tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74933295951452647922024-02-07T18:17:31.437-06:00PD@AustinProfessional Development at Austin... a journey towards creating a 21st century learning environment for all students.Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-58882470779891387852014-04-06T17:45:00.001-05:002014-04-06T17:45:48.236-05:00Austin Experiences Project Based Learning...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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If you've followed us for any length of time, you know that Austin Elementary is on a journey to implement the Schoolwide Enrichement Model (SEM). You also know that as a district, we are digging deep ("soaking") into the CISD Learning Framework. Additionally, each campus has been charged with selecting a learning design model (UbD or PBL). Austin Elementary has selected Project Based Learning because of how closely it aligns with SEM Enrichment Clusters. Put all of this together, and you have somewhat of a PD melting pot. </div>
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With that in mind, we set out to design a meaningful learning experience for our educators that (hopefully) can kill three PD birds (SEM, Learning Framework, and PBL) with one stone. Thus, our Austin educator PBL unit was born! If done correctly, this educator PBL unit could help strengthen our understanding of the relationship between SEM and the CISD Learning Framework, AND provide the opportunity for our educators to actually <b>experience</b> a PBL unit as we go through the training. </div>
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<a name='more'></a>Our work on this PBL unit will culminate with a presentation to the Education Committee of the Coppell Chamber of Commerce on May 6th. Take a look at a few of the features/components of this PBL unit below, and be sure to check back in May for a posting of the actual final product!</div>
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<b>Entry Event</b></h3>
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As with any PBL unit, educators attempt to design an entry event that is meaningful and provides an authentic audience for your final product/presentation. Our Austin Elementary educator PBL unit found that authentic audience in the Coppell Chamber of Commerce. We were excited to host the President of the Chamber at a January faculty meeting where she invited Austin educators to come and share our story with the Chamber and inform them how our work with SEM is helping realize the vision/ideas set forth in the CISD Learning Framework.</div>
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<b>Knows / Needs to Know</b> </h3>
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One thing that stood out from our 4th/5th grade PBL training in the Fall was how we as educators must be responsive in our unit design to the questions ("Need to Knows") generated by our learners. This was no different for our Austin educator PBL unit. We used this list of Need to Knows to gauge progress on their product and respond with appropriate workshops. </div>
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<b>Driving Question</b></h3>
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Rather than coming in with a pre-designed Driving Question for our PBL unit, we waited and gave our learners (in this case, Austin educators) the opportunity to participate in the process of identifying that question. Each team began by brainstorming and creating a statement that "summed up" what we were trying to do (i.e. "create a presentation for the Chamber that shows the relationship between SEM and the CISD Learning Framework"). From there, a facilitator worked with the group of Project Managers to craft our Driving Question which was then adopted by the group as a whole. Here's what they came up with... <span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>How can we as Austin Elementary educators showcase the correlation between SEM and the CISD Learning Framework to the Coppell Chamber of Commerce in order to facilitate reciprocal relationships?</i></span></div>
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<b>PBL Unit Rubric</b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In designing the rubric for our Austin educator PBL, we were very strategic in when we wanted to roll it out to our learners. If we shared the rubric with our participants too soon, we worried that it would restrict their thinking, and educators would immediately begin working on their product and trying to meet the requirements of the rubric. Instead, we chose to provide the rubric a couple of meetings in so that educators would have time to brainstorm without the confines of the rubric. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As we said earlier, workshops offered throughout a PBL unit should be responsive to the questions/needs of learners. Some workshops that we have offered so far include-</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As we continue our work over the remaining few weeks, we will provide any additional workshops that our learners may need!</span></div>
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Please be sure to check back in May to see the final products/presentations from our PBL unit!</div>
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Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-3169008732883760602014-04-02T13:10:00.001-05:002014-04-02T13:11:47.895-05:00SEMCamp @ AustinAustin Elementary is a school of passionate individuals (both learners AND educators). We're so passionate about what we do that we included it in our guiding purpose...<br />
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<i>"At Austin Elementary, we are driven to unlock the passion</i></div>
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<i>and cultivate the uniqueness inherent in every learner."</i></div>
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One of our passions as educators is sharing our experiences of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model with others. That's one reason why on Friday mornings we continually play host to educators from other campuses curious about what SEM looks like "in action." </div>
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With that in mind, we have dreamed up what we affectionately call <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>SEMCamp</b>. </span>This will be a 3-day experience designed for classroom teachers and administrators alike where we will dive deeply into the Schoolwide Enrichment Model and how it can impact a campus. Check out this Smore, and learn more about what <b><span style="color: #274e13;">SEMCamp</span></b> could do for your educators!</div>
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<a href="https://www.smore.com/gurm-sem-camp" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SEMCamp Smore!</span></a></div>
Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-8138720310188337692014-01-21T11:05:00.000-06:002014-01-21T11:05:00.792-06:00PD... It's Not Just For Teachers!If you've followed this blog for any length of time, there is at least one thing you know for sure... At Austin Elementary, we are passionate about giving learners the opportunity to explore and grow with their interests! That is the foundation of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM).<br />
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Aside from fostering those interests and passions, SEM also provides us with a vehicle to strengthen and build reciprocal relationships with our community and local businesses. This is evidenced by our weekly E-Time visitors from around the community and the countless ways that our learners have made a difference in Coppell (through fundraising, community service projects, etc.).<br />
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The next step in strengthening that school/community relationship is inviting our parents and community in to actually partner with us in facilitating enrichment clusters. Today, our SEM Coordinator (Liz Malone) is doing just that. Hence the title of this post:<em> PD... It's Not Just For Teachers</em>!<br />
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We are thrilled to have a group of community/parent volunteers going through "SEM Boot Camp" and experiencing the same professional learning as our Austin educators. Here are just a few things they are exploring-</div>
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What is the difference between E-Time and Enrichment Clusters?</div>
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What is the "WHY" behind our work with SEM? What "WHY" do they bring to the table in wanting to share their passions/interests with our learners?</div>
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What are the 5 components of a strong Cluster?</div>
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By inviting our community to be a part of our professional learning, we hope to further strengthen our commitment to building reciproal relationships with those around us and provide more authentic enrichment experiences for our learners. </div>
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Want to know more about the Schoolwide Enrichment Model at Austin? Check out our SEM Blog!</div>
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<a href="http://www.learningmadesemple.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Learning Made SEMple</a></div>
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Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-2917005887931444522013-12-11T14:02:00.000-06:002013-12-11T14:02:29.699-06:00Austin Represents @ Learning Forward National Conference #learnfwd13We're just back from the Learning Forward National Conference located down the road in Grapevine, TX! Over the past few days, several Austin educators were able to attend various sessions on a wide variety of topics (Digital Learning, Supporting New Educators, "Teaching Like A Pirate," etc.). It was an amazing learning opportunity made all the better by the fact that it was hosted in our own backyard.<br />
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It addition to attending the conference, 3 Austin educators also led a session on school transformation. Laurie O'Neill (Principal), Cooper Hilton (Assistant Principal), and Liz Malone (GT Facilitator) hosted a session on "Navigating The Winding Road of School Transformation." Their objective was to provide a case study of the growth and transformation that Austin Elementary has undergone over the past few years. They were able to share progress/celebrations/hurdles that they have experienced while continuing to transform. Below is a "SMORE" outline of their presentation. Haven't used <a href="http://www.smore.com/" target="_blank">SMORE</a>? It's a great tool for creating online newsletters, brochures, etc. Several Austin educators have adopted it as a tool for communicating their class newsletters each week.<br />
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Don't hesitate to contact any of the presenters with questions about the Smore! Also, feel free to leave questions in the comments section of this post.<br />
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<a href="https://www.smore.com/jc2k" target="_blank">"Navigating The Winding Road of School Transformation" SMORE</a></div>
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Want to explore more of the learning from Learning Forward? Search for #learnfwd13 or #austinlearns on Twitter, and join in the conversation!</div>
