"How to Create a Culture of Achievement" - Welcoming Students & Teachers

 Chapter 2 of Fisher, Frey, and Pumpian's How to Create a Culture of Achievement in your school and classroom discusses the importance of making all the stakeholders in a school feel physically and intellectually welcomed; while reading I found myself thinking about ways I can make students and teachers feel more apart of the culture and operations of the school. Some key questions I wrote in the margins as I read were:

• how can individual groups of stakeholders be made to feel more valued as contributors to school policy and direction?
• how can I as a classroom teacher and a dean of students better show my appreciation for each stakeholding group's potential value as builders and shapers of a culture of achievement?
• how can I from my positions better reach out to the folks in each stakeholding group who do not feel welcomed in the school community?

 There were two quotes that especially stood out to me in highlighting what can happen if we do not pay attention to how welcomed our students and staff feel. (the underlining was added by me)

"They will makes choices to actually be where they are supposed to be and be there on time. Students will exercise this choice over and over again through the day, week, and year. Finally, and most importantly, students choose to engage or not, to tune in or not, to contribute or not, to value being in your school or not." -p.20

We can force and mandate all we want, but if we want our schools to have cultures of achievement and excitement for learning then we must create the kind of school where students want to do the right thing and want to be present physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Just as we don't want an environment where people are abdicating their responsibilities and ignoring procedures, we also don't want a culture of people only doing what they "have to," and nothing else. Although the eventual results surrounding complete student participation and engagement is an outcome not exclusively in our control as educational leaders, there are certainly many steps and actions that can be taken to better the odds of a favorable outcome. Two steps I've taken as a classroom teacher that I will continue in my new role as Dean of Students in an attempt to make students feel welcomed in our school are:

• speaking to every student every day- Even if it's just a "hey, how are ya?" as they walk in the room, I make a point to say something and elicit a response from every student I teach every day. I miss them in class, I get them in the hallway at some point. 
• taking every student's thoughts seriously- Some of the most valuable class-wide discussions I've experienced as an educator have been in the most unexpected classes. It's amazing what a person can do when they know the leader respects them and takes what they do and offer seriously; welcoming students beyond physical presence in the classroom goes a long way

"When teachers talk about administrators as 'them' instead of as partners, boundaries prevent the transparent and collaborative flow of ideas, program development, and accountability." -p.26

Teachers who ignore how welcome their students feel in class do so at the expense of their individual classroom culture; administrators who fail to make their staff feel welcomed as professional members of a great team do so at the expense of their entire school's/district's culture. Similar to welcoming students, administrators can do wonders by making a point to engage with all faculty/staff in regular intervals, and by celebrating and taking seriously their hard work and effort. Some steps I've taken to make new teachers feel welcome in my old role as mentor, and plan to apply on a grander level in my new role in leadership are:

• curating and sharing collections of resources- who doesn't like getting free stuff? I always gave the new teachers on day one a binder of resources ranging from school specific info to assessment and pedagogy. As my technology skills have improved (lifelong learning), the resources have gone digital, but the effect remains the same; professionals feel most welcomed when the organization is immediately helping them be better at their job. 
• following up & asking- if a teacher comes to me with an issue, I follow up on it. If I notice a teacher who I think has a lot to offer on a committee, I ask them if they want to get involved. It sounds simple and obvious, but it's the simple and obvious things that add up to make big positive cultural changes; it's the simple and obvious things that make people feel important.
• visiting their classes and learning what they do- I have always wished that administrators came in my class more and talked to me about teaching and learning; now that I am in leadership I have the opportunity to fulfill that desire, albeit in a different way. I can make teachers feel more welcomed in school simply by watching them do what they do best, and providing them opportunities to get even better. It also puts me as a leader in a position to learn as many tools of the trade as possible to better educate and assist the staff in becoming master teachers. 

A group of we will always outperform a bunch of you and me; how are you going to make your school more welcoming to all stakeholding parties? What can you do to make sure your students and staff feel important, appreciated, and perpetually working toward something bigger and better?

"How to Create a Culture of Achievement" Chapter 1

After I read chapters of the books on my summer reading list I intend to reflect on some of the key quotes I highlighted as I read. I just finished reading chapter 1 of Fisher, Frey, and Pumpian's How to Create a Culture of Achievement in your school and classroom, and selected four quotes that jumped out to me from my duel perspective as a classroom teacher and school administrator for next school year and beyond.

