Teaching Philosophy

Curiosity May Have Killed The Cat, But Thankfully We’re Not Cats!

Bret Olson2 Comments

Over the summer I watched and played with my nephews (two and four years old) as they explored and played with their Legos and other newfangled toys.  I realized that there were two likely traits of a successful toy.  The first trait of a successful toy, for my nephews anyway, is that you can throw it, hit (with) it, or kick it.  The second, is that the toy sparks curiosity.  This is what I want to talk about today, maybe I’ll get to the throwing, hitting, and kicking another (more stressful) day 🙂

One of my favorite parts of working with young people is the opportunity to watch them be curious.  In time, I have come to strongly believe that curiosity is one of, if not the most important character strength in successful people.  Each day at break as I make my usual tour of the café, courtyard, and soccer field I keep an eye out for students who are lingering on the periphery.  When I first started I was concerned about these students, worried they weren’t making connections with their peers.  Over time, however, I’ve come to understand that many of these kids are just pursuing their curiosity of the world around them.

During China Trips last year it was wonderful to see the wide eyes and ‘ohs and ahs’ as kids explored the outdoors.  The opportunities for exploration of curiosities in that setting are almost endless.  Similarly, the chances for students to independently pursue curiosity exists here at school as well.  As an example, there was a sixth grader last year who took a direct route to the bushes near the field at lunch.  It took me a couple days to realize that this was a pattern and when I wandered over to see what had drawn her curiosity she explained that there was a spider who had spun a web and she was admiring the geometric patterns while hoping that it would trap something.  She was curious, she wanted to watch and wonder in awe about how this tiny creature had created something so seemingly perfect but at the same time she was concerned that it wasn’t “working” because nothing had yet been trapped.

Curiosity is a character strength that is, perhaps, more easily fostered than actually taught.  I couldn’t have paid some students to be interested in that spider web but others would have had the same sense of curiosity and awe if they had been exposed to that wonder.  They, however, hadn’t gone searching for it like this little girl had done – which is where we come in.  There is currently a lot of research going into character education and I think we’re still a ways away from any definitive answers as to how we could teach some of these character strengths.  However, we can facilitate them and foster their growth when the time is right.  So, how are you helping to encourage curiosity in your classroom and beyond?

Our students have incredibly curious and creative young minds.  Feel free to allow them the opportunity to open up and explore new ideas.  Some of the greatest minds in the world have been successful because they’ve been freed of restricted thinking and have been allowed to think openly about their ideas.  If curiosity really killed the cat then I guess we’re all lucky not to be cats…open yourselves to exploration and let’s do the same for our kids!!

“I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein

“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why.” – Bernard Baruch

“Curiosity is the lust of the mind.” – Thomas Hobbes

There is a fast-growing movement in education right now around 20-Time.  It is based on a similar concept perviously used at Google and other companies to encourage the pursuit of passions during working hours.  I’m not asking you to turn over one class every five days to the pursuit of curiosity but I think there is definitely room for including pieces of this concept in our day-to-day lessons.

20-Time informational website:  http://www.20timeineducation.com/

An interesting article about Google and 20-Time:  http://www.wired.com/2013/08/20-percent-time-will-never-die/

The (Growth) Mindset of a Teacher

Bret Olson3 Comments

Over the last couple weeks we’ve been getting all of our students through their first round of MAP tests, much to their dismay!  I was covering in a few of these classes and tried having a conversation with them about the idea of growth and celebrating just how far they’ve come at the end of the year; it seems like this whole concept just washes over them like a huge wave of “whatever Mr. Olson!”  I, however, take solace in the things I heard kids saying at the end of last school year.  As we finished up the MAP testing in late May I heard all sorts of conversations between kids, with me, with teachers, and with parents about the amount of growth they had made over the course of the year.  The mentality of our students has started to make a promising shift toward a growth mindset, especially for the kids who saw a significant amount of growth!  It was an awesome feeling to hear those kids talking (and bragging) that way.

We’ve talked a lot about growth mindsets, especially when we read Mindset by Carol Dweck, and we all buy into this theory for our kids.  There is great work being done by curriculum teams to plan differentiated work, for not only struggling students, but also for more advanced students who need a bit of challenge.  We all know that every student CAN learn when we meet them at their level; growth can and will happen!  We are working hard to ensure that every student has the chance to learn, whether today, tomorrow, or some time down the road.

