131 Search Results for ""latino educators""

• Adela_Cabrejo

  • ASCD EDge Member
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• PD for teachers: Twitter Chats PD for teachers: Twitter Chats

  • From: Judie_Haynes
  • Description:

    One of the best kept secrets in professioanl development for teachers is Twitter chats for educators.  There are If you are a teacher or administrator in a school where there are English language learners, a Twitter chat designed especially for your needs is #ELLCHAT.

     

    #ELLCHAT is held every Monday night at 9:00 PM ET.  Moderators Judie Haynes (@judiehaynes)  and Karen Nemeth (@karenNemethEdM) design topics around the concerns that are expressed by followers who post in #ELLCHAT during the week.  Last week the group discussed Sources of Professional Development for Teachers of ELLs.  On Monday, February 4th, the topic will be on the importance of collaboration for teachers of ELLs. A schedule for chat topics is posted on the #ELLCHAT Facebook page.

     

    One of the most exciting events in the nearly 3 year history of #ELLCHAT is a blog written about the chat by Education Week's Lesli Maxwell entitled ELL Teachers Connect and Learn in Twitter Chats.

    For a list of Twitter chats, consult Cyberman's Educational Chats on Twitter.

     

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 4 months ago
  • Views: 369

• Learning Environments for ELLs Learning Environments for ELLs

  • From: Judie_Haynes
  • Description:

     By Judie Haynes

     The field of TESOL has seen amazing growth since I began teaching 30 years ago. There has been a huge change in regard to the content taught to and expectations for English language learners (ELLs).  Each step that we have taken has enhanced the field of TESOL.  English language learners are getting more and more attention on the state and national level. Although federal regulations require that our students make adequate yearly progress, they don’t regulate class size,  the number of grade and ability levels grouped in the same class, or the size and location of our teaching space.

     

    I think the learning environment for English language learners is representative of how programs for them are  really regarded by school districts. Take a look around you. What unconscious message is your school districts sending?   Do English language learners get a fair share of the “pie?” Or are they usually related to the hallways and cafeterias because the parents of our students do not complain?  Are resources stretched because your school district will not hire a sufficient number of ESL teachers? 

     

    Substandard instructional space

    Over the years, I have heard the stories from ESL teachers about holding classes in hallways, converted closets and under stairwells. These teachers have struggled to instruct their students in noisy cafeterias and in libraries.  They often share classrooms with other teachers, crowding large numbers of students into small spaces. I recently saw a video of an exemplary ESL teacher with her students.  The class was being taught in the school cafeteria.

     

    Let’s look at an ESL class in a suburban school district as the teacher leads her nine kindergarteners into the partitioned-off space in a shared classroom. It is difficult for the teacher to allow her young students to get excited about language and express themselves as kindergartners do because there is another class is being taught on the other side of the partition. In this class a group of 6^th grade newcomers strain to hear what they teacher is saying.  They are continuously districted by the kindergarten noise and activities.  

             

    The itinerant teacher

    A second substandard condition that many ESL teachers face is teaching in too many locations. Teachers are often required to travel to two or more schools.  One itinerant ESL teacher that I know travels to four schools and teaches 20 students in grades K-12. She organizes her ESL program in the trunk of her car. In each building she teaches all of the students who need ESL during one or two class periods resulting in groups that combine 5^th graders with 2^nd graders. When she arrives at her destination this ESL teacher teaches in whatever space she can find.  Instruction does not take place in the same space everyday. Her materials are spread throughout the schools that she visits or are kept in her trunk.  Like most itinerant teachers, Pat is unable to function as a source of support and information to classroom teachers and to parents because there is not time.  She frequently ends her day back at one of her schools to conference with a parent. a classroom teacher, or the Child Study Team.

     

    Class size

    The better organized you are, the better job that you do, the more you are expected to do and the less support you receive.  Imagine a job where you work hard to help students succeed and when they do, your school district is reluctant to increase support as your population grows. What’s one more student in a group of nine? So what if you have a stray 4^5h grader in a group of 2^nd graders.  One teacher told me that she has more than 20 students of different grade and ability levels in her classroom at the same time. We are simply teaching too many students in groups that are too large.

     

    It is the ESL teacher’s job to teach students to take risks with language.  They should provide an atmosphere of trust and privacy in order to encourage these risks. They want to expose their ELLs to literacy through many forms of print including word walls and encourage students to enjoy reading by offering them books to choose from in their classroom so they can get excited about literature. An itinerant teacher in a substandard space cannot accomplish this.  ESL teachers need to have their own instructional space with a reasonable number of students assigned to their classes. They can’t be stretched to three or more schools if we are to help our students become full participants in the school community.

     

    Schools are in the process of adapting instruction to the Common Core State Standards.  Many teachers and administrators have expressed concern about how to help ELLs reach these norms.   ESL teachers are an important part of the answer to this question.  So are their working conditions and the learning environment for ELLs.

     

     

     

    

  • Blog post
  • 6 months ago
  • Views: 694

• Your 2012 Education Political Your 2012 Education Political Primer

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    As the election plays itself out this coming week, we as educators continue to work on behalf of children and our communities as a whole. Whatever the outcome of the vote, the work goes on and our efforts must continue. So I want to keep this post simple and straightforward. Whatever your political persuasion, there are certain objective, observable realities we can all agree on in looking across the education landscape:

    • As public educators, we are employed by our government to educate our citizen’s children.
    • As education professionals, we have an obligation to inform our government and its citizens of what is in the best interests of the children with whom we are charged.
    • As publicly employed professionals, we work in the conditions created by the decisions made by our government and its citizens.
    • We are largely funded by revenue collected through local taxes which is augmented by state and federal funding.
    • We work within the contexts of the society in which we live. The world has changed much since we were students and so we have changed our goals and roles as educators.
    • As society continues to evolve, education will continue to reflect the changing needs of society.
    • Society is moving towards an individualized delivery of goods and services. It is not happening overnight, but little by little consumers expect everything to be customized for their needs and interests.
    • The individualized delivery of instruction is a huge challenge for educators, where standardization, funding formulas and accountability are the legacy of the industrial age.
    • The push towards more individualized instruction will continue in public education, long after our good work is done and we are retired.
    • Public education will look very different by the end of this century. Are you ready to start touting the virtues of 22^nd century skills?

    When you look at these statements in the progression in which I offer them here, does it seem that there are forces at play far beyond our immediate influence? There are. These forces are forever changing society and, therefore, will forever change education. Are these forces of a particular political bent? No. regardless of your personal views or even those views of the candidates running for office, this kind of seismic sea change will continue to happen in spite of ourselves. Of course one party or another will sway the dialogue on the methods and priorities for getting the job done, but in the final analysis the transformation of public education is bigger than all of us. What a sobering realization. So...does this mean all our efforts are for naught?

     

    No, of course not. Whichever candidates you choose, get out there and vote on Tuesday. And after the election results are in, continue to work to make a difference in the life of each child and each colleague with whom you come in contact each and every day. Because when your career is complete and you look back at the difference you have made, it won’t be measured in monetary or political terms. You will see the difference you have made in the life of each student you become reacquainted with in their adult lives...and this has become much more commonplace with the rise of social media. So here's a political primer you can actually reconcile with your professional life:

    • Carry on the good work.
    • Keep your perspective; education is about fulfilling human potential.
    • Don’t get swept up in polarizing labels and slogans and hyperbole.
    • Vote your conscience.
    • Make a difference one student at a time.
    • Be the kind of educator your students will want to reconnect with as happy  adults contributing to society.
       
    • Nothing else matters.

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

     

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

  • Blog post
  • 7 months ago
  • Views: 1090

• My Reality Check My Reality Check

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    How do you know if your worldview is based in reality…if your expectations are well-grounded? You need reliable perspective. How do you get solid perspective? You step outside of your own realm of experience and see how others live.

