Grades and the Growth Mindset

I have been on Spring Break this week and found myself reading many blog posts by Aaron Blackwelder (@AaronSBlackwel1) about grading and the grade less classroom (yes the space between grade and less is intentional. In my mind this seems/seemed like such a radical concept that many parents wouldn't by into readily or easily.  The more I read though, the more it make sense.

When you pair that with Carol Dweck's growth mindset concept, the two almost seem to be a great marriage. To me, a grade less classroom encourages more growth for students, especially when they have a growth mindset going into this.

The hurdle I see are the parents.  So many feel like if there aren't 20-30 grades in a gradebook, the teacher nor the students have done anything nor learned anything. I have seen (and heard from many) parents that as the quarter or semester comes to a close with little to no work graded stressing out about their child's grades. In my opinion, this concept is shallow learning vs deeper learning when students get an opportunity to revise and edit their work, learning in the process.  That's why the combination makes such sense. So how do we get parents (and yes teachers and admins too) over this hurdle that many grades is better than fewer but more informative grades (deeper learning).  That's what I still need to ponder. I am very early in the learning process of this new concept.  Reading posts on the Facebook group Teachers Going Gradeless and posts by Aaron Blackwelder and Arthur Schiavaralli are helping to inform my thinking.

What are your thoughts?

HOTS Questions- Part of Your Toolbox?

Recently our school had a team of five outside educators come in and evaluate 200 minutes of instructional time in grades Kindergarten through 8th grade and meet with me and one of my teachers afterwards to let us know what they saw that was going well and one thing we could improve upon that would have an immediate impact on student learning.

HOTS Questions visual

What we decided collectively could make an immediate impact would be for our teachers to have a stronger focus on HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) questions.  It is a tool in their toolbox that likely was being used, but needed to be refreshed and pulled out more often.  I talked with the staff at our staff meeting the following week to let them know what our focus goal was going to be for the next 90 days. I came up with a couple of ways we could tackle this.  At our next staff PD day, the presenter, Cindy McKinney, wove this into the discussion.

One of my teachers took the idea and quietly came up with a great visual on her own (see picture on left).  Her goal, when she made it, was to not only give herself this visual, but a smaller version for her students too! Some of her colleagues saw it and told her how awesome it was (and would she make them one).  The idea behind it is for the teacher (and students) to work from basic "basement" level questions that had concrete answers to "attic" level questions that require much deeper thinking.  Getting the students to move from the "basement" to the "attic" in their questioning skills on their own is vital to their success as students.  Now the onus is not solely on the teacher, some of it now falls to the students in her room too. 

This visual is like a Bloom's meets HOTS questions mashup.  The visual made sense not only to her, but her colleagues as well.  What a great, easy way to add (and refresh) this tool to the toolbox of things a teacher can draw from when needed.

I share this not to necessarily say that HOTS questions need to be a part of a teacher's toolbox, which they do, but also to showcase one of my teacher's great ideas for taking the initiative to move a needed staff focus goal forward without my help AND get buy-in from other teachers on staff to do the same.

Your thoughts?

"Be Bold!"

I recently had the pleasure of hearing Eric Doden of Greater Ft Wayne Inc. speak to a group of Pastors, board chairs and principals in NE Indiana.  Eric is a very dynamic speaker who has a ton of passion and enthusiasm for the city of Ft Wayne.  Of all the things he spoke about, the thing I walked away with from his presentation were two words "BE BOLD!" Indeed he has been bold and passionate about telling others about the great things going on in Ft Wayne and NE Indiana.  Are you being BOLD about the ministry where you are?

I think that at times our Lutheran heritage of being humble etc gets the best of us and we forget to BE BOLD about the good news.  We have so much great stuff to share that we should be shouting it from the rooftops!

