The Work Ratio

Converting curriculum into instruction takes a lot of work. Designing learning from introduction to mastery can be a challenge, and the more diverse learners you have, the more diverse instruction is required. In every classroom a teacher plans for instruction, and we call that teacher work.  Students receive the information and respond to the instruction, student work. Some classrooms have instruction that makes a tremendous impact on students; therefore, the amount of student work is higher than the amount of teacher work. Conversely, in other classes, teachers are working much harder than the students and therefore, the instruction has minimal impact on students. In other words, instruction is negligible.

Why is that?

If you think about the very best teacher you ever had, you can quickly say that the teacher got the very best out of you. His or her effect on you was tremendous. The other thing that made this teacher tremendous may have been her ability to make learning meaningful by designing work that mattered to you. To sum it up, the student work was much greater than the teacher work. 

In a weak classroom, the amount of work on the teacher is always much greater than the amount of work on the student. No matter how hard the teacher teaches, or how much he tries to improve the effectiveness of his work, little will change as long as he ignores the work that students are expected to do. 

In all classrooms the key to learning is engagement. How we engage students in the the work of learning is critical. The focus on learning requires teachers to put the emphasis on increasing student work to a point that it exceeds the amount of teacher work.  To make student work transfer into learning, there exists five conditions that can negatively affect or positively impact the the student to teacher work ratio.

Relational Rituals 

When students enter the classroom, do they know how to interact with the classroom without the teacher's direction?  Do students feel like they are a welcomed member of the classroom?  Do they feel like the classroom procedures are designed specifically to make them more successful in learning?  

If we want students to be successful in the learning process, they have to know that the procedures of the classroom are designed to make them more successful in learning, not to make them more compliant to the teacher's rules.

Accountability

Is the accountability for student learning  and behavior completely driven by the teacher?

Do students know the areas that they are weak in and areas that they are strong in, or is that completely determined by the teacher?

In a classroom that has a strong effect on students, accountability is shared by the student and by the teacher.  The more that students take personal ownership of their proficiencies and learning, the more they will take purposeful steps to own the work that will improve their learning. 

Time Optimization

Is time monitored closely by the teacher?

Do students have idle time when they complete tasks or assignments?

Are there periods of time where students daydream or get off task during instructional activities. 

Time management is completely dependent on the teacher's ability to perceive which tasks are optimizing time and which tasks are wasting time.   Wasted time will always cause the instructional impact to decrease substantially; therefore, teacher will increase because student work decreases. 

Individualization

Is the instruction delivered in such a way that students can learn at their own pace and in their own unique modality? 

Are students forced to learn mostly in the same manner, pace and modality?

When the instruction is predominantly in the whole group mode, the student will never exceed the teacher in the work ratio. When the class has to learn content in the same format at the same speed and in the same way, there is no way that students can work harder than the teacher. That is because the teacher has to control the time each activity takes, the speed all students must learn and the method that students are required to learn. Students need individual time to apply their learning in ways that work best for the learner not the teacher. 

Ownership

This question is pretty simple. Who owns the learning, the student or the teacher?  If the student learning has to move at the same rate as the teacher's instruction, the ownership cannot possibly belong to the student. At the same time if the instruction is not designed in a way to put the student in the driver's seat of how they acquire the learning, there is no way the student can own the learning. Ownership can only occur when the student is able to take the instruction that is provided and be given the opportunity to make meaning in their own unique way. Being able to create useful products and purposeful projects are surefire ways that students can fully possess their learning. 

So what's the Student to Teacher Work Ratio in your Class?

Are you working harder than the kids?  Are you taking more ownership of the learning than the kids are?  Are relationships weakening because the work is mundane to the kids?  Are kids in a position to conform their learning style to your teaching style?  If any of these questions identify with you, it may be time to reexamine the strategies that you are employing.  It may be time to find new ways not to get more work out of the kids but to get more meaningful work out of them. 

