tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5669985365941936002024-03-13T20:07:37.852-07:00Changing my Realm of ControlTracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-45230653362886721012017-01-04T21:00:00.002-08:002017-01-04T21:00:43.522-08:00Rising to the ChallengeThank you once again <a href="http://www.spencerauthor.com/" target="_blank">John Spencer</a>! In his opening post of 2017, John challenged edubloggers (and other educators who have thus far been anxious about taking the step into the public eye with their writing) to step up their games.<br />
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So...step 1: Identify your goals, and post them publicly on John's blog via comments.<br />
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Blogging is something I have done in fits and starts for a number of years, but I have struggled with consistency. Every time I pick it back up I tell myself "this time, it will be for good!" This time I think I have been more consistent for a pretty good stretch, and since I have a bit of momentum, I think John's challenge is timed perfectly. his specifics also mesh well with my own ideas so here's part one:<br />
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<ul>
<li>post three times a week</li>
</ul>
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John specified his days, I don't think I can be pinned down quite that much (I do what I want, as my daughter would say), but three posts a week, while ambitious, might be just the thing I need to get me in the habit to reach what has always been my goal of a weekly post ongoing.</div>
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<ul>
<li>write every day</li>
</ul>
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I recently celebrated (OK, who am I kidding, I'm still celebrating) the publication of the first EduMatch book <i><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_P63XDUpggLeFVmN0NxeU5GR28/view" target="_blank">Snapshot in Education</a></i>. This whirlwind experience has inspired me to commit to writing a full book in 2017. There. It's public. Nothing like making something public to pin a person down! With that said, I have purchased myself journals. Many journals. More jourothN one person could possibly need, but they all have different purposes, so that's my story, and I'm sticking to y! In any case, as part of my writing process I am reading A LOT, and journaling daily. So far so good!<br />
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<ul>
<li>Include audio or video in your posts</li>
</ul>
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I have recently pondered the idea of starting a podcast, but have been very hesitant because it is a commitment above and beyond the two blogs (the other being mmetechie.blogspot.com) that I struggle with posting consistently and also I write much more coherently than I speak #truestory. So, this challenge is a blessing.<br />
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This is my first post of the challenge, but the first step is the most important! I challenge YOU to join the challenge! Get blogging! Your voice should be heard!</div>
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Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-69879766770888413112016-12-09T19:14:00.000-08:002016-12-09T19:14:40.110-08:00From the trenchesThis will likely be the most difficult post I've written to date - at least on my edublogs. I started in a new position this September. My reasons for making this change after twenty years in the same district were many and complex, but high on the list was that I had begun to feel stagnant. In the twenty years I worked there, there was little turnover in my department, and I had begun to feel that not only had I reached the peak of what I could learn from the colleagues in my department, but also of what I could meaningfully contribute. To put it simply, when it's time to go, it's time to go.<br />
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I knew my new position would come with new challenges:<br />
<ul>
<li>totally different culture </li>
<li><i>very </i>involved parents</li>
<li>a tremendous need to step up my content game</li>
</ul>
just to name a few, and I arrived ready to face them head on. Or so I thought. Even after Back to School Night and Parent Conferences all seemed well -- almost curiously well. I was almost disappointed that I wasn't feeling the level of challenge I sought. Apparently appearances can be deceiving.<br />
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I now find myself in the midst of a tremendous struggle to maintain even the illusion of confidence. I feel <i>extremely </i>grateful for all of the work and study and reading I have done both independently and with colleagues like <a href="https://twitter.com/dkreiness" target="_blank">Dan Kreiness</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/rayewood" target="_blank">Raye Wood</a> on the topic of Growth Mindset, because it is this study, work, and collegial conversation that are getting me through right now. Weekend plans: reread Carol Dweck's book <i><a href="http://mindsetonline.com/" target="_blank">Mindset</a>. </i><br />
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Confidence been a lifelong struggle for me, despite what outward appearances may indicate. My first baby steps into leadership were in my regional organization LECNY: Language Educators of Central New York. It's a relatively small organization - membership rarely breaks 100. My entrance into a leadership role was purely accidental. A colleague was president at the time, and was trying to recruit candidates to run in the upcoming elections. She was partially responsible for the conference we both were attending, so she was feeling anxious. I made the blanket offer to help her in any way I could. The next thing I knew, my name was put forth as Second Vice President - a position that had previously not existed. Long story short, the additional position ended up being an excellent long-term decision for the organization, and it pushed me headlong into leadership. At the time I did not know it would be a four year commitment running through Second VP to VP to President to Past President, but that one moment, that one offer, started my leadership ball rolling. Probably just as well, because I may never have found the courage to take that first step on my own.<br />
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I include this story to give background for this excerpt from the first President's Message I wrote just over two years later that has been brought to mind in all of this:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 11px;">I am honored and more than a little bit stunned to be writing this, the first of my President's Messages. I feel I've been a bit of a late bloomer as a teacher leader, but that makes me want to express to my colleagues who are new to the profession or who might feel hesitant to step up as a presenter, the writer of an article, a board member, or just a volunteer: I truly mean, with the utmost sincerity, if I can do it, you can do it. There's nothing wrong with "lurking" as long as it isn't fear keeping you in the shadows. Think of what we tell our shy speakers in class.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 11px;"><br /></span>
A little glimpse of my own growth mindset before I knew what growth mindset was. And still it is easier to encourage in others than to grow in myself, but upon revisiting my own words and Dweck's first chapter, I'm giving myself a much-needed reality check. From Dweck's first chapter here are some fixed mindset responses to a situation that could be compared to my own:<br />
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"<i>I'm a total failure...I feel worthless and dumb."</i><br />