     

    In my fourteenth year of teaching, I was also leading a number of professional development offerings for Spotsylvania County Schools. And like so many of us in ed tech, I was being pushed more and more to train colleagues on technology. It was at this point in my career that the husband of one of my workshop attendees approached me. “I hear you’re really good. Why not do what you do well for more money?”  He worked for a consulting firm that worked with government agencies and private sector firms. They needed a technology trainer.

     

    More money caught my attention…that and the offered title of Senior Technology Trainer made it tempting. After all, there weren’t many options for upward mobility within K-12 other than building and district administration. If I accepted the offer, I would be working at the Department of Housing and Urban Development right in downtown DC. My kids were young…not even in Kindergarten yet…so I asked for an assurance that I wouldn’t be doing a lot of traveling and I got it. It was June, the end of the school year…the perfect time to make the move. And so I did.

     

    What a different world. Starting on day one I hit the ground running, meeting with HUD staff, learning every application used within the agency, and developing and delivering training. I was also on call for technology user questions, as happy clients got you “atta boy” letters of commendation that my consulting firm valued and would use to pay me bonuses and raises. What a different model from public education!

     

    I was in the fast lane and on the fast track. Everything moved quickly. I would login on any given morning at my desk and a message would pop up saying “Joe So-and-So no longer works here. Please send all requests for assistance concerning his projects to Cathy Such-and-Such.” I quickly learned that no one was indispensible and you’re only as good as your last success. I also learned that once you’re in, you’re in for whatever the client needs. So even though I had been given an assurance from my consulting firm I wouldn’t be traveling much, within a few months I was being asked by the client to travel to HUD field offices around the country: Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco. No room for hesitation. No questions asked. And so I traveled.

     

    At the same time I was taking a course in instructional design with a brilliant professor who worked for the Arlington, Virginia Public Schools. The course gave me a lot of tools for my work at HUD, but it also reminded me of everything I loved about working in education. Over the course of the semester it was a source of substance and sustenance. I needed to keep learning and growing, even as I met the rigorous demands of life as a contractor. We got through the Y2K scare, during which I spent New Years Eve into the next morning manning phones in the event any of our systems went down as a result of entering the new millennium. Then came the change of administration in the White House, which meant changes for every federal agency from the top on down.

     

    Talks of shake-ups and turn-over started in January, and my more veteran consulting colleagues talked me through everything coming into play as the change in the air was palpable. I kept my head down and my eyes on my work. Rumors circulated and the pressure ratcheted up as workers worried what the change would mean for them. We had huge meetings in packed rooms where HUD administrators spoke cryptically about what lay ahead, offering equal doses of caution and reassurance as nervousness turned to anxiety.

     

    Finally in April the announcement came down immediately and all at once. A large number of workers were being let go and the new Secretary would be looking at major reorganization within the agency. My supervisor and all my tech-training consultant colleagues were let go. Inexplicably, I was the only tech trainer left standing. I was stunned. How was this possible? Why was I spared the axe? What do I say to all these people I had been working with closely who were coming in that day to clean out their desks and be escorted out by security? It was a very tough, very real-world lesson about so many of the assumptions I brought with me from public education. Job security, seniority, loyalty…nothing is guaranteed. I was so grateful to still have a job but so shaken by the reality of life outside K-12.

     

    Later that year, after much soul-searching, my instructional design professor suggested I apply for a job as an Instructional Technology Coordinator with the Arlington, Virginia Public Schools. I missed education, and even though the job and the money as a consultant were good, when Arlington made an offer I accepted. I knew I was an educator at heart and I needed to come back where my instructional background could make a difference as technology continued to make its way into classrooms.

     

    I eventually moved on to become a technology director and ultimately an assistant superintendent for data and technology. But I never forgot the perspective I gained working outside of education for that one segment of my career. It was a reality check. It changed me. I no longer feel entitled to anything. I am grateful to have meaningful work helping teachers and students. And I understand that giving my all in that work is the true definition of being a consummate professional…even as I have moved from K-12 to working for the world’s leading professional education association. Everything else is secondary, and in some cases, a distraction. We can lose our way…our sense of what’s important…important to us personally and as professionals.

     

    As we prepare to vote next week and move forward in education, I encourage you to find an opportunity to gain new perspective. Even if it’s volunteer work, or summer work, or a sabbatical…whatever options you might have…get out there and experience the world outside of education. Get new perspective. It will change how you see your work and how you view your self as an educator.

     

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 1256

• What Makes the Difference Toda What Makes the Difference Today

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    
    I have spent the last few days in Nassau, Bahamas celebrating the approval of Bahamas ASCD application to become an ASCD affiliate. It was just a year ago I came to attend their inaugural conference as an ASCD Connected Community, their first step in becoming an affiliate. I remember being impressed with how well planned and coordinated that first conference was…how committed the leadership was to building this new organization to meet the needs of educators and students in their country.

     

    It was at the end of last year’s conference that Bahamas ASCD made the decision to complete the affiliate application. Over the past twelve months we worked together to complete the application process and ensure that it would be given every consideration for approval. Interestingly enough, the ASCD Board met this past week at the same time Bahamas ASCD was holding its second annual conference, and we had no way of knowing if it would act on the affiliate application before the conference wrapped up.

     

    As so often in life when good work is carried in a flow of positive energy, the ASCD Board approved the application on Tuesday and we were able to announce and enjoy the good news at the Bahamas ASCD conference the end of the week. What is significant to me is not the fact that everything fell into place, but the conditions that made this such a success story. Bahamas ASCD demonstrates:

     

     - a leadership team that is highly respected in its education community

     

     - a vision for education that addresses the immediate needs of educators

     

     - a strong alignment with ASCD and the work we are doing

     

     - a single-minded seriousness of purpose shared by all members of the leadership team

     

     - clear messaging and effective public relations strategies

     

     - professional connections that enhance its effectiveness and add value for members

     

     - an energized membership base that seeks active participation in the affiliate’s work, and

     

     - a work-life balance that evidences hard work, enjoyment of that work, and having fun as well

     

    As I returned to DC and thought through these elements of success, it impressed me how much the Bahamas ASCD success story demonstrates the traits of successful membership organizations today. They aren’t looking to compete with other groups that already have created a niche on the education landscape. Rather, their singular reason for being is to meet the needs of educators on the ground in their backyard.

     

    Yes there are lots of possibilities they will consider as they continue to write their story in the Bahamas, but with their clear sense of purpose, they will single out the opportunities to make an immediate difference from those initiatives that will take them away from their focus and weaken their impact. It occurs to me that staying small and nimble is an advantage today, as the education landscape continues to shift and morph around us. Perhaps Bahamas ASCD is a timely reminder of all that is right and good about effectively serving our peers: keep it simple and don’t take your eye off the ball.

     

    Think of the organizations to which you belong and those which you joined at one time and in which you decided not to renew your membership. Aren’t the organizations you value similar to Bahamas ASCD? Let’s all aspire to follow its clear and concise example. Be there for each other and seek to make an immediate difference in the profession.

     

    I am proud of my friends and colleagues who lead Bahamas ASCD:

    

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Bahamas ASCD Board President Wenley Fowler, Board Vice-President Abraham Stubbs, Regional Director Verneth Patterson, Executive Director Christine Williams, Secretary Annastacia Forbes, Assistant Secretary Vernetta Ferguson, Treasurer Shirley Krezel, Assistant Treasurer Tamara Stuart, Public Relations Roberta McKenzie, Assistant Public Relations Tessa Nottage, and Project Coordinator Beverley Symonette.

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 1075

• Caring Caring

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    Caring makes all the difference in the world. Not a mood or an attitude…caring is a way of being. You either care or you don’t. It’s easy to care when something is important to you. But how about caring when it’s important to someone else? How about caring when there’s nothing in it for you, because it makes the world a better place?

     

    Caring does not turn on and off. It doesn’t only count when it grabs your attention. It doesn’t matter just when you feel like it. It is something that can be seen from within regardless of the moment or the motivation. You either genuinely care or you don’t.

     

    In order to be caring you have to have thought through what you are all about. You know why you are here…why you are in education…and why you make the choices you do. You have come to terms with what you can control and what you can’t…and you understand that even in the worst of circumstances you make a difference simply by caring.

