On a personal level, my vision for our school is that we will have leadership teams designed to integrate all subject areas into one core curriculum. This would include the “specials” which have the capacity to increase the richness of the academic experience and possibly increase student retention through personalized education plans and cross curricular support. I understand that this may sound unreasonable given the current proclivity to cram as much information onto a state assessment as possible and the strain that is placed upon educators to fit an extraordinary amount of curriculum into what is really a very a short period of time. However, when an education plan is personalized to individual student needs (which we already largely do through differentiation) there is a greater chance for student success. To sum up the idea, I would like to see a school made of individual microcosms all working toward the goal of producing a well rounded 21st century creative thinker able to appreciate and freely contribute to many different social structures. I am not really certain of all of the leadership models that we have here at Newark Valley. I have seen evidence of the hierarchical model. Even our committees and department meetings are organized this way. If there is another model in place I am unaware of it, though there has been movement toward a more team-based structure in the eighth grade team and inception of the ninth grade academy this year. There has been evidence in the past of a PLC structure on professional development days, but there does not seem to be many of these. Again, I cannot really say how decisions are made in our school since I have only a limited view on the administrative workings here. What I have seen though is that data is collected, assessed, shunted to another committee, assessed again and a plan is formed. The plan is implemented via the administration and disseminated to the faculty. These decisions are seemingly made by the district office and often seem to catch the faculty by surprise even though the data is presumably collected from their assessments. Please note that a lot of this may simply be my misunderstanding of what it is that I am seeing or a misinterpretation of what has come before. If so, please let me know.
Personally I envision a school centered on authentic learning activities. Core courses should be integrated with life skills and practical applications based on core competencies. My view of NV’s leadership style is a traditional approach, the flow of information and direction stem from administration. At the high school we are separated into departments by subject, while the elementary & middle schools are grouped by grade level, which makes me question which is more effective?
I am not sure if students truly understand the need for their learning in some of their core classes. I feel very fortunate that the courses I teach are authentic. I very rarely hear, “why do I have to learn this,” or “where am I going to use this.” I believe student’s performance will change when their learning is authentic. This may be difficult for some teachers and not for others. Who knows, maybe it is going on and I’m not aware of it.
Newark Valley has traditionally operated on the hierarchical model, leader at the top, who is in charge of overseeing teachers, who are in charge of overseeing students. Currently, the district is slowly moving in the direction of PLC. At this point, I can’t really say where we are.
As for decisions being made in our school, it seems to be more from the top--down. Teachers may give input when asked but not sure if and when it is used.
I agree that students often don't see the importance of their education. In my vision of our school, there is a culture change within the school community. I find most students have an easier time actively engaging in their 'specials' classes because they may connect to a real world process, or have immediate immersion or appreciation for what they are doing. They sometimes speak of a 'core' class as though they have a hard time seeing value in that achievement. I remember as a student, I had favorite classes because of whatever immediate connection or gratification I got, but realized that I needed to try my best at each subject because it was expected. My vision of our school would include embedded staff development time (as in Fir Grove elem & Lake Oswego Jr H.S.) during the day to let teachers work together to craft more engaging & cross curricular work. At the same time, we would develop a more robust learning culture within the student body (possibly starting with the 'summer school' mentality held by many students) where effort is expected because it is what is right & healthy for their future, not because the subject is exciting or immediately gratifying. I would say that our school is a hierarchical system with the general flow going from the top down.
There may be a large portion of students that see their education as something that they have to "go through the motions" with and do not truly understand how this can impact their life. I believe that an educational system should not be memorize and regurgitate. There needs to be a practical application of information or skills to give each student's perspective on education meaning. I envision our school (not unlike burton) as a system that is able to meet the state standards but throw off the yoke of political oppression and give students a say in their education. Where students are taking a full course load and changing the mindset of "I need a study hall" or "This can't be used later in life." Last evening my jazz groups attended a concert in Ithaca that in a small way (or large) impacted our students lives. Many of these students had never seen a live professional concert, let alone one that involved jazz. There faces were in awe for almost 2 hours worth of music. This application of learning is going to shape and change the way some of our students think.
I know I am a rookie teacher but much of what is involved in the leadership hierarchy is a top down system. However, we do have models in place for staff mentorship, and non tenured teachers are asked to attend monthly morning meetings to give a sense of interdependence. It may not seem like much but the "relationships" that the books mention about staff communication happens when staff get together over a cup of coffee, treadway fridays, or some other "social" event in which you're able to bounce ideas off of one another.
