I attended a high school where about 25% of the students were military dependents. When I started teaching, about half of my years were spent on a military base, working with students from military families. However, I never realized the full impact of the challenges these families face as well as their resiliency to deal with these challenges until I became the principal of a military-impacted school.
I have been the principal of Hale Kula for over ten years. Back in February 2003 when I was first appointed, we had a student population of about 450 students. Today, we more than doubled that number with our student enrollment fluctuating between 950 and 1,050 students this school year. The change in the number of students has much to do with the privatization of housing on military bases and the high occupancy rate because of these beautiful new homes. As the principal of a school with 99% military dependents, the way we do things, our culture, is different from that of a "local" school.
I recently read an article in an issue of "Principal" magazine titled "Helping Military Children Feel 'At Ease'" Few people realize that the military is a culture, and students face unique challenges as a result of being a military dependent. Moving to Hawaii can be exciting, but it can add to the stresses which families face; being so far away from extended family and other systems of support.
Transitions are a major challenge for some military-impacted students. Our students might attend three different schools in one year, and possibly many more before graduating from high school. Because the Schofield Inn is within our school's geographical boundaries, we have a high number of transitions each school year. Students are enrolled when they are at the Schofield Inn, but unfortunately, once a family is assigned permanent housing, the student may have to leave our school if they will not be living in our area. Imagine having to be the "new kid in the class" several times in a school year. It takes a student with confidence and resiliency to be able to make the adjustment each time he/she is enrolled in a new school.
Oftentimes, the curriculum and the school rules and procedures are different, and when a child moves in the middle of the year, adjusting can be a challenge. We have had students enroll after being out of school for several months because they were visiting family on the way to Hawaii. As a result, military students can have gaps in their learning and may have missed important instruction which can impact their learning. Unless the teacher is cognizant of these gaps, the student may go through the rest of the year without learning something which is an important foundational skill not just for that school year, but in future years as well.
When I became the principal ten years ago, our families did not have to worry about deployments. Then things changed in the Middle East. The first deployment took place nearly nine years ago, and after that, a significant percentage of our students were experiencing the challenges of dealing with a parent who was away from the family, in harm's way. Some families faced multiple deployments while they were attending our school. The challenges of deployment didn't necessarily end when a parent returned home. Families had to readjust to having a parent back home, and sometimes, the parent changed after experiencing trauma during the deployment. Some students and families deal with deployment challenges positively while others have great difficulty.
These challenges in military schools need to be addressed, and because we have flexibility over how we spend the funds allocated to us, we have been able to create positions at Hale Kula to address some of these issues. For example, we have four counselors as well as a School-Based Behavioral Health Therapist. They provide essential supports for students who may be experiencing difficulties which are impacting their success in school. Our Transition Center Coordinator greets all new families to share information about our school and our policies prior to the child's first day. Additionally, the Transition Coordinator checks on new students to ensure that he/she is adjusting to their new school. Our Primary School Adjustment Project Child Associate works with younger students who may be experiencing problems with adjustment which includes deployment or a new school. We are also fortunate to have the support of the US Army Garrison Hawaii through their Army School Liaison Officers as well as a partnership with Tripler Army Medical Center which provides support through their School Mental Health Team. Our school staff works closely with District support personnel as well as the Tripler team to ensure that programs and supports are in place to ensure the success of all students and their families.
The "At Ease" article shared suggestions for schools which can have a positive impact on military students and their families. Perhaps the most important support, however, comes from the teacher in the classroom. Our teachers are a special group; they deal with transitioning students (sometimes several a week); they provide interventions for students who may enter their classroom with significant learning gaps, and they deal with deployment challenges which may affect a student's behavior and academics in the classroom. Parents have shared that they appreciate the support from their child's teacher or from another adult in the school.
It is equally important, though, to address the needs of the families. As a school, we made it a priority to plan activities for families so they can connect with other families - activities such as after-school parent-child workshops, Book Fair Family Events, parenting trainings, or student performances. Additionally, we have been communicating with parents through social media as well as a weekly blog and our school website. Parents appreciate being updated about what's going on in school and being able to communicate with the school via technology especially when there is only one adult at home.
