What Works in Schools...Keeping Up

Each edition of the weekend paper now comes with brightly colored advertising sections offering "door buster" prices for those willing to stand in the dark and cold at 4:00 a.m. Most of the best deals are on technology. One of the reasons that some of this technology can be sold so cheaply is that it is already outdated, or on the verge of irrelevance. Today's bargain computer is outdated within a year. Game systems for kids are upgraded and outdated within a year. That beautiful dvd/vcr combo you bought two Christmases ago is irrelevant - there are no more VHS tapes, and Blu-Ray technology has overtaken dvd technology as the industry standard for video replay. Education is much the same. In today's world, things happen fast. It is difficult to keep up with the newest technologies, the newest ideas, and determining which are passing fads, and which are worth investment. Nevertheless, we owe it to our students to offer them the most current, culturally, technologically and intellectually relevant education possible.

For the most part, in the last fifty years education in the United States has not changed much. Despite the changes in family dynamics, morality, technological access for all, and the "flattening" of the global world, schools continue to operate pretty much the same way they have for decades. Without a doubt schools have not changed as rapidly as the world around them, and so today's graduates are often at a disadvantage. When students are expected to learn facts through rote memorization and then regurgitate them as part of an assessment, they are not learning in a way that will significantly enhance their ability to be successful in the world outside of school. Today's world places a heavy emphasis on problem solving, and on the ability of people to be flexible and adapt. Schools would do well to emphasize those skills - problem solving, adaptability, and flexibility, as the cornerstone skills for all graduates.

At North High School, and in Grosse Pointe in general, we have been pursuing for two years now, a restyling of our high schools' instructional delivery models to focus on what today's graduates need as a skill set. The infusion of technology and project based learning at our schools is not a fad. It's an effort to prepare our students with the kind of skills that will make them successful in the world outside of high school.

I was speaking with a group of students in a social studies class last week, and they were guessing my age. I'd like to say they were guessing on the low side, but they were unfortunately accurate. We started talking about what school was like when I was their age. I told them a couple of things that shocked them all - I graduated from high school in 1982, and I'm 44 years old. When I was in high school there were exactly two computers in our building and they were both the size of file cabinets. They were used exclusively for the computer programming classes and clubs. In North high school alone, we have more than 300 computers in the building. There were no cell phones. Not just in high school - there were none. Now I would guess that 80% or more of our students carry a cell phone daily. No one I knew had ever heard of the internet. Today not only does every student know what the internet is, but studies show that the average high school student spends almost five hours a day online either through their phone or computer. The world changes rapidly. I use technology every day as part of my job that wasn't even on the horizon of my teachers imagination when I was in high school.

We have to keep up for our students' sake. Not only with technology, but with the best thinking about what works in schools. Sometimes, what really works are the simplest, most time tested ideas. Take the ideas in the below pasted abstract of an article I read this week. The things that work in schools are not "rocket science", but we better prepare our students to be "rocket scientists"...What I feel best about after reading this article, is that North is ahead of this curve in terms of what works in school, and we're striving not just to keep up, but to set the curve!

