Learning is a Process, not a Product

It is impossible to overexxagerate the impact technology has had on our society.  I can carry thousands of songs in my fingertips.  I can connect with people around the world via social media.  I can "google" the answers to questions I may have or access an interactive map to help me get from place to place.  I can carry hundreded of books with me at a time on my iPad.  But what does this mean for the students in our schools?  What does it mean for us as educators? 

Last Friday and Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the NEASCD conference in Boston.  This was an amazing experience during which I was able to learn about new ways to truly promote student learning so that our children are ready to face the challenges of the 21st century.  The keynote speaker on Friday was a man by the name of Will Richardson.  He is a former public school teacher who challenges people to think about this changing world in which we live and the associated implications for schools and learning.

The part of his presentation that really struck me related to an analogy he made between schools and newspapers.  He stated, "Newspapers were created to deliver information.  Schools were created to deliver an education." This worked when there was limited access to information and teachers.  However, many of us know hold access to whatever data we want in the palms of our hands.   We now can get the news from an abundance of sources.   We can google just about anything and connect with content experts of any age around the world instantaneously.  Students can access information and teachers online at any hour of the day.  In order to stay relevant schools must also change to meet the needs of our new reality. If schools no longer are the only vehicle to "deliver education" what should our focus be?

He continued his presentation by sharing unique learning opportunities that exist for all of us.  Richardson described learning now as, "Mobile. Networked. Global, Collaborative. Self-directed. On-demand. Transparent. Personalized." The challenge before us now is to effectively help our students to access the resources available to us and develop true life-long learners. Learning is a process, not a product.  As Eric Hoffer wrote, "In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."  I'm not writing with any amazing solutions to this challenge, but promise to keep the impact of our new realities in the forefront as I work within this community of learners to help our students achieve.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you one of my favorite Thanksgiving stories.  It is called 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey.  The story is an adaptation of the familar poem written by Clement Moore.  In it, a group of eight children go on a field trip to a turkey farm on the day before Thanksgiving.  The children spend the day playing with the turkeys and form a bond with them.  At the end of the day they realize what Farmer MacNuggett has in store for their future. The children decide to take matters into their own hands.  As they leave the farm on their bus they are all a bit plumper and the turkeys are mysteriously missing.  At each of the children's homes the next day Thanksgiving dinner is a vegetarian experience with an extra guest.

Now, I am not advocating for people to not eat turkey on the holiday.  (It will definitely be on my menu.)  But what I love about the story is the message.  At the end, the turkeys are very thankful for the kindness that has been shown to them.  It is so important to be thankful for the opportunites and advantages we have, but we also need to be thankful kindness shown.    So often it is easy to focus on what is negative and difficult.  I would like to challenge all members of the DT community to do two things: Show kindness to someone AND recognize the kindness shown by others.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday!

Smile, Davis Thayer!

Last Thursday, students at DT had the opportunity to meet with and learn from Bren Bataclan.  Mr. Bataclan is a local artist who creates whimsical characters with the intent of making people smile.   While he sells some of his work, since 2003 he has been creating other paintings and leaving them for people in cities across the country and all over the world.  Along with each free painting is a message.  These messages used to ask people to smile at one another.  Now, with the down turn of our economy, they encourage people to believe everything will be okay. This is a link to a story CBS news shared about him:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/22/eveningnews/main5104546.shtml?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea

Mr. Bataclan worked with all of the students at Davis Thayer to teach them how to draw his characters.  His message is simple: a smile is universally understood and can spread joy and laughter.   At the end of his presentation he donated a piece of art to the school.  Later in the day each of our fifth grade classes had the opportunity to spend time with him and do some more creating.  Students drew on their own and even collaborated to create illustrations in groups. Mr. Bataclan encouraged students to not worry about being "right" about how they drew but to add their own elements to the drawing.  
We were very fortunate to have Mr. Bataclan here.  Students are continuing to draw his characters and spread smiles across the school!  We hope they continue to apply his message of spreading hope and happiness using a universally recognized symbol, a smile :-).

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I was involved in an interesting conversation a couple of weeks ago after watching a video interview of Jimmy Page, guitarist from Led Zepplin.  In the interview he was just 14 years old, and aspired to be not a rock star but a scientist.  Then one of our music teachers, Mr. Barrett, shared with me that Brian May of Queen has a Ph.D. in astrophysics!  It started me thinking.  When we ask children what they want to be when they grow up, often we hear about hopes to be professional athletes, musicians, or movie stars.    Why don't they think about careers that involve math or science?  Should we care?   

