Classroom Culture

I was recently asked to contribute an article on classroom culture.  First, let me say that I greatly appreciated receiving the request, and I am touched and beyond grateful to the colleague that suggested that the publication reach out to me. But I am struggling to write the article. It's not that I don't believe the topic is important - it is. It isn't that I don't have something to say on the topic - I do. I just don't think that anything that I could possibly share at this point would be considered to be particularly enlightened or noteworthy. There are numerous authors and revered publications that have covered classroom culture, and for me to think that I could somehow do them one better...I can't. I haven't studied classroom culture officially, I have no charts or tables with observations to reference, no summary of current research and no results from any survey I've conducted. All I have is what I have gathered from the time that I have spent in classrooms as a student, teacher, and a coach and what I have learned by the example of others. What I have learned about classroom culture is not going to surprise many of you because if you have been in or around education, for even a short time, you have likely drawn a similar conclusion - that to understand and impact classroom culture, we start by understanding and valuing people. Then we can look to 5 critical elements to shaping a positive classroom culture: relationships, values, expectations, passion and physical space.

Relationships matter.
Any teacher worth their salt knows the impact that relationships have in the classroom, whether we're talking about the relationships amongst the students, the teacher and their students, the family and the school or the relationships amongst the faculty of the building. The relationships that we foster within our school communities matter. I don't remember precisely the first time that I heard the saying, "they don't care how much you know until they know how much you care," but that is something that has stuck with me through my 15 years in this profession. I have seen time and again that it is true and that it just as easily applies to the adults we work with as it does to the children in our care. When you are in caring, trusting, respectful relationships with others it is far easier to assume positive intent, keep our minds open to new ideas, face challenges and to accept constructive feedback because ultimately you feel supported by your community. Your community is a safe place to try new things, to experiment with new ideas, fail and ultimately try again.

Values matter.

What we say we value, and what we actually prove through our actions has an incredible impact on the culture of our classrooms. If we truly believe that our young people matter, that the whole-child matters, then our classrooms need to reflect that. We make time for community meetings, provide opportunities for self-reflection throughout the day, take time to indulge natural curiosity and to follow a tangent and deviate from the lesson plan.  Our curricular content while important is not the singular focus because deep learning of content does not happen in isolation.

Expectations matter.
When I was in the classroom we had three agreements: be respectful, be responsible and be safe. These formal agreements lay the foundation for the collaborative practices in the classroom that centered on student voice and active participation. Pretty much every type of behavior could fit into one of those categories. Indeed, we spent a good amount of time discussing what it looked like, sounded like and felt like when those agreements were honored, and I am sure we spent just as much time debriefing and revisiting them as different situations and issues arose. After all, we all brought different and varied experiences with us to school each day, and our individual experiences shaped how we handled both the positives and negatives of the day. We all made mistakes and I would like to think we learned from many of them.

 

Passions matter.
Passion is infectious. There is actually plenty of brain research to support this, but just think about it for a moment and you will know it to be true. We feel most energized when we are around people that are enthusiastic and excited. Conversely, when we are surrounded by people who are whining, complaining or are just plain miserable - they seem to suck the energy right out of us. Think of the implications that this has for the classroom and the school community. Faculty that are passionate about teaching and learning, in addition to being passionate about the content they teach, will leave an indelible impact. There are so many ways that we can share our passions with our students and the larger school community, and in turn, ways that we can nurture the passions of others.

Physical spaces matter.
The design of our learning spaces impacts learning. Again, there is a whole body of research on this, but if we draw from our own experiences I think we can acknowledge some fundamental truths. Furniture arrangement can speak volumes. If you are looking to promote learner-centered discussions and collaboration you aren't likely to position desks in rows, you will consider an arrangement that promotes interaction.  You may also consider spaces that allow students to work quietly and independently - some of your more introverted students (like me) will appreciate a place where they can take a moment of pause and often work more productively. We also need to think about a balance between organized but perhaps sparse, with cluttered and distracting. Part of our job as educators is to create a space that will allow learning and creativity to flourish.

These are the musings of a student, teacher, and coach.
If you would like to read more about the topic of classroom culture might I suggest reading everything you can by Sir Ken Robinson, not that it particularly pertains to classroom culture, he's just that good, and then any of the following:

School Culture Rewired: How to Define, Assess and Transform It by Gruenert and Whitaker

UnCommon Learning: Creating Schools that Work for Kids by Sheninger

What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most by Whitaker

The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent and Lead a Culture of Creativity by Couros

Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity and Transform Your Life as An Educator by Burgess

Keeping It Real - Collaborative Post with Lisa Meade

A collaborative post written by Lisa Meade and Christina Luce

We’ve realized,  the longer we’ve been connected, there can appear to be a hierarchy of sorts online. We are quite clear where we rank in that hierarchy (near the bottom to middle) so recognize our perceptions may not match that vantage point of those near the top or wanting to be near the top.