"We believe that no school improvement effort will be effective, maintained, or enhanced unless school culture and academic press are both addressed and aligned." -p.5 

 How many great ideas for professional learning, assessment, etc. have you had stifled because nobody else was into it? Have you ever brought something into the classroom you were absolutely convinced was going to be a hit only to have to drag students through it like a reluctant pet going into the vet? Even the most innovative initiatives are destined to remain ideas in the wrong culture. We tend to focus on the more tangible aspects of our lives, and spending our time on the academics surely makes sense with any school reform, but in order for us to avoid wasted time and effort attention must be paid to developing the culture needed for meaningful change.

"An effective school culture will provide students a respectful mediating experience through which they can understand, examine, affirm, modify, or change understandings of the world and how they want to engage in it." -p.9

We all have our personal dogmas and beliefs that will always affect who we are and how we think, and effective cultures use that to their advantage.  Open dialogue, an emphasis on the art of listening,  and emphasizing the process of learning and reflection rather than common understanding. That's how enlightenment happens; that's how the society we're preparing our students for best operates.

"A shared definition of quality also enlists all members of the culture, not just a few, to take an active part in the effort. Importantly, it also empowers people by sending them the message that they are of value and their contributions are essential." -p.11

Sometimes I seek people out simply because I know I haven't sought them in a while; folks that feel included are invested.  Whether someone is a superstar, backbone, or mediocre teacher or student, they are a member of your team and learning community. No matter what, quality and quantity of output will be superior from members who are invested.  While turning everybody into a superstar is unrealistic, finding the way to get maximum physical, emotional, and intellectual effort from the entire team is paramount the overall health of any organization.

 " If mission building and revisiting is designed as a pivotal and integral driver of a school's ongoing implementation revolution, it is unlikely that the mission will be treated as something you did two years ago in a...meeting room." -p.13 

Do what needs to be done to ensure that your work is meaningful and leads to the results you intend for it produce.  Agreeing to a common mission and vision on paper is the beginning, and whether it not it leads to anything of value depends on what happens next. Like with anything that matters, the real work lies in the middle. What you do with your mission will have a far greater impact on your culture than the simple act of putting one on paper.

What else can be done to create a culture of achievement? How can we as school leaders promote the openness, inclusiveness, and constant reflection required to produce optimal school environments?

"Why Don't Students Like School"- Chapter 1

At the end of chapter 1 of Daniel Willingham's Why Don't Students Like School? he suggests teachers keep a diary, because "the ravages of memory can surprise us." (p.22) With that in mind, I thought it'd be valuable for me to write respond to a brief sampling of profound quotes from each chapter of the book as I read. I look forward to discussing this chapter further with the #sschatbook club next week.

The implication of this principle is that teachers should reconsider how they encourage their students to think, in order to maximize the likelihood that students will get the pleasurable rush that comes from successful thought. (p.3)

It's important for me to always remember in the classroom that the goal is successful thought, and not brain busting for the sake of it. As much as I love the struggle of difficult thoughts and theorems, it's also important for me to remember that in order for me to lead my students they need to be following; I need to create opportunities that yield results for their efforts. Struggle void of results or conclusion could have adverse effects moving forward.

In sum, successful thinking relies on four factors: information from the environment, facts in long-term memory, procedures in long-term memory, and the amount of space in working memory. If any one of these factors is inadequate, thinking will likely fail. (p.18)

After reading the first chapter of this book, it's apparent that I have always over estimated the human ability and capacity to think; it's not what our brain naturally wants to do.  I immediately think back to many a time when I've advised a puzzled student to "just think about it," and the fruitless effort that usually was. Perhaps I need to more carefully calculate the conditions I set up with my critical thinking activities and questions.  I certainly need to focus more precisely on the priority objective of the lesson, and ensure appropriate conditions for best results.

If they lack the appropriate background knowledge, the question you pose will quickly be judged as 'boring.' (p.19)

Yesterday my wife asked me to look for a coupon on an app she has on her phone. We have the same phone, so I was easily able to find the coupon app, open it, and even type Carters in the search bar. But, as soon as the hidden step that I couldn't immediately figure out stumped me, I turned off the phone and put it back in her purse. My exact quote, embarrassingly enough, was "whatever, it's broken; it's stupid." Willingham explains throughout the chapter that optimal conditions must be present for successful thought to happen, and my anecdote above highlights what happens to attempted thought at non-opportune times; phones get called stupid, and a subject is immediately labeled boring. In the classroom I need to be aware of my timing and intentionality. For critical thinking to be promoted and appreciated, it needs to happen at the right times with the necessary resources and conditions.

I'm excited to continue reading this book and the others on my summer book list, and look forward to applying what I learn next school year. I have never read anything about cognitive psychology, so it is certainly a gap in my knowledge waiting to be filled.

