Action+Plan

Shift: 29 dots
How can we create environments for students that foster self directed learning? How can we restructure or think differently about standards that will be meaningful for students?


 * Target staff who want to make the shift. Pair them up with someone, work one on one with the pair and model/develop one experience for students, take the experience and let it grow with other staff
 * More into the political realm; be a part of the legislative powers and share the educators voice
 * No excuses
 * Get rid of tests and progress book
 * Get rid of grades help kids learn how to be personally reflective
 * No pressure tests
 * Teachers follow students for years to help them develop and grow
 * Abolish grades such as 3rd grade or 10th grade
 * Classroom configuration; furniture placement to encourage sharing/collaboration
 * Create schools like High Tech High, New Tech High, SLA etc.
 * How can we restructure schools?
 * Flexible bands of standards (6 to 8 learned in any order)
 * Mandates
 * Ask politicians to visit schools with this philosophy
 * Merit pay for higher scores on assessments, get rid of it!! It makes good/great teachers question what's right
 * Barrier resistant teachers. Experience; show them the power of PBL in the different way or relate it to their life, Example; model PBL for them, Expertise; provide a PBL coach
 * Make teachers a part of the process of change, rather than forcing it
 * Create a (find) project and propose to admin to let you try it (include research)
 * Increase awareness on the need to change
 * Embrace new ideas
 * Just do it
 * Let go of control
 * How can we think differently about teaching?
 * Abolish year long courses that are narrow in topics
 * Lessons shift to 21st century lesson format
 * Have kids help adults think about what learning should be happening in schools
 * Barrier: State Assessment Solution: Standards based grading through student owned choice activities. How do you want to learn this? How will you show me?
 * More kids from passive to active learning
 * Ask better questions
 * Help kids to stop playing the game of school and start being a self directed learner
 * Make decisions based on what's good for learners

Assesment: 17 dots
Content based rubrics rather than minor detail oriented Options for proving understanding Allowing student reflection Who owns the assessment? Learning? Assessment checkpoints throughout PBL (monitoring for growth) Students mearsuring their own growth Develop assessments sharing revising


 * It is okay to not follow guidelines...let moment happen
 * Teachers need permission to let go of the agenda
 * Less emphasis on grades, value process as well as product
 * Make a lot of "stuff" available to students for use in creation of project based learning
 * Evidence and sharing of products that prove the value of inquiry based learning
 * Get rid of state testing as we know it now
 * State tests feel like they've handcuffed us. Be project/portfolio based in our assessment of kids
 * Change how schools are rated and students are assessed
 * As opposed to spending state money on testing spend it on technology and PD
 * Differentiate, after presenting tools, content, ideas, key concepts. Let them teach someone else of "prove" they understand
 * Barrier: Assessing PBL, Solution: Yikes!!? pre, during, post reflections where students contribute to their final grade
 * Create assessments that combine OAA type questions as well as open ended questions
 * Barrier: Assessing real world authentic tasks not just a check list, Solution: Have students reflect and or survey on its value
 * Realistic assessments to include situations instead of fact based performance data collection

Resources: 10 dots
Human Network: tapping into knowledge from/via peers sharing thoughts and ideas as a resource (electronic) respect the power of the human network as a required/mandatory form of pedagogy Equity of Access: Universal of tools (internet, devices, etc) for all students, faculty, families Reflective Intelligent Data Driven Decisions with cash in mind


 * Investments: time, money, experience, knowledge, people
 * Buy less, replace more (often)
 * Make do with what you have, be creative and flexible
 * Latest and greatest doesn't equal best
 * Lack of resources: IDUs
 * Internet enabled product for every student and parent
 * Better access to technology
 * What works: We have medium aged technology available to about 1/2 of the student population
 * Increase resources available to students and staff
 * 1 to 1 for all students
 * Having kids from day one of kindergarten have computers
 * Use resources more effectively, don't reinvent the wheel
 * Expand your PLN and step outside comfort zone to make new connections and gain resources
 * Use outside resources, tweet it, ask for help

Curriculum:1 dot
Who is or how do we successfully integrate curriculum? What does student centered curriculum look like? What is a 21st Century "bell" schedule?


