My Reflection as Governor Burgum's Innovative Education Task Force Member

It has been an honor and privilege to serve on Governor Burgum’s Innovative Education Task Force. During the past year I have seen first-hand what schools across North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota have been doing to change instruction and impact student learning in a more meaningful and engaging way.

My biggest take away from this year of study and discussion, is that no two schools are the same. Each innovative school undertaking is underpinned by the composition of the community, the learner and families they serve, and the creative ambitions of their staffs. Therefore, there is no cookie-cutter formula for success. However, there are commonalities.
First, each innovative community understands that the factory model of instruction no longer works for their learners, their community’s future or the global economy. We can no longer place learners in neat rows, lecture all day, and require rote memorization. Education needs to now be rooted in problem solving, critical analysis of the abundance of information available to us, communication skills, collaboration skills and creativity. We need to prepare our learners to be creative problem solvers for today. Waiting for them to be ready tomorrow is too late.
Secondly, innovative schools have successfully reimagined what school could be. The 8:00 to 4:00, bell-driven, mass-production model isn’t going to work in today’s global and rapidly changing world. Today, the moment students memorize or learn something, there is new information available to either prove or disprove a long -standing belief.
For example, let’s consider the “planet” Pluto. I, like many adults over the age of 25, memorized the planets in our Solar System. We knew and understood without a doubt that there were nine planets orbiting the sun. This “truth” survived 75 years, almost a century, and it is now been reputed by science. Do we hold true to our educational experiences and science texts that teach that Pluto is indeed the ninth planet, or do we embrace new understandings and scientific achievements to impart current understanding on our learners? How many more “learned or memorized truths” will be changed in our children’s futures?
Finally, these innovative schools understand that learners come to school with differences in readiness, backgrounds, experience, cultures, family dynamics, and talents. We need to allow learners different pathways to a successful future that recognize their diversities and celebrate them. By treating all learners the same, we do not provide equity. However, by providing all learners the tools, skills, choices, autonomy, and voice in their learning process and by encouraging them to be creative problem solvers in their own futures, we provide equity. And, in doing so, we build stronger communities, as well as state and global economies.
I would like to close with two questions: Is the way we were taught “good enough” for our learners today? Do we want a “good enough” learner experience for our children and future leaders, or do we want an outstanding learner centered experience?

Growing a MakerSpace

MakerSpaces are popping up in schools and libraries across the country. I think that this is an exciting trend.  MakerSpace presents opportunities for hands-on learning and active student engagement through design, engineering, creating, tinkering and repurposing.

When I came to Twining School last year, I proposed starting a MakerSpace in the building.  Shari, the building principal, gave the green light to get started and in essence lead the charge for creativity and innovation. I can clearly recall her words “Make it so.”  Then began the process of dismantling an aging computer lab and creating a learning space for students.  This fall we launched our MakerSpace and I look to help it grow!  

As we grow our space here at Twining, I’d like us to keep in mind the following:
Shari has embraced the motto that messy learning is good learning.  We are hoping that as students deconstruct, build and create, their imaginations will be activated and that the learning in our MakerSpace will be enriching and meaningful for students and teachers.

Good learning can be messy!

The idea of the orderly quiet classroom being the most effective classroom does not hold true.  Children learn by doing and exploring, and this can be a messy process. MakerSpaces are active learning spaces where students have the freedom to create new things, using tools such as paint, cardboard, wooden shapes, Lego pieces, iPads, robotics and hundreds of other materials. 

We are given permission to...

Here at Twining, we have permission to try new things. Uncertainty and failure are huge risks for teachers to take in the MakerSpace, and we are supported to take these risks.  We are also given permission to bring forth new ideas, recommendations for materials and supplies for the space.

Be a Learner

As teachers, we need to model what it means to be an active and engaged learner. I know that “lifelong learner” is a bit of a buzzword, but it’s an accurate description of a quality we want to instill and nurture in our students. In a MakerSpace, the learning is never-ending. There is always a new skill to learn, a new person to connect with or a new challenge to tackle. If we want the students and teachers in our schools to fuel their curiosity, then we need to jump right in and get involved.

Don’t know how to code? Learn with your students. Accept that learning new skills is a part of the job and that it’s important to share with others.  Reach out to your colleagues and learn together, perhaps co-plan and teach a lesson in the MakerSpace with your Curriculum Technology Partner.

Collect Resources

We do have some great resources in our MakerSpace.  But we could always add more!  Are there items laying around your home or garage that could be used in our MakerSpace?

Ideas:
Hot Glue Guns
Hot Glue Sticks
Cardboard
Wood pieces
Yarn
Old craft supplies (pipe cleaners, beads, wire, bells, fabric, etc)
Old building materials (K’Nex, Lincoln logs, legos, etc)
How to books (Origami, knitting, etc)
Paper
Paint
Brushes
Glue
Markers
Items for creating, tinkering, building, crafting, etc

We can also consider the following questions to help find resources:

·       Are there community members who will donate tools and materials?