I see our school slowly moving in the direction of a PLC environment. I've seen evidence of that with 9th grade academy and the new mentoring program to help lower drop out rates. Also the 8th grade trip to Alexander Pond has had a positive effect on our students.
Even though the APPR is administrative down and we're given a selection of how we want to be evaluated, it allows teachers across curriculums to come together for common goals and to share ideas. I remember a few years ago how helpful it was to me to be with teachers from different departments.I realized that we had the same concerns, and standards for our students. I remember that I was disappointed the next year when the group was focussed on 8th graders and since I don't teach that level, I didn't participate and decided to do journaling instead.
I like the direction that the school is heading in. The atmosphere has been very positive especially with the renovations to the building.I know that's cosmetic, but students and staff have more pride in our surroundings. I think that as a whole, if we could cross departments and share common goals and ideas, (and not just at a superintendents conf. day) we'd be moving in the right direction.
Hi everyone. I am one of the authors, Donna Bates. I read what you all said about your vision for your school and I am very excited. Jan and I are working on a companion book to the leadership book where we write about many of the ideas you have expressed here about teaching and learning. We are calling it Intersections because the critical intersections between best teaching practice and personalized learning is critical to student acxhievement. The vision you have for your students is certainly attainable but, from my viewpoint at least, it requires teachers to develop and share a common vision for student success. I am so pleased to be a part of this blog, after I finally figured out what to do! I admit to being technologically incompetent at times.
It is interesting for me to read the comments that have been written. After being here for 28 years, I can definitely feel a shift in perception, as well as practice. It does seem that we have a traditional "top down" leadership in place in our school and district. I can honestly say that we have maintained elements of that leadership, but I can certainly see the tide changing in some ways. The idea of PLC has been instituted at our conference days and does need to expand. I also see where the functions of department chairs have changed over the years. In the past, department chairs typically oversaw the budget process for their departments and little else. Today there is a greater expectation for leading the department, from meetings held monthly to discussions among the chairs and with our principal. I feel the tide is turning, even if it is not dramatic. And, that could be a good thing since we are often so resistant of change. Continuing down this path will surely strengthen our school. One piece that is missing perhaps is more training? I think department chairs agree to take on that role, but don't necessarily have any preparation for assuming the duties that are now required.
As to the other piece of the conversation--that of authentic learning. I agree wholeheartedly of its importance. As a social studies teacher, there are many authentic opportunities for my course. We are all citizens and we vote, coomplain about our leadership (like schools!), wish for world peace (ha) etc.... Until the curriculum changes at the state level, we are boxed into our places. Until we see the state exams and expectations change, we continue to do that balancing act of trying to make students see the value of the material while making sure they have what they need to succeed on the Regents exams. And, let's face facts... not every student is meant for college and therefore the premise upon which our courses are based has weakness. Thank goodness there are other opportunities for student success!
Hello- I want to start by apologizing for being late. I promise to be on my A game from here on out.
When I was reading everyone’s posts, I was happy to see that I was not alone with some of my thoughts and ideas. I completely agree that we need to continue to focus on developing authentic experiences for our students. I have spent much of the last year studying 21st century learning and I believe these concepts should be in the forefront of our thinking when we are planning lessons and assessments.
In my ideal situation we would work in a school where teachers could co-teach and collaborate in order to create authentic and meaningful programs for our students. I think that in our district we are lacking in the teamwork department. We are working towards this model with the 8th and 9th grade but I think we could go a lot further. As a music teacher, I believe that I have a lot to offer other classes, especially the "core" classes. Not only is it important for me to teach my students how to read music and appreciate the musical world around them but my content is designed to reaffirm and develop understanding of other subject areas. If we could figure out a way to utilize each other I believe that our students would see more of a connection between subjects and to "real life".
The leadership here at the high school is somewhat unique in that our principal not only taught here but was also thepresident of the Teachers' Union. Therefore, she has a depth and breadth of knowledge and experience that constantly works to our advantage. The building principal also values the opinions of her staff,continually referring to the appropriate people for background info and perspective. With a new superintendent starting at the end of the month, we as a teaching staff will have to learn how to work with him and also teach him about us, our culture, our needs, our styles, and our students. :)
On a personal level, my vision for our school is that we will have leadership teams designed to integrate all subject areas into one core curriculum. This would include the “specials” which have the capacity to increase the richness of the academic experience and possibly increase student retention through personalized education plans and cross curricular support. I understand that this may sound unreasonable given the current proclivity to cram as much information onto a state assessment as possible and the strain that is placed upon educators to fit an extraordinary amount of curriculum into what is really a very a short period of time. However, when an education plan is personalized to individual student needs (which we already largely do through differentiation) there is a greater chance for student success.