 * Work on looking at ways to integrate units so that many standards can be covered in one unit
 * More scope and sequence to other divisions (LS to MS to US)
 * Distrust of technology "What if it fails?", Plan B training proactive planning for when technology does fail
 * Integrate curriculum: expand on interrelatedness of content
 * Integrate: art, history, music, language, math, video/tech, writing
 * How can I with all my curriculum? Look at curriculum in a different way, chunks
 * "Abolish" pacing guides, rethink pacing guides
 * Pacing guides are designed in a way that isolates them, we need to develop projects that incorporate indicators
 * Barrier: Fitting in all the standards for the year: IN class time devotes to student centered PBL and out of class devotion to literacy based standards to support the standard
 * Create high level thinking opportunities to take a top down approach to encompass all of the standards
 * Devote time to what really matters, define my classroom priorities
 * Allow a teacher or team to pilot "no fault" inquiry based teaching and learning for a semester without pacing guide or common assessments
 * To overcome the "How do i do that?" : Find/develop models of best practices and have those infused into PD plans
 * Instead of standards create a curriculum that has goals for who our kids could be as human beings
 * Interest surveys to guide student inquiry
 * Students given more opportunity to design own learning
 * Create
 * Rethink the high school bell schedule
 * No more block schedules

Time:16 dots
Can our day be structured to enhance both teacher and student learning? When creating a schedule can we prioritize to better meet the needs of the students academically? Can we make planning time "protected"? Can we define teaming time?


 * Schedule: think of who you are here for, school isn't just convenient
 * Schedule: start with the main focus; kids and go from there
 * Common planning time
 * Have collaboration time for teachers and students
 * Collaboration and planning time for teachers built into every day
 * Time is short, we could offer after school PD to assist teachers
 * Build time to collaborate plan for quality teaching experiences
 * Build in a daily team time where you have time to discuss and work together (Not weekly or monthly)
 * Late start to meet by department/division etc. to reflect and act on practices
 * Have days where students come in later to give teachers time to talk and learn
 * Incorporate time into the school day for teacher learning
 * Year long schooling or less summer vacation
 * Year round schooling
 * Blow up the day away from 8 to 3 to provide an 8 to 8+ to provide fluid opportunities for learners to learn whenever
 * Restructure the school day
 * Longer school days with open time for projects and explorations
 * Lack of time: PD that is self directed, flexible scheduling, small groups made up of people with similar passions
 * Rethink "time" structure for schools
 * Time as a barrier: focus on what can be changed be flexible
 * Time in the school day for student directed learning
 * Build in daily time for students and staff to build connections with other learners across the country
 * To overcome the time it would take to reshape education like this: Start by asking each teacher to rethink/rework/rewrite only one thing (one unit for example) using the model, then they see the benefit and it spreads
 * Individuals can find time to locate resources and best practices of student centered classrooms, network. Research effective questioning and brain based learning
 * Create/carve out time for all (students and teachers) to be able to reflect on process not just the destination

Professional Development: 15 dots
Who owns the PD? What is our common language? Who should own the PD? Who else needs the PD? What is "PD" The goal? Who offers the PD? When? Cost? How can PD look different? Can PD change the culture of school?


 * Offer incentives for DIY professional learning
 * Knowledge of How: more PD focused on passion inquiry PBL
 * Rethink professional development away from training to an individual, plan for one's growth
 * Focus professional development more emphasis on individual needs
 * Focus on only one initiative for PD for year. Go deep
 * Collaborate with teachers who currently teach this way
 * Communication between teachers/districts
 * Branch out and see how others are doing "this" beyond our walls and boundaries
 * Across grade level discussions
 * Professional Development: Educate, Increase Knowledge
 * Propose your cool idea to others and be willing to convince them to use it
 * Professional development to help educators/administration understand project based
 * Models of effective student learning
 * Rely on peer experts to teach colleagues
 * Provide a set theme for professional development providing time for teachers and then don't quickly jump to something
 * Lack of "how to", we need to organize ongoing PD to help teachers teach in a way that promotes projects
 * PD for administrators, legislators, policy makers, board members (community)
 * Administrators need training
 * Teachers need knowledge...bring in professional development (experts)
 * Lack of experience ("I'm just surviving, how can I move forward too?") Mentorship/Partnerships
 * PD days where we have those of know teach

Collaboration: 10 dots
Content area teams and time to meet (weekly) Individual initiatives Create collaborative platform (wiki, Ning) Make collaborative tools time available (students/teachers) Comprehensive district collaboration