As a principal of a Lutheran school, there are many things I could (and should) share in my school ministry everyday, greatest of which is the exciting news of God's grace and our salvation through Jesus Christ. Many days, weeks, months we get caught up in the daily operation of our school that we forget that.  We have a message not only for those who already know, but even more important for those who don't yet know. Our ministry goal is to share Jesus with our students and their families everyday in our classrooms and then take it to those who don't yet know.

This is a reminder that we all need to BE BOLD and passionate about the awesome news we have to share not only with our own but those have yet to hear.  With Christmas just around the corner, it's a great opportunity to share the good news of the birth of our savior.  Will you BE BOLD to share the good news?  I will.

Media Literacy in a Media Driven World

I recently read a really good book called Master the Media by Julie Smith.  In her book she talks about all the different kinds of media from the basics of TV, radio and newspaper (that seem to be not nearly as popular) to social media and the internet.

I guess I am (along with probably a few others) one that remembers radio, TV and newspaper as being the only "trusted" source of news and information years ago.  The proliferation of all of the new sources of news available today sometimes seems to put me in overload.  One of the things I've noticed is news today is much more sound bite oriented than it used to be.  We have become a society and culture where that is all we seem to have time for.  Going wide and never digging deep doesn't give you the full story, nor do you often see the slant or bias the media source puts on the information and who the news source is serving.  The author does a nice job of dissecting each of the different media sources, both good and bad and helps the reader understand the implications and effects of them.

This is a great book for teachers to use in their classrooms as well as for parents at home.  I don't often recommend books to parents, however this one I did because I think it is important for kids today today to be "media smart" in a time where there is so much being put out there and the line between reality and fiction continues to blur.  It is our responsibility as educators and adults to make sure our kids understand and are able to "master the media".

For more information you can follow the author Julie Smith on Twitter at @julnilsmith or #medialiteracy

What are your thoughts?  Feel free to share.

You Can Lead a Horse to Water....

I've been thinking lately that as much as I have learned with my Twitter PLN, why I can't seem to get my teachers to get on board with trying it too!  Many have told me that they still see it in the old paradigm of 140 characters of communication done by kids and others, and not the powerful learning network that it is for all educators.

So, that's the struggle I have as I continue to lead my staff in the 21st century, leading the horse to water.  Alas I can't make them drink it though!  I hope through continued modeling and talking about all that I am learning via my Twitter PLN, that they come to at least try it.

There is a great book out written by Todd Whitaker, Jeff Zoul and Jimmy Casas called "What Connected Educators Do Differently" that does a phenomenal job of laying out getting connected via Twitter etc.  Therein, I think, lies my hope and answers for leading the horses to "water" AND make them drink it.

In His Service,

Axel Gruen

Technology Invades the Classroom

I know it's no surprise that technology has invaded our classrooms.  I chose that word very carefully and intentionally for the title of this blog post.  In many senses, in some of the classrooms of our schools, technology has invaded the classrooms!  We acquire technology for the classrooms, and suddenly the tech takes over and we lose focus on what the tech should be doing in the classroom.  Thus it has invaded/taken over what we do in the classroom, rather than keeping control ourselves.

In some of our smaller Lutheran schools, of which I am the principal of one, we get so focused on wanting/needing technology in our schools for various reasons.  We see it all around us, schools that have more tech tools, gadgets etc. and we become focused on the acquisition of tech for the sake of tech.  That's not what should happen.  We need to be good stewards of the money we are given and spend and use it wisely.

As leaders of our schools, we are responsible for setting the tone of the things that go on in our schools.  When we lose focus on the use of tech, where do you think our teachers get that from?  They end up doing the same thing in their classrooms.  They use the tech tools we give them with little thought to the pedagogy that needs to come first. 

In the wake of the ISTE conference that is ending today, I've tried to keep up with everything that is coming out of it. One of the things I read, and continue to read in other places is that, as educators, we need to make sure that the pedagogy of the lessons we teach come first and then figure out ways to infuse technology as it makes sense in the lesson, not the other way around!  I read a good blog post today by @mrkempnz entitled "The 4 Biggest Mistakes that Teachers Make When Integrating Technology".  He makes some great points worth taking to heart!Therein lies the challenge for some of us (including me sometimes) of making sure we are focused on the right things.  We need to help our teachers have that same focus as they plan what goes on in their classrooms.  There are so many things that can be done, but that doesn't mean they should all be done.

