I Wish I'd Learned Math This Way

My grandson loves math. "I'm a mathematician," he told me on his recent trip back home. "Give me a hard problem." This is a kid who asked me to give him math problems whether we're riding in the car or waiting for our food at a restaurant. His younger brother also loves a good math challenge. After reading Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler, I asked my son to work on a collaborative math activity with my grandsons called "Four 4's." The instructions (from Mathematical Mindsets) states, "Can you find every number between 1 and 20 using only four 4's and any operation?" In the meantime, I was also working on this activity.

A few hours later, my son called. They were done! How could that be? I was still struggling with some of the numbers. My son shared that he taught my older grandson about square roots and factorials, and that helped them to complete the challenge. I hadn't thought about square roots and I had forgotten what factorials were. (Goes to show how much math I've forgotten!) When I asked my son to send me their work so I could check the ones I was missing, my son refused. "Not until you're done," he told me. Well, for the next week, the problem consumed me! I found myself thinking of possibilities while I was driving and rushing home, only to find out I already had that number.  I finally Googled it so I could say I was done :-)

I enjoyed teaching math even if it was just to elementary aged students.  I found it challenging but so rewarding when students "got" what I was trying to teach. When I went to a workshop about using a problem-solving model that encouraged students to collaborate and share strategies, it was an "aha: moment for me. The kids liked it, too, much better than drill and kill worksheets. After reading Mathematical Mindsets, though, I realized that we hadn't gone far enough. Instead of a problem-solving model, we need to teach with a project-based model where students have opportunities to solve open-ended problems like "Four Fours." As a school, we're learning more about project-based learning, and it's important that we find ways to integrate or embed real-world mathematics into our projects.

Today, our second graders held another Garden Sale. They have been practicing lots of math skills as they plant, grow, harvest, and sell their veggies. As they reflect and expand on this project, I see so much potential for them to learn and apply math throughout this project!

Next year, one of our school's focuses will be on improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. We need to emphasize a mathematical mindset that values persevering through struggles and learning from our failures. It won't be easy, but I look forward to the challenge!

It has been quite some time since I actually solved math problems. I texted these photos to my grandsons so they could see that grandma is practicing math, too!
I'm contemplating taking Jo Boaler's on-line class but I'm a little gun-shy because its been so long since I actually took a math class. Wait a minute! Where's my mathematical mindset?

Our second graders are so excited about their garden! Today, they harvested cleaned, packaged, and sold carrots, kale, mustard cabbage, and choy sum. 

Students took orders from customers and figured out how much they owed.
Different students will have the opportunity to apply their math skills to real-life situations.

These students collected the money and gave customers change. Students are learning new skills and getting better with making change. 

PBL Learning Walks - An Awesome PD Experience!

When I first got the email that we would be doing learning walks for the Hawaii Innovative Leaders Network, I put it on the back burner because it meant traveling to the Big Island just before Spring Break during a very busy week. Thankfully, I made the decision that this was an important part of the HILN journey, and at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, I was at the airport, ready to take off for the Big Island with Kapono Ciotti. Our destinations? Innovations Public Charter School and Honaunau Elementary School. 

Innovations PCS services students in grades K-8 in multi-age classrooms, and their curriculum is student-centered, inquiry-based, and project-based. We had an opportunity to visit different grade levels, and clearly, students are engaged in their own learning. We saw 7th and 8th graders leading a discussion with their peers that embedded the theme of immigration in a study about poetry. Another group of students shared how they are creating freeze-dried snacks for the Hokulea crew to take along on their voyages. Some students were experimenting with recipes, and others were re-designing a solar-dehydrator. I was struck by the confidence of the students as they worked on these real-world projects.

Students were chopping up dried fruits and are working on a recipe to make granola snack bars for the Hokulea crew.

These students were fixing the solar dehydrator to make it work more efficiently. I was surprised at how comfortable students are with using different tools for their projects. Students were working independently with the teacher circulating amongst the different groups who were involved in different projects.

In every classroom, students were engaged in their work and were helping each other to understand and complete the assignments. In one fifth and sixth grade classroom, students were working on a video to explain a math concept to their parents as part of their upcoming student-led conference. The teacher shared that when she checked student projects the previous day, she realized that her instructions and expectations were not clear to the students so she spent some class time reviewing the rubric and asking questions to ensure students understood the descriptors. She also showed the students an exemplary project that one of their classmates had completed. After that, students realized what they needed to do, and off they went to work with their partners. The video the teacher shared is by a sixth grader named Cameron, and it is amazing, and his real-life application is quite creative :-)

Honaunau Elementary is a different kind of school from Innovations. They are a very rural community with a high percentage of disadvantaged and English Learner students. We didn't get to visit classrooms (there were subs because teachers were at a PD), but we talked with staff and the principal shared their journey. Even if she stated that they're just beginning their PBL journey, I beg to differ. The students are very involved in their school garden, and students give up their recesses to "work" in the garden. They even have a partnership with Ace Hardware in their community; students grow starter plants which are sold at the store. Their latest project is harvesting seeds from plants. Students are learning through hands-on projects and becoming more effective communicators as they share what they're learning with their school community. 