5 Challenges from Kindergarteners to all Educators

I did walk-throughs in my kindergarten classrooms last month. All I can say is wow!!! Kids are capable of so much, if we remove the barriers of our own biases. Today's post is in honor of my kindergarten teachers and their awesome students. The strengths that they pull out of kids are a testimony of what every educator must do for all kids.

As I reflect on my own experience, I sometimes stopped student potential simply because of my own biases of what I thought students were capable of.  We all do that from time to time.  We allow our own experiences and failures from teaching kids to limit our expectations for all students.  So here is a little challenge for all of us when we begin to doubt what all students can do.  The kindergartners at our school are doing amazing things, and that is because of the limitless expectations of our teachers.

If kindergartners can...

Write nonstop for 25 minutes using their sight words and letter sound knowledge, then all students have the potential and stamina to concentrate as they create meaningful examples of their learning. 

Present their writing to the class, then any student can stand in front of an audience and share their knowledge and their learning with others. 

Receive constructive feedback from their peers about their writing, then any student can be confident displaying their work for other students to critique. 

Read their writing to their peers, all students can be expected to read and write at high levels every day in every class. 

Help one another make their writing better, then all students can collaborate on their work in an effort to make it better and to learn from one another. 

You can virtually teach everything a kid needs in kindergarten. Sure, content will get more complex over the years, but the idea is this. Kindergartners come with little educational experience. Aside from PK (which does an amazing job preparing kids for Kindergarten), we assume they can do very little. The sad thing is that we believe this mess. Kindergartners come to school with tons of knowledge and absorb everything we throw at them. All kids in grades PK-12 are the same. They come with immense potential, and our job is simple:  create a motivational environment full of wonder and amazement so that kids will demand of themselves to not only meet but exceed their potential. We must challenge and applaud kids when they take risks, share their failures and celebrate their successes with their peers.  We must constantly promote a thirst for new knowledge, and we must model being passionate about learning and life. After all, passion is what kindergartners have when they start school. Our job is to make sure they never lose that passion throughout not only their education but their life. 

#EasyToSayHardToDo

9 Questions to Optimize your Collaboration

Tick tock tick tock. The second hand never stops as your team collaborates. How your team spends its time defines what your team's core values are. How you expend those precious minutes in collaboration truly defines what your team's focus is.

Are you Maximizing your Collaboration? 

If your team comes together, and all they do is run through a check list of things to teach next week, your focus is on covering the content. If you spend 10 minutes talking about the cuteness of something that someone purchased for their class, you're collaborating about the icing, not the cake. Collaboration is not about talking together; it's about working together. 

Time is the most precious resource a team has at its disposal. Teams must optimize their time by focusing on the most important actions that will impact  student learning. Is your team getting a little unfocused? Are they tired of going through the motions?  If so, then it is time to shake things up a bit. 

Here are some questions you can pose to drive your teams toward meaningful reflection that truly focuses on working together. 

Content

1.  Do all members of your team walk away with a thorough understanding of the content and the plan to ensure that all students learn that content?  

2. Do they know what instruction must look like and sound like to help kids learn the content?

Assessment

3. Do all members of the team have an aligned understanding of how they will check for understanding in multiple ways throughout the week?

4. Do all members have focused ideas for how to gather data that will inform them of how to change tomorrow's instruction?

Intervention

5. When kids fail, do all members have a clear plan of action to immediately  respond to failure?

6. When kids continuously fail, is there an opportunity for all members of the team to work together to strengthen interventions in a new and different way that will help students close the gap?

Extension

7. Do all members walk away with a plan of action to extend and enrich high achieving students?

8. Do all members have a plan to challenge average students and give them opportunities to apply their learning in new and unique ways?

9. Do all members of the team have a plan to engage the lowest students and have them work independently on a task that will take them to a higher level of learning?

All Members

The reason that every question above starts work with "do all members" is that if any question cannot be answered with a yes, your team has room for growth and should find ways to better collaborate about the given topic.   The other reason that all members are included in the question is because all members must contribute to ensuring that all kids learns. Collaboration requires togetherness, and that means that no member of the team may be excluded from participation. 