As we edge closer to the new school year, I am going to remain vigilant and aware of the invasion of technology in my school and help my teachers to understand its proper place in their classrooms(but strongly encourage them to use it)!  After all, they come first, not the tech!

There is a great quote I read somewhere on Twitter recently that I love that sticks with me that says "technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational".  That should be the goal for all of us as educators.  Teachers are the ones that make the difference, not technology!

In His Service!

Axel Gruen

My ISTE 2015 Experience

It has been interesting to follow the ISTE 2015 conference from afar these last couple of days.  I have never been to this conference but am now very intrigued by it.  There is so much to learn even from home, that I almost feel overwhelmed by the learning being posted on Twitter.

I am very thankful that in this day and age that technology exists that we can get and read information being presented at a conference, even if we can't attend.  That's not to say there is no value in attending, there is!  Sometimes schedules, finances or other don't allow us to do so.

I am also thankful for all the connected educators that I follow on Twitter that allow me to be able to still get vital, cutting edge education information.

At some point I hope to attend an ISTE conference so I can truly get the full experience, but until then, thank you to my Twitter PLN for keeping me in the loop!

In His Service!

Axel Gruen

DITCH That Textbook

I just finished this amazing book by Matt Miller. Initially I was apprehensive about the title of the book and whether there would be application in an elementary/middle school setting.  Happily I was proven wrong.  There are a ton of great concepts that can apply at any level.

If you look, DITCH is an acronym which stands for Different, Innovative, Tech-laden, Creative and Hands-on. Any or all of these can apply in any classroom at any grade level.

He lays out the book in four sections.  In the first section he answers the question why go digital? The last three chapters of this section hit me the most.  Chapter 6 deals with reinventing education.  There is no doubt in my mind that education needs a makeover, probably even a total redo.  The crux of the discussion here is the move from the 19th century factory model of education to the 21st century model where we educate the students for jobs that haven't yet been created.  We need to prepare them for the world they will be living in, not the world we know now.  Chapter 7 talks about the fact that educators today are no longer the gatekeepers of the knowledge, the sage on the stage, rather the guide on the side.  That's a real mind shift for many teachers (and parents alike). The last chapter is all about giving the kids real world skills, again not the ones of our world but the ones they will need at some point.

The next section had a ton of stuff in it and I walked away with some of the following.  He references from Dave Burgess's book Teach Like a Pirate that I think is awesome and that is "Don't just teach a lesson, create an experience."  That's what students want and we want, engagement!  While students don't have much of a choice of whether to come to school or not, as educators we can certainly make it more engaging and tap into their passion by connecting what we teach to what they know from their world.

For so long we talked about tech being the thing that everyone had to have in the classroom for the sake of having but he makes great points by saying that "pedagogy must drive technology" and "if I'm going to use any form of technology, it must improve my students' learning experience." That makes so much more sense now, especially in light of the fact that tech is constantly changing and that there are multiple uses for much of the tech out there now.  We (educators) need to be more discerning than we have been in the past.  I know that it has driven my tech choices in the schools that I have served in recent years, a change from we have to buy whatever is out there and new regardless of what it is or if we know how to use it.  We need to be good stewards of the money we use for technology in our schools.

In the third section, he gets into the meat of ditching your textbooks.  He gives lots of great advice and examples of how it should and should not be done.  Examples from his classroom bring the points home. 

Finally, in the last section he spends a little time about ditching your curriculum.  He acknowledges that it may not work for everyone, especially if what you teach is tied to what others teach and needs to connect in some way.  He also acknowledges that district mandates may not make that possible in all areas due to what must be taught in classrooms.  He does emphasize taking your time and not doing everything all at once (a theme throughout the entire book). Many times we find ourselves so excited about all the new things we read about or see at a conference or workshop, we want to do it all.  He cautions against doing too much to soon.  Have patience and give your students time to digest the new stuff.