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Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-86284434516137797712013-09-03T16:19:00.000-05:002013-09-03T16:49:18.535-05:00From Ordinary to Extraordinary...<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>From Ordinary to Extraordinary... A Hero's Journey</i></span></b><br />
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That is our theme in the Coppell Independent School District this year. Personally, I think it accurately describes the work ahead of us; transforming an ordinary/stale/broken educational system into something meaningful/engaging/relevant. That's no easy task, and as the slogan implies, it will take a group of educational "heroes" to achieve such a gargantuan feat! <br />
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After attending the 2013-2014 CISD Principals' Academy over the summer, the administrative team @ Austin Elementary (Laurie O'Neill, Principal and Cooper Hilton, Assistant Principal) was charged with continuing to lead this transformation. Though our professional learning for this year has only recently begun, we'd like to share a little bit with you from our learning on August 23rd and highlight some of the tools that are helping enhance our transformation.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The CISD Curriculum Team has recently been using infographics to introduce things/topics/upcoming learning and help generate Knows & Need to Knows. We thought this would be an excellent way to introduce our professional learning "year at a glance" and help activate our educators' schema of things they may already know or be familiar with. We tried a variety of free online infographic generators, but we ended up settling on <a href="http://www.piktochart.com/" target="_blank">Piktochart</a>. Not only was there a free version to use, it also seemed the easiest to manipulate and customize. Check out our Piktochart below. It was a great way to kick off our learning and begin to dust out some of those summer cobwebs from our educators' minds.<br />
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As educators, we often brainstorm ways to share our students' learning beyond the walls of our classrooms. We have been inspired to also share our own professional learning beyond the walls of our school building, hence this PD@Austin blog. To continue in that effort, the Austin back-to-school professional learning included many opportunities for teachers to share their learning, their connections, and beliefs. We shared this with the world using Twitter and #austinlearns. Throughout the session, we embedded various "Twitter Challenges" where educators would tweet a thought, retweet the post of a colleague, or include a picture of some product they were creating. Want to catch up on the Twitter action? Check out #austinlearns ! This hashtag will be used continuously throughout our transformation journey.<br />
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Our work with transformation is rooted heavily in the theory of Constructivism. Through this theory, learners draw from their experiences, culture, backgrounds, and the experiences of others to <i>construct</i> new meaning and understandings. Learning that is approached in this manner is naturally more meaningful and longer lasting. Our educators were charged with "jigsawing" several articles on Constructivist theory and synthesizing that information into the representation of a <b>Constructivist Educator</b>! Check out some of their creations. Additional examples were tweeted using #austinlearns. </div>
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Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-4963638889862335562013-09-03T13:48:00.000-05:002013-09-03T13:48:34.947-05:00Our Return to Confratute...If you've read any of our previous posts, you may have come across this strange word that we keep throwing around... <b style="color: #134f5c;">CONFRATUTE. </b>Don't try looking it up. If you do, you probably won't come up with an accurate definition or description (chances are the definition will say something like Conference, Fraternity, and Institute). That is because <b><span style="color: #134f5c;">CONFRATUTE</span></b> is indescribable. <br />
<br />
Educators from Austin Elementary have been attending <span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>CONFRATUTE</b></span> at the University of Connecticut for several years now. It is, after all, the "hub" of professional learning for the Schoolwide Enrichment Model and gifted pedagogy. We were fortunate enough to have our very own Liz Malone, GTI Facilitator and SEM Coordinator, attend again this summer. Check out her "take-aways" below. Hopefully, they'll help you come a little closer to understanding what <b><span style="color: #134f5c;">CONFRATUTE</span></b> is all about! For more details on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model @ Austin Elementary, check out <a href="http://learningmadesemple.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Learning Made SEMple</a> .<br />
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________________________________________________________________________<br />
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<span style="color: red;">CON</span>ferenc...<span style="color: red;">FRA</span>ternity…Insti<span style="color: red;">TUTE </span> - Put it all together and you have <span style="color: red;">CONFRATUTE</span>, an amazing, weeklong adventure in learning
on the beautiful University of Connecticut campus in Storrs, Connecticut. If you have been following this blog for very
long, you know that <span style="color: red;">CONFRATUTE</span> is where our SEM
dream began four short years ago. That
summer, eight educators, accompanied by our principal, Laurie O’Neill, visited <span style="color: red;">CONFRATUTE</span> for the very first time. When we arrived, we were immediately immersed
in a culture of enrichment and talent development that would forever alter the
way each of us thought about education. It
didn’t take long before we were absolutely convinced that the journey of SEM
implementation was one our school needed to make. Since that time, we have taken great strides
towards full implementation of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model at Austin
Elementary. As a staff, we have spent
countless hours on professional development, exploring the research behind The
Schoolwide Enrichment Model, and designing what it would look like for our
learners. We have redesigned the way we
form our classes, and have implemented “E-Time” on Friday mornings to provide a
dedicated time each week for school wide, learner driven enrichment. Last year, we moved forward with the
implementation of Enrichment Clusters.
During these 5-8 week enrichment journeys, our learners were engaged in
authentic, real world learning experiences through which they had the
opportunity to pursue their interests, develop their talents, and make a
difference in our world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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We are excited about the learning and growth that took place
last year, not only in our learners, but in our educators as well. However, we are not content to stop
there! Mary Poppins once told her
charges, “A job half done is well begun.”
Our vision for implementing the Schoolwide Enrichment Model at Austin
Elementary has had an amazing beginning, but we are not done! There is still work that needs to happen in
order to ensure that every learner at Austin Elementary is consistently immersed
in an environment that encourages them to identify and pursue their passions. This year, we will continue to nurture the
strengths and talents of our learners through E-Time activities, enrichment
opportunities embedded into the regular curriculum, and Enrichment Cluster
experiences. Our focus for continued SEM
implementation this year will be three fold:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Continue to increase the depth and rigor of
learning experiences through interactions with genuine tools, real world
methods, authentic audiences, and disciplinary experts from the community. Our goal is to create an environment in which
real world creative problem solving opportunities are an integral part of the
learning design in every classroom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Extend the use of Curriculum Compacting as a
tool for meeting the educational needs of all our learners and providing time
for Type III real world, independent and small group, interest based
investigations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Further involve our families and community
members in the SEM process through volunteer opportunities related to their
unique talents and areas of expertise. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With this in mind, it was with tremendous excitement that I
headed to Confratute in July to once again explore the tenets of the Schoolwide
Enrichment Model under the guidance of some of the most renowned experts in the
area of gifted education. Confratute is
a unique learning experience, in that it unites educators from around the world
for one week each summer to share ideas, explore innovative learning designs,
and develop a deeper understanding of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model in a
unique atmosphere excitement and curiosity that can only be found on a college
campus. This was not my first visit to this internationally acclaimed
conference. After attending Confratute
for the past three years, one might wonder, was there truly a benefit in
attending again? The answer to that
question is a definite, unequivocal YES!
This was my fourth visit, and I learned as much, if not more, than I
have in the previous three. The sessions
I attended provided opportunities for me to reflect upon our own SEM journey,
collaborate with other educators who were at varying stages of their own
implementation process, and work alongside experts in the field as I strived to
construct a deeper understanding of the various components of the SEM
model. While there is no way that I
could possibly describe all the learning that took place during this week, I
would like to share with you some of the highlights and “take aways” of my Confratute
experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1. Advanced Curriculum Development: The Kaplan
Depth and Complexity Model<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
During
this weeklong session, Dr. Sandra Kaplan facilitated an exploration of the
process of infusing depth and complexity into the four basic elements of
curriculum – content (access to subject matter), thinking skills, resources
(input), and product (output). A basic
tenet of our conversation was the idea that differentiation exists on a continuum,
and that it was never intended to be used exclusively with gifted learners or
for learners with special needs, but rather, that the continuum of
differentiation is an effective tool that should be used to individualize
learning for all. Dr. Kaplan shared
tools and strategies that can be used to design and evaluate differentiated
curriculum so that <i>all</i> learners are
exposed to opportunities for developing depth and complexity in their thinking
within the context of their unique learning experiences.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><i>My
Take Aways:<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i>There is no reason why the strategies and
pedagogy we use with gifted learners cannot be used with ALL learners.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i>It is part of my responsibility as an
educator to develop independent learners.
I must provide opportunities for my students to “learn how to learn.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b>2.
