Most Likely to Succeed Film Discussion Back Channel by Bo Gorcesky

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 16:11:45 UTC

Login to your Padlet (so your posts will attribute to you). Post questions for discussion here. No need to answer the questions yet. We will do that in our follow up Socratic Seminar. :D

Mquillen22 — 2018-06-19 16:44:20 UTC

We have ALL had our "This is BULL" moment...... When did it happen for you? Your students? Your children? How can we make our classrooms interesting enough to make kids WANT to LEARN?

jgorcesky2 — 2018-06-19 16:46:06 UTC

When will robots learn to be creative? Or is there job security there?

kboneillo — 2018-06-19 16:47:09 UTC

Maybe the next shift, has to look at teaching learners differently depending on the child. Education says differentiate but in the end we still move our students through the same curriculum and take the same tests. Maybe the "college framework" needs to be applied to the public school framework.

ccondelli1 — 2018-06-19 16:47:22 UTC

What will happen when robots take over the small jobs that people do on an everyday basis? How long until teachers get replaced by robots who know subject matter?

2018-06-19 16:48:12 UTC

Why do we still follow the "Committee of Ten" model of teaching where we teach in silos: Math, English, Social Studies, Science, etc.? How do we change the system within the confines we have now?

rmyers002 — 2018-06-19 16:51:01 UTC

With all the changes to IT, how long before subjects like Science and Social Studies become obsolete? Will History repeat itself and our current model of education be reverted to only the following subject matters: Math, ELA, Computer Science???? I mean technically, even a robot, can pass a standardized test.

jhinshaw — 2018-06-19 16:51:31 UTC

All makes complete sense that we need to change our schooling as a whole; but it’s a daunting task and It makes our little ripples feel insignificant and overwhelming.

aderemer — 2018-06-19 16:54:14 UTC

This video and the 5c's would work well and engage students if we continued to have classes wood shop, metal shop, and home economics in middle school (not sure if they are in other schools around the district). The removal of these types of classes have resulted in schools focusing more on the core four content areas. Do you any schools have these type of classes anymore?

kboneillo — 2018-06-19 16:54:59 UTC

This reminds me of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY2mRM4i6tY

ksmerdon — 2018-06-19 16:56:08 UTC

If we aren't excited about what we are teaching, how are students supposed to be excited about it?

krothberg — 2018-06-19 16:57:45 UTC

Socratic Seminars are extremely beneficial, but they are definitely something that you need to teach students how to participate in. It may take a few tries to get that meaningful discussion, but when you do it's so powerful. How can we, as teachers, get students to take it and allow it to "run itself", especially when they have been trained for years to "raise your hand to speak"?

jgorcesky2 — 2018-06-19 16:57:57 UTC

WHAT?!? Teachers teach what they want? How can you incorporate that passion into your class?

2018-06-19 16:59:07 UTC

We need administrators and board members that support this change. Parents are going to struggle with this......not the students!

Mquillen22 — 2018-06-19 16:59:35 UTC

I would LOVE to visit High Tech High! Check some of the student projects HERE! WOW!

aderemer — 2018-06-19 16:59:45 UTC

Are the students still required to take state standardized assessments? This school is amazing, and I think all students could benefit from this type of instruction. However, the mindset at the state level needs to change. Will a video like this be presented to principals/coaches/board members?

2018-06-19 17:00:00 UTC

How do we get the district, state, and federal levels to buy into this to allow more freedom in ALL schools?

cbledsoe — 2018-06-19 17:02:05 UTC

Being able to teach 7th grade science this year and not being required to take a standardized test at the end of the year was AHHHHmazing! I had the opportunity to stray from the plan most days, it also allowed me to get to know my students on a whole new level!

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:02:14 UTC

How is creation and collaboration making the learning more relevant to students at High Tech High? How can we incorporate these lessons in our classrooms?

2018-06-19 17:03:30 UTC

How can we convince administrators/powers that be that scripted curriculum programs are hurting and not helping? How to not keep subjects separate? How to allow for project and problem based learning?

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:04:06 UTC

To put my feelings in student friendly language:

jhayden6 — 2018-06-19 17:04:17 UTC

Students seem to learn from exploring . How could we do this more often in all subject areas?

rroberson2 — 2018-06-19 17:04:49 UTC

Maybe the people involved at the district level need to sit in these professional developments? Otherwise, how do we change?

kboneillo — 2018-06-19 17:06:16 UTC

How can we create a challenge with our curriculum that the students will want to accept, persist through, and create a final piece that shows their struggle and output.

aderemer — 2018-06-19 17:06:35 UTC

Are any of the curriculum specialists aware of the movement DIS's are undertaking towards project-based learning and computational thinking? Will there be flexibility within our curriculum and district benchmarks?

abrown002 — 2018-06-19 17:06:51 UTC

How do we get around the strict curriculum/pacing guides required by the state/district?

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:07:22 UTC

Soft skills... look familiar? I think our state is moving in the right direction!

rmyers002 — 2018-06-19 17:08:14 UTC

I wonder if they have grades (report cards/interims)? How do the parents respond to this type of learning/curricula??

stomlin4 — 2018-06-19 17:09:33 UTC

These exercises take time. How can we convince our administrators that standards are embedded and may not be apparent in a 5 minute walk through?

