Welcome to #PBLchat. So happy to be moderating tonight and chatting about Purposeful Growth! My name is @SarahLeiker, here with my co-moderator @julia_lesley. Jump in and introduce yourself! #pblchat
Hello all! Excited to be co-moderating tonight with my friend @SarahLeiker and to hear how others are going about the challenging work of alignment in service of desired student outcomes! #PBLChat
Q1: I've really be trying to focus in on agency this year through lots of feedback and revision cycles. Talking with Ss about the drafting and revision process. Being open to the idea of no final product ever being FINAL. #PBLchat
A1: My #1 goal for students is that they develop into critical thinkers. This one high-order cognitive skill will make them successful in problem solving and tackling the many issues our world faces. #PBLchat
A1: Trying to focus in on agency this year through lots of feedback and revision cycles. Talking with Ss about the drafting and revision process. Being open to the idea of no final product ever being FINAL
#pblchat
Just like @PhilippJoey I would love to see healthier group work. Students often dread group work b/c of the lack of effort made by some members. This is an essential part of the learning process that needs to be fixed #pblchat
Ai: Focusing on skills instead of accumulating knowledge. Students can look up knowledge, but do they know how to find it, is it valid and do they know how to use it.... #pblchat
The strategy in place to help accomplish the goal is certainly a critical piece to this puzzle! It's one thing to have a goal but another to make it an actionable plan. #pblchat
Yes, the operative word being "meaningful." One thing that helps is ensuring each student in a group has specific task responsibilities, even though they may not "do" all the work for that task. #PBLchat
Hello #PBLchat Lisa here from @NazPrep a PBL focused HS in Pittsburgh, PA. A1: I would like Ss to understand that “learning” is re-framed into “real-world” rigor in a PBL School and continue to build their own agency.
Q2: Share a concrete example of when alignment of personal, school, and professional development efforts resulted in desired student outcomes. #pblchat
Ss are surprised when I conference & give them opportunities to refine. I remind them it's not about the grade. It's about learning/skills. I'm required to give a report card grade & they're a part of the final decision #pblchat
I also strongly agree with you! I also think that one of the most important outcome of education is to help students become independent of formal education. #PBLchat
Agreed. @newtechnewtwork has a Collaboration Rubric that allows students and facilitators to break the skill down into specifics that can be scaffolded over time. Making it more granular has helped me wrap my head around it. https://t.co/c328x7lbvB#pblchat
A2: I love this story-telling approach about the ways New Tech Collinwood uses feedback to improve teaching & learning: https://t.co/SJpxF2zvbF#pblchat
Yes, I'd love for all people to be #lifelonglearners! Young children are naturally curious, and often lose it (IMHO) because school systems deaden it. #PBLchat
I also strongly agree with you! I also think that one of the most important outcome of education is to help students become independent of formal education. #PBLchat
Q2: Share a concrete example of when alignment of personal, school, and professional development efforts resulted in desired student outcomes. #pblchat
Instead of spending a day on an elements of literature worksheet, I am taking my students outside and we are going to do some literary yoga! It will be a nice break from the monotony of testing! #pblchat
A2 - Part 1: At Pinckney, we have a disciplinary writing SIP goal. PD days have been in direct pursuit. Staff was encouraged to set their student growth goal in alignment & offered eval system indicators that naturally connect. #pblchat@pinckneyproud
A2: our T2 student exhibitions demonstrated student selected and designed social justice or peer-design initiatives like “Senior Sisters” or “Comfort Zone.” #PBLChat
A2: I love this story-telling approach about the ways New Tech Collinwood uses feedback to improve teaching & learning: https://t.co/SJpxF2zvbF#pblchat
Sometimes that “third party perspective” is one of the best ways to shed light on knowing what you’ll look for in the school where you can make a strong impact too! #pblchat
