Why I kissed a Goat

As a school administrator for the past nine years I have been involved in a wide variety of strange things to help motivate students to give of their time, money, and services in order to help others. I have been duct-taped to a wall. For five consecutive years I jumped into a freezing ice covered lake. I have had my hair coloured orange and bleached white. My head has been shaved bald and semi-bald. A number of times I have been the target for a dunk tank. This year I kissed a goat. 

I have often had people ask me, "Why do you do these crazy things?" 

The only answer I have given to this point is, "It's for the kids." Reflecting on that answer, I would like to qualify my thinking.

Service to others provides opportunities that students might not normally be part of. For example, this past November we took a group of students to Calgary, Alberta to attend WE Day. During this day our students were exposed to a wide variety of speakers and ideas that would help bring about social change locally and internationally. The group came home with a desire to help. 

With the help of teachers and a dedicated educational assistant, the group decided to raise money to buy goats for small farms in Kenya. As they started looking at fundraising ideas they asked my Vice-Principal and I what we would be willing to do if they raised enough money to buy 16 goats. I replied that, "If you raise enough money to buy 16 goats, I'll kiss a goat!" The challenge was on. 

Not only did they raise the money for 16 goats, but they more then double the needed amount!

Students need to know that learning is not only about what takes place in the classroom. Learning also takes place in our everyday lives and everyday actions. This group of young leaders presented videos and came up with ideas for fundraising: bake cookies, play games, and classroom challenges. I became once more excited to see the learning that took place when students were motivated to accomplish a goal. 

During these types of activities I have seen students use such skills as thinking critically, demonstrating good communication skills, and the ability to work cooperatively with others. They understand and demonstrate global and cultural connection, they are innovative, manage information, and learn to identify and solve complex problems.

Learning takes place everyday. If doing crazy things helps students give service to others, then kissing a goat just might be worth it. 

How I Learned to Ride a Bicycle.

Among educators there is much debate about allowing students to retake test, rewrite papers, redo assignments or to have opportunity to demonstrate learning in a wide verity of way's. Some have said that if we allow for retakes we are not prepare students for the "real world".

I am not going to debate the philosophy others only to share my own and provide what I think is an example of how this might apply.

Over the past 15 years I have worked closely with many young people, who have not done well on assignments, test, quizzes or what have you. Many have shut down to learning due to the fact that failure after so many attempts causes us to often give up, not try and quit.

I believe that over time, given opportunities to prove learning in a verity of ways students are able to demonstrate mastery of a skill.

Let use the example of riding a bike to help us understand what I am getting at.

I have six year old daughter and a nine year daughter. They both, in my eye are amazing young girls. When my nine year was younger we, like many parents, purchased her first bike. Like many young people this was a great day in her life, we put on the training wheels (in education training wheels are a modification) and sent her on her way. For a few weeks she did outstanding. When we were sure that she was ready to ride on her own we removed the training wheels and spent a few hours running a long side her holding the bike and helping her with balancing as she rode. After a few days of this, I took her to the local park with a bike path and ran along side of her, holding her up.  Finally, when I had determined it was time to let her go, I gave her a little push, for momentum and away she went. For about 20 feet - then she crashed.

When my six year old daughter had birthday, we went through the some process. We purchased a new bike, for safety we put on the training wheels. She didn't need them, she has great balance. In one little lesson she was off and riding. I brought her to the school parking lot and in a few hours she could ride, all over.

So here is the education application. If my nine year old fails and is never allowed to try riding a bike again this will be a skill that she will never have. Even after the modifications, tutoring, and extra help providing a great testing location. I had provided the instruction and now it was time for her to take the test. She failed, so now she can never ride a bike.

The six year old, used the same methods and instructional strategies. She passed the test with flying colours. So she has that life skill, she will be able to attend the bike rodeos at school, go on bike rides with friends and family, and enjoy the freedom a bike provides. In education we might say that she is gifted.

Ok so, I took my nine year old, and started over, I spent more time running along side of her, helped her overcome her fear after the crash and now she loves to ride her bike. In fact she is a great bike rider.

Again, the application to education is that we should allow students to prove to us that they are learning. If we understand that not all students will get it the first time. If we understand that failure is necessary for our progression as learners and as people. If we allow for failure and require improvement students will reach our expectations.

I am not trying to convert anyone to giving retakes. I only think we need to consider, the real world application of allowing or not allowing retakes. Life allows for more retakes then it does for one time shots.

Please take the time to view this short video by Rick Wormeli:

If you have time please view this one:

What Great Teaching Looks Like

Over the past few years my personal desire for deep understanding has lead me to feeling like I have much to learn. Education is changing, how kids learn is changing, how we assess student learning is changing. 

I hope that as we work together as a faculty this year, our growth will be reflected in the personal growth of our students. 

I believe we have teachers who have worked and will continue work at becoming great. Todd Whitaker has written and provided professional development on "What Great Teachers Do Differently." As I observer classrooms daily in our school I am excited to see many of our faculty working on the skills described by Dr. Whitaker. 