Another reason that got me thinking about this idea of growth is our recent addition of the mini-observations and the coinciding feedback efforts.  I’ve had some awesome conversations with you based around what’s happening in your classrooms.  For me, some of the most rewarding parts of this process have been the conversations we’ve been able to have about the student-learning that we’re seeing.  To hear the excitement in your voices when you talk about the amazing things you’re seeing and doing with your students is energizing for me.  Coming back to the growth piece of this, it’s awesome to see all of the additions and changes that people have been making based on our conversations.  Good teachers are made from hard work, practice, and continuous learning.  Teachers don’t just fall off of trees, it takes a lot of effort to become a great teacher.   To see everyone working so hard to improve themselves on a day-to-day basis is inspiring…awesome!!

I’m attaching a great article summary to this email about five things that great teachers do to have an impact on student-learning.  The summary comes from the Marshall Memo, which is written by Kim Marshall.  It’s a great resource that comes out each week summarizing important topics in educational research and practice.

Sharpen Your Saw

Bret Olson2 Comments

Both of my sisters are educators in America and they’ve just finished their first four days of school, having started on Tuesday, and I’m seeing/hearing lot’s of rejoicing to have reached their first weekend.  For us it’s a different story, we’ve been back almost a month now!  So, I want to say congratulations and more importantly, “thank you!”, to everyone for a great start to the school year.  We’ve settled in and the students are off and running, it’s a great atmosphere around campus.

We’ve all been going a million miles an hour since we started back in the beginning of August.  Many of you have been into work early and stayed late every day since we’ve been back.  You’ve been working extremely hard to help prepare yourselves and your students for a wonderfully successful school year.  I know your students won’t say it, so I will say it on their behalf, THANK YOU!!!

Now, something else your students won’t say to you…make sure you stay balanced.  If you’re anything like me, then you’ve gotten yourself a little off balance in the last few weeks.  Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People includes in his habits what he calls “sharpening the saw”.  In short, the idea behind this is that if you work yourself so hard that your ‘saw’ becomes dull than you will become an ineffective teacher for your students.  It is crucial to keep yourself fresh, healthy, and energized in order to be successful with your students.

So for those of you who are like me and have become a little too committed at the beginning of the school year please take this message to heart.  This three-day weekend couldn’t be coming at a better time, take advantage of it and find a way to sharpen your saw.  It’s a great opportunity to get out of town (even for one night), start that work out program you’ve been putting off, cook a nice home-cooked meal, or have a lazy Saturday…do whatever you need to relax a bit and refresh yourself.

Thank you for all that you’ve done to make this beginning of the school year a successful one for all of your students.  Enjoy your much deserved weekend!

How Do You Define Success?

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We’ve had a very successful start to the school year and that is what I want to encourage you to think about today, success.  Take a second to stop and ask yourself one question, “what is my definition of success?”  Seriously, stop and think about that for a minute or two…

Okay, now that you’ve taken a second to think about your definition I want you to consider all the other potential definitions of success that are out there.  Think about what a successful school year would look like for the students in your classroom.  I am confident that for all of you there is already a pretty clear vision of what a successful year in your class will look like for your students.  After all, you’ve planned collaboratively, considered what’s most important, created unit plans, designed labs, and done all sorts of other work to make sure that your students will have a successful year with you.

However, as seems to be more and more of a common theme for me, I want you to consider yourself.  What would a successful year look like for you as a teacher?  It’s important to reflect on your teaching practices and your professional experiences.  Think about areas where YOUR growth could lead to even more opportunity for success with your students.

This past summer I took a course through the Principal’s Training Center (PTC) called “Instructional Supervision and Evaluation” because, as I’ve shared with everyone already, this is my main focus for growth as a professional this school year.  It was an amazing opportunity to learn and collaborate with some of the international leaders in this area and I couldn’t have asked for more.  On top of that we have Kim Marshall coming in to work with the Leadership Team and I couldn’t be more excited to have such an amazing opportunity to grow and learn in this area.

As you continue on the path of excellence that you are all heading down already, what could help you grow as a teacher?  For some of you this process of self-reflection is old hat but for others this will be a new opportunity.  Embrace the chance to grow and improve every single day.  Think big and think small, set goals for the year and make every day better than the last!