A2 - Part 2: We’ll be comparing fall/spring student disciplinary writing samples in May to gauge the impact of our efforts, which will also inform a more specific ‘18-19 focus in this area. Hopeful we’ll see improvements! #pblchat
A2: Our district uses 21st century skill rubrics (civics, communication, problem-solving, etc.) and scores students 2x per year. I focus on problem-solving in science labs and these rubrics give us and student great feedback.#pblchat
A2: New Tech West in Cleveland, OH articulates their alignment success in this Case Study about how they became a learning organization: https://t.co/Jjvo0rQIZB#pblchat
#PBLchat intentional program design, Ss helping build the model and sharing with practices like morning meetings and circles coupled with weekly team planning time make it a reality. (HFA is our old name! Need to update graphic to @NazPrep)
A2-Harder to relate at a preservice teacher but in 7th grd, my science went outside to our stream (personal student interest) to learn about the ecosystem (academic) and our teacher led a broad discussion. Everyone enjoyed and learned. #pblchat
A2: our T2 student exhibitions demonstrated student selected and designed social justice or peer-design initiatives like “Senior Sisters” or “Comfort Zone.” #PBLChat
What a great visual nonetheless!! Curious how the structures of circles and team planning time were implemented and received in service of purposeful growth!? So great that it's a combination of structures too! #pblchat
Q3: In what ways do your school’s professional learning structures clear the path for you to learn in service of your goals? Or, what would ideal structures look like? #pblchat
I had students create a group research assignment to present background information for Fahrenheit 451. I gave them a "big question" and students had to work together to research and write an intriguing paper to then present to the class. #pblchat
#PBLChat A2 My Ss had been using & teaching me about Google docs for their projects.
This year PD has been all things Google as our school becomes googlized! Lol. So awesome! I'm loving it! #pblchat
A2: My #PBL practice is out-of-school. Regardless, year-over-year I see learners who begin as reluctant or non-confident step up and publicly proudly present #projects they've developed. An example, many years Ss advance to state or national levels of @NationalHistory. #PBLchat
Thanks - our Ts have 1 full day of planning and PD every week of the school-year. Teams of 4-5 Ts co-plan around #deeperlearning themes and 7 DL values #PBLChat
Q3: In what ways do your school’s professional learning structures clear the path for you to learn in service of your goals? Or, what would ideal structures look like? #pblchat
I think ideal PD would look like a good project: based around driving questions that are meaningful and authentic for teachers that allow personal exploration and growth #pblchat
We used to have a FT Director of Innovation who designed and led PD our first few years. We also launched “teachers lead” sessions and instructional rounds in the past #PBLChat
That's a great combination of "real world" meets "authentic to content"! Brings a wondering to mind of what might need to be in place (or already is) at the school level and in PD to support more curriculum design like this! #pblchat
It works so well for ELA! Example- for warrior pose, students reflect on the man vs man conflict in the short story. For heart center, students consider a potential theme of the short story! #pblchat
A3: We have 80-min of PD every Fri afternoon. Pros and cons to this timing in the week, but ability for our learning to be ongoing is wonderful. It is an iterative process to most intentionally leverage this structure. #pblchat
A3: If you’re unsure of specific elements that support an organization’s ability to learn together, this self-assessment might get you thinking: https://t.co/vWFAnvkEQA#pblchat
A2: For our teacher RDI PD (Research Development Implementation) a few groups really focused on collaboration and have started to look atvprocess over product and interdependent collaboration. #pblchat
Again, i am just a practicum student so I am only in the classroom for two blocks. I don't get to see much of the PD in the school but i am loving learning from your responses! #pblchat
#PBLchat we also leverage protocols like”Think, Puzzle, Explore,” the Causal Model and field based learning to inform our practice and real-world rigor.
