10 Changes in schools I have witnessed in my lifetime

Gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'

In Bob Dylan’s 1963 classic anthem, The Times They are a Changing, he could have been singing about today’s education reform.  I for one welcome change in education.  That statement is not meant to come across with any sense of bravado, but rather with appreciation.  I welcome change the same way I do a new pair of shoes.  Sometimes I decide the shoes I am wearing just don’t meet my needs, and other times I buy a new pair because the old ones are ruined.  Either way, it takes a little time to adjust, but once I’ve walked in them a bit they become the new normal.

My journey through education began as a student in the mid 70’s at May Westscott Elementary School.  The other day I stopped a first grader in the hallway to help me with an app I had just downloaded on my iPad. As I walked away, I had a sudden flashback to my own schooling experience and realized how much things have changed.  Some changes have been made because previous practices don’t meet the needs of the time, and other changes occurred because the old ways simply weren't working. 

What would schools look like today if these practices had never changed?

10 Changes in schools I have witnessed in my lifetime

• Walking by the teachers room and being enveloped by second hand smoke
• Writing “I will not talk in class” 100 times during recess  
• Being good at math meant memorizing multiplication facts
• Everyone’s favorite reward for doing well was going outside to clap the erasers against the building (I actually got to do that once!)
• Any parent-teacher communication meant you were in a whole heap of trouble
• Cooperative learning only happened on the playground during recess
• Team teaching was when two classes were in the same room and the television was wheeled in and we watched The Electric Company (if you are under 40 years old, look it up!)
• Being considered a good writer meant you had beautiful penmanship
• Hands on science was watching the teacher conduct a demonstration
• The annual ritual of passing out a stack of text books on the 1^st day of school and writing names on the inside cover then never getting to the last three chapters

Humanizing Data

I was never really that friendly with Data.  It’s not so much that I disliked Data, but I use to feel like it was always trying to steal attention away from my students, as if it knew more about them than I did.  Over the past few years, I have had to work with Data more closely, and I am realizing it’s not that bad.  Sure, sometimes I strongly disagree with its methods, but it has good intentions.  Sometimes I don’t like what it has to say, but that can be true in any relationship.  Data is definitely going to be around for a while and so am I, and that is why we have decided to try to work together.  Who knows, we might make a really good team!

• Data has a way of getting initiatives started
• Data is great backup at any meeting
• Data can give me information that I need in order to make decisions
• Data can draw attention to issues that need to be addressed
• Data can tell me if what I am doing is working
• Data can motivate students
• Data helps me keep parents informed
• Data has good intentions
• Data is there in good times and bad
• Data never claims to have all the answers

10 Things You Might do After a Lesson Goes Horribly Wrong

Highly recommended…

• Reflect on the experience and determine why it happened
• Think about changes you will make next for time
• Survey the students to discover their perception of the lesson
• Seek support from a colleague or administrator
• Approach the next lesson with optimism

Highly discouraged…

• Make excuses and cast blame
• Overreact and make impulsive decisions
• Let it affect the other aspects of your day that are going well
• Ignore it
• Sulk or dwell on it

What would you do with an extra hour a day?

Before we go to bed tonight we move our clocks back an hour, and almost magically gain time.  Wouldn't it be amazing if we had the power to add an hour whenever we wanted to during the school day?  If you asked students what they would do with an extra hour I'm willing to bet that the vast majority would want more recess or lunch, but what would you do more of with an extra hour?  Here’s my list.

• Service Learning Projects
• Healthy Debates
• Read Aloud
• Logic and Critical Thinking Puzzles
• Passion Based Learning
• Technology Exploration
• Current Events
• Guest Speakers
• Team Building
• Study World Cultures

How to get into an Assessment State of Mind

This week I seemed to have found myself in various professional settings discussing assessments.  The usual suspects of 21^st century jargon were tossed around the room during faculty meetings, professional developments, common planning times, workshops, and courses.  You know the ones, high stakes, state mandated, performance based, standardized, formative and summative, standards based, and more.   As I reflected on what I learned and what I was reminded of, I realized that for all the talk we do about them, the nature of the actual assessment and resulting data matter very little unless it is coupled with a specific mindset that allows for both teacher and learner to do something useful with it.  What do consumers of assessment data need to keep in mind?

• Loosen the definition of “assessment”, valuable information can be found in almost anything students do.
• Ask yourself what the purpose of a particular assessment is before you assign it.
• Recognize that self reflection can be a valuable piece of the assessment puzzle.
• Immediate and constructive feedback is always important.
• If there is a way to assess it an authentically, do it!
• Be prepared and have a system in place to capture evidence of understanding for whenever students demonstrate it.
• When assessing student work, right and wrong alone is not enough.  The process must leave room for “why” it’s right or wrong.
• Be transparent.  Students need a clear understanding of what is being assessed and what the criteria is.
• Create a culture in which assessments don’t have a negative connotation but rather are viewed as roadmaps to improving achievement.
• Recognize that the same tenets we hold true for assessing our students should be adhered to when we are being assessed.  

Was that my cell phone? 10 Uh-oh Moments

It is often said that to err is human, and teachers certainly are that.  In the fast paced world of schools, it’s inevitable that mistakes will happen.  Sadly, it didn't take me long to compile this list because it was born out of twenty years of personal experience.  I do however take pride in the fact that I learned valuable lessons each time. How many of these sound familiar to you?

• Forgetting a password
  
• Following a Monday schedule after a three day weekend
  
• Not previewing a chapter before reading it aloud
  
• Over/under planning for a lesson
  
• Forgetting to mute cell phone
  
• Misplacing a stack of important papers
  
• Hitting reply all
  
• Double booking a parent conference
  
• Sending a reminder note home after the event has already taken place
  
• Walking in late to a faculty meeting

10 Ways Twitter has Made Me a Better Educator

Last summer I sat with a colleague outside a coffee shop and she introduced me to Twitter. Here was my previous knowledge of Twitter; zero, nothing, nada. I had heard the word Twitter and was under the impression that it was simply a way for people under 20 years old to broadcast every inane thought that popped into their heads.  I had so many questions but was afraid to ask.  Instead I scoffed at the idea of using Twitter professionally.  As my friend talked I became very anxious.  I was nervous.  I was scared.  Were people going to take me seriously if I tweeted anything?  Who should I follow?  Who in their right mind would ever follow me?  I thought that # was called pound, what is this “hashtag” she keeps talking about?  Then it occurred to me, I was turning into that person I often grumble about, you know, the one who is afraid of change.  I am proud to say that I gave Twitter a shot, and with support from experienced “tweeps”, it has truly changed my professional life.  By the way, you should follow me on Twitter @ginosangiuliano, I promise not to post too many inane thoughts.

• Having one of my tweets “retweeted’ or “favorited’ gives me confidence
• I am a big fan of education which means I actually enjoy reading about it
• It has been the pot at the end of the rainbow filled with resources
• I have developed friendships with people I’ve met on Twitter
• I have learned an incredible amount about neighboring schools and districts
• Twitter has provided me with a national perspective on education I was previously missing
• Twitter has connected me with people who offer insight into content and grades I do not currently teach
• My professional learning network has exploded, and as a result I have been given new and exciting opportunities I never imagined
• As we think about global education, Twitter is an authentic way to have meaningful and professional dialogue with teachers around the world.  I also think that it’s kind of fun
• Interacting with like-minded professionals is extremely rewarding and inspiring