The Future of Learning

Take care,
Coach Mo

Homework?

It just occurred to me that I hadn't posted in quite awhile.  It is really amazing how quickly the school year gets going, and how little spare time you can find while balancing work, home, and all of the other unexpected events that pop up. 

This got me thinking... If I do not stop and take the time to post a simple blog entry, how do our students create the time for all of the homework they are assigned.  I have recently met 1 on 1 with many of my students and in most of the cases in which a student told me that they have below an 'A' in a class, the response they gave me as to why revolved around "homework." 

Whether it was that they simply didn't do it, didn't get it all the way done, lost it, didn't have time,  or in a few cases "didn't understand it once I got home," homework was clearly the number 1 response/ excuse for the bad grade. 

I do not know any further details than what I received from a 6th grader, but I am hoping that those homework assignments were intended to further learning, not just to give a student more work because "homework" is something we've always done.  My wish for the students is that they carve out more time for their studies, just as my wish for myself is to carve out a bit more time for reflection and sharing through this blog.  My wish for teachers everywhere is to be certain that the homework assigned is well thought out and meaningful, and that there is adequate follow-up with each student to be sure that the intended goals were met. 

Take care,
Coach Mo

Project Idea II

I really have no opinion on the replacement referee situation in the NFL.  It is what it is and regardless of the referees, I am going to be watching the games because I love football.

The reason I share the video below is that I thought it was clever.  It has a great deal of creativity involved, and it is the type of thing that I think a student could do as a project for class.  Editing pictures is much easier than putting film together, and rewriting a song with lyrics for a specific topic would show creativity along with understanding of the material.

A project like this would allow the student to make the project their own.  A student taking on this project would be passionate about the end product, therefore they would have to dive into learning the material so that they could write the very best lyrics possible.

Educators:  Do not be afraid to allow a student to show their learning with something like this.  Many students would not only meet expectations/ standards, but they would exceed the expectations because they would become committed to their product, striving for the best they can do, not just for a grade.  

Enjoy the video!  NFL fans will appreciate the clever lyrics.


Take care,
Coach Mo

A Project Idea

The family went down to the park tonight and I took along my camera.  I intended to take pictures of my son on the playground, my dog swimming in the creek, or whatever else presented itself.

What ended up catching my eye was the "Story Trail" that lines the trail at Friendship Park.  The story is told in 12-15 parts that you get to read like pages as you walk along and enjoy the sights and sounds.  I share this because as I walked along, I thought about how cool of an idea it is on so many different levels.

I had a handful of ideas that I was thinking of sharing on the blog, but I feel as though I ought to just share the photos and let teachers and/or students that read this blog have ideas of their own.  One of the toughest things I find in project-based instruction is coming up with the idea that captures your attention and lights a fire inside of passion and excitement.  I often search my twitter feed to see what others in my PLN are sharing and then I take that idea and mold it into something that would fit my classroom.  So, here is my contribution... enjoy it, let your imagination go wild, and turn it into an authentic idea that you could pursue in your classroom.

Even though the project uses a children's book as the primary focus, I think the possibilities are endless and appropriate for any level of education or beyond.

Take care,
Coach Mo

Purpose & Value in Lessons

This past week we completed 5 Presidential Fitness challenges.  Each student was asked to give their best effort to obtain results that we can use to construct personal fitness plans.  While a small group of students were called to test, the remainder of the class participated in one of a number of self-directed activities available to them.  

Harmless, right?

I thought so, until I overheard a young lady speaking to a colleague of mine.  She explained to him that she and her mother think that the fitness challenges are dumb and do nothing but embarrass kids.  Isn’t it unfortunate that we almost have to battle parents more than students to get their kids to buy-in to school?  Shouldn’t this be a team game?

It was one of those times as an educator that you have to bite your tongue and do your very best to remember that this is a 12-year-old speaking and nothing that you say right now is going to register because this it is likely coming straight from mom or dad.  I didn’t step in and comment because it wasn’t my conversation, but it certainly did get me thinking.  Was she saying this because it is Phys Ed and not Science?  Was she saying this because she has been unsuccessful?  Was she saying this because….

My keyword/ theme this year for my instruction is purpose.  I want students to recognize that everything we do in class has value to them as I attempt to better their understanding of how they can live a healthier lifestyle.  Every activity that we do, every project they complete, and every instruction that I give I want the students to be identifying the purpose.  For example, lets say we spend a few days on a basketball unit.  I want students to understand that the purpose is to learn how participating in basketball can benefit them.  I want them to know that it is a great cardio activity, burns tons of calories, is a sport you can participate in recreationally, and so on.  The purpose is not to make you LeBron, but to give you the necessary skills and understanding so that you can use basketball as a means of living a healthy lifestyle. 

Back to my story…  This young lady has obviously mixed up her understanding of why we do the fitness testing.  It certainly is not to embarrass anyone.  We do the testing multiple times during the year, and this initial group of tests allows us to establish a result that we can build upon.  With each test we discuss the component of physical fitness that the test assesses, and we also discuss activities the students can do to improve their scores in each test.  Each student will then take their results and will work on setting goals for themselves within each fitness concept to achieve before the next round of testing.  With these goals, the student and I will sit down and discuss an action plan that will help keep them on track to achieving their goal.  So, in the end, the testing is less about the actual test, and more about learning how to set goals, create action plans, track their progress, and engage in purposeful activities to improve a certain physical fitness component.   I hope the only thing close to embarrassment that they’ll experience is that they smiled too big, or celebrated like a little kid when they do a pull-up when they could barely even hang from the bar in September.