This book is what I consider part of a trifecta of books that I think all need to be read together.  They all complement one another very well and embody similar overlapping ideas and concepts.  The other two books are Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess and Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz. 

There is another book that I think complements it as well, one I have not read yet, called Pure Genius by Don Wettrick.  It talks about a concept that Paul Solarz calls "Passion Time" and Don Wettrick and Matt Miller call "Genius Hour". I look forward to reading Don Wettrick's book and finding ways to apply the concepts in all four books in the school I serve.  My challenge will be to take it slow and just a piece or two at a time like Matt Miller recommends.

Serving Him!

Learn Like a Pirate-Peer Collaboration

So the adventure continues as I sail through this awesome book.  Section two focuses on the traits of "Learn like a Pirate" below:
Peer Collaboration
Improvement Focus vs Grade Focus
Responsibility
Active Learning
Twenty-First Century Skills Focus
Empowerment

Peer Collaboration

"People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses or the problems of modern society" Vince Lombardi

I loved this section of the book.  The thought of students working together and collaborating toward a common goal is an awesome thing.  Paul Solarz does such a great job of conveying it in his book.  This and the upcoming blogs will focus on a section of the book in a sort of book review style.  I'll highlight some things that stood out for me as well as share a few of my own thoughts on those ideas.  Below are four things I pulled out of this section as I was reading it:

• This section is about collaboration in the student-led classroom.  If you're at all like me, you cringe at giving your students "control" in your classroom.  You have your way of doing things, that, in your mind, works. Giving that up to the students just goes against your better judgement.  Yet, this is one of the very things that makes students successful in school and brings enjoyment and passion for learning.  In the book, Paul says that "peer-collaboration is one way to make a student-led classroom work." You have to give up control for collaboration to work.
• One of the benefits Paul shares in the book about a student-led collaborative classroom is that it allows students to think about other people's ideas and then synthesizing them with theirs.  He tells his students that "two brains are better than one!" What a great thing to say! Love that idea. Think about how much more the students learn when they share what they're thinking with someone else!  Many times new ideas are born or even a totally different perspective.  No two people always see the same idea the same way.  The real world the kids will one day enter, is asking for these kinds of skills from our students.  In fact, collaboration is one of the skills today's employers want now.  Tons of examples in this section of the book.
• One of the great takeaways from this section, in my opinion, is the idea of students being able to call "Give Me Five" and allow the class to stop what it is doing and have that student share an important piece of information, answer or something he/she discovered.  It empowers the students to lead!  He says for that to work you need to give students the opportunity for active and passive leadership in your classroom. There are all kinds of ways to do that and he gives examples.  The students want that kind of responsibility so let them have it!  When you empower your students to do that, the Give Me Five becomes a natural part of it.
• The last thought is from his section on promoting the right kind of competition.  The only thing I'll share is this quote: "I want a room full of learners, not perfectionists.  I want my students to work hard because they choose to, not because they fear negative consequences.

Because "two brains are better than one", feel free to share your thoughts so that we can all collaborate and learn together!

Until my next port of call, Improvement Focus vs. Grade Focus, keep on sailing the PIRATE seas.

Serving Him,

Learn Like a Pirate-Part 1

After much anticipation on my part I am finally sailing on my pirate adventure with the book written by Paul Solarz called Learn Like a Pirate!  I got through section one of the book which talked about the student-led classroom and what it is and isn't.  Paul does a great job of setting up the rest of the book.  I'm really looking forward to reading more.

For those teachers who like "control" in the classroom, this will certainly challenge your thinking.  He writes in there that "a student-led classroom is one in which students make decisions and choices throughout the day without consulting the teacher."  He does caution though that while in a student-led classroom that does take place, there is still guidance and oversight by the teacher.  Phew!  That made me feel better!