I am proud of our school and the supports and services we provide for our military students and their families. Our goal is to ensure the success of every student and to provide them with the tools to be independent and to be responsible for their own learning and individual growth. This means that we need to be aware of the military culture and addressing the challenges of our students and their families.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Real-life Learning - My Goal for Every Student
Back in 1993 (20 years ago!) I was one of the original teachers hired at Mililani Mauka Elementary School. Prior to starting the school year, all of us newly-hired teachers were asked to read several articles about "thinking dispositions," I was overwhelmed and had no idea what the articles were talking about. However, in time and after receiving training from David Perkins of Harvard's Project Zero, all of us teachers gained a greater understanding about thinking dispositions. We then collaborated to design meaningful and relevant project-based units and to explicitly teach the thinking dispositions throughout the day, When we taught these units, we saw how engaged our students were. Although we had our curriculum plan of what we wanted our students to learn and what resources we would use, teaching and learning were guided by the students' questions and their curiosity to find out more than what we had written into our plans. In fact, learning often went way beyond what we originally envisioned.
When I became a principal ten years ago, one of my goals was for every grade level to collaborate on creating interdisciplinary units and to embed content standards to make learning more relevant for students. Today, every grade level has created units and review and revise them yearly. However, with the emphasis on statewide assessments and making Adequate Yearly Progress, these units are sometimes set on the side in order to provide students with more time to practice reading and math skills. Perhaps it was my fault in setting a goal every year to make AYP. Perhaps I needed to rethink how we measure success for each student and to reflect on what is the real meaning of "quality education."
It was serendipitous that I was able to read this wonderful blog, "Deeper Learning: Highlighting Student Work" and view the videos. It brought me back to what I believe we need to focus on in education -- students doing meaningful and quality work with teachers coaching and guiding them. The video on "Austin's Butterfly" is amazing; listen to the students' comments as they view each draft of Austin's drawing. In order to get this kind of quality work, however, teachers need to guide students to understand how to give and receive specific feedback in order to improve a product. This disposition needs to be nurtured from the time a student is young, and the work itself needs to be "important" with students applying what they've learned to a real-life situation.
Some of these kinds of projects are already happening at Hale Kula. For example, after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in November 2012, our third graders brainstormed and decided to collect money to help families who were devastated by the super storm. Our fifth grade Hope Garden is an example of sustainability, and students lead tours for the community during Earth Day activities. Additionally, our sea urchin project is a great example of how our students are making a difference. We know how excited students are about learning when they can participate in "real" learning, so this kind of learning needs to be the norm and not the exception.
As a youth soccer coach, I remember planning my practices to include working on skills and drills, oftentimes, the very ones the players had difficulty executing during the previous game. Then we practiced those skills in controlled, game-like situations, and then hopefully, the players would be able to understand and use those skills during a real game. Music, art, and foreign languages are similar in that students practice and then apply their skills in order to improve or showcase what they have learned. The problem with school is that often, we teach and then have students practice skills, but they never have the opportunity to apply these skills to a real-life situation.
Engaging in quality, meaningful work, not just practicing skills -- that is my goal for every student at our school.
When I became a principal ten years ago, one of my goals was for every grade level to collaborate on creating interdisciplinary units and to embed content standards to make learning more relevant for students. Today, every grade level has created units and review and revise them yearly. However, with the emphasis on statewide assessments and making Adequate Yearly Progress, these units are sometimes set on the side in order to provide students with more time to practice reading and math skills. Perhaps it was my fault in setting a goal every year to make AYP. Perhaps I needed to rethink how we measure success for each student and to reflect on what is the real meaning of "quality education."
It was serendipitous that I was able to read this wonderful blog, "Deeper Learning: Highlighting Student Work" and view the videos. It brought me back to what I believe we need to focus on in education -- students doing meaningful and quality work with teachers coaching and guiding them. The video on "Austin's Butterfly" is amazing; listen to the students' comments as they view each draft of Austin's drawing. In order to get this kind of quality work, however, teachers need to guide students to understand how to give and receive specific feedback in order to improve a product. This disposition needs to be nurtured from the time a student is young, and the work itself needs to be "important" with students applying what they've learned to a real-life situation.