We choose to be connected educators because we believe there is power in that connectedness. Twitter and other social media platforms offer many ideas, resources and inspiration for us to use in our practice and reflection. Many of these ideas are found in incredible blog posts written by our colleagues. And once in awhile, we write a post that we hope helps someone.

However, sometimes there are blog posts, comments and tweets that aren’t so incredible or inspiring. In fact, sometimes, they are downright condescending. Instead of encouraging, challenging or inspiring, these posts demean or ridicule the practices of others.

We acknowledge the desire to be innovative, to challenge the status quo, and to push the thinking of others. This is important to moving our profession forward. However, our work is too big for any edu-writer to spend time declaring a singular way to do something. School not ready for Google Apps? That’s ok. Your school’s not ready to abandon its math program? That doesn’t necessarily make you a bad leader or teacher. When you can admit that you aren’t there yet, It makes you honest. I know no one leader that has every initiative and effort fully implemented to the capacity he/she would like. We’re a work in progress. We are evolving.  We run human organizations with human needs. And, leading with heart and putting kids first doesn’t allow a prescriptive or standard approach.

Some of the best bloggers we know, including Peter DeWitt and the team behind Leadership 360, open the doors wide open and allow many guest posts on a variety of topics. We are grateful for that. The work of running schools and improving schools is a combined effort and one that requires all of us to be honest and upfront about what is really happening (and NOT happening yet) in our school.  There are enough sources outside twitter (and our respective PLNs) that work too hard to tear down the work of schools. We simply won’t feed it into that. Agree or not agree, if you write on a topic, remember your audience. People like us who turn to your blog post for ideas, reflection and inspiration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp9qOlKB0F4

Playing IS Learning

Well, Global School Play Day (GSPD) 2016 has come and gone. Students and faculties participated in record numbers this year; okay it's only the second year of GSPD, but you get the idea. Word spread, and this grassroots movement that began as a conversation between Tim and Scott Bedley (@BedleyBros) seems to be really taking off.

Supporting this movement was really a no-brainer for me. Over the years, I have noticed both as a teacher and as a parent the critical role that play, well plays, in a child's overall development. Play helps us hone our gross and fine motor skills, cognitive, language and social/ emotional skills. Play allows us to test certain hypotheses, indulge our creativity side, explore natural curiosities and make discoveries about ourselves and our environment. In short, play develops the whole child. Which is why it is shocking to me that there are those who guffaw at the idea of dedicating an entire day to play.

Play should be integral to what we do as educators. The idea that we need to justify the use of play in our classrooms and schools boggles my mind.  In spite of the rise of the maker movement, challenge-based and project based learning, I know there are many teachers, schools and districts that struggle with this. At their very essence, the learning initiatives listed previously are rooted in play. It seems to me that play somewhere along the way got a bad rap and that somehow play, particularly in the school setting, in of itself was not seen as "rigorous" enough activity for students. This is unfortunate indeed.

The day after GSPD I asked my students what their takeaways from the day were, and I spoke with my own children (who did not participate this year) about why they feel that play is important to them. See their reactions below.

"It's okay to make mistakes when you play. We just try to do it again. 

We put our heads together and figure it out."

"We learn how to share. We learn how to take turns. We get to try something new."

"You can get more fit. You can learn different games, and how to do different things.
Most of all you can have fun!"

So I'm putting out a challenge. If you did not participate in GSPD this year, try it next year. Here's the link to the GSPD website where you can learn more and sign up:  http://www.globalschoolplayday.com/. If you did participate this year, I encourage to keep the conversation about the importance of play going and continue to find ways to incorporate more unstructured play into your school day.

Playing IS Learning!

Follow: @GSPlayDay

#GSPD #GSPD2016

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Kids say the darndest things sometimes. Especially when you give them the opportunity. When we take the time to get to know our students and take the time to listen, I mean really listen, it can be pretty amazing what they choose to share. When you take the time to build relationships with your students, they trust you with the most vulnerable parts of themselves. They give you a glimpse into who they really are, what the desires of their hearts are, what their fears are. 

As educators, we have been given an amazing opportunity. Sometimes it is overwhelming. Sometimes it seems a little too much. But I believe that we have been called, we have been called to love these children, and love these families in a special way. We show this love through our understanding and our empathy, we show this through the many ways that we make learning engaging and accessible to all, we show this through our enthusiasm and our determination, and we show this in the ways that we engage with one another.

