should you.

When you go to school, fight for what our kids don't have. Fight for the opportunities our kids can only dream of. Fight for the opportunities our kids can't yet dream of. Fight to put an end to the opportunity gap and whatever you do, don't use it as an excuse.

Remember, the next time you hear about some school or district doing something amazing with their kids, keep in mind that the only thing preventing you from doing the same or preventing you from doing something better, is you...

10 things I'd like to see more often in our schools:

1). More of a focus on meeting the basic needs of each student before trying to meet their academic learning needs... hungry kids, stressed kids, tired kids, emotionally traumatized kids, and defeated kids are highly disadvantaged over their peers when it comes to their ability and resolve toward learning.

2). Less of a focus on what's wrong with kids and what they are lacking, and rather more of a focus on understanding what our kids have gone through and experienced so far in their short lives.

3). More involvement of students in educator professional development planning/implementation as well as more students involved in a 'research and development' capacity aimed at finding the best new tools and resources for learning.

4). Less of a focus on answers and more of a focus on asking deep rich questions that more times than not lack a clear defined answer.

5). More inclusion of our classified staff members (maintenance, custodians, nurses, food technicians, administrative assistants) aimed at creating more relevant and real-world learning scenarios that allow our kids to see these critically important team members in a different light.

6). More educator-to-educator accountability and the willingness of professional colleagues to not just hold each other to the high standards our kids so desperately deserve, but to exceed those high standards.

7). More teachers standing at their doors and in the hallways greeting their students with handshakes and good solid eye contact like in the Capturing Kids' Hearts program.

8). More support and assistance for our least experienced educators with a focus on helping them not just survive their first few years, but to help them thrive.

9). Less of a focus on teaching and the management of schools and more of a focus on student learning and the actions we take that yield the highest student learning return. 

10). More Legos.

The best grade you can give is a conversation...

The discourse surrounding grades and grading practices has been intensifying of late.

Grade reform has taken a seat next to some of the other big topics being discussed at the education table.

It's no surprise considering the subjectivity students, parents and educators experience when it comes to grading.

So, before going any further... we have to agree that grades serve a single and critical purpose:

Grades exist to provide students input and feedback on their progression toward achieving mastery of a particular set of learning goals/objectives.

In other other words... to communicate.

http://goo.gl/yOCzpY

If we can all agree with this definition of grades, then the rest of the blog post should hopefully make sense.

The question now is 'how can we most effectively provide our students input and feedback on their progression toward achieving mastery?'

I believe the answer to this question is more conversations...

Now, before you stop reading, ask yourself one question:

Do you believe that in an ideal word without time constraints and with an unlimited amount of 'you,' having more one-on-one conversations would be more impactful than continuing the practice of letter grades?

If you answered yes here, then let's at least keep an open mind of how one could make this work.

Yes, of course, you have lots of students in your class and it seems near impossible to carve out time to have one-on-one conversations. Especially to have these conversations on a more frequent and as needed basis.

However, what if you took time at the beginning of the year to train your students on strategies to self-assess to make these conversations more impactful and efficient? In other words, make the conversations move along more quickly.

What if you intentionally made time in the day to have these conversations and removed other stuff that just doesn't have the same level of impact on student learning?

What if these conversations served to kill multiple birds with one stone... isn't it possible to include and embed multiple learning targets/objectives in the middle of these conversations? Think creatively here for a moment...

Also, keep in mind that these conversations don't always have to involve you, the teacher. Don't forget about the other students in the classroom...

Hattie's research is quite clear on what most impacts student learning. When students are able to assess themselves and then have a conversation/reflection opportunity about the self-assessment, learning goes up. Imagine it's not just one single teacher who is asked to talk with students about their self-assessment, but rather other students in the classroom too. Imagine the power of those conversations when students are trained on how to communicate with each other about their learning progression...

In closing, what's the best and most effective way to communicate? I think most would say one-on-one conversations.