ReplyDeleteTo sum up the idea, I would like to see a school made of individual microcosms all working toward the goal of producing a well rounded 21st century creative thinker able to appreciate and freely contribute to many different social structures.
I am not really certain of all of the leadership models that we have here at Newark Valley. I have seen evidence of the hierarchical model. Even our committees and department meetings are organized this way. If there is another model in place I am unaware of it, though there has been movement toward a more team-based structure in the eighth grade team and inception of the ninth grade academy this year. There has been evidence in the past of a PLC structure on professional development days, but there does not seem to be many of these.
Again, I cannot really say how decisions are made in our school since I have only a limited view on the administrative workings here. What I have seen though is that data is collected, assessed, shunted to another committee, assessed again and a plan is formed. The plan is implemented via the administration and disseminated to the faculty. These decisions are seemingly made by the district office and often seem to catch the faculty by surprise even though the data is presumably collected from their assessments.
Please note that a lot of this may simply be my misunderstanding of what it is that I am seeing or a misinterpretation of what has come before. If so, please let me know.
Personally I envision a school centered on authentic learning activities. Core courses should be integrated with life skills and practical applications based on core competencies. My view of NV’s leadership style is a traditional approach, the flow of information and direction stem from administration. At the high school we are separated into departments by subject, while the elementary & middle schools are grouped by grade level, which makes me question which is more effective?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if students truly understand the need for their learning in some of their core classes. I feel very fortunate that the courses I teach are authentic. I very rarely hear, “why do I have to learn this,” or “where am I going to use this.” I believe student’s performance will change when their learning is authentic. This may be difficult for some teachers and not for others. Who knows, maybe it is going on and I’m not aware of it.
ReplyDeleteNewark Valley has traditionally operated on the hierarchical model, leader at the top, who is in charge of overseeing teachers, who are in charge of overseeing students. Currently, the district is slowly moving in the direction of PLC. At this point, I can’t really say where we are.
As for decisions being made in our school, it seems to be more from the top--down. Teachers may give input when asked but not sure if and when it is used.
I agree that students often don't see the importance of their education. In my vision of our school, there is a culture change within the school community. I find most students have an easier time actively engaging in their 'specials' classes because they may connect to a real world process, or have immediate immersion or appreciation for what they are doing. They sometimes speak of a 'core' class as though they have a hard time seeing value in that achievement. I remember as a student, I had favorite classes because of whatever immediate connection or gratification I got, but realized that I needed to try my best at each subject because it was expected. My vision of our school would include embedded staff development time (as in Fir Grove elem & Lake Oswego Jr H.S.) during the day to let teachers work together to craft more engaging & cross curricular work. At the same time, we would develop a more robust learning culture within the student body (possibly starting with the 'summer school' mentality held by many students) where effort is expected because it is what is right & healthy for their future, not because the subject is exciting or immediately gratifying.
ReplyDeleteI would say that our school is a hierarchical system with the general flow going from the top down.
There may be a large portion of students that see their education as something that they have to "go through the motions" with and do not truly understand how this can impact their life. I believe that an educational system should not be memorize and regurgitate. There needs to be a practical application of information or skills to give each student's perspective on education meaning.
ReplyDeleteI envision our school (not unlike burton) as a system that is able to meet the state standards but throw off the yoke of political oppression and give students a say in their education. Where students are taking a full course load and changing the mindset of "I need a study hall" or "This can't be used later in life." Last evening my jazz groups attended a concert in Ithaca that in a small way (or large) impacted our students lives. Many of these students had never seen a live professional concert, let alone one that involved jazz. There faces were in awe for almost 2 hours worth of music. This application of learning is going to shape and change the way some of our students think.
I know I am a rookie teacher but much of what is involved in the leadership hierarchy is a top down system. However, we do have models in place for staff mentorship, and non tenured teachers are asked to attend monthly morning meetings to give a sense of interdependence. It may not seem like much but the "relationships" that the books mention about staff communication happens when staff get together over a cup of coffee, treadway fridays, or some other "social" event in which you're able to bounce ideas off of one another.