I think we should!  In an article in the US News and World Report on September 27, 2011, it talks about how jobs of the future revolve around math and science. (http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/09/27/why-math-and-science-education-means-more-jobs?PageNr=1)   The technology we rely on every day was invented by someone.  Our phones, computers, and cars didn't miraculously appear one day, they are the products of the ideas and efforts of people. It led me to think about individuals such as Steve Jobs and the wide impact his ideas have had on our lives.  The children in school today will become the inventors, researchers, and scientists of tomorrow.  The world in which they will live will likely be vastly different from our reality today. It is our responsibility to prepare them to be able to be collaborative problem-solvers and build within them the capacity to generate new ideas.

So, how do we create interest in careers in math and science?   How do we help them to be creative thinkers?   I encourage you to help inspire curiousity in our children.  When they ask questions, help your children find or discover the answers rather than just giving them.  Ask children to make predictions and hypotheses and talk about their reasons for their thinking.  Who knows, maybe the next Steve Jobs could be right here at DT!

The MCAS Results are Here

     As many of you are likely aware, we have received the information as to how students in different school districts performed on last spring’s MCAS testing.  Third, fourth and fifth grade students  across Massachusetts, including those at Davis Thayer, participated in these assessments. We use data from these assessments to review curriculum and instruction.  This data is also used to help us monitor the progress of individual students.   It is our performance on MCAS, along with other factors, that determines whether or not we make adequate yearly progress (AYP).  It is a measure of how well we are progressing towards meeting the standards set by NCLB. 

 

     NCLB stands for No Child Left Behind.  It was passed in 2001 and reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  It changed federal efforts to support elementary and secondary education.  NCLB has five main goals.  The most recognized of these goals is for all children to reach high standards; at a minimum attaining proficiency or better in reading/language arts and mathematics by 2014.

     As schools work towards achieving this goal, their progress is described in terms of AYP.  AYP represents how all students, both in the aggregate and in subgroups of 40 or more students, are progressing towards demonstrating proficiency in reading/language arts and mathematics.  In Massachusetts, progress is measured in 2-year cycles based on MCAS scores.  It is shown by a score referred to as the CPI, or composite performance index.  CPI is determined by MCAS performance.  Every two years the CPI required to make AYP increases.  Points are assigned based upon individual student scores on MCAS.  Students receive 100 points for achieving scores that are proficient or advanced.  They receive fewer point amounts for lower scores.   The total number of points earned by all students in a school is divided by the total number of students assessed in a given content area. This becomes a school's CPI.

     For a school (grades 1-8) to make adequate yearly progress towards achieving proficiency in all students, they must have assessed at least 95% of students, must have met the state CPI goal or their individual improvement CPI goal, and have at least a 92% attendance rate, or show at least a 1% improvement in attendance from the previous year.   With this model it is possible for lower performing schools to achieve AYP while higer performing schools miss their targets.

     As you begin to see and hear more about how different schools are performing, keep in mind that we all have the same ultimate goal.  We want to provide ALL students with the skills and tools to achieve.  MCAS is just one measure of our work, but it is an important measure.   It is necessary to keep in mind that it is a child’s cumulative educational experience that will prepare him or her to develop the skills to be college or career ready.  As a school we review MCAS performance, as well as data on local assessments, in order to monitor the progress of all students.  What students learn throughout their years at school is very important to their future success.   By working collaboratively, we will be able to support our children as they strive to attain high standards of achievement.

Off to a Great Start!

Welcome to my blog!  I want to thank all members of the Davis Thayer community for their warm welcome as I begin my first year at DT as principal.  At this time I am well on my way to establishing a clear picture of where we are as a school.  I appreciate so much all the input I have received from parents, community members, teachers, and students.  I am in the process of taking all of the data I have compiled and working to collaboratively create a vision of where we would like to go. 

A big part of this process is me getting to know all of you.  I have been spending time in classrooms learning students' names and developing relationships.  During that time I am talking with students about what it means to me to be a principal.  I am sharing with them that as principal I have two very important jobs.  The first job is to make sure that everyone is safe, both physically and emotionally.  The second job is to be sure they are learning every day.  To that end, I am explaining that they all have a very important job each day, and that is to try, or "never give up" in the words of one of our second graders.  Praising student effort rather than just achievement is key in helping students develop the ability to tackle challenges.  Often children relate finding a task difficult or making a mistake as a reflection of their intelligence.  In an article in the Summer 2008 volume of Educational Leadership Carol S. Dweck writes, "The wrong kind of praise creates self-defeating behavior. The right kind motivates students to learn."  Remember to praise students for working hard and giving it their all is key to helping students develop perseverence!  As many people have said in the past, smart isn't something you are, but something you become.

I look forward to continuing to build our relationship and developing a plan to help brings us where we want to go!
Mrs. Wilson