Cosmos is Coming....Cosmos is Coming!

Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey starting Sunday, March 9th 

What triggers your curiosity to learn more? Over this long and messy February Break as I was checking Facebook posts, I found this quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson:

I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.

Not only did this resonate with me, but it prompted me to google Neil deGrasse Tyson....which, of course, led to additional clicks along the way. I had read in Parade magazine (there I go again, honey, check post of 8/13/13) about his new Fox/National Geographic show and was intrigued then. But, when I saw the trailer, I was hooked! I cannot wait for Sunday, March 9th to see the first episode. Click here to see the trailer: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Goosebumps, anyone? 

As I continued my Google research, I found more links, which triggered more curiosity about science, religion, our fragile ego systems, poetry, physics, and yes, even politics. One link caught my eye. Entitled "The Greatest Sermon Ever," how could I resist? My father was a Lutheran minister in Baltimore, and I had heard my share of inspiring sermons as a child. Yet, this one I had to check out: Sermon on Cosmic Perspective. Sorry, Dad! This one really got to me. 

We often talk about literacy because it will raise achievement scores, but what about science literacy? There's certainly a push to expand the study of math and science. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs are the rage in education now. Yet, it seems like the primary motivation is that it will strengthen our economy, which is fine, but does it miss the mark? Will economics inspire our young people to learn more, remain curious, become better people, feel connected to others, and improve our world? What do you think? 

Here's another Tyson quote:

Ignorance is a virus. Once it starts spreading, it can only be cured by reason. 

For the sake of humanity, we must be that cure. 

Moonshot Thinking

Have you heard of Moonshot Thinking?

As I was reading other blogs, I was intrigued by this "moonshot thinking" idea and checked it out on YouTube. You can view it by clicking here:  Moonshot Thinking. It was inspiring to hear JFK's voice again as he talked about going to the moon...not because it was easy but because it was hard and no one knew how to do it...yet!

Long before Carol Dweck defined the growth mind-set thinking in her popular book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, human beings have been exploring, creating, innovating, seeking challenges, designing, taking risks, failing, recovering, and viewing their life's work from a different perspective. Just think about Steve Jobs and how his growth mind-set transformed the way we access, store, and organize knowledge--and, not the least of which was the way he altered the way we communicate by reinventing the mobile phone.

I love thinking outside of the box and am committed to encouraging educators and students to do the same. Yet, my practical nature reminds me that we landed on the moon not because the knowledge wasn't there, but because scientists, engineers, and innovators needed a vision, a motivation, and a renewed focus.

So, how does this relate to education? As teachers and administrators head back to school for just a brief three weeks before we have another holiday break, what might inspire us and empower us to make a difference in the lives of our students?

Let me suggest that you check out what's happening in Manor, Texas. Edutopia selected Manor New Technology High School as a School That Works because it has successfully implemented Project-Based Learning (PBL) into its school culture, curriculum, and assessment practices. When you watch its Project-Based Learning: Start to Finish video and read its Step-by-Step Guide, you may conclude that many of these ideas and strategies have been circulating for quite some time: standards, rubrics, peer feedback, entry events, relationships before rigor and relevance, posing a moral dilemma, and multi-media student presentations.

Yo-Yo Ma had this to say about innovation: But an innovation, to grow organically from within, has to be based on an intact tradition, and so our idea is to bring together musicians who represent all these traditions, in workshops, festivals, and concerts, to see how we can connect with each other in music.

We walked on the moon because there was a collective vision and a focus on using knowledge creatively. Can we do the same in our classrooms and schools? Food for thought.

Will Slow and Steady Win the Race?

Are you a speed reader? Do you rush through books and articles? Do you pride yourself on how many pages you can read in an hour, or how many books you can read in a month?

You are not alone! As I read Thomas Newkirk's most recent book, The Art of Slow Reading, it became clear to me that we are doing a disservice both to ourselves and our students with our relentless drive to improve the quantity...and not the quality of reading. In an earlier post, I praised the benefits of close reading, but Newkirk takes this idea a giant step forward with his advocacy of slow reading.

In Chapter 1, Newkirk proudly confesses that he is a slow reader. He defines slow reading as: the relationship we have with what we read, with the quality of attention that we bring to our reading, and with the investment we are willing to make. It is based on the belief that good writing is never consumed (page 2). 

Newkirk recommends that we adopt these Six Time-Honored Practices for Engagement. They are:

1.  Performing: Attending to the texts as dramatic.
2.  Memorizing: Learning "by heart."
3.  Centering: Assigning significance to a part of a text.
4.  Problem finding: Interrupting the flow of reading to note a problem or confusion, and adopting strategies to deal with the problem.
5.  Reading like a writer: Attending to the decisions a writer makes.
6.  Elaborating: Developing the capacity to comment and expand upon texts.

These practices are not new...are they? Do you remember memorizing poems and passages from great literary works, and then performing them in front of your junior high class? I certainly do. At the time, we may have dreaded those moments, yet I bet we remember those words and the meaning of those words much more than what we read silently. If you pick up Newkirk's book, I promise you that you will be intrigued with his critique of the rise of silent reading in Chapter 3.