The following clips by Dr. Whitaker describe what I see in Classrooms.

Cardston Junior High School Looks forward to a great year. Please join with us a we move forward, improve and better understand our practice as professional teachers.

I Hate Change. Or Do I?

I Hate Change. Or Do I?

Four years ago our family loaded everything we owned into two horse trailers and headed north. I had recently been hired as the new principal of Cardston Junior High School. This was for me the most difficult change that I had ever made in my life. I left a school that I loved. People I loved and a town that I loved. Beside that I hate change. I love knowing what’s next. I love knowing that I can handle it.  Like many of us I like the feeling of being in control.

That said, the change has been great. We love our new home, I love the people I work with and am around each day. I love my new school and the great staff I have. I love the direction Alberta is going in education. The transformation might be hard, but if it best for kids that we want to be part of this great change.

Education is changing across the globe and at home here in Alberta. In April of 2010 the government of Alberta released a document titled Inspiring Education: A Dialogue with Albertans. 

http://ideas.education.alberta.ca/media/14847/inspiring%20education%20steering%20committee%20report.pdf

The Inspiring Education document outlines the need to transform education in Alberta. The need for the next generation of learners to have 21^st century skills. These 21^st century skills include: Critical Thinking, Collaboration Skills, and Communication Skills. The Inspiring Education document states, “For ever two people retiring the next decade, there will be less than one person to take those jobs.  At the same time, current growth rates will add 80,00 people to the province every year, a number equivalent to population of Lethbridge in 2007."

 “Inspiring Education presents a vision for education to 2030. It sets high-level direction, but it does not layout the process for implementation."

“The vision of Inspiring Education is transformational. Some may claim the transformation to achieve this vision is underway. Indeed, some of what is outlined in this report is already happening in pockets throughout the province. For example, as described later in this report, Caslan School integrates Métis heritage and fine arts into the curriculum. This makes the curriculum richer and more relevant
to its students. However, discussions with thousands of Albertans confirmed that innovations like this are in the minority. To truly transform education, the education system must empower innovation throughout the province.”

The Vision

“Albertans articulated their vision for education through specific outcomes, which have been summarized as 'the Three E’s' of education for the 21st Century. Albertans told us the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) system should strive to instil the following qualities and abilities in our youth:

Engaged Thinker: who thinks critically and makes discover
ies; who uses technology to learn, innovate, communicate, and discover; who works with multiple perspectives and disciplines to identify problems and find the best solutions; who communicates these ideas to others; and who, as a life-long learner, adapts to change with an attitude of optimism and hope for the future.

Ethical Citizen: who builds relationships based on humility, fair- ness and open-mindedness; who demonstrates respect, empathy and compassion; and who through teamwork, collaboration and communication contributes fully to the community and the world.”

Entrepreneurial Spirit: who creates opportunities and achieves goals through hard work, perseverance and discipline; who strives for excellence and earns success; who explores ideas and challenges the status quo; who is competitive, adaptable and resilient; and who has the confidence to take risks and make bold decisions in the face of adversity."

The question then becomes how do this look in our school. In a number of my past post I have addressed assessment, grading, reporting, instructional strategies, and other topics that we at Cardston Junior High School are working on as we work to transform our school. The following provides information about how this might look in our school.

http://ideas.education.alberta.ca/media/2905/inspiringaction%20eng.pdf

The following quote from Inspiring Action on Education might help in understanding our direction:

“Governments, business leaders, researchers and communities in Alberta, Canada, and around the world, investigating the requirements of 21st century learners, have identified the need for competencies to be more central in the education of young people if they are to be active participants in an increasingly knowledge-based and globalized society. Competencies enable students to understand their world, engage fully in their education, relate well to others, manage their lives wisely, and contribute positively to their communities.

Competencies transcend subject areas and are developed through learning approaches that include subject/discipline-specific learning outcomes. A competencies-based, student-focused curriculum requires the attainment of attitudes, skills and knowledge as well as values for living, learning and working. Students are engaged thinkers, demonstrate ethical citizenship, and develop their entrepreneurial spirit.”

The Alberta Education Minister Jeff Johnson recently hosted a presentation on what the three E’s mean for parents and Educators. The fallowing link will answer some question you might have about this transformation in education.

https://education.alberta.ca/department/ipr/inspiringeducation.aspx

Change is hard. Change can be painful, stressful, and sometimes unwanted. In the long run change allows for growth, improvement, and person satisfaction. Please join with us as we move forward and provide the best possible educational opportunity we can.

What does a Morning Walk Through Reveal about our School

Most mornings, I do my best like - many principals - to do a quick walk through classrooms. I like to see the great teaching going on in our school. My focus in the past has alway been what is it that the teacher is teaching. Over the past year or so I have changed my focus to look more closely at what is it that students are learning.
As a school we have had the opportunity over the past two years to work closely with the Alberta Assessment Consortium. We have focused our staff development on assessment. Our goal is to improve student learning.

