#21stedchat Archive
Our mission for our 21st century chat is to create a positive 21st century learning environment for our students by sharing resources and ideas that has worked in our classrooms. Join us every Sunday from 8:00-9:00 PM (EST) on Twitter using the hashtag #21stedchat. All are welcome!
Sunday June 12, 2016
Welcome. First, let’s recognize the tragic event in Orlando. My thoughts are going out to the entire Orlando community
Welcome to with and I and guest for Connecting Initiatives for Student-Centered Success.
Welcome to with and I and guest for Connecting Initiatives for Student-Centered Success.
Charles Willis, Massachusetts, high school History Teaching, visiting London and Paris this summer
Now, please introduce yourselves with your name, state, role in your community and any summer plans you want to share
All questions tonight will be coming from . We will do Q & A style. PLS introduce yourself.
Good evening
4th grade teacher from CA
Hello friends! I'll be chatting on and this evening. There will numerous tweets, retweets, and replies. Join us :-)
Mike Petty - Instructional Tech Coordinator from Michigan.
Bill from Charlotte, but checking in from VA Beach. HS tr
I’m Jill from NC a Personalized Learning Director and co-host of
Hello, I'm Nikki from TX.
Q1: What are the top three initiatives in your school/district?
A1: At our high school its our Advisory, Portfolios and 1:1 device program moving from iPads this year to Chromebooks next year
A1 research, raise money, and educate students
A1. Personalized Learning, Culturally Responsiveness and Digital Conversion
What do you all raise money for?
A1) One of the initiatives is to transition to the Workshop Model in both reading and writing. Getting closer to 1:1
Sorry a little late. Lori from TX, 2nd grade.
Michael from 4/5 combo teacher Southern California
A1 Northstar literacy, Northstar literacy, and Northstar literacy
A1: Blended Learning, Standards-Based Report Card, & Unit Design
Northstar literacy you say https://t.co/lMpX8UkM5v
A1 Northstar literacy, Northstar literacy, and Northstar literacy
You don't think there are others?
A1L Personalized Learning, STEM/STEAM, PreK initiative
in the next few years we'll be looking at transitioning to standards-based report cards. How is it working?
A1: Fundamental 5, connecting globally through periscope/google hangouts, and MakerSpace.
There are but that is the big one for school ILTs. Personalized Learning too :)
A1) Project based learning, improved formative assessment are two.
Love your second and third ones... not quite sure about the first. https://t.co/TGFqa4viCg
A1: Fundamental 5, connecting globally through periscope/google hangouts, and MakerSpace.
There is a lot going on at everyone's schools, we sometimes lose track of where we are going.
Q2: Is there a common theme connecting these initiatives?
We ad a move towards a PBL approach, but haven't continued with that conversation.
https://t.co/67gbMF12pm
A1) Project based learning, improved formative assessment are two.
A2) Ultimately, I think the common theme with the initiatives is to make learning student driven.
A2: Increased focus on digital/online tools to educate Ss. Need to make sure we're balanced.
A2: Our initiatives are meant to address Ss learning through relationship building/skill development by putting Ss at the center
A2. Our 2018 Strategic Plan
A2 that K-12 schools and universities have a different focus areas
A2: Ss driving the learning. I forgot to mention Genius Hour. Ts stepping out of comfort zones.
A2: Student Understanding, Standards, Instructional Strategies, & Transforming Teaching & Learning
A2) A focus on improving instruction.
A2 that most of these themes are centric
How was your strategic plan developed?
Yes and don't agree with it.
Yes! Students do need to take more ownership in their learning.
22 different task forces made up of multiple stakeholders
Sounds like fascinating and hard work. Great to have so many voices included
Now if you were to say student centric then I would agree with you https://t.co/g8q6bdSPbj
A2 that most of these themes are centric
I was thinking more along the lines of what talks about
What is student-centric in your view?
A2 Seems like a bunch of these initiatives are more about learning less about teaching
Q3: Are there initiatives at your school that do not address the immediate needs of the students?
Yes, the task forces created our strategic plan for 2018 which is made up of 6 goals.
Incorporate their passions into their learning. Allowing them to direct and personalize their learning. https://t.co/HMJp05Nxmz
What is student-centric in your view?
Does a focus on learning lead to better teaching?
We are a large district which is why so many task forces.
A3: At this point, I can see a connection between all initiatives and the goal of furthering student-centered learning
A3) I think initiatives do meet the needs of our students. There are struggles that we are having in the implementation porgress
A3 My local district is hardware & curriculum driven initiatives "we have this so let's do that"
So, for a typical T with 140+ Ss, how do we make the time to create student-centric lessons?
Offer them choice https://t.co/BaeDZxo2eO
So, for a typical T with 140+ Ss, how do we make the time to create student-centric lessons?
What types of problems? Teacher buy in? Student buy in?
That is a great question! I think a focus on student understanding is better than a focus on testing.
by giving the students choice and voice
A3 We need more support behind addressing the various social emotional needs of OUR KIDS
Teacher buy in. School purchasing those resources that are needed for implementation. Time to plan https://t.co/ewVsJHJDLZ
What types of problems? Teacher buy in? Student buy in?
What types of choices? What if a S chooses to do nothing?
Thanks. If the focus remains on the students and their understanding then testing will take care of itself
If that's the case, then we need to take a closer look at what we're assigning
https://t.co/5W9KQEa96y
What types of choices? What if a S chooses to do nothing?
Time is always a major issue. How can we use time we already have better?
A3: Our initiatives focus on students. It is all about the kids.