     

    How do you instill caring in your core? You have understanding, acceptance, empathy, compassion, perspective and a strong sense of who you are. You refrain from reaction to what is happening around you and thoughtfully respond in helpful ways. When all else fails, you simply seek to understand. Caring is the constant when all other variables conspire to make you act out of self-interest. Caring keeps you focused on what’s important.

     

    You know that feeling of comfort when you are interacting with someone who cares…you feel reassured and you are willing to trust just a little more. You feel secure. You can focus on what’s important. Caring inspires caring in others. Caring exposes the best in us.

     

    Caring is positive. It does not justify selfishness or the status quo. Caring does not make you a better person…it makes you make choices that make you a better person. It will not transform you all at once, but it will transform your life over time. Do not care about those things that reinforce negativity and resentment. That’s not caring…that’s rationalizing resentments. It takes no effort to be cynical.

     

    It takes effort to care. You have to consciously catch yourself when you start to give into not caring. Apathy is easy. Caring requires discipline. It’s not always easy, but over time it becomes habit…a part of you. Over time you care about the right things for the right reasons and something happens…you are no longer controlled by things that drain you of your potential to make a positive difference in your life and in the lives of others.

     

    When caring is in your core, life will seem easier, doors will open for you, and you will find fulfillment. Why? Because people recognize caring in others Worthwhile people respond to caring and want to experience it with you. These kinds of caring connections lead you to opportunities and possibilities you cannot find when you are negative and full of self-interest.

     

    If you’re happy with your lot in life this message is not for you. But if you know in your heart that you are settling…struggling…searching for something better…caring is the key. Caring is a selfless way of being…a way to operate in your personal life…your professional life…with those closest to you and with complete strangers. Cynicism wants you to believe you can’t afford to care. I’m here to suggest that you can’t afford not to.

     

    Caring is a habit. So start practicing it now. Care about what is good and right and let everything else go. You will look back one day and realize you have been transformed…your life has been transformed…because you chose to care about more than yourself.

     

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

     

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 1178

• The New Minimalism The New Minimalism

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    Over the past year, in my work with ASCD affiliates, we have been exploring ways to revolutionize the ways we serve their affiliate members. Why? The writing is on the wall that today’s educators have different needs and expectations. It’s difficult to get out of the classroom to attend conferences, and when educators can get away for professional development they want to be actively engaged in acquiring meaning and building understanding. One concept I have asked affiliates to explore is the deconstruction of conferences, workshops and seminars into a newly emerging kind of professional development: the unconference.

     

    Why unconference? It’s a back-to-basics movement…a new minimalism…wherein the participants define the learning and then contribute to its success. There are no keynote speakers, no concurrent sessions and no matrix schedules. They can be held anywhere you can find conducive free space so there is literally no overhead costs. And the payoff is that those who attend get to connect, learn and network for follow-up discussions after the event is over. Sounds intriguing…but scary! As one affiliate board member remarked to me at their summer retreat: “No headliners? No identified agenda? No pre-registration? What if nobody comes?!”

     

    “Take a chance!” I replied. “If nobody comes then…nobody will know it flopped!” The room laughed nervously. But the truth is to make revolutionary changes in how we serve educators, we need to take risks. Every affiliate  I have discussed unconferencing with has been fascinated with the idea. It makes sense to them…especially as they consider the needs of educators under 40. They’re not joiners. They don’t want to sit and be talked at. They want opportunities to apply themselves and be leaders among their peers. They need places where they can make that happen. What we need are some early adopters…

     

    We do have a number of affiliates seriously planning their first foray into unconferencing. This past week I attended the first of a series of unconferences to be held by South Carolina ASCD on Project-Based Learning (PBL) at a middle school in Columbia, SC. Executive Director Charlene Herring invited me because of my recent book IQuest and so I could provide an additional layer of support as her team began this new PD experiment.

     

    Because there was no published schedule or agenda, only an open-ended theme, the SC ASCD team had no idea who would actually show up or what would happen when they did. As educators rolled in, they slapped on a self-signed nametag and went to one of three whiteboards at the front of the room and wrote what they knew about PBL and what they were seeking to learn at the unconference. There were few solo attendees…most educators came in teams of two-to-six  people…and they sat in their teams wherever they found seats. What struck me most? Of the 40 people who came to participate, more than thirty of them were young educators. The over-forty attendees were administrators who brought their young teams to contribute and learn. And the teams did not stay in teams for long. People were quickly talking across teams to share and learn and exchange contact information. It was purposeful and powerful in how it took on a life of its own.

     

    Several teams emerged as having experience and expertise that everyone else in attendance wanted to hear about. There were elementary people picking the brains of secondary people and vice-versa. At some points people met in quickly-forming groups to discuss PBL planning or implementation or assessment concerns. Then the room would shift as groups of educators sought to discuss ideas by grade level. By the time it was over, SC ASCD’s first unconference was a high-energy success with everyone parting full of ideas and strategies and new contacts with whom they could continue the conversation. The entire event lasted three hours and didn’t cost anyone a penny. It was relevant engaging and satisfying for everyone involved.

     

    Could it be more than 40 attendees? Absolutely. But it was a great turnout for a first-time event with no defined parameters. More importantly, it was a big step for an ASCD affiliate offering a new kind of professional development to its membership. Yes, edcamps and unconferences are already tried-and-true PD formats in ed tech circles, but ed tech educators are typically early adopters and innovators by trade. I am very proud of our ASCD affiliates serving as innovators in their own right. We can build on our successes and learn from our efforts. The point is, ASCD and its affiliates are committed to remaining relevant partners to educators, providing rich resources and rewarding experiences that make a difference in their work. Thank you to the SC ASCD team and its members who partook in last week’s PBL unconference. And here’s to more ground-breaking innovation for our affiliates in the months to come!

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm
    

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

  • Blog post
  • 8 months ago
  • Views: 1583

• Rich, Real-World, Performance- Rich, Real-World, Performance-Based Learning

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    Howard Gardner challenged that prevailing definition of intelligence with one concise description of what it means to be smart: “the ability to find and solve problems and create products of value in one's own culture.” It’s so simple it’s profound! There is no single measurement for intelligence in this definition. There is no “quotient” that can quantify ability or predict potential. Gardner’s theory attempts to provide for the complex processes of human cognition without setting limits on its potential. If the human mind has an operating system, Gardner’s model is the manual that attempts to explain how it runs.

     

    Consider these observable actions for each intelligence:

     

    Intelligence	Observable Actions
    Verbal	Read, write, speak, tell, ask, explain,  inform, convey, report, articulate, address, confer, request, recount, lecture, present, announce, narrate, debate, discuss, converse, recite, quote, describe, clarify
    Logical	Solve, resolve, question, hypothesize, theorize, scrutinize, investigate, experiment, analyze, deduce, prove, verify, decipher, determine, predict, estimate, measure, calculate, quantify, simplify
    Visual	Observe, symbolize, draw, sketch, draft, illustrate, paint, color, contour, outline, rearrange, design, redesign, invent, create, conceive, originate, innovate, imagine, picture, envision, visualize, pretend
    Kinesthetic	Build, construct, erect, assemble, make, manufacture, structure, craft, imitate, play, perform, walk, run, jump, dance, collect, gather, compile, fashion, shape, duplicate, dissect, exercise, move, transport
    Musical	Listen, hear, infer, audiate, note, pattern, sing, clap, chant, model,  repeat, replicate, reproduce, copy, echo, imitate, impersonate, mimic, compose, harmonize, dub, rap, orchestrate, resonate
    Intrapersonal	Express, imply, support, sponsor, promote, advise, advocate, encourage, champion, justify, rationalize, characterize, defend, validate, vindicate, assess, evaluate, judge, challenge, survey, poll
    Interpersonal	Share, lead, guide, direct, help, mediate, manage, conduct, collaborate, cooperate, interview, influence, persuade, campaign, convince, compromise, role play, improvise, ad-lib, referee, reconcile
    Naturalist	Sort, organize, categorize, compare, contrast, differentiate, separate, classify, detail, align, order, arrange, sequence, inventory, catalogue, group, file, index, chronicle, log, map, chart, graph
    Existential	Reflect, contemplate, deliberate, ponder, summarize, synthesize, associate, relate, recap, encapsulate, elaborate, appreciate, appraise, critique, evaluate, assess, speculate, explore, dream, wonder

     

    Our goal should be to provide instructional opportunities that promote all nine intelligences. MI Theory was not developed to label or exclude individuals, but to allow all learners to be successful through the different paths to learning that Gardner has identified.