A reminder of some of the PD resources available to you in this area:

·      EARCOS Weekend Workshops

·      ACAMIS

·      Sanguine Consulting

·      Chapters International

·      Scholastic U

·      Dragonfly Training

·      Knowledge Source Institute

·      Association of Middle Level Education

A good video to make you think about your definition of success:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulShj4keKNw (VPN needed)

Finishing the Year on a Strong Note

Bret Olson1 Comment

As the year quickly comes to a close we’ve begun to see some of our students falling into a “senior slump” of sorts; more students than usual are not completing homework, usually strong students are slipping, and they are showing signs of overall decreased motivation for school. So what can be done? I think the first, and most important thing, is to talk about this situation with kids, let them into the conversation. Then you need to model good strategies and share your experiences with your students. There’s a great quote by James A. Baldwin, “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

Try these strategies to finish out YOUR school year on a solid note and share your efforts and results with your kids, set a positive example for them to follow!

1. Plan and Budget Time: Our kids are terrible at this and, for many of us, this time of year and all that comes with it makes it hard for us to balance our time as well. Show your kids how you budget your time. Do you use a calendar? Something on the fridge at home?

2. Focus on successes/Stay positive: Celebrate successes with your students and let them know that school is still important by emphasizing positive moments. Focusing on the negatives will only serve to drive kids further into the “Isn’t it summer yet?!?” attitude. Remember to stay positive yourself; counting down days until summer sends the message to your students that you can’t wait to get rid of them.

3. Prioritize: There are lots of things that happen at the end of the school year. Focus first on the most important tasks and then enjoy the celebrations and nice weather! Make a “to do” list and celebrate as you cross things off; a completed daily list is a great reason to feel good at the end of a long day 🙂

4. Avoid procrastination tools: Facebook, that TV show you never really watch unless there is something important to do, etc. They’re all used as tools to distract us from completing the important work that we know we have to do. Banish those things from your life (temporarily) to create an optimal working environment.

5. Take care of yourself: Exercise, eat well, and find ways to de-stress. Go get a massage over the weekend, go for a walk, and enjoy your free time so that you can be your best self for your kids.

Leave the Locker Room Smell but Bring the Coaching

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I often think of the start of my teaching career as the first time I stepped into a classroom full of kids, or perhaps on the first day of PD, or maybe even at the beginning of my teacher training.  However, a piece I read recently got me thinking that perhaps I had started my teaching career much sooner than I had even realized.

Craig Owens is an associate professor in the English department at Drake University and openly admits that he is “no sports enthusiast.”  Which makes his commentary piece even more interesting.  See, he was asked to be an “honorary coach” at one of the university’s home basketball games and he noticed something.  He realized that the interactions in the locker room (between players and coaches; players and players; coaches and coaches) were almost exactly the sort of engagement that teachers strive for (or should strive for) in the classroom.  Despite having a self-proclaimed “robust (classroom), with participants reliably raising their hands to answer questions or offer insights.”  Owens noticed something in that locker room that he felt was missing from his classes, authentic learning.

This got me thinking, back to when I started out as a youth basketball coach during my sophomore year of high school.  Okay, it wasn’t college level hoops (I got to that later!) but I had to wonder if that was where this all started for me.  Then I started thinking about us as a staff and all the coaches, dive instructors, directors, and conductors we have as part of this awesome team.  Now, my challenge for you…think about how your classroom can look more like the locker room, if you’re not a coach then go and watch some high school practices or talk with your colleagues who have paced the sidelines.  Some of the greatest coaches have been successful because they were also great teachers.  I think it’s time to start thinking of teachers as coaches and not just the other way around…that’s my two cents, what do you think?

Celebrating Our Curriculum Work

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I’ve been involved with a lot of great conversations lately about curriculum and the learning that is happening at our school, it’s very exciting!  The work we’ve done with our middle school curriculum team and in departments this year has been tremendous; we’ve made great strides to put crucial pieces of the puzzle in place. One of the pieces that excites me most is that we’ve moved from a model where we had been saying, “Hey, this is a great school, send your kid here and trust us!” to a place where we can now say, “You can expect your student to learn these things in school, here they are and here’s the map.”  For a lot of schools/teachers this may seem like a small thing but for all of us here who know the journey we’ve been on to get to this point this is a HUGE celebration!