Curious what protocols or conversation prompts have been most successful for grade levels teams to support those collaborative opportunities?? #pblchat
A3: My former school did meetings every other Wednesday and had early release days, when teachers would do small group work to collaborate on ideas #pblchat
This year we designed our weekly PD much like a classroom project. We called it RDI (Research Development Implementation). Teachers picked groups based on broad areas they wanted to improve in their classroom then narrowed focus with their small group. #voiceandchoice#pblchat
My county does DCD (District Collaboration Days). Secondary teachers meet at a school and we can hear presentations from teachers all over the county and then there's time for collaboration after! Most importantly the county builds it into our teacher workdays. #pblchat
A3: This yr we designed our weekly PD much like a classroom project. We called it RDI (Research Development Implementation). Teachers picked groups based on broad areas they wanted to improve in their classroom then narrowed focus with their small group. #voiceandchoice#PBLchat
A3: This yr we designed our weekly PD much like a classroom project. We called it RDI (Research Development Implementation). Teachers picked groups based on broad areas they wanted to improve in their classroom then narrowed focus with their small group. #voiceandchoice#PBLchat
We love following your twitter and instagram accounts to see how you're using those routines with adults in PD also! Talk about purposeful growth!!! #pblchat
My school focus on effectiveness, not efficiency. In addition, they focus on allowing teachers the autonomy to do what they can to engage learners and to make sure that students are mastering the standards. They want both students and teachers to succeed and have fun #pblchat
A4/ We’re still developing a “call-out” culture but our “family-like” culture sets a good foundation. We also have a more circular leadership model vs a traditional hierarchical one... some are getting used to this. #PBLchat
A4: I aspire to, over time, enact our evaluation system so that it truly feels like (and is!) a growth & development system in line with self-identified and systemic goals. This is Year 1 in a long-term process. #pblchat
A4: Appreciating the question this article raises of “How can leaders tend to the conditions that buck this trend for teachers & for students?”: https://t.co/9cLHBQnLEM#pblchat
Wow, that sounds great! I've never heard about that in my country, Japan. Collaboration with other teachers is the most important thing, especially with teachers all over the county! #pblchat
A4 Very supportive admin! Shout out to our former Principal @DMS_LeadLearner who supported & empowered edu try outs & @sean_gilrein our interim principal this year supporting all things Google! #pblchat
A4: Since I decide my "school's" culture :-), it definitely reflects my voice. We should always be learning, looking for ways to improve, how to incorporate best practices, and how to create #authentic, #real-world projects for students. #PBLchat
Mentors are the best... and some of the best are those we never title as "mentors" but they just lead by example! Do you mind sharing how your mentors and mentees are matched? #pblchat
A4: The school I have been in for practicum is so supportive of everyone. They are supportive of me and my fellow practicum students as well as their fellow teachers. They support each other and us in the pursuit of our goals and it is so encouraging. #pblchat
And building trust certainly means making sure your actions match your words...especially when Admins and T's are building a relationship to learn and grow with one another for accomplishing individual and school goals! #pblchat
This does require there to be an understanding and a partnership between teachers and administration. If our "out of the box" or unconventional methods are not working and students are not succeeding, things must change. But that should be true in any environment #pblchat
YES! Having fun together is SO IMPORTANT!!! Genuinely enjoying one another's presence is certainly an indicator of a staff who can also sit at the same table and challenge one another's thinking on serious topics too. (love the photographic evidence here) 😉#pblchat
You're all so very thoughtful!! How about another realm of purposeful growth alignment...