How to Organize and Coach Students for Outstanding Type III’s – Peg
Beecher<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b>
Tackling Type III’s – Janine Firmender<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
These
two sessions were as inspirational as they were informative. Through real life accounts of student led
investigations, we had the opportunity to explore the organization, structure,
and management of Type III activities in the general education classroom. The excitement of these two educators as they
described the learning experiences of their students was absolutely
contagious. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->One young lady with an interest in drama and genealogy
created a play that described the history of her family tree. She wrote, directed, and starred in this
play, which was aired on a cable T.V. channel after she won a children’s
programming contest. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A group of four learners, after listening to a
92 year old man discuss the history of their town, became interested in
learning more. They met with the older gentleman once a week, asking questions,
exploring artifacts, and learning all they could. They then designed a booklet about the town’s
history, which was displayed in the town hall. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A group of fourth graders designed a campaign to
save a town landmark. They spoke at a
town hall meeting, wrote letters to the editor of the local newspaper, rallied
the entire fourth grade as well as the community around their cause, and
ultimately, with the help of a multi media specialist from the community,
created a presentation that they shared with fourth graders throughout the
district, two legislators, and several school board members. Their efforts were also broadcast on the
local news and led to the formation of the “Friends of Waterloo Foundation.”<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b><i>My Take Aways: <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i>Children are incredibly
creative, capable human beings. They do
not need us to “teach” them. They need
us to design opportunities and environments in which they can learn!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i>Kids CAN change the
world…will we let them?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<b>3. Talent
Development in Gifted and Talented Girls and Women: Obstacles, <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Challenges, and Choices – Dr. Sally Reis<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s look at the statistics:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In the 100-year history of the Nobel Prize, only 11 prizes have been
awarded to 10 women scientists. (Marie Curie won the prize twice.) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since 1809, only one out of approximately every 1,000 patents has been
issued to a woman inventor. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Less than 5% of the National Academy of Sciences members are women. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In 1978, two women headed Fortune 1000 companies. In 1996, there were
four women who headed Fortune 1000 companies. A 1996 review of the 1,000
largest firms in the United States showed that only 1% of the top five jobs in
those corporations, 60 out of 5,000 positions, were filled by women. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Women make up less than 12% of the world's parliaments, and less than
11% of political party leaders. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Within the 21 highest budgeted
orchestras in the United States, there are no female musical directors or
conductors in permanent positions. (Of the total 1530 pieces programmed in
concerts for these orchestras, only three pieces were composed by a woman.) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Only 24 women have been elected heads of state or government in this
century. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of the 185 highest-ranking diplomats to the United Nations, only 7 are
women. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of the doctorates granted in mathematics in the mid -1990s, 78% were
awarded to men while 22% went to women. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Of the doctorates granted in physical sciences in the mid-1990s, the
same percentages held as 78% were granted to men and 22% to women. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Of the doctorates in engineering in the mid 1990’s, 88% went to men and
11% to females <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the House of Representatives, women hold just 10.9% of the seats. In
the U. S. Senate, women hold only 10% of the seats.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
** Statistics taken from “External
Barriers Experienced by Gifted and Talented Girls and Women” by Dr. Sally Reis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In this session we explored some of the internal and
external barriers that continue to influence the way the world views talented
women, and more importantly, the way talented women view themselves. We looked at the impact these barriers have
on the choices that are available to women and on the decisions these women
make when they encounter these choices. Finally,
we discussed strategies that we, as educators, could use to help prepare young
women to overcome these barriers in order to live accomplished, productive
lives defined by a sense of worthiness and fulfillment.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>My Take Aways:<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>What messages are we
sending our young girls about success?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>How many women look
back on their lives and wonder, “What if ?”
<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>How can we, as
educators, make a difference?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>4. SEM Outreach: Making Change Back Home – Dr.
Joseph Renzulli<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b>The focus of this session was on helping
participants begin thinking about a plan for SEM implementation at home. Having already begun that journey several
years ago, I was excited to experience a sense of affirmation and encouragement
as I listened to Dr. Renzulli discuss
some of the obstacles that can hinder this process, as well as some tools and
strategies that can be used to overcome those obstacles. At Austin Elementary, we are well on our way,
but as I said earlier, we are not there yet.
So much remains still to be done.
Change is hard! It is scary, work
intensive, and overwhelming. But when
done right…when the cause is just…when the motives are pure… it is so worth
it! So, what is our cause? What are our motives? For me, it’s the kids…pure and simple. It’s the opportunity to create a learning
environment that is so dynamic, so learner centered, so focused on the talent
development of ALL kids, that engagement, authenticity, and profound learning
become the norm, not just for some, but for every child in every
classroom. Wow! I am excited about the dream we have for our
learners, our educators, and our school.
I am invigorated by the opportunities we have had to share that dream
with others, and I am looking forward to seeing the vision expand this coming
year as we continue to make that dream come true!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>My Take Aways:<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“You never change things by
fighting the existing reality.<br />
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
~ Richard Fuller<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“Enjoyment + Engagement +
Enthusiasm for Learning = Achievement ~ Dr. Joe Renzulli<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“High test scores are a
by-product of joyful learning.” ~ Dr. Joe Renzulli<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">-Liz Malone lmalone@coppellisd.com</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-89235331381818068132013-05-02T16:04:00.000-05:002013-05-02T16:04:27.378-05:00Who's Asking The Questions In Your Classroom?Some of the most meaningful and useful professional learning sessions share ideas/strategies that you can take away and immediately implement. That's what Liz Malone (GT Facilitator & SEM Coordinator) and Cooper Hilton (Assistant Principal) set out to do yesterday afternoon for the educators at Austin Elementary. They presented a session on promoting student questioning. This was yet another piece of learning brought back from the National Learning Forward Conference they attended this past December. <br />
<br />
The information and technique from their session came from a book called <u>Make Just One Change: Teach Students To Ask Their Own Questions</u> by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana and is based around the <b>Question Formulation Technique.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIdiizajcrRL-ccVohX_RFV7-3IqwXtlWufh-2-ZY8g4ssP1a4QS6QoVZm2HetAMaiMcLMzRKkqwQMfTir2CSm-h61qicfwnsEA34HazZ3LZrV0YyFXxBdbOz6rM0rM6IVAkX25lHTfM/s1600/book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIdiizajcrRL-ccVohX_RFV7-3IqwXtlWufh-2-ZY8g4ssP1a4QS6QoVZm2HetAMaiMcLMzRKkqwQMfTir2CSm-h61qicfwnsEA34HazZ3LZrV0YyFXxBdbOz6rM0rM6IVAkX25lHTfM/s320/book+cover.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Check out their Slide Rocket presentation <a href="http://portal.sliderocket.com/CXWWT/407631D8-CEF3-4DA7-A178-78FA13D208CA" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
As part of the process in determining where we stood as a campus (what percentage of questions are student generated) and where we want to be as a campus (what percentage of questions SHOULD be student generated), Liz and Cooper experimented with a simple polling tool <a href="http://www.kwiqpoll.com/" target="_blank">KwiqPoll</a>. It's an easy way to gather quick data using any device (iPhone, computer, etc) and could be a great formative assessment tool in classrooms.<br />
<br />
If you would like more information on how the Question Formulation Technique could impact your classroom, leave us a comment!Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-7799461520301166202013-04-22T14:17:00.000-05:002013-04-22T14:17:22.593-05:00Promoting Global Competency at the Elementary Level<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLA9Vv5Wcf_Yo_MKn8zx4ah5hFK-FyXQvGrLs1wjG0zldgvSHXBb63VU1-JSshVamSz8gebmZq7FmLMdoRmG0SupUpEHBJxazKC0VP9CgT8fuz7r5uusAfrDtxN66AQNhn855AJqwW88/s1600/Global.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLA9Vv5Wcf_Yo_MKn8zx4ah5hFK-FyXQvGrLs1wjG0zldgvSHXBb63VU1-JSshVamSz8gebmZq7FmLMdoRmG0SupUpEHBJxazKC0VP9CgT8fuz7r5uusAfrDtxN66AQNhn855AJqwW88/s400/Global.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<br />
At a recent faculty meeting, Kara Cadue, Liz Malone, and Cooper Hilton led the staff in exploring the ideas behind Global Competency and what it could mean for our learning community. This interest originally stemmed from their attendance at the Learning Forward National Conference. After exploring how promoting Global Competency aligns with who we are as a campus, they decided to begin a conversation with the staff. <br />
<br />
Check out the basics of their presentation at <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19H5VlGyKXO3Dslj2X_m224zncDwDhszotQmKbfVMTn4/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Global Competency</a>.<br />
<br />
Here are a few of the questions we began exploring-<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>How could promoting Global Competency impact our learners and our learning community?</li>
<li>What does Global Competency look like at the elementary level?</li>
<li>How does this align with our campus vision and Transformation Plan, and why does it matter?</li>
<li>What could Global Competency look like within the context of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model?</li>
</ul>
<br />
Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-24538774672902923182013-04-05T16:44:00.000-05:002013-04-05T16:44:15.919-05:00A Big Opportunity!
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In a previous post, we featured the experience of a few Austin
educators who attended the National Learning Forward Conference in Boston, MA.
Liz Malone (GT Facilitator and SEM Coordinator), Kara Cadue (4th grade), and
Cooper Hilton (Assistant Principal) had an amazing experience at this national
conference learning from the best in the field! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We will have
an opportunity to attend this conference once again, as this coming year's
National Learning Forward Conference will be held in DFW. Aside from
sending additional educators this coming year, we were inspired to submit a
proposal to present and lead a session for other educators from around the
world. We have received notice from the organization that our proposal
("Navigating The Winding Road of School Transformation") has been
accepted! Given our imperative to transform our current educational
practices, we chose to focus on our transformation within the context of the
Schoolwide Enrichment Model. The following is an excerpt from our session
description:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Experience an actual case study of one
school's transformation from a culture of remediation to a school of enrichment
where educators are driven to unlock the passion and cultivate the uniqueness
inherent in every learner. Gain insight into their successes and roadblocks.