     

    Technology can provide us with the tools we need to redefine how and what we teach. As the old saying goes, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything around you looks like a nail.” There is no longer a one-size-fits-all solution for providing instruction. With this in mind, let’s consider how different technologies map to each of the intelligences. While this is by no means exhaustive, it offers examples of technologies and the intelligences they stimulate.

     

    Intelligence	Technologies
    Verbal	Textbook, pencil, worksheet, newspaper, magazine, word processing, electronic mail, desk top publishing, web-based publishing, keyboard, text bridges, speech recognition software
    Logical	Cuisenaire rods, unifix cubes, tangrams, measuring cups, measuring scales, graphing calculators, spreadsheets, search engines, problem solving tasks, programming languages
    Visual	Videos, picture books, art supplies, chalkboard, Smart board, slide shows, charting and graphing, digital camera/camcorders, graphics editors, digital animation/movies, WYSIWYG editors
    Kinesthetic	Manipulative materials, screw, lever, wheel and axle, inclined plane, pulley, wedge, assistive technologies, digital probes, simulations that require eye-hand coordination, video games
    Musical	Puzzles, virtual pattern games, musical instruments, digital sounds, digital recotding, digital sampling, multimedia presentations, multimedia editing software, MP3 players
    Intrapersonal	Journals, diaries, voting machines, learning centers, children’s literature, student-centered projects, online surveys, online forms, digital portfolios, digital self-assessments, blogs
    Interpersonal	Laboratory, board games, walkie-talkie, cell phone, chat, message boards, instant messenger, collaborative projects, online projects, virtual interactive games, Twitter, LinkedIn
    Naturalist	Magnifying glass, microscope, telescope, bug box, scrap book, sandwich bag, plastic container database, semantic mapping tools, social bookmarking sites, online file storage
    Existential	Theater, virtual communities, virtual art exhibits, virtual field trips, wikis, Facebook, Google+, multiple user virtual environments, virtual reality

     

    By keeping in mind the affordances of each technology, teachers can successfully select those applications that will match learning objectives to the intelligences that thrive in every classroom.

     

    But how do schools adopt a new model of thinking and learning that adequately parallels the demands of the Information Age workplace? And if we tend to teach in the same ways that we ourselves were taught, how then do we as teachers break away from the standardized, homogeneous approach to schooling that we knew as students? And for those innovators in the classroom who have already recognized the changing needs of society, in what sound theory can they base their evolving instructional practices?

     

    Gardner’s definition of intelligence resounds clearly: the ability to create products and solve problems that are of value in one’s own culture…to be able to demonstrate understanding in rich, real world, performance-based tasks. For example, any standardized test can ask a student to identify the major organs in the digestive system of a fetal pig, but the student who is able to take that working knowledge and identify similar organs while manually dissecting the feline digestive system demonstrates that s/he has truly mastered the skill. Which student would you rather have working in your laboratory? Good test takers aren’t necessarily so because they master content easily. They’re good test takers because they can infer and deduce information and make correct choices a high percentage of the time. This may suffice for the needs of a multiple choice test, but any master teacher will tell you a student really hasn’t mastered a skill or concept until s/he can apply it in a completely novel context. When all students can demonstrate these kinds of abilities with regards to math, science, history, language and the arts then we will have truly revolutionized public education.

     

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

     

     

    

  • Blog post
  • 9 months ago
  • Views: 1313

• An Education Engine An Education Engine

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    In this election year we continue hearing about “twenty-first century” skills. But what we should be talking about, IMHO, is what’s after the twenty-first century threshold. At the outset, the challenge seemed to be to simply be able to manage the data with which we are inundated. But as the tools to manage data have become more and more user-friendly, the next challenge is to find contexts for the pertinent information we encounter … context provided by the experience and expertise we bring to understanding information. When we have meaningful understanding of information, insight is created, the kind of insight that identifies opportunities for innovation. There is a shift from mere information management to insight.

     

    Another major change we are experiencing is movement from the simple realization that we live in a global economy to actively contributing to a communal marketplace of ideas. The first decade of the twenty-first century kicked off with a celebration of the fact that we now have the capability to interact globally, and we have been doing that through various electronic communications. But with this capability now demonstrated daily, the next challenge is to use these tools to truly build communities across traditional geographic and political boundaries. It is slowly taking place as we bridge the challenges of time zones, language differences, and cultural differences. There is a shift from simple global awareness to collaborating communities world-wide.

     

    There is a progression of four different stages in this thinking:

     

    The Ideate Paradigm: Generating ideas based on global information. This is where the twenty-first century started. It is the result of norm-referenced standardized testing and the push to compare ourselves not only with local students, but students elsewhere. The institutional reaction to how students compare to others around the world generates entirely new initiatives to close gaps and document student achievement improvement. This approach is linear and sequential and focused on deficits. It is Zeno’s “racetrack paradox,” which states that if you keep advancing half the distance to the finish line, mathematically you never actually reach it. (Aristotle, Physics 239b11-13). This is the rut in which education sits today, and because it is statistically impossible to ever reach the finish line, public education has become politicized and polarized. No one wins.

     

    The Automate Paradigm: Utilizing digital technology to complete a number of traditional tasks faster, more accurately and with greater ease than we used to be able to accomplish the same tasks in the industrial age. This has been a huge breakthrough in productivity and efficiency. Unfortunately it has also made technology a primary focus in-and-of itself. Automating our schools does not transform education; it simply builds on the ways we already teach with new tools used to complete traditional goals. Of particular concern is the role vendors are now playing in education decision-making; the lines have blurred and we are not necessarily making educational decisions based solely on the needs of the learner. There is now an insidious commercial influence that has the potential to move public education into the domain of private enterprise.

     

    The Informate Paradigm: Using digital communications and learning tools, we can create new ways to empower every family to support their children as learners. Instead of focusing on the technology, transform education by building capacity for all family members, students and parents, to be ctive life-long learners. This paradigm transcends automating, looking past immediate task-focused instructional goals and focusing on a global destination for public education: the more school-aged families become acclimated to using information portals, electronic communications and online learning communities, the more we will realize our mission in public education to provide a free, appropriate education for everyone. In this paradigm we elevate the impact of education by engaging all education stakeholders using the tools we have at our disposal.

     

    The Innovate Paradigm: Beyond generating ideas, automating tasks and informating electronically, innovating is the ultimate goal: generating original knowledge, new products and novel solutions to problems that are valued across learning communities. To innovate is to push the envelope, take risks, gain insight and eventually break new ground that contributes to the greater good. Risks that do not produce innovation are not considered failures, but opportunities to gain insight for future risk-taking, as well. Find a point on the horizon where you know you and your students must be and then use the insight you possess to figure out how to get there. As a result of reaching that point on the horizon, the worldwide economy is infused with energy and ideas and new possibilities. This is the future today’s children will inherit, and we must prepare them for it.

     

    So, rather than fixating on twenty-first century skills, identify where you are now in this 4-stage progression on the matrix below and then figure out your next steps to help your students and school and community move forward toward innovating. Do you have to go through each of the four stages listed above to reach innovation? No. The matrix is simply a high-level snapshot of where we are and where we are headed. Instead of trying to match the matrix step-for-step, practice true innovating by finding the point on the horizon where you know you need to be…a model innovator…and then work to gain insight on how you will get there. Take risks based on your insight, and learn from your journey.

     

    

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    How do we summarize the journey to innovating? From an education perspective, we need to revolutionize the ways we work, the ways we teach, and the ways we learn. We cannot simply reform the old model. We must transform public education into a new, global, innovating enterprise that becomes the engine for a revitalized economy.