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Almost the exact words I tearfully spoke into the phone to my boyfriend who just had no idea what I was talking about - I mean truly reacted as if I had said 1 + 1 = pineapple. And of course that was the appropriate reaction, because I was totally overreacting, and defaulting to the fixed mindset I grew up with.<br />
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As expected, this post has taken several days to compose, but I'm in a much better place now than I was when I began writing it. Part of that is due to Dweck. Part of that is due to my amazing, level-headed boyfriend who has an uncanny way of seeing through my emotional reactions and offering clear, logical suggestions when I am incapable of seeing them. Part of it was reminding myself why I made the move in the first place, and persistently seeking out feedback - no matter how painful and difficult - so I could move forward and make positive changes.<br />
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And so with positive momentum, the learning continues. And that's really what it's all about.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-61142548834108580242016-11-19T12:50:00.001-08:002016-11-19T12:50:30.242-08:00Maybe first we laugh togetherIt's been a tough few weeks. I've been in astate of partial hibernation for awhile now, trying to cope with the last days leading up to the election, and the time since. I'm going to be open and honest here, because I don't know how to be any other way, but please bear with me regardless of where your political loyalties lie, because this is for <b>all of us.</b><br />
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I am a hard core Berner. <i>really </i>hard core, even though I didn't join Team Bernie until a bit late in the game - about ten months ago, for what it's worth. I had been following the news closely, knew I would not likely vote Republican because too many of their platforms conflict with my core ideals, but also knew I was not in favor of another Clinton presidency. There was simply not all that much information about Bernie in the mainstream media. For what it's worth. Also for what it's worth, I knew in 2011 when Trump tossed around the idea of running that I would never support him even if hell froze over. What I had seen of him (primarily on Fox News, I'll get back to that in a second) was mean-spirited and volatile. Considering the precarious nature of foreign relations even at the best of times, I knew he was not presidential material, although I never at that time even considered the possibility he could win.<br />
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And yes, I have been known to watch Fox News, because, and I agree with Ann Coulter on this point (proof that as diverse as opinions and perspectives may be there is always <i>some </i>commen ground) it is as important to look at opposing viewpoints as it is those with which you agree. From there Ann and I differ because she views it as knowing her enemy, whereas I use opposing viewpoints to learn and to challenge my own - to be sure than my opinion is truly aligned with my core beliefs.<br />
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In the aftermath, I have experienced a profound sense of grief, loss, and fear for what is to come. It took probably three days post-election for me to shake the feelings of, if I am to be perfectly honest, depression and despair. I got up every morning, taught my classes, did what had to be done, but at home alone it wasn't pretty. Only after allowing myself to feel those feelings could I find my next step...<br />
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<a href="http://www.languages.dk/archive/pools-%C2%AD%E2%80%90m/manuals/final/taskuk.pdf" target="_blank">Joebama</a></h2>
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I started sharing the memes on Facebook, at first because they were just too funny not to share. Then, it became something of a mission to try to find and share them all. I called it cheap therapy to help me cope with post-election trauma. I think most people took it as tongue-in-cheek, but really it wasn't. Humor was a critical part of the process I am still going through to try to heal. All along I have known that my next step would be action - Changing My Realm of Control - but on the way to figuring out how best to do that, I turned to humor.</div>
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<div>
I found that the memes were appreciated by my friends <i>regardless of political affiliation. </i>It was almost as though they were icebreakers that allowed opposing sides to come together without hostility, and just remember that we are all human, and can share harmless humor.<br />
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The other thing that I feel I need to mention, is that as I began looking through the memes, I began to notice the sheer number of photos of Barack Obama and Joe Biden where they seemed truly happy to be in one another's company. They laughed together, and the photos clearly showed evidence of a deep friendship. Two men who worked together for eight years in the public eye through many contentious battles, and yet were able to develop such a remarkable closeness.<br />
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Moving forward, I know there is much work to be done, but for now, maybe first we laugh together.</div>
<br />Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-4508893417705524042016-09-26T16:12:00.000-07:002016-09-26T16:12:02.192-07:00PeaceSeptember 21 was the International Day of Peace as designated by the United Nations. I have been honored since June to participate in a group of educators who broadcast monthly via the Periscope app using the hashtag #passthescopeedu. Typically these broadcasts are 5-7 minute "pocket PD sessions", or expressions of inspiration on topics like "Global Connections", "What Is Your Creative Mojo", "Succeed Together", and "I Know What You Did This Summer - How Will You Implement Your Summer PD Learning?".<br />
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Sometime over the summer it occurred to me (as random things often do) that the International Day of Peace might be a really great theme for s #passthescopeedu edition. I suggested it to the group, and the idea was accepted wholeheartedly. Over the next several weeks the regular participants reached out to colleagues local (which covers the US) and international.<br />
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What transpired yesterday far surpassed my hopes, and consisted of some truly inspiring messages of Peace from students, educators and others around the world. What was utterly fascinating and eye-opening was the number of different angles to peace that were explored. Along the path of preparation, I fielded questions from several colleagues regarding what exactly would be an appropriate way to scope a message of peace. My initial concept was to keep it as broad as possible, allowing for performance, art, poetry, more traditional presentations, or other ideas that people felt could tie in. <a href="https://iamvlewis.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Valerie Lewis</a> compiled this <a href="https://storify.com/iamvlewis/let-there-be-peace-worldwide" target="_blank">storify</a> of the day's event, but there is a synopsis below. <br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/iMattFrat/1lDxLNojZbkGm?t=3" target="_blank">Matt Frattali</a> (most often known as Matt Frat) posed the idea that Campaign Finance Reform is an obvious road to peace. He made a compelling argument on several fronts, and waved the flag to rally educators to take action for change.