Learn to create conditions and capacities conducive for educators and
learners to perform at high levels.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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We are excited
(and slightly nervous) for this opportunity to share our experiences! <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-34054469941257498692013-03-04T14:55:00.000-06:002013-03-04T14:55:43.684-06:00An Exciting ShowcaseThis past Friday, our 2nd/3rd grade learners had the opportunity to <em>showcase</em> their learning at their Enrichment Cluster Showcase! You could feel the excitement in the building. Our learners had just about every topic covered: electricity, magic, CSI, medical response, etc. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXx8_9Do5UNljTjE6rejbkMpjdX2bb1RcgNY_Uw0fcKZpjHFBdCGb4vw-xwZMOZBvSDmeQ1Pv2VgdrZmKKe8JFcGCHmQyAHyXbm5MU53fQqTA1Y6aXeGS0OWuk-eYZVrDb9eJGWuw_xc/s1600/Cluster+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXx8_9Do5UNljTjE6rejbkMpjdX2bb1RcgNY_Uw0fcKZpjHFBdCGb4vw-xwZMOZBvSDmeQ1Pv2VgdrZmKKe8JFcGCHmQyAHyXbm5MU53fQqTA1Y6aXeGS0OWuk-eYZVrDb9eJGWuw_xc/s320/Cluster+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMW6klZFAN7JDZRAKusUz_ktoTB7as7LbO5_8ZzYEY9yvptgRMNVIVP5folWkpVJM3nZkWkfixxcH1TOYj6-qVHfOu9sjy-KU2SMxkwsmbKAhiPKa_wuSWIGykox26ec4oMXuG0HddLW0/s1600/Cluster+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMW6klZFAN7JDZRAKusUz_ktoTB7as7LbO5_8ZzYEY9yvptgRMNVIVP5folWkpVJM3nZkWkfixxcH1TOYj6-qVHfOu9sjy-KU2SMxkwsmbKAhiPKa_wuSWIGykox26ec4oMXuG0HddLW0/s320/Cluster+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIR0AchYHBDRLrnTByX6kh9HBDT3NyI4cnquETbjkVkftp5OK-UFBNEVrkJmPxehBT3apqQj602oIOIdqw15qI7qPghMFNmrQAgobEGsv8X9aJ8z6sdKeh9KSuJPCP_0YasV64a643_c/s1600/Cluster+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIR0AchYHBDRLrnTByX6kh9HBDT3NyI4cnquETbjkVkftp5OK-UFBNEVrkJmPxehBT3apqQj602oIOIdqw15qI7qPghMFNmrQAgobEGsv8X9aJ8z6sdKeh9KSuJPCP_0YasV64a643_c/s320/Cluster+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<br />
We were thrilled to have several visitors come and enjoy the day with us! Several CISD board members, Dr. Turner (Superintendent), and several other central office administrators came and took part in the learning. Also, two guests from Laurel Mountain Elementary came to witness our progress on our journey towards implementation of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model. We are extremely grateful for their help and time as we have gone through the process!<br />
<br />
Check out this brief video of the Showcase from Liz Malone, GT Facilitator.<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zm_APNDf1CU" target="_blank">Showcase Video</a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-86006119045158947212013-01-27T15:32:00.001-06:002013-01-27T15:32:12.500-06:00Parent Course #2 (Schoolwide Enrichment Model)Professional Learning at Austin is not just limited to our educators. Through the transformation currently underway, we also realize an obligation to share these professional learning experiences with our parents. With this in mind, we are hosting four Parent Courses this school year. Our first course (see earlier blog post) focused on CISD's Operation Transformation and what that looks like at Austin.<br />
<br />
This past week, we were honored to host the second of our four sessions, this one featuring Austin's implementation of the Renzulli Schoolwide Enrichment Model. If you were unable to attend or would like to review the presentation, please access it here- <a href="http://portal.sliderocket.com/CXWWT/00084EA4-6BA8-4C61-9F4F-5E99B5F0F7E0" target="_blank">Parent Course #2 (SEM)</a>.<br />
<br />
If you have further questions regarding the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, please contact Liz Malone at lmalone@coppellisd.com. Also, we invite you to join us one Friday morning to see SEM in action! Please RSVP at <a href="http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080449ACA82EA13-etime" target="_blank">E-Time Tour/Visit</a>.Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-10555946500274274002013-01-10T14:36:00.001-06:002013-01-10T14:36:58.422-06:00A Big Success...<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've been following us for very long, you know that we are in the process of fully implementing Dr. Joe Renzulli's Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). It is an integral part of our Operation Transformation as we challenge ourselves to create a more meaningful and engaging 21st century learning environment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of our biggest hurdles this year in the implementation of SEM was conducting our first round of enrichment clusters and the subsequent enrichment cluster showcase. It was a big undertaking for both our educators AND learners as we took much of the structure and ideas behind E-Time and dug deeper, but we couldn't be more proud of how it went! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below are a couple of resources for you to check out if you're curious about our SEM journey and want to know more about how our first cluster showcase turned out.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">-<i>Explore our Schoolwide Enrichment Model blog <a href="http://learningmadesemple.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; color: #20124d;">Lifelong Learning Made SEMple!</span></a>. It includes a video with footage/photos from the 4th/5th grade Showcase.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>-Check out the following video- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCVIaQLq4SY" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; color: #20124d;">The Video Production Company</span></a> This 4th/5th grade cluster saw a real world problem (declining participation in our school bank Mustang Mutual) and used their talents and passions to address it. Check it out!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As always, we welcome your feedback and input! </span></i>Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-7387753799403551132012-12-22T14:26:00.000-06:002012-12-22T14:26:19.440-06:00Educators as Learners... @ The Learning Forward National Conference!One of the things we frequently discuss as a staff is our dual role of <span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #134f5c;">Educator</span> AND <span style="color: #134f5c;">Learner</span>.</i></span> This was evident recently as three Austin educators attended the 2012 Learning Forward National Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. Kara Cadue, Liz Malone, and Cooper Hilton spent five jam-packed days learning from leading educators, researchers, and professors from around the country. We suspect they also managed to squeeze in some time catching the city "sites." :) <br />
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We have asked them to each share a reflection from one of the sessions that they attended. In addition, they will share their learning with the Austin staff at an upcoming professional learning day in February.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Liz Malone-</b> <i>Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions</i><br />
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I recently had the opportunity to attend “Learning Forward,”
an educators’ conference held in Boston, Massachusetts. The atmosphere at this conference was like
nothing I had ever before experienced. From
the moment we arrived, we were inundated with exceptional learning sessions as
well as multiple opportunities to connect with educators from around the
globe. And if that wasn’t enough, we also
found ourselves in a city where we were surrounded by the stories and heroes
that helped to shape early American history.
One could not have asked for an environment more conducive to learning
and growing than what we found in Boston!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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While there, I had the privilege of attending a session
entitled, “Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions.” In this session we explored the idea of
teaching our learners how to formulate and utilize effective questions in their
learning. Sounds simple, right? Maybe even obvious. However, I quickly realized that this idea
was not nearly as obvious as it might sound.
As we worked through the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with our
facilitators, I began to think about what goes on in my own classroom. With my background in Science, inquiry based
learning is nothing new to me. I have
been very purposefully using that strategy with my learners for several
years. Unfortunately, even with that
practice in place, I found that, much of the time, I am still the one asking
most of the questions. Why is that, I
wondered? I began to reflect on some of
the basic beliefs I held about my learners.
Did I trust them to ask the “right” questions? Did I believe they were truly interested in
learning? Did I see them as competent
and capable of taking ownership of their own learning? In theory, my answer to all of these
questions was, “Yes, of course I did!”
In practice though, I wasn’t so sure.
I decided it was time to take a
good hard look at my own practice and find a way to tip the scales in the
opposite direction. The Question
Formulation Technique was the perfect tool for the job!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Question Formulation Technique is a “concise, powerful
protocol that enables learners to produce their own questions, improve their
questions, and strategize how to use them.”
This protocol consists of six core components:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>A
Question Focus: </b>This is usually developed by the teacher and serves as a
springboard for student questions.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A process through which <b>learners produce questions:</b> This process is very simple and is
guided by four basic rules:<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Ask as many questions as you can.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Do not judge or evaluate questions.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Write down every question exactly as it is
stated.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Change any statement into a question.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->An exploration and sort of <b>open and closed questions</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>A
Selection of Priority Questions: </b>Learners evaluate each question and
identify those they believe to be the most important.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Next
Steps:</b> Learners and educators work together to decide how they will use the
priority questions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Reflection:</b>
Learners identify what they learned, how they learned it, and how they will use
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you can see, the process is a simple one. It is not complicated or even very time
consuming. It is simply a way to put the reins of
learning into the hands of the ones who should have been doing the steering in
the first place. Mike Rose, author of <i>Why School? Reclaiming Education for All of
Us</i>, puts it this way. The Question
Formulation Technique begins with the simple request to get students to ask
their own questions, but at its heart, it is about creating a classroom alive
with dialogue, inquiry, and respect for the students’ minds.” That sounds like the kind of classroom I want
to create. That sounds like the kind of
classroom I would have loved to have been a part of as a child.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I end with a simple question. What would classrooms look like if teachers
asked fewer questions and students asked more?