Q5: How can leadership support the alignment of personal, school and PD efforts? #pblchat
I love that idea! Imagine how much can get done with two teachers leading the way! This brings more than one way of thinking or of organizing an activity. Plus this helps to ensure that students don't fall between the cracks #pblchat
A4- Thanks, Risner! Building capacity in others is critical to an organizations success. It is leadership’s responsibility to model, develop, and provide opportunities for others! #PBLChat How I have missed you #NewTechNetwork
Another article about Google... on building successful teams. I assigned it to my teens to read and asked each of them to choose one characteristic from the list to focus on improving. https://t.co/NNPz95liCc#PBLchat
A3: This may not be proper answer to Q3, but when I was an assistant teacher in Japan, I strongly agreed with one teacher's idea that the objective of education is learning, not teaching. #pblchat
I think knowing your staff and students on a personal level, setting goals together and finding what is important to each individual and then placing that at the heart of the work that is done as a whole. #PBLChat
I particularly love this emphasis on the revision components of Agency. Easy to fall back on Agency as Work Ethic, when it’s so much richer than that. #PBLchat
Great Q! We certainly haven’t perfected this. How I framed our team’s thinking re: a focus for next year was, “What do we want to get better at collectively next year so as to further deepen the quality of the experience we’re creating in line with our ideal outcomes?” #pblchat
In reply to
@PennyLaynn, @newtechnetwork, @PinckneyNewTech
Would love to know more about how this RDI PD unfolds over the year! How frequently do the groups meet? What structures or scaffolding supports are provided to clarify process? Good stuff! #PBLchat
Uhm, that's a proper response to any educational question! 😄 There's always beauty in a great question...it's not always about a good answer. #lifelonglearners#pblchat
Another article about Google... on building successful teams. I assigned it to my teens to read and asked each of them to choose one characteristic from the list to focus on improving. https://t.co/NNPz95liCc#PBLchat
A5- Learning organizations need a clear purpose and why. From there, everything should align. Decisions in all areas should relate back to common. Be the submarine captain https://t.co/kKTDSvkrVw#PBLChat
In your experience, how would you get that collaboration rolling?! (We're so acclimated to isolated WORK that it's a careful dance to initiate collaborative LEARNING to support the work!) #pblchat
A5: In my time w/ NTN, I learned the value of Instructional Leadership Teams (ILT) made up of admin, Ts, and Ss whose sole purpose is to improve quality of T&L at the school. This collab helps keep alignment at forefront! #pblchathttps://t.co/iudUaatB74
A3: This may not be proper answer to Q3, but when I was an assistant teacher in Japan, I strongly agreed with one teacher's idea that the objective of education is learning, not teaching. #pblchat
Q6: In the spirit of John Dewey who is quoted as saying, “We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experience,” what strategies do you use to ensure reflection is a regular part of your improvement efforts? #pblchat
Another article about Google... on building successful teams. I assigned it to my teens to read and asked each of them to choose one characteristic from the list to focus on improving. https://t.co/NNPz95liCc#PBLchat
Another article about Google... on building successful teams. I assigned it to my teens to read and asked each of them to choose one characteristic from the list to focus on improving. https://t.co/NNPz95liCc#PBLchat
Q6: I try to have meaningful discussions with colleagues about how new practices have gone. They ask the tough questions that push deeper thinking and reflection #PBLChat
Q6: In the spirit of John Dewey who is quoted as saying, “We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experience,” what strategies do you use to ensure reflection is a regular part of your improvement efforts? #pblchat
A6: Students reflect at each project milestone (their work, others' work). I reflect constantly, although not always formally. At the end of each project, students reflect on the project as a whole, including ways it could be improved. #PBLchat
A5: from observing in my Practicum classroom, I believe when the whole school determines what goals are need for Ss to success , they can work together to reach those goals and help the Ss succeed. From what i have seen It is all about Team work & dedication & support . #pblchat
A6: This year, we’ve begun a ritual where at the end of each semester, we engage in a Connections protocol as an entire staff. Our Supt engages our district leadership team in this as well. #pblchat@pinckneyproudhttps://t.co/Tf7GGAjw5g
Sounds like @JessicaSharp 's response earlier.... being intentional about creating a time and space is SO valuable! More importantly, holding that time sacred for this reflection! #pblchat
A6: Sitting down after school each day and journaling what could be improved or what went well in the lesson plan. Our students deserve the best education so reflecting is a must! This is part of the teacher evaluation rubric at my school as well! #pblchat
"Refining" .... so often the missed ingredient to the Purposeful Growth recipe. With students & adults, we talk about "reflection," but unless you create time to do something with that reflection, how do we really know we're growing!?!? #pblchat
A6: We have some amazing leaders out there doing some really great things for their staff and students! Thank you for all you do! #PBLChat@Jefftspencer
