“Necessary but not sufficient”

Posted on October 25, 2008 by mwalker

 

This phrase “necessary but not sufficient” has been ringing in my ears of recent weeks when thinking about those students who are achieving below minimim standards.

I first heard Paul Brock use the phase and subsequently I have used it when speaking to teachers about our NAPLAN data.  I was suggesting to teachers that in looking at our students results on the tests we search for different ways to improve student learning – we need to go beyond the necessary. 

At the staff meeting we mapped our literacy program at each year level and agreed that it’s necessary that we all work on similar literacy strategies.  However we began to question about whether the current teaching strategies were sufficient for those students below standards. We posed questions about how we might offer targetted students more literacy sessions each week. We posed other questions on how we might differentiate better our instruction during the mini lesson at the beginning of each writers or readers workshop.  

It’s a tough ask for teachers to not only explicitly teach rich content [usually planned by the year level team] in consistent ways with high levels of instructional skill – now we ask that you plan and teach responding to student’s individual needs on a daily basis. It’s a real challenge for a year level team and individual teachers to come to grips with – can we offer 4 or more guided reading sessions per week for those students who need it – instead of the 2 we currently plan for ? It’s a lot to plan – with an explicit focus.   

I recall a converation between Sarah my Assistant Principal and I, where we agreed that it now takes us longer to prepare for the staff meeting that the length of the actual meeting – as we try to engage teachers in rich tasks – modelling what we expect in classrooms.

One the tasks in 2009 will be to structure a timetable that releases teachers in teams – so that we get better at this task of differentiating the curriculum for each student’s needs. Teachers need more time to plan this differentiated instruction.

One of our challenges will be to provide additional instruction for those students not reaching our literacy benchmarks.            

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Data Conversations – worth the time?

Posted on October 21, 2008 by mwalker

At a recent leadership meeting we discussed several articles on the value of data conversations. One of the articles posed a question around gathering data on the different levels of implementation of curriculum in individual classrooms and the need to assess gaps in implementation and teacher knowledge so that resources [ I presume professional learning resources] could be allocated to move the school forward. It put forward the notion that data walls were one way questions could be raised by teachers to probe about gaps in knowledge.

The second article raised questions when discussing data around teacher beliefs that all children can learn given enough time and support and that equity meant in raising the bar and closing the gap those student who needed additional support got it – as opposed to a view that everyone gets an equal share [of support].

Both articles were clear that the conversations around data did not improve teaching [or student learning] unless they sparked a better understanding of sound teaching practice and or curriculum content and a will to make learning better for all students.

These conversations at the leadership meeting altered my thinking about school structures and professional learning and changed that night’s staff meeting when we looked at the the national testing data [NAPLAN] for our year 3 and 5 students. This time we drilled down into what spelling or reading comprehension strategies in particular did the students do well in [validates current instruction] and where do we need to improve. The old saying is that you need to do something different to get a different response as doing the same will just produces the same results.  

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The Class Size Debate

Posted on October 20, 2008 by mwalker

I was fortunate to meet John Hattie recently who is one academic I often quote in my work. John Hattie is from New Zealand and has been researching amongst other things the effects of various strategies or innovations on student learning.

As I start to plan the 2009 school year I hear the catch cry from parents and teachers alike “we must have lower class sizes”. I recall John’s work on the effect of lowering class sizes on student achievement, which was minimal. Unless and I say unless it is accompanied with a change in teacher behaviour. He wrote a paper on this titled: “The paradox of reducing class size and improving learning outcomes” and concluded that whilst lower class size improved teacher morale for a time it did not of its own accord significantly improve student learning outcomes. He cited other factors with much greater impact on student learning:e.g. disruptive children or teacher “instructional” quality being two of them. It would appear based on John’s research that to reduce from 28 to 25 or 22 therefore without working on teacher instruction or managing children with challenging behaviors would have minimal impact on improved learning outcomes.

Therefore the balance of low class sizes is one where investing in improving teachers instructional skills and systems that minimize the effects of disruptive children is of at least equal value. How to get a consistent message on class sizes to all parties is a challenge?  

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Ethics in teaching grammar – surely not to pass tests?