More importantly, what would <i>my</i>
classroom look like if <i>I</i> asked fewer
questions, and my learners asked more?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cooper Hilton-</b><i> Promoting Global Competency</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
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To say that I was blessed to be able to attend the Learning
Forward National Conference would be an understatement! Never before have I attended a conference so
focused on improving instruction and doing so through the lens of 21<sup>st</sup>
century learning. I had an opportunity
to get to know fellow educators from around the world and hear about their
experiences as they wrestle with the same task of transforming our schools. Some of the sessions I attended focused on
topics such as building strong teacher teams and promoting deeper student
questioning.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A session that I would like to share with you, though,
focused on the importance and necessity of teaching global competence. It was hosted by the Asia Society whose
educational mission is to enhance teaching in the US by pushing students to
interact more with the world and develop the skills necessary to be successful
in a global economy. I was excited by
how closely this mission aligns with our transformation currently underway!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With 1 out of every 5 jobs in the US tied to international
trade, it’s easy to see that an understanding of other cultures will be crucial
for our learners as they leave us. How
do we develop these global skills, dispositions, and knowledge? The Asia Society argues that they can be
built by focusing on these 4 ideas:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Investigate
the World</b>- This is students
investigating things beyond their immediate environment and identifying real
world problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Recognize
Perspectives</b>- Students recognize and express their own perspective and
identify what influences those perspectives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Communicate
Ideas</b>- Students communicate their ideas with diverse audiences.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Take
Action</b>- Students translate their ideas into appropriate actions to improve
conditions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had two main take-aways from the four ideas listed above. The first take-away relates to our Enrichment
Clusters at Austin. These Clusters take
students with similar interests and passions and group them to explore those
interests and work towards an end product or service. The process that students follow in their
Clusters is very similar to the steps/ideas listed above. I will be interested in seeing how these
steps/ideas could be used to drive the development of our Clusters and perhaps
include elements to address global competency.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My second take-away that got my wheels turning was a
realization of how each of these 4 steps/ideas encompass the 21<sup>st</sup>
century skills that will be required of our learners. My session was full of educators from around
the globe (including Singapore, Canada, and Australia). When given the task to compile a list of the
skills/knowledge that our learners will need to be successful, we all
identified similar ideas: Communication, Collaboration, Tolerance,
Creativity/Innovation, Self-Direction, Perspective, Problem-Solving. By promoting global competency (through the
process outlined above), we are in turn teaching 21<sup>st</sup> century
learning skills. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I look forward to continuing the conversation at our campus!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Kara Cadue-</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Imagine my surprise when I learned
I would be going to Boston, Mass., for a learning conference! Now while it’s true I love to learn, it’s even
more of a truth I love learning about our American heritage and history. And if you know anything at all about how our
great country came into existence then you know the roots of our story are
embedded deeply within the great city of Boston. A city in which I had yet to visit…until just
a couple of weeks ago when I attended the <b><i>Learning Forward’s Annual Conference</i></b>. Although I’m not totally past questioning why
I was a lucky one chosen to attend, it is time for me to begin to ask a
different question. That question that
when answered begins to impact so many more people than just myself. That question that turns the focus off of the
fact that I was chosen to attend and onto the responsibility now set before
me. That question: How can I best share what was learned at the
conference? And that question: How can I convince others to embrace what was
learned so as to positively impact our community, our school and ultimately our
children? I begin by reflecting here on
our PD@Austin blog. <b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>Learning Forward</i></b>….what is
it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Learning Forward</i>, once known as the <i>National Staff Development Council</i>, is
an international, non-profit association of learning educators. This group began in 1969 and today is an
organization with many members, many different products and services, and a
purpose which is directly tied to student achievement. This group of “staff developers” believes that what and how adults learn is just
as important and crucial to study as what and how our young children learn. We are
fortunate in our district to have someone with strong ties to this
organization. Our very own Michelle
King, Director of Professional Development for CISD, is the current President
–Elect for the Texas Learning Forward Affiliation and is the Chair Person for
the 2013 Learning Forward Annual Conference happening right here in Grapevine,
Texas. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
On the first
night of preconference I sat down to dinner with Michelle King and asked her to
share her history with LF. She explained
how she first became involved while working as a math curriculum director in a
different district. She was ready to
find a conference where she could attend
with the different curriculum directors, regardless of the content. Learning Forward was that experience for
her. Rather than a focus on a specific content
this focus was on the learning, and the learning was something each of
Michelle’s colleagues could share. Had I
stopped to think about how long she had been involved with LF, I would have
quickly realized what a gold mine I was sitting on. Boy was I about to find
out! Here’s a very brief overview of
some of the sessions I was able to attend and how what I learned can affect us
here in our district.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Preconference Sessions:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i>1)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;">
</span></i><!--[endif]--><i> The Hidden Secrets of Powerful Teacher Teams
with Katherine Boles, Harvard, and Vivian Troen, Brandels University<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 2.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level4 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Some
of my tweets from this session:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 2.75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level5 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>a.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">Do
your teacher teams engage in instructional talk or merely speak in terms of
collegiality and mutual support? </span><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23learnfwd12&src=hash"><s><span lang="EN">#</span></s><b><span lang="EN">learnfwd12</span></b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 2.75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level5 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>b.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">More
important than the "WHAT we are teaching" is the "HOW we are
teaching". Do we discuss the "how" enough in team
meetings?hmm#learnfwd12</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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We analyzed written and video cases of teachers’
meetings; we practiced “difficult conversations”; we began to understand how
much is wasted during the various educator meetings. We should be discussing instructional
strategies more and logistics less. The
cost of the hour of a weekly team meeting would be much for effective if teachers
left the meetings learning things that could change practice. We left with “A Framework for Evaluating the
Effectiveness of Teams” and also the book, <u>The Power of Teacher Teams</u>. Book study anyone?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><i>2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;">
</span></i><!--[endif]--><i>Personal
Learning Networks and Communities, for Ourselves and for our Students with Will
Richardson @willrich45<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Some
of my tweets from this session:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 2.75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level5 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>a.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN"> "The change we are in the middle of isn't
minor, and it isn't optional.” - Clay Shirkey</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>b.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">Fascinating
2 consider how pages of history books will read when Learners 100 years from
now are reading about the Info. Age & how it changed education.</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>c.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">Here's
a subtle shift even the most resistant teacher can make - get the kids LEARNING
ready rather than COLLEGE ready.</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>d.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">Here's
a question: are we teaching our learners IN school the way they learn OUTside
of school? Duh...should be!</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b>e.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></b><!--[endif]--><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23learnfwd12&src=hash"><s><span lang="EN">#</span></s><b><span lang="EN">learnfwd12</span></b></a><span lang="EN"> YeeHaw!! </span><a href="https://twitter.com/willrich45"><s><span lang="EN">@</span></s><b><span lang="EN">willrich45</span></b></a><span lang="EN"> just gave shout out 2 districts in TX who
r paving the way in Transformation!That's us </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Coppellisd"><s><span lang="EN">@</span></s><b><span lang="EN">Coppellisd</span></b></a><span lang="EN"> Proud!</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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It was a mind blowing kind of morning. Check out the presentation <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/willrich45/pln-workshop-15452948">HERE</a>. The
afternoon was all about how to use things like: twitter, pinterest, LinkedIn,
etc. I did learn a cool new trick using
Google Reader. Still playing around with
it! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Conference Sessions (Monday – Wednesday)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><i>3)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;">
</span></i><!--[endif]--><i> When They’ve Lost Interest, Have you Lost
Them: Strategies to Engage Reluctant
Learners with Evette Avila from Time to Know<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Due to technical
difficulties, the presenter stood and lectured from her PowerPoint …consider
the irony. The best part was when she
shared a video from “The Teaching Channel.”
Love an idea learned from it…have already shared it with some
administrators and starting to have conversations with other brave souls,
willing to take a risk in order to grow in our profession. Is that you?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><i>4)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;">
</span></i><!--[endif]--><i> Increasing Student Ownership of Learning with
Earl Martin of Emporia State University and Ann Addison of Olathe, KS, School
District<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The Nine Strategies for Increasing Student Ownership
was the focus for this morning session.