Plan of Action

Collaboration requires work, and work cannot happen without a plan. If any of the questions cannot be answered yes because there's no plan of action, then that tells you that it is time to transition from conversation to collaboration. In other words, stop talking about the topic and start developing a plan to make it happen.

Talk is Cheap

Everybody has an opinion, but very few people have a plan to go with that opinion. People can say whatever they want in a meeting, but if they're not walking away with a focused plan of action, they are just wasting their time. In the end we mustn't forget. Conversation isn't collaboration; conversation can only lead to collaboration.  

Leadership Lessons from a Super Bowl Sideshow

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, 

or to get all the credit for doing it. 

-Andrew Carnegie-

I watched the interviews of Richard Sherman following the Seattle Seahawks' NFC Championship victory over San Francisco. If you don't what I'm talking about it, you missed a powderkeg that exploded on Facebook and Twitter for the last week. Basically, his comments about the team's win focused mostly on his confidence in his own physical talents as well as ability to belittle his opponent.  He said very little about his team's success. In short, his comments came off to many as cocky rather than confident.  What's interesting was that his teammates were ok with his comments while his critics were fired up, and in the end, I don't think he gained more supporters.

Every bit of research says that leaders must be confident individuals if their organizations are going to achieve success. They must believe in their abilities to overcome the toughest of situations. They must be ready to step up when no one else will. But here's the issue. Some leaders exert their confidence to move people forward while others flaunt their confidence to turns followers off. 

Why is that?

It all comes down to how and when leaders use the words, me and we, as they deal with success or failure. 

In Times of Success 

Cocky leaders use the word, me, to describe the reason for the team's success. They may use the word, we, to define the team, but you will definitely hear overtones of the leader's abilities in every action that they describe as the reason for team's success. Success couldn't have happened without the cocky leader. 

Confident leaders see no use in the word, me, to describe reasons for success.  Confident leaders let their actions do the talking for them. You will hear constant praise for the team as they describe how everyone worked together to make it happen. You will hear no overtones of 'Me' because the leader will be constantly praising the strengths and contributions of every member that played an integral part of the team's success. 

In Times of Failure

The cocky leader will be extremely disappointed and moderately immature. His anger, aggravation, and frustration will reveal itself in the way that he describes the team's failure. Rarely will he point the finger at himself because there were too many variables and too many people involved that contributed to the team's failure. Cocky leaders cannot accept failure; and therefore, their narcissistic behavior will not allow them to personally accept responsibility for loss. 

The confident leader will acknowledge the fact that 'we' did not win the game; however, the leader will not put the blame on 'we' but on 'me'. Because of the leader's poor planning the team was not prepared to win the game. The leader does this because he knows that the team looks to him for guidance and strength. Strength is only revealed in times of true vulnerability. In showing flaws and revealing human imperfection, confident leaders grow and organizations respond positively. 

Super Bowl Sideshow 

Whether you agree with Richard Sherman or not, the fact remains that his statements put him in the spotlight rather than the team. Don't get me wrong. He's a great player and made a great game saving play in the NFC Championship Game; therefore, he deserves lots of credit for making that play, but we mustn't forget that the Seahawks put him in the position to make the play.  Without the team's effort and success, he just made another good play.

Now in the end, his comments may help his team prepare for the Super Bowl by taking the focus off of other key players on the team, but one thing is certain.  Sherman will be under intense pressure on Sunday to back up his statements when he faces arguably the best quarterback in NFL history, Peyton Manning.  Cocky leaders allow their emotions to get themselves into this position, but confident leaders never allow words of bravado to cause them this type of unnecessary pressure.

Finally, cocky leaders never consider using their words to bring people together as their first priority. Their insecurity won't allow that. However, confident leaders constantly find ways to put their team in the best position to win the game. When they win, the leader gives the team credit for doing so. And when the team loses, the leader takes full blame for not putting the team in the best position to win.

That is true leadership. 

5 Notification Settings for Focused Leadership

I recently readjusted my notification settings for all of my social media.  The reason for that was pretty simple, I was being interrupted way too much. Now don't get me wrong. I enjoy finding out what's happening through my different social media platforms, but I don't need to know that information every time it happens.