 Students problem-solved to build these water catchments because when it rained, the water fell off the roof and soaked the ground. They now collect the rainwater and use it for their plants.

These are some of the starter plants the students are raising and selling at Ace Hardware. Students who work during recess get paid, and the school has worked with parents to set up a savings account at a nearby credit union, and students are depositing their earnings in their account. What a powerful lesson these students are learning about saving!

Much as I loved visiting the classrooms, the real meat of our learning walk came at the end of each school visit. Our BIE leader, Cris Waldfogel is a master at getting the most out of the discussion and reflection. I've been on the receiving end of learning walks in the past, and I realize that what separated those from this one was Cris' expertise in leading the discussion. The questions, the affirmations, the wonderings, the reflections . . .  I felt that it was such a trusting, positive environment where the school leaders could share their questions and "insecurities" and be validated for their efforts. School leaders Jennifer Hiro (Innovations PCS) and Noreen Kunitomo (Honaunau Elementary) are inspirational yet very humble. So much learning is going on in their schools, and at the heart of student learning are projects that are rigorous and relevant and build relationships amongst students, teachers, and the school community. 

Next month, my HILN "Grey Team" will be visiting our school and Waialae PCS. I am still a bit nervous about the learning walk, but I know that the team will be supportive and provide our school team with honest feedback and help us to reflect on how we want to proceed with PBL.  This learning walk protocol is powerful; sometimes it takes an outsider's perspective to help us to celebrate what we've accomplished and to reflect on how we will continue on our PBL journey.

'Why?' Questions to Reform Education

I just finished reading A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger, and it really made me think about how I use questions with our school community to solicit feedback about how we can do things better. Berger's "Why? What Now? How?" process makes sense and validates what Simon Sinek explains in "The Golden Circle" that knowing why we do something give us purpose to do what we do. Both Berger and Sinek provide examples of people or companies that started with why? to provide products or services that may not have existed a few years ago. Coincidentally, I visited with Ian Kitajima at Oceanit last week, and their innovation company lives this idea of asking why?questions and seeking solutions to problems.

Today, I read an article about Finland's educational success. It was written in 2011, but the "lessons" shared by Pasi Dahlberg are still applicable today in 2017. In fact, perhaps they are even more relevant.

I was hoping that the Berger book would include a chapter on "Questioning for Education" but it only included a chapter on "Questioning for Business" and "Questioning for Life." So as I reflected on the present or upcoming transitions at the national and state level and the changes I have seen in my nearly 44 years as an educator, I want to pose these why? questions for education. I don't have the answers, but I believe that these are questions we might explore if we want to make the kinds of changes that are necessary to prepare our children to inherit a world where they can make a difference. Here are some of my why? questions:

• Why are schools so "traditional" and why is it so hard to change?
• Why aren't we looking at different models to build and/or upgrade our schools to the 21st century (e.g. business or university partnerships)? 
• Why can't developers build schools for the areas they are developing?
• Why do we need standardized report cards to tell us how a student is doing in school? What do grades really tell us about a student? 
• Why do we need standardized tests? What do these tests really tell us that we didn't already know about a student?
• Why do we have grade level standards? What would be a better way of collecting evidences of student progress - where they started and where they are now - as opposed to where we say they need to be by the end of a grade level?
• If we value innovation and diversity, why are we so intent on standardizing education?
• Why do we keep talking about school reform? When will we stop talking and do something amazing that will keep our teachers excited about teaching and our kids excited about learning?
• Why aren't educators valued in the United States as they are in other countries?

And my most important why? question is:  If we say that the 'children are our future,' why aren't we willing to invest in that future?

It's More than a Place to Borrow Books 2017

About 4 years ago, I wrote a blog after attending the annual conference for the Hawaii Association of School Librarians. At that time, we were in the process of planning for a $33.2 million construction project, courtesy of the Department of Defense and the State of Hawaii which included building a new library media resource center. Throughout the project, I wrote a blog to document what was happening. In October 2016, our project was completed; the last phase to be done was the library media resource and student center.

I just read the blog by John Spencer, "We Need Libraries More than Ever" and decided it was time to update this blog post.

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 not just within our school but globally as well, and to nurture a love of books and literacy.

I have had 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 twelve 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 determine what is real and what is fake, 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 something a librarian can help with.