The session validated what we are already doing in our classrooms. I was able to walk away with many notes and
concrete examples of strategies and applications. Check out my tweets (@Love2LearnSS) from
#Learnfwd12 to see a sampling of ideas on ways we can and are effectively
increasing student ownership of learning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><i>5)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;">
</span></i><!--[endif]--><i>Prioritizing
Global Awareness in Your Professional Learning Community with Julia Delatorre
of Primary Source in Watertown, Massachusetts; with Education First; and with
Mary Ann DeMello –Assistant Superintendent of Hopkinton, Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
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Through the use of
some cleverly created quizzes, we participants were quickly made aware of our
lack of geographical knowledge and our weak understanding of the term “Global
Competence.” We spent the rest of our
time studying Global Competence. What is
it? Why is it important to our students
and our future? And how we can create
learners who are globally competent? I
would love to share at a faculty meeting exactly how and what was learned at
this session. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i>6)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;">
</span></i><!--[endif]--><i> Creativity – Sparking Higher Level Thinking
with a team of educators from Stafford Elementary School in Stafford, Virginia<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
My last morning was spent with 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup>
grade teachers who took the time to send us through stations where we
participated in the activities they use to spark the higher level thinking in
their learners. No doubt a room with
these activities going on would = a room full of engaged students. My folder is definitely full of goodies to
share with my colleagues as soon as I can!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
Though that was
the last of my conference sessions, I could still share so much more. We learned at meal time (networking lunch is
a hallmark of LF conferences), we learned from amazing keynote speakers and LF
panel guests and board members, we even ventured out a wee bit into the great
city of Boston to walk The Freedom Trail.
Oh, how we learned that day! My
hope for you is that you’ll check out the Learning Forward organization and
learn a few things for yourself. Maybe I’ve piqued your curiosity and you’ll chat
with me about some of the goodies with which I’ve returned. Maybe you’ll attend
a Learning Forward Conference this summer or the Annual Conference next
December. “The current system is no
longer relevant…Educators can lead transformation if they are willing to shuck
the mindset and open themselves to the challenge.” (McNulty, 2009) Accept the challenge…and Learn Forward!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-64308028985652693912012-11-30T09:06:00.000-06:002012-11-30T09:15:43.149-06:00Parents Are Learners TooToday is an exciting day at Austin! We are starting off with the 1st of our series of 4 Parent Courses devoted to informing and involving our parents in the work we're doing with Operation Transformation. Part of that work is a realization of the responsibility we have to build <span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>reciprocal</em></strong> </span></span>relationships with our parents and community. This is a great first step towards achieving that.<br />
<br />
We've used a great (FREE) tool to help us organize the event and plan for our attendees. SignUpGenius.com was an easy way for us to publicize the class and keep track of those attending. It's a great tool for organizing volunteers, parent conferences, etc.<br />
<br />
Check out the link below for the presentation that we'll use. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/a/g.coppellisd.com/file/d/0B6ck9UpJGdRLc2tORnIxWi1idms/edit" target="_blank">Parent Class #1 Presentation</a><br />
<br />
One item that the presentation references is the Campus Pedagogy. The Campus Pedagogy is a component of the Transformation Plan that was developed at the summer Principal Academy. In short, it outlines what we <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">believe</span> our school community should look like. Take a look at the graphic version below, and give us your feedback! It is meant to guide us over the next few years as we "transform" our learning environment. Of course, it will change and evolve as WE change and evolve.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hhkvLgETm217R1bGPf-A9eumnweLxMWEs1uVr-GkEN8CrbNz_iOIKwfG1fIIBxIwqg9ZUZLBMrNoZ4XL5el-g15OFbKMhbEE9_CYqVgdG3nBrdxDN56aY_FPwHuKvGLt1cOjl1aNHLs/s1600/pedagogy1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hhkvLgETm217R1bGPf-A9eumnweLxMWEs1uVr-GkEN8CrbNz_iOIKwfG1fIIBxIwqg9ZUZLBMrNoZ4XL5el-g15OFbKMhbEE9_CYqVgdG3nBrdxDN56aY_FPwHuKvGLt1cOjl1aNHLs/s400/pedagogy1.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-45656933639599042922012-11-13T16:54:00.000-06:002012-11-14T10:02:36.271-06:00We Believe...For the past few years, Austin has had Belief Statements that voice what it is that we believe about education and the needs of our learners.<br />
<br />
Having since composed our Campus Guiding Purpose, we realized that we needed Belief Statements that reflect that Guiding Purpose and tell our community what distinguishes Austin from other elementaries, so we bravely undertook the task of reviewing our Belief Statements and updating them to be authentic reflections of what we hold to be true! Our team leaders helped facilitate this process with their teams. Needless to say, there was plenty of cutting, pasting, adding, omitting, and rewording.<br />
<br />
We couldn't be more proud of our final product! What we ended up with truly verbalizes how Austin is unique and strives to ignite passion in our learners AND educators.<br />
<br />
Check them out, and let us know what you think.<br />
<br />
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Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-14730684555797188032012-10-08T09:56:00.002-05:002012-10-08T09:56:36.845-05:00Operation Transformation Is In Full SwingAt Austin, we are thrilled (and maybe a little anxious) by the announcement that Coppell ISD was selected to participate in the High Performance Schools Consortium. <a href="http://www.tea.state.tx.us/news_release.aspx?id=2147509002" target="_blank">Read the article here.</a> This means that we will play an integral part in the transformation of the public education system in Texas.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, we have already begun working to transform our school to a 21st Century learning environment, but we will have a long road ahead of us.<br />
<br />
As part of this work, we have updated our Roadmap. You may remember last year's Roadmap to SEM from a previous post. We found that this was a great visual representation of our vision and where we are headed as a campus. Check it out, and let us know what you think.<br />
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As you can see, we've already taken several steps this year. Most recently, the staff met to review our Beliefs Statements and evaluate their compatibility with our Guiding Purpose. It was a tough process! <br />
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Each grade level was given one of our seven Belief Statements. Using our Guiding Purpose as a lense, they had to determine whether or not the statement still held true, whether or not it needed to be updated, or whether or not we should even keep it. Then, using a Carousel Walk, the staff rotated between each Belief Statement and provided additional feedback.<br />
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Now here comes the hard part! Each grade level will take back their Belief Statement (along with the abundance of feedback) and rewrite it so that it conforms with our beliefs about 21st Century learning. We can't wait to see what our educators come up with!</div>
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Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-47115081052048776042012-09-19T14:23:00.000-05:002012-09-19T14:23:38.951-05:00Prepping for ClustersAfter a successful implementation of E-Time (see E-Time posts), Austin is ripe and ready to begin digging even deeper with Enrichment Clusters! Clusters are similar to E-Time in that they are both interest based and student driven.<br />
<br />
Liz Malone (GT Facilitator & SEM Coordinator) has been working this week with our 4th grade, 5th grade, and support staff teachers as we prepare to kick-off the first round of Clusters with 4th and 5th grade at the end of October. Additionally, we will work with our parent volunteers who have graciously agreed to share their passions and lead / co-lead a Cluster!<br />
<br />
Here are a few of the things that our educators are discovering about Clusters-<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Why are Clusters important?</span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">They support kids' interests.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">They help learners discover new interests.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">They challenge learners on different levels.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Students learn from each other and from experts.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Clusters support our Guiding Purpose of <em>unlocking students' passion and cultivating their uniqueness</em>.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">MANY more reasons!<a name='more'></a></span></li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">How are E-Time and Clusters alike?</span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Interest based</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Student driven</span></li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">How are Clusters different from E-Time?</span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Clusters are multi-aged (spanning various grade levels).</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Clusters last for 6 weeks. This allows for more in-depth discover and exploration.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Cluster groups are smaller sizes than E-Time. By using our support staff and parents to facilitate Clusters, we are able to decrease the group size. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Through our Cluster Showcases, our learners are provided with authentic audiences, solve real-world problems, and create a product or service to demonstrate their learning.</span></li>
</ul>
<strong><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">What are some characteristics of high quality Clusters?</span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Result in a product/service</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Provide authentic and advanced learning</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Strength based</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Make connections to real world problems/scenarios</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Teacher facilitated, student driven</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: #0c343d;">Authentic methods (students as experts, doing what experts do)</span></li>
</ul>
We are so excited for our students to experience this in-depth time of enrichment! We can't wait to see where our learners' interests and passions might take them!<br />
<br />
Check back, and we'll keep you updated on our progress!<br />
<br />
Also, you can always keep track of SEM at-<br />
<a href="http://www.learningmadesemple.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">LearningMadeSEMple</a>Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-21029713764948920702012-09-12T17:30:00.001-05:002012-09-12T17:30:38.813-05:00Curriculum Compacting: A Tool For Differentiation In The Classroom<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since the beginning of the school year, we have featured a few guest bloggers and their reflections on their learning from Confratute. To close this series, check out the article below from Liz Malone (GT Facilitator & SEM Coordinator) on Curriculum Compacting. We are excited about the work she will do with ALL of our learners this year and the coaching/planning work she will do with our educators.</span> <br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Curriculum Compacting:
A Tool for Differentiation in the Classroom<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was so
excited this summer to once again attend Confratute, a week-long educational
conference held on the beautiful University of Connecticut campus in Storrs,
Connecticut, just outside of Hartford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While there, I had the opportunity to participate in an exploration of
Curriculum Compacting, led by Dr. Deb Goldbeck, a leading researcher in this
area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Goldbeck shared with us much
of the research surrounding the practice of curriculum compacting as well as a
wealth of information about the tools and resources that are available to
facilitate the implementation of curriculum compacting in the general education
setting. I have attempted to share just a taste of her wisdom in the paragraphs
below, but I am looking forward to sharing more information as the year