Make no mistake... I'm definitely not saying this is easy. What I am saying is that I think it just might be worth it...

If you've made this work in your classroom, please share your story below.

We need more misfits in #education

We live in a culture where asking 'why' and asking for clarification can be looked at as overstepping ones boundaries. Additionally, a simple request for more information can turn some people into feeling they need to be on the defensive. We say we want collaboration and teamwork but yet our actions at times don't exactly match up.

We also live in a culture where there is a perception that playing it safe and maintaining the status quo are the necessary steps to getting ahead. I feel pretty confident that this 'play it safe' mindset may have worked in the past, but I just don't think it has the same effect as it once did. Some of the greatest inventions and discoveries were a result of not playing it safe and avoiding the status quo at all costs. 

Insert the misfits... 

Misfits don't see a problem with asking 'why' and asking for justification and misfits don't base their actions on what is safe and what is 'status quo.'

Think about it... we all know those misfits on our teams and in our buildings. Sometimes they are treated differently and viewed as outliers, however, their behavior (which isn't always valued) does and can serve a greater purpose.

Having said all that, don't take this too far. We don't need you or anyone else going off the deep end when it comes to pushing the envelope. Yes, in an ideal world asking for clarification and more information shouldn't be frowned upon, it should be encouraged. But as you all know, it doesn't always play out like that.

Likewise, we should be creating and supporting environments where we can try new things and explore what has yet to be explored. Misfits are great at taking what is and developing it into what can be.

But remember, there always needs to be a sense of control and pre-planned purpose. All misfits know when it's appropriate to question and when to push, but they also know when it's more appropriate to be patient and wait another day. Sometimes going with the flow is the best course of action when you're a misfit.

So, ask yourself, what kind of culture do you have in your building or your district? Are misfits allowed or are they banished to their own separate island?

What would your colleagues say about you?Are you a misfit... do you ask 'why' and question the status quo... do you look for what others haven't yet seen?

How do you respond when your colleagues or students act like misfits? Do you get defensive... do you judge them... do you try to control them and limit their 'misfitness?'

In closing, what are you doing to encourage more misfit like behavior in your school or district?

Kids don't need to be ready for school... schools need to be ready for kids.

Dan French recently shared this wonderful tweet that really got me thinking:

School readiness should be about schools being ready for students not students being ready for school. #vted

— Dan French (@danfrench) July 21, 2015

This really got me thinking because we spend so much time telling kids they need to do this or they need to do that so they can be successful in school. We project this mentality that if kids aren't prepared to experience this and aren't able handle that, they're doomed to fail.

We inadvertently transfer the pressure and accountability onto our kids and all the while, we tend to forget that they are just that... kids living in a rapidly changing world.

We also, somewhat arrogantly, assume we know exactly what is best for kids and know exactly what they need to do to be successful in life.

But, what if it were reversed and schools spent their time ensuring schools were ready for what kids were bringing to the table...?

What if kids started talking to schools about what schools needed to do to be prepared for them...?

What if schools were feeling the pressure from students rather than the other way around?

We know life and the world around us are changing more quickly than ever before. And, it's these kids who come to our schools wanting, needing and DESERVING a system that's ready for them and is able to meet their needs.

And as a new parent and educator, I have no idea what my son Emory will need in 5 years when he starts his formal schooling... but I hope at least someone will ask him and consider what it means to be ready for him.

So, the next time you get together with your colleagues, focus on ensuring your school and/or classroom are ready for kids and not the other way around.

Maybe the conversation will be the same... maybe it will be completely different. :)

#Innovation: What exactly do we mean?

The word 'innovation' is all the rage in education these days. There are even new positions in education popping up with the word 'innovation' in the title... Coordinator of Innovation, Director of Innovation and Innovation Specialist for example.

I've been thinking though... we keep using this word, but like many words, I'm sure we all have a slightly different definition of what exactly the word means.

