Action+Plan+Dallas

Time: 61 dots
Web 2.0 tools Time within the school day Time within the summer
 * Re-prioritize your personal time. Give yourself the girt of time to learn
 * There should be blocks of time set aside during the week for teachers to have opportunities to share
 * Schedule: "block" for cross-curricular work built into schedule for example every friday
 * Build time into schedule for learning and planning of PBL
 * Make more planning time for teachers
 * Preplan this summer to include 1-2 PBL exercises per quarter in my general chemistry class
 * Schedule a specific time for faculty to exchange ideas
 * One extra day for planning per 6 weeks have outside presentation, field day, other activity with subs or volunteers taking kids
 * Schedule time dedicated to faculty learning, faculty sharing and make is an expectation
 * For one year, designate a large chunk of time during academic day to allow departments or individual teachers to design and find ways to meaningfully interpret student driven activities or student interest inquiries
 * Establish time during the week when tech people or web 2.0 gurus can be available for help and/or encouragement
 * Let teachers decide how they need to spend "in service" days collaborative (working alone not an option)
 * GIve permission to teams to let go of one "done it this way forever" activity to allow for a newer idea
 * Collaborate with other teachers across teams or disciplines, and to allow more time for projects (in class)
 * Paid professional development in the summer
 * Short after school year tech seminars (3-4 days) for faculty with incentive ($)
 * Regarding content coverage (i.e. we don't have enough time to do this) Let go! It's okay to drop a content unit or two: sacrifice breadth for depth
 * Take a day and clear your schedule, try something you wouldn't usually do in your classroom
 * Make a list of content topics and eliminate the least relevant
 * Extend the school year in order to accommodate release days for teachers use release days for PD and PBL
 * Pay teachers to work 10 months a year one month of prep (add to salaries)
 * Provide teachers with incentives for using their personal time to develop PBL units
 * Less extracurricular/athletic commitments (students and faculty)
 * Ask administrators for time for development and research of new ways. As we go through transitioning from old to new we'll need patience and consistency
 * Change the schedule, find the time to collaborate
 * Use existing time in our schedule (dedicated to teachers) to offer mini lessons or sharing sessions
 * Do away with the concept of 40 minute periods, learning and work should continue
 * More opportunities for faculty to share experience/success so that individual teachers aren't time consuming re-inventing the wheel
 * Keep a list of "thought provokers" in a basket on faculty lunch tables encourage faculty to discuss these over lunch on occasion
 * Extend the school day, no homework
 * Create the perfect schedule where everything can get done in the day
 * Provide time during school day for teacher collaboration
 * Longer class periods + hour
 * Remove teachers from duties (recess, lunch etc) to allow more time

Assessment: 27 dots
What do we asses? Define what matters, Skill vs Content, vs effort, Allow for failure and reward How do we measure learning? Create, Communicate, Collaborate Rubrics
 * Create assessments based on skills rather than content
 * Teachers and administrators educate students on "why"
 * If there's a published rubric before group work and everyone knows expectations, they will accept these kinds of grades
 * People can share rubrics for assessing projects so that there is less (apparent) subjectivity in assessment
 * Provide teachers with tools/guidelines for assessment and support
 * Choose "soft deadlines" for formative assessment along the way to sect expectations for students
 * Get rid of extra GPA points given to Honors and AP classes so kinds that really love it take it
 * Asses what we value for students: creative thinking, problem solving, authentic use of what they're learning
 * Focus on learning not assessing, assessments should support not replace learning
 * Less emphasis on "grades"
 * Remove pressure of grade so students feel free to fail and explore as they learn. Use reflection of learning as assessment
 * External drivers of curriculum (AP, SAT etc) Do away with tracking and AP courses, all students can be exposed to rigorous content without worrying about content
 * Remove letter grades in lower school and move to a skills based and narrative report card

Curriculum: 24 dots
Make a list of skills required by graduation (Destination) Create a road map to reach this destination Develop collaboration to ensure the cumulative the acquisition of these skills
 * Solve real problems this will involve many disciplines
 * Change in pedagogy: Ask teachers to select one class as an experimental group and in that class to try some new types of assignments (those that are passion based and project oriented)
 * Allow individual teachers within grade levels to implement differently
 * Content has to stay when its fundamental but there's room for creative application not just tests and worksheets
 * Skills/content embedded as one. Not two separate entities
 * Do I have to use a wiki? (for PBL) Of course not. Do you have to write a paper? Of course not. Choose what works. Could be google docs, movie, presentation
 * The process may very well be just as or even more important than the content. Not all kids would "own" the content no matter how it was taught
 * Add on PBL: Don't add on, create the project to meet your objectives. Don't do outside of class. This is learning suitable for classroom
 * Define ways for skills to be addressed in context of passion based learning rather than in isolation
 * Educate parents, students and teachers on PBL. Show that test scores are not dependent on traditional teaching methods
 * Begin by having students design and implement a one week unit, just one week, maybe a term?
 * Applications to math... explore "Fermi" math (problem/inquiry based integrating web tools)