As we know, there is still a lot of work to do and there always will be, this is an ongoing process.  We’ll continue to work in departments to improve our curriculum and I’d like you to think about what your work with our students really means.   So, this week I’ll put a few questions out for you to ponder as we embark on the fourth quarter down hill run to June.  All of these questions stem from Making Thinking Visible, the book we gave you earlier in the year.

  1. What kinds of thinking do expect your students to engage in while in your classroom?
  2. How do you force your students to think in this way in each and every class?
  3. What evidence do you have that shows that (or more importantly HOW) your students are indeed thinking in the desired manner?

Let me know what you think.  This is a very interesting topic to me and I would love to hear your two cents!

Ready-to-use Tools: Checking for Understanding

Bret Olson2 Comments

Recently I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about checking for understanding and using on-the-spot assessment strategies to figure out which students have gaps in their learning and, perhaps more importantly, where those gaps are occurring.  In my last two cents I asked the questions: ‘How do you know your students are actually learning what you want them to?’ and ‘When your students leave the classroom, do you know how well each of them understood the day’s objective?’  Since writing that piece I’ve been doing a lot of reading about this topic and I would like to offer a few of the best tips I’ve come across.  Keep in mind that this brand of assessment is not just a simple check-list of tips and tricks but rather something akin to a chess game, in which your next move needs to be dictated by the response and actions of your students.  These strategies are a good place to dip your toe into the water, so to speak.  They’ll give you a foundation to start with, they aren’t magical in any way, but employing these strategies will improve the learning in your classroom.  Have a look and try some out in your class.  My tip, start with number one and add a few others, it is essential!

1.    Take them to teacher’s college:

Our students are smart, they’re perceptive, they get it, and most of all, they like knowing what’s going on!  Explain the new strategies you’ll be employing in class, have a conversation with your students about what you’ll be doing and why.  Let them join the conversation.  When they’re aware of the strategy being used they can understand the intended results, which leads to increased awareness and engagement.  Inform the kids, they’ll buy in, and you’ll be amazed at their responses and the feedback you can receive when students are part of the conversation!

2.    Learn to teach with no hands:

Riding a bike with no hands takes practice and, for some, can be a daunting task (especially in China!)  Teaching with no hands may put you out of your comfort zone as well.  What do I mean?  What would happen if kids weren’t allowed to raise their hands to answer questions?  The best way to create an environment where participation is mandatory and expected from all students is to do just that, expect it from all students!  Popsicle sticks with names seem so 3rd grade but this strategy (we can call them equity sticks if that feels better) will ensure that all students are held accountable for thinking.  Ask the question (see below for strategies on questioning) before you choose the respondent.  If every student knows they may have to answer the question, they are all forced to engage and think.  This strategy may not be popular and it will take some time.  Explain it to kids, the eager students are going to feel frozen out (they can’t show off how much they know) and the quiet non-participants will be forced to contribute (*Note:  For your ESOL and reluctant students, try prepping them by letting them know you’ll be calling on them next and then forgoing the random draw for that particular question.  This allows more time to process and helps eliminate the nervousness of being cold-called.  You might also try “teacher’s choice”, “free pass”, “ask a neighbor”, “check my notes” and other ‘wild-card’ sticks to spice things up.)

3.    Questions that ‘work’ for everyone:

Okay, so if you’re calling on random students how do you prevent getting a bunch of “I don’t know” responses?  Allow ALL students to engage with your questions on multiple levels; don’t just ask questions that require a certain ‘correct’ answer, try some other options:

Check for Understanding Graphic

Example:  In math class, instead of solving a problem, give two problems and ask students to explain which problem is harder.  This requires everyone to solve the problem and allows for more advanced thinkers to ponder further, plus it allows you to discover where the misunderstandings lie for those who are struggling.  Another version of this may ask students to create a third problem that is similar to the original two problems, allowing the students to find commonalities and then create something new that fits into the group.

