Four Ifs by Nevada Benton

Four Ifs by Nevada Benton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam Creating Cultures of Thinking en-us 2021-04-05 14:07:26 UTC 2022-01-24 13:25:12 UTC hello@padlet.com https://sp-images.summitpost.org/732428.jpg?auto=format&fit=max&h=800&ixlib=php-2.1.1&q=35&s=5ef7584b114548269d1a62d0e0db10c2 4 Ifs: First Consideration mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383234696

If I take these principles seriously, what are the day-to-day implications for my teaching? What might my personal teaching actions and behaviors look like? What might I choose to do differently?

]]> 2021-04-05 14:14:28 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383234696 4Ifs: Question 2 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383245740 2. If our team takes these principles seriously, what are the implications for our collective action and behavior? What new actions would we take on? What current actions or behaviors might we need to change?

]]> 2021-04-05 14:17:11 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383245740 4Ifs Question 3 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383248740 3. If our school takes these principles seriously, what are the implications for our school? What current and future proposals, practices, or policies are needed? Are there any wrongs that need to be righted?

]]> 2021-04-05 14:17:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383248740 4Ifs final question mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383256342
4. If I/we don’t do anything with these principles...what will happen?

]]> 2021-04-05 14:19:44 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383256342 Principle 9 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383412942 2021-04-05 14:57:52 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383412942 Principle 8 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383420712 2021-04-05 14:59:41 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383420712 Principle 7 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383423835 2021-04-05 15:00:28 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1383423835 question 2 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1387917942 What new actions could our team take? Incorporate and provide more opportunities for reflections on student learning and thinking. Practically speaking, I will work on some crew lessons for this. Leading up to student led conferences and celebration of learning as two options for synthesis of student thought. ]]> 2021-04-06 16:12:56 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1387917942 question 1 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1387921576 Learning happens at the point of challenge. We have to get the students to show up, be engaged, have the endurance , grit and interest to not throw in the towel at the moment of challenge. With professional learning for co-workers, we are going to be self-reflective practitioners and will not give up with a challenge, with our students, it’s a different story. It is important to us in regards to students because all of the instructional design, planning won’t get us to that place of learning if the student won’t engage. This idea of differentiation is huge because we need the students to be here, to show up, to try. To have the relationship and the trust with teachers to engage in challenges without checking out.

What might I do differently? Promote student ownership of their learning, more. Find ways to teach self-differentiation, offer opportunities for students to use their strengths with awareness of their areas of growth.

]]> 2021-04-06 16:13:41 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1387921576 question 3 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1387927029 Are there any wrongs that need to be righted?

Mixed ability groupings in our classes provide student to student modeling of not just academic skill sets but also executive functioning skills and most importantly to help create a culture of thinking and model academic dispositions.

]]> 2021-04-06 16:14:48 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1387927029 question. 4 mrsnevadabenton https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1387929182 If we don’t do anything, what will happen?

We don’t want to accidentally track so that students who are English Language Learners and on Special Program supports don’t get provided the same opportunities as other students. With mixed ability groupings, they will get exposed to the high level questions posed by their peers for instance, which currently they are missing out on. That peer modeling helps the students who struggle with generating questions build their own ability to wonder. It also offers exposure and experience showing that it is ok to not know and to ask. It is ok to make mistakes. It doesn’t make you “dumb” to question, but instead makes you “smart.” Making mistakes is one way we learn.

]]> 2021-04-06 16:15:13 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1387929182 Principle 8 Q1 dconnell7 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389116392 If I take the idea that questions drive thinking and learning to hear, then I'll get back to a place where I ask great questions (and foster others' questioning) and then get out of the way. This year has been one of minutiae and management which caused me to lose my focus on learning together and creating space for thinking together. I'm paying dearly for that now by just doing stuff and miss the collective reasoning experiences I've had in the past. ]]> 2021-04-06 21:11:59 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389116392 Question 1 Principal 7 mrapoport1 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389117953 This week i had several plcs with different teams around the topic of differentiation. I have been now reflecting on my role as a coach and what I might need to be refining related to how I differntiate for the individuals and teams I get to work with. Both middle schools, have similar instructional goals forcused on apply strategies to engage marginaized and sometimes disengaged student populations.Thinking about the need to have teacher's transfer these practices to meet the needs of kids everyday, I wonder how oftern I am creating a space for teachers to be in that productive struggle sweet spot in our learning. How can invite more teacher ownership of this process? If learning happens for people at the point of challenge, am I creating that opportunty for all teachers during my interactions in plc?

]]> 2021-04-06 21:12:34 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389117953 Principle 8 Q2 dconnell7 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389123919 Building on my first answer, I want to reopen the dialogue. I miss labs and professional inquiry where we were safe to ask vulnerable questions about our practice. Questions create authenticity and purpose for learning and thinking. Our teams must get back to collaborative discourse and thinking together...asking great questions will spur that on.]]> 2021-04-06 21:15:08 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389123919 Q 2 Principle 8 mrapoport1 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389130169 I am thinking about the team as this group and the many ways we impact the schools we are part of. I wonder about what questions might drive our group to action in spreading the message/practices of this class around creating cultures of thinking