Collaboration: 28 dots
Outside: Create an online space to post/share ideas about any topic to increase comfort level with online sharing Structural: To allow time for more collaboration Flexible scheduling so teachs have same time off to collaborate (i.e. all history teachers) Plan (nonoptional) time top down for teacher collaboration Early releases so teachers could have planning time during the day
 * Allow space for collaboration, a wiki, a ning available anytime anywhere
 * Individuals can talk to others and learn from others outside their school community. Everyone gets to participate in PLP
 * Network with people online to broaden the idea pool
 * Help teachers build confidence to try new things, pair up with a mentor teacher. Collaborate
 * Teachers need to collaborate across content areas. Get out of the silo
 * Share in cross divisional department meetings about projects and get feedback
 * Teacher pairings to implement collaboration
 * Teacher collaboration opportunities increased during school day, observing each other etc.
 * Substitute teacher duties for collaboration with other faculty and engage students
 * Add collaborative learning time where teachers can work together

Professional Development: 43 dots
What information? How will it be taught? When?
 * PD on how to implement new types of learning
 * Present a PD topic on EdTech and connected learning
 * Define Passion Based Learning for students and teachers and parents
 * Have groups of teachers meet and decide importance
 * Ask students to design projects for teachers' PD
 * Expand PD and incorporate digital citizenship concepts in curriculum
 * To help teachers understand how to implement PBL projects in their class for the 1st time, assign "coaches" for teachers who can walk them through the process along the way. Choose teachers who have some experience with PBL teaching create a progression of coaches over time in the school
 * There should be go to people that are accessible to help teachers with ideas to implement in their classrooms
 * Teacher, teaching, teachers You do not have to do it alone
 * PD needs to be about teachers creating solutions together and not about experts disseminating their ideas
 * Use each one teach one to develop skills (Get those who know how to train those who don't)
 * Influence one person can share with others how something works in their classroom, excitement travels
 * Staff development: reward teachers for participating in and attempting to develop new ways for teachers to become facilitators of project based assignments
 * Staff development: Give us "teachers" incentives
 * More professional development ought to be developed to integrating technology into true curricular
 * PD on campus during staff development days, some element of teacher choice.
 * Have admin support or push a little to get faculty to cross cultivate. Have time in faculty breakout sessions to develop team taught/team projects
 * Combine classes for a project based lesson to free up 1/2 teachers for PD, then switch who is with kids and who is at PD
 * Incorporate PD into faculty meetings
 * Build time at the front end of faculty meetings to show technology
 * Model lessons in every subject especially project based learning
 * Teachers participate in passion based learning during summer to get exposed to the idea in a tangible way
 * Provide ongoing training and conversations
 * Schedule professional development time during the day for teachers
 * Strategically plan inservice days to focus on collaborative learning projects
 * Time for teachers to develop projects and create formative assessments together so they are more confident
 * Time is a problem, develop staff inservice to help collaboration across curriculum

Money: 16 dots

 * Give iPads to all teachers and require students to have them
 * PD $ is available, need to make sure it is spent wisely
 * Sanctioned time set aside with compensation for further, in depth exploration and implementation
 * Pay teachers to attend meetings at their school to learn technology
 * Be in a position to pay teachers more so they can work fewer jobs and thus have more time to be innovated with technology

Structures: 3 dots

 * Stop breaking up learning by subjects. Real problem solving is combined
 * Stop grouping students solely by age
 * Stop filtering start digital citizenship curriculum
 * Have students do AP/SAT work in summer and real learning in school year
 * Work with colleges to develop collaborative (PBL) projects. (Get on the "same page" for evaluations, college admissions)

Passion: 10 dots

 * Let the students discover their passion by exploration
 * Is there passion: Not every student is passionate about every subject, and they can't be passionate about something they have not been exposed to. Create several "subject topics" per year where each department (or students) would try to ignite students' interest in their discipline
 * Allow time for students to identify passions/interests and create projects that demonstrate that learning
 * Require students to go deeply, find their passion. Have them bring their passion to the content
 * Need to move from teacher passion driving classroom to student passion driving classroom
 * Generate lack of student passion passing for subjects students don't enjoy. Teacher passion conveyed in class, approach to assignment open enough to interest many different leaning styles

Research: 1 dot

 * Let the students decide what questions they would like answered. They drive the questions
 * Make the subject relevant for the student and their individual interests. (ex: a child who doesn't like statistics, to focus on research statistics and the benefit of it)

Infrastructure/Technology: 6 dots

 * Add more laptop carts for classroom teachers (allow access to personal laptop)
 * Filters/Blocks: Try eliminating them to just see how it goes and be pleasantly surprised
 * Promote good usage and policies with students and staff
 * Tech support that actively researches and helps faculty find and use educational technology (And not just repair computer glitches)
 * Set up faculty Ning or google site to post articles about this type of learning
 * Access: More to a BYOD (bring your own device) model for students. Leverage the ubiquitous cell phones for teaching
 * More technology access to students in the classroom
 * Get more technology access in the classroom

Goals: 3 dots

 * Burn the bridges and cut the aqueducts
 * Clarify goals of education in order to understand why we want to change. What are the purposes of school?