Posted on October 19, 2008 by mwalker

I recalled a conversation I heard between Jerry Starratt and Hedley Beare recently on how metaphors can portray or even drive our thinking about curriculum when I read an article [featured in the daily newspapers in most capital cities] about the new National Curriculum. The articles were calling for a back to basics in writing by teaching students more grammar.

More back to basics! My fear is that academics or politicans are really calling for a recall to a curriculum that has prepackaged units of learning – in this case grammar – which all students learn – generally goes with a text book [perhaps I’m cynical]. Is this the 21st century learning that will hold students in good stead? No – I would hastily add.

Jerry and Hedley talked about people having an economic metaphor of curriculum: that its about the measurement of outcomes – test scores driving us forward. That the market will self correct and when test score are lower we will simply adjust the curriculum [read back to basics] to get us back on track. Assumption one is that grammatical structures students complete on a multiple choice test question are transferable to the structures they need to use in writing.

Rather than learning been seen as prepacked units [grammatical structures in textbooks] I would have thought that teaching grammatical structures – yes I agree that we do need to teach the skills and mechanics of writing, as well as the craft –  within the act of writing that is responding to issues or arguments was the skill of the 21st century.

Perhaps we need to support all teachers structure learning – be it grammar or other writing mechanics – within the context of the actual act – writing.

I think both Jerry and Hedley would argue from a moral and ethic perspective that we need to fight for a metaphor for schooling that better serves our youth in the 21st century – perhaps an eco system rather than an economic metaphor. Eco systems look at the interrelationship and sustainability of things – things are learnt or understanding constructed in a context – so it is with grammar or spelling. Why do I need to learn this is a question posed by students in every classroom every day. We learn writing mechanics not to pass tests but to better craft our understanding often expressed in writing about things. Yes eco systems seems to better fit!  

 Please lets hear the voice of reasoned educators working in classrooms!

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“learning that is supported by teaching”

Posted on October 16, 2008 by mwalker

At the recent ACEL conference in Melbourne I heard a group of young leaders from a school in Greenford High School in West London speak about their contributions to school improvement which included students being trained to give constructive feedback to volunteer secondary teachers on lessons they teach. They attend key faculty meetings as well as the school council. It brought to mind the question and power of student voice.

Perhaps the quote that resonating most to me was: ” learning that is supported by teaching.”  It twists the traditional view of teach and they learn – to one where our youth learn best when supported by teaching that, from my interpretation, meets student needs and most likely features some gradual release of responsibility.  

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Famous speeches that one might use with students

Posted on October 16, 2008 by mwalker

Last week I was wandering around Chadstone Shopping Centre looking for basketball boots for my son’s birthday and I came across this book on 50 famous speeches that changed the world.

The book is now on my Christmas wish list however it has heightened my interest in famous speeches and their calls to action or change. Recently I was looking at a leadership blog and was linked to a John F Kennedy speech  Mindless Menace of Violence. The post was encouraging teachers to use teachable moments. It got me to thinking of the 50 speeches I would put in a book and then I started to seach You Tube for some of these speeches.

I then started to think about famous speeches in films and of course “To kill a Mockingbird” came to mind. The thing that amazes me is that we have immediate access to lots of these speeches at our finger tips and could use these to promote dialogue with students. It does get you to thinking about the rich amount of material that is available to teachers to use with students on these new digital whiteboards.

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Making a difference by Douglas Reeves.

Posted on October 14, 2008 by mwalker

I was fortunate to hear Douglas Reeves for the second time at the recent ACEL conference in Melbourne. He is the founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Performance Assessment, an organization dedicated to improving student achievement and educational equity.

In his address and subsequent workshop he made many points that really resonate with me:

  • change is difficult for some people who even after open heart surgery will not alter their diet or increase the amount of exercise and consequently die shortly there after. He said change is like death – the issue is how quickly you go through the stages of dealing with it. He cited that despite the evidence against corporal punishment in schools in 1961 it was still permitted in 21 states in America – and after a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald in some independent schools in South Australia. However quick changes are possible e.g. cited the community attitude to smoking.
  • that we are over tested and under assessed. He points out that most standardised testing scores do not provide timely information in ways that can enhance learning: He argued that testing without immediate feedback is an “academic autopsy,” asking the audience if they’d ever seen an autopsy patient get better. He said that testing should be a way of improving performance immediately, providing feedback for learning.
  • never set more goals than you can monitor on a very frequent basis. Unless you monitor something frequently you are really saying it doesn’t matter. He argued that strategic plans should be 1 page documents.
  • non fiction writing [describes, explains, analyses, reflects] should dominate our curriculum
  • leadership matters, can be learnt and is broader than a title – one of the greater influences on teacher professional learning is advice from colleagues they observe or who coach them.
  • time matters: meetings should have a no announcement rule, should focus on the collaborative scoring of CATS, uninterrupted instruction time, literacy time is sacred,
  • high teacher expectations whilst not winning popularity contests with students has 5 times a greater impact on student learning.
  • real networks can support cultural change so one must find the Jill [one who people go to to ask questions] and weed out the toxic superhub or jerk- reinforce the norms of behaviour everywhere.
  • experiment with “what good reading instruction looks like”.  

He finished with some comments on his 90/90/90 schools research saying what worked was:

  • teachers collaborated on what goood looks like
  • non fiction writing
  • providing multiple opportunities for practice
  • laser like focus on achievement [samples of good student work everywhere – includes data walls

What do I take away from this right now – what am I frequently monitoring?  Can I put the goals down on 1 page and am I displaying student assessments so we know what good looks like? Can we increase the amount of non fiction writing across the curriculum?

I’d be interested in hearing from others who have effectively used data walls? 

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Shift Happens: Australian Version

Posted on October 9, 2008 by mwalker

Readers of my blog will know how I have used the Shift Happens clip to stimulate discussion at staff, council and parent levels about futures in schools. One of the workshops at the recent ACEL conference put me onto the Australian version which still has some USA data but at least has some “home” perspective. It goes for about 9 minutes. If you haven’t seen this version it’s worth a look and I would definitely use this one with teachers and parents in the future.  

 

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Global Citizenship

Posted on October 9, 2008 by mwalker

One of the emerging mindsets of the 2008 ACEL conference was that of global citizenship started by the opening address of Jean-Francois Rischard the former World Bank Vice president who wrote the book High Noon. In his book he sets out 20 of the worlds most significant issues that won’t be resolved by individual nations and calls on organisations like the World Bank to adopt a global approach to solving one of the 20 problems.

His address amongst others got me to think about our school’s curriculum and whether it supports this mindset of global citizenship. How do we connect our youth to others around the world? How do we take our students learning beyond the front gate of the school or indeed the local community? This will be a challenge worth exploring particularly in the middle and senior classes over the next 15 months.

I am reminded of a site designed to engage and connect youth all around the world on projects:takingitgolobal. I’d be interested in talking to any teachers, school leaders or youth using this site or working with curriculum that engages youth in global issues. 

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Leadership Footprints

Posted on September 26, 2008 by mwalker

 

I’m on holidays in Queensland this week for a break before the final term which is usually jammed packed full of tasks. Next week Sarah, the assistant principal, and I are presenting a research paper on our instructional leadership work of walkthroughs and using protocols to look at student work at the 2008 ACEL international conference in Melbourne. I’m sure I will have some posts on the conference next week as there are some fantastic speakers.

Anyway I have been doing lots of walking along the beach and on one walk I got to musing over the image of leadership being like footprints in the sand. The footprints can be shallow or deep depending upon the firmness of the sand – however both are eventually washed away be the incoming waves. I’m wondering if our leadership footprints are a bit like those in the sand with deeper impressions on those who are more receptive to our work but no matter what we must persist and walk a lot otherwise it will be washed away.

I prefer to walk with other people [in this case my family] so that we make a difference while we can for at some time a wave will come along and wash them away and perhaps new and different footprints will need to be made.  I think I’ll get back to the beach – enough thinking about school for the moment but I’m interested in other people’s images of leadership. 

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This is Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise calling CERN

Posted on September 11, 2008 by mwalker

I have been watching the live feed from CERN on the worlds first Hadron Collider. The live set in the world’s largest particle physics laboratory explains how this marvel of engineering works. I get that this is a significant moment in time for science with the possibility of creating black holes amongst other things.

I cannot help think back to the USS Enterprise as they explored space including black holes and now well.. it’s here. Who knows what we will learn in the years to come. 
  

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School improvement is not unlike peeling an onion – the jouney is layered and may produce tears .