Webster defines innovation as: a new idea, device, or method; the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods. 

You can even read this article from 2008 with 30 different definitions of the word 'innovation.'

Now, I'm sure we can all probably agree that innovation deals with doing something differently and doing something new. That seems to be pretty consistent and recurring in the definitions of innovation.

But, here's the thing... simply doing something differently or doing something new may align with the definition of innovation, but who's to say if that different and new are actually what's best for student learning?

For example... it was probably pretty innovative when we designed and structured our education system around cramming as many students as possible in one space to learn the same information as efficiently and as quickly as imaginable. That was pretty stinkin' innovative at the time and most definitely met the needs of society... things have changed a little since then though.

A more recent example... buying 700,000 iPads for students in Los Angeles with Pearson curriculum was probably considered pretty innovative, however, anyone involved in that situation would be wise to distance themselves as much as possible. New and different don't always equal better for student learning.

So, feel free to keep using the word innovation, but also keep in mind that we need to constantly evaluate and define what innovation is and what it looks like. This is especially true since it's no secret how quickly our world is changing. 

In closing, just because it was new and different very well may match the definition of innovation, but new and different don't always mean best for student learning... and over time, new and different become old and the same...

Innovators vs. laggards

Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures. Those this theory isn't specific to education per se, it's obviously got significant relevance and implications for how things develop and occur within the educational spectrum.

Here are the breakdowns of the five categories within the diffusion of innovations theory: (read the descriptors below)

Innovators: 2.5%

Early Adopters: 13.5%

Early Majority: 34%

Late Majority: 34%

Laggards: 16%

What would happen if educators in your school and/or district were asked to pick the category that they believe best describes them?

Then, once that activity is complete, what would happen if each educator was asked to pick the category they believe best describes their colleagues?

And then, all that information was shared with the entire staff in a group setting to openly discuss perceptions and realities of colleagues...

Is that the type of activity that would address the elephant in the room and get your school and/or district in a position to start making progress?

What we know vs. what we do...

We know extrinsic motivators and 'carrots' aren't the most effective means for long term and sustainable changes in behavior yet our schools are littered with rewards and 'if you do this, you get this' situations.

We know kids respond better when given opportunities to move and when physical activity is included all throughout the course of the school day yet most schooling experiences result in kids sitting most of the day.

We know strict and zero tolerance discipline policies aren't the most effective when working with our most challenging students yet many districts have policies that restrict educators and force them to assign ineffective, often damaging, and harmful punishments.

We know the value of reflection and simply getting the time to think yet we don't provide any time in the school day for kids to process and explore their thoughts.

We know the world is changing rapidly but yet far too often we cling to teaching to and focusing on outdated skills and information that are no longer the most vital and/or necessary.

We know relevance is a key component to student learning and student engagement but we keep missing out on opportunities for kids to positively influence and impact their local communities and serve the greater good by solving real problems affecting people around the world.

In closing, my challenge for all educators moving forward is to take some of the things we know are best for kids and ensure that our actions align...

Extend learning by NOT using grades

When a grade is given, the learning stops.

When specific feedback is provided and extending questions are asked, the learning goes deeper.

We've all heard statements like these before, and for the most part, many tend to agree with the basic premise behind these statements. However, our actions don't always align with our beliefs, and sometimes our beliefs don't always make it into the actual structures of our classrooms.

Imagine these three scenarios when it comes to grades and giving students feedback:

Scenario 1: Teacher hands back an assignment with just a grade.

Scenario 2: Teacher hands back an assignment with specific feedback and perhaps a couple extending questions WITH a grade.

Scenario 3: Teacher hands back an assignment with specific feedback and two extending questions WITHOUT a grade.

What tends to happen... in scenario 1, the student looks at the grade and then crumples up the assignment to work on his/her basketball career. In scenario 2, the same thing happens and more than likely, the student doesn't even acknowledge the feedback and questions. In scenario 3, the student is curious and the student wants to know more, thus the learning process remains alive and in most instances, strengthens.