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:10:29 UTC

"How can we expect students to make decisions if we never ask them to make decisions?" How can we integrate more decision-making in our classrooms?

jhinshaw — 2018-06-19 17:10:34 UTC

Is it just an image they show? Sounds great but our pacing doesn’t allow implementation of these things. We can’t spend weeks on a Reconstruction indicator to let them do these great projects. Usually we get 2-3 days per indicator. What would be accomplished in this time constraint?

thelms3 — 2018-06-19 17:12:06 UTC

Since Kagan, we don't do much Socratic Seminar. I enjoyed the One Stray this morning though and being able to share ideas that way allows for greater PIES.

rmyers002 — 2018-06-19 17:12:37 UTC

There are students from various backgrounds, genders, etc working together which I think is wonderful!! However, what about discipline? What happens when things do not go as smoothly? Is there a particular discipline policy?

aderemer — 2018-06-19 17:16:43 UTC

I would be interested to see how the lower income students (from this school) perform at the college-level. Not many universities have changed their mindset or approach to education. Is the mindset at colleges changing? Taking graduate courses, I can reaffirm at CCU, a lot of the standard practices are still being used. This is great for preparing students for the real-world, but what about the college level?

nmileur — 2018-06-19 17:18:00 UTC

How do we create that balance between set curriculum/standards and helping students become computational thinkers and collaborators?

jhinshaw — 2018-06-19 17:18:24 UTC

That’s sad to ace the test

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:18:59 UTC

Ace the test or learn the skills? I'm wondering if this is a false dichotomy? Why can't we teach the standards/content AND teach the skills? How do we teach the "soft skills," the 5Cs (creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and computational thinking), WHILE we teach the content?

kgarrity — 2018-06-19 17:19:21 UTC

How to we get high achievers and their parents to care more about the understanding of the information than just getting the "A"?

jhayden6 — 2018-06-19 17:20:01 UTC

How can we redirect students to care more for the learning instead of the test/grade?

rmyers002 — 2018-06-19 17:21:06 UTC

Is there any research that correlates this type of learning and results on state tests? I would imagine that the results may be close if not far better than the test prep model?

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:21:43 UTC

Content retention?! We all know that this information is accurate. How do we leverage those "soft skills" to help students retain what we're teaching them?

2018-06-19 17:21:54 UTC

Maybe tests are the problem. In the real world you don’t need to have things memorized. You need to know how can I get the information and what to do with it. Give them a real world problem and see what they come up with to solve it while working with others.

sjustice7 — 2018-06-19 17:24:37 UTC

Do we want students to memorize, or do we want them to learn? What is the difference, and how do we adapt to that difference?

lyoung0011 — 2018-06-19 17:24:53 UTC

If standardized tests are not the answer, then what is?

2018-06-19 17:25:05 UTC

What if we change the SAT and ACT? What if you had to complete a project on what you want to go to college for with a group of people showing those 5 C's?

jgorcesky2 — 2018-06-19 17:25:10 UTC

@RebeccaMyers - this is a nice article that talks about the connection between innovative teachers with Code.Org and test scores

2018-06-19 17:25:33 UTC

With current technology and the ability to look up anything at anytime...the idea of students memorizing material is obsolete. Do students need to memorize the periodic table? Do students need to have all of their geometry formulas memorized? There is a far greater need to simply know how to use them and be familiar with them rather than cramming and memorizing them just for a test. It all comes down to can they use the material in a real life situation.

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:26:09 UTC

Automated jobs are going to be gone -- unless they require human creativity and critical thinking --> how does this knowledge motivate us to change what we can within our own classrooms and within our sphere of influence?

stomlin4 — 2018-06-19 17:26:33 UTC

Most colleges want community involvement too. This is another life skill that is left out of the elementary curriculum. How are you addressing this at your school?

emartire — 2018-06-19 17:29:48 UTC

Is there any current evidence that shows students from schools like HIgh Tech do better in college and finding occupations? If so, where is the data so that we can share it with administration to show the validity of these types of schools and curriculum choices?

kboneillo — 2018-06-19 17:29:55 UTC

What are students who are failing in our current model learning? If they are disconnected and not rising to the "challenge" of the traditional classroom, what is the risk of providing them a new experience where their is a chance at learning what success could look and feel like?

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:30:08 UTC

How do you measure someone's ability to collaborate or persevere? The BIE Project Based Learning Institute has rubrics for some of these skills. We used the collaboration rubric at St. James Intermediate to begin measuring the use of their collaboration spaces in their new building.

rmyers002 — 2018-06-19 17:31:00 UTC

I wonder if these students have a say in choosing a particular academic area to focus on or PBL project?

awhittaker2 — 2018-06-19 17:31:38 UTC

How do all the fine arts areas come into play?

thelms3 — 2018-06-19 17:32:17 UTC

I think HCS is trying to move to the product phase in some ways. For example, Student Led Conferences. Having that student accountability is key. I'm hoping the portfolios make their way down to middle school this year for ELA. I think it is a great way to show mastery or improvement even. #YET #GrowthMindset (Helms)

ccondelli1 — 2018-06-19 17:33:10 UTC

High tech high statistics !

aderemer — 2018-06-19 17:34:56 UTC

Do we have any other examples of this type of format in a school at the middle or elementary level? High school students are more mature and independent than their middle school counterparts.

kboneillo — 2018-06-19 17:36:18 UTC

Alexandra Deremer, The Ron Clark Academy is "similar".