Some of these kinds of projects are already happening at Hale Kula. For example, after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in November 2012, our third graders brainstormed and decided to collect money to help families who were devastated by the super storm. Our fifth grade Hope Garden is an example of sustainability, and students lead tours for the community during Earth Day activities. Additionally, our sea urchin project is a great example of how our students are making a difference. We know how excited students are about learning when they can participate in "real" learning, so this kind of learning needs to be the norm and not the exception.
As a youth soccer coach, I remember planning my practices to include working on skills and drills, oftentimes, the very ones the players had difficulty executing during the previous game. Then we practiced those skills in controlled, game-like situations, and then hopefully, the players would be able to understand and use those skills during a real game. Music, art, and foreign languages are similar in that students practice and then apply their skills in order to improve or showcase what they have learned. The problem with school is that often, we teach and then have students practice skills, but they never have the opportunity to apply these skills to a real-life situation.
Engaging in quality, meaningful work, not just practicing skills -- that is my goal for every student at our school.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Youth XChange Video Competition
The mission of`Olelo Community Media is "To strengthen our island voices and advance community engagement through innovative media.." Anyone can produce a video and share it on one of `Olelo's channels for free. When `Olelo opened a studio in Wahiawa at Leilehua High School, several of our teachers participated in their training and learned the basics of videotaping and editing. At first, we were interested in videotaping school events to show on one of `Olelo's channels, but today, these teachers are using what they learned in that class and teaching students how to create and produce videos to share their learning.
For ten years, `Olelo has sponsored a Youth XChange Video Competition. This competition started with a few entries and has been growing steadily since. I attended the awards ceremony last year and was amazed and impressed at how students shared their important messages in such diverse and creative ways. I witnessed how a thirty second video can leave an audience stunned into silence by its powerful message.
This year, there were 658 Youth XChange entries from students at all levels -- elementary, middle school, and high school - and for the first time since we began entering this competition, three of our Hale Kula entries were selected as finalists. What an accomplishment for our students and their teachers!
Producing a 30-second public service announcement or a short 3-5 minute video takes collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity, the 4C's of 21st Century teaching and learning. Producing a video which captures the message succinctly and creatively is not easy. I have observed disengaged students suddenly become excited learners when given the opportunity to participate in this project. It requires students to research about the issues they are interested in. Our students watched commercials and public service announcements and discussed the effectiveness of the message. They shared ideas and while they didn't always agree, students learned to listen and respect the ideas of others and to collaborate to complete their project.
This type of project can have a profound effect on a child. If we want an informed citizenry, we need to start with our youngsters and get them involved in thinking about issues which will impact them in the future. We need them to ask questions and to share their concerns with others, and we need to hear their voices because they have important things to say.
I urge you to check out the Youth XChange videos; I am quite sure you will be impressed. Finally, I would like to thank `Olelo for giving our youth an opportunity to express themselves through this competition.
For ten years, `Olelo has sponsored a Youth XChange Video Competition. This competition started with a few entries and has been growing steadily since. I attended the awards ceremony last year and was amazed and impressed at how students shared their important messages in such diverse and creative ways. I witnessed how a thirty second video can leave an audience stunned into silence by its powerful message.
This year, there were 658 Youth XChange entries from students at all levels -- elementary, middle school, and high school - and for the first time since we began entering this competition, three of our Hale Kula entries were selected as finalists. What an accomplishment for our students and their teachers!
Producing a 30-second public service announcement or a short 3-5 minute video takes collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity, the 4C's of 21st Century teaching and learning. Producing a video which captures the message succinctly and creatively is not easy. I have observed disengaged students suddenly become excited learners when given the opportunity to participate in this project. It requires students to research about the issues they are interested in. Our students watched commercials and public service announcements and discussed the effectiveness of the message. They shared ideas and while they didn't always agree, students learned to listen and respect the ideas of others and to collaborate to complete their project.
This type of project can have a profound effect on a child. If we want an informed citizenry, we need to start with our youngsters and get them involved in thinking about issues which will impact them in the future. We need them to ask questions and to share their concerns with others, and we need to hear their voices because they have important things to say.
