Recent Changes

​​108
Chapter 1: Schools Must Change
Too frequently schools have succumbed to the pressures of doing operations and instruction they way things have always been done, not the way things should be done. In today's world, students literally think differently than the educators who teach them. Students today live in a world of constant input from a variety of sources that are always at their fingertips. The authors suggest that to address these new learners educators must focus instruction on discovery learning versus direct instruction, teachers must shift away from textbook learning, students should be provided opportunity and access to hyperlinked information, and students must collaborate with each other and experts in various content fields to deepen their learning experience. Additionally, teachers must evaluate using activities that encompasses all of the student learning and increase the connection between instruction and the outside world.

Chapter 3
As a team leader you volunteered to provide a summary of Chapter Three for the team. The team requested a written summary to review prior to the face to face discussion. What would you include in your written summary - What are the real issues facing schools? What can be done about it? What should your team do about it?
Chapter 4
The details presented in Chapter 4 compelled you to write about it for your staff newsletter. You have a half of a page on the front page of your weekly publication that you want to use as a launching point to staff for an upcoming staff development session. What is critical out of this chapter that you want to include in your newsletter.

TTWWADI
I think the curriculum renewal and design process, budget design, classroom assessments, and textbook dependent instruction all fall into the TTWWADI trap. Our job as instructional leaders includes prioritizing high leverage change, creating action plans, measuring impact and recalibrating action - a PDSA of sorts!

Articles to Share
I recently reviewed the Did You Know 1.0-4.0 and posted the most recent youtube video from the Fall, 2009. Over 1 million youtube hits since posting!

Guiding Principles Discussion
#12 - Students should assume responsibility for their own learning - was my initial thought. I really believe that the last 30 years of education created multiple generations of students that play the school game well but are not engaged in their own learning. This became more visible to me as a parent BUT I have reconsidered even though learner engagement is critical. I firmly believe that if we make #16 a reality- All students must be prepared so they can go on to some form of higher education - we will help student dreams come true. Higher education is the 21st century gate students must pass through in order to have a sustained quality of life!

3-2-1 Activity
Identify 3 ideas, statements or concepts that resonated with you:
1. Thats The Way We Have Always Done It may have a much stronger influence on our work than we think. Page 10
2. We must increase the connection between school work and outside world - Page 27
3. Flexible learning spaces need to be embedded in the secondary educational experiences.


-Identify 2 actionable items
1. Consider our potential for facility redesign if we have the opportunity with PHS expansion.
2. We need to continue to work our Core Competencies into our curriculum renewal and realignment process and collaborative team time more effectively.

-Identify 1 criticism you would offer the authors.
1. Redesigning high schools will be cost prohibitive in our current fiscal environment.