As the new school year approaches for my school district and community, I can't help but revisit the fundamental values of education. At the heart of what we (parents, teachers, administrators) want our children to be able to do is learn, right? We want desperately for our students to learn not only about academics and social behaviors but also about themselves as young citizens in our communities; local, national and global. We want our children to learn concepts, skills, and behaviors in hopes that someday they will find their passion and be prepared for success. We want our children to be happy, curious little humans that grow up to become engaged, knowledgeable citizens that make our world a better place.
I spent a day with our district leadership and parent leaders from (almost) all ten of our district schools to have an open discussion about priorities for our students. The formal name for this event was parents and teachers talking together or PT3. The forum was an opportunity for us to brainstorm priorities in student success, explore our thinking in open dialogue, and organize our values into thematic strands. There were two questions we aimed to answer: How do we as a community define student success? How do we as a community work together to ensure success for all students? The initial brainstorms took place with educators and parents meeting in separate rooms and returning to a whole to share priorities. To summarize the entire day into our shared priorities really gets at the heart of what we want for all our children and students. We agreed that we define student success as children that are skilled thinkers and intrinsically motivated. We agreed that we can work together as a community to ensure these priorities by establishing strong school/family partnerships and maintaining consistent standards and expectations for all children. I'd like to think these are the priorities for many school communities around the globe. These are of course ideals in an ever-changing, rapidly growing world.
But what was missing? Student voice. Teacher voice. Or was it? When a community possesses the same values, aims to achieve common goals, and works to ensure the success of all its members, do titles really matter? Yes, learning is messy, very messy and the roles of teachers, administrators and parents can jumble up the whole process with a single misunderstanding or miscommunication. But how powerful is the learning for our children when we all see the same vision, work toward the same goals, AND empower our students with skills and resources? When we as educators embrace an open forum for communication with parents we enhance the learning process for all our children. We help parents understand that teachers, REAL teachers, look at their children as more than test scores and standards. Real teachers embrace their students by name and learn about who they are and what they want to become. Teaching happens when a child is ready to learn and most children become ready to learn when they trust the person they call teacher. Everyone has a teacher they remember. I bet you can think of one right now. Did you trust them? How did they go about earning your trust? I can imagine there is any number of answers to these questions. But I digressed.
Great educators, and great people, have a strong connection between their head and their heart. They are able to connect their beliefs and values with action and conviction. Children see that and learn from it, whether we realize it or not. When we surround our students with great people who are motivated to engage and poised to inspire, incredible things can happen. I am excited for a new school year because the school and district I work in has given an opportunity for parents, teachers, and administrators to focus on what's really at the heart of learning--our children.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Does Elmo know the Common Core?
Summertime. The word evokes so many thoughts and feelings, especially for those employed or involved in the academic realm. For most elementary schools it means summer break! But the reality is many educators spend their summers decompressing from the completed school and gearing up for the next one by attending summer conferences, workshops and learning online. There are many trending topics in education this summer and arguably none seem more eminent than the relatively new Common Core State Standards. Are standards really new anymore? Learning standards and objectives have been at the center of education for my entire life, and the life of many veteran and retired educators. So why do they change? Why do administrators, teachers, parents and other educational stakeholders spend countless hours developing one set of "common standards" for every American student to demonstrate or meet? Haven't we learned by now that all children are different and individuals like to be treated accordingly?! Okay, let me step down from my tiny soap box of rhetorical questioning and offer a crazy idea; one that also requires every child to do something but not for the sake of meeting a standard, rather for the purpose of developing common language through all American children and families.