To love in this way is not easy. There are times when you will be ridiculed, your motives and methods questioned, and there will be times when your love will be dismissed. But remember that the children, and the families that are the most difficult to love, the ones that try to push us away the most, the ones that are continually testing us, are in fact the ones that needest us the most. They need us to fight for them. They need us to repeatedly show them how much we care. They need to know that our love for them is unconditional. We must remember that they are our children, our family, our community.

Loving Our Students

clipartpanda.com

I think one of my favorite conversations from today was with a student that I had to see for a discipline issue.

The student sat across from me, and sized me up. There isn't anything quite like being sized up by a skeptical fourth grader. As we talked he regarded me with much disdain, and through the initial discourse it was clear that he was sizing me up, and seeing if he could engage me in a power struggle. When it was clear that I would not go down that path, he tried a different tact. He launched into a decent monologue about how I must not like him. I was honest with the child, I told him I barely knew him given that I had only been an administrative intern in the building a few short weeks. But I also told him something else. I told him that while I certainly did not approve of the behavior that landed him in the office with me that afternoon, it did not impact my ability to love him.

At first he seemed skeptical. Then I shared with him a few things. First, that as a mom there are definitely times when I am frustrated by the choices that my own children make, but those choices do not cause me to love my children any less. He conceded that, that was possible, but that it was because they were my kids; so I continued. I showed him a picture that I had, of a former student and I together. I asked him what he saw in the picture. To which he replied, "You like that kid a lot; I can tell because of the way you both are smiling." I said, "You're right I do like that kid a lot! I love that student. But you might also be surprised to know that last year that student really struggled in school, he had a really hard time, and there were behaviors that I didn't approve of. Does it look like I love him any less?" He couldn't argue, and suddenly the sullen boy sitting across from me dropped his shoulders, and relaxed. Yes, it is possible to detest a particular behavior, to have to impart consequences, but it is also possible to continue to love the child.

I think one of the most important things that we can do for children is to have high expectations for learning and behavior. The other is to treat them with compassion, and to love them. Many are fighting a battle we know nothing about.

An Opportunity

I have been given a pretty amazing opportunity. This year I spend Monday thru Thursday morning, and all day Friday teaching in an Integrated Co-Taught classroom, and on Monday thru Thursday afternoons I am an administrative intern in another elementary building in my District. This came about through the tireless efforts of my Assistant Superintendent Dr. Maureen Patterson, and my amazingly supportive Superintendent, Dr. Mark Potter. Being split between buildings, and carrying out the roles and responsibilities that are required of each position is challenging, but it is also worth it. This unique opportunity is stretching me and growing me as an educator, and as a leader. I have the opportunity to see education through different lenses, and to gain a greater understanding of how our organization functions as a whole. I feel like this whole experience is Fullan's theory of action, The Six Secrets of Change, put into practice. In his book, Fullan talks about these Six Secrets:

• Love Your Employees
• Connect Peers With Purpose
• Capacity Building Prevails
• Learning is The Work
• Transparency Rules
• Systems Learn

I certainly feel that I have been given the opportunity to learn continuously, have purposeful peer interactions, develop new competencies and new motivation, and learn while doing the work. All of this is incredibly satisfying. Far more so than I would have anticipated, and I'm only a few short weeks in. I am grateful for this amazing opportunity, and am looking forward to the year ahead.

Epilogue...

I would be remiss if I did not take the time to mention another individual that has made this amazing opportunity possible, and that is my teaching partner Jeannine Oliver.

Jeannine and I have worked together for a number of years, and over that time have really learned how to maximize our instruction and play off our strengths. We balance one another, and over the years have really found a rhythm that works for us and for our students. I owe my teaching partner, Jeannine Oliver, a great deal. I am certainly a better teacher for having had the opportunity to work with her so closely. You would be hard pressed to find a more dedicated, and tireless advocate for students than Jeannine. More than that, over the last three years she has been one of my strongest supporters. Thank you, Jeannine! I couldn't have done this without you!

