Decembers Past, Authentic Assessment, and Relaxation

In December of 1978, I finished the last final exam for the first semester of my senior year of college, jumped into my older model Mercury Capri, and headed south on a sixteen-hour trip out of Northern Indiana to my hometown in Central Kansas for the holidays.  Soon after all of our family celebrations and reunions, but well before the beginning of second semester, I made a life-changing decision.

As a result of the decision made on that December evening 36 years ago, I went to the only phone in our house and made a call.  At that time, the phone was firmly attached to the wall.  The one update was that my dad had replaced the short cord with one that stretched to fifteen feet.  (Phone 2.0!) For privacy, I walked across the hall into the spare room and closed the door, so I could call Lisa Herr back in Northern Indiana.  

1970 Mercury Capri

To be honest, I wasn’t honest.  I told her a little white lie and said I was going up to Hesston High School with some friends to watch the basketball game.  Instead of watching the HHS Swathers play, I loaded up the Capri, popped The Eagles Greatest Hits into the cassette player, and headed northeast out of town.

I cut cross country on dirt roads through the empty wheat fields outside of Hesston, picked up U.S. 50 to Emporia, reached Kansas City a few hours later, and headed due east toward St. Louis on Interstate 70.  In the middle of the night, I drove an almost empty highway past the brightly lit St. Louis Arch, took 465 around Indianapolis before the winter dawn, and reached Lisa’s house in Waterford by mid-morning.  I completed the trip that typically took 16-hours in considerably less time.

Later that same day, I asked a truly authentic assessment question.  After some confusion about whether or not I was serious, Lisa said, “Yes.” 

As a direct result of that decision, that drive, that question, and that answer, in these next two weeks, Lisa and I will have all nine of our children at home at one time or another over the break.  In addition, the older three will bring along their significant others.  And of course, one grandchild will arrive with the Nashville delegation.  She is certain to entertain and be entertained by her aunts, uncles, grammy, and grampy.

I intentionally left out quite a few details of this story—including the speeding ticket I picked up in Strong City, Kansas; how my future sister-in-law helped me surprise my future wife; and how the first words from Lisa when she heard “the question” weren’t quite what I expected. But those are other stories for other times.

I tell you this particular story partly because it is one I think about often around the end of December and partly because it might encourage you to remember events from your own Decembers gone by.  Mostly, however, I tell you this story because it is decidedly NOT about school, and that is important as well at this time of year.

Soon enough, January will roll around, and we will be busy and stressed once again.  We do have an exciting and challenging semester ahead, but for now, you deserve a break.  You have done great work this first semester.  I think especially of the important investment of time and energy from the ROAR Champions, all the new courses that you are putting in place for next year, all the experimentation with high-probability instructional practices, and the many new performance tasks and authentic assessments that are in regular use.

I hope this winter break that you find time to remember good events from this past semester and from previous years, that you create great memories with friends and family, and that you can forget, for at least a little while, all about school.

Please ease up on the Stress Button and hit the Relax Button as often as you can.  Thanks for all you do for your students and for the school, but for now, enjoy your time away.

Phil

Powerful Questions, Meaningful Artifacts, and a Caring Environment--Part I

We are closing in on the half-way point to the school year.  Next semester our focus will shift to preparing for the major changes coming our way in the fall of 2015.  The freshmen will return home after a three-year absence, our College and Career Academy philosophy goes live throughout the building, and all students will walk through the school doors with their laptops/tablets in hand—and with the expectation of using them during the school day.

I want to use the last two entries of 2014 to emphasize two points about all of these changes coming down the pike: First, we are not the only school experiencing these shifts; therefore, we can and should learn from those who have traveled this road successfully before us.  Second, we have built a rock solid foundation at HSE on which to build structures and capacity to handle these coming changes.

Science Leadership Academy: One Trailblazer

What would a school look like that is founded on the following concept?

Students will ask powerful questions and create meaningful artifacts of their learning in a caring environment.

Chris Lehmann, the principal of Science Leadership Academy, was hired by The School District of Philadelphia in 2005 to answer this question.  He started an inquiry-driven, project-based high school and formed a partnership with The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia’s science and technology museum.  The school’s progress and student learning has exceeded expectations and was recently documented in a book Authentic Learning in the Digital Age: Engaging Students through Inquiry. 

Certainly, Hamilton Southeastern is a different kind of school than Science Leadership Academy, but read again the words in bold above.  These are terms we have been talking about for years.  And see if Lehmann’s words below resonate with discussions you have had at HSHS as well:

The ideas that asking good questions, caring about the people around us, and building structures that make it easier for people to succeed have grounded us in all the conversations we have at SLA, and, more often than not, those core concepts provide the framework that allows us to answer new questions and challenges we face.

We are not the exception to the rule. Without a doubt, all schools face questions and challenges.  At the heart of what we do is learning, and the process of learning, by definition, results in something new: new thoughts, new skills, new ways of knowing and understanding the world.  Change is inherent in our profession, but that doesn’t make it easy.

The authors of Authentic Learning document their experiences and share strategies they have used to overcome obstacles and challenges.  It is nice to know that other very successful schools struggle at times but have found ways to persevere. 