     

    Technology is integral in both converting raw data (information) into understanding (insight) and bridging the gap between comparing ourselves to other cultures (global awareness) to participating in new societies (collaborating communities). Although the focus can’t be on the technology itself, we as educators must be looking for the ways the technology can open possibilities for our students to learn.

     

    Of course, the focus always comes back to students learning. Melding our understanding of how the world is changing, how technology is providing opportunity, and a sound understanding of the multiple intelligences is a roadmap that can lead our educational system not only deep into the twenty-first century, but well beyond.

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/

  • Blog post
  • 9 months ago
  • Views: 1934

• Walk On Walk On

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    I spent time this weekend visiting a place that has been very significant to me, especially over the last year. I did it to come to terms with the fact that I can’t go ba­ck.

     

    I know they say you can’t go home again. But I found I could go home again when I returned to Massachusetts in the early two-thousands. So I thought I could apply this here. I was wrong.

     

    This visit, my best friend was no longer available to me. The sights didn’t seem as exciting. The food didn’t seem as great. Nothing matched my memories. I was simply visiting a place that used to be where I felt grounded…and now I’m just a visitor.

     

    I share this with you because, as we move forward into whatever the future holds for us as educators and as people, as much as we want to…we can’t go back. Our memories are wonderful, our intentions are laudable, but the reality is once things have changed for us there is no going back…because there is no way to recreate the people and circumstances that came together at a fondly recalled place in time.

     

    Perhaps we hold on to what we knew and loved because it was a time of growth and success. Perhaps we made assumptions that those people and circumstances would remain constants in our lives.­­­ Perhaps the comfort and familiarity of what we have known brings us warmth and happiness we don’t want to lose. Whatever the reason…no matter how well-intended, sooner or later reality hits and we suddenly come to terms with the fact that we’re not as well-grounded as we used to be or we want to be. We need to let go and move forward.

     

    It’s ok. It’s alright. It’s not the end of the world. You accept you can’t go back…that things cannot be the same. It has to sink in for a while. And you will fight the fact before you finally accept it. But once you finally finish resisting the reality, something incredibly powerful happens. You look around. You become centered in who you are where you are now, and you start to focus your energies not on recapturing the security of your past but in realizing the promise of your future.

     

    I talked to a wise confidante of mine about this, and she said, “You make it sound like if you accept the past is over, there’s nothing to look forward to in the future! Why shut yourself off from all the potential you have in the years ahead? Who knows what might come your way…even bigger and better than what you’ve had!” She was right. Somehow in coming to terms with the fact that I can’t go back I was jumping to a place where I felt resigned that life as I knew it was over…and that’s a dangerous place to live. In fact, it didn’t feel like living at all. It felt limiting and frustrating and final.

     

    And so I say to each of you as friends and colleagues, wherever your career is taking you…wherever your life is taking you…it’s ok. Don’t allow yourself to think of it as accepting the inevitable. You will have new opportunities ahead…you just need to be open to the possibilities…to engage yourself in the life you have now…to be alive in the present and learn.

     

    I realize as I write this the reason I could go home to Massachusetts was because I was finding new people and circumstances in which to thrive. The fact that I reconnected with familiar faces and places as I settled in was incidental to my success in returning home. I was not trying to recreate what I remembered so fondly. Can we reconnect with people and situations from our past? Yes I believe so…but only on the new terms of the present moment . There is no going back.

     

    The memories are always there. Be grateful for them and go back and visit as much as you like. But don’t seek to be grounded there. There is no firm footing in the past. Allow yourself to walk on and find your full potential…experience your whole happiness…without reservations or regrets. Life is too short…and you have too much to offer the people and circumstances waiting for you in the days ahead. Walk on...

     

    Walk On lyrics: http://goo.gl/VtMy6

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/

  • Blog post
  • 9 months ago
  • Views: 2042

• "As-Is"...Not "As-If"... "As-Is"...Not "As-If"...

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    It’s currently popular on social media to share memes that say something to the effect of, “Don’t expect anything and you’ll be grateful for whatever life sends your way!” I am taking issue with this sentiment.

     

    If all you want to do is drift through life rolling with each bump and curve on the landscape, a “no expectations” outlook may be fine. No. Scratch that. Have you ever tried to drive with your eyes focused right where your hood ends and the road begins? Everything that your wheels encounter startles you. You’re not looking ahead to anticipate the traffic and potholes you will encounter in the next minutes. No one drives that way!
    So why would anyone live their life that way?!

     

    No. Living with no expectations is reckless and foolish. You’re not increasing your capacity to be grateful…you’re preventing yourself from appreciating the big picture by creating artificial short-sighted surprises.

     

    So shake off the false-feel-good memes and self-imposed artificially-induced gratefulness. If we want to leave the world a better place than we found it, we need to raise the bar higher than our current footing. There’s no pleasant surprise getting caught back on our heels.

     

    All this having been said, here are my expectations for the coming academic year:

     

     - I care.

     

     - I live my life with passion.

     

     - I embrace positive energy.

     

     - I make this world a better place.

     

     - I give my best and expect as much in return.

     

     - I grow personally and professionally over time.

     

     - I live reflectively, thoughtfully, and deliberately with intention.

     

     - I touch the lives of others in ways that make a good difference.

     

     - I consciously choose who I keep in my life and who I cannot keep.

     

     - I give 100% in everything I do.

     

     - I am patient with myself.

     

     - I do not live with regret.

     

     - I don’t make excuses.

     

     - I don’t settle for less.

     

    Will there be letdowns? Of course. Disappointment is just the difference between where I’ve set the bar and where I find my footing. It’s a good thing…a gut check that helps me reassess and aspire to do better. It’s not based on what anyone else does…it’s defined by me and the standards to which I hold myself. If I’m never disappointed, I’m not setting the bar high enough for myself.

     

    How about you? Are you willing to settle? Are you headed into the new school year willing to kid yourself and accept an existence that is void of your true potential? Do you want to spend another year getting up, looking in the mirror, and forcing yourself to smile because you’d rather pretend “as-if” instead of facing reality “as-is”? You’re not just kidding yourself…your impacting everyone around you…and precious time continues to pass. How many Septembers have you seen already? Set high expectations for the Septembers you have left…beginning this week...keep your eye on the horizon...and make a difference in your life and the world around you!

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm
    

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/

  • Blog post
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 2237

• “You're Gonna Need a Bigger Bo “You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!”

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    “You're gonna need a bigger boat!” -Police Chief Brody, Jaws

    
    Three able men are shoveling chum out into the water to attract the menace terrorizing their beaches. Suddenly an image begins to take form beneath the water, circling the small fishing vessel. They assess they are looking at a 25-foot, three ton tiger shark. Police Chief Martin Brody exclaims, “You're gonna need a bigger boat!” A patently obvious observation? Granted…remember the theater breaking out in nervous laughter when Schneider blurted it out in 1975? But as Shark Week concludes it’s also an apt allegory for capacity building...personal capacity building. 

    
    Capacity building typically refers to an organization’s ability to offer new services that add value for those it serves. You have to have the capacity before you attempt to take your services to a higher level. For example, it doesn’t make sense to increase your student body by 300% if you don’t have the staff and room to accommodate three times as many learners. Sure you’d have more revenue from increased enrollments, but you wouldn’t be able to meet everyone’s needs and expectations. You have to have the capacity to handle your goals once you realize them. 

    
    The concept of capacity building holds true for each of us individually. It makes no sense to pursue goals that you aren’t personally ready to handle…because once you arrive at your desired destination, the reality will hit hard that you can’t handle what you thought you wanted. Be careful what you wish for, but more importantly, when you know what you want to go after in life, be sure you have built your inner capacity so you can fully engage and enjoy it! When your ship comes in…do you want to meet it at the docks with a station wagon or an eighteen wheel moving van?