I urge you to check out the Youth XChange videos; I am quite sure you will be impressed. Finally, I would like to thank `Olelo for giving our youth an opportunity to express themselves through this competition.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Chronic Absenteeism = A Big Problem
I recently returned from a family vacation to celebrate my Dad's 88th birthday. It was wonderful, and I am so glad I took the time off from school to be with our family for this very special event. Of course, between email and texting, I was still tethered to my responsibilities as the principal at Hale Kula. After all, I didn't want to come back to work and have to catch up with the hundreds of emails I receive daily!
This vacation led me to reflect on something which has been a challenge at our school -- attendance. We know that students need to be in school in order to maximize their learning opportunities. Last year, 16% of our students were chronically absent, defined as missing more than 15 days in the school year. In other words, 16% of our students missed about one whole month of learning. This is unacceptable, and we are implementing a variety of programs to reverse this trend including incentives for those who have perfect attendance for the quarter, informing parents more regularly, and asking for suggestions from our school community. However, our data suggests that these incentives and procedures are not having as positive an impact as we had hoped.
Because we are a military-impacted school, our families have different challenges that affect school attendance. With no extended family here on-island, a parent may not have the support when a child gets sick (and there's no way to get the student to school) or the soldier is deployed or in training. When the soldier comes back from deployment or for R&R, families want to spend the time together or take a trip back home to spend time with their extended family. My vacation with my family reinforced that this is valuable time, and even if we would prefer students to be in school, we understand the importance of reunification especially when a parent has been in harm's way.
So what can we do to ensure that students balance school and home needs effectively even if they are not physically in school? Since our families are transient, we need to make sure that the loss of instructional days does not result in learning gaps which can impact students now and in the future when they enroll in a new school. Besides implementing incentive programs, we need to send a consistent message to parents about the importance of students coming to school regularly and keeping up with their lessons, and technology can be used effectively for this purpose.
We have encouraged all of our teachers to post their assignments as well as learning resources on their class websites. Additionally, we have licenses for programs such as Dreambox, KidBiz3000, and Measuring Up Live! which are web-based, and other resources are available on our library webpage which students can access anywhere, anytime from any computer. We are moving towards cloud-based computing via google apps; students will be able to work on their assignments and keep in touch with their teachers even if they are not physically in school. Our Blended Learning program is providing us with resources we can use with our fourth and fifth graders, and we should share similar resources for the other grade levels as well.
Our message to our parents is this: we understand the challenges of being a military family, but we need to work together to ensure that our students -- your children -- will be ready for the next grade level whether they remain at Hale Kula or move to another school in our state, our country, or the world. As a school, we need to have better procedures so parents understand that we are a team and that keeping up with schoolwork is essential even if a family is on a well-deserved vacation. This also means that parents need to set aside time during vacations so students can complete their assignments to ensure that they don't fall behind.
Our goal is to decrease chronic absenteeism at our school from 16% to 11%. It will take a collaborative effort to accomplish our goals, but we are determined to do all we can to reach our target so that all students continue to progress and have the skills and dispositions to be successful.
This vacation led me to reflect on something which has been a challenge at our school -- attendance. We know that students need to be in school in order to maximize their learning opportunities. Last year, 16% of our students were chronically absent, defined as missing more than 15 days in the school year. In other words, 16% of our students missed about one whole month of learning. This is unacceptable, and we are implementing a variety of programs to reverse this trend including incentives for those who have perfect attendance for the quarter, informing parents more regularly, and asking for suggestions from our school community. However, our data suggests that these incentives and procedures are not having as positive an impact as we had hoped.
Because we are a military-impacted school, our families have different challenges that affect school attendance. With no extended family here on-island, a parent may not have the support when a child gets sick (and there's no way to get the student to school) or the soldier is deployed or in training. When the soldier comes back from deployment or for R&R, families want to spend the time together or take a trip back home to spend time with their extended family. My vacation with my family reinforced that this is valuable time, and even if we would prefer students to be in school, we understand the importance of reunification especially when a parent has been in harm's way.
So what can we do to ensure that students balance school and home needs effectively even if they are not physically in school? Since our families are transient, we need to make sure that the loss of instructional days does not result in learning gaps which can impact students now and in the future when they enroll in a new school. Besides implementing incentive programs, we need to send a consistent message to parents about the importance of students coming to school regularly and keeping up with their lessons, and technology can be used effectively for this purpose.