progresses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Frequently Asked Questions:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is curriculum compacting?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Curriculum
compacting is simply another tool that can be used to differentiate classroom
learning experiences so that we are able to effectively meet the unique needs
of every learner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Goldbeck defines
it this way: “Curriculum compacting is a procedure used to streamline the
regular curriculum for students who are capable of mastering it at a faster
pace.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, we do not
continue to require students to practice those skills and concepts in which
they have already demonstrated mastery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, we create experiences which allow them to explore those
concepts at a higher level of depth and complexity and in a way that relates to
their own personal interests and talents. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What are the benefits curriculum compacting?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
systematic use of curriculum compacting will allow us as educators to provide
an appropriate level of challenge to our high ability students while also
ensuring mastery of the skills and content requirements of the basic
curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compacting
curriculum also creates time in the school day for Type 2 and Type 3 enrichment
activities, and allows students to explore a topic of study in a way that
relates to their own areas of interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This leads to an increase in student</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">engagement
and academic growth as well as a decrease in off task and disruptive behavior
in the classroom. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do I identify students that need
curriculum compacting? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Students
will often “tell” us they might be good candidates for curriculum compacting
through their behaviors in the classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have listed below some behaviors that might suggest that compacting is
necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
consistently finishes tasks quickly<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
consistently finishes reading assignments first<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
appears bored during instruction<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
consistently daydreams during instruction<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
creates his/her own puzzles, games, diversions<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
consistently demonstrates high performance in one or more academic areas<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
asks questions which indicate an advanced familiarity with a concept or unit of
study<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
demonstrates advanced vocabulary and verbal expression<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Student
expresses interest in pursuing alternative or advanced topics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course,
these are only indicators and cannot be used as the sole criteria for
determining who should participate in curriculum compacting at any given time
throughout the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pre-assessments
must be used to determine exactly which skills and concepts a student has
mastered. Equally important is identifying those skills a student has not yet
mastered, so that we do not create gaps in a student’s learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we have developed a clear picture of
each student’s learning, we can then determine which students might benefit
from curriculum compacting and develop a plan that will meet their needs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am looking
forward to working with teachers throughout the year to develop the use of this
tool in our classrooms, and I am incredibly excited about the potential impact it
will have on the learning and talent development of our students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
-Liz Malone, GT Facilitator & SEM CoordinatorAustin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-25716628278209689322012-09-07T10:12:00.000-05:002012-09-07T10:12:38.935-05:00A Back to School Tradition<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's becoming somewhat of a back to school tradition for Austin to create a video and share it with parents on Curriculum Night. It's the perfect opportunity for parents to put a face with the name and get to know some of the people that work with their child each day.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This year, it was also the perfect opportunity for us to share a preview of upcoming Schoolwide Enrichment activities and a few details on CISD's <strong><span style="color: #0c343d;">Operation Transformation</span></strong>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We were able to find a very talented young narrator to help us out. Check it out, and let us know what you think!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/76S2RMuWGOw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-66963379117896069382012-09-04T08:31:00.000-05:002012-09-04T08:35:29.073-05:00Reflections on Creativity<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last week, we featured a Confratute reflection on a series of math sessions that our teachers attended. This week, we would like to spotlight Lisa Ricciardelli (Art teacher @ Austin) and her reflections on <span style="color: #660000;"><strong>Creativity</strong></span><span style="color: black;"> at Confratute.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><span style="color: #20124d;">I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to attend
this year's Confratute and fully enjoyed all the speakers, classes, workshops,
and scoops of farm fresh ice cream. The energy there at UCONN is really
playful, informative, and inspiring! Yet if I could sum up this experience
with just one word, it would definitely have to be creative.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><o:p><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em> </em></span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>In one of my favorite classes of the week, “</em></span></span></span><a href="http://fusionfinds.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/motivation-what-i-learned-from-daniel-pink/"><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Motivation</em></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;">, <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meta-Cognition, & the Importance of Creativity”, we
learned that there are two types of creativity according to Dr. Bonnie Cramond:
expressive and inventive. Expressive creativity illustrates conceptions or
emotions and aesthetics where the inventive type addresses a worthwhile problem
to find novel and appropriate solutions. Both have equal merit in education and
can be woven into our curriculum in a plethora of </span></span><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ways. From
the new Fine Arts TEKS:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><span style="color: #20124d;">The
Fine Arts, as universal languages, incorporate the study of dance, music,
theatre, and the visual arts to offer unparalleled experiences and empower
students to explore realities, relationships, and ideas. The Fine Arts engage
and motivate all students through active learning, critical thinking, and
innovative problem solving. Our disciplines develop cognitive functioning and
increase student academic achievement, higher order thinking skills, communication,
and collaboration. Students develop relevant aesthetic and cultural awareness
through exploration leading to creative expression. Creativity is essential and
the study of the Fine Arts nurtures and develops the whole child.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><a name='more'></a></em></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><span style="color: #20124d;">Of course, a Fine Arts classroom is not the
only place creativity can and should happen. In fact, it really is vital that
schools today implement opportunities for students to exercise their creative
minds as often as possible. For it is in this state of creative thinking that
ideas are born, identity is fostered and developed, and innovation and
expression can bloom.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>These are the characteristics most employers are looking for in
our new ‘conceptual age’. As Daniel Pink states in his excellent book: </em></span></span><a href="http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Excerpt-from-A-Whole-New-Mind-by-Daniel-Pink"><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>A Whole
New Mind</em></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><span style="color: #20124d;">,<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;">
<em><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;">“The high-concept, high-touch abilities that
now matter most are fundamentally human attributes. After all, back on the
savannah, our cave-person ancestors weren’t taking SATs or plugging numbers
into spreadsheets. But they were telling stories, demonstrating empathy, and
designing innovations. These abilities have always comprised part of what it
means to be human. But after a few generations in the Information Age, these muscles
have atrophied. The challenge is to work them back into shape. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…</span><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"> those who master them
first will have a huge advantage.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></em></div>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>
</em></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><o:p><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em> </em></span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><span style="color: #20124d;">One of Austin Elementary School’s greatest virtues
is that teachers on our campus do regularly use creativity strategies for
learning in the classroom. Still, it is essential that we reliably stoke that
fire in ourselves in order to grow as educators. This can be uncomfortable at
times as well as completely gratifying. Creativity takes courage! I believe we
teachers would greatly benefit to (dare I say MUST) challenge ourselves to
perform creative exercises regularly in order to grow more comfortable with the
processes and improve our understanding of the learner’s position. We must
stretch, open our minds, and redirect our thought patterns, take risks, and
express ourselves! I would be interested to know your thoughts and experiences on
this. Here are a few places to help get the creative juices flowing:<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><a href="http://www.lumosity.com/app/v4/personalization"><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.lumosity.com/app/v4/personalization</span></span></a><span style="color: #191713; font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</u></span></span></span></span><a href="http://creativethinking.net/WP04_Exercises.htm"><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="color: blue;">http://creativethinking.net/WP04_Exercises.htm</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #191713; font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/creativity-in-classroom-trisha-riche"><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.edutopia.org/blog/creativity-in-classroom-trisha-riche</span></span></a><span style="color: #191713; font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: #191713; font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</u></span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/7670/3-exercises-to-improve-your-creative-thinking-skills/"><span style="font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/7670/3-exercises-to-improve-your-creative-thinking-skills/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #191713; font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #191713; font-family: "Bangla Sangam MN"; mso-bidi-font-family: "American Typewriter"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></span><br />Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-77830166857396566332012-08-27T11:38:00.000-05:002012-08-27T11:38:33.097-05:00Dr. Math!<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">As we mentioned in our previous post, several educators from Austin Elementary participated in multiple professional learning events over the summer.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few teachers that went to Confratute at the University of Connecticut in July chose to attend a strand of sessions with Dr. Rachel McAnallan (a.k.a. Dr. Math). Below is a reflection from May Voltz (3rd grade) on her experience with Dr. Math!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Dr. Math & The Austin Crew)</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Engaging!!
Inspiring!! Tactile Learning!!! What do these words have in common?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Rachel McAnallan, aka Dr. Math. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This summer we had the privilege of
attending Confratute 2012 at the University of Connecticut. Along with many
other educators, we chose to attend the math strands taught by Dr. McAnallan.