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:37:45 UTC

We're in a traditional system, so I'm left wondering, how can we incorporate elements of teaching these soft skills with our current curriculum and systematic constraints? We all still have standardized tests that hold us accountable. The question I keep coming back to is how do I marry the two: traditional content inclusion + innovative, project-based learning strategies. I think our work this week with integrating computational thinking, and say, the writing process is how we start. Creating task cards and bridges for teachers will help them to realize that it's okay to integrate "soft skills" in the classroom -- it's imperative!

ksmerdon — 2018-06-19 17:38:20 UTC

The Ron Clarke Academy was AMAZING!!! Our 5th grade team had the opportunity to go this year!

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:39:17 UTC

I think there's something to the public exhibition -- the real-life audience and authentic purpose to an activity. SJMS has done an amazing job with building student portfolios. I think this is where we can make some incremental changes within our system -- giving students authentic tasks.

2018-06-19 17:40:52 UTC

At SJMS our guidance department met with each 7th and 8th grade parent and had a student led meeting. The students showed their digital portfolios to their parents. Parents were in awe of all they had accomplished!

btighe1 — 2018-06-19 17:41:26 UTC

I think many teachers in HCS want to have the freedom that is offered at High Tech High, but with State & District leaders mandating what and when curriculum is to be taught inhibits the innovating teaching and learning. I do think that HCS is touching the surface and trying to implement some opportunities, but there is much work still to be done. Government funding and test scores are still the lead factors in how, when and what is taught in our classroom, despite our innovative efforts.

thelms3 — 2018-06-19 17:44:59 UTC

PALM Charter, right here on 501, is an awesome, hands on, smaller classes, and PBL school. It was such a great decision to send my son there. He graduated a year early, learned a trade, and was Salutatorian <3

thelms3 — 2018-06-19 17:46:09 UTC

#Teacherlivesmatter

btighe1 — 2018-06-19 17:47:25 UTC

F-A-I-L = First Attempt In Learning

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:48:44 UTC

That self-reflection on failure! Whoa! Can you imagine if we could find time for these conversations in our classrooms?!

2018-06-19 17:48:49 UTC

If teachers in traditional schools did not feel the extreme pressure and feeling of "being under a microscope", we would all feel more comfortable trying to incorporate things like this into our classrooms.

btighe1 — 2018-06-19 17:50:16 UTC

Do we change the way we teach in middle/high school levels to encourage these "soft skills" or do we encourage colleges to change the opportunities they provide? How do we bridge the high school & college?

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:50:56 UTC

How do we measure the "soft skill" growth? How do we prove the value to a system that values traditional "growth"?

Mquillen22 — 2018-06-19 17:51:23 UTC

Code.org #Unplugged ---- A lot of these unplugged activities require these "soft skills" and remind me of some of things we are watching here!

jhinshaw — 2018-06-19 17:53:11 UTC

kboneillo — 2018-06-19 17:54:22 UTC

We avoid risk and reward instant gratification......

Mquillen22 — 2018-06-19 17:55:31 UTC

If our students are NOT filling the jobs that we currently have..... No chance they will be ready for the ones that haven't been created yet.....

lyoung0011 — 2018-06-19 17:56:12 UTC

Bring back the soft skills!!! Our students' future depends upon on.

rmyers002 — 2018-06-19 17:57:14 UTC

This connects to our video yesterday where Tony Wagner states, "our society is becoming more focused on consumer spending". We need to re-prioritize our "sense of purpose."

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 17:57:18 UTC

What are our first steps to moving away from the industrial model and move towards a new model that emphasizes blended learning, project-based learning, the retention of content, the integration of the 5Cs, etc.?

lyoung0011 — 2018-06-19 17:58:51 UTC

How do we get the 'powers to be' to buy-in to this innovative way of education?

kboneillo — 2018-06-19 17:59:59 UTC

Be creative, find a way to sneak it in, squeeze it in, produce something worthwhile under the radar that will show it can be done ......

mizjaxsun — 2018-06-19 18:00:12 UTC

We're not as bad off as it may seem. We have a "Personalized Digital Learning Initiative" in HCS -- definitely revolutionary considering the emphasis on standardized testing. The state has recently adopted an office for "Personalized Learning." I'd like to think that we, at HCS, influenced that move. #HCSPDL for the win! Check out the hashtag the state department started. #PersonalizeSC

mhull9 — 2018-06-19 18:15:55 UTC

This could be done by collaboration and creativity. Planning and management are important to pull this off.

leonaozmore — 2021-03-09 14:43:21 UTC

His butt is thic like mine