We have encouraged all of our teachers to post their assignments as well as learning resources on their class websites. Additionally, we have licenses for programs such as Dreambox, KidBiz3000, and Measuring Up Live! which are web-based, and other resources are available on our library webpage which students can access anywhere, anytime from any computer. We are moving towards cloud-based computing via google apps; students will be able to work on their assignments and keep in touch with their teachers even if they are not physically in school. Our Blended Learning program is providing us with resources we can use with our fourth and fifth graders, and we should share similar resources for the other grade levels as well.
Our message to our parents is this: we understand the challenges of being a military family, but we need to work together to ensure that our students -- your children -- will be ready for the next grade level whether they remain at Hale Kula or move to another school in our state, our country, or the world. As a school, we need to have better procedures so parents understand that we are a team and that keeping up with schoolwork is essential even if a family is on a well-deserved vacation. This also means that parents need to set aside time during vacations so students can complete their assignments to ensure that they don't fall behind.
Our goal is to decrease chronic absenteeism at our school from 16% to 11%. It will take a collaborative effort to accomplish our goals, but we are determined to do all we can to reach our target so that all students continue to progress and have the skills and dispositions to be successful.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Engaging Our School Community through Social Media
99% of our students are from military-impacted families, and transitions and deployments are challenges they face as we seek to engage them as integral members of our school community. Our parents are supportive of the school, and school-wide events such as our recent Student-led Conferences, musical performances, or Book Fairs are well-attended. However, results from our annual School Community Council Survey indicated that communication was a major concern of parents so we made a concerted effort to improve home-school communication.
After much discussion, we decided to try something different this year. We decided to host a virtual School Community meeting using Facebook as the venue. Since parents were familiar with the US Army Garrison Hawaii Facebook Town Hall meetings, we thought we might get better participation than if we held a meeting at school. Here's the invitation which was posted:
Frankly, we did not know what to expect, but a virtual meeting would allow anyone to join from their computer or mobile device wherever they happened to be at the time. We agreed to ask questions to get feedback rather than having parents post random comments or concerns. Our focus would be on getting input from parents on issues such as attendance, improving achievement in reading and math, keeping our students safe at school, and improving parent engagement and communication.
I am still amazed at the number of comments and posts we received during our virtual School Community Meeting! The participation was nonstop with nearly 200 responses, suggestions, comments, and lots of great ideas in just over one hour! Our challenge now is to take those ideas and to see how we might be able to implement them to improve student achievement as well as to address issues of traffic, safety, communication, and student well-being.
Think about it. Would we be able to get that kind of feedback if we held a face-to-face meeting? Absolutely not! People who might have been reluctant to speak up in a public meeting were able to share concerns or ask questions in a virtual venue. We could hear from anyone who had something to contribute, and everyone was respectful with their comments. We cannot guarantee that everyone's suggestions will be implemented, but we will at least consider them.
Everyone's time is so valuable, and finding ways to accommodate the needs of our families is important. I am so grateful that our School Community Council took this leap and decided to host a virtual meeting. Perhaps other schools will be willing to give it a try!
We started by changing our school website. Initially, it was a lot of work and planning, but today, we pride ourselves on our website which includes lots of information and resources for parents to access as well as updates about upcoming school events. New parents often share that they requested housing in our geographical area after finding out they were coming to Hawaii and checking out our school webpage. Additionally, most of our teachers created a class webpage, and this also helped to bridge the gap between home and school.
Because social media is such an important part of our parents' lives, we decided to use Facebook as a means of communication. Our Hale Kula Eagles Facebook page has grown to several hundred members, and upcoming events are shared and photos are posted to keep members updated. Facebook allows families who have left us to find out what's happening at our school, and in turn, we can find out how our former students are doing at their new school. Facebook has been a wonderful way to keep in touch! We also publish Hale Kula Highlights at least once weekly, and the blog is sent directly to the email of those who've subscribed. Parents and staff share that they appreciate these weekly reminders of upcoming events and activities.
Our School Community Council is required to hold School Community meetings at least twice per year to get feedback regarding our Academic Plan. This has been a major challenge for us. In the past, we held meetings in the mornings, or just before school ended for the day, or in the evening, and each time, very few parents attended or participated in the discussions. We even paired these meetings with a student performance, but parents weren't interested in giving feedback to us on how to improve teaching and learning at Hale Kula. After all, they were there to watch/videotape their children's performance.