I believe this scenario is valuable to all educators.  No matter if you are in PE, music, social studies, science, or any other subject, we as educators should be prepared to back-up anything and everything we do with reasoning and purpose.  Whether it is a student that is a non-believer, a parent that speaks poorly of our classes, a colleague that just wants to know more about your lessons, or an administrator looking to support you, make sure that everything you do in your classroom or assign for homework has a well-defined purpose.  Also, do not be afraid to communicate the value of the assignment up front (begin with the end in mind!!!). 

Just like I’ll be teaching my classes next week about defining a goal and working towards it… defining a purpose from the start will help to keep us on track, to constantly evaluate our progress, and to cherish the reward of achievement in the end. 

Take care,

Coach Mo

Get Some New Shoes and Leave Tracks

Towards the end of last school year, I made the choice to accept a position at the middle school.  I was going to move from teaching at the high school, and I heard this phrase a number of times: “______ will have big shoes to fill.”  Some folks were referring to me filling the shoes of the former middle school teacher, and some were referring to the person filling my position. 

Little did I know that I’d be moving much further than just down a grade level or two, I’d be accepting a position to teach physical education in another district, and now as I reflect on my first 8 days of teaching at Licking Heights Central Middle School, I cannot help but think back to where I came from. 

Those that have followed my blog for the past 6 months or so realize that I had really tapped into my passion for what I do on a daily basis.  I was seeing a transformation of myself as a professional, and my students as learners and individuals.  The methods that I was trying in my classroom were leading to exciting discoveries and I loved the interaction that I got to have with my students each and every day.  It was a difficult decision to move on with my career, but for a number of reasons, I felt it was the best decision for me.  I constantly tell the students that “this is your education,” and “make sure you do things for you, not for me,” and what’s it say about me if I didn’t follow my own advice?

Anyway, as all of the movement was unfolding and I was hearing the line about having big shoes to fill, I was both proud and hesitant.  Proud because I was happy that folks felt that I’d made a difference, and that I was actually leaving a mark.   But hesitant because I don’t want to fill someone else’s shoes, nor do I want them to fill mine.  I want a brand new pair!!!  (I know, a bit cheesy, but stay with me)

What I hope that I left at Delaware are tracks.  Tracks that allow my replacement to see where I had been and the progress that I made.  Tracks that created a trail on which the next teacher can stand on and blaze a new path.  Tracks that told stories and provided insight to successes and failures that I had that the next teacher can improve upon and learn from.  Tracks that weren’t just footprints on a walkway, but were fresh imprints on a never before taken path. 

Just filling out shoes sounds an awful lot like just doing the minimum, or just getting by.  My goal for this school year, and my challenge to my fellow educators is to not just fill shoes.  Whether it is someone else’s pair, or your own pair from last school year… Get new shoes, blaze a new trail, leave tracks, and wear out the shoes in the process.  Don’t fall into the trap of “this is how I/ we’ve always done it.” 

I am excited to report that my first 8 days at Central were wonderful.  My students are respectful, attentive, and engaged.  I am looking forward to this year, and looking forward to sharing the experiences I encounter along this new trail. 

Educators, go get yourself some new shoes, you deserve it, and so do the kids!  

“Do what you love in the service of those who love what you do!” - Steve Farber

Take care,

Coach Mo

I'm Bringing the Juice

I mostly took the summer off from blogging to recharge the batteries for a new year.  A lot of great things happened during this time, including accepting a new position at Licking Heights Central Middle School.

I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to decide how I wanted to approach diving back into the blogging mindset.  I don't like to blog just to blog.  I'm sure I'll come up with a way to properly reflect on my Delaware days, introduce myself to Central, or tackle the latest happenings in the world of public education sooner than later, but the only thing I have is this video that I just watched and felt energized to share...

As school begins tomorrow (for me at least) I want to make sure that I "bring the juice."  I want to encourage teachers, students, administrators, and everyone else involved in the educating of our young people everywhere to also "bring the juice."

"Juice" isn't just for football players.  It is what drives learning in our schools.  Show me an educator with "Juice" and I'll bet you'll find a class full of engaged, well-behaved, excited learners.

Bring the Juice!

Take care,
Coach Mo

Message from the Plate

Each morning, somewhere between 5:00 - 6:00a.m., I take my dog Coach for a walk.  During the school year we only have time for small loop (.4 mi), but during the summer we take all kinds of paths through the neighborhood.  I love the peacefulness of the world at that time of day.  The sun is rising, the birds are chirping, and Coach’s collar jingles as we move along. 

As we walked passed a home around the corner from us yesterday, I saw a license plate on an antique-looking car similar to the one below…

I smiled ear to ear and felt a powerful sense of joy upon studying the plate for a brief moment.  There was no specific memory that I produced, but the plate triggered a happy feeling as I associated it with my past. 

I often reflect upon the previous few days or look to the day ahead, always caught up in the hectic lifestyle that is the present day.  Rarely do I take the appropriate time to reflect on the relationships and memories of my past that provide happiness and perspective as to how lucky we all really are.

The license plate was a refreshing reminder to slow down, de-clutter your thoughts, think positively, give thanks, and focus on what’s important.  

Take care,

Coach Mo

Interacting with Farber

I've mentioned in previous posts my love for Steve Farber's book The Radical Leap.  I was so moved by the book's message that I not only adopted the philosophy in my personal and professional life, but I took the time to email Steve to thank him for sharing his message. 