 

Listening & Media Literacy in the Social Studies Classroom

I have always been impressed with the way foreign language teachers infuse the enhancing of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills with their content on a day to day basis.  The combination of differentiation, utilization of technology, active learning, and content acquisition in well run language classes is truly remarkable.  I have worked hard this past school year to actively promote and grow the skill set of my students, rather than simply "give them information." A site that I have found great value in is Vocaroo, an easy to share voice recording platform.

"No man ever listened himself out of a job"-Calvin Coolidge

To culminate our final unit on Political Philosophies and Media Literacy, I created sample audio clips for class analysis that highlighted a political philosophy's views on a particular issue within the American political scene.  Students were able to practice applying context clues and key words to the identification of a given philosophy and position. In the age of infinite access to information, I reckon the ability to identify and recognize bias is of the utmost importance. Also, instead of listening to me (again) read the statements in front of the class, the playing of the different audio clips give students natural transitions and miniature breaks throughout.

Freedom of Speech According to a Statist

Voice Recorder >>

I have blogged before about the need to use technology and digital resources as a medium to more effectively promote the critical reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills that have separated the successful from the rest of the pack for scores of generations. Something as simple as utilizing a free voice recorder can take a traditional type of activity/skill like listening and enhance the delivery and results.

Corporate Welfare/ Bailouts According to a Libertarian

Record and upload voice >>

Student Loan Interest Rates According to a Liberal

Voice Recorder >>

How else can we utilize the infinite resources around us to better promote and enhance listening skills? What tools do you use? 

Summer Reading List

We as educators ought not to continue to think of summer as a vacation, but rather as "professional time." I have always used my summer professional time to read and reflect as much as I can, and this year is no different. As I begin my first leadership position in the fall, I will target key points of interest and concern to better my chances of being highly effective from day one. I look forward to a professionally lucrative summer of reading, tweeting, and blogging in preparation for a great school year!

1. Why Don't Students Like School? - I watch my one year old everyday get so excited every time he learns something new while he is playing with his flash cards or watching Sid the Science Kid, and I've lately been wondering when and where the excitement for learning and curiosity stops. The title of this book certainly makes it seem like it will be a fine resource for me in this regard. I am also excited to use this book and the corresponding Twitter chat #sschatbookclub to reconnect with other social studies teachers across the country that I've lost touch with this school year.  It will be like killing two birds with one stone.

2. Pathways to the Common Core - There are certainly political issues that are yet to be totally resolved with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) but the reality of the situation is that state, including my home Massachusetts, departments of education are adopting them as the new "frameworks." Knowing that the key to any kind of positive results with CCSS rests in the hands of teachers and classroom implementation, I must be a resource for teachers in my building. Without the support and knowledge of the leadership team, classroom application on a large scale won't happen. I hope to use the knowledge from this book to help teachers in my building be able to visualize how their instruction and assessment will change as a result of the Common Core, and what inevitable effects they will have on the curriculum moving forward.


3. How to Create a Culture of Achievement in Your School and Classroom - Culture starts at the top; I want to model and promote the learning environment that will best produce active, reflective, and curious students who celebrate success by working harder for more of it. The title of the book says it all, and I'm excited to save 15% using a social media coupon code!

4. Harvard Business Review's 10 Must Reads on Leadership - Along with many others I have written before about the need for educators of all varieties to think of themselves as one part teacher and one part leader of people if they want to have the greatest impact. I am very interested in the perspectives of educational and non-educational leaders alike, and love the idea of essentially 10 miniature books in one. This will be fine companion to any beach day this summer!

What are you going to do with your professional time this summer? Don't waste an opportunity to get better at whatever you're trying to get better at!

Sweet Advice For the Graduating Seniors

My wife and I have been the advisors for the Class of 2012 in Hopedale, MA since they were in seventh grade in August, 2006.  I have learned many things both directly and indirectly from my six years working with this class, ranging from how to manage an accounts with thousands of dollars in it (never have to worry about that with my personal checking account) to properly taking thorns and leaves off of hundreds of flowers for Prom. I also learned the value of saying yes to things and stepping outside of my comfort zone; I never saw myself as having the skills and qualities for class advising, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. After all, I ended up with a wife and son! Last night at Class Night, we presented our last words of wisdom and advice to the graduates in a unique and interesting way. Aside from the novelty of seeing candy bars and treats substituted for some words, please pay careful attention to the advice itself. It has been a wonderful journey with the Class of 2012, and a true pleasure to work so closely with my wife in a professional way. We are proud to share our finished product with all the graduates around the country/world. Good luck!