Administration: 23 dots

 * Have administrators go through the PLP experience
 * Meet with administration to discuss evaluation
 * Assess what we value: for teachers, evaluation on how effectively they use new technologies to meet learning goals
 * Change requires multiple conversations especially with administrators. Be patient and be willing to explore PLP multiple times!
 * Give an interactive PLP presentation to board and admin teams. Help them see the value of this type of learning v prep for standardized tests
 * Administrators need to state goals and objectives clearly
 * Make sure that school leaders show leadership on these issues
 * No admin buy in. Make it worthwhile to administrators
 * Approach administrators and ask that they articulate clear goals related to 21st century T&L to help support initiatives
 * Administrators and Department Heads must give teachers permission to "cover" less content
 * Clearly articulate teaching expectations to inform teacher evaluation process
 * Celebrate (publicly or privately) the success and forward movement of individuals

Models: 8 dots

 * Models of masterful course design and implementation that allow for "passion based learning"
 * Try at PBL exercise with one general chemistry class and not the other and then compare test results
 * Visit schools where the "new ideas" are working in the classroom to convince the naysayers

Students: 24 dots

 * If you can't cover everything let the students know what will be tested and they can research on their own
 * Ethnicity and stereotypes: some races have stereotypes that either compliment or downgrade student. Solution: I have no clue
 * Recognize that skills don't have to be taught individually; create a grand scale project and see that you've tackled multiple skills
 * Remember it is not about you, it is about students
 * To prevent student backlash (caused by changing to an unfamiliar teaching style) try to find a way for them to have a successful PBL experience early in your class
 * Devote time to coaching students to approach student based learning with sufficient maturity
 * Ask students at the end of the year what projects they would have liked to explore
 * Develop specific rubrics that convert more holistic assessments of collaborative projects into traditional grades
 * During 1st week of school have students learn about project based/inquiry based learning
 * Ask students for ideas on how to do presentations, generate options

Parents: 17 dots

 * Overcome resistance: Video record over several days classes involved in PBL exercises with the idea to show other faculty and parents the benefits
 * Be confident that you are the educational expert and show parents that they can trust you as such
 * Others should be professional development for parent so that they understand and support this shift in education
 * Parental Expectation: We have to educate parent and get their buy in. If we're scared by the change and we know how to teach. They must be petrified
 * Parental Fear: Have department put together a presentation in which they hear about the program and are able to ask questions. Versus listening to teachers for 10 minutes on "parent night"
 * Talk to the parents. Educate them about PBL
 * Kids get excited about computer work but are limited by not having email access or parent permission. If we could get parent "buy in" through help from our administrators we would make fasten progress with more support parent meetings
 * PD for parents demonstrate assessment technique, how/why assessment changes for project based learning
 * Invite students and parents to be part of the planning process

Change Agent: 1 dot

 * Teachers aren't as conservative as people think, and they're often experimenting already
 * Identifying faculty mentors for faculty who want to try new 2.0 tools
 * Be a positive role model and don't complain with colleagues, redirect and support them
 * Focus on one unit (at a time) to redevelop integrity web tool and technology (don't think it has to all be done at once)
 * Suggestions for change. Just like in performance based learning and assessment: start with the goal in mind, work everyday towards that goal, celebrate when you reach it and share share share
 * Identify the change agents and support reward their efforts

Expectations: 4 dots

 * Accept flexibility and "errors"
 * Dependent upon grades over learning: create open "growth" based assessment, student input at onset of a project
 * Faculty meetings should be hands on and applicable to our classrooms not non-relevant information and handouts