Within an hour, Steve wrote me back and has since used a portion of my email on his personal blog.  It is a great honor to see that Steve not only took the time to answer me, but has publicly presented my story to his many followers.  It is without a doubt one of the highlights of my young teaching career and I am proud to share it in the link below...

http://www.stevefarber.com/2012/05/coach-morrisons-journey/

Take care,
Coach Mo

TGIF Syndrome

In the past month or so, I have finished reading Steve Farber’s The Radical Leap, and I am currently halfway through Jon Gordon’s Training Camp.  Reading these books about extreme leadership, passion, and excellence, combined with a complete overhaul of my classroom philosophy, has opened my eyes to a number of things that now bother me more than they probably should.  The “TGIF syndrome” is one that I see way too often… 

One of the main things that I attempt to encourage my students to do is to “do something that you love, pursue a passion, and to always come to school for yourself, not for your teacher or administrator.”  I see students on a daily basis that have no motivation to improve in any way, shape, or form.  They are trying to just get by these next few years so that they can graduate and… (I end the sentence there because these are the students that either don’t know what they will do, or have a completely skewed vision of what it takes to get where they want to go). 

Fridays motivate me.  Occasionally Thursdays do too, and in some severe cases, the previous Sunday motivates me to continue encouraging students to pursue a passion and to find something they love to do.  I mostly find the motivation on social media from friends, peers, colleagues, and complete strangers in the form of the “TGIF syndrome.”

Disclaimer:  I’m not suggesting I’m innocent of ever wanting to get through a day or week.  The “TGIF syndrome” refers to people who consistently take part in the activity of grinding out their weeks only for the weekend.   

The “TGIF syndrome” is present in that person that posts the traditional “TGIF” or “come on weekend” or “ugh, tomorrow’s Monday” or “how can it only be Wednesday” and so on and so forth.  People that publicly announce their disgust for their chosen work that just cannot wait to get to the weekend. 

Ever since I have made each day at work about what I love, interaction with people, I have removed any trace of that mentality from my thinking.  I love spending time with my family on the weekend like anyone else, but to wake up each day not wanting to go to work so badly that a public announcement of your misery is necessary is no way to live. 

I write this Today to encourage colleagues, friends, and students to find something that you love to do to call a profession.  Don’t just do things to get by.  If you wake up each day and find that the “TGIF syndrome” is real, begin to find what you love in your work and make that a focus, or begin to sketch out a plan to pursue another path.  Don’t get through 5 days each week just to enjoy 2.  Enjoy all 7!

I strongly recommend both of the books that I mentioned in the opening paragraph to anyone, especially those caught up in the “TGIF syndrome.”  They both have changed the way I view my self, my profession, and most importantly my time.  I hope that everyone who reads this post is curious enough to at least examine their purpose.  If you need motivation, read the books.  If you have the motivation, find that positive energy that you get from your life and work, and focus on it, pass it on daily, and let the snowball effect take over in both your personal and professional life.

Take care,

Coach Mo

***A special thanks to my good friend, Mike McDonough, who recommended both books to me.  I am glad I finally took his advice to become a “LEAPer,” even though I resisted it for a couple of years.  What a mistake!***

School Culture Part 2: Pursue Your Passion

If you missed part 1 click here- School Culture: A Mindset

Two weeks ago I was in my classroom having one-on-one meetings with my students.  This is a daily routine for me, but something amazing was happening as the students and I reviewed their projects that they had just completed.   These particular meetings had a phrase in them that I hadn’t heard all that much in my teaching career:  “thank you.”

Students were thanking me for my class.  I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in….

…  Yes, thanking me. 

As we discussed their projects, reviewed their methods of research, and talked about their struggles and successes, I was hearing things such as-

“I learned so much because I actually wanted to learn this” and “I’m so happy that we get to pick our topics” and “I’ve been waiting for this class my entire school career, finally I get to do something relevant to my life.” 

The common theme was that students were learning about topics that they were interested in, and were using methods of presentation that they were good at or passionate about.  This wasn’t just a free-for-all.  Students had to select a topic related to our unit to use as the base for their research with the goal of satisfying the unit objectives.  Then, they could use whatever means they wished to communicate their learning. 

Fast forward to the next period of the day.  I was eating my lunch reflecting upon the theme I mentioned above.  I was putting pieces of a puzzle together as I took what these students had said to me and connected them to previous conversations.  These were primarily upper classmen that had the insight of real-world connections, doing things they loved, and not wasting their time.  A few had communicated to me that they already know what they want to do with their lives, and a few had absolutely no clue what they want to do. 

Then an idea hit me.  I quickly finished my sandwich and left for the front office.  Luckily our building principal was in his office and he was gracious enough to make time for me on the spot.  I pitched to him my new idea and made it clear that I hadn’t really thought it out yet, but I wanted to present the idea even if there was no chance of it happening.  My idea was to teach a new course offering called “pursue your passion.”  My description went something like this…

We have students that know what they want to do with their life and don’t get to practice it each day.  We have students that don’t know what they want to do with their life, but never get to attempt things that may lead them to discovering their purpose without fear of a grade.  I’d like to teach a course that isn’t graded, but is required.  Students would come in everyday and my class would accomplish a number of things…

1.  Students would get to do what they love- too many people get to age 25 or 30 and are constantly told to pursue their passion only to realize that there isn’t much of a future within that passion.  Students would find out what they can do with that passion at a younger age.  By doing this, students also begin to develop that mindset that school is for them (see part 1) and this mindset would be discussed daily so that they may carry it over into other classes. 

2.  Students would get to try new things- students would be challenged to fail.  Fail because they attempted new things, or tried out a project that they never thought they could do.  Students would learn through the failure, and develop new skill sets that they can carry over into their life and also into other courses.  One thing I have discovered in my classroom this past nine weeks is that many students resort to a poster board, a paper, or power point not because it is the easiest thing, but because they don’t know what else to do.  Trying new methods of project presentation would open their minds to alternative ways of skill building and learning. 