I propose the new American educational learning standards begin with Sesame Street. Yes, that's right. Those lovable (in the case of Elmo and Big Bird) or despicable (Oh, Oscar) characters are timeless and offer an incredible spectacle of real life scenarios through interpersonal, or inter-stuffed animal, relationships that teach children meaningful lessons about language skills, emotions, relationships, and everyday life. Cable television changed the concept of literacy in a way much the same as the Internet did. Information is delivered to us in various forms of media and it is important that we teach our children accordingly. If every American child were exposed to episodes of Sesame Street before their first day of kindergarten, could you imagine the kinds of connections and applications that could arise for any child, in any classroom around the country? Teachers could build off of characteristics of characters and learn how to express themselves. Let me offer an example...
Oscar the Grouch is a notoriously grouchy character that is consistently ornery about something, often times the elation and happiness of his neighbors on the street. By using Oscar's character disposition as the centerpiece of a primary/early childhood classroom lesson, children can work together to develop strategies about how to deal with other children that become grouchy or annoyed by things happening around them. This lesson is greatly enhanced if every child already knows who Oscar is and the kind of behavior he regularly displays. It helps children learn how to handle individuals in their life that act like Oscar. I bet you can think of an Oscar-like friend or foe in your life. (Watch a subtitled clip in the classroom and you've embedded a couple different teaching options for pre-primary and emerging readers, too.) Alright, I've covered a simple primary lesson, but what about the intermediate grades? Certainly Sesame Street is far too elementary for third, fourth and fifth graders. Let's dig a little deeper.
Sesame Street is a continuous unfolding of character developments, interactions and scenarios, many possessing the traits of good writing, detailed dialogue, and meaningful story lines. For example, look at the relationships surrounding Snuffleupagus. Before you can begin, you need to understand who "Snuffie" is and what character traits he possesses. Once you have profiled him as a character, you can examine his pals and their interactions. How is it that Snuffie can be such good friends with Big Bird, but also maintain a relationship with Oscar the Grouch? What experiences does Snuffie have with his friends that fosters learning of relationship skills? With a little help, students will be able to connect with the emotions and interactions of many characters from the gang. I think you can see where I'm going with this.
Beyond the characters are the human beings that actually embody the puppets. The likes of Kevin Clash, Frank Oz and other puppeteers behind the scenes offer an opportunity to explore a level of intelligence, creativity, commitment and camaraderie that is first class in all regards. The production of Sesame Street has become a mainstay in American homes and is now permeating other parts of the world. There are entire productions of the show that have been developed and aired in native languages in countries like France. Think of the possibilities for developing characters, puppets, scenes, and entire productions in an elementary, middle or high school.
I will admit there is something that seems a little different about the Core Standards than state standards launched from No Child Left Behind, however the common language that is created from standardizing learning experiences for educators in CCSS doesn't necessarily develop common language for the students we work with during the school year. When one child changes schools over the summer, or in the middle of the year, there isn't a common experience report card that gets transferred with them notifying their new teacher of their previous classroom experiences and common school language. But wouldn't it be interesting if there was? (Edmodo is the only platform I've discovered that would allow anything remotely close to this kind of transition assistance.)
Common language is what connects us as educators and humans. Different names for the same thing happen because our language and experiences are different. Research has shown the impact of developing and focusing on common language and goals. Take as an example the 7 Habits of Happy Kids , spawned from the 7 Habits of Healthy People by the late Stephen Covey, that have been integrated in schools across the United States. By using common language, groups of people can more easily focus on working together and eliminate excess dialogue when developing common understandings.
Elmo knows Sesame Street. He knows his neighborhood and has learned how to handle neighbors like Oscar. What if Elmo moved? Well if he moved to Rue Sesame in France he might only have to deal with the language barrier and not the behavior of his new neighbors. But if he moves to a place where the language, people and culture are dis aggregated and don't share common language, it might be a greater challenge to fit in to his new community. What kind of school building, district and community are you a part of? Is there common language, experiences and expectations for students, families and educators or do you spend time discovering different names for the same things?
