Scot Graden's Blog

I’ve been talking a lot about the need to communicate – both internally and externally.  As I discussed the need recently, it reminded me of the following George Bernard Shaw quote:

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

I have to work harder to communicate effectively, and it’s one of my personal and professional goals.  Here is a video that reminds us that communication is a two-way process…

Schools are run by meetings… I didn’t invent this process, but it is how schools have operated for as long as I (or the veterans I asked) can remember.  With limited time, I have been thinking about the value of each meeting I attend.  Not only the value I find in the meeting, but also the value for the other attendees and the outcome produced.  In reviewing our meetings, I am reminded of how important it is to have right people in the meeting.

For example, like almost all schools, we meet as departments to address issues.  What if instead of meeting by department, we meet assembled meetings with the people most able to address an issue.  If we had an issue with 8th grade math scores, meeting as an 8th grade math department doesn’t necessarily address the issue.  What if we looked to create a vertical group that had 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th grade teachers to determine if this is an issue that begins 8th grade or if there are other factors like previous skill building activities that contribute to the issue.  We could also invite non-math teachers to help determine if there are other aspects to the student performance in math that can be addressed in their subject areas. (For the record, we don’t have an 8th grade math issue…)

Our time is limited, so making meetings productive is a priority.  But perhaps even more important,  is having the right people in the room to help craft the best outcome.

In many measures boys are not doing as well as girls in school, and this has been documented worldwide.  As a father of three boys, and as an educator… this is concerning.

An international study, Teaching Boys: A Global Study of Effective Practices, examined teaching and learning practices in 18 schools in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.

The teachers and boys who participated in the study submitted comments and narratives on lesson practices that they felt were effective. There were over 1000 narratives from teachers and 1500 from students, and the researchers looked for patterns in the responses.

The researchers revealed eight patterns about boys and learning that may be helpful to teachers. Boys and teachers participating in the study found lessons effective when they used:

• Lessons that produced products
• Lessons structured as games
• Lessons requiring vigorous motor activity
• Lessons requiring boys to assume a role or responsibility for promoting the learning of others
• Lessons that required boy to address “open,” unsolved problems
• Lessons that required a combination of teamwork and competition
• Lessons that focused on boys’ personal realization (their masculinity, their values, their present and future social roles)
• Lessons that introduced dramatic novelties and surprises

The researchers also found that boys are “relational learners.” When they were taught by attentive teachers, using the eight types of lessons, boys were more frequently engaged in the learning.

We recently shared this video at the Foundation for Saline Area Schools “Read Your Heart Out” event on February 11th.  The event was part of their effort to raise $70,000 to support our literacy initiatives.  The library you see in the first frame of the video is similar to the classroom libraries we are trying to build in classrooms throughout the district.  The video is also an excellent overview of the Reader’s Workshop approach.  A special thank you to Ms. Nelson, her 6th grade class, and also to SCTN’s Chase Stanton.

As we move to the new Common Core State Standards across Michigan, new assessments will replace the MEAP in the 2014-2015 school year. The Smarter Balance Consortium is developing the next generation of student assessments.

Here are few details from their website:

• Rigorous tests that will measure progress toward college and career awareness;
• Comparable scores will mean the ability to compare performance across member states;
• Current achievement and student growth data will be important components of the assessment;
• Multiple measures will be employed to assess student performance; and
• Assessments will use computer adaptive testing as part of the student evaluation process.

We currently use computer adaptive testing in Saline.  We use the NWEA primarily in grades 3-8 and the data provided to teachers and administrators help meet the needs of our students.

Here’s a map showing the members of the consortium.

As we transition to the Common Core, understanding the assessments is critical.

Every organization has a culture, whether it is the culture we want or one that has developed over time.  Organizations, like Saline Area Schools, are societies, and with a society comes a culture.  The reality is that an organization’s culture is an extremely powerful force.  The culture is a reflection of our values and beliefs…. both as an organization and as a community.

Alan Mulally, the President & CEO of Ford noted,

“I really focus on the values and standards of the organization.  What are the expected behaviors?  How do we want to treat each other? How do we want to act?  What do we want to do about transparency?  How can we have a safe environment where we really know what is going on?”

Once a culture is understood, it can be shaped.  Like teachers do in their classrooms, we can re-enforce the behaviors we want to see that help create a positive culture.

So… the question is – what is the culture of Saline Area Schools?