    
    Educators, think of it like instructional scaffolding. We don’t expect students to sink or swim as they work to master new skills and concepts. We provide support for them to build on their strengths and successes as they take risks, make mistakes and learn. The same holds true for us as adults, whether on the job or at home. To build personal capacity we need to be able to push ourselves to take risks, learn and grow. Sounds simple, but what is required?

    1. Push yourself beyond where you are - if you’re too comfortable where you currently live or work, you’re not going to grow
       
        
    2. Identify new small challenges - nothing earth-shattering; something you can attain using your current skills 
       
        
    3. Commit your personal strengths to meet your challenge - you’re making it a priority to take risks to grow
       
        
    4. Invest your time and energy to make it happen - stretch yourself to meet and surpass the challenge you’ve set
       
        
    5. Monitor your progress - be self-aware, learn as you go and make adjustments as needed 
       
        
    6. Be persistent - push yourself and refuse to give up to develop resilience and tenacity
       
        
    7. Be flexible - consider multiple ways to meet your challenge from different perspectives
       
        
    8. Hit your target - give yourself credit for progress and know when you meet your challenge
       
        
    9. Appreciate your new capacity - recognize how meeting your challenge helped you grow 
       
        
    10. Build on little victories - identify new challenges that will push you to grow and build more capacity so that you will eventually realize your goals

    If Quint’s boat had the proper capacity to deal with his nemesis, “Jaws” could have ended much differently. No one wants to find themselves sitting in a boat too small to handle the shark encircling it! 

    
    So how about you? How do you want your story to end? Now is the time…today is the day…to start purposefully developing your personal capacity.

     

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

  • Blog post
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 2873

• Less Friction. More Traction. Less Friction. More Traction.

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    What’s your agenda? Do you know? Do you think you know? How honest are you with yourself? Because if you aren’t honest with yourself, you’re not going to be honest with anyone else.

     

    Everyone has their agenda…the things they are looking to accomplish and get out of life. As we interact with each other, we discover where there are commonalities and differences on one another’s agendas. Most of us are aware of at least the major things we want that are important to us. We work to advance those things in our relationships, both personally and professionally. As we find contexts that foster success, we stay and work in those relationships. In the best contexts, we actually discover more about our personal agenda and learn about ourselves in the process. It’s all about our relationships.

     

    When a relationship ends, it’s because of incompatible agendas. We simply don’t agree or have enough in common anymore to support one another in what we mutually want. How many times have you left a relationship - personal or professional - and you didn’t know why you were dissatisfied and ready to move on? Rarely. Our agendas define who we are and the parameters of what we are willing to do.

     

    Knowing your agenda is to your advantage. You can navigate through life towards those things that are important to you. When faced with choices you can opt to consistently advance your dreams. You don’t feel stuck or wonder how to change your circumstances. You keep moving forward. You know who you are and where you want to be.

     

    So what’s your agenda? If you made a list right now of what you want and what’s important to you, could you do it? Would it be complete? Would you have that nagging feeling that there is more not on the list but you can’t quite put your finger on it? Fight the urge not to identify what that is. It’s too easy to settle for less and then spend your energy wondering why you are who you are, where you are. No one is stuck in life by anything but their own thinking. Only we can make ourselves settle for less.

     

    As we prepare for teachers and students to return to classrooms, I ask you, what is your agenda? Why are you in education? Take thirty minutes this week and make a list of your whys and what-fors. Then look over your agenda and ask yourself, “Are these items all compatible and pointing towards one destination?” If so, you’re deliberately and actively working your agenda. But what if  you find items on your list that conflict with one another and make you lose traction in getting where you want to go? It means you have some soul-searching to do and some choices to make. Clean up that agenda and make it work for you. No one ever got anywhere drifting through life, surprising themselves as they react to whatever pops up in front of them.

     

    Not sure how to honestly put your professional agenda down on paper? Then start with your personal life. What do you want for your personal happiness? What do you want and what are you willing to give to have the best, most important relationships in your life thrive? What are you willing to spend and what are you willing to save? What do you need more of and what do you need to remove completely?

     

    Being thoughtful and deliberate about your agenda requires an awareness of what you are doing as you operate each day…and it’s worth the effort. Because as you develop the habits of knowing and furthering your agenda, you will attract others who will support you in your efforts and you remove many of the obstacles and frustrations that you notice in your life right now. You will be true to yourself and contributing to the happiness of those with whom you share common goals. Less friction. More traction.

     

    And what if you find your agenda is not pointing towards your goals for happiness? Maybe it’s time to make some changes…choose different agenda items…end relationships and jobs that undermine your happiness. Frightening to consider? Fear is the number one reason people avoid looking at themselves and taking responsibility for their own happiness. Sadly, it’s easier to blame our circumstances and blame others and settle for less.

     

    The truth is, you can’t choose to be in education and have an agenda that is not consistent with the goals of the profession. To do so is to subject yourself to a frustrating career fraught with episodes of burnout. You’re in the human potential business…make fulfilling your own potential a mindful priority. Your potential for fulfillment. Your potential for happiness. Your potential for peace of mind and satisfaction with your work and relationships. If you don’t do it for you…who will? Things can only get better!

     

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

     

  • Blog post
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 1739

• Open the Flood Gates Open the Flood Gates

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    One of the legacies of the Industrial Age is the ideal of standardization: creating products of consistent quality that can be mass-produced. Coming out of the Agricultural Age, this was a huge step forward; without standardization much of what was accomplished in the twentieth century could not have been attained.

     

    Along with standardization came specialization, as specific standards of quality had to be met by specific experts. On any assembly line each worker knows expertly his or her one piece of the whole standardized assembly process. It serves its purpose well in manufacturing.

     

    An intriguing concept in specialization is the notion of compartmentalizing: to separate into distinct, discrete parts of a whole product. By compartmentalizing, we are able to isolate specific processes and problems and focus on solutions without being distracted or overwhelmed by the bigger picture. There’s a safety in compartments. When people compartmentalize, they can focus on what they want without allowing themselves to feel the impact of other parts of their lives. Likewise, building the hull of a ship by compartments makes it more seaworthy; if one set of compartments takes on water, the ship can remain afloat as long as the rest of the compartments remain intact. Barn silos. Office cubicles. Individual serving packets. Compartments are everywhere.

     

    But compartmentalizing has its limits. When we compartmentalize, we never deal with the bigger issues. We seal in quality but also seal out any further chance for improvement. Whatever we place in a compartment becomes frozen in time, unless and until we break the compartment open again. In the case of a seaworthy ship, opening up compartments isn’t desirable. For people, we all eventually have to break out of our compartments to become whole, happy, healthy, functioning people. For silos and cubicles and packets of instant oatmeal, we want to be able to break the seal and bring value out for our use.

     

    Working and living in compartments - in isolation - prevents us from realizing our full potential. It can feel safe to seal off specific parts of ourselves, but in reality each of us is one whole, complete self-contained system of wonderful potential that can make the world a better place. The same goes for organizations. Each department can have its own self-contained expertise that contributes to the whole, but to be successful in the quickly-changing Information Age, each group of experts need to connect and communicate and collaborate across departmental boundaries. To continue working in isolation is to ensure organizational extinction.

     

    This holds true for education. We have compartmentalized ourselves by subject matter expertise, grade levels, geographic boundaries, political boundaries, and local management. We identify ourselves by pedagogy, practice, textbook adoptions, proprietary technologies, budget priorities, and so much more. Education is the most splintered, compromised, compartmentalized public institution in existence. This is why, in my humble opinion, it is struggling to be successful in the Information Age.

     

    At some point standardization reached its optimal potential, and a new ideal began to come into focus: individualization. You can’t meet the needs of individuals when your expertise and resources are locked up in compartments. Society is being opened up in the info-technical explosion we now know as the Information Age, and education is unable to keep up because of its compartmentalized structure. How do you capitalize on all the benefits of individualizing for students when you are set up for one-size-fits-all standardization?