Grassroots Teacher Leaders

Nate Perry Elementary has always been like home to me. I began teaching there in 2003, and over the years my colleagues have become like family. They have been with me through everything, professionally and personally. They inspire me and challenge me, to be more, and to do more. In the last few years, many of the staff members that I began my career with have retired. I look around, and suddenly find myself one of the more veteran members of our staff. With that comes the realization that there are, or will soon be, people looking to me the way that I looked towards more seasoned members of our staff not so long ago. I looked up to these individuals not only because of their instructional expertise but also because of the way that they engaged the different members of the learning community. I looked to them to see how they interacted with colleagues and what norms had been established for our learning community. I looked to them for guidance and support, both formally and informally. All of this well before there was much mention of the role of teacher leaders. Teacher leadership seemed natural. It wasn't a specific job, title or role. It was something these individuals just assumed naturally. It grew out of the love they had for their profession, their students, and for one another. In our desire to promote teacher leadership, let's not forget the importance of this grassroots sort of leadership.

Planning, Organizing and Prioritizing.

Now is about the time that I typically begin to think about putting things together for the next school year. Planning, organizing and prioritizing have all become part of my August routine for close to the last 15 years. This year, however, is a little different. In the past, July has been a time for me to sit back, reflect and recharge. This July instead was filled with conference attendance, training, and workshops (attended and delivered), coursework, and other professional responsibilities. I'm not complaining. It was hectic to be sure, but I learned a great deal. It hasn't been until now though, the second week or so into August that I have been able to actually sit, collect my thoughts, and reflect on what has transpired over the year, and look forward to what is to come.

So as I reflect on the past school year, here are some of the things that I am taking away...

• You are not alone. Reach out. Be vulnerable. Ask for help. 
• Try something that scares you a little bit. Be brave.
• Look for the positives in each day, and thank the Lord for those blessings.
• When facing the trials that are sure to come, bring them to the foot of the Cross.
• Love. Love one another. Be in relationship with others. Be present.

Some of you may be surprised by that list. It doesn't include new instructional strategies, the latest app, or the silver bullet for raising student achievement. What it does include, are ways that we can make a difference as a teacher, as a colleague, and as a friend, and yes I believe that all of those things can have a positive impact on the work that we do as educators each day. Here's how...

1. You are not alone. Teach your students that we all need one another. We are a learning community, and that we are better together. We learn from one another and inspire one another. When we ask for help, when we reach out, we give others an opportunity to lead, and to share their gifts.
2. Try something that scares you a little bit. Taking a risk and trying something new is essential to our growth as individuals and as a learning community. Foster an environment in which it is safe to take risks, and encourage your learners to try new things.
3. Take the time to reflect on, and appreciate the positives of each day. Encourage a thankful heart. Have your learners spend part of each day calling to mind all of the good things that happened throughout the day, and how they have grown.
4. There will be difficult days. How we choose to handle ourselves in these difficult moments speaks volumes. Our students learn just as much from how we conduct ourselves and handle these moments, as they do from our formal lessons. 
5. Love. It isn't always easy, but it is necessary. We need to love one another. Take the time to build relationships with your students, families, and colleagues. Practice understanding and compassion. I love the quote, "how bold one gets when one is sure of being loved." When we are certain we are loved, we are a little more willing to put ourselves out there. We are more willing to take risks, and to face difficulty. Imagine a learning community rooted in love, and how powerful that could be.

So, as I head into this August, a time of planning and preparation, organizing and prioritizing, I'm thinking about how we can continue to inspire, challenge, encourage and empower one another.  I'm thinking about how I might be more intentional in weaving these elements into each day, and I am looking forward to another year of amazing learning opportunities.

More Questions Than Answers...

I am a work in progress. I truly have more questions than I have answers. Things that I once so strongly believed in, in terms of educational practice I now question. I wrestle with the idea of homework, I wrestle with grading, I wrestle with promotion and our determination of what constitutes a year's worth of learning, I wonder about the ways in which we engage in learning, and the impact our physical spaces have on us. It really boils down to me having a lot of questions. It boils down to a curiosity that isn't easily satisfied. I'm thirsty for knowledge, or at least ways of knowing. There's a fire in my belly that I can't really seem to explain adequately. I think this is what learning is about at its core. It's that natural bent towards wonder, curiosity, knowing, understanding. 

More on Instructional Leadership

It is through instructional leadership and supervision that principals have the ability to influence the educational practices of teachers, and the learning environment of students. Thus, it is imperative for school building leaders to understand, and be equipped with various strategies to engage and reflect with teachers around instructional practices. Instructional leaders have the responsibility of guiding their faculties through critical analysis, and refinement of instructional design and delivery, with the ultimate goal of improving student learning outcomes. There are specific actions that building leaders can take that will help to drive professional growth and lead to an increased willingness amongst faculty to innovate, take risks and share. These actions include: being visible, actively listening and observing, facilitating dynamic and open discussions, providing support and guidance, empowering teacher leaders and supporting peer observation and mentoring initiatives along with formal observations and individual conferences. When instructional leaders facilitate, rather than direct, they empower other in the learning community to take leading roles and strengthen collaborative practices. The key to all of this however, lies in laying the appropriate foundation and creating a culture that embraces self-reflection, thoughtful and critical analysis, leading to professional learning and growth. 