So while I was pondering how I wanted to be notified about updates and information like that, I started to think about the types of notification settings I have in my leadership?  After all, being reminded about critical tasks and events is one of the most essential things that every leader needs. So after pondering this idea for a little bit, I would like to share with you five ways to set up your notifications to keep your leadership focused. 

1.  Calendar

Early is on time and on time is late. There are so many things coming at leaders that sometimes they forget about important appointments. Setting up your calendar to your phone and allowing it to go off 15 minutes or 30 minutes before every event helps leaders make sure they arrive to all of their appointments on time. 

2. Tasks

There are always important tasks, and sometimes there are menial tasks that leaders put off to the last minute. Having reminders and alarms set to get all tasks completed keeps leaders focused. 

3.  Communication

This is the most important task leaders have to do. Communication must be done frequently and regularly so that followers are informed and know exactly where the organization is going. Setting alarms to schedule emails to the staff and social media posts to the community is an extremely important thing that all leaders must do; otherwise, leaders will forget to communicate ahead of time or completely fail to communicate altogether. 

4.  Monitoring and Evaluating

It is very easy for leaders to keep their eyes off the prize. Setting alarms and reminders to monitor and evaluate projects or classrooms is a very important that leaders must put in place.  These regular notifications to follow up help ensure that accountability occurs in the organization. 

5.. Celebration

Celebration is the fuel of achievement. If you don't fill up the car with gas, you won't have enough gas to reach your destination.  Leaders must set reminders and notifications to keep them focused on celebrating the organization teams that are excelling and individuals that are rising to the occasion. Forgetting to celebrate will ultimately cause your organization to fail. 

Focused Leadership

Leaders are bombarded from the moment they walk in the door. Emails, phone calls, surprise appointments, and other interactions will always deter leaders from getting the job done. Having the 5 notification settings of focus leadership turned on will ensure not only that the job gets done, but that it will get done correctly.  

Transforming our Dream into a Vision

One of the most memorable speeches in American history is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech.  As he spoke to hundreds of thousands in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963, he had a vivid vision of a day where children of all races would come together at the table of brotherhood.  He saw a day where people would be judged “not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”.  For those of us who never grew up in a time where Jim Crow ruled the day, it is indescribable to witness 50 years later the passion and commitment that Dr. King and millions of others had to make our country a better place for all people.

The interesting thing about Dr. King’s speech is that it actually wasn’t a dream or even a wish.  It was a vision.  It was a powerful belief that went far beyond hope.  He anticipated a new day where the ways of the present would be replaced by a much better future.  But here is where the dream turned into a vision.  Dr. King didn’t stop with his words.  He worked tirelessly and fearlessly to make the vision of the civil rights movement a reality.  People rallied.  People suffered and many died, but the vision never ceased.  With each day, the vision inched closer to becoming more real than it was the previous day. 

So in thinking about the definition of school vision, what are questions that schools should ask to define their vision?  School visions describe what the school hopes to become as a result of its daily commitment to the mission.  If the school truly believes in its mission of educating 100% of the students that arrive on its doorstep, what would the school be like when it realizes that mission of truly educating every child?  This vision represents a roadmap for decisions that must be made to construct the campus culture that reflects its constant movement toward the school that it desires to be.

When DuFour et al described school visions in “Learning by Doing, 2^nd Edition” (2010), they made the following descriptions.  “Vision statements are credible and focus on the essential outcomes for every kid.  Vision statements are used as a blueprint for improvement and they are widely shared through collaboration.  Vision statements are not opinions or wish lists.  They are not something to be ignored or worse dictated or developed by few”. Mattos, Buffum and Weber (2012) described a vision as collective responsibility or “a shared belief that the primary responsibility of each member of the organization is to ensure high levels of learning for every child”.