Pedagogy: 16 dots

 * Equality: (some kids do all the work and some do none) Assign roles and assess level of contribution often. Help kids work it out (Real world skill)
 * Train students with "just in time" training e.g. diigo, 1 lesson day or week until they are seamless at it
 * Actually ask students what they think, rather than assume they don't know, can't do, etc
 * Passion: Involve parents in a passion based project: define their role
 * Passion: let a student lead a lesson, what did you learn
 * Faculty need to understand the "why" not just the "how"
 * Get rid of grades
 * Start with projects that are interesting. Then teach the content to support the goal of the project. (As opposed to starting with teaching content and creating a contrived use for that content)
 * Give students general information over a topic and then allow them to choose something that caught their interest and research it. To allow other students to learn with them make them do presentations
 * Solicit teachers who have done student inquiry, passion based work to "show off" their curriculum
 * Coordinated plan for teaching tech skills to remove that time consuming component projects
 * Group projects. There is always someone that doesn't pull their own weight. Solution: self, peer and teacher critic.
 * Instead of having kids reading certain books let them choose the books and learn/write essays/analyze those
 * Use more students teaching, student paradigms, This provides more teacher time to facilitate entire process and creates more student buy in/learning because of the value of being the teacher
 * Understand that passion based learning still has content, but passion is the hook and the driving force. The teacher/facilitator is responsible for ensuring each student gets essential content while following their passion
 * Promote the idea that an ability to apply what's learned well is better than more content
 * To help students become more engaged, passion based learners. I'd like to help students acknowledge and accept that it's okay to be based just a little bit. I'd like to deprive them of technology a bit. I'd like to deprive them of bytes and pixels

Traditionalism: 7 dots

 * Kids are bored with paper and pencil work, not sure they learn too well that way, iPads with educational applications would be great
 * Establish critical friends groups to support and help those individuals who are not sure how to implement it
 * I would fix teachers that are stuck in "traditional" teaching modes. Schools need to tighten up with accountable evaluations and mandatory training to make sure teachers do not get "stuck" in old school teaching
 * Teaching everything is not what is most important in a subject

Barriers:
Constraints to connected, passion-based learning experiences: Time to meet, time to practice with the new tools The culture – 105 years of success doing things the traditional way The idea of having to have a grade as a measuring stick of if you worked Staffing – if we are going to follow passion based learning – need teachers with expertise in a lot of areas – not qualified to do that just yet. Comes from students – if they are used to a funny teacher and can sit passively – other might ask them to do a lot of work – backlash from students. Poverty pedagogy they are used to. Art – discipline is different. Students get involved and are more passion based. Being connected with other faculty is difficult. Internet is used more in Art – no ability to discern quality images. Students used to traditional methods – just want to know the answer for the test so they can memorize and get an A. Hard for teachers to relinquish control. Messy – more chaos in the classroom. Cross division work, etc. Maturity of the students and how well they are able to be self-directed/self-focused. Class size. Class periods are short at 40 min. to support creativity. Take grade out so students work and don’t worry about working toward grade. More free to be creative. Technology itself. Internet connection sometimes doesn’t work. No 1:1 computing on campus. Difficult to get students to do research online. 15 min for computers to get connected. No money. Combination of teacher confidence and pushback from students. Teachers’ passion/inquiry, not students’. Not many teachers actually understands how to implement passion driven curriculum. Nebulous idea that sounds great, but exactly how is it done? Trial/error? Uncertainty of how to make it work, and will it work? Dichotomy of – make sure we are preparing kids for AP, SAT – lots of fact to memorize. Yet all PBL and experiences that can be so enriching may not provide those tools they might need to be successful. Pressure to bring those scores up. Can do during electives, not during AP. International students enter in 9th grade – need to reteach a lot, and language, too! Need to make sure students are understanding. Alternative for AP - Cover toughest topics – leave others for students to learn on their own. From school that has “chucked” AP. Students are welcome to take the test, but they show parents college acceptances and that they don’t buy in. Students need to be exposed to different subject areas, but not every student will be passionate about every subject? How do we cater toward students who do not have a passion in the subject? Inquiry based learning works with children; barriers with teachers – we have to cover this amt of info, I don’t have time I agree with time problem, haven’t seen uses of it in the classroom; invent the wheel for class Exclusively project based learning – kids learn tools fast; every child need a laptop Student barrier – I can’t believe you all have us doing all these projects right now Coordination – how does that integrate with what everyone else is doing Tech issues, communication (so students don’t feel overwhelmed) Assessment – grades are too high, out of line with department; kids don’t want to carry the weight from nonworking team members, not enough directions (students based projects, teachers have trouble not giving all directions) B/c subject is so content laden, how do I make it useful in my classroom, “do I need a wiki to teach AP calc?”; what does that look like Fear of change and tradition; a lot of work Time issue (on my own – to learn everything, in the classroom – cover everything, kids themselves, value add) Great for history, English, French, but what about in the math classroom? Students/parents – fear of exploring, if it’s not broke, why fix it? Explaining the process, assessment of larger projects Students/parents resistant to trying new ideas Top down – head of school needs to communicate that this is a goal of our school Rogue group trying to implement change Teacher level – TIME; build in time for us to be learners; time to retool; motivated to do Think creatively – barriers can come down; administrators have to be a part of the team Try to find a solution – invite parent community to learn more about the steps offered (allow for more performance based issues) Are teachers evaluated on any of this? There is a stated expectation (differentiation in the classroom), had to demonstrate how we achieved the set goals on the wiki (from Parish)