Building trusting relationships amongst the stakeholders is critically important work. Getting to know teachers as individuals, as well as professionals, establishing rapport and demonstrating care and concern are essential. I’ve heard the following many times in relation to student learners, and have found it to be just as true of adult learners as well, “they don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  Instructional leaders must be present and take a genuine interest in the work and the learning of those around them. Instructional leaders are visible and spend as much of their time as possible in classrooms observing, learning and reflecting on what motivates their learning community. The goal for the instructional leader should be to complete a number of walkthrough observations with each teacher several times a year, and to provide timely formative feedback on what was observed during each of the walkthrough observations. In addition to frequent walkthrough observations being valuable to individual teachers, and improving instruction and learning in individual classrooms, frequent walkthroughs allow building leaders to gain an understanding of the instructional practices of the building as a whole, and this is an important frame of reference.

Beyond building relationships amongst themselves and their faculty, it is critical for instructional leaders to connect their faculty to one another and to colleagues outside their learning communities. Instructional leaders do this by fostering purposeful, and continuous collegial interactions within their school by establishing professional learning communities, implementing mentoring relationships, peer observation and coaching, and supporting these efforts through time, training and resources. Instructional leaders also encourage their staff members to connect beyond their building through the creation of professional learning networks. These actions can motivate and empower educators to take charge of their collective professional learning and growth. With these elements in place instructional leaders help to shape and build capacity within their organizations, with direct consequences for student learning and achievement.

Exceptional instructional leaders understand that leadership is larger than themselves; they recognize that one of their greatest responsibilities is to build upon and further develop the leadership qualities of others in the organization. When leaders take the time to invest in others, the result is trust, shared understanding, and ultimately an increase in the instructional leader’s sphere of influence. One way that instructional leaders can nurture teacher leadership is through the use of peer observation and coaching. Peer observation and coaching has been proven to increase collaboration, lead to positive curriculum changes, and improve student results. It is a great complement to clinical supervision, as it supports goal setting, extends conversations about teaching and learning beyond a single classroom teacher and the building leader, further promotes reflection and critical analysis, and refinement of practice. Further it encourages teachers to come together to solve common problems, acquire knowledge and expertise together and to celebrate one another’s successes.

The key to any model or system of instructional supervision lies in laying the foundation and creating a culture that embraces self-reflection, thoughtful, critical analysis, professional growth and learning. Beyond that, it is critical to connect teachers with a purpose by fostering purposeful and continuous collegial interactions and empowering them to take charge of their professional learning and growth. When instructional leaders do this they build capacity within their organizations, with direct consequences for student learning and achievement.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Road Less Taken - Flickr

In a blog post I wrote earlier this year,  I wrote about the many days that I have contemplated, wondered and worried about the direction of our nation. I also wrote about how competition, ranking and sorting seems to bring out the worst in us collectively as a nation.  My message is not a new one, and I believe it is one that is echoed in many other corners of our country. We must do better! 


In the past few weeks I have found myself with copious amounts of time to think, driving to Philly for ISTE, and then trips back and forth "home" to Ontario have given me the time and space to mull things over. What my mind is presently stuck on, is how to continue to innovate and improve, push thinking and challenge the status quo, in such a way as to have a meaningful impact on my own learning community, but the much broader learning community as well. I believe that casting a small pebble into a large body of water makes a ripple, and that if enough of us do this we can make a much larger ripple, but it seems to take so long to perceive noticeable change. Patience is not one of my stronger suits, I know this about myself. But in this case, I also happen to think that time is truly of the essence. My children, your children, our children need us to actively engage and participate in shaping a system of education that values the learners and the journey, more than it values individual data points.

This is where I see an opportunity for teacher leaders to play a pivotal role. It is our teacher leaders, individuals who in spite of a myriad of obstacles, and flying in the face of the opinion of many, affect positive and meaningful change each day. Educators that are willing to acknowledge their own shortcomings, and who look far and wide for ways to improve. Risk takers that are willing to make mistakes on their own learning journey. Educators that choose connection over isolation. Leaders that embrace curiosity and cultivate wonder. Teacher leaders - together we are  called to be the architects, innovators and creators. We are called upon to inspire, challenge and empower others. So how do we realistically make this a concerted effort?

