Do we have SuperHero Vision?

A question was posed to me this week that is still wondering around in my head...

"Are the structures we have in place promoting the status quo or creating a new perspective?"

This question has been so powerful to me in my thinking about how WE do school. In general, yes, but more specifically the different things we put into practice, such as small group instruction; the collective efficacy we know profoundly impacts student growth; and the support systems to ensure student success.

As an instructional leader I analyze what is it that we are doing, if it is working well and how can I facilitate processes that ensure we are seeing things with a new perspective.

Nothing we do at SRE is without purpose or intention. We purpose to be better and design PD and PLCs to foster collaborative instruction and collective efficacy. We intend to provide supports that bring about student success, promote student ownership of their learning and utilize data to guide joint-work decisions.

That is the vision or rather SuperHero Vision I have for us as a team of educators. But the question still remains...

"Are the structures we have in place promoting the status quo or creating a new perspective?"

Realistically, we are still doing some of the things we have always done. What can I do to help us all by creating a "new perspective" so that we do have SuperHero Vision?

Do we have a "can do" vision or a "cannot because" vision? Collective efficacy is Hattie's strongest hinge point for gaining over a year's growth with student learning. It is not individual but collective efficacy, a belief WE ALL CAN, together.

In the book, Collective Efficacy: How Educator's Beliefs Impact Student Learning, the author, Jenni Donohoo states: "By strengthening collective teacher efficacy, teachers will develop the resolve to persist against challenges and realize increased student results."

Realize... hmmmm... SuperHero Vision? I think so.

What is your perspective... is it new, is it SuperHero Vision? How did you get there?

Is it status quo? What can we do, together to gain new perspective... to have a SuperHero Vision?

How can we ALL have SuperHero Vision?

Are Our Digital Natives Digitally Literate?

This week our Technology Leadership Team met to develop a vision for technology integration at Sendera Ranch Elementary. We discussed that we have digital natives who interact constantly with technology but yet lack the skills to find, filter and create digital products... they lack digital literacy.

Knowing the need to foster and facilitate digital literacy in our students the Technology Literacy team, through a collaborative process developed our vision that took into account the future skills our students will need, the vertical alignment of skills so that students can progress with technology for academic use/learning. The committee also took into account where we presently are as a campus and what our next steps should be with our technology integration.

We can all agree that students must have strong literacy and math skills to be successful in life. What we are finding is that in order for students to function successfully in life they must also become digitally literate. It is in their life. They were born surrounded by it. How they use technology as learners... that is where our job lies.

Beyond the vision the technology leadership team came up with goals for the campus. These goals may seem big if one was attempting to do it all at one time. However, just like when we teach students to read or develop number sense, we do it in small steps, bit by bit.

Knowing these are the goals for our campus for next year, what are the ways you can look ahead and backwards plan. How can opportunities for students to learn some of the "soft skills" with technology early on, so that students can enter into larger more involved projects with confidence and skills to create work that reflects not just their technology skills but their depth of understanding?

In an eSchool News  article it discusses the ten skills every student should learn. They were:
1. Read
2. Type
3. Write
4. Communicate effectively and with respect
5. Question
6. Be resourceful
7. Be accountable
8. Know how to learn
9. Think critically
10. Be happy

Technology can be the antithesis of these or it can be the vehicle that gets them there. We have the power to make that happen. The most important thing we can do is provide exposure through experiences and modeling. A quick article that may help to brainstorm ways to reach that is mentioned in the blog post: Finding Time for Tech by Katie Currens.

Another great resource is the US Digital Literacy website: http://digitalliteracy.us/. This has great resources to utilize and shares digital skills that students need to be successful citizens.

Finally, the district created a check list of technology skills for K-2 and 3-5 that is directly taken form the Technology TEKS. This is a great tool to use as a guideline as we move forward and vertically support one another as we develop our students' digital literacy.

What are ways you and/or your team are intentionally planning to meet the goals developed from our technology vision? Share your ideas!

In Student-friendly Terms...

Before the kids walked through our doors to begin the 2016-17 school year, we, as a campus, had a vision for what this year would look like for all learners. Our Problem of Practice, while heavy with content and intent, needed to be in kid-friendly language if it would be meaningful for students. As teams we wrote kid-friendly POPs that could become part of the everyday foundational focus for learning.

As we reflect, consider:

• How are we bringing those kid-friendly POPs into our everyday learning focus? 
• Is it read, reviewed and reflected upon with the students? 
• Is the kid-friendly POP accessible for reference by students at any time? 
• Do the students see themselves as part of the vision to move forward as learners?

Here are the student-friendly POPs that were written before the start of the school year:

“Longhorns encourage one another to give our best effort and hold each other accountable by communicating our learning.”

 -created by GLAMP plus Intervention Specialist Team

 As Longhorns, we will be responsible for challenging and helping each other to grow in our learning.

2^nd  and 3^rd grade

  

Mrs. Webster and Mrs. Aslin will work together, and with your classroom teachers, to create lessons and activities that will challenge you and encourage you to grow in your learning.  You will work with your friends and challenge each other to create your own thoughtful work in Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science.

Teachers check in with each other to help each other reach goals. Students work together and challenge each other in a positive way.

Teachers will provide opportunities to read, write, and communicate in all classes. Students will actively participate to develop quality work in all classes.

Teachers and students will be partners in learning.

4^th and 5^th grade

Longhorn Learning Goal…Kinder and 1st

We will…

1      Work together as a team

2       Help others

         Work hard to do our best

4.     Make connections and share ideas

   Share in the comments how you and/or your team are being intentional in fostering student ownership of our campus Problem of Practice (kid friendly version)?
 
    Sendera Elementary 2016-17 Problem of Practice

    "Longhorn Master Builder News September 19, 2016"