More often than not though, scenario 1 is what we find in our schools.

But, we know based on research and based on overall student retention of information and development of skills, students perform far better in scenario 3.

So, I'd like to challenge all educators (in all positions within education, administrators included), to work on providing specific feedback with extending questions rather than simply a grade and/or quantitative evaluation.

This takes time and isn't always the most efficient, but in the long run, it surely will be the most effective...

It's that time of the year again...

The weather is getting warmer...

There is more and more to do outside...

The always exciting standardized testing is either over or coming to a close soon...

You're tired and your patience is wearing thin...

Summer is getting close...

http://goo.gl/b8SffU

At this juncture you have to make a choice about how you wish to end the year.

This goes the same for teachers and administrators who are equally feeling the tension of the end of the year push.

Are you going to do as you've always done and play it safe?

Are you going to cut a few corners and take the easy route because you know there are only a few weeks left so what's the big deal?

Are you going to lower your expectations for not just yourself, but also for those around you?

Are you going to end this year quietly and uneventfully...?

We all have a choice to make.

We all have these last few weeks to make a bigger or more positive impact.

We all have a choice to make that will determine how our students remember us...

Remember teachers, if you don't want your students to check out early and coast through the end of the year, then you better not get caught doing just that.

This also goes for administrators... don't get caught checking out early if you expect your teachers to push strong through the end of the year.

How do you respond to #change?

How about this as a self-reflection activity to do in your head or possibly even with your colleagues…

In regard to change:

Are you a sailboat… do you easily go with the latest trend and go with the flow so to speak? It doesn’t take much to get you moving. You welcome and look forward to change.

Or…

Are you a tugboat… do you take things slowly and do you try to be methodical in your approach? You like precision and intentionality and you want to know pretty clearly where you are headed. You want to understand change.

Or…

Are you an anchor… it takes quite a lot of time and energy to get you moving. You fear and resist change.

So, which are you? Or, are you something not on this list?

I'd like to thank Steven Shaw for the inspiration behind this post:

Teachers! Are you a sailboat, a tugboat, or an anchor? Do you embrace change or resists it? #itefaop pic.twitter.com/BoxN4LGlMQ

— Steven Shaw (@mr_sshaw) April 23, 2015

Reinvention is the key to survival...

There are many wonderful things about working in education. I mean seriously, in what other profession can one be charged with influencing and guiding the direction of all youth and ultimately society?

It's a pretty awesome power and pretty amazing responsibility that which we hoist upon our shoulders every single day kids walk through those school doors.

Having said all that, with great responsibility comes even greater expectations.

It's no secret we live during a time of high and increasing levels of accountability. To make things more interesting, no educator can walk 5ft without talking to someone who's experienced the education system. This means we are surrounded by lots of 'experts' who definitely won't shy away from telling us how we can do our jobs better. :)

The key to all this responsibility is the ability to reinvent oneself.

If you're a veteran educator, take a moment to think about how the educational front has evolved and really transformed itself over the years. If you're a mid-career educator, you too have experienced and seen first-hand the fluidity of the educational process. For those brand new to the profession, you might not have seen widespread systemic shifts, but you've no doubt seen smaller shifts that impact your school and your district within your community.

If you've survived a systemic shift it's because you were able to reinvent yourself.

You were able to adapt and you were able to adjust based on the prevailing winds.

Some of your strengths required a retooling while some of your weaknesses were pushed to center stage.

But you survived and you persevered...

You might have even thrived and come out even stronger on the other side...

The beauty is that all these changes we are experiencing in life and society are a direct result of educators reinventing themselves and adapting to quickly moving landscapes that are constantly evolving. The more we educators reinvent ourselves, the more quickly the landscapes outside of education transform. This is quite the double-edged sword conundrum!