I see our school slowly moving in the direction of a PLC environment. I've seen evidence of that with 9th grade academy and the new mentoring program to help lower drop out rates. Also the 8th grade trip to Alexander Pond has had a positive effect on our students.
ReplyDeleteEven though the APPR is administrative down and we're given a selection of how we want to be evaluated, it allows teachers across curriculums to come together for common goals and to share ideas. I remember a few years ago how helpful it was to me to be with teachers from different departments.I realized that we had the same concerns, and standards for our students. I remember that I was disappointed the next year when the group was focussed on 8th graders and since I don't teach that level, I didn't participate and decided to do journaling instead.
I like the direction that the school is heading in. The atmosphere has been very positive especially with the renovations to the building.I know that's cosmetic, but students and staff have more pride in our surroundings. I think that as a whole, if we could cross departments and share common goals and ideas, (and not just at a superintendents conf. day) we'd be moving in the right direction.
Hi everyone. I am one of the authors, Donna Bates. I read what you all said about your vision for your school and I am very excited. Jan and I are working on a companion book to the leadership book where we write about many of the ideas you have expressed here about teaching and learning. We are calling it Intersections because the critical intersections between best teaching practice and personalized learning is critical to student acxhievement. The vision you have for your students is certainly attainable but, from my viewpoint at least, it requires teachers to develop and share a common vision for student success. I am so pleased to be a part of this blog, after I finally figured out what to do! I admit to being technologically incompetent at times.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting for me to read the comments that have been written. After being here for 28 years, I can definitely feel a shift in perception, as well as practice. It does seem that we have a traditional "top down" leadership in place in our school and district. I can honestly say that we have maintained elements of that leadership, but I can certainly see the tide changing in some ways. The idea of PLC has been instituted at our conference days and does need to expand. I also see where the functions of department chairs have changed over the years. In the past, department chairs typically oversaw the budget process for their departments and little else. Today there is a greater expectation for leading the department, from meetings held monthly to discussions among the chairs and with our principal. I feel the tide is turning, even if it is not dramatic. And, that could be a good thing since we are often so resistant of change. Continuing down this path will surely strengthen our school. One piece that is missing perhaps is more training? I think department chairs agree to take on that role, but don't necessarily have any preparation for assuming the duties that are now required.
ReplyDeleteAs to the other piece of the conversation--that of authentic learning. I agree wholeheartedly of its importance. As a social studies teacher, there are many authentic opportunities for my course. We are all citizens and we vote, coomplain about our leadership (like schools!), wish for world peace (ha) etc.... Until the curriculum changes at the state level, we are boxed into our places. Until we see the state exams and expectations change, we continue to do that balancing act of trying to make students see the value of the material while making sure they have what they need to succeed on the Regents exams. And, let's face facts... not every student is meant for college and therefore the premise upon which our courses are based has weakness. Thank goodness there are other opportunities for student success!
Hello- I want to start by apologizing for being late. I promise to be on my A game from here on out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading everyone’s posts, I was happy to see that I was not alone with some of my thoughts and ideas. I completely agree that we need to continue to focus on developing authentic experiences for our students. I have spent much of the last year studying 21st century learning and I believe these concepts should be in the forefront of our thinking when we are planning lessons and assessments.
In my ideal situation we would work in a school where teachers could co-teach and collaborate in order to create authentic and meaningful programs for our students. I think that in our district we are lacking in the teamwork department. We are working towards this model with the 8th and 9th grade but I think we could go a lot further. As a music teacher, I believe that I have a lot to offer other classes, especially the "core" classes. Not only is it important for me to teach my students how to read music and appreciate the musical world around them but my content is designed to reaffirm and develop understanding of other subject areas. If we could figure out a way to utilize each other I believe that our students would see more of a connection between subjects and to "real life".
The leadership here at the high school is somewhat unique in that our principal not only taught here but was also thepresident of the Teachers' Union. Therefore, she has a depth and breadth of knowledge and experience that constantly works to our advantage. The building principal also values the opinions of her staff,continually referring to the appropriate people for background info and perspective. With a new superintendent starting at the end of the month, we as a teaching staff will have to learn how to work with him and also teach him about us, our culture, our needs, our styles, and our students. :)
ReplyDelete