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/reeder_cassie/1RDxlLNWrPNxL?" target="_blank">Cassie Reeder</a> enthusiastically spoke to the power of global connections as a way to promote peace even with our youngest students. As a World Language teacher and an educator who has been more and more actively seeking to connect my students with their peers around the globe, I really appreciated her presentation.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/iamvlewis/1dRJZrLRnDzJB" target="_blank">Valerie Lewis</a>, a Georgia educator, is considered by most of us in #passthescopeedu to be the driving force behind us all (not to neglect <a href="https://twitter.com/lars3eb?lang=en" target="_blank">Derek Larson</a>, Toutoule Ntoya, whose scope will be mentioned later in this post, and the aforementioned Stacy Lovdahl who are huge parts of the #passthescopeedu team). She brought student voice to the stage with her International and Peace Clubs, as they gave their personal thoughts on peace. In a similarly-themed scope, <a href="https://www.periscope.tv/nicolettejames/1BdGYNePzZyJX?t=24" target="_blank">Nicolette James</a> had students from the National Honor Society and LGBT Club in her Long Island school share some very powerful personal messages and solutions.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/JudyArzt/1yoKMrzMzQWGQ?" target="_blank">Judy Arzt</a> is easily the most prolific scoper I follow. She broadcasts from many different places around the country (Old Sturbridge Village!!!) and gives in-depth historical and cultural information to her viewers. I loved her take on peace, because she gave background information on about a dozen or so former winners of the Nobel Peace and their accomplishments. She was able to provide a historical context for peace that I had not seen in other scopes - yet another layer!<br />
<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/w/1kvJpVRdDWMKE" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/w/1kvJpVRdDWMKE" target="_blank">Barbara Cotter </a>was one educator who brought student voice in the form of song, as she scoped from Micoud Primary in St. Lucia. The multi-talented <a href="https://www.periscope.tv/w/1DXGyLpZWNbKM" target="_blank">Dene Gainey</a> did the same from his classroom, and several French students in my school shared<br />
<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/FabianaLCasella/1YpJkeYLAPXKj?" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/FabianaLCasella/1YpJkeYLAPXKj?" target="_blank">Fabiana Casella</a> in Argentina gave her personal thoughts on peace and love and their connection, and James and Miriam broadcast similar sentiments from their current home in Georgia, though they hail from the island of Haiti.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/kmhmartin/1eaKbXApAzXJX?" target="_blank">Kimberly Howell</a> spoke about connecting children's literature to teach social justice, while <a href="https://www.periscope.tv/braveneutrino/1vOGwRaQZpDKB?" target="_blank">Stacy Lovdahl </a>facilitated a conversation with a very knowledgeable and articulate group of high school seniors about connections they had made to current issues of social justice and various books they had read. One of my <a href="https://www.periscope.tv/mmebrady/1YqxoXdWByzKv?t=1" target="_blank">Spanish 3 classes</a> shared a project we have been working on with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/matonedechiwit/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Matone de Chiwit</a> on the issue of water scarcity in Latin America. Fabulous connections between content, social justice, and the theme of peace.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/w/1MnGnnEgRyMGO" target="_blank">Brian Romero Smith</a> also involved his students, using Digital Citizenship as an overarching theme. Without calling it Digital Citizenship, <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahdateechur?lang=en" target="_blank">Sarah Thomas</a> drove home the point that we all need to be cognizant of the images of our children - particularly our children of color - that we post, repost, favorite, like or otherwise endorse on social media. #trendthepositive is a great message for adult Digital Citizens as well as our students.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/w/1zqKVVEzrzAKB" target="_blank">Toutoule Ntoya</a> expanded on a conversation that started in a Voxer group, and discussed the impact of colonialism on language and culture in the francophone African diaspora. As a French teacher, this was one of my favorite sessions, along with being an issue that I love discussing with my students.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/w/1yNGanpnqpVJj" target="_blank">Rachel Pierson</a> had a group of 6th graders speak directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly apropos given the origin of Peace Day.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/Timetotalkforreal/1kvJpVRWbMDKE?t=29" target="_blank">Venus Miller</a>, a Family and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner from Homestead, FL spoke about the intersection of mental illness and domestic violence, and the need for vigilance.<br />
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<a href="https://www.periscope.tv/AshaalaShanae/1vAGRLqgDdaxl?t=4" target="_blank">Ashaala Shanae</a>, a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, and motivational speaker, directly addressed issues of racism and oppression of African Americans - specifically black men.<br />
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The breadth and depth of the perspectives shared was absolutely stunning. The coming together of such a diverse group of international voices with the unified message of peace is something that will stay with me for quite a long time, and something I hope to repeat next year.<br />
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So my challenge to you, is to make a plan to add <b>your </b>voice and your personal message of peace to the chorus next year. We truly can be the change, but only if we take that first step.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-30769854620894139872016-09-14T20:33:00.001-07:002016-09-14T20:39:51.074-07:00Bringing Students to the Table to Make Real World ChangeWhen I started this blog, I made a point to try to end each post with something of a challenge to those who read it. This time out, I'm stepping it up. I consider this to be more of a full-on call to action.<br />
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I look at the headlines, (Election 2016!!) and the more extreme things that turn up in my facebook feed (rapists walking free after three months, or not at all; yet another black man shot dead by police; abused children, abused elders. When will it stop?<br />
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It just might stop if we actively start growing empathy in our students. STEM, STEAM, Makerspaces...as a World Language Teacher I have been on a crusade for nearly two years to bring WL to the STEM table. Content integration, interdisciplinary projects, honestly the names have become completely meaningless to me by now. We need to be working together and making connections.<br />
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Then came Design Thinking. I had been following John Spencer's posts and video shorts, but when I read the book <a href="http://ajjuliani.com/launchbook/" target="_blank">Launch</a> that he wrote with A.J. Juliani I was struck by the first phase of the Launch process:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>EMPATHY</b></div>