Our three classes were Fun and Friendly Algebra; Absolutely No Train Problems, Math
for Those Who Think They Can’t Do Math, and Geometry Beyond the Textbook. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In Fun and Friendly Algebra, we worked
with place value using not only Base 10, but other bases as well. Dr. McAnallan
says it is not place value, but rather positional power. She emphasized the
importance of incorporating stories to help students demystify the concepts of
algebra. This allows us to introduce algebraic concepts at an early age and in
a natural situation. She modeled great teaching methods while asking us, “Where
did I lose you?” instead of saying “What don’t you understand?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also shared many ways for teachers to
differentiate student work while all working on the same concept. Students
become number detectives and problem solvers. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In Math For Those Who Think They Can’t
Do Math, teachers were exposed to the importance of using the correct math
terminology while teaching the many different concepts of math. While covering
addition, subtraction, multiplication and division she emphasized the
importance of understanding that there are infinite ways to come to the answer.
She stressed the importance of understanding the continuum of concrete to
abstract while knowing that the elementary foundations paves the way to
algebraic thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In Geometry Beyond the Textbook, we
built 3 dimensional solids using origami. Vocabulary was stressed while folding
the paper, such as, “How many rectangles can you count?”, “What is the shape
called now?” Even though the process was frustrating at times, when our paper
wouldn’t fold the way we needed it to, we were reminded of the importance of
perseverance and how we model this with students. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How will our classrooms be impacted
because of our new learning? Her model of teaching and the experiences we had
will really help us bring the philosophy of Schoolwide Enrichment into all of
our lessons. This isn’t something we do on Friday mornings, rather it is
infused in all of our lessons. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Humor + engagement + high expectations =
Math Success For All!!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Bradley Hand ITC"; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span>Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-7885472175282577222012-08-24T13:34:00.000-05:002012-08-24T13:35:27.719-05:00Welcome Back!<span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;">To say that it has been an eventful summer for Austin teachers would be an understatement! The professional learning began almost the minute school was let out and has continued up until school begins next week.</span> <br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Here are a few of the professional learning opportunities in which our educators participated this summer-</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #45818e;">CISD's <em>Best Day Ever</em> Summer Conference</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #45818e;">The Leadership Development Process through Learning Forward Texas</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #45818e;">Great Expectations</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #45818e;">Confratute (pictured above)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #45818e;">The International Congress on Math Education</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #45818e;"><em>Learning @ Lovejoy</em> featuring Dr. Carol Dweck (author of <u>Mindset</u>)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #45818e;">CISD's Principal Academy</span></li>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">As we begin the school year, we look forward to featuring a few reflections by guest bloggers from these learning experiences.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With a new school year comes new faces. We are excited to welcome 8 new educators to our Austin family! Each of these new educators is ready to join in and play a part in our transformation to a 21st century learning environment. Help us in welcoming them to Austin!</span></div>
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Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-28528851270767669842012-04-12T16:11:00.000-05:002012-04-12T16:11:36.860-05:00Campus Vision Check-UpLast night, Laurie O'Neill, Principal, presented to the PTO a brief overview of our campus vision and where we currently stand with the implementation of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). Check out this Prezi that she used to outline her presentation!<br />
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<a href="http://prezi.com/bdsl1e_h9myn/sem/?auth_key=2ac5fa4771f1881b61266857d6940271eca68d11" target="_blank">PTO SEM Prezi 4-11-12</a><br />
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Comment below if you have any questions or if we can provide any clarification about the information in the Prezi!Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-84541509042901597262012-04-12T15:51:00.000-05:002012-04-12T15:51:37.065-05:00Mindset Book StudyAs we've previously mentioned, we are currently in the middle of our book study on <u>Mindset</u> by Dr. Carol Dweck. A few staff members will actually participate in a professional learning opportunity with Dr. Dweck in Lovejoy ISD this coming July! <br />
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Below is our most recent topic of discussion on <em>The Inverse Power of Praise</em>. What are your thoughts?<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A child who has a great deal of self-awareness of his intellect lacks a great deal of self-confidence. Why does this child, who is at the top of the charts, lack confidence about his ability to tackle the most routine of school challenges? </span><br />
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</span>Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493329595145264792.post-42491915732331771792012-03-26T16:40:00.000-05:002012-03-26T16:40:51.829-05:00Arts Integration- Guest Blogger Lisa RicciardelliCheck out the guest blogger feature from Lisa Ricciardelli, Art Teacher at Austin Elementary. She recently returned from the National Art Education Association's 2012 Conference and brought back a rekindled passion for arts integration!<br />
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<div class="NoteLevel11CxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Through a grant made possible by the Coppell Gifted Association I had the fortune of attending the </span></span><a href="http://www.arteducators.org/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">National Art Education Association’s 2012 Convention</span></span></b></a><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> in New York City on March 1-4! One of the highlights of my conference experience that would be purposeful to teachers was a session I attended on educational neuroscience and the important role art plays in the development of the brain. The </span></span><a href="http://www.thecttl.org/" title="http://www.thecttl.org/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning</span></span></b></a><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> demonstrated in this session that, based on educational neuroscience, teachers must tactically integrate understanding of various learning modalities with multisensory learning into the curriculum for students to best learn. Arts participation has been consistently linked to better academic performance largely because the Arts are inherently multisensory and do uphold diverse learning modalities. The arts can enhance spatial reasoning, attention, thinking habits, motivation, and collaboration. What's more, Arts activities naturally incorporate factors that are known in cognitive psychology to improve long-term memory for information, rousing active retrieval of factual knowledge. </span></span></div><div align="center" class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Teachers and Specialists, </span></span></b></div><div align="center" class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am happy to support any staff member on integrating the arts into your curriculum by helping you create project-based ideas and/or creativity exercises for your students. As a resource to you, I welcome our collaboration individually or in teams! </span></span></b></div><div align="center" class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Need some <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">instant gratification</b> on the topic? </span></span></div><div align="center" class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here are some examples of excellent creativity exercises that can be used in most classrooms: </span></span><a href="http://pzweb.harvard.edu/vt/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03g_CreativityRoutines.html"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">DIVERGENT THINKING BEGINS HERE</span></span></a><span style="color: #e41e29; font-family: Whackadoo;"></span></div><div align="center" class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="NoteLevel11CxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">More on Arts Integration…</span></span></b></div><div class="NoteLevel2CxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: Whackadoo; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">Arts integration is not a substitute for teaching the arts for their own sake</span></b><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: Whackadoo; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">. While it is necessary to recognize the need for art specialists in the schools, it is also important that all educators become aware of the successes that have been demonstrated when students become engaged in their own learning via arts integrated instruction. Furthermore, it is essential to understand that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">arts integration is <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">about a methodology and a philosophical approach to education </span>that creates a level of personal connection and added depth in the classroom through a creative inquiry-based process of teaching and learning. </b></span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel2CxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: Whackadoo; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Source: </span></span></i><a href="http://www.neiu.edu/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">http://www.neiu.edu/</span></span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #e36c0a; font-family: Whackadoo; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> Northeastern Illinois University</span></span></i></div><div class="NoteLevel11CxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;">Links/Books:</span></b><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"></span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="http://educationcloset.com/"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">http://educationcloset.com/</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"></span></div><div class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">EducationCloset.com has excellent lesson ideas for arts integration. The blogger believes in providing high-quality, high-impact professional development for education practitioners and advocates using Arts Integration, Technology and Innovative Teaching Strategies to positively impact all learners.</span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><a href="http://www.pz.harvard.edu/at/"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;">http://www.pz.harvard.edu/at/</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"></span></div><div class="NoteLevel11CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Artful Thinking is a program that was developed by Harvard Project Zero in collaboration with the Traverse City, Michigan Area Public Schools (TCAPS). The program was one component of a larger TCAPS grant from the US Department of Education that aimed at developing a model approach for integrating art into regular classroom instruction. The purpose of the Artful Thinking Program is to help teachers regularly use works of visual art and music in their curriculum in ways that strengthen student thinking and learning.</span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel11CxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><u><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">The following <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">books</b> are highly praised publications presented to us in this seminar on the topic of educational neuroscience:</span></u><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;"></span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel21CxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">Mindset: The New Psychology of Success </span></b><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">by Carol Dweck (familiar? LOL)</span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel21CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">A Whole New Mind: How Right-Brainers will Rule the Future </span></b><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">by Daniel Pink (</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Whackadoo; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Whackadoo; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel21CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">Five Minds for the Future </span></b><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">by Howard Gardner (Genius!)</span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel21CxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">The Global Achievement Gap </span></b><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">by Tony Wagner (of NPR)</span></span></div><div class="NoteLevel21CxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model </span></b><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Whackadoo;">by Dr. Mariale Hardiman (Feb 2012)</span></span></div>Austin Elementaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05281646041781560640noreply@blogger.com0