Here are  types of assessment we have focused on:

Types of Assessment

Assessments occur before, during and after learning. Assessment is not the same as testing, although tests may be a part of assessment.

Assessment for learning - Before, during and after learning, teachers and students gather information that helps determine next steps for skill development towards the learner outcome.

Assessment as learning - Both during and after learning, the teacher encourages students to build knowledge of themselves as learners. This process of being aware of and evaluating their own thinking processes is called meta-cognition. It is a core skill for a self-directed learner.

Assessment of learning - Assessment of learning is the summation of all the learning evidence. It may come at the end of the learning or at regular points during learning. Teachers ensure students have a range of opportunities and a variety of ways to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes that confirm progress toward the learner outcome. Teachers balance this evidence in their assessment.

Information taken from: http://www.rockyview.ab.ca/home/21stC/assessing

With that said: Here are some examples of the student learning that I found. 

In a math class students using iPads and a verity of tools to demonstrate, learning, practice and to accommodate for learning needs.

In the Physical Education classroom students self assess their current fitness levels and setting goals for improvement throughout the year.

In the Home Ec. classroom students prepare to put together material to for completion of a project.

In the Language Arts classroom, student have the opportunity to research a topic that they are interested in. The topics ranged from the "life of a gladiator" to "school uniforms" and " the effect of steroids on the body". Students were provided an outline, guide, and a rubric to follow. This allows, once more, for students to self assess the work they are going to turn in. Students in the class know and understand learning goals and Targets.

As I walked into this Science class I was excited, to see students exploring the properties of light. Students were free to explore how light bends, reflects, and is divided.

 Each group of student tried on their own to see what they could do with light.

Without  strict direction, the students explored and reached their own understanding of light.

The second math class I visit, students were giving a set of problems. Once completed, a new set of problems were provided to the group. Students received feedback from group members and help teach each other. This allowed for the teacher to spend individual time with students and groups.

Great instruction, teaching, and learning takes place in many schools. Cardston Junior High is a school that is learning and growing each day. Dedicated teachers are asking themselves each day these questions:

1. What will happen during the lesson to help students understand what success looks like?
2. How and when will I check in with students to find out whether or not they're "getting it"? 
3 How and when will students receive feedback on their progress? Who will provide the feedback? 

Thank you for spending a morning with us, at the world famous Cardston Junior High School.  

21st Century Learning and Balanced Assessment

For most of my life I have worked with young horses. About three years ago I started recording each ride and what I had accomplished with each horse. As I wrote down what I had done and whether or not I had reached the same point on each horse, it made it easier to set goals and know the destination that I hoped to reach with each horse. I have come to understand that learners need to understand goals, destinations and targets. When learners understand this, learning increases. Join with me as I share my learning related gathering evidence that reflects what students know.

Students learn best when students and teachers share a clear understanding of the desired learning outcome. Over the past two years, the staff at Cardston Junior High Teachers have worked to develop what we would call the essential outcomes. Essential outcomes provide a target that students can focus on and understand what it takes to reach that outcome. Teachers work to help build understanding by providing students with examples that show mastery level learning. When students know targets they understand how to reach the target.

Gathering of Evidence:

Assessment in the the 21st century requires that teachers build a strong body of evidence. Individual piece of evidence of learning may not reflect the true learning of a student. Appropriate assessment requires teachers to have a balanced collection of student work. This may come from a variety of methods. This then provides a more fair, reliable and valid assessment of the student.

Assessment data can by collected in these three ways:

Conversation - Conversations happen everyday in a classroom. Conversation allows teachers to ask questions and students to respond. Teachers are then able to understand the level of learning of the students. Teachers know by these conversations if students have been able to grasp the key concepts.

Observation - I have spent hours in observation of student learning. This may be one of the most powerful ways to determine student learning. Teachers are looking daily to see if students are showing growth in a given area. They look to see how students apply learned information in the real-world. Observation is a key to student learning.

The Products of Learning - The products of student learning may come in many forms. Students may communicate learning through products they created for a class. Products may include stories, or essays, for a language arts class. Presentations in a social studies class. Performances that take place in band, drama, or even our pop and rock class, or finished art products worked on in class are all examples of products used to determine learning.

Using each of these methods of evidence allows us to have a full picture of student learning. This is often referred to as triangluation of data. 

I hope this also represents our growth as a teaching staff and is reflective in how we are trying to report student learning to our parents.

The following video links provide information about student self assessment and its use in a holistic assessment strategy.

http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/selfandpeerassessmentdylanwiliam.asp

Part of the triangulation requires teachers to use formative assessment. Dylan Wiliam talks about how teachers use formative assessment to improve student learning.

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/mp4/lal/formativeassessmentdylanwiliam.mp4

Please Continue learning with us as we share our journey to improve student learning.