]]> 2021-04-06 21:17:57 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389130169 Principle 8 Q3 dconnell7 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389130440 The wrongs to be made right would be the ways I've treated people this year. The transmission of information rather than the collective sharing of wisdom is not my chosen leadership stance. I feel like I have violated my personal beliefs and my relationships have suffered. Being the one with all of the answers causes you to dig a hole you can't see out of and it isolates you from the great thinking of others. I will be inviting those whom I'm lucky to work alongside regularly into the inquiry. Less me, more others.]]> 2021-04-06 21:18:05 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389130440 jpasschier1 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389130635 Q1:
If I take these seriously, the implications for my day-to-day interactions would be more student voice in the design of the curriculum experiences. I am leaning into the principle that learning happens at point of challenge and strategic questions lead the way, which means that there is more student voice in the design of learning experiences. Our adult perceptions of how learning should go would shift because we start by asking the end-user of what they want and need. ]]> 2021-04-06 21:18:12 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389130635 Question 3 Principle 9 mrapoport1 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389135917 "However, research by David Shernoff found that 75% of the variation in student engagement was attributable to differences in the classroom learning context while only 25% could be explained by students’ own background characteristics" Student engagement (or lack of) is the most common problem of practice I hear in both Durango middle schools. If we take these this serious, how might we create clarity for the instructional pathways needed to engage all students in meaningful learning? Practices at the school level that invite student agency like COL, student let conferences, compelling learning in Expeditions, Elements Aligned-Instruction (when it happens in a class), embedded SEL and community building into content learning, these are current practices I see at EMS. Covid has disrupted some aspects of these this year. If 75% of student engagement is attributed to what happens in the classroom, I wonder about robust focus on solving the grapple of student engagement with these practices that have kids to own their learning, and ultimately act on it. I think we need to create clarity on why a focus on teir 1 instruction and meaningful, engaging learning experience for kids is the pathway, and we create plcs that empower teachers to act on solving this grapple together. ]]> 2021-04-06 21:20:47 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389135917 Q2 jpasschier1 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389137156 If our team takes these seriously, the conversations that were started yesterday in book study (re: grapple and productive struggle) shift how we give students access to the learning. Rather than us spending time designing different tasks for students, we keep them in mind and ask, "Where would "Joe" want to enter this? What would be his first thought? " Instead of]]> 2021-04-06 21:21:20 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389137156 Principle 8 Q4 dconnell7 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389138933 If I /we do nothing, then thinking and learning are at risk. I believe the best gift we can give to others is to create the right context for them to rock at their hustle. By limiting interactions where good questions are at heart of the interaction, we rob ourselves and others of our greatest potential. I also recognize the uniqueness of being a team of visible thinkers. If we stop modeling that way of being, then it will trickle out to our entire organization. For schools to be a culture of thinking for students, they must be cultures of thinking for adults.]]> 2021-04-06 21:22:13 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389138933 Q3 jpasschier1 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389141393 I think that there needs to be discussion and calibration on how we view students. Do we trust student voices? When our students show us their true selves, do we believe them? Or do we continue to build what we believe is what they need? And how do we find that balance between what they need foundationally and where they personally want to go?]]> 2021-04-06 21:23:27 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389141393 Q4 jpasschier1 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389145032 If we don't do anything, we maintain status quo. We continue to build an educational system that has been built on a system that does not serve all students for generations now. As we enter the "re-invention" stage from the pandemic, we must be willing to set some practices that we always used down and try new ones that are more equitable and allow for student ownership. ]]> 2021-04-06 21:25:12 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389145032 4th question mrapoport1 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389155063 If we don't do anything, we might not solve the grapple of student disengagement and nonachievemnt for some groups]]> 2021-04-06 21:29:55 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1389155063 Q1: jvoss22 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1403186513 If I take these seriously I will model it in how I design professional development plans for staff and develop our work plan goals. If the end goal is to have teachers use practices that promote student agency - meaningful goal management and metacognition, practices that build efficacy, growth mindset, meaningful projects, and lesson design that increases a sense of belongingness - then I need to model those practices for staff. Our pd plan should allow for choice, rigor, engage teachers in work that matters, and above all else, they should talk and grapple with ideas far more then I talk! Sometimes I feel like I meet this mark, but I can certainly become more consistent. Another practice I'd like to adopt is to incorporate more time for metacognition into our staff meetings. Meaningful reflection is a great teaching tool and I think I can do a better job providing structures for teachers to do this about their work in promoting student centered classrooms.]]> 2021-04-10 21:37:53 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1403186513 Q2 jvoss22 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1403198556 As a building principal, there is never a shortage of work. So many days I do not complete what I intended to complete. At times, I feel like I move from one crises to the next, while the work I wanted to complete around teaching and learning gets sidelined. In order to do a better job, a lot of my time would be spent organizing professional development, monitoring it's implementation, having courageous conversations to propel our implementation. I really do enjoy this work and it's why I became a principal. However, as crises emerge it is also clear that no one else is available to handle it, so I take them on and the change agent part of my job suffers.]]> 2021-04-10 21:51:06 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1403198556 Q3 jvoss22 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1403207580 We need work plan goals that focus on this work, and each staff gathering needs to spend time grappling with how we can do a better job in these areas. The COVID experience has really been devastating to kids. Yesterday I quarantined a classroom, a soccer team, and 5 football players who missed their first game. In my last parent phone, the mother just wept because her child struggles so much in remote learning and over the past two week had emerged from a period of depression because we had started up football. I don't know what the solution is, but I do know that every time I make one of those calls I am harming a kid and a family. My best hope is that every day I make the world a little bit better place. In my current job, there are too many days where I bear the responsibility to tell dozens of families they can't come to school for two weeks due to the pandemic. I don't really feel like I'm making my contribution on those days.]]> 2021-04-10 22:01:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1403207580 Q4 jvoss22 https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1403214062 If we don't do anything with these principles, I shouldn't have my job.]]> 2021-04-10 22:08:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mrsnevadabenton/durangoCOTteam/wish/1403214062