We’re years into daily debate about the Common Core, and just this week, Commissioner Elia invited feedback on the Common Core Learning Standards through this survey, conducted by the New York State Department of Education. The purposes of the survey are clear: This survey provides an opportunity for every New Yorker to go online, review each standard and comment on what is liked, not liked, or offer a suggestion for a change to a particular standard.…
In case you’ve missed it, Mark Barnes launched a pretty fabulous education app this month. Hack Learning puts solutions to some of our greatest classroom challenges right in the palm of our hands, and the best news is that the app is completely free. When you download Hack Learning, be sure to take advantage of my little giveaway as well: The Teach Kindness Project: 52 Ways to Make a Colleague’s Day. I was delighted when…
I’ve learned a great deal about visible learning and documentation beside the teachers I’ve supported this year. Rather than lifting and dropping a handful of previously conceived best practices into their instruction, many have begun moving through action research cycles that look much like grounded theory. This has empowered them with new insight and instructional approaches that are tightly rooted in the learning and the work that their students are doing. It’s producing powerful results…
This post continues a conversation that I started last week about visible learning, documentation, and the use of Grounded Theory methodologies. My thinking and work has evolved over time, in response to the learning I’m fortunate enough to do at the WNY Young Writer’s Studio and inside of various western New York school districts. Studio teachers use these approaches to fuel independent action research as they strive to uncover instructional practices that truly meet the…
As teachers prepare to help students make learning visible and document what is revealed, I’ve noticed that the pace of our preparation work typically stalls in the same places over and over again: we struggle to define a focus for our studies, and we struggle to understand how learning is made visible. Until these tensions are resolved, it’s almost impossible to move forward. Recently, I shared a design sprint that can help teachers refine…
This week, I had the good fortune to meet with a small group of teachers, administrators, curriculum directors, and professional learning facilitators at Erie 2 BOCES. We spent the day discussing grounded theory, how to make learning visible, and how to use the evidence captured from documentation to formulate hunches and theories that serve learners well. This is exciting work that enriches my own practice substantially, and I appreciated meeting others who were interested in…
Last week, Judge Penny Wolfgang invited me in to her studio at Entercom Communications to chat about the WNY Young Writer’s Studio, the Common Core Learning Standards, and the influence of both of those things on kids who love (and hate) to write. I truly enjoyed my visit, and I’m grateful to her for shining a bit of light on the great things that are happening at Studio. The interview was broadcast on Kiss 98.5,…
Over the last few years, some of the teachers that I support have begun assessing learning without interrupting it in order to test kids. Their commitment to documentation is leading to the development of far better interventions. That’s not why I’m blogging about it, though. It seems that steeping ourselves in this kind of learning isn’t merely increasing our expertise, it’s igniting our curiosities and re-energizing us. As we make our own learning transparent to students, our relationships…
This is a wonderful way to celebrate the thinking, learning, and work of our writers. It’s also the perfect opportunity for community members to discover more about who we are and what we do. This event is free, and it is open to the public. Please drop by anytime, and spread the word to others who might be interested in joining us.
This chart provides a glimpse at two different ways to execute a day of workshop. One is teacher-centered, and the other is writer-centered. As you explore them, consider when it makes sense to use each, because one approach isn’t better than the other. Each makes sense, given writer’s needs and place within the process. Both models are reminiscent of traditional structures, but over time, I’ve made small but purposeful shifts in order to increase ownership…