3.  Students would develop an appreciation for what school has to offer- I mentioned this in #1, but the goal of the course would be to give students direction in their life.  I wouldn’t want freshman and sophomores to choose their future profession, but I would hope that by trying many types of things in my class they would at least have a base understanding of what is out there.  This would bring us back to the whole goal of creating that mindset within the student that they are at school for themselves, and for the reason of gaining skills and knowledge that they can use to make themselves better in any area of their life that they wish.  Our students need to come to school looking to get better, not looking to satisfy the teacher. 

I could go on and on with ideas for the course, but as I mentioned in #3, it all comes back to creating the culture that school is for the student, not for the teacher’s requirements.  I realize that my course is a long shot at best, but I’d love for teachers to consider taking some of its components into consideration in their own courses. 

Allow students to have a choice, allow them to pursue the things that they love, encourage them to fail by trying something new, learn from failure, apply the concepts to the real world, and so on. 

My principal was a great listener to my course pitch.  He agreed with most of what I had to say, and echoed my desire to have educators everywhere adopt some of the mindset that my course would foster.  I thanked him for listening, just as my students thanked me for my current course.  I am not sure what will come of it, but I hope that because I am sharing my thoughts with him, and sharing my thoughts through my blog, that small changes will be made in many classrooms that create a better culture and learning environment for our students.

Take care,

Coach Mo

"I've got to be honest, this is not your best effort"

 **Note:  I wrote this a few weeks ago and never got around to posting.   Enjoy!**

Each Sunday my in-laws have my wife, my son, and I over for lunch after Church.  This past week, I gobbled up my pork tenderloin, red-skinned potatoes, and green beans and found the perfect moment to quietly excuse myself to catch the end of some basketball games.  As I sat watching Kentucky put away Florida in the final minutes, my wife entered the room laughing hysterically. 

“Did you hear that?” she said.  “No, what’s up?” I replied.

Grandma had made a cake for dessert and as the rest of the family was eating (I don’t really do sweets) she made a comment suggesting feedback on the quality of the cake. 

“Grandpa, out of the blue, just said ‘I’ve got to be honest, this is not your best effort’ and had this look on his face that he was so serious, can you believe it?  It was so funny!”

I don’t know if my wife wanted me to laugh along with her or what, but my reaction was something like “well, she wanted feedback, I’m happy he was honest.” 

Had he not been honest, nobody else would have.  Everyone laughed not only because it is funny, but I’d bet much of the laughter was out of disbelief that someone would be that open so suddenly.  I get the part about not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings, but if people are never made aware of shortcomings, I do not believe they’ll ever reach their potential because they will store away in their mind that what they have done is good enough and will never look to improve. 

I translate this to school when I look at the way we grade students.  I cannot stand grades as they are in our system today.  We grade because we are supposed to and have always graded this way and have been conditioned to believe that it is the best and only way to evaluate our students.  Anymore, grades do not reflect what a student knows or has achieved, but they reflect the student’s level of compliance mixed with a touch of memorization topped off with an ounce of actual intelligence (recipe not exact, season to taste). 

Two examples of my disgust for grades from this past week: 

1.  I had a young man meet with me to discuss his grade.  He was not upset that he had a 95%, but was upset that his buddy also had a 95%.  “My project was better than his,” was his comment.  I proceeded to ask him why he was upset with this and why he was using others as his gauge.  “Did you do your best?  Did you learn what you set out to learn?  Are you satisfied with what you did?  Did you invest in your own education making yourself a better person and learner?”  His answer was yes to all of these, and before the end of our conversation he had made a complete 180 and was admitting to me that the reason he was upset was that he’s always thought of a grade as the only measurement because that is what he has been told.  Grades and class rankings have brainwashed our students to do things to earn a grade so that they can compare themselves with others, not to do things to learn, improve themselves, and acquire new skills. 

2.  A young lady asked me to read an article she wrote for the school paper.  Before I read it, another teacher that was standing there with me asked her if it was any good.  She said, “yes, I got an A+.”  We both inquired further asking what that A+ meant.  She stumbled a bit over some dissatisfying explanations (to both herself and my colleague and I) and ended with, “well, it is proof.  It is proof that it is good.”

I read the article and was very proud of her because it was an opinion column that took an unpopular side in regards to school systems (right up my alley right?).  Anyway, I didn’t want to say that it wasn’t an A+ paper because I didn’t know the requirements of the assignment, but I was left with an empty feeling.  I told her “well, it’s ok” because I thought it could be so much better.  I thought her topic really could have been a home run, and she had settled for a single because she had been told that she had an A+. 

Later on that day, I thought about how I was dissatisfied with the feedback I gave her because she had to run off to her next class.  I felt as though I had let her down.  I didn’t give her the feedback that Grandpa gave Grandma about the cake.  I gave feedback that the cake was “ok,” leaving her without the desire to make it better.  I sought her out later in the day and confirmed what I had thought.  I confirmed with her that she had a passion about this subject, and that she wrote an opinion column, but didn’t put her full thought into the paper because she was afraid of having that opinion that challenged the status quo.  I encouraged her to share her opinion, and to improve her paper despite that A+ mark.  Why can’t we all just encourage students to have the very best product each and every time?  Why let a student settle for something less?  I am not blaming other teachers, I am guilty of this at times, but we cannot accept mediocrity and slap a grade on a paper that makes them believe mediocrity is the standard. 