     

    If we can break down the walls and open up the free-flow of ideas and resources, education has the potential to become a game-changer in the Information Age. What would that look like? There are numerous models around us of children being educated individually to meet their needs and interests so that they are prepared for the wide-open society they are about to inherit. Technology can make that kind of unique individual education experience possible on a massive scale. Perhaps the first step is to stop trying to force technology to fit the model of standardized instruction…unleash its transformative potential and let innovative education practices show us the way. Change is not an easy thing for any public institution…but students are already using tech tools in every other aspect of their lives…and if schools do not transform to reflect how students learn and work and interact today, they will become irrelevant in the not-too-distant future.

     

    Standardization has had its day. Unfortunately, the process of becoming extinct is slow and often hard to discern…especially when it’s happening to you. In order for organizations to remain relevant in the Information Age, they must break out of their various compartments, open the flood gates, and let the resulting flow of energy and ideas wash over them and take their course.

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm
    

     

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

  • Blog post
  • 10 months ago
  • Views: 2013

• You owe it to Yourself You owe it to Yourself

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    Did you ever have a relationship with someone who had really pronounced personality traits…and those traits happened to be what you most admired in them AND what would most drive you crazy about them?

     

    Some examples:

    •  Someone who is very passionate about their ideas and beliefs…but at some points they are unable to hear your perspective.
       
    • Someone who is wonderfully verbal...but at times you get annoyed that they may not be able to listen as well.
       
    • Someone who is full of life living-in-the-moment…but can have difficult time making decisions about anything too far in the future
       
    • Someone who is always neat and organized…but has trouble being flexible when you need them to be.
      
      
    • Someone who always has insight and solutions for difficult situations…but can’t seem to apply them to his or her self.

    We’ve all had these experiences. When the net benefits outweigh the contradictions, the relationship continues. And yet there is always that line that can be crossed where an inherent strength can become an annoyance.

     

    Think of this in terms of your professional life. There are many initial reasons we got into education. And yet how many of those reasons have become a source of frustration for us at times over the years? Again, some examples:

     

    Benefit	Frustration
    Working with children	Changing expectations
    Lifelong learning	Required professional development
    Job security	Locked into pay scales
    Professional stature	Media criticism
    Making a difference	Being tied into accountability
    Serving your community	Being treated as public employees

     

    Those of us who truly see the value of being an educator, even in the face of the frustrations, continue to serve in education in different capacities as our careers continue to evolve. We are committed to our work, understanding the pros and cons. Others of us see the frustrations and leave the profession under their mounting weight. Then there are those of us who choose to stay in the profession even though we are frustrated for reasons of self-interest: salary, benefits, retirement.

     

    Is that OK? It depends on who you ask. Certainly as professionals we are aware of our own interests as well as the interests of the greater good. We’re not philanthropists functioning in a vacuum. Still, how long do you stay in a relationship where you’re getting less and less out of it? And when you see other people together in an unhappy relationship, do they look like they’re doing one another a favor? It affects everyone around them.

     

    We all know someone who is still working their job, collecting their paycheck, and not doing anyone any favors. They can be bitter, frustrated, burnt out…and they give us a bad name as a profession. Yet they don’t see the obligation they have to the children, their colleagues and the profession to move on to new work. I am not writing to suggest when or how this decision should be made; it’s a very personal self-assessment-and-decision-making process. But I am saying if you are still in the profession, and you no longer see the net benefits outweighing your frustrations, do a self-check and be aware of how this is affecting you. If you can take a good hard look at yourself and you still see that spark of idealism, that love of children and learning, that drive to make the world a better place, then you are in good stead. But if you realize your words and actions and attitudes impair your ability to be the educator you could and should be, maybe it’s time to ask yourself what you’d like to be doing the next 20 to 30 years. After all, no one wants to spend their life feeling stuck and frustrated.

     

    Still not convinced? Well look at it from a point of self-interest...you owe it to yourself to do a gut check, whatever you decide...and in hindsight, you'll be glad you did.

     

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm
    

  • Blog post
  • 11 months ago
  • Views: 1602

• Defy Gravity! Defy Gravity!

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    This past week I listened to Dr. Gene Carter, Executive Director of ASCD, deliver his opening remarks at our Leader to Leader conference in a crowded ballroom of eager ASCD leaders from around the world. He addressed many important themes for the conference, but one phrase jumped out of me in its startling simplicity: “Defy gravity!” I tweeted it out right away, and then let it sit with me the next few days of the conference to appreciate its full impact.

    
    

    Gravity…that force that pulls us down and makes us feel our weight…is such a constant in our lives we assume we have to operate under its impact all the time…not just our physical weight…but the weight of our experiences, too. If we believe we are weighed down with our lot in life, that we cannot will change to happen…it constrains us in everything we do…limiting our future.

     

    I started my career in education in 1985 fresh out of the Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!) and I saw limitless possibilities for making a difference. Why not? I had no track record to define who I was or how I could succeed. But over the years, I honed my skills and found ways to make a difference. My creative tools were vertical files full of snail-mailed resources, acetate sheets on overhead projectors, filmstrips, carousel slide shows, VCRs, display cases, paper-and-scissors clip-art and dry transfer lettering. I made learning come alive for my students through every industrial-aged tool at my disposal. I loved my work.

     

    Then came computers and school networks and the Internet into our classrooms. It was new and different and required us to think of different ways to be successful. I felt the weight of my past experiences making me worry about using these new tools and the different ways of thinking I would need to use them. But gravity acts on mass, and I had only been teaching a few short years...so I shook off my anxiety, jumped in, and before I knew it I was leading online student projects, collaborating online with other teachers, and finding new ways to make learning come alive. I defied gravity...even though it wasn't that difficult in hindsight.

     

    Then came social media. I had an award-winning static website http://surfaquarium.com that I put endless hours into maintaining, several well-respected email distribution lists I had developed into thriving online communities, and ongoing invitations to present at major conferences about my work, but nothing had prepared me for this. Web 2.0? The Read-Write web? Blogs? Wikis? MySpace? I was so busy doing my thing I hadn’t seen this coming! Again I felt the gravity of my experiences pulling at me, and this was much harder because I was that much deeper into my career. It made me question if I was up for more change when I already was established and successful. Why were the rules changing? What about all the work I had already done on my website and mailing lists? But I knew deep-down change had to happen, and I began migrating my online projects from YahooGroups to wikis and I found myself Tweeting and Facebooking. I even archived the Surfaquarium and made my blogging the only current content I keep updated. I defied gravity again.

     

    What I realized each time is that my success isn’t defined by what I am comfortable and confident doing; it is defined by those people I impact positively through their preferred tools and modes of learning. If I don’t change, I can keep myself happy but the world will move ahead without me. It made sense within my whole multiple intelligences orientation: I can make it about my comfort zone and my past paths to success, but to those I seek to serve, I need to meet them at their needs and interests. My future needs to break free of my past… my future depends on theirs.

     

    In 2010 I performed another act of defying gravity, walking away from my assistant superintendency to join the highly-respected folks at ASCD. I shed the weight of my success as a public school educator in order to serve the greater good through the world’s premier education association. I still get to work with educators at all levels, and the work is very rewarding. Yet the theme of gravity continues to make itself known, because all of us as educators continue to struggle with the world changing around us. We have been successful over the last half-century using traditional forms of communication and professional development, but these things simply aren’t serving our colleagues and students effectively any more.

     

    So Dr. Carter’s challenge is very real…and as easy or as difficult as we want to make it: “Defy gravity!” Free yourself from your past life and ask yourself what you need to do to choose your future. Need to learn to reach out through concise tweets instead of lengthy newsletters? Learn to do it! Need to learn how to virtual-conference instead of waiting months to attend a face-to-face event? Let’s do it! Want to connect with like-minded educators from around the world to help you take your work to the next level? They’re waiting for you…online!

     

    Defy gravity! Because if you allow your perceptions and apprehensions to weigh you down, your life and career will never be more than the sum of your past experiences. Are you willing to accept that? I didn’t think so. Me neither!