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That is what we are missing from our STEM class and our Makerspaces. Our Project Based Learning endeavors must begin (and I would add end) with <b>EMPATHY</b>. That is perhaps the single most important ingredient we can cultivate in our schools -- and notice that I am not using the word "skill", because I don't quite think <b>EMPATHY</b> fits that category. It is more of an essence that is always there at the start, but that can wither away if hate is allowed to take its place. At the same time, once it grows, once you show it and share it, you will always have more.<br />
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This realization brought me to the desire (insistence if I am to be completely honest) to have a Service Learning component to my projects. I have spent about six months at this point marveling at the seemingly random connections I've made, and the opportunities both for myself and for my students that have dropped into my path. Upon reflection, however, I think it is just further proof of what my good friend Fran Siracusa has said: <i>Good Brings Good</i>. Such an incredibly simple concept, but one that is proving to be true every step of this journey I am on with my students -- and I choose those words very deliberately. This is not a journey on which I am leading them, we are truly learning <i>together</i>. And isn't <i>that </i>something powerful on its own!<br />
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In May, I wrote <a href="http://changingmyrealmofcontrol.blogspot.com/2016/05/what-does-it-mean-to-go-glocal.html" target="_blank">this post about Going Glocal</a> after connecting with Karishma Bhagani and her organization <a href="https://www.facebook.com/matonedechiwit/" target="_blank">Matone de Chiwit</a>. All by itself that post has a whole lot of kismet going on! I had grand plans to weave Karishma's work into what I was going to be doing with a project-based team at my (now former) school. <a href="http://changingmyrealmofcontrol.blogspot.com/2016/04/change-is-in-air.html" target="_blank"> Things changed</a>. <br />
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The weekend between New Teacher Orientation at my new school and meeting the students for the first time I attended EduPassions. It was unbelievable as a conference. Totally inspiring, practical ideas I implemented day 1...and my door prize. I won a year's subscription to <a href="https://www.nepris.com/" target="_blank">Nepris</a>. Now I'm a self-proclaimed techie rebel, but I had never heard of Nepris. Yet, I put it on my list of top 3 prize choices, because Nepris claims to "Connect Industry Professionals to Every Classroom". I was intrigued. While walking to get coffee, I decided to throw together a description of what we are doing with Matone de Chiwit, and see if they could find us a match.<br />
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Ryan Beltran confirmed his participation within a day and a half. Ryan is the founder of<a href="http://i.ryanbeltran.com/?portfolio=elequa" target="_blank"> Elequa.io</a>, and also a filmmaker. Oh, and fluent in Spanish. His expertise could not have fit our needs any better. So to bring this chapter of my story to a close, today, Wednesday September 14, was our <b>sixth day of school. </b>My students have learned about water scarcity in Latin America, divided themselves into project strands (Marketing, Fundraising, Research) and posed professional questions (in Spanish) to an expert in the field. On Day 6. My other Spanish 3 class didn't have the same opportunity, but that's OK, because<br />
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<ol>
<li>The video will be available soon.</li>
<li>Tomorrow they are presenting their project plans via Periscope to educators around the world - and inviting them to join us in making a difference.</li>
</ol>
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In my research to create a database of Service Learning Experiences for WL Teachers and their students, I have been overwhelmed at the possibilities that are available to give our students authentic learning opportunities WHILE MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. The opportunities are out there, and once you begin the process of making connections, the good takes over.</div>
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This is a call to action. If you've never done a PBL Project before, do one that HELPS. Find a problem in your community or elsewhere on the globe, and HEAL. Let's displace all the hate by growing empathy so big the hate has nowhere left to go. It's time.</div>
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What will you do? Let us know!</div>
Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-72562856098057425502016-07-04T12:31:00.000-07:002016-07-04T13:19:46.308-07:00To ISTE or Not to ISTE, When Work Is Play, and My Tribe Sings KaraokeI can't ever tell if I'm really good at titling my posts or really bad, but this one pretty near defied my best efforts. I wrote a couple of "techier" posts on my <a href="http://mmetechie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">other blog</a> about my #notatiste experience this year, but as conversations within the #notatiste16 Karaoke Party Voxer Group (it's a real thing, I promise) evolved, we made the group decision to collaboratively blog about what we learned through the days leading up to "The Event". I must, however, be perfectly clear: none of us will reveal all of our secrets. In many ways, the #notatiste16 Karaoke Party Voxer Group is like Vegas -- what happens there stays there (although unlike Vegas, we only gambled with our dignity.) On the other hand, there were some conversations and realizations that we collectively reached that definitely bear mentioning, because being mindful of some of them, I believe, can lead to positive change in the way teachers interact and learn from one another.<br />
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In general, the word "karaoke" sparks immediate, powerful reactions as soon as it is mentioned. Some people love it, others (most people I know) would rather chew on broken glass. It was at the EdCamp Organizers' Summit that I first became aware that these people I was connecting with professionally, these people I came to refer to as "my tribe" -- passionate educators willing to do just about anything in the name of improving their craft and making education better for our children -- had among them quite a few karaoke aficionados. As karaoke is really my only hobby, I have spent an inordinate amount of time over the last 20 or so years singing in odd places. (Think twice before you ever hand me a mic.) All of a sudden, in the lobby of the conference center, professional networking morphed into spontaneous group songs belted at the tops of our lungs. I was <i>home.</i><br />
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Then, I heard that Ed Tech Karaoke was an actual THING at ISTE. My tribe. Except I couldn't go to Denver. It was truly accidental that the idea of a virtual karaoke party connected with #notatiste caught my eye. Or maybe the universe was trying to unite me with more of my tribe, because we, as a group, almost instantly self-identified as a tribe that would outlive the one night event with relationships enduring. (Yes, the #notatiste Karaoke Party Voxer group is still open for spontaneous bursts of song.)<br />
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The theme that emerged from the very start was that the #notatiste Karaoke Party Voxer group was a <i>safe space.</i> Within that space the interactions became more spirited, the "trash talking" commenced, and we all simply felt free to be ourselves without risk of judgement. (our in-group hashtag was #norulesnoboundaries). This is something we have known about in regard to our classrooms: Safety encourages spontaneity and risk-taking. Now we were experiencing it for ourselves, and so the creativity was unleashed. Despite the fact that this event had the lowest of the low stakes (let's face it, it's karaoke, no one expects you to <i>really </i>be able to sing) there was increasing chatter among group members about planning (although some of the "stealth planning" didn't become clear until the event was in progress), practice, set lists... (I'm not kidding). We all were so invested in this event, and the relationships grew from there. We became a tribe.<br />