If we truly believe that all kids can learn, we must stop dreaming about it.  We must define what our school will look like when every kid learns.  From there, we must use that vision to make the rough places plain, and the crooked paths straight.  That means we must stop accepting excuses for why things can't change.  We must confront practices that do not align with that vision, and compel our colleagues to commit to believing in the potential of 100% of the kids that walk through the door.  By forcing our actions to visualize a better future, we will no longer be touting our dream with a banner on the wall, but planting that dream in the hearts and minds of every student in the building. 

So what will you do to make your dream a vision?

6 Lines of the Net of Communication

Christmas came again for me on December 26 when I went crappie fishing with a friend.  We had a great time as we pulled in the motherload of a limit. To top it off, we enjoyed a beautiful sunny but chilly day on waters smooth as glass.

Fishing is a challenge much like communication is for leaders. We are constantly trying to hook each member of our community to our mission. Beneath the surface, community stakeholders are swimming around our hooks consuming a smorgasbord of communication. If all we have is one fishing pole and one hook, what's the real chance that we will be able to catch all of our stakeholders with our communication?

Communication in the 21st-century school must transcend itself from fishing with one line of communication into combining multiple lines of communication and weaving together to create a net of communication. There is no one lure that will hook all of your stakeholders.  There is no bait that will make them bite every time you throw out the hook. Let's face it. The people in our school community are way too busy to wait for us to give them communication in the manner that best suits us. Our message has to be wherever they are whenever they are ready to receive it. Communication has to be a net that catches every person every time the message is thrown out to the community.

In addition, communication can no longer be from one person. If we are going to create a net of communication, everyone has to play their part in our fishing expedition.  Everyone has to hold their end of the line because everyone has

the responsibility of making connections and maintaining them with all members of the school community. For every member of the organization that fails to except this challenge, the result will be one more fish that slips through the net. 

What Lines are needed to make a Net of Communication?

Verbal & Face-to-Face

Every member of your school comes in contact with stakeholders in your school community through verbal and face to face encounters. Of all the hooks, this is best way to communicate with your community and the best way to ruin your relationship with them as well. Capitalize on every meeting you have face-to-face with your community to project a positive image of the school because there's not a second opportunity for a good first impression. 

Paper

While this is the most traditional form of communication, it is still the preference of many members of our community. With all of our efforts to connect virtually, we can't stop sending things home for people to pull out of the backpack. For many people, paper is the only bait that will connect them to our school. 

Web Presence

Webpages are great one way communication tools. They can inform people whenever they are needing instant information. The biggest turn off about webpages is when they're not updated or are too difficult to navigate. If you plan to connect your community through a webpage, there are 2 rules of thumb. 

1. Make sure every page you create stays current and updated frequently with relevant information. It will hook members of your community on 24-7 basis. 

2. Make sure people can find the page they're looking for in 3 mouse clicks or less. Anything more than 3, and they'll stop biting. 

Social Media

Nothing gets two way dialogue going with more people better than social media. People are always on their phone thumbing through their newsfeed of choice. Schools with daily or even hourly updates on multiple social media platforms and blogs promote strong lines of communication with the community because parents and the community can get involved in the discussion and even start discussion on topics that leaders weren't even considering.  Finally, social media is the best way to identify the undercurrents that are beginning to form in the community.  

Text Message Services

This is a great one way communication tool that schools can use to update their parents with important information immediately. With the click of a button your entire school community can be informed of extremely important information. Remind 101 is a great example of this tool. 

Gradebook Subscriptions

Many gradebook software programs have features where parents can subscribe for email updates and alerts about their student's grades. Schools need to take advantage of this opportunity and encourage parents and even teach them how to subscribe to their child's grade book. Making the grade book transparent gives parents the opportunity to be proactive in helping their kids improve their grades. 

Catch More Fish!

Commercial fishermen could cast out fishing lines and wait for the fish to come to them, but they don't leave their success to chance. These fisherman are successful because they go to the fish and use strong nets to catch more fish. If schools wish to strengthen the lines of communication with more parents and community members, leaders must put down the fishing pole and make a net. They need to assemble their organization and multiple communication tools into strong nets of communication each time they send out their message.  If they can adopt this philosophy of communication,  they will always pull in a much more informed school community.