Our librarian plans school-wide activities and invites our families and the community to get involved. Book Fairs are fun, family events; she coordinates activities like the Cardboard Challenge, Hour of Code, Global Read Aloud, Nene discussions, Lunch Time Pop-Ups where students teach other students, and most recently, video game design. Check out our library website to see all that she offers to our school community.

Much discussion and thought went into planning and designing our library media resource center, and our goal was 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. Our students love our new library! We have flexible furniture that can accommodate several classes doing different things. There are construction toys and a paper roller coaster that students continue to add to. The other day, a high school principal said the physics students at his school are required to construct something similar. When we designed the library, the State added a teacher workroom; our librarian turned it into an Exploratopia; it's a favorite place for students to go to during recess, lunchtime, and after school. Classes have used the area to design and build simple machines or to create habitats as part of their social studies research. Many schools have added a Makerspace; our Exploratopia empowers learners to explore, discover, create, and share. 

Finally, I believe that every child needs to experience sharing a book with a special adult.  I remember those moments with my own sons or grandsons, 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 -- story time.  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. That's another reason why we need school libraries.

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.

Our library has high ceilings, vibrant colors, flexible furniture, and lots of space for students as well as faculty meetings and professional development.

Students love adding on to the paper roller coaster. What a wonderful way to learn physics concepts such as gravity, friction, kinetic energy, and acceleration!

Third graders used the design process to create simple machines in the Exploratopia. It was great to hear the discussion and to observe the students collaborating on their projects.

Third graders helped kindergarten buddies to complete coding activities. These library shelves double as benches. 

Second grade classes studied different habitats. Students used the Exploratopia to work on their individual dioramas. This class researched animals in the Arctic habitat, and they were able to share what they learned with the other second grade classes. 

Why Don't I Blog More?

I read George Couros' blog, "Why aren't you blogging more?" and again, I felt a bit guilty about not blogging more regularly. The truth is that even if I have an idea, unless I get started on the blog, chances are that it won't get done. I do feel guilty when days and weeks go by without me blogging, but it's not easy.

This blog will be very random based on recent thoughts and reflections that I was thinking about blogging but never did. Here goes!

• We have been exploring and discovering about project-based learning since last school year. Yet teachers still have questions. I've pondered why the same questions keep popping up like "What is PBL?" or "How can we fit PBL into our schedule when we have the standards to teach?" or "How can PBL work with younger students?" or "How can I, as a teacher, keep track if students are all doing different projects?" As I thought about how our PBL team has rolled things out, primarily during Wednesday extended day meetings, I think I realize the problem. Spreading out the PD has meant that we are always reviewing or answering the same questions especially when we have new teachers who have not received PBL training. Teachers have not bought into the driving question, "Why PBL?" We have lots of work to do. As one of our teachers shared last week, "Is PBL a mindshift or a process?" I think it's a mindshift." I agree, but making that shift isn't easy. That is our challenge.
• It is important for our staff to stay fit and healthy so we are presently in our second annual Wellness and Fitness Challenge. After last year's Challenge, we made some changes this year. Last year, participation was optional; this year, everyone is on a team. Last year, the challenge was for 4 weeks; this year, our challenge is for the entire third quarter. We've encouraged team members to write down their goals and to encourage each other to achieve their daily and weekly goals. This year, I'm keeping a daily journal, and it's helped tremendously to keep me on-track. Teachers keep data on their students, but I think it would be more powerful for students to keep their own data on their progress towards their goals 
• Funding for education will never be adequate. I am presently serving on the Committee on Weights (COW) to determine the formula to fund schools under Weighted Student Formula. Although everyone says they support public education, no one wants to raise taxes or find other sources of revenue such as a lottery. Unless we can increase the pot, the members of the COW will do our best to ensure that funding for schools is based on a fair formula. It frustrates me that the public says they support education, but no one has an idea on how to provide our Department with adequate funding. If the public wants our students to have a well-rounded education, we need to provide art, music, physical education, drama, and STEM teachers. Our students deserve it, but we can't provide that without adequate funding.
• I am concerned about the state of our nation. Our State depends on federal funding; without those funds, we will struggle to provide services for students who need it the most - our disadvantaged and those with special needs. 

Okay, that's it for now!

#randomthoughts

It's About Respect

After the Women's March on Saturday, I read a post on Facebook about someone's frightening experience. It appears that a group of high school students went on a trip to the nation's capital to witness the inauguration. The next day as they tried to get to a museum, the students were taunted by some of the participants in the march. Apparently, some of the kids were wearing caps or hats they had purchased at the inauguration, and some of the adults in the crowd heckled them. The adult chaperone shared that they were frightened and had to hold hands tightly so they would not lose each other in the crowd.

I empathize with the kids; no adults should have treated them in that way. What could have been a turning point in their lives is now a frightful memory.