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The day of the event, several members half-jokingly talked about feeling guilty for spending more time in the Karaoke Party group than with other #notatiste events and activities. But as the conversation flowed, we realized that the deep connections we were making, the exploration of apps and troubleshooting that was occurring in order to get the party started were all valuable exercises that we could take back to our own classrooms. While it is true that we were talking through the technology to collaboratively solve problems driven by our immediate need (Karaoke Party), we came into the #notatiste space as a whole with the purpose of learning and improving our craft. I guarantee that, party or not, what we all learned in that group will be applied in our classrooms.<br />
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We talk about relationships being key when dealing with our students, but then are critical of ourselves for "taking a break" from work to deepen and grow our professional relationships. #thingsthatmakeyougohmmm<br />
Toutoule Ntoya described his #notatiste experience as a "whirlwind" -- with all of the possibilities offered, I can only agree: Ignite sessions, Periscopes of most everything that went on in Denver, Bingo, Twitter chats...it was easy to get caught up and forget to breathe. Additionally, a recurring theme that surfaced both from the #notatiste crew and many who were in Denver was that by far the greatest benefit of participating in ISTE in person or #notatiste was the connections and the people. Mic drop. Quality PD doesn't have to be intense and cerebral at all times.<br />
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After the EdCamp Organizers' Summit in April, there was a lot of discussion in the EduMatch Voxer group about how overwhelming the intensity of some conferences can be, and the need to step back periodically and reflect, process, connect with others, simply take some quiet time, rather than simply hopping from session to session for 7-8 hours straight. Simply put, social activities like the #notatiste Karaoke Party have just as much value as the time spent in sessions. We need these times and activities to recharge and to deepen the relationships that we form during our professional activities.<br />
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So...to ISTE or Not to ISTE? For me, the verdict is still out, but I've always known that work is at its finest when it is most like play, and now that I have found my karaoke-singing tribe, all is right with the world.<br />
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So my challenge to you is: Go out and find your tribe, and make time to PLAY. #noguilt<br />
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Please visit the following blogs to read more about the #notatiste2016 Karaoke Party<br />
<a href="https://makisharogers.wordpress.com/2016/07/04/notatiste-karaoke-why-it-rocks/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="https://makisharogers.wordpress.com/2016/07/04/notatiste-karaoke-why-it-rocks/" target="_blank">Makisha Rogers: #notatiste Karaoke and Why it Rocks</a><br />
<a href="http://toutoule.wix.com/toutoule-ntoya#!blog/zte7b" target="_blank">Toutoule Ntoya</a><br />
<a href="https://msdayvt.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Cynthia Day</a>:<a href="https://msdayvt.wordpress.com/2016/07/04/notatiste-karaoke/" target="_blank"> notatiste Karaoke</a><br />
Dene Gaines<br />
<a href="https://leaderoflearning.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Dan Kreiness</a><br />
<a href="http://mscotter2.edublogs.org/" target="_blank">Barbara Cotter</a>Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-78865967818400582962016-05-10T14:20:00.001-07:002016-06-27T06:52:19.540-07:00EdCamp Organizer SummitWow is the word!<br />
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I first became enamored of the <a href="http://www.edcamp.org/" target="_blank">EdCamp</a> movement about five years ago when I started on Twitter. (Funny how so many of my journeys began when I discovered Twitter!) I subsequently found numerous articles in education magazines and blogs detailing this exciting, grass-roots professional development movement by teachers for teachers. The "unconference", it seemed, could revolutionize and personalize PD in a way I had not previously experienced.<br />
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It was not until the fall of 2014 that I was able to attend a semi-local EdCamp -- EdCampUNY in Queensbury, NY. What a fantastic experience! Coincidentally, I met <a href="https://twitter.com/mrsmurat" target="_blank">Rachel Murat</a>, a social studies teacher from Maine Endwell with whom I had previously connected on Twitter. One of the greatest things I have found about connecting with professionals in the virtual world is how strong the instant connections are once we meet face to face (IRL). I also connected with <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaMLuce?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Christina Luce</a> from Liverpool, and the three of us were part of the organizing force behind the first EdCampCNY in July 2014. <br />
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Less than a month later, Christina contacted me to collaborate on the second EdCampCNY. There was a funding opportunity that was too good to pass up, so we jumped on it. A few kinks in the machine later, we successfully ran the second small but sincere EdCampCNY. I was hooked!<br />
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When the EdCamp Foundation sent out word about the first <a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-08-17-edcamp-gets-2m-to-spread-the-unconference-movement" target="_blank">Organizer Summits</a>, I jumped at the chance to reach the next level of learning. I was not disappointed. Truly, the experience and subsequent fallout were more than I could have anticipated. I periodically checked the RSVP list, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming some of the names I saw (<a href="http://www.edutecher.net/about.php" target="_blank">Adam Bellow</a>!!!). But after the weekend summit, I finally learned that one of the greatest parts of EdCamp is that no matter how well known any attendee might be, no matter how much of a rockstar, no matter how many Twitter followers, how many books published, at EdCamp, we are all equals. Part of the EdCamp philosophy is "check your ego at the door", which is an easy platitude to spout, but which was truly demonstrated at every step of the summit.<br />
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I met some great people right away at the opening session, despite my normal discomfort in groups of people who are unfamiliar to me. Once we broke into sessions I immediately connected with <a href="http://hablamostechnology.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fran Siracusa</a>, who I mentioned <a href="http://changingmyrealmofcontrol.blogspot.com/2016/05/what-does-it-mean-to-go-glocal.html" target="_blank">two posts ago</a> (which was only three days ago...some kind of record for me, I think, so I must make note of it!). My discussions with Fran in the session about Global/Virtual EdCamps convinced me to (re)download Voxer onto my phone. She added me to the EdCamp Virtual Voxer Group. The group is currently inactive, because <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-OtKIyKI9qodtYBB9GSUrVEfhz5JyRuA9trVHZkJyoc/viewform?c=0&w=1" target="_blank">EdCamp Voxer</a> is not until July, but my mind is officially BLOWN by the idea of a virtual EdCamp! <br />