 * Be part of a TEAM
 * Build a community with big and small
 * Expand your world out of your comfort zone
 * Change your perspective (listen)
 * What can individuals do: Create and share professional networks and sites with coworkers, Invite coworkers to view your work or student samples of 21st century learning
 * Invite other teachers to see this learning in action
 * Find my own PLN we can invent the wheel together
 * Learn from others (different from you)
 * Share my ideas with staff, mentor and encourage, applause works
 * Support yourself by connecting with teachers both in and out of your school
 * Need to collaborate with colleagues in informal and formal get together
 * Collaborate.. with teachers, community, and beyond to lessen the burden of time on you
 * Collaborate: share, talk, try things, fail, learn, succeed, learn, repeat
 * Collaborate with teachers who are unsure of change (little steps matter)
 * Build and maintain PLNs
 * Lack of vision: ask nontraditional staff to get involved, custodians, secretaries, etc (even students heaven forbid)
 * Enable students to learn beyond the classroom so resources aren't as big of a hurdle
 * Allow students to create their learning plans. Have parents and you the teacher approve them
 * Training on how to mesh these new skills with indicators

Fear: 9 dots

 * Collaborate with others to overcome fear of trying new things
 * Find out what pisses you off enough and find a solution
 * Fail! Gracefully if possible
 * Expose yourself, no more camouflage, not be afraid to try and fly
 * Fear of change, test scores have been good, why change? We have to just go for it
 * Barrier: teachers fear of the unknown Solutions:Partner teach with those more apprehensive, give opportunities for observers
 * Barrier: fear of control loss Solution: work to engage each learner through leaner interest
 * Break out of the box, reward breaking out of the box
 * Risk taking training, Staff development at social level (learn how to trust each other)
 * Do it even if it ends up being wrong
 * Lead by example, if we aren't stimulated, passionate learners, how can we expect our kids to be. Walk the walk
 * Trust
 * Pair teachers to help overcome the fear of losing control
 * Visit schools where the staff lives this philosophy
 * Unified vision, alignment/outcomes, vision, mission, action
 * Change is coming let's not wait until it is
 * Allow failure in the attempt
 * Trust that we will do the best thing for kids

Community: 1 dot

 * Build community and global access
 * Involve entire community
 * Listen (that's what we all want)
 * Learn to respect
 * Invite community leaders to our school
 * Community forums "town hall meetings" to share benefits
 * Exchange or visitation programs with hospital/industry research leaders so they are in the school
 * To overcome the problem of educators needing to be more transparent to get buy in from administrators and parents. Do some team building so that they learn to appreciate and support each other first, model transparency yourself
 * Focus on the future focus on change
 * Rearrange school boards not a popularity game
 * Parent education beyond the evening meeting (wiki, blog etc)
 * Mix students as much as possible. Diversity of experiences and ideas
 * Encourage and cultivate second followers, people who join others in something different and successful
 * Change in the school culture What's valued?
 * Make community school connections
 * Share Share Share
 * Student share night, invite community
 * Programs that reward teaching as military are rewarded
 * Build collective wisdom
 * Advocate for what we want (courage)

Students: 8 dots

 * Empower students, give more time for classroom sharing
 * Choice
 * Demystify learning for students
 * Students as barrier, Solution: encourage failure and trial and error
 * Barrier: Students not knowing how/wanting to think Solution: Teach them to think through modeling guiding and questioning
 * Give students choice to make passion based learning suit them best
 * Learning first; no but yet etc

Risk Taking: 6 dots

 * Take risks personally and professionally
 * Play (learn to have fun)
 * Present proposal to Board of Ed and Superintendent for "pilot" courses. Prove we can do it
 * Soul search (individual...what do you want to know or do)
 * Change your mindset...be willing to try
 * Take the plunge, ask for help from anyone and everyone
 * Barriers: Not having all of the answers as a teacher Solution: Realize its okay not to know everything while modeling learning for/with students
 * Vanity ("I don't need to change") "Challenge Day" Type OD (challenging paradigms/preconceptions)
 * Risk taking, spend time watching and discussing so teachers "see" and "hear" how inquiry based teaching helps
 * Be willing to branch out and connect globally to retrieve information/knowledge
 * Find those connections with students not for students
 * Provide PD on what a student centered classroom looks like, have teachers do "critical friend" pieces on student centered classrooms
 * As a teacher be willing to demonstrate learning
 * Step outside the box and try
 * Celebrate failures and process over correct
 * Uncomfortable with technology: Professional Development built in school day for teachers to play with it
 * Uncomfortable with messiness of problem based: team teach put teachers with different strengths together to help ease discomfort
 * Teachers get on board or you will get left behind
 * Continuous improvement, never settle
 * Smile and move forward

