Network of Performance Based Schools

On Friday, educators around the Northwest got together in Terrace for a Network of Performance Based Schools Meeting. Linda Kaser and Judy Halbert were there as guest speakers and shared their view on what is going on in the world of education, with of course a focus on B.C. Being surrounded by people who embody the mindsets we've been talking and learning about is truly awe inspiring. I was struck by the intense moral purpose shared by so many educators - the goal we all share of making sure each and every one of our learners cross the stage with dignity, pride and options by 2020. As a classroom teacher, that goal is indeed daunting, and at times seemingly impossible, but when I think about how I feel after each Network meeting, I realize that learning communities make even the most difficult tasks possible. I see true power in learning communities, and that they just don't happen magically on their own. They require intense thought and design to make sure they are working properly. I connect deeply to Mitchell and Sackney who in their book "Sustainable Improvement: Building Learning Communities that Endure" talk about the PRINCIPLES of ENGAGEMENT when referring to high capacity learning communities. These principles are:
1. deep respect
2. collective responsibility
3. experiment orientation
4. appreciation of diversity
5. positive role modeling

The Network of Performance Based Schools has endured for over 10 years with little to no funding, serving no agenda other than improving the learning and success of B.C. students using formative assessment, networking and inquiry. It has made a huge impact in my work as an educator. I now see why. They embody the principles of engagement. My next challenge is putting what I know into action. How can I create a meaningful learning community in my own school that is deep and influential so that we can meet the needs of all our diverse learners?

changing behaviour

we talked about changing behaviour a few times in class over the weekend and it made me think of this clip. Hope you enjoy it.

http://www.crucialskills.com/2009/09/all-washed-up/

Miscellaneous

Welcome, Eagles!

As students in each group choose identifying metaphors, there are repeated images, often chosen for different reasons. For one group, it was the hardy, cheeful sunflower, and so they remain "the sunflowers" in my mind long after they've graduated. Maybe this habit of linking a group with an image is reminiscent of my primary teaching days. Over the years, I taught the River Room, the Sunshine Room, and the Huskies. I once drew a cartoon of Primary Polly, a wise-beyond-her-years young teacher who said, "You know you're really in trouble when your students choose the slug as their mascot"! But luckily, mine never did. A common metaphor gave us a sense of identity as a community and helped to create the relationships that allow children to learn from each other, which by far magnifies the learning that will occur when the teacher is the only source. So, in this new video-linked northwestern BC cohort, we had much diversity but we did have two eagles, enough to make the image more vivid than others. So welcome, eagles. May this time in your life be a great time of renewal. I will come back later to explain the link between eagles and renewal that I learned from Marilyn, a student from Singapore. Check back soon...and feel free to respond to the blog invitation and post your own identity images.

Trusting Relationships Needed First

Kaser and Halbert (2009) state "when adult relationships in schools are characterized by trust, the stories about change shift from indifference or negativity to possibility and hope." A trusting relationship is essential to making any change. This relationship seems easy for successful leaders to make and sustain, while other leaders have difficultly building trust, and then there are the leaders that build relationships and lose trust through lack of integrity. In Kaser and Halbert (2009), Solomon and Flores (2001) are quoted, " Trust is cultivated through speech, conversation, commitments, and action. Trust is never something 'already at hand, it is always a matter of human effort. It can and often must be conscientiously created, not simply taken for granted."(p.87). In my opinion, relationships need to be build prior to trust being given. Leaders need to get to know and show interest in their people personally, to have invested time and energy into finding out what they think, believe, what their interests are, and who their families are. Is this necessary for trust to develop? Are there other ways, that trust can be developed?

Intense Moral Purpose

To have an Intense Moral Purpose mindset, leaders must be passionately focused on the quality and equity of education. Leaders must be intensely committed to making a difference in the lives of young people. These leaders need to stay focused on creating success for these students whatever the odds are against them. I believe, in order to make a difference for these young people, leaders need to build emotional connections with students, especially the vulnerable ones. These students need to believe and feel that leaders care for their well-being, intellectually, emotionally and socially. Leaders, I admired were able to make connections with students and consequently make a difference for them. Does the emotional connection have to come first prior to students having high quality learning experiences?

Networked Leadership

Kaser and Halbert present the idea of networked leadership through the Network of Performance Based Schools. There are common characteristics of being part of a network including: team work, interdependence, inquiry, asssessment, public communication, depth of thinking, connecting ideas, metacognition and use of evidence. Is it possible to experience all of these characteristics? What kinds of barriers can prevent them? How can these barriers be overcome?