Our School Community Council is required to hold School Community meetings at least twice per year to get feedback regarding our Academic Plan. This has been a major challenge for us. In the past, we held meetings in the mornings, or just before school ended for the day, or in the evening, and each time, very few parents attended or participated in the discussions. We even paired these meetings with a student performance, but parents weren't interested in giving feedback to us on how to improve teaching and learning at Hale Kula. After all, they were there to watch/videotape their children's performance.
After much discussion, we decided to try something different this year. We decided to host a virtual School Community meeting using Facebook as the venue. Since parents were familiar with the US Army Garrison Hawaii Facebook Town Hall meetings, we thought we might get better participation than if we held a meeting at school. Here's the invitation which was posted:
We are hosting a virtual School Community Meeting (following the format of the USAG Town Hall meeting). The purpose is to get input and suggestions on how we can craft our Academic Plan for SY2013-2014 to best reflect the needs of our school while following the Department of Education's Strategic Plan and the District mandates.
Any posts or comments should be respectful. We will remove any comments or questions which are perceived as inappropriate or disrespectful.
We will respond to all questions, but depending on the number of questions/comments we receive, we will prioritize our responses according to those with the greatest impact on our school community.
Thank you for joining this event!
Frankly, we did not know what to expect, but a virtual meeting would allow anyone to join from their computer or mobile device wherever they happened to be at the time. We agreed to ask questions to get feedback rather than having parents post random comments or concerns. Our focus would be on getting input from parents on issues such as attendance, improving achievement in reading and math, keeping our students safe at school, and improving parent engagement and communication.
I am still amazed at the number of comments and posts we received during our virtual School Community Meeting! The participation was nonstop with nearly 200 responses, suggestions, comments, and lots of great ideas in just over one hour! Our challenge now is to take those ideas and to see how we might be able to implement them to improve student achievement as well as to address issues of traffic, safety, communication, and student well-being.
Think about it. Would we be able to get that kind of feedback if we held a face-to-face meeting? Absolutely not! People who might have been reluctant to speak up in a public meeting were able to share concerns or ask questions in a virtual venue. We could hear from anyone who had something to contribute, and everyone was respectful with their comments. We cannot guarantee that everyone's suggestions will be implemented, but we will at least consider them.
Everyone's time is so valuable, and finding ways to accommodate the needs of our families is important. I am so grateful that our School Community Council took this leap and decided to host a virtual meeting. Perhaps other schools will be willing to give it a try!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
There is a 5th "C"
As educators, our classrooms are usually teacher-driven. Students are expected to follow the rules and the procedures which have been established by the teacher as a means of managing the classroom and the students efficiently and effectively. Classes are taught in blocks of time, and a schedule dictates when students do what. Lessons are based on a common set of standards, students are given their assignments, and grades are allocated based on whether instructions were followed as well as the quality of the work. Many of us thrived in this system; we knew what we had to do to be successful in school.
Our 21st century world is vastly different, and what worked back then may not be what our students need to be successful today. We read about how we need to teach the 3 R's as well as the 4 C's - collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity - which describe the processes for teaching and learning as we move our teachers and our students forward in the 21st century. Our Blended Learning pilot program where fourth and fifth grade students spend part of the week in face-to-face learning and the other half accessing their curriculum and assignments on-line at home is successfully demonstrating the power of the
4 C's in engaging students in their studies.
But that is not enough. We found that even though we have a rigorous curriculum and students have multiple opportunities to use technology and Web 2.0 tools to demonstrate their learning through the 4 C's, something else needs to be in place if we want our students to internalize and become self-directed learners, responsible for their own learning. The 5th C is "Choice." (Thank you, Michelle Colte, for coining this phrase). We have seen students in the Blended Learning Class develop the attributes of a self-directed learner. They are able to view their assignments for the day, prioritize how they will accomplish their tasks, and with guidance from the teachers, work on individual projects of their choice.