Learning: 8 dots

 * Collect "test scores" from kids that learn in project based vs. traditional
 * Barrier:Testing scores important Solution: teach skills through inquiry/don't teach to test
 * Modeling (peer collaboration) Barrier: lack of understanding (knowledge)
 * Expect more stop reviewing and start using the knowledge
 * More students and staff reflection
 * Individual: Try new things, explore
 * Make sure to inject playfulness, joy and whimsy into the day for all members of the community, K12 plus adults
 * Start these methods in kindergarten so they aren't programmed to learn one way
 * Get educated (learn something new)
 * Talk to kids about what they prefer
 * Explore and play

Expectations: 0 dots

 * Create a culture where failure is expected and celebrated
 * Slow down
 * Scores on state testing don't effect our schools
 * Uniform expectations with respect to student ownership in every class
 * Scheduling; limit the amount of concepts that schools are required to master
 * Pressure from state to perform well on assessments Solution: total overhaul of people in charge get right brain thinkers to lead the way for education
 * Standardized testing (boo) This is a snapshot of knowledge not application, analysis etc
 * State testing; totally revamp state wide assessments to authentic tasks

Logistics: 0 dots

 * Let it be messy
 * Align this type of student centered inquiry with college application process (Is it really about APs or not?)
 * Allow teachers to teach not test

Environment: 2 dots

 * Learn about your learner (empathize, understand)
 * Redesign physical space of schools
 * Start small
 * How to overcome: teach tech to our elementary students as a regular class

Administrations: 2 dots

 * Take time to allow growth (PD)
 * Teachers need support from administration
 * What works now: we have administration that is 100% behind 21st century learning
 * Leadership: Lead, educate, promote growth, foster
 * Training like this for administrators
 * To get more support from administrators: let them in the classroom more often. Show off the good work and invite them
 * A willingness on the admin part to take action with faculty/family who impede the core philosophy of inquiry based education

Technology/Infrastructure: 2 dots

 * How to overcome barriers: require 1:1 resources in all schools
 * Increase access to technology 1:1
 * ipads for every kid
 * Materials barriers Solution: find way to bring in tools that students already possess
 * Students entering school with laptop or ipad

Parents: 3 dots

 * Improved communication (invite them in, educate, showcase) Public perception
 * 3 way contract; school, child, parent
 * Educate parents about what is most important in education, learning not the test
 * Host "race to nowhere" and invite parents, staff and teachers to discuss
 * Communicate future growth to parents
 * Parents required to be responsible for kids learning too
 * Year long growth of students not activities

Barriers:

 * So many new initiatives and time constraints
 * "Race to nowhere" Testing, push of parents and admin want to direct education, cultural barrier
 * State standards; so much curriculum to cover
 * Students are trained to answer the way they think we want them to
 * Resources aren't always there. District is very motivated by test scores
 * How to get students motivated to explore when they are used to being directed
 * Teachers didn't want students to be empowered, fear giving away control
 * Community of culture that does not support being the 1st to break the mold
 * Pioneer ends up with "arrows in your back"
 * Kids know how to play the game of school
 * Too many competing initiatives that take time away from our path to 21st century
 * Hardware; computers are 6 to 8 years old
 * We don't want to be exposed, we don't want kids to see what we don't know
 * Curriculum keeps us from going deeper. It's hard to say to kids "I OK"
 * Time; messy time, time to discover on own, testing restraints, scheduling
 * Teacher is the barrier because of the age group and the possible success level of the students. The teacher synthesis the material to help build a framework for kids
 * Scheduling; hitting all school requirements and still moving kids ahead
 * If we present ourselves as vulnerable, will that effect classroom management
 * Give up our role as the expert
 * Our culture does not celebrate failure, students don't want to be vulnerable
 * You kid's don't have a base to build on. How to get kids to learn in a bigger group