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Over dinner, I met two other fantastic educators with whom I am extraordinarily grateful to be connected. <a href="https://twitter.com/techy_margaret" target="_blank">Margaret Sisler</a>, a tech coach out of Virginia whose sketchnotes gave a fantastic summary of the sessions she attended:<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">The connection that I made that so far has had just an overwhelming impact and exponentially increased my professional connections is <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahdateechur?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Sarah Thomas</a>. What an educational powerhouse in such a humble and human individual. Sarah is the creator of <a href="http://www.edumatch.education/" target="_blank">EduMatch</a> which, although billed as an "Educational Matchmaker" has absolutely nothing to do with dating. (No, really.) Here's the thinglink image to really demonstrate the reach of EduMatch:</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">So, having just rejoined the Voxer world, I started with the EduMatch Voxer group. Holy Active Batman! Easily I receive 150 Voxes a day. It is very easy to fall behind, but the conversations are so interesting, and unlike Twitter, known as a <i>microblog, </i>most of the exchanges on Voxer are what I might call <i>micropodcasts, </i>because they are voice recordings. That is not to say that texting isn't an option, because there are members who prefer to text, or there are simply times when it makes more sense. Images are shared as well.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The snowball effect certainly happened here. One of our threads in the EduMatch Voxer group let me to request being added to the Snapchat! Oh Snap! Voxer group on using Snapchat in the classroom. Because clearly I needed another tech tool to become obsessed with. Or not. But there it is.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">And then Sarah posted a list of Voxer groups for educators. Did I start this post by saying Wow is the word? To make a long story short, I am now a member of the following groups: Connected Educators, Breakout Edu Chit Chat, #satchat Voxer, Gamification in Edu, Seulement Fran</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">çais, and Solamente Espa</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">ñol. Oh wait, I forgot Genius Hour, Makerspaces, PBL, and 20% Time. Now none of these</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> groups is as active as EduMatch, but the connections are valuable nonetheless.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">And that's just the first EduMatch tool. The reach of the potential connections is endless. Truly. This is the tip of an enormous iceberg. Also the end of this post, because there are so many more things that need their own posts to be fully explained. Can I get another one in before the weekend?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">What are your EdCamp experiences? If you haven't yet attended one, what's stopping you?</span></span></div>
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<span id="goog_496578676"></span><span id="goog_496578677"></span><br />Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-55163993502072072132016-05-09T09:20:00.001-07:002016-05-09T09:20:11.284-07:00Did I Really Wait This Long to Get on My Soapbox?Those who travel in the relatively insulated circles of World Language teachers in New York State might know that in the past couple of years a focus of my presentations has been bringing World Language into the STEM world. It is something I am very passionate about. The underpinning of my argument is that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are all well and good, but none of the ideas that spring from these disciplines can be expressed without language. Meanwhile, with technology bringing the world into our personal and professional spaces, learning a second, third, and/or fourth language is not only beneficial, but critical to global citizenship in the 21st century.<br />
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To that end, I have been on my soapbox taking advantage of opportunities to present and share my views in as many venues as possible. I was lucky enough to be selected as a 2016 NECTFL Mead Fellow, and my project is based on connecting level 1 and 2 curricula in French and Spanish with Earth Science and Algebra 1 curricula. This is extremely exciting for me, because it is giving me the chance to put into action something that has primarily been philosophical up to this point.<br />
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When we had our group meeting with the three Mead fellows, our mentors, and prior Mead fellows, it was strongly recommended to me that I do a school visit to an immersion school to get a better sense of how content can be taught in the Target Language, because that is the approach I wanted to take with the integration of language and content. Due to the efforts of Mead Chair <a href="http://www.maracas123.com/author/admin/" target="_blank">Amanda Seewald</a>, I was able to visit the William C. Lewis Dual Language Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware. <br />
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I first visited a third grade math class. I was blown away! The teacher was a native speaker who spoke at conversational speed. The student materials were all in Spanish, and the students were all speaking Spanish. Culture was integrated in the word problems, and the students "policed" each other if they lapsed into English at any point.<br />
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The science class I found particularly fascinating. The unit was based on the life cycle of a plant. Class started with a children's book about the life cycle of a squash. Then students who had not finished a writing assignment (all in Spanish) on the life cycle of an apple tree were allowed to finish that, while other students worked on a new project that extended their learning about the life cycle of a squash. <br />
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It was truly fascinating and inspiring to see students learning language and content in this way. I left with my head exploding with ideas, and more direction for my project work. More than ever I believe that this type of program is necessary to teach our children to be global citizens and to adequately prepare them for the world they will graduate into.