4.    Wait for it!

Slow down!  Too often we are in such a hurry to finish a lesson that we don’t check to make sure the intended learning is happening.  After asking a question, just wait, give students time to think and process.  ‘Wait time’ often comes with uncomfortable pauses but it also comes with increased participation and understanding.  If too many pauses feel uncomfortable, consider a think-pair-share followed by a journal entry routine.  Allow students a few seconds to think, then a few more to pair with a neighbor, and enough time to write a sentence or two in a special section of their notebooks.  Students can write their thinking or perhaps what they learned from their partner.  Then share, everyone should be able to share either their own answer or their neighbor’s.  The biggest issue with any ‘wait time’ strategy is the amount of time it takes, so plan ahead and budget appropriately while also picking your spots, find your balance.

 5.  “Before anything else…”

Preparation is the key to success.  All of the strategies mentioned require time and effort in preparation.  Teachers who have been employing these strategies for many years need not plan much further in advance than a few minutes or even seconds.  However, if these are new to you, sit down beforehand and plan.  Look for places to include these strategies in your current lessons, plan time to have conversations with your students about their learning.  The amount of time and energy that one well thought out lesson may take is dwarfed by the incredible increases in learning gained from a prepared teacher!

“As educators, we are responsible for learning, not teaching.”

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Truer words, perhaps, have never been spoken.  The job we do every day with our students comes with the wrong name, teacher.  As a verb, “teaching” is a one-way activity whereby the sage with all the knowledge explains, demonstrates, and passes all of their knowledge onto their students.  BUT, that’s not how it works is it?  No, we’re facilitators, leaders of exploration, motivational speakers; we’re lots of things and yes, we occasionally ‘teach’ as well.

Anyway, I don’t want to take up your time ranting about your job title but rather asking you a question, the very same question asked by Edutopia blogger and educational coach, Elena Aguilar…”Do you check for understanding often enough with students?”  Jumping back to that great quote (also from Aguilar), it’s not about imparting your knowledge on your students but rather facilitating their learning.  Often times as teachers we can feel rushed to complete a lesson or unit because we have to get to the next one, just so we can finish everything we want to cover for the year.  That’s a normal feeling but is it worth it, what about quality over quantity?!  So, I’d like to ask two of my own questions, ‘How do you know your students are actually learning what you want them to?’  and ‘When your students leave the classroom, do you know how well each of your students understood the day’s objective?’  These two questions are essential, if you can’t (honestly) answer in a way that is truly positive then perhaps it’s worth rethinking your strategies for checking for understanding and student learning.  It’s not okay to rely on a quiz every 8 days to tell you which students are getting it and where the gaps in learning happen to be.  Frequent and accurate checks for understanding are the key to ensuring learning in our classrooms.  Have a look at Elena Aguilar’s blog post regarding checks for understanding as well as the attached PDF with techniques for quick and easy formative assessment (from Wiggins and McTighe, Understanding By Design, via http://www.christina.k12.de.us/).  No matter how confident you are with this aspect of teaching it never hurts to try something new 🙂

Brains are weird and amazing things!

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For those of us who aren’t health teachers, perhaps there are some things that we tend to forget about our young charges and their brains. Recently the health teachers have had the distinct and utter pleasure of working with our kids in units about puberty, drugs and alcohol, and sex ed among others. The sex ed and drugs/alcohol discussions are offered for our seventh and eighth graders but it’s the sixth graders that I think really pose the most interesting study in the middle school age group. We’ve all seen the wide range within our current sixth grade class; it seems even broader than in years past. I think the puberty unit can be a good reminder for a lot of us; these kids are still very young in both maturity and developmental levels.
So what does this mean for us as educators? Well, I would suggest that as teachers, who are responsible for over 100 students in the course of a two-day cycle, that we have a responsibility to constantly keep one important fact in mind: A lot of our middle school students, especially the younger boys, are still developing many of the crucial brain functions that will allow them to be successful as they grow older. I could write on this all day but to be honest you should take the next few minutes and check out this article from the American Psychological Association (APA)…it’s a great reminder of the challenge we face teaching middle schoolers!! (At least check out page one and two, they are brilliant!) And, just in case you don’t want to follow my advice and click the link, then you should at least see this quote…these aren’t just my two cents today, this is some powerful stuff 🙂
“Just because you have a classroom full of students who are about the same age doesn’t mean they are equally ready to learn a particular topic, concept, skill or idea. It is important for teachers and parents to understand that maturation of the brain influences learning readiness. For teachers, this is especially important when designing lessons and selecting which strategies to use.”