1. What Works in the World’s Best Schools
In this Journal of Staff Development interview by Tracy Crow, British education leader Michael Barber shares what he believes are the key drivers of first-rate schools in the four best school systems in the world: Canada, Finland, Singapore, and other parts of Asia. Some schools in the U.S. and the U.K. have these characteristics, he says, but most don’t.• Teachers – These countries recruit really good people into teaching – those with strong academic records, generosity, a liking for children, and the ability to inspire youth – and then provide robust initial training.• Professional development – “There’s an ethic of continuous improvement in the profession within these countries and within the successful schools,” says Barber. “You see a lot of embedded professional development with mentoring and coaching for support… There’s time in the school day, there’s time in the school year. There are teams of teachers working together, planning lessons, reviewing student work, comparing student work from different classes, and trying to understand why certain pedagogies seem to work more effectively than others… It’s that culture of professional learning, really focused on ‘how do I get the next child up to the standard?’”• Intervention with struggling students – Immediate action is taken when children fall behind. Instead of saying, “Oh, that child’s not clever enough or comes from a poor background,” teachers say, “What’s the barrier to that child keeping up with everybody else, and what do we need to do about it?” Finland is a model of prompt and effective intervention, says Barber: struggling students are referred to expert, more highly paid teachers who diagnose learning barriers and unlock learning. “Their job is to get that child back into the classroom with his or her peers as soon as possible,” he says. • Principals – Carefully selected, highly trained school leaders put the other elements in place. Reporting on a study of teacher attrition in the U.K., Barber says, “The single most important factor in teachers leaving the profession wasn’t pay, wasn’t challenging students, it was poor leadership in their school. They just couldn’t get anything done. They just got frustrated.” School leaders “set the culture, create the timetable, and create expectations for teachers,” he continues. “If the school leader creates a culture in which teachers are expected to look at data and worry about each student who falls behind, expected to watch each other teach, expected to work with mentors and coaches in the system, it will happen.” Barber concludes with two comments on American education: (a) Funding disparities among districts – In the U.S., schools in wealthier communities get better financial support than schools in poorer communities. “To the rest of the world,” says Barber, “that just looks completely nonsensical. We’re in an era where we’re setting high standards for everybody. We want everybody to achieve those high standards. It follows logically that children with the furthest to go need the most money spent on them. They need more support to get to those standards than children with less distance to travel.”(b) National standards – “You don’t have a choice about whether you achieve national standards,” says Barber, “because they will be imposed by globalization. Physics doesn’t change at the Rio Grande or the 49th parallel. It’s the same everywhere. As the economy around the world globalizes, you’re going to have to compare the standards your school system sets, wherever you are, to the standards of other systems. By accident or design, the U.S. ultimately will end up with something like national standards, but they may be implicit and chaotic or America could decide to do it properly. There’s no serious option of not having something like standards that compare to the rest of the world.”
“Q&A: Michael Barber – What Works, Works Everywhere” by Tracy Crow in Journal of Staff Development, Winter 2009 (Vol. 30, #1, p. 10-16), no e-link available

SMART Board Demonstration

Several of our teachers are using a new technology in their classrooms called Smart boards. SMART is a brand name, although there are many versions of this kind of technology on the market. We have been piloting several at North High School, as well as some similar technology tools.

Using a technology grant made possible in the State of Michigan's most recent budget negotiations as a result of the work of our local representative Ed Gaffney, the Grosse Pointe district is in a position to infuse some new technology into our classrooms within the next year. This fits perfectly with our High Schools 2.0 model that emphasizes technology that is consistent with the interactive digital medias that our students use to learn when they are outside the classroom.

If you have not yet seen a SMART board in action, this video will give you a good idea of some of the basic functionss. The opportunities are endless. If you access You Tube and search for "SMART boards" you can find dozens of video clips demonstrating how these boards can be effectively used in classrooms of all levels.

If you have any questions about Smart baords or any new technology being piloted at North, please contact me through this blog or directly at tim.bearden@gpschools.org for more information.

The Challenge of Courageous Conversations - Mix It Up!!

"Broken homes" are now "dysfunctional families", "failure" is now "deferred success", "garbage men" are "sanitation engineers", I don't know what to call someone who is shorter than average...no matter the conversation in today's times we travel waters infested with the politically sensitive . We spend a lot of time and effort in school trying to teach students that we are all more alike than we are different, but in failing to acknowledge that there are differences in people we lose an opportunity to learn and become more culturally aware. It takes courageous people to have open conversations about differences in one another. In schools this topic has become particularly relevant, as NCLB has forced schools to examine achievement gaps between various groups of students. It is only through open and courageous conversations that we can hope to narrow those gaps, and leave no child behind - for real.

Author Glenn Singleton, in his book Courageous Conversations About Race examines schools that have been successful in narrowing the achievement gaps that exist in many of our nation's schools between students who are of varying ethnicities and their white counterparts. A common theme of the success in these schools is their willingness to have open conversations about race, gender, socioeconomic status and a variety of identifiers that seem to have had connection to success in our country's schools.

Last week a team of teachers and administrators attended a workshop with Mr. Singleton. We had many interesting conversations about what we as educators do, should do, or can do to ensure that all children learn, and have the same opportunities available to them when they leave our schools. We experienced the frustration that there is no single answer. There is no "silver bullet" for this problem. The one thing we could all agree on was that in order for students to engage with teachers in the classroom, it is critical that teachers establish positive, trusting relationships with their students. At Grosse Pointe North we have made the focus of our year building a fabric of relationships between students, students and staff, and our entire school community. It has made a difference.