I could go on and on with my feelings about this subject, but these individual cases are not the issue.  The issue is that here were young people that invested in an assignment of some kind without the sole desire to do it for themselves and to do their very best no matter what.  They set out to earn a grade that gave them satisfaction or proof of success.  Until we reach a point that students come to school each and every day with the goal of improving rather than earning a grade, we’ll never get the very best from them.  We need more teachers, administrators, and parents to look at their student and tell them “I have to be honest, this isn’t your best effort” and help them to create that very best product, not just slap a value to it and move on. 

School Culture: A Mindset. (part 1)

One of the things that I have been so dissatisfied with this year is our building culture.  Once I identify any problem, I find it very hard to let that problem escape from my mind without having developed and/or acted upon a solution.  My latest discovery has always been on my mind, but it has continued to become clearer and clearer with each passing day and each conversation that I have with students at our school. 

It sure isn’t groundbreaking whatsoever, but what I have realized is that all of my solutions I’ve tried or thought of over the past few months will never matter unless our students begin to view school as an opportunity for themselves, not as a chore they must do to make a teacher happy.  Our culture reflects their current attitude of school as an obligation, not as an opportunity (there are definitely bright spots, don’t get me wrong, but a few bright spots aren’t enough).

I know what you’re thinking… “how is this knucklehead just now realizing this?”  Well, I’m not, I really believe it is something that every educator already knows, but I believe it is a message that gets lost as students maneuver through their day, teachers rush to complete the curriculum, parents go off to work and cart their kids around to events, and administrators attempt to deal with all of the different challenges that present themselves on a daily basis.  School is so packed with requirements and standards and objectives and __(insert here)______ that I believe we forget sometimes to stop and take a look around and remember why we are where we are. 

Every so often I’ll randomly as a student something to the tune of, “why are you here or what do you come to school for?”  Rarely, if ever, do I get a response of “for me.”

I truly believe that this is a message that needs to begin with each staff member.  If there is ever a moment in your lesson where you realize these kids are doing something for you, not for themselves, STOP!!!  Don’t go any further until you help the students realize the benefit of the lesson for them.  Help them apply your message to their lives, and do not move on until the students know that they are learning or working for themselves, not for you.  And it cannot just be the teachers, it is a message that needs to be echoed everywhere; the office, the halls, the bus, at home. 

When students come to school equipped with the mindset that school is for them, learning will exponentially increase, and the culture will be one of excitement and opportunity, not one of lethargy and obligation. 

As I wrote this I was reminded of a quote from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: 

“Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

If we don’t stop, look around, and be certain our students have the proper mindset, they’ll miss everything we have to say, and more importantly, they’ll miss the opportunity to invest in themselves for four of the best years of their lives. 

Take care,

Coach Mo

Signs Continued

About a week and half ago, I wrote a post that began by mentioning that when you are consciously aware of something you start to notice it everywhere (click here to read the post).  Since writing that post and receiving tons of great feedback from colleagues and my PLN on twitter, it is almost eerie how many additional signs pop up that I hadn’t noticed even when I was aware that I had begun noticing.

(If that last sentence didn’t make sense, read it again slowly, insert the correct commas, try to think the way I was thinking… I don’t know, it made sense to me)

Anyway, this blog has been about sharing experiences and realizations that I have come across during my semester of shifting the way I think about and treat my professional duties.  This past week I read The Radical Leap by Steve Farber.  It is probably the best book I have ever read.  It touched me deeply because it spoke right to me, and was overwhelmingly relevant to my current situation in which I am going out on a limb to try something new that I firmly believe is the correct way to go about my craft.  It is a book about “extreme leadership,” but because I was looking for the signs, it spoke right to my profession and right to the educational system. 

Another sign popped up just today as my colleague Jim Bibler related a quote that he just read in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers to our methods of assessing students in school.  Now, I’ve read Outliers, and it too is one of my all-time favorites.  But, I read it three years ago and wasn’t looking for the signs of correlation to education at the time.  I’d imagine that if I read it again I’d be re-energized the same way I was when I read The Radical Leap.  I wonder if many of the books that I’ve read would yield the same result? 

This is precisely why I hope other teachers read my blog.  I hope that teachers not only take away shared experiences, ideas, and motivation to reflect, but an awareness of the signs that they see everyday, yet have no idea they are seeing.  

Side note:  Anyone who has read The Radical Leap would be disappointed if I failed to mention the connection of “the signs.”  In the book, a character named Smitty tells the author about being aware of the signs around you, and challenges him to look deeper into things to find the true meaning. 

Back to the post.  So today I picked up the next book on my reading list from the local library.  Linchpin, by Seth Godin, was recommended to me by a good friend, and I was so excited to dive into it that as my wife and I drove home, I had her read the synopsis to me. 

Think about the theme of this blog post, then read the synopsis of Linchpin that I have copied below….

In bestsellers such as Purple Cow and Tribes, Seth Godin taught readers how to make remarkable products and spread powerful ideas. But this book is different. It's about you - your choices, your future, and your potential to make a huge difference in whatever field you choose.

There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there's a third team, the linchpins. These people invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They figure out what to do when there's no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art.

Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations. Like the small piece of hardware that keeps a wheel from falling off its axle, they may not be famous but they're indispensable. And in today's world, they get the best jobs and the most freedom.

Have you ever found a shortcut that others missed? Seen a new way to resolve a conflict? Made a connection with someone others couldn't reach? Even once? Then you have what it takes to become indispensable, by overcoming the resistance that holds people back. Linchpin will show you how to join the likes of...

*Keith Johnson, who scours flea markets across the country to fill Anthropologie stores with unique pieces.

*Marissa Mayer, who keeps Google focused on the things that really matter.

*Jason Zimdars, a graphic designer who got his dream job at 37signals without a résumé.

*David, who works at Dean and Deluca coffeeshop in New York. He sees every customer interaction as a chance to give a gift and is cherished in return.