Posted on September 11, 2008 by mwalker

 

At most weekly leadership meetings we agenda a discussion on a published research paper distributed and read prior to meeting and this week it was the 90/90/90 Schools: A Case Study article. The article written by two journalists was based on research of some schools in lower socio-economic communities in America that are achieving above state benchmark academic results and thereby defying all trends.

Before discussing the article we quickly reaffirm our discussion norms of taking turns, not interrupting one another, making one point and moving on and having the option of passing. We conclude by looking for parallel lessons we might learn and any actions we might suggest that will improve our school.

This article had members of our leadership team see some alignment with the schools and our current actions however we noted differences, which include:

  • public display of our focus on academic achievement [beyond the trophy cabinet full of sporting achievements].
  • emphasis on non fiction writing across all areas of the curriculum
  • collaborative scoring of student work. 

These schools focused their energies on some strategies and in doing so learnt to use time more effectively. They didn’t try and do it all.

They spent time at the beginning of a unit of work defining a proficient standard, common assessment tasks and rubrics and then time each week looking at student work. There were announcement free zones in meeting [transmission of information in writing] instead worked on what feedback students needed to improve [no excuses]. Teachers observed each other teach so that focused instruction improved.

Robert Marzano is clear on this point that challenge and feedback are the two most critical factors in raising achievement. 

In reflecting on the article for us I would probably say its true significance is that we must organise teacher time so that can achieve this focus and results in 2009. Teachers need to meet frequently in teams with a focus on student work and planning and we need to publish our targets and progress publicly so that the community understands the focus and accepts that in the pursuit we may let some things go.

Later on that afternoon when teachers at the staff meeting were looking at some survey data we came to a conclusion that in order to move forward more on a learning focus leadership needed to be more directive in some aspects of planning and provide greater levels of instructional feedback to teachers if we were to achieve our focus on responding to student work.  

Why a picture of an onion you may ask? Well the journey of school improvement in many ways is like peeling an onion – you continue to peel away layers [planning, time management, greater clarity of focus, feedback on instruction etc…] in the improvement process and some layers bring tears as we learn to let go of the things that may have worked in the past and take up new practices.  

PS: I recommend the article to all school leaders and people interested in school improvement.

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Coaching – Teaching – similar stories.

Posted on September 8, 2008 by mwalker

Anyway after the Fathers day movie my son Mitchell and I were at basketball training with the Melbourne Tigers Junior Club and a well known coach was watching me work on Mitchell’s shooting technique. There are three courts open to everyone to view. He came over and offered some advice which he noted that even the NBA players still work on.

The photo show Mitchell working on these techniques however what got me thinking was the public nature of coaching in a large club is like teaching – its deprivatized, its about improvement, its about immediate feedback and the responsibility lies in the hands of the student or in this case the player, my son for practicing the technique. He’s passionate about the game and its the pre-season so its the perfect time to work on technique when the pressure for performance is off. Sound familiar.

I wonder if our schools can be similar in some ways with expert teachers offering tips to other teachers and students? 

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Turning on the lights in a dark room.

Posted on September 8, 2008 by mwalker


This Fathers Day I was spoilt with a cooked breakfast, a lazy morning watching a not so old movie and midday basketball training. The not so old movie was Freedom Writers staring Hilary Swank. For those of you not familiar with this true story its about a teacher who doesn’t give up on some youth in an American High School. I’ve inserted a you tube video about the movie below – for me one of the pivotal statements in the movie is when a holocaust survivor says to the youth:

“We are all ordinary people. But even an ordinary secretary, or a housewife, or a teenager can within their own small ways turn on a small light in a dark room.”

I suppose that’s why many of us became teachers – to help youth find ways turn on that small light. I wonder what films inspire us to do the things we do?

 
   

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Sport with your kids

Posted on September 5, 2008 by mwalker

Last weekend I went skiing with my kids [the first two in the picture] at Mt Buller. Skiing is one of those sports that you can do together and all weekend I kept on wanting to pinch myself saying “how good is this?” Whether is was schussing down a slope, riding a chairlift or having a hot drink at the bottom of a run – twas all great! Doing a sport together is not only great fun but provides incredible memories. I have played a few games of golf with Mitchell but most other sports I engage with my kids I am either a coach, a supporter or performing another type role: umpires escort in footy etc…  I’d be interested to hear what other sports parents do with their children?

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