So, in closing, don't be afraid of having to reinvent yourself and don't steer away from taking a risk to do something you've never done before. Keep your repertoire sharp and keep it fresh. And remember, sometimes a fresh start or new direction is just what we need...

A healthy disregard for the impossible...

Larry Page, Google's CEO, encouraged attendees at an event back in 2012 to have a healthy disregard for the impossible.

It's this message that he's infused into the workplace and work environment at Google which has resulted in revenue growth at IPO date of around $800 million to now just under $20 billion... quite remarkable really.

Having said that, what if this kind of mentality and mindset was infused into the educational setting? How would this type of approach affect education and impact the overall structure and organization?

There are almost 4 million educators and nearly 50 million students in the United States who are literally shaping and writing the future of our existence. It's the ideas being discussed in classrooms around the world and the concepts being taught that ultimately define what we believe and how we engage in this crazy thing we call 'life.'

Traditionally speaking, and true more often than not, educators tend to play it safe and tend to be those who are good at doing what they are told. Many educators were the 'good' kids in school and tended to excel in a schooling model that rewarded compliance and obedience.

The world we live in now has shown time and time again that it's rewarding and acknowledging those who aren't just thinking outside the box, but rather those who are literally creating an entirely different box.

It's this thirst and unyielding commitment to transforming life as we know it that is so vigorously sought by society. Society yearns for 'new' and demands for 'different' yet we are still working within a schooling model that wants compliance and obedience.

What if instead of saying 'we can't,' we started saying 'why not?'

What if instead of reprimanding those who question 'why' and instead empowered them to be a part of determining the 'what' based on their own individual 'whys?'

What if we encouraged students and educators to challenge the status quo by rewarding and acknowledging those who go against the grain rather than those who merely drift with the current?

What if the impossible wasn't something we feared and avoided but rather something we focused on obtaining and exploring further?

The next Google won't be born out of talking about and focusing on what's already possible.

The next Google will be born out of solving a problem somebody previously said was impossible to solve...

The next Google will come from an insatiable appetite of being challenged with something others avoided.

The next Google is in our classrooms and in our schools right now... let's make sure we are removing the barriers and unleashing a tidal wave of excitement toward making the impossible possible!
    

5 ways to gauge student engagement

Student engagement... a topic that is commonplace in schools and school districts around the world. The goal being that we want to have highly engaging classrooms where our students are intimately and passionately engaged in whatever task they are working on.

Engaged classrooms are where learning occurs and one of the defining characteristics of a great teacher is the ability to have his/her students engaged in learning.

But...I find student engagement to be a tricky and slippery slope at times because how we define student engagement can vary from educator to educator.

For example, when looking at a student who is working and doing what they are supposed to be doing, can we automatically assume they are engaged? Are they cognitively engaged or are they merely compliant and obedient? What about the kid who is passionately doodling and completely ignoring whatever the rest of the students and class are doing? Do we assume the student is not cognitively engaged because the student isn't compliant and obedient?

My point is simple... student engagement and the gauging of student engagement really aren't as easy or straightforward as some would think.

Also worth noting... I believe most of our kids are truly engaged at most times during the day. The question is... are they engaged in what we are wanting them to be engaged in...

Having said all that, here are 5 ways I feel pretty confident about in terms of knowing if your students are truly cognitively engaged in the learning occurring in your class.


1). Your students are asking in-depth questions that are specific and relevant to the learning occurring in your class and the questions go beyond simple yes and no answers.

2). Your students are curious about the topic and are expressing an interest in exploring the topic further beyond even your original intent.

3). Your students are taking the initial and baseline information and are creating and designing something completely different and completely new.

4). Your students are able to explain the purpose and reasoning behind learning what they are currently learning and see how it relates to their lives and the bigger picture.

5). Your students can clearly explain and articulate where they are in terms of their learning progression... they know where they are doing well and they know where they are still struggling.


What other signs and indicators would you say constitute true student engagement?