As Godin writes, "Every day I meet people who have so much to give but have been bullied enough or frightened enough to hold it back. It's time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map. You have brilliance in you, your contribution is essential, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must."

… Another sign!  The mindset that I have adopted allows me to implement new methods into my classroom and is strengthened by these signs on a daily basis. I’ve only read the synopsis, and I absolutely cannot wait to read this book!

Take care,

Coach Mo

Selection Sunday & The Model for Grading

Outside of Thanksgiving Day, I could make the argument that Selection Sunday is my favorite day of the year.  I can remember as a young sports lover sitting to watch the selection show and then going back to my computer, waiting for the modem to dial, waiting some more, clicking on the internet icon, waiting, finding the website, waiting, running my picks through my head as I’m waiting, refreshing, waiting, and finally finding the bracket to print off. 

Can you imagine having to do that in 2012?  The bracket will be on twitter in almost real time, and hundreds of thousands of people will have filled out their bracket before 15-year-old Me would have even been on the website.  It’s amazing to think about those ‘struggles’ we used to have (I know, I know, I can picture a bunch of my elders rolling their eyes reminiscing about the days they had to walk uphill both ways to retrieve the bracket from the local paper the next morning, in 5 feet of blowing snow).

(Without coats)

Anyway, Selection Sunday brings unparalleled excitement.  I repeat the phrase “the journey is greater than the inn” on a regular basis.  68 teams, upon hearing their name, begin a mental journey crafting their way through their region.  Fans everywhere print out their brackets, fill them out, print out more, fill them out, and then stand by the water cooler for three days discussing who they’ve got in the final four.  What is better than dreaming about going to the final four or winning the office pool? 

Those three days by the water cooler and some huge upsets are what it is all about.  You remember all of the upsets you’ve watched over the years, but each year I always find myself saying “there used to be far more upsets” when there really weren’t.  The games, more often than not, play out as expected, and then because the final four is played in a huge dome stadium with very different sight lines, the end result is a sloppy, low-scoring brand of basketball. 

The funny thing is, as the tournament rarely meets the level of expectations, we continue to come back for more each year.  We continue to pump this up as the greatest thing, and we sit down to watch the selection show to obtain that same level of excitement as the year before.  We all want the process of that journey of hope, and talk, and strategy, and…

How is this like school?  Well, it isn’t… yet.  When I sat down to compare Selection Sunday to school I thought about my class and grading.  My philosophy on grading is gaining steam with each and every day I enter my classroom.  I am grading the students on the process, not their final product.  I know it sounds odd, but after having this policy in place for 6 weeks, I get more and more upset when I hear students talk about how they are graded in other classes.  I really think our grading system as a whole needs a makeover because our students no longer take any meaning away from the grades that they receive and I don’t believe the grades they receive accurately represent their true knowledge and understanding. 

Here is my analogy of my grading system as it relates to Selection Sunday… (for the sake of the analogy, nutrition will be the unit we are working on)

- Sunday night bracket release = Introductory lessons to nutrition

- Bracket printout = unit objectives students must meet from nutrition standards

- Researching teams, listening to experts = research of topic within nutrition

- Filling out pool entry = Individual learning plan (self-made guide to project steps)c

- Water cooler talk = 1.  expressing what you have learned in a meeting with the teacher to satisfy unit objectives.  2.  Collaborating with peers/ group

- Editing pool entry = taking teacher or peer feedback and furthering research, development of project based around a nutrition topic

- Submission of final pool entry = an expression of what you know and have learned, accompanied by an explanation of “why?”  Showing you’ve met the requirements.

- The tournament, watching the games = Student project, expressing knowledge

- Upsets = setbacks (not failure, learning and moving on, improving product)

- Picking the Cinderella = Going out on a limb, trying something new, obtaining a new 21^st Century skill

- The Final Four = Submitting project to the website (The big stage.  A chance to share with a huge authentic audience). 

I believe the grading should stop at the submission of the final entry.  The project shouldn’t be produced for a grade, but produced because it is something the student wants to do, is good at, and enjoys doing.  The project should be produced in order to educate others on what you’ve learned.  It should contain student voice, and should be completed without the pressure of meeting rubric guidelines.  The project should meet the student’s individual guidelines of excellence.  It should uncover the intrinsic motivation of the student to do the best they are capable of doing with the teacher nearby as a facilitator to keep the student on track and provide assistance. 

Teachers:  ask yourself what grading that final product or test actually tells you and the student?  If they knew it before, but made a mistake on a test, is that test really an accurate gauge?  Give feedback rather than grades once you know that they know the material.  And if you don’t know that they know, that is where your expertise as a professional comes in.  Help them, teach them, don’t test them.  Don’t accept a product less than the student is capable.  If it isn’t great, guide them to greatness by encouraging them to improve it, edit it, resubmit it, but don’t put a number on it that gives the student false closure. 

The base goal is for the student to learn the curriculum.  When they submit their bracket and have met the unit objectives the knowledge portion is over.  Take the knowledge and use it to develop 21^st Century skills.  Let the students explore, create, try, fail, and improve.  Don’t make it about grading, make it about learning.  Learning new skills that they will carry with them the rest of their lives.  An 80% should tell you that a student doesn’t know 20% of the material, not that they’ve earned a B. 

Grade the process, not the product.

Create Selection Sunday in your classrooms.  Create excitement, give students the framework (bracket), and help guide students to realizing their potential.  Make grading about the process and reasoning for picking a team, don’t penalize a student in a gradebook because Cinderella made an unlikely run.

Take care,

Coach Mo

The Signs are Everywhere (even within our students)

I find it fascinating that once you are consciously aware of something, all of the sudden you start noticing it everywhere.  You start to wonder, “where have I been?” or “is this just coincidence?” 

I’ve adjusted my classroom to manage a more project-based, student-centered, blended learning, (insert whichever 21^st century word here) type of model and every time I sign on to twitter I see someone blogging about how these models are the best, they are the future, etc, etc, etc..

Whether it is a world-renowned author, a high school administrator, or an elementary physical education teacher, great things are happening everywhere, and I am stunned at the fact that I thought I was entering untested waters, only to find that there is research everywhere, and articles of personal experience on countless blogs right on my twitter feed. 

My question the past few weeks has been how do we get students to see that this is the best way for them to learn and grow?  I thought students were mostly clueless, and that they were so trained out of creativity that we had to make them see that paving their own path in their individual educational journey is worthwhile.  That may still be the case, but now that I am looking for answers, I found some crucial evidence that has thrown me off the scent of students being clueless…

On Tuesday of this past week I had a conversation with a group of students about video games.  I prompted this conversation because I was interested in finding out more about the possibilities of creating video games as a class project, but I left out the class project part because if I even dared to enter education into the conversation, I knew I would have lost them at that moment. 

As this group of 4 young men argued back and forth about Call of Duty, Modern Warfare, PS3, Xbox, and everything else gaming, two things struck me:

1.  I’m way out of the loop!  I was never one for the adventure games, but I still knew all sorts of things about the systems.  I’m ancient (only 10 years removed from high school) when it comes to knowledge of the gaming arena.  Some of the things they talked about, I couldn’t even understand.  Here I made fun of people like me within the last decade.  What happened?

2.  A student said, “modding is the greatest thing to ever happen to video games!” 

Allow me to elaborate on point #2.  I’m not even sure if ‘modding’ is spelled right, but through inquiry I discovered that modding is the gaming word for customizing, or modifying a game.  All four students nearly scolded me for not knowing that anyone who knows how to write gaming code can go into the game and change just about anything they want to make it look or play however they want.  These four guys went on to talk about different codes they’ve learned to write and different changes to games they’ve seen and how cool it is that they can personalize things. 

STOP!!! (substitution please… education entering the game replacing video games)

How does this sound:  “modding is the greatest thing to ever happen to education!”

I’ve read countless articles in the past months that have said the new way of educating, the 21^st century education, is and will be about personalizing education for all students to actively learn what they want to learn under the guidance of the teacher. 

What I realized last Tuesday is that our students are aware that personalization is the coolest thing, we just have to find a way to get them to realize that it is OK to personalize their education just how they can personalize their video games.  Teachers must embrace the new wave of education, unlearn the styles that they were taught and have been teaching, and open the doors for the students to see the opportunities in front of them. 

Too often we blame the students and cannot understand why they do not succeed when we challenge them to think for themselves and try something new.  But, take a step back and you’ll see that they are only modeling the behavior that the majority of educators are presenting which is sticking to learned behaviors despite the overwhelming amount of push for the “modding” of our educational system and it’s classrooms. 

Educators, please don’t take this as me blaming my colleagues all across America.  But, take it as my attempt to make you consciously aware of these opportunities so that you see it everywhere you look and find the confidence within you to begin “modding.”

Take care,

Coach Mo

Endings

Last night I attended the first round tournament game of our boy’s basketball team.  It was a fabulous effort by our young men, but unfortunately they came up on the wrong side of the scoreboard in the end. 

As I watched the final seconds tick off of the clock, I began to get that feeling within that I get at the end of every season, a mixture of disappointment, sadness, pride, satisfaction, and curiosity of the future.  Regardless of whether I am a coach, a player, or a spectator, that feeling is always overwhelming because it is the ending of something that you know each and every person that is a part of the experience spent months devoting time and effort into a common passion. 

I’ll never forget my final high school football and basketball games, or my final college basketball game, when I had tears streaming down my face not because we had lost, but because I knew something I cared about so much had come to an end.  I’ll never forget consoling players when I coached both football and basketball at Hayes and telling them that it’s OK to be sad, it shows that you cared so much.  I wasn’t able to be in the locker room after the game last night, but I’d imagine there were tears, because the effort on the court showed that each and every player to take the court cared deeply about their team. 

As I sit here this morning, I think about school.  The last day of school is filled with joy and excitement.  A weight is lifted off of students as they venture off to college, summer jobs, or three months of video games and trips to the pool.  It’s almost the opposite of that final game they cared so much about. 

Now, I would never expect a student to shed tears over the end of school as passionately as they do about their sport, but why are the emotions such polar opposites?

My fondest memories of school are of extra-curriculars such as sports, theater, and television class, and I would imagine many other people have the same memories.  I wish we could find a way to make the classroom experience as memorable.  

I believe the first step is to look at what we offer to students.  Sports, theater, and other opportunities are remembered because of the experiences we had, not because of the content we learned.  We as teachers need to provide an experience for our students.  Experiences that they enjoy, learn from, and want to put their time and effort into succeeding in.  Students view the majority of classes as requirements to graduate.  While they aren’t wrong, until we provide an experience that changes their mindset to view classes as an opportunity for an experience that benefits them as people, they’ll remain stuck in the mindset that they have to show up, put in their time, receive a letter grade, and then get a piece of paper that says they have finished. 

Will they ever tear up over the end of a class?  Likely not.  But, hopefully students will get to a point where they throw their cap up not because they don’t have to do something anymore, but because they are excited to apply their skills to the world for which they have been prepared.  

 

Take care,

Coach Mo

What to do with feedback?

Ever since I read Dan Pink’s book, Drive, I have been fascinated with human motivation.  I had never thought about incentives and carrot-on-a-stick methods the way that Mr. Pink breaks them down.  I was blown away to learn that these things are not only misunderstood, but debilitating to our society in many ways. 

This past October our administrative staff presented us with an opportunity to attend the 21^st century skills conference in downtown Columbus.  The invitation was open to anyone interested, and each department was asked to send a representative.  In the past I have not followed up on these opportunities, but when I saw that Dan Pink was going to be a featured speaker, I knew it was my time to act. 

One thing that I took away from the whole conference, not just from Mr. Pink, was that the act of assigning a grade to an assignment is counter-productive to the learning process.  One speaker put it like this:

-  If you assign a grade to a corrected paper, the student looks solely at the grade and puts the paper away.

-  If you assign a grade and write feedback on a corrected paper, the student just looks at the grade and files it in their bookbag. 

-  If you do not assign a grade to a paper, but provide feedback, the student will then take in the feedback and will grow from the experience because they didn’t get that grade that they have been so trained to view as the end-all. 

It almost made too much sense!  From the moment I heard that statement, I thought nonstop about how I can use this information to improve upon my craft.  To make a long story short, I’ve adjusted my grading method to revolve around giving feedback, and I have attempted to take grading individual assignments out of my classroom.  I want to determine grades on whether or not the student has learned the necessary information, just like homework, tests, and projects are intended to do, but I want to check the students off for their achievements, not assess one product.  I will not go any further on grading because it is still a work in progress and I’ll devote an entire post to grading once I iron out a few more details. 

Back to the feedback.  On Friday I asked my students to evaluate the class and myself as the teacher.  I asked the students to give me an honest and fair evaluation on things such as clarity of instruction, quality of communication, likes and dislikes of the class, and what I can do to help make their experience more enjoyable and satisfying.  It was an overwhelming success as the majority had very positive things to say to go with great suggestions for improvement going forward. 

Here is where I’m struggling:  What do you do with the following two statements that showed up on a few papers?

1.  What YOU want: this was in the form of “it’s hard to tell what you want” or “I don’t know what you want” or “what I dislike so far is that I don’t know what you want.” 

This alarmed me because my first response was to write “YOUR BEST” in really big letters and underline it multiple times.  Then the second time was to write “it doesn’t matter what I want, what do you want?”  Then my third response was to write nothing at all and to look really deeply into that reply and then become really saddened that a student said this. 

I actually did all three.  But, it is the third one that is still with me today, and it is bothering me because it is a problem that is way bigger than just my classroom.  Where have we gone wrong that would cause a student to come to school looking to just please the teacher and not to come to school with a desire to learn with a view of school as a method of self-improvement for their future? 

In short, the direction for the project was to select a topic that relates to your family history (disease/ condition), research it and learn details, then present your findings in a way that educates others on the part of your topic you found most influential.  I understand why students wanted to know what I wanted (it’s what school usually asks), now I need to figure out how to get them to unlearn this mindset to move forward.   

2.  You don’t teach us.  If you have read my previous blogs, or have talked with me recently you know that I have adopted a project-based approach to my class.  Many frustrations led to me believing that having students research individually would be far better than having me limit the students to my knowledge on one individual topic per day.  Instead, I am attempting to be more of a guide to 30 different paths of learning.  It has been exhausting, but very rewarding thus far. 

Anyway, I was somewhat expecting this comment to come from the evaluation.  I haven’t done any “game of school” teaching; No lectures, no power points, no overheads, no worksheets, no outlining the chapter, no vocabulary terms, no tests etc, etc.  I have a vision of what I want to happen in class, and that vision involves students investing in themselves while enjoying each and every day.  I’d be crazy not to expect this type of response, but still, when it came, I was again saddened. 

Students have become so used to coming in, sitting down, looking forward, listening, note taking, and then studying, that anything else is considered “not teaching.”  I am coming to the realization that students do indeed view school as a place and not an activity, and it is unfortunate that they want to show up and have everything given to them.  Students only see opportunities to learn in the traditional methods of school.  They have been trained to recognize the role of a teacher as the direct instructor of information and the role of a student as a passive receptor to information.   How can we open their eyes to see that the world in 2012 contains so many resources that can teach you more quickly and more efficiently than any single source that a teacher limiting them to only their knowledge is limiting their potential?  How can we make them realize that passive receptors rarely develop skill-sets that are needed to be a productive and successful member of a business, corporation, or company five years from now?

This is the unfortunate result of a mindset that we as an educational system have trained kids to have.  I believe that we need to redefine the roles of student and a teacher at all levels.  My challenge to my students this coming week will be to consider the reason they come to school, and reconsider your role as a student and my role as a teacher.  Consider what YOU want, and how YOU can learn, not what I want you to do.  Don’t rely on someone to teach you everything.  Expect teachers to provide you with opportunities, and expect them to be there when you hit a snag.  Do not expect them to solve your problems, but to provide you with the tools and skills to work through them.  Expect them to care about you as a person, and to teach you to be the best person and learner you can be, not to teach you to only know the curriculum.  Embrace the opportunity to invest in yourself and to improve upon your knowledge and skills each and every day.

I appreciate my students for being fair and honest with me.  I got a ton of incredible feedback, and I cannot wait to make some changes in the coming weeks.  I do not think negatively of my students for the statements I have mentioned, I’m actually proud of them for stating their position.  I have brought the statements to attention because they are another indication that change in the system is necessary.  I hope they serve as motivation to teachers everywhere to be bold, try something new, and help to remove the stigma our students have of what student and teacher roles should be.

What are your thoughts?  How should I/ we react to that feedback? 

Take care,

Coach Mo