At the same time, however, I wondered how this could have happened. As an educator, a principal, and a parent, safety is always our major concern. We make sure that our students are safe, and when they go on field trips, we ensure there is adequate supervision. What were the adults thinking? Why did they allow those students to wear their souvenir caps? Surely the adults should have known that doing so would cause the students to be targets. How would their experience be different if they didn't have their souvenir caps on? How could their viewpoint of that weekend be influenced if they had experienced the event through the eyes of the marchers?

Something special happened on Saturday in Washington D.C. and cities and countries around the world. What started as a simple idea quickly grew into a major event where women and men - millions of them - marched for their rights and the rights of others. The Women's March could have been a great learning experience for these high school students. They would have witnessed "civil disobedience" first-hand, and they could have interviewed those in attendance about why they marched or why they traveled to Washington D.C. from all over the country to be part of this event.

I think it all can be traced back to respect . . . or more accurately, a lack of respect. As parents, we teach our children to be respectful, and in school, mutual respect is expected. "Treat others the way you would like to be treated."  As school leaders, we have a responsibility to lead with respect. We know that a positive school culture is essential for student learning. We want our staff, our parents, and our students to feel that they can make suggestions or share their ideas. We know that listening to different viewpoints can only make the discussion richer and ideas to flow more readily. We value diversity of opinions, and we want students to ask tough questions because that can lead to deeper learning. Listening and respecting other viewpoints, elements in a positive school culture,  are essential if we want our students to learn and grow as informed and contributing citizens of this world.

That is why I am having difficulty understanding how someone who showed so little respect for women and other minority or marginalized groups could now be leading our great nation. I can only hope that he comes to realize his past indiscretions and changes the way he treats others. Until then, I am optimistic that the women and men of our nation will continue to make our voices heard. Our children are counting on us.

Staff Bulletin Blog - I Love Writing It!

When I began blogging several years ago, I struggled because I was not confident about sharing my ideas out in public. I've sort of gotten over that fear and now, I blog when I have something on my mind. Sometimes, I follow through and actually write and publish something, and other times, I start a blog and never finish it. I realize that's how writers are, and not everything is meant to be published.

At one time,  I had 3 blogs - one for our construction project which is now completed, this personal blog, and a staff blog which is private. The construction blog was pretty easy to do; I'd take photos and update our followers- usually weekly - about what was going on with the project and what they could expect in the next week or so. This was a great way to communicate with our school community, and I believe it helped to alleviate some of the complaints about the inconveniences (noise, dust, barricades, etc.) that we endured throughout the construction. I would highly recommend this for anyone going through a project like ours especially since most of the families who were at our school for the groundbreaking were not able to see the completion of the buildings due to their military reassignment.

Right now, my blogging focus has been on our weekly staff bulletin. We had always used our Lotus Notes for that purpose, but it was limited and frankly, quite dull reading. When we proposed doing a blog instead, we asked the staff for their input. Some were concerned about privacy issues, and to alleviate their fears, we did agree to make the blog private. That's actually been a positive thing as we can share concerns and problems and get feedback and input from our staff that would not be possible if the bulletin were public.

Our staff bulletin has evolved as we've added more weekly features. Presently, we include a Principal's Message, News (about our school, Department, or about education in general), Shout-Outs!, Reminders,  Meeting this Week, Student Work (photos or student samples), Resources (with links and reflection questions), and Photos from the Past Week. Our bulletin is a great way to let others know what is going on in other classrooms or grade levels, to keep our staff informed about happenings at the school, state, or national level that impact educators, and to provide opportunities to continue to grow professionally through meaningful conversations and reflections.

Someone asked me how long it takes for me to write a weekly staff bulletin blog, and I replied that it is a work-in-progress throughout the week, but overall, it takes about 2-3 hours. I have my phone with me whenever I walk around campus so I can take photos whenever I notice something that I'd like to share with our staff. I am constantly reading blogs and articles and when I find one that seems appropriate for our staff, I'll save the link until the time is "right" to share it. More recently, I've added reflection questions that go with the blog or article so our staff can think about how this applies to them or what they might change or try out as a result of their reading.

The benefit to me as a result of writing this staff bulletin blog has been immeasurable. I am more thoughtful about how I craft my Principal's Message to the staff, and being able to share photos as well as resources has allowed me to reflect on the impact of the principalship in truly communicating with our staff and sharing our vision for the school. It helps to have everything in one place, and our blog is a tool that captures and communicates a weekly history of our school year.  The real beauty, though, is that each of our staff only needs to sign up with an email address, and they will receive the bulletin whenever it is published. Now there's no excuse to not know what is happening at our school!

I encourage schools to try it!

This is an example of one of a Principal's Message for our staff bulletin.