• Continue to push conventional thinking and wisdom in your schools and in your districts.
• Attend conferences, edcamps and other public gatherings and share your insight, challenge others, and push thinking at these events to consider different perspectives.
• Engage in discourse on social media, blog, join online communities.
• Advocate in your community, and at the state and national level as well.
• Help promote initiatives that are attempting to shift the focus.

These are just 5 steps that we can take, there are certainly more and I hope that you will add your thoughts to the comments below.

Thinking Through Instructional Leadership & Supervision

So I was tasked with composing my vision statement related to instructional leadership and supervision. If you follow me on Twitter you would have noticed a couple of tweets about writer's block and being on the struggle bus. I wasn't struggling because I lack the vision of what an instructional leader could be or should be, but I was very much struggling with how to make this complex idea clear and concise. Some of my initial thoughts around instructional leadership can be found in a previous post on the topic (see here), but for the purposes of this assignment I had to stretch myself to move beyond the roles of teacher leaders in instructional leadership, and look more at the specific role of the building leader. I'm pretty sure my final submission doesn't look much like a typical vision statement. Take a look and please provide feedback to stretch my thinking.

The Purpose of Supervision and Instructional Leadership:

Supervision and instructional leadership should lead educators towards reflection and action. As a result of the work of instructional leaders, educators should be inspired, challenged and empowered to reflect critically on their actions, clarify and make explicit their thinking, and share what they have learned with others.

Prerequisites:

• Create a supportive environment. A building leader establishes a supportive environment in the ways that they handle formal and informal interactions, discussions related to instructional matters, and how loosely and tightly they manage procedures and policies. Placing emphasis on communication, mutual respect, tolerance, acceptance, commitment to sharing, courage, and risk taking are necessary to establishing an environment that will be conducive to professional and instructional growth.
• Acknowledge the balance of power. To move beyond mere evaluation or oversight there must be a recognition of the current balance of power, and ways in which the hierarchy might be flattened in order for a more collaborative system to be put in place.

A Roadmap to Instructional Leadership and Supervision:

1. Connect

Be visible, be present and be connected. By doing these things you are better able to understand what motivates your learning community, analyze what is happening in terms of curriculum and instruction, and find ways to inspire, challenge and empower your faculty. Walk around, and talk with students and faculty. In business it is known as the Management By Wandering Around or Management By Walking About model. This model increases approachability and ultimately trust. By the very instance of you being there and being truly present, your faculty is more likely to share what is happening within their classrooms. As the leader you are more apt to find areas that are strengths, and weaknesses, in terms of curriculum and instruction, and opportunities to promote and empower the work that is happening in your building. As you spend more time interacting, and connecting with staff and students trust is eventually built. When you interact daily with a determined and genuine effort, there is heightened accountability on both sides.

2. Plan

Effective instructional leaders must understand the many facets of instruction, learning, motivation and engagement. They engage in self-reflection and professional learning alongside faculty, model expected behaviors, and are involved in instruction in very tangible ways. It is incumbent upon the instructional leader to encourage, empower and engage all school community members (faculty, students and families) to actively participate in the ongoing growth of the learning community.  In leading this important work, they are able to assist faculty in evaluating curriculum and instructional approaches, and collaborate in the framing and the aligning professional learning opportunities.

Much in the way a teachers are charged with empowering their students and differentiating instruction to meet individual needs, building leaders too are charged with empowering their faculties and sharing ownership for professional learning and growth.  Recognizing that each member of the learning community has different strengths, and different needs and approaching supervision and instructional leadership through that lens is critical. Working with faculty members to develop an action plan that best meets their learning needs, the needs of the students, while also attending to the goals of the larger learning community is a chief responsibility of an instructional leader.

3. Act

There are specific actions that building leaders can take that will help to drive professional growth in buildings, and lead to an increased willingness amongst faculty to innovate, take risks and share. These actions include: listening and observing more than talking or directing, facilitating dynamic and open discussions, providing support and guidance, empowering teacher leaders and supporting peer observation and mentoring initiatives along with formal observations and individual conferencing. When instructional leaders take the time to listen and observe and reflectively question they gain critical insights regarding not only instructional practice, and student learning, but the overall experience of a learner in their community. When instructional leaders facilitate, rather than direct, they empower others in the learning community to take leading roles and strengthen collaborative practices.

In just about every case, actions speak louder than words. Instructional leadership is no different, in every instance the words and deeds of the instructional leader must match. If we say we are instructional leaders, then our actions need to match. We must cultivate leaders and learners throughout our learning communities by inspiring, challenging and empowering them to do so.