As he writes about experiencing the benefits of a student-led classroom, he mentions a lot about knowledge retention.  He says that "children learn best by doing, by questioning, and by figuring out solutions on their own."  He references the graphic on the right in his book, called The Cone of Learning.  This was one of my biggest takeaways in this section of the book for me.  It just makes sense that if this is the way students learn best, why not do it.

Anyway, I can't wait to read more from his book. As I continue sailing on my pirate adventure in the book, I'll share more insights.

By the way, I would also highly recommend the book Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess.  I read that book last summer and found it very inspiring.

Until my  next port of call, mates!

Serving Him!

Professional Development Can Spark a Fire

This blog post is very different than my last, one I feel needed to be written.  I want others to find the value in professional development and to ignite a spark in someone.

I have been an educator for a little over 10 years now and have enjoyed every minute of it!  My professional growth journey started at the same time.  You see, for the prior 18 years I was employed in a family business back in Portland, OR.  Having not finished college, you would have thought that during the 18 years running a business, I would have been big into professional development.  While I was to some degree, it was not like it is today. I have, however, always considered myself a life long learner and strongly encourage my staff to do the same.  We owe it to the kids we are responsible for everyday.

In 2004 when I became a 3rd grade teacher at St. Paul Lutheran School in Sherwood OR is when I truly understood the need for professional growth all the time.  I wanted to give the kids I was responsible for the very best of who I was as a teacher and who God called me to be.  4 years later I became the principal AND teacher of St Paul Lutheran School.  I knew I was stepping into a realm I needed to learn more about.  I began reading more and more.  Thankfully our NW District office began professional development online for administrators and other educators.  I was very thankful for that and soaked it all up.

In 2012 I received a call to serve as a full time principal in Ft. Wayne Indiana in a pre-K to 8th grade school.  I had never been placed in school of that size and there was a lot for me to learn, including a city and state I had never been to before.  Again, I felt there was a lot to learn and I needed to soak it up as much as possible.  What I didn't realize was how much of an impact on my professional growth this move was going to have on me.

Part of the reason I took the call was because Ft Wayne had something Portland OR didn't have, The Lutheran Schools Partnership.  Over the last three years the Partnership has meant a lot to my professional growth, as have my colleagues that serve with me here in Ft. Wayne. In that time I have, thanks to the modeling of fellow principals and other Lutheran professionals, grown immensely in my profession as an educator. 

I started just reading professional books.  As many as I could get my hands on as often as possible.  I devoured them looking for information to help me do my job better and deliver a  quality education first to the kids in my class and now to all the kids in the school for which I am the academic leader.

I started on Twitter a year ago.  Initially just to figure out what the big deal was and eventually I found out what an awesome PD tool it is.  My Twitter PLN continues to fuel my growth.  This is my third blog post. Writing a blog is scary to me because I am putting my opinions and ideas out there for all to read not sure what will be liked, what will be criticized and how I'm going to handle that.  But it has been awesome so far! 

I now have the opportunity to serve on the board of The Lutheran Schools Partnership.   I get the chance to impact other Lutheran schools, an incredible opportunity and responsibility.  I continue to look for more ways that I can grow everyday, both in technology use as well as to be innovative and collaborative every chance I get.  I always want to be the best that God wants me to be.

I tell you all this not to brag, rather to feed the fuel for others to grow.  I have experienced more growth and confidence in my last three years than I have in the prior 30 years.  Much of what I do and experience now, I occasionally wish I had known earlier in my career.  But no regret here.  I'm going to make the best of every opportunity for myself, my staff, my colleagues here in Ft. Wayne and those in my PLN.  I finally get it and I want others to get it too. To be ignited by the excitement of learning and what that does for you personally and professionally.  This blog is my chance to share what I am learning with others AND learn from others. 

I pray that someone will find value in these words and serves as a spark to ignite a fire in them to be the very best they can be.  That is, after all, what God calls us to be!