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm
    

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/

  • Blog post
  • 11 months ago
  • Views: 2253

• Energy, Power and the Leader-s Energy, Power and the Leader-sphere

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    

    Have you ever thought about the difference between energy and power? We use them interchangeably when discussing fuel, but not so much when discussing people. Energy is the availability of power, and power is the ability to get things done. Today’s young professionals expect to be both energized and empowered, and organizations are quickly morphing to meet the challenge and the opportunity.

     

    Consider it in terms of how our thinking about fuel has evolved over time…

     

    From early on in human history, access to fuel has been linear. We’ve had to find and go to the source: water, wind, fire. Eventually, we realized we could harness fuel for specific uses, so we built mills on rivers and ships on oceans and we cooked at fire pits. It was a step forward, but it was still a linear path.

     

    Then came electricity. You don’t “go” to electricity…you make it come to you through conductors, insulators and wiring. It was still linear…available through stationary receptacles…but we extended its reach through extension cords, batteries and generators. Access started proliferating through portable devices…yet it still had its limitations. An extension cord eventually runs out of length. Batteries…even rechargeable ones…run out of juice. Generators…no matter how big…run out of life. This is our fuel reality today.

     

    The next big leap in access to fuel will happen through the development of wireless energy…when we no longer need a physical connection to have energy.  Imagine being able to power devices through the air, much like we receive wireless signals and radio waves today. No linear connections. No outlets. No cords. No batteries that run out of energy…just continuous uninterrupted power without being tethered to a location. Imagine the explosion in innovation and productivity that is going to occur. Talk about endless, renewable sources of fuel!

     

    Leadership is already undergoing a similar transformation. Power used to be leader-centric, resting in individuals…then in small elite groups. But in an age of open information available to everyone, this model of centralized control is outdated. Energy is no longer linear. Effective leaders today are not insulated or isolated, but connected across the entire knowledge landscape…a leader-sphere where connections are available everywhere, networking is open-ended, and collaboration is king:

     

    Leader-centric	Leader-sphere
    Energy from one central source	Energy from connections
    Power based on personal attributes	Power based on collaboration
    Linear, one-way communication	Multi-directional communication
    Consolidated authority	Empowering others
    Controlled access to information	Open access to information
    Maintaining status quo	Seeking new value
    Molding information to serve existing vision	Continually evolving vision based on new information
    Organization depends on leaders capacity to lead in order to be successful	Organization builds new capacity and potential independent of who is leading

      

    Effective leaders today do not look to traditional sources of power…they look out beyond them…they connect beyond the receptacle, beyond the extension cord and battery…out into the energized leader-sphere…where we can be empowered in entirely new ways through colleagues at all levels and there are endless possibilities.

    
    
    

    Don't make the assumption that this is just a generational change, because that change will wash over us and sweep us away. We each have the opportunity to rise with the tide, swim with the current, and ride the waves to new growth and possibilities.

    
    
    

    We each have a choice to make…transform ourselves as leaders or accept the same inevitable destiny as batteries and extension cords…irrelevance.

    
    
    

    Now is the time to change…hold on to the leadership habits that got us to where we are and it will be too late. Change the leader you are…if not for yourself…for the future of your organization.

    
    

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm
    

  • Blog post
  • 11 months ago
  • Views: 2127

• End Quiet Desperation End Quiet Desperation

  • From: Walter_McKenzie
  • Description:

    

    “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” -Thoreau

     

    In an era of shifting certainties, there are two ways to move forward: hold on tight to what is comfortable and familiar, or loosen your grip so that you’re ready to grasp new opportunities as they make themselves apparent. A clear-cut enough choice…yes?  But easier said than done.

     

    Letting go of the security of what has been familiar and reliable is difficult. Sure we can see signs that these things will no longer be of as much value to us…but they provide a sense of comfort and continuity…it’s what we know. It is human to hold on to that which is comfortable and familiar.

     

    Then there’s the question of which new opportunities we would grasp on to. Taking risks is always…well…a risk. So we want to be smart and informed before we let go of what we have for the promise of something better. And even at our best, most strategic decision-making, risks are never guaranteed. You may greatly benefit or wind up empty-handed.

     

    As you read this post, what are your current circumstances, and what would you change if you could? Would you like more fulfillment in your work or life? Do you see things in education you know need to change, but you are hesitant to help make change happen because of anticipated or unknown implications? Do you feel like you are being held captive by your fears? You are not alone. Thoreau’s quote speaks to all of us at some point in our lives.

     

    Recently I have been involved in several situations, both professionally and personally, in which taking a chance to improve things for the better was in order. In each case, I took a risk to do my part to make a difference, and in each case others involved in each situation shrunk back and opted for what they already knew…what was safe and familiar. It’s scary enough taking the risk…but even more so when partners pull back to firmer footing and leave you hanging by a loosened grip. It feels like imminent freefall, but in fact you pull through, that much stronger and wiser for taking each chance. In day-to-day life, risk-taking is rarely lethal. Yes it can be painful and disappointing, but anything worthwhile has that potential. Why settle for a life of quiet desperation when you have the ability to shape your own destiny? Do not allow fear to dictate your options. Do not shrink from making a difference in your life and the lives of others.

     

    Risk-taking is the only way of improving one’s lot in life, both personally and professionally. Playing it safe never got anyone anywhere. If you have convinced yourself that you are willing to accept the status quo simply because it is safer and easier, then please move out of the way for those of us who refuse to settle. We may not know what the future will bring or how we will get there, but we know we will be part of making it better for everyone. I refuse to leave this life with my song still bottled up inside, and I gladly accept all the ups and downs, bumps and bruises that I earn along the way.  You should too…if you want something better for yourself…and the world in which we live.

     

    Walter’s blog archive: http://surfaquarium.com/blog.htm

    Mirror site: http://surfaquarium.blogspot.com/
    

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 1320

• Why Are We Separating Boys and Why Are We Separating Boys and Girls?

  • From: Muriel_Rand
  • Description:

                I’m always surprised to see teachers make a conscious decision to separate boys and girls in activities in school, such as lining up, taking turns, or creating teams. I think this is problematic. It contributes to gender bias and discrimination – and is damaging to BOTH boys and girls.

                Imagine for a moment that you heard a teacher tell the children, “Okay, let’s have the Black children line up on this side, and the White children on the other side.” Most of us would think this is completely inappropriate (I hope!). Yet we often do the same thing with gender. The only time this might be acceptable is going to the bathroom, but I don’t think children should line up for the bathroom, so even that instance is not one I would advocate. Imagine saying this: “Good morning, red heads and blondes.” Silly, right? Yet we point out gender differences every time we say, “Good morning, boys and girls” instead of “Good morning, children.” I’ve seen teachers use a pattern of calling on a boy, girl, boy, girl to answer questions during lessons. Why differentiate children by gender during lessons? You might be thinking that this allows for more fairness. But would you be comfortable using a White child, Black child pattern? Probably not, and that raises the question of why we are comfortable separating by gender. What’s the result of years and years of hearing these phrases and being separated by gender? 

    •  Children may learn that boys and girls are different intellectually. 
    •  Children may learn that they should be considered as different kinds of people because of their gender 
    •  Children get locked into gender stereotypes at an early age

    Are boys and girls different? Of course! But not intellectually. And the physical differences are not significant for the types of activities done in early childhood or elementary grades.

                We’ve made great progress in gender equity – but there is still a long way to go, by any measure. It’s interesting to note that girls and women have made great strides in entering college in numbers greater than men, yet they are still underrepresented in many fields – especially science and math. At the same time, boys – especially Black and Latino – are rapidly dropping in number in college enrollment. They are also psychologically discouraged from entering many “helping” careers such as teaching, nursing, and social work – which have been traditionally female jobs. I wonder why these differences still persist so strongly at a time in which we are so aware of the value of diversity. Perhaps we are still reinforcing those gender differences throughout a child’s early years.

                As educators working with young children, we have a unique and important role to play in helping children reach their full potential and overcome early roadblocks of discrimination. I encourage you to consider how you might inadvertently reinforce gender stereotypes by separating boys and girls. Please share with us your thoughts about this – and other ways you’ve been successful at giving all children a positive view of gender equity.

    Visit The Positive Classroom

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 873