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-18190213633972970382016-05-07T14:34:00.000-07:002016-05-07T14:53:05.417-07:00What Does It Mean to Go "Glocal"?The last couple of weeks have been very exciting for me from a standpoint of connections that have just sort of erupted with very serendipitous timing. Several (I think) years ago, I crossed cyberpaths with Fran Siracusa, co-founder of <a href="http://www.calliopeglobal.com/" target="_blank">Calliope Global</a> and global learning revolutionary. I found her work intriguing, but (as with so many things) her name got shuffled into the Twitterstream, and my projects and priorities continued their constant shift. Last December, we reconnected, and she was very helpful directing me to resources for my first <a href="https://education.microsoft.com/ConnectWithOthers/PlayMysterySkype" target="_blank">Mystery Skype</a> session. She connected me to her <a href="http://padlet.com/fransiracusa1/VirtualPostcardProject15" target="_blank">Virtual Postcard Project on Padlet</a>, but again, the timing just wasn't quite ripe for collaboration. Fast forward to this April (yes, it's still April), when I got an invitation from Fran to attend a webinar with an organization called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/matonedechiwit/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Matone de Chiwit</a> to attend a webinar. I accepted the invitation because after reading about the organization, I was intrigued. The larger concept is to bring water to regions of the world (<i>Matone </i>means "drops" in Swahili, <i>de </i>means "of" in Spanish, <i>Chiwit </i>means "life" in Thai) where water scarcity is a growing concern. The webinar was also very conveniently scheduled at a time when I was to be available...that is until a flat tire delayed me, and I missed the first half. Fortunately, the second half, due to the dedication, passion, and presence of Matone de Chiwit's founder and Executive Director Karishma Bhagani drew me in, and I reached out to Fran and Karishma to try to schedule a webinar with her, to further promote her cause.<br />
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April 18 Fran invited me to join <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/107830554563536063855" target="_blank">Our Blue Earth</a> -- a Google Community she created.<br />
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Our Blue Earth is described as follows:<br />
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">This Earth Day 2016, under the focus of WATER, we promote individual investigations, global discussion/collaboration, & a call to action."</span><br />
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Although my priorities are constantly in flux, and I am forever starting new projects, I like to think that the "good stuff" never gets totally lost, it just hides in the depths of my cluttered brain waiting to be drawn out by the right connection. So it is with the global (and glocal -- yes, I'm getting to that) impact of water. I tell everyone who will listen that one of my favorite professional development experiences all year (and I do not say that lightly, as I am an admitted PD junkie) is the International Studies Summer Institute put on by the <a href="http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/" target="_blank">Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies</a> at Cornell University. The topic of the 2013 ISSI was <a href="http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2013/06/teachers-delve-global-water-and-culture-issues" target="_blank">The Cultural Geography of Water</a>. It was in preparation for this institute that I first watched the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1422032/" target="_blank">Tambi<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">én la Lluvia</span></a>, a dramatization of events of the Water Wars in Bolivia in 1999-2000.<br />
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So lightning struck, and I threw together over the weekend numerous resources on the impact of mining on water supply contamination, video campaigns promoting water conservation, and (most importantly) was able to schedule the webinar with Karishma.<br />
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Karishma, with Fran's help, has been promoting her organization through a series of webinars with schools, encouraging the students she meets virtually to assist in her marketing campaign, and most recently, an informational webinar with students and faculty at NYU.<br />
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On a recent trip to NYC, after our webinar with Karishma, I had the opportunity to meet her in person and chat more in depth about her project. She was even more impressive in person! I am anxious to see her project develop from the ground up, and very hopeful to be a part of it!<br />
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So while we are acting LOCALLY, we are and will be making a global impact: Going Glocal!<br />
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The overarching message for students and educators is that we all can make a difference, perhaps even a major and significant difference, even by acting only in our...Realm Of Control.<br />
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<br />Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-73024251765175935502016-04-04T16:47:00.000-07:002016-04-04T16:47:29.210-07:00Growth Mindset and Humans v. DogsThis past summer I read Carol Dweck's book<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-Success/dp/0345472322" target="_blank"> Mindset</a>. I found it not only to be incredibly beneficial as a teacher, but applicable to my own life. When I think about how many challenges I have approached with a fixed mindset, thereby setting myself up for failure, I marvel at the fact that I was able to become a productive functioning adult at all!<br />
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In my classroom, student goalsetting has been something I have been moving from the back burner to the forefront and everywhere in between for the last 5 years or so. This year I formalized it as one of my professional goals. Mondays in my classroom are "Motivational Mondays". I start class by giving students a prompt in the form of a quote or short video clip. Then, in Google Classroom, students respond (in English, my purpose is metacognition and goalsetting, not TL acquisition) to 1-3 questions connecting the prompt to their goals and action steps to reach those goals in my class.<br />
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As I showed this video this afternoon:<br />
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it occurred to me that this was at least the third Motivational Monday video this year I have shown starring a dog. Now, at first glance, who cares? Dogs are cute, like cat videos, dog videos can certainly be a youtube time suck, it's a fun way to burn a minute and a half of class on a dreary (snowy) April Monday, but why is this blogworthy?</div>
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What I believe often gets in the way of a growth mindset is learned behavior and learned beliefs. I don't believe we are born with a fixed mindset, rather our mindsets become fixed over time due to a variety of environmental factors -- if we are not in environments that cultivate and nurture a growth mindset. Willow, the dog in the above video, doesn't worry if the humans watching her will make fun of her leaf-pile antics. She doesn't worry what will happen if she can't find the ball. The consequences of failure are utterly irrelevant to Willow, and no matter how difficult the task was, she was ready to start over again as soon as she found the ball. </div>
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How freeing that would be to not be burdened with a lifetime of fixed mindset baggage to overcome!</div>
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But we all come from a place that is nearly as purely free of the tethers of a fixed mindset.</div>
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Think back to your childhood, and try to remember a time before you felt embarrassed, ashamed, fearful, or otherwise inhibited about trying something new or about taking a risk. Think about a young child you know. Their ability to trust without hesitation makes them remarkably resilient and enables them to try, try again, even to the point where the adults around them are ready to drop. </div>
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Perhaps one of the keys to a growth mindset is to access that place we all come from, before fear and self-consciousness, and embrace that inner child who isn't afraid to fall down.</div>