So, even if the Race to the Top motivates us to improve our instructional practices, let's not forget to ask ourselves this question: Can fluency and literacy be a race? Newkirk gently reminds us that "fluency can never be a race. Faster is not always better" (page 18).

I, too, have a confession. I bought this book last Saturday and actually thought that I would fly through it over the weekend and would be ready to write a blog post about it on Monday. Well, I'm only up to page 68...and guess what? I am savoring every minute of it!

Close Reading as a Habit of Mind

One strategy teachers can use to prepare their students for the increased rigor of the Common Core State Standards is close reading. Close reading was mentioned in the last blog post as an effective literacy strategy that helps students to focus, to think critically, and to make sense of the written word.

Close reading, according to Dr. Douglas Fisher, is "careful and purposeful reading. It's a careful and purposeful rereading of a text. It's an encounter with the text where students really focus on what the author had to say, what the author's purpose was, what the words mean, and what the structure of the text tells us."

Watch Doug Fisher explain the rationale of close reading in this short video clip.

In his iteachircoachiblog post, Court Allam explains five close reading strategies in more detail. He also provides a sample of student work. Have you tried these strategies? Do they work? Do they enable students to "own" their learning?

1.  Number the paragraphs.
2.  Chunk the text.
3.  Underline and circle...with a purpose.
4.  Left margin: What is the author saying?
5.  Right margin: Dig deeper into the text.

Another excellent resource is Kylene Beers and Robert Probst's book, Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading. You can watch them on this YouTube clip, if that's easier.

For me, the most compelling reason to integrate close reading strategies is the realization that we live in such a disjointed, frenetic, fast-paced, and sometimes mindless world. Perhaps we all need to slow down, ponder, reflect, and truly understand what we and others are thinking and feeling. Maybe close reading can become a habit of mind for all of us.

New Angle on Assessments

The August post about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Maine's adoption of the Smarter Balanced assessment generated a lot of blog and email activity. Many of you asked thoughtful questions about how these assessments are created...and the impact of student performance on teacher evaluation.

So, I asked an expert in the field of assessment development...my sister, Gretchen!!  She is currently the Principal Assessment Editor at CTB/McGraw Hill. Gretchen travels across the country working with teachers to craft and refine assessment items and to share insights into the instructional and assessment implications of the Common Core State Standards.  I asked Gretchen the following questions, to which she responded with the caveat that they represent her own ideas based on her experiences. In other words, she is not being a spokesperson for either CTB or its customers. Here then are her responses:

1.  How are the assessment items created? What is the process? How are teachers (active and practicing ones) involved in that process?

2.  How can teachers prepare their students for these rigorous and demanding assessments? What instructional practices do they need to let go of and which ones do they need to implement?

3.  What do you think about including student scores in the teacher evaluation process? What percentage or ratio sounds fair to you? What are some effective ways to do that? 

If you want more information, Gretchen's email is: Gretchen_Schultz@ctb.com.

It is reassuring to know that there are teachers in Maine who are already implementing many of her recommendations. For example, all the teachers (not just English teachers) at Bonny Eagle High School provided direct instruction on close reading strategies this past year. The English department focused its efforts on strengthening argumentative writing skills, and the math department routinely asks students to explain their thinking and conclusions.

These recommendations are practical, manageable, and doable. 
Thanks, Gretchen. You rock!

"Spark" Your Students This Year

I saw this TEDxTC post on Pender Makin's blog, "Views from the Fringe of Public Education." Pender is the Director of the REAL School in RSU #14 and the Maine Principal of the Year.

In his "Sparks: How Youth Thrive" presentation,  Peter Benson, the CEO of Search Institute, inspires us to think about how we can "light the fires" of creativity and resiliency in our students by asking the simple question: "What gives you joy and energy?" Not only do we need to find that spark in each of our students, but we also need to nourish those sparks during their short time with us.

As you know, we can and do make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students.

Hope your school year is filled with energy and joy!

Innovation Goes Mainstream

Do you still check Parade magazine every Sunday? Sometimes my husband teases me that Parade is the first part of the Sunday newspaper that I read. Even though we get the online version of the paper during the week, there's still something about flipping through that thick newspaper each Sunday!

This past Sunday I was delighted to see such a clear educational focus...one that incorporates both innovative ideas and traditional programs, such as recess, art, music, wood shop, and cooking. Michael Brick's article, "Building a Better School Day" emphasizes the importance of educating students to be not only "great test takers but great learners." Here are the seven inspiring ideas that Brick advocates:

1. Begin the day "over easy" with breakfast.
2. Emphasize learning, not testing.
3. Teach 21st-century skills.
4. "Flip" the class work.
5. Say "yes" to recess.
6. Get creative.
7. Go longer--and better.

Education is no longer the exclusive domain of teachers, administrators, and school boards. If Parade magazine informs its readers about "flipped" classrooms, multidisciplinary learning, and project-based learning, we need to be ready to lead the way. What do you think?