Ts job is to find ways to motivate Ss with a variety of activities, resources and options
A3: I would counter that there are initiatives introduced without proper training which leads to ineffectiveness.
A3: In terms of demonstrating a connection to student-centered learning it is not always communicated clearly
But I thought you said Ss choose the assignment. Please clarify.
A3: We developed a graphic https://t.co/SM19fUFDtK to help connect these ideas, instead of seeing everything separately
Yes, give parameters for what the students are doing or how they are going to demonstrate understanding https://t.co/BnkmbcnEa4
But I thought you said Ss choose the assignment. Please clarify.
I agree. But I'm still wondering what we do if a S chooses to do nothing. Can U provide specific exam?
We can only guide them so far. If they choose nothing, then that's their choice.
What do you do now when a S chooses to do nothing? That is not a new problem.
Ts give parameters or Ss?
Relevance and Relationships go a long way to prevent students from doing nothing
These are Professional Learning Groups that meet by content areas 2 days a week for a total of 70 minutes
. So, do we leave them to fail or do we guide their choices?
Q4: What questions or criteria should be asked of continuing or adding new initiatives to decide if they are worthwhile?
I was thinking the same thing. Capture their heart. Build relationships. https://t.co/prQTNgddkH
Relevance and Relationships go a long way to prevent students from doing nothing
But, if we're promoting S choice, it's our duty to offer opportunities to those who choose nothing.
A4. What is best for students? (not what is easiest for you)
Definitely a valid conversation I'm willing to continue via direct message. Let's focus on questions
A4: Is the district or school going to offer proper training and support to those implementing those programs?
Is it a benefit to Ss? Do we have adequate training and ongoing training for Ts? What other initiatives are they juggling?
In your experience are these questions often asked and followed?
Offline Distribution of Openly Licensed Educational Content for Low-resource Settings - ETR https://t.co/c1I3X8JqaA
The ongoing training is so important. Too often it's one and done training with no follow up or coaching
It depends on the school district. Some school districts are very focused on one or more of the questions.
A5: Do they really address a need for becoming more student-centered?
Benefit to Ss is definitely number 1!!!
A4) How do we include students in the decision making process when we're talking about new initiatives?
Agreed. Yet time and again it comes down to what's easier to implement or easiest to gain buy in
Excellent! Thanks for the foreshadowing
conduct focus groups and surveys
A5 - Does this help kids?
Some school districts have a Flavor of the Month Initiative - Diff for implementation & prof learning https://t.co/kxkwqlxVz3
Q5: How could the communication to stakeholders focus the goal of the initiatives to creating a S-centered school/community?
True. Yrs ago, dis. spent money for innovative math program. Ts said it was too hard. It ended.
A5) We're all working together. Parent and teachers help to support student learning
A5: If a school district focuses on the Whole Child, then staff won't have to sell the initiative as student-centered.
Very interesting graphic. Is this for decision makers? Or for all members of the learning community?
A5: Focus on the Ts, Ss, Ps who have to implement/learn/support initiative and get 100% school buy-in
A5 - Discussing the benefits of personalization and how students voice and choice means something to their learning is key
Makes sense to me!
We all use common language
https://t.co/wsazsqADUH
A5: If a school district focuses on the Whole Child, then staff won't have to sell the initiative as student-centered.
100% is ideal, but most initiatives need to reach "critical mass" to at least survive
A5 - Tapping into stakeholder emotional intelligence about how and why we are involved in education brings us back to KIDS
A5: Communicating how initiatives further student-centered learning is critical to building support and creating buy in
A5: People rush to call initiatives new? Are they? Or are they natural extensions of what is already being done?
Yeah, but my experience in schools is those 1 or 2 Ts who "do something different" lead to ineffectiveness.
I think it depends. Our district has a mixture. Some are 'rebranded'
Couldn't agree more. Yet in a school w/a large staff we always have a few holdouts until everyone else is on board
Q6: Is sought when considering new initiatives?
A5: The most successful initiatives are those created/modified by Ts, Ss, and Ps. Input = Engagement = Whole School Buy-in
A6: This is a great question!
I'm not discounting your experience. My experience has been different. It can go both ways.
A6 Must be factored in. As our customers they are carrying the work forward. Students must have voice and choice in process.
A6) I don't think that student voice is included enough when talking about new initiatives.
How does your school seek out and allow them to have "real" choice?
A6: Not consistently, but it is the goal.
A6: We are cultivating a Student Senate for more , including adding a student to each S-centered leaerning committee
Q6: I've promoted/provided S choice 4 yrs, but fear too much S choice diminishes Ts choice in knowing what's best for their Ss.
My previous district does something does something similar. The Sup has a council made of Ss. https://t.co/UhDnv7SAw1
A6: We are cultivating a Student Senate for more , including adding a student to each S-centered leaerning committee
Our kids , make choices around PBIS initiatives. We get their feedback but we must do better. Get them at start
A6: Every T is on one committee and adding Ss next year will mark a huge step for in our school
Thanks for moderating the chat tonight
Thanks for participating! One last question before you go
Next week's will be Freeform...you decide the topic or topics. Join and I next Sun at 8 PM EDT US
Last questions! Q7: What actions can you take to bring this conversation to your school?
A big Thank YOU and shout out to for hosting tonight.
Thanks for letting me host tonight and
A7: A few letters from the first part of your question answers it: act. People respond more to action, not words.
Thank you for joining . Make sure to follow and recognize the educators that have most helped you grow professionally!
Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences connecting school initiatives to further student-centered learning
Thank you Great time with you all again! Have a great week. and