Last week our "Challenge Day" team organized an event that coincided with national "Mix It Up At Lunch" day. The intent of this day was to get students to meet and engage in conversations with people they either didn't know, or did not ordinarily spend time with. North students emceed the event, and challenged students to learn things about one another. They played music, and had a "musical tables" format that involved students rotating through the lunch room to meet with new people. It is a simple concept, but the best concepts usually are...making a difference and connecting with people is as simple as making the effort. These conversations take courage, but there is comfort in numbers, and large scale participation made this a successful event.

Political correctness is not as important as simple respect. Our students are learning that we are all more alike than we are different regardless of the color of our skin, our religion, the cost of our homes, or the nationality of our ancestors. As adults in the community, we should follow the lead of our students and invest in courageous conversations that acknowledge that it's o.k. to be different and embrace our differences with the same enthusiasm we embrace our commonalities.

I was recently watching a television show with my kids, and a child character approached a midget/dwarf/little person and said "I'm sorry, but what should I call you?". The answer......."Jerry - that's my name." Mix it up at work, at a party, in the community - have courageous conversations that step out of comfort zones and into the kind of depth that might make a real difference in the world. Our kids are doing it...

Like_youknow

For those of you with teenagers at home with whom you have difficulty communicating, this video will be either helpful or at least give you comfort.

It's o.k. to insist that our young people be articulate.

Unfortunately we used to teach students to write the way they speak. That philosophy has resulted in a large segment of the population that is both inarticulate and illiterate. One "you know" at a time, we can make a difference. Go ahead, try it...just insist for one day, for one dinner, or for one account of a fight with a sibling, that a young person form a coherent thought without using the phrase "you know" or preceding every sentence or fragment with "like"...

If we band together we can "like" change the world "you know"...

Hug It Out

Today at our district wide administrative council meeting, one of our principals told the story of a 6th grader coming up to him in the hallway and asking for a hug. I don't know if the boy really needed one, or was playing around, but he got what he asked for. After the story was told, I was asked facetiously if that happens often at the high school. It doesn't, but the world might be a better place if it did.

Whether it's through hugging or some other kind of human warmth, all people need support. At our recent Challenge Day event, the facilitators suggested that people need twelve hugs a day to function at their highest level. If that's true, I'm guessing we have a lot of students, and a lot of adults as well, who aren't getting their daily quota. At Challenge Day, students challenged each other to give out twelve hugs a day. Whether it's through hugs or other acts of kindness, the world's a better place when we reach out to each other.

There are literal hugs and figurative ones. Sometimes a kind word, a random act of kindness, or even a smile of greeting can make a person's day. So often people are too busy and too self absorbed to even notice those around them. One of the most common occurrences of this phenomenon is found in traffic jams, and is one of my pet peeves. On those days when, because of construction or a traffic accident, the expressway resembles the parking lot at Wal-Mart on the day after Thanksgiving, simple courtesy is required. One driver lets another squeeze into a line of traffic, and then waits for that simple acknowledgement - the thank you wave. I don't know about anyone else, but it drives me crazy when I let another driver "take cuts", and I don't get that simple acknowledging wave...I'm convinced it drives people to road rage.

It is so simple to show appreciation for others. A wave, a gesture, an email, a simple nod of the head...sometimes anything works. I'm convinced that some of the most significant things we can do to acknowledge others have lasting impact. Using someone's name when speaking to them, a hand on the shoulder, a hug...we never know when those gestures can lift someone from the gloom of despair.

Today's three "R's" of education are different than they used to be. Today we emphasize "relationships, rigor, and relevance". The most important of those three is, without a doubt, relationships. One of my good friends, South principal Al Diver, is fond of saying, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". Truer words were never spoken in education. Today more than ever, our students live with some tough situations, and many families are facing some tough times. The greatest cure for those ailments, and the most important step to establishing relationships, is genuine kindness.

Maybe the best secret of Challenge Day is that getting the hug, the smile, or the nod makes you feel really good, but giving it makes you feel great. To quote one of my favorite television characters, Entourage's Ari Gold, "When in doubt, hug it out".

Be the Change

Today's young people are remarkable. They are resilient, strong, adaptable individuals, and never has that been more evident to me than during yesterday's "Challenge Day" activities hosted by North High School. Challenge Day is a program that has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey show, and has been around for more than twenty years. North hosted two days of the event last year, and we thought it was so powerful that we brought it back again. Essentially it is a day long program that challenges participants to look past superficial differences in others to achieve a greater realization that we are all more alike than we are different, and that we need the support of those around us to maximize our potential as people. I know...sounds warm and fuzzy, psychobabble"ish", and a little too much like a mix of Jack Handey and Matt Foley, motivational speaker - except it's not. It is a life altering experience for those who participate.