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<br />Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-63917988073987833862016-04-03T17:10:00.000-07:002016-04-03T17:10:03.187-07:00Change Is in the AirWell, here we are again, and I have again failed to meet my personal goal of consistently posting to this blog. But I'm back for now, much has happened in both my personal and professional life, and change, indeed, is in the air. <br />
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2016 brought the end of an 11 year personal relationship, as well as some exciting and challenging professional opportunities, most of them beyond the walls of the buildings where I teach, and this in turn has brought some surprising challenges within the walls of the buildings where I teach. <br />
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A significant part of my ongoing professional journey has been my headfirst plunge into social media about five years ago via Twitter and edubloggers. The ability to find 24/7 professional discourse on any topic in education has been invaluable in my professional growth and development. From the start I was vocal in my participation in Twitter chats; I commented on blogs, and just generally added my voice to the others out there, whether they were newbies like I used to be or respected educators like <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/users/tom-whitby" target="_blank">Tom Whitby </a>or <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/users/ira-socol" target="_blank">Ira Socol</a>, both of whom I have conversed with on Twitter. In fact, not only have I conversed with these heavy hitters, but I have challenged statements they have made, questioned their ideas, and engaged them in contentious exchanges -- all in the name of learning, reflecting, and improving my craft.<br />
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For personal reasons, I kept my social media use to Twitter and blogs, and avoided Facebook for years. It is perhaps for this reason that although I effectively grew my PLN with colleagues around the globe, I stayed under the radar with my local colleagues.<br />
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Shortly before the first of the year I joined the rest of the civilized world and became active on Facebook. It started as an experiment for myself to see if I could maintain a social media account for purely social purposes. I lasted 8 days. Truthfully no one, myself included, believed I could manage to keep work out of it, and we were all right. It started with a blog post that came up on my feed, and I couldn't help but respond. I knew then that I was doomed. But the other side of the coin was that there are so many of my colleagues -- particularly World Language teachers -- who are much more active on Facebook than on Twitter, that it just made sense to open a new avenue of connectivity.<br />
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So my professional posts on Facebook, like my Tweets and blog comments, are honest, straightforward, and made in the spirit of opening and encouraging professional dialogue. In that same spirit, I welcome opposing opinions and enjoy having my views respectfully challenged, because whether or not my opinion changes, it allows further opportunity to examine my own beliefs and their validity.<br />
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Unfortunately, I am discovering that not everyone feels that professional discourse is desirable. I have been on the receiving end of several complaints about postings over the last month, and I am truly perplexed and saddened. These complaints are anonymous, and I am only told that they are coming from "multiple departments". It is very disappointing that professionals would respond to a colleague with whom they disagree in this way rather than addressing the issue directly. I have now spent several weeks in an uncomfortable atmosphere, not knowing who to trust, having been told that I'm "being watched". It isn't the administration, because they have been nothing but supportive, but that doesn't help when the anonymous complaints keep coming, and I have no intention of accepting a muzzle.<br />
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This is the last in a sequence of red flags I have been dodging for the last several years, and it has become clear that it is time for a major change. Many years ago, during a particularly disappointing PD session, I made the conscious decision that no matter how bad any given PD was, there had to be at least one good takeaway. That one mental shift has transformed how I experience PD -- particularly PD I do not choose for myself. That shift has carried over into my work experience as a whole. Despite any shortcomings I may have felt in my current position, I have gone out of my way to find and/or create opportunities to engage and grow my passion for my work. That has not always made me popular with my local colleagues, although increasingly it has made me successful in the profession at large. And I know myself well enough to know that I need to be where I can push myself and continue to do what I believe to be right without being silenced, and without being held back. Increasingly, I have been getting the sense that I have reached my limits in my current position. Yes, I understand that negativity is everywhere, there will be jealousy and pettiness wherever I land. But there is a lot to be said for fresh starts, and I'm ready. My place is as a teacher leader, not an administrator, so that is not a path I will choose. But the next stone in my path will be laid in a different direction. Change is good.<br />
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Of course...if my optimism about finding another position proves overblown...but let's not jinx it ;)Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-12683841169282991822015-11-27T18:45:00.002-08:002015-11-27T19:11:01.505-08:00Back again! - Technology and its PlaceIf I could only get into a more consistent blogging schedule like a REAL blogger, I might not have to post these "I'm back again" posts every couple of years! (sigh...)<br />
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But let's face it, teachers are humans too, and there are only so many hours in the day! <br />
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So, it's been so long that I actually had to go back through the archived posts and see what I've already written about. Let's face it, I started this blog in 2011, and in the edtech realm, that's an eternity! So long, in fact, that this tool has changed names since I started using it years ago.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lessonpaths.com/" target="_blank">LessonPaths</a> (formerly Mentormob) is a cloud-based tool used to create playlists of websites, documents, images, and quizzes. With an available Chrome extension, Lessonpaths makes it easy to gather materials on a specific topic, or for a specific student with the click of a button. <br />
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Here's a sample playlist:<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" src="https://www.lessonpaths.com/learn/widget/459989/580/99cc33/3-0" style="-moz-border-radius: 10px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; background: #99cc33; border-radius: 10px; height: 248px; overflow: hidden; width: 580px;"></iframe><br />
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Create your own Playlist on <a href="https://www.lessonpaths.com/">LessonPaths!</a></div>
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This particular example is where I keep my "Brain Breaks" for easy