Educational Discussions: I love coaching

     What is a coach? I bet our first image is some former gym teacher or social studies teacher who put on a hat and whistle and began barking out instructions during practice.
     Those coaches of our past had some similar qualities. In order to be successful they had to have a vision. They were committed. Their teams were disciplined. Their passion was demonstrated by the way their teams performed.
     Those same qualities are shared by effective instructional coaching in educational settings. A good instructional coach  works with administration to establish a common vision for the coach. Instructional coaches are committed to improving curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Instructional coaches are disciplined to reach a standard of excellence. Their example is contagious and should spread among the faculty. No coach can be effective without passion.
     Values guide any coach. Honesty, integrity, determination must be a part of any coaching. Coaches must believe that all on the team (players or students) can get better. All can improve. All can learn.
     Coaches have purpose. They work with their team, the teachers. Coaches may gather resources, co-teach, model, or just brainstorm. An effective coach is an effective resource. An effective coach utilizes a multitude of strategies to fulfill their purpose.
     A coach wants to lead and win. Instructional coaches lead by example. When instructional coaches win, students benefit due to more effective teaching.

Educational Discussions: I Am Naïve

I am naïve! I have been in education for 24 years. I still believe all children can learn, and all children can grow their achievement by 1 grade level each school year.

I am naïve! I believe that the first teacher, the best teacher, the single greatest indicator of academic achievement is the parent.

I am naïve! I believe that instruction matters. Traditional low level instruction will result in traditional low level results. We do NOT need to cover material. We need to explore/inquire/discover the content.

I am naïve! I believe in the “Statue of Liberty kids.” Give me your poor and your huddled masses longing to be free.

I am naïve! I believe in the Jeffersonian principal that a free public education ensures the prosperity

I am naïve! I believe we need to know our students’ readiness levels, interest inventories, and learning profiles as described by Carol Ann Tomlinson.

I am naïve! Words matter. I believe that Webb’s Depth of Knowledge can be a guiding force to challenge our students to think critically.

I am naïve! I believe that Daggett’s Rigor and Relevance Frame can lead to students analyzing real-world problems and creating real-world solutions across disciplines.

I am naïve! I believe that if students explore Big Ideas by answering essential questions through authentic assessments that they will have a rich understanding of content just as Jay McTighe described.

I am naïve! I believe that America, unlike the rest of the western world, should continue to educate everyone!!!!

Educational Discussions: College Tuition; A Cost Benefit Analysis

I have read a number of articles in the local paper regarding the rising college debt of recent graduates.  A few facts:

1.       Pennsylvania ranks 3^rd in the USA for per student debt.

2.       On average, each college student will graduate owing and average of $35,000.00

3.       The class of 2015 is the most indebted class ever in the history of the USA

College should be an option, but college is not the only option. The skilled trades can provide a secure income with little to no debt. College debt survives bankruptcy. College debt survives death.  Graduates must pay back their loans before they have any discretionary income to contribute to our economy.

As a father of a senior in high school, I am advising my daughter that if she chooses to take the path to a four year degree, she will have my support. However, she must choose a path where she can generate income to pay back her loans as well as provide for her own well-being.

As we have begun our tour of colleges and universities of interest, we heard an admission presentation about deciding on a major. This university had career counselors assigned to undecided freshmen to mentor them. These counselors will help the undergraduates choose their path.  The counselor was so proud of one example where she was able to steer a student towards a major in SOCIOLOGY!!!!!! I was immediately concerned. At no time did the counselor consider career earnings. At no time did the counselor address debt. According to officials at this university, student should plan for an annual cost of $34,000.00 per year. At the end of 4 years, this student would have paid $136,000.00 to earn an average $17.48 per hour or $39,134.00 per year.  Even if the student qualifies for 50% in scholarship and grant, the student will be $68,000 in debt. They will have to pay $566.00 per month before they do anything else.

We have told our children a lie. College or bust!!! Everyone goes to college. Fifty nine percent (59%) of students will graduate with a 4 year degree within 6 years. Not graduating on time further compounds the problem.

We have told our children another lie. Community college is an inferior choice. Community college is a great starting point. Young people can learn how to be students without being buried in debt. After attaining 24-48 credits at a C level or better, they can transfer to many private or public institution and finish their degree in 2-3 years. By starting at a community college, students can save $12,000.00 to $66,000.00 over the course of their education.

We have told our children a lie. The skilled trades are for dumb people. Nothing could be further from the truth. Can you do the following: plumbing, electricity, hvac, welding, repair your care, etc.? These jobs often pay over $50,000.00. Many have corresponding health care plans, 401K plans, and other benefits like profit sharing.

Post-secondary education is an investment. Let’s make sure we are getting an appropriate return on investment.

Educational Discussions: Inviting All Students to Learn

                In the most recent Edition of Educational Leadership, I came across an article co-authored by Hilary Dack and Carol Ann Tomlinson. I have been a Tomlinson disciple for years. The following are some of the highlights from this article.

                A non-Inuit speech-language pathologist who was conducting research in an Inuit school in Canada asked the principal, who was not Inuit, to give her the names of students who had language or speech problems. She received a list that comprised about 1/3 of the student body. The researcher questioned the Inuit teacher about student performance. The teacher responded that well-raised Inuit children learn by looking and listening, and thus they do not talk in class.

                The principal did not see individual students’ learning patterns as manifestations of cultural expectations or recognize that her own beliefs about student speech reflected different cultural tendencies than those of the community in which she worked.

                All people are shaped by the culture in which they live. Educators need to become better attuned to cultural variance and help all students build positive productive lives. Four suggestions:
1.  Recognize and Appreciate Cultural Variance – Excellent teachers have always been students of their students, understanding that they cannot teach well unless they know their students. Seek knowledge about the cultures students bring to your classroom.

2.    Learn About and Look for Culturally Influenced Learning Patterns – The educator’s job includes welcoming every student who walks through the door. Increasingly, these students come from backgrounds different from our own. The process of learning about cultural patterns is both fascinating and instructive.

3.  Look Beyond Cultural Patterns to See Individuals – It’s also essential to understand that no pattern in a culture applies to all individuals within that culture. Any student’s learning will be shaped not only by that student’s culture, but also by his or her readiness needs, home context, personal talents and interests, cognitive development, and a host of other factors.

4. Plan Inviting Curriculum and Instruction – Teachers who seek to maximize learning for all their students invest heavily in creating a curriculum that both engages students and guides them to understand what they study. A teacher who looks at students as individuals, no matter what their cultural experiences are, will attend to their varied points of readiness, their interests, their exceptionalities, their status among peers, and so on when planning curriculum and instruction. We need to plan for a range of approaches that reflect a variety of points on these spectrums, rather than favoring only those approaches that are familiar and comfortable for the teacher.

John Hattie (2012) suggest that teachers who issue the invitation to learning by demonstrating respect (every student is valuable, able, and responsible); trust (fostering student collaboration that makes every student a contributor to the learning process); optimism (sending a clear message that each student has the potential to learn what is necessary for success); and intentionality (making evident that every step in the lesson was specifically designed to invite each student to learn). Teachers can achieve this in a variety of ways. Teachers who issue invitations for all students to learn systematically educate themselves about and value cultural distinctions, see students as unique individuals, and plan teaching and learning in ways likely to connect each student with important content, with one another, and with success.

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