ISTE Take 2: Connecting and Learning

In ISTE Take 1 I blogged about "The Bigger Picture" and how ISTE is more than just another edtech conference. In this post I'm trying to tease out a little more about what the experience is like. I think perhaps by the time I get to ISTE Take 3 I might be ready to dive into specific take aways from individual sessions or experiences. So here are a few things that have been percolating over the past few days...

• The size of a conference matters. Clearly large conferences like ISTE have the ability to draw diverse participants from all over the world, and that is truly wonderful.  It allows us to engage with others with vast experiences, different skill sets and expertise around issues in education and the integration of technology in education.  For me, it was also an opportunity to finally meet face to face with colleagues that I have connected with and collaborated with online, an opportunity that may not have happened otherwise. At the same time, the sheer volume of people, exchange of ideas, and the pace can be overwhelming. Trying to balance learning as much as you possibly can in four days, with connecting with friends and colleagues, with taking time to reflect on what you've experienced is tricky. 

• Personal learning matters. No two people will walk away from a given session, experience, and certainly an entire conference with the same learnings. What drives you may not be the same as what drives someone else. We are all different. Our learning journeys are different, our experiences are different, and what drives us is different too. What we learn is as much dependent on our personal frame of reference and experiences, as it is on a given presenter's message or expertise. It's one of the things that I love about reading the blogs and tweets of others; seeing how similar and how different our responses to a shared experience can be.

• Connecting matters. We are relational beings. At our core we desire to be known by another. Taking the time to connect with others is important to us. While large conferences like ISTE pull many of us together, its sheer magnitude can make it difficult for us to connect in the ways we would like or the ways we find most meaningful.

ISTE Take 1: The Bigger Picture

So I have only been in Philadelphia for two days for the ISTE Annual Conference, and my mind is already bursting from what has been shared. There is much diversity in the kinds of sessions that are offered, the topics that are covered, the delivery or mode of presentation, etcetera. And in spite of the great diversity there are a number of common themes. Here are a few...

1. Connected Education: Being a connected educator is a game changer. Being connected globally changes your frame of reference. Being connected exposes you to ideas, opportunities and innovative practice that you would not likely encounter otherwise.
2. Relationships: The importance of the relationships we cultivate in our classrooms, schools, districts, and communities (online too) cannot be underestimated. Relationships are the underpinning of what we do.
3. Reflection: Reflecting on what we do, and  why we do it is critical to our growth. Much the same as it is for our students.
4. Question: Question everything. Challenge the status quo. Be brave. 
5. Learn: Be open to learn. No one expects us to be experts in everything, and there is much we can learn from one another if only we remain open to it.

But, Christina I thought this was a tech conference, and you hardly talked about tech at all! That's true. The tools are awesome, they can allow for amazing things to happen, but they are just things. It's what we do with them, and why we do it that matters. That's why these 5 themes are so important!

Inspiration

Where does your inspiration come from?

Occasionally people ask me why I do what I do. Or rather, given the present climate in public education, why I continue to do what I do? There are a number of reasons, and here are a sampling in no particular order:

1. I have two children of my own. I want the best for them. That includes having access to amazing public schools and educators that will inspire them, challenge them and empower them. My two children strengthen my resolve, and determination for fighting for a system of education that honors, and respects the whole child. Our children need passionate, dedicated and innovative teachers in their classrooms. They may need us now, more than ever.
2. I believe that I can make a difference. I believe that I can positively impact the lives of children and families.
3. This is my vocation. Not just on the days when the days are easy and the load is light, but on those difficult and trying days as well.
4. I'm inspired by my students. Their curiosity, their wonder, their creativity, their struggles and their triumphs.
5. My PLN. Colleagues in my district, neighboring districts, across the country and around the world that challenge me and empower me daily.

So who, and what inspires you?

Instructional Leaders

So what makes an instructional leader...

Peter DeWitt recently created a Facebook group dedicated to Instructional Leadership. Within the group he posed the question, "what makes a leader an instructional leader?" I spent the drive into work today contemplating how instructional leadership compares and contrasts with other forms of leadership, and here are a some things that came to mind. The list is not exhaustive; indeed it probably just scratches the surface. Hopefully some of you will read it and then add to it.

Instructional Leaders...