What is it about choice that can make the difference for students? Kevin Perks, in "Crafting Effective Choices to Motivate Students" states, "Choices that promote feelings of control, purpose, and competence are likely to be more motivating than choices that do not." In our Blended Learning classes, students have choices, although not all of them are "desirable" to every student. However, when students can choose how to prioritize and complete their assignments for the day, they learn organizational and time management skills. When they can choose a topic as part of their interdisciplinary unit study, they are motivated to research to find more information to answer their questions. When students have a choice on how to share their learning with others, their creativity and pride shines through their projects.
All teachers can and should provide choices for students -- choices in content (What will I be learning? Why is this important? What are the big ideas and essential questions? What are the standards?), process (What resources will I use? How do I go about finding information? Will I learn better alone or in a group?), or products (How will I share what I learned? How do I know I have produced my best work?) By providing opportunities to demonstrate the 3 R's and the 5 C's, students will gain skills and strategies to be confident, competent, self-directed learners. That's what I hope for all of our students so they be successful, not just in school, but in life.
Our 21st century world is vastly different, and what worked back then may not be what our students need to be successful today. We read about how we need to teach the 3 R's as well as the 4 C's - collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity - which describe the processes for teaching and learning as we move our teachers and our students forward in the 21st century. Our Blended Learning pilot program where fourth and fifth grade students spend part of the week in face-to-face learning and the other half accessing their curriculum and assignments on-line at home is successfully demonstrating the power of the
4 C's in engaging students in their studies.
But that is not enough. We found that even though we have a rigorous curriculum and students have multiple opportunities to use technology and Web 2.0 tools to demonstrate their learning through the 4 C's, something else needs to be in place if we want our students to internalize and become self-directed learners, responsible for their own learning. The 5th C is "Choice." (Thank you, Michelle Colte, for coining this phrase). We have seen students in the Blended Learning Class develop the attributes of a self-directed learner. They are able to view their assignments for the day, prioritize how they will accomplish their tasks, and with guidance from the teachers, work on individual projects of their choice.
What is it about choice that can make the difference for students? Kevin Perks, in "Crafting Effective Choices to Motivate Students" states, "Choices that promote feelings of control, purpose, and competence are likely to be more motivating than choices that do not." In our Blended Learning classes, students have choices, although not all of them are "desirable" to every student. However, when students can choose how to prioritize and complete their assignments for the day, they learn organizational and time management skills. When they can choose a topic as part of their interdisciplinary unit study, they are motivated to research to find more information to answer their questions. When students have a choice on how to share their learning with others, their creativity and pride shines through their projects.
All teachers can and should provide choices for students -- choices in content (What will I be learning? Why is this important? What are the big ideas and essential questions? What are the standards?), process (What resources will I use? How do I go about finding information? Will I learn better alone or in a group?), or products (How will I share what I learned? How do I know I have produced my best work?) By providing opportunities to demonstrate the 3 R's and the 5 C's, students will gain skills and strategies to be confident, competent, self-directed learners. That's what I hope for all of our students so they be successful, not just in school, but in life.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
It's More than a Place to Borrow Books
Yesterday, I was able to attend the annual conference for the Hawaii Association of School Librarians, an organization committed to improving teaching and learning in our schools. This volunteer organization shares resources, provides professional development opportunities for educators, and are involved in the community as well by hosting events for students such as The Nene Award.
As schools explore ways to save money, many are choosing to eliminate the librarian position and to focus on technology rather than purchasing books. A prevailing thought is that libraries are outdated and that purchasing books is a waste of money when it is so easy to get information via the Internet. I disagree; schools need libraries and librarians.
Our library is a vibrant place, filled with eager students who love to choose a "just right" book to borrow. But our library is more than just a place to listen to stories and learn how to find a book. Our library is a media resource center where students learn to access information about topics of interest, to use different technology and Web 2.0 tools to collaborate with their classmates, to communicate and share information with students at other schools, and to nurture a love of books and literacy.
I have had numerous discussions about how school librarians need to change the way they provide services to teachers and students if they want to survive. This can be a challenging process. When we hired our librarian eight years ago, she and I had lengthy discussions about our vision for the library. We wanted teachers to be present for the lesson so they could follow-up in their classroom. The librarian needed to be a collaborator with the grade level teachers as they planned instruction based on big ideas and essential questions. We needed a vast collection of books - both fiction and non-fiction - and we wanted the books to be borrowed, not sitting on the shelf. Rather than having a set library time each week, we wanted classes to sign up depending on the purpose for the visit. Because researching requires more time, classes could sign up more than once a week if necessary. As technology and Web 2.0 tools became more available, the librarian would model the use of these tools in instruction so students and teachers could access and share information virtually as well as through traditional projects. It was challenging to change the mindset of teachers regarding the role of the library and the librarian, but today, our librarian is seen as an essential resource at our school.