·       Is there a granting agency (Donors Choose, etc)?

·       What skills and expertise can parents share in the MakerSpace?

·       Who might you partner with to support the growth of your maker learning?

·       Are there organizations or companies that would be willing to partner with you or donate to maximize learning?

Come check out our space

Our MakerSpace has just started, consider the ways that you will foster the innovation and creativity happening in your space.  What talents or materials do you have to make the space better?  Are there colleague partnerships that can enhance student experiences?  Have you visited with your Curriculum Technology Partner about ideas for using the space to enhance student learning, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and FUN!

I believe in you!

One afternoon, I got a Facebook message from a parent of a former classroom student. Normally, I ignore these requests until the student has graduated, but since this mom was a room helper, I accepted the request. Moments later, I received a personal message with a letter attached.

I opened the message, and closed it again after reading the first part. I knew if I kept reading, I would likely be fighting off tears!  I opened it later when I was alone and read it.

This student written letter affirmed two things: first, children need adults in their life that care about them socially, emotionally, and academically. We must teach the whole child–not just the curriculum. Secondly, the letter was a reminder of how important it is to explicitly teach children how to cope with emotions and social situations. We need to model how to treat others, too, and provide a safe classroom climate to practice and discuss social and emotional issues.

BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. offer amazing resources to support social-emotional learning (see list below) in meaningful ways, while inserting some humor and whimsy. I love that I can easily embed the content into my teaching, using the movie as a springboard and the associated features and tools, like Challenges, Newsela articles, and Make-a-Map, to support learning, differentiate, or go deeper into a topic.

Social-emotional learning (SEL), according to licensed psychologist Jennifer B. Rhodes, is a “broad term referring to how students regulate their emotions, communicate with others, use compassion and empathy to understand the needs of other people, build relationships and make good decisions.” Over the last two decades, social-emotional education has resulted in improved academic performance, fewer conduct problems, positive social behaviors, and less emotional distress.

Meta-analysis of 213 rigorous studies and over 270,000 students demonstrated that students who received SEL instruction performed better than students who did not. The studies revealed an 11 percent gain on measures of academic achievement, and similar significant improvements in conduct and discipline, social behavior, and emotional distress.

BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. support the five SEL competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The short movie length and lovable characters grab students’ attention while the variety of support resources engage students in the content, encouraging them to think deeply about the concepts.  

Be sure to check out the following BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. topics that support SEL:

BrainPOP

Back to School

Bullying

Cyberbullying

Getting Help

Online Safety

Stress

Faces

Peer Pressure

Setting Goals

Behavior

Conflict Resolution

BrainPOP Jr.

Determination

Bullying

Internet Safety

Anger

Divorce

Friends

*This is a version of the Blog I shared with BrainPop Educators earlier this month.

Mind-blowing Experience at Certified BrainPop Educators Summer Institute

In October of 2016, I became a Certified BrainPOP Educator (CBE).  This program recognizes teachers who demonstrate a mastery of BrainPop resources and notable creativity when using them to help students learn.

To become a CBE, I completed an online course with the BrainPOP Educators team, fulfilled supplemental requirements and participate in the global community of fellow certified educators – a forum for sharing the exciting things that students and educators are doing, and gathering other educators’ ideas and best practices.

I have had the opportunity to consult with the BrainPop production team, tried beta launches of new features and professional development. And in June, I was also honored to present at ISTE for the BrainPop Sprint Session (an Ignite like event where you have five minutes to share your integration story).

I have really enjoyed being a CBE and have developed a passion for mashing other resources with BrainPop.  In fact, that was the subject of my “sprint” at ISTE.  However, my best BrainPop memory to this date is the incredible honor to be selected for and attend the CBE Summer Institute in August. 

Through an interview process, nineteen CBEs were selected from around the globe and brought together for four powerful days of learning and sharing.  To say that we bonded immediately is an understatement.  I cannot begin to explain how this group of diverse, yet very like-minded educators connected and worked together to impact student learning using BrainPop resources.

We had the opportunity to hear a “sprint” from all attendees, broke into special topic groups ranging from Social Emotional Learning to Supporting ELs, spent time with Mitchel Resnick (founder of Scratch and author of Lifelong Kindergarten), learned more about professional development, completed an escape room experience and toured One World Tower. 

I am so appreciative of the learning, the resources I have been able to bring back to share with other educators (including a free year of Creative Coding for Twining School), and the life-long friendships and professional learning network created during my time in New York City.  I would also like to express my gratitude to the team at BrainPop for this life-changing experience.