• While historically the administrator has been considered the instructional leader in a school, it has become clear that the role of instructional leadership is not solely theirs. There are many teacher leaders that take on the role of instructional leader in their buildings and in their districts. Regardless of title or position, the instructional leader affects positive change by putting the needs of the student at the center, and creates the conditions necessary for learning to thrive.
• Understand the importance of building trusting relationships with students and colleagues. 
• Spend time in classrooms. Observing, learning, reflecting, questioning, challenging, modeling and empowering.
• They research instructional strategies and techniques, and mindfully plan for the implementation of those that seem most promising. They don't just jump on the latest fads. 
• They encourage collaboration. To quote George Couros, "the smartest person in the room, is the room." Instructional leaders know that they, themselves do not have to be an expert in every instructional strategy, but they need to be able to tap into, develop and facilitate the expertise in others. 
• They need to be connected, and encourage connectivity so that their faculty and colleagues can benefit from the wealth of expertise that exists as a collective.

How do you define instructional leadership? What might you add to this list? Look forward to others sharing their thinking on this! Please add your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks!

Worthwhile

Love my work!

The role of an educator is multidimensional.  It requires a deep understanding of pedagogy and a thorough content knowledge. An understanding of human development and what motivates learners is essential. It requires patience and humility. This work is not for the faint of heart. 

I think maybe it was the Peace Corps that had the tag line, "the toughest job you'll ever love." I never worked in the Peace Corps, but there are days that I believe that tag line perfectly defines teaching. The week that just passed was one of those weeks. It seemed like a hundred different things, and a number of students were vying for, and demanding my attention. No two ways about it, it was a tough week. I know that I handled some parts of it better than others. In spite of the difficulties, the frustrations, and the tears that came easily, I love my life's work. It isn't easy, but it is worthwhile.

EDCAMP US DOED Reflections

 EDCAMP US DOED Reflections from the Day

EDCAMP US DOED Session 1: We Need to Stop Pretending in EDU

I have been blessed this school year by a number of amazing professional learning opportunities, one of them took place over the course of a couple of days in our nation's capital - EDCAMP US DOED. You can click on the link to learn more about the nuts and bolts of the experience, read session notes, and learn about the edcampers, whom collectively represented many aspects of education, from across the United States. To read some of the takeaways from this EdCamp, and to connect with the edcampers check out the hashtag #edcampusa on Twitter (I will warn you that at points during the day we were trending, so be wary of the posts by some trolls.)

There are so many things that I could write about from these two days, but I have chosen to focus on the critical elements of people, relationships, connection, and conversation.

People. Relationships. Connection. Conversation.

• Edcamps are about people. People that are passionate about learning; their learning, and that of their students and colleagues. People that are lead learners in every sense (regardless of their official position or title).
• The people that come to an Edcamp drive the learning of the day. There are no prearranged topics, presentations or expensive keynote speakers. It is an opportunity for individuals to drive their learning, to actively participate in meaningful discussions focused around the critical work that we do. Edcamp US DOED had topics such as: What We Need to Stop Pretending in EDU, Gamification and Badging, Bringing Edcamp to the Classroom and Equity and Social Justice. The session board represented the desires, the questions, the expertise, and learning objectives of the larger group.
• There are many folks that can attest to the fact that at larger conferences some of the most meaningful learning doesn't take place in the formal sessions at all, but out in the hallway between the sessions, and while sharing a meal together. This can certainly be true of Edcamp as well, though I would argue to a lesser degree because sessions at Edcamps are highly interactive and discussion driven. And while some of the most amazing conversations we have are the more intimate ones, without the larger conference (the reason to get together) many of those opportunities for more intimate conversations would not exist. And in the case of Edcamp US DOED, some of the pre-edcamp conversations on train rides, shared cab rides, trips up the elevator and over dinner, led to session proposals for "the board" and an opportunity to engage in an even more diverse and nuanced conversation.
• Edcamps connect people and ideas. As a result of Edcamp US DOED I was able to meet for the first time many of the folks that I engage with regularly on Social Media. It was an opportunity to tell these people, in person, how much their friendship and leadership has meant for me both professionally and personally. It was also a way to expand my PLN. I am now connected to individuals involved in education from Wisconsin to Florida, from rural schools to the Department of Education. For me the connection to people, the building of relationships and sharing of experiences is one of the most important aspects of Edcamp.
• Edcamps are a grassroots driver for change.  They are a beginning, and not an end. People from different backgrounds, locations, with varied experiences will go back to their home districts, schools, institutions for higher ed, and communities inspired, challenged and inspired.

This day would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Kristen Swanson and Hadley Ferguson of the Edcamp Foundation, and their team working behind the scenes. It also would not have been possible if it weren't for the support of the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan and the Director of the Office of Educational Technology, Richard Culatta. 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for this amazing opportunity to connect, to learn, and to engage.

Photo Courtesy of USDOED