I propose the new American educational learning standards begin with Sesame Street. Yes, that's right. Those lovable (in the case of Elmo and Big Bird) or despicable (Oh, Oscar) characters are timeless and offer an incredible spectacle of real life scenarios through interpersonal, or inter-stuffed animal, relationships that teach children meaningful lessons about language skills, emotions, relationships, and everyday life. Cable television changed the concept of literacy in a way much the same as the Internet did. Information is delivered to us in various forms of media and it is important that we teach our children accordingly. If every American child were exposed to episodes of Sesame Street before their first day of kindergarten, could you imagine the kinds of connections and applications that could arise for any child, in any classroom around the country? Teachers could build off of characteristics of characters and learn how to express themselves. Let me offer an example...
Oscar the Grouch is a notoriously grouchy character that is consistently ornery about something, often times the elation and happiness of his neighbors on the street. By using Oscar's character disposition as the centerpiece of a primary/early childhood classroom lesson, children can work together to develop strategies about how to deal with other children that become grouchy or annoyed by things happening around them. This lesson is greatly enhanced if every child already knows who Oscar is and the kind of behavior he regularly displays. It helps children learn how to handle individuals in their life that act like Oscar. I bet you can think of an Oscar-like friend or foe in your life. (Watch a subtitled clip in the classroom and you've embedded a couple different teaching options for pre-primary and emerging readers, too.) Alright, I've covered a simple primary lesson, but what about the intermediate grades? Certainly Sesame Street is far too elementary for third, fourth and fifth graders. Let's dig a little deeper.
Sesame Street is a continuous unfolding of character developments, interactions and scenarios, many possessing the traits of good writing, detailed dialogue, and meaningful story lines. For example, look at the relationships surrounding Snuffleupagus. Before you can begin, you need to understand who "Snuffie" is and what character traits he possesses. Once you have profiled him as a character, you can examine his pals and their interactions. How is it that Snuffie can be such good friends with Big Bird, but also maintain a relationship with Oscar the Grouch? What experiences does Snuffie have with his friends that fosters learning of relationship skills? With a little help, students will be able to connect with the emotions and interactions of many characters from the gang. I think you can see where I'm going with this.
Beyond the characters are the human beings that actually embody the puppets. The likes of Kevin Clash, Frank Oz and other puppeteers behind the scenes offer an opportunity to explore a level of intelligence, creativity, commitment and camaraderie that is first class in all regards. The production of Sesame Street has become a mainstay in American homes and is now permeating other parts of the world. There are entire productions of the show that have been developed and aired in native languages in countries like France. Think of the possibilities for developing characters, puppets, scenes, and entire productions in an elementary, middle or high school.
I will admit there is something that seems a little different about the Core Standards than state standards launched from No Child Left Behind, however the common language that is created from standardizing learning experiences for educators in CCSS doesn't necessarily develop common language for the students we work with during the school year. When one child changes schools over the summer, or in the middle of the year, there isn't a common experience report card that gets transferred with them notifying their new teacher of their previous classroom experiences and common school language. But wouldn't it be interesting if there was? (Edmodo is the only platform I've discovered that would allow anything remotely close to this kind of transition assistance.)
Common language is what connects us as educators and humans. Different names for the same thing happen because our language and experiences are different. Research has shown the impact of developing and focusing on common language and goals. Take as an example the 7 Habits of Happy Kids , spawned from the 7 Habits of Healthy People by the late Stephen Covey, that have been integrated in schools across the United States. By using common language, groups of people can more easily focus on working together and eliminate excess dialogue when developing common understandings.
Elmo knows Sesame Street. He knows his neighborhood and has learned how to handle neighbors like Oscar. What if Elmo moved? Well if he moved to Rue Sesame in France he might only have to deal with the language barrier and not the behavior of his new neighbors. But if he moves to a place where the language, people and culture are dis aggregated and don't share common language, it might be a greater challenge to fit in to his new community. What kind of school building, district and community are you a part of? Is there common language, experiences and expectations for students, families and educators or do you spend time discovering different names for the same things?
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