  

Core Values

One way SLA answers new questions and takes on new challenges is by using the filter of their core values to make decisions.  We haven’t talked often in terms of core values at HSE, but I love this concept and think it could be helpful to us.  SLA calls their core values the “anchors for teaching and learning,” and they use their core values to help guide decision-making, both small and large.  The Five Core Values of SLA are listed below.  If you read nothing else in this entry, please take time to look closely at these core values:

• Inquiry—Authentic learning can happen only when there is a legitimate desire to gain knowledge or skills. Students need to be able to ask their own questions (with varying degrees of guidance) in order to engage with their education.
• Research—In a world where our access to information is becoming limitless, what matters is no longer how much you already know, but how well you can find what you need to know. Students need to learn how to both collect and interpret their own data, as well as identify and assess outside sources for quality and credibility.
• Collaboration—Whether in person or electronically, collaboration has become a cornerstone of the work life of adults, yet students are typically expected to produce and prove their knowledge in isolation. Working together not only supports students in their pursuit of personal achievement, it also helps them develop interpersonal skills that are essential for their future professional lives.
• Presentation—This skill is often pigeonholed as the "front of the room" presentation that students loathe. Presentation is actually a skill that students use constantly, both in the classroom and, increasingly, online. Bad presentation skills can be damaging to both their professional and personal reputations, so knowing how to present themselves and their work appropriately and effectively is essential. (Note: I want to explore this topic next semester.)
• Reflection—How do we improve ourselves? Curriculum is often written as a race to the finish line, without any time or space for students to consider what they could do differently or better. Reflection provides a necessary pause between presenting a finished work and beginning a new line of inquiry and helps ensure that students (and teachers) improve with each cycle of learning.

Even though we do not formally name and keep our core values at the forefront, these from SLA are not far off from what we value most.  An interesting question: What would our school look like if we held similar values as SLA and used them regularly to assist our decision-making?  You have thousands and thousands of decisions to make as a teacher.  How would your decisions be impacted if you kept these core values in front of you as you choose daily objectives, lesson strategies, performance tasks, and assessments?

Part II Next Week: The Right Road

 That is plenty to contemplate for now.  Next week I want to examine SLA’s Framework for Technology and make the point that we have been, and continue to be, on the right path to move our school and our students forward.  That is certainly a core value we can all support.

I hope your week is outstanding, HSE.  Enjoy the end of semester, even with all of the business.  Enjoy the anticipation of the holiday break.  Enjoy knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of your students.

Phil

Closing thoughts on values from interesting people….

•  “Effectiveness without values is a tool without a purpose.”  --Edward de Bono
• “Your beliefs become your thoughts.  Your thoughts become your words.  Your words become your actions.  Your actions become your habits.  You habits become your values.  Your values become your destiny.”  --Mahatma Gandhi
• “Set your expectations high; find men and women whose integrity and values you respect; get their agreement on a course of action; and give them your ultimate trust.”  --John F. Akers

The Other Half of the UbD Team

I often reference Grant Wiggins in these posts, but today I want to pass on a really good resource from Grant’s partner, Jay McTighe.  He is an educator, a consultant, and co-author of the Understanding by Design books.  His educational consulting business can be found at Jay McTighe and Associates.

From Jay McTighe and Associates

If you take the time to click on the link above, you can read a bit about Jay McTighe, but the really good stuff is found under “Resources.”  In fact, McTighe and Associates has compiled and maintains a listing of free resources to support teachers designing UbD unit plans.  Click here for the link to his Resource Page.

Once you are on the Resource page, hit the picture of the globe, and you will see:

• A 31-page annotated list of UbD Websites, including exemplary state, district, and regional service agency websites;
• An “Essential Question Website,” which provides help and examples of solid essential questions in career education, English/Language Arts, Library/Media Science, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts, Technology, Theater/Dance, and World Languages;
• A 5-page annotated list of UbD Websites supporting the creation of Performance Tasks and their assessment;
• “UbD Websites for Science,” “UbD Websites for Social Studies,” and “UbD Websites for World Languages”; and
• “Resources for Mathematics Tasks” and “Social Studies Resources for Tasks,” which include lots of information and examples of performance tasks and assessments.

While you are on the Resource page, play around with other links as well.  The “Download” link gives you access to a wide variety of UbD design tools and templates.  The “Video” and “Articles” links take you directly to information on a wide variety of UbD topics. 

If you are working on creating UbD units, it is well worth your time exploring help from the other half of the Wiggins/McTighe team.  You get the information and examples of quality Understanding by Design units from one of the co-creators of UbD.  It is reliable. It is comprehensive.  It is free—and at HSE, we like free.

Have a great week!

Phil

Remember this is the week for End of Course Assessments.  The biggest days of testing are Tuesday and Wednesday.  Please do all you can to encourage both the students taking the tests and the teachers giving them.

A few closing thoughts about tests…

• In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test.  In life, you’re given a test that teaches a lesson.  –Tom Bodett (He’ll leave the light on….)
• At the end of life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal.  You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.  –Barbara Bush
• If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn’t be here.  I guarantee that.  –Michelle Obama
• Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.  –Richard Bach