Serving Him!

My Summer Reading List

I have always been a big reader for as long as I can remember.  Every summer over the last several years I have spent time reading books to either make me a better teacher or a better administrator.  This summer I'm really excited about the books I am going to read.  In fact, I can't wait to order them and get started.

One of the first books I am going to read is Learn Like a Pirate by Paul Solarz(@paulsolarz).  It follows, in my opinion, the same theme of the book by Dave Burgess(@burgessdave), Teach Like a Pirate.  I really loved that book, so I can only imagine how much I'm going to like this one. As the advertisement says, it is all about empowering students to collaborate, lead and succeed.  What
teacher doesn't want that.

The next book I am going to read is a book by Patrick Lencioni (@patricklencioni) called The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.  This one is part of our summer administrator conference in the Indiana District of the LCMS.  The  principals of NE Indiana are leading this one.  I am really looking forward to learning how to grow and lead my staff better than I have in the past.  Great discussion alongside my fellow colleagues from the Ft. Wayne Lutheran schools should make it very engaging.

DITCH That Textbook by Matt Miller(@jmattmiller) one that has me intrigued more than anything. The word DITCH is an acronym which stands for: Different, Innovative, Tech-laden, Creative and Hands-on.  I love what the acronym stands for and find it interesting that, those the title seems to indicate it, he does not necessarily advocate for getting rid of textbooks.  We'll see how this one goes.

The last book I hope to read is one I just discovered called Pure Genius by Don Wettrick (@DonWettrick).  It promises to talk about, as near as I can tell about tech, innovation and creativity. These are three things I am very in tune with and are necessary in our schools today if we are to survive (and thrive) in the 21st century.

As I finish these, I'll write about my takeaways from these books.  The way I look at it, by writing about them is part of the reflective process all educators should do after having learned (or read) something new.  It helps me to synthesize the material.  I hope that dialogue and feedback comes from this as well.  I want to know what others think too!

Happy Summer Reading!

The Connected Educator

I pride myself on being a life long learner.  I always look for areas in which I can grow as an educator, father or husband.  In the last year I ventured into an area I didn't think I would ever go nor did I see any value in going there!  Yes I have a Twitter account.

I have spent the better part of the last year learning what Twitter is, why I want/need it and how it can benefit me.  I have come to find out that it has become an invaluable tool to me as an educator and my professional growth.  I would not have said that a year ago.  Today I spend 3 to 4 times per week on it reading articles and connecting with other educators all over the United States.  It has been a wonderful experience.

I recently read a book entitled "What Connected Educators Do Differently" by Todd Whitaker, Jimmy Casas and Jeffrey Zoul.  What an awesome book!!  I wish I had read this book a year ago when I started my Twitter adventure.  There is so much helpful  information in there that makes Twitter a great tool and easy to get started with if you are new to it.  The authors do a great job of starting with the basics and offering many tools and suggestions of people to follow. Each chapter is rich with ideas and resources to get a new person started.

So what is a connected educator?  The authors define it as follows: "...a mindset more than anything else" and "ones who are actively and constantly seeking new opportunities and resources to grow as professionals".  That's how I see myself.  It has been a great journey in the last year to grow and learn how to use this new tool.  I have made many new Twitter connections in the last year that have really helped my growth as an educator and administrator.  I have a strong desire to continue to be a "connected educator" moving forward and model it for others.

One of the things I hope to do with this book is to encourage my teachers to get on board with Twitter and all the possibilities that it has for professional development by reading this book and putting the principles and ideas to use.  I want them to become that "connected educator" and experience what I have experienced and continue to experience every day.  In a time where we are personalizing and differentiating learning for students, teachers need to do the same for themselves and Twitter is a great free, done on your own time professional development tool. Twitter needs to be promoted as a differentiated, personalized learning experience and this book can kick start that for them.

I strongly recommend this book for all educators, especially those that are thinking about or are new to Twitter.  Please feel free to share your thoughts as you read this book.