There are those who claim that students can get whatever information they want electronically so libraries and print material are no longer necessary. I disagree. Just because information is readily available electronically does not mean that students know how to choose the right resource, how to skim and scan to find answers, how to take notes and organize them in a meaningful way, and how to summarize and share that information with others. That is why the librarian is an important resource in the school. Additionally, every child needs to experience sharing a book with a special adult. I remember those moments with my own sons, reading some of our favorite books together, laughing, crying, or just sharing that special time together. As a teacher, that was one of my students' favorite time of the day -- storytime. I believe that being exposed to all kinds of books -- fiction and nonfiction -- nurtures a love for reading which translates to greater success in school and in life.
Very shortly, we will be breaking ground to upgrade our school facilities. One of our new buildings will be a "Media Resource Center" which is a more appropriate and descriptive name than "library." Much discussion and thought went into planning and designing this new building, and our goal is to create a place that can grow and change to meet the literacy and information needs of our students and teachers now and in the future.
It would be a shame if school librarians suffered the same fate as businesses like Borders or Blockbuster which did not realize the need to change to meet the challenges of a changing world until it was too late. Let's work to make sure that does not happen with school librarians.
As schools explore ways to save money, many are choosing to eliminate the librarian position and to focus on technology rather than purchasing books. A prevailing thought is that libraries are outdated and that purchasing books is a waste of money when it is so easy to get information via the Internet. I disagree; schools need libraries and librarians.
Our library is a vibrant place, filled with eager students who love to choose a "just right" book to borrow. But our library is more than just a place to listen to stories and learn how to find a book. Our library is a media resource center where students learn to access information about topics of interest, to use different technology and Web 2.0 tools to collaborate with their classmates, to communicate and share information with students at other schools, and to nurture a love of books and literacy.
I have had numerous discussions about how school librarians need to change the way they provide services to teachers and students if they want to survive. This can be a challenging process. When we hired our librarian eight years ago, she and I had lengthy discussions about our vision for the library. We wanted teachers to be present for the lesson so they could follow-up in their classroom. The librarian needed to be a collaborator with the grade level teachers as they planned instruction based on big ideas and essential questions. We needed a vast collection of books - both fiction and non-fiction - and we wanted the books to be borrowed, not sitting on the shelf. Rather than having a set library time each week, we wanted classes to sign up depending on the purpose for the visit. Because researching requires more time, classes could sign up more than once a week if necessary. As technology and Web 2.0 tools became more available, the librarian would model the use of these tools in instruction so students and teachers could access and share information virtually as well as through traditional projects. It was challenging to change the mindset of teachers regarding the role of the library and the librarian, but today, our librarian is seen as an essential resource at our school.
There are those who claim that students can get whatever information they want electronically so libraries and print material are no longer necessary. I disagree. Just because information is readily available electronically does not mean that students know how to choose the right resource, how to skim and scan to find answers, how to take notes and organize them in a meaningful way, and how to summarize and share that information with others. That is why the librarian is an important resource in the school. Additionally, every child needs to experience sharing a book with a special adult. I remember those moments with my own sons, reading some of our favorite books together, laughing, crying, or just sharing that special time together. As a teacher, that was one of my students' favorite time of the day -- storytime. I believe that being exposed to all kinds of books -- fiction and nonfiction -- nurtures a love for reading which translates to greater success in school and in life.
Very shortly, we will be breaking ground to upgrade our school facilities. One of our new buildings will be a "Media Resource Center" which is a more appropriate and descriptive name than "library." Much discussion and thought went into planning and designing this new building, and our goal is to create a place that can grow and change to meet the literacy and information needs of our students and teachers now and in the future.
It would be a shame if school librarians suffered the same fate as businesses like Borders or Blockbuster which did not realize the need to change to meet the challenges of a changing world until it was too late. Let's work to make sure that does not happen with school librarians.
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