Last year we had two hundred students from North in the program - one hundred different students each day. We did the same this year, with all new attendees. During last year's program I spent the good part of both days at the event, but this year, decided to participate fully as an adult facilitator during yesterday's first day. It would be very difficult to do the program justice for anyone who has not gone through it, but it is a roller coaster of emotions. The facilitators get students to laugh together, and cry together. At the end of the day, students "speak out" and talk about their experiences and their challenges to one another to make the school and the world better places. It's impressive and inspirational to hear these young people open their hearts and minds.

Students share some very powerful things about themselves and their lives. One of the goals of Challenge Day is to get everyone to realize that below the surface, and the facade we present for each other, we are all dealing with issues. One of the things the kids realize, and in a very powerful way during an activity called the "power shuffle" is that many of them have the same struggles in common. They may be of different ethnicity, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, gender or social clique, but beneath those superficialities, are very real human emotions that are universal. Students step outside of their comfort zones, and reach out to others who they might never have known, seen or talked to prior to the day. At the end, after a lot of laughter, tears and hugs, they walk out sharing a common bond, and a desire to "be the change" they want to see in the world.

It is staggering to hear and see the struggles some of our young people are going through, and have to handle just to get through a day, let alone function as a productive student in a rigorous, socially challenging school environment. It is heroic that some of them manage to come to school every day in the face of their individual issues. Sometimes we see the outward expression of a young person's anger and frustration and wonder how anyone could act so poorly - Challenge Day gives some insight into why people act out. More importantly, Challenge Day gives kids a solution for helping each other - "Notice, Choose, and Act". Notice other people, their problems and their pain, choose to help, and act on that choice by being there, reaching out, practicing random acts of kindness, and offering a simple greeting, kind word or hug.

If your son or daughter attended Challenge Day, ask them about their experiences. If they didn't, encourage them to pursue it next year. To learn more about the Challenge Day program, and its "Be the Change" motto, visit http://www.challengeday.org . Be the Change!!

The First Help Desk Call

The First Help Desk Call


The standard cliche for evaluating the technical proficiency of an adult always used to be whether that individual could program his or her own vcr without assistance (usually from a child). It's the hallmark of change in the tech world that once we finally master something, it becomes irrelevant - such is the fate of the videocassette recorder. In fact, its replacement, the dvd player, is fast on its way to obsolescence, as the Blu-Ray version becomes the standard. It should come as no surprise then, that schools are victims to the same lag in technology implementation as the rest of the world. Even now, as we evaluate our best technology options for building "Smart" 21st century classrooms, new advances become available at a greater pace than we can even complete studies. Still, as we work to prepare students for jobs that don't yet exist, it is incumbent upon us to take advantage of any hardware or software that gives our students an advantage, better prepares them for life beyond high school, gives new tools to our teachers in the delivery of instruction, and positively impacts the academic achievement of our students.


The Grosse Pointe school district is currently evaluating our classroom technology priorities for the future. Among the things being considered for our high school classrooms are :

1. LCD Projectors - These have become almost essential as teachers use them daily to show powerpoints, websites, interactive web lessons, video clips, project lessons and student work and any number of other options.

2.Smart Boards - Interactive boards that function as large scale interactive computer monitors. The applications for these boards are limitless.

3. Document Cameras - High tech, new and improved versions of the old overheads, these devices are essentially cameras that project images on a screen or wall. For example, a biology teacher can do a dissection under the camera, and have the entire procedure projected live for students to see.

4. Sound systems for recording and amplifying sound.

5. A wide variety of other content specific technologies ranging from GPS labs for Earth Science, to sophisticated graphing calculators, to digital photo labs for photography, to various software and other pieces.

While we may all sometimes feel like the subject of the video on this post, it is critical that we provide our students with a 21st century education. The parents and students of our district have a right to expect that we will be leaders and innovators, and not followers in the efforts to use technology as part of the educational process. Please share your thoughts on technology with school administrators, teachers, board members and central office staff.

Legendary coach John Wooden said, "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be". In today's world, schools that are not moving forward rapidly, and changing fluidly with the times, are quickly left behind. In the coming months we will be demonstrating some of the technologies we are considering for purchase in our classrooms. Watch this site and the Northern Lights newsletter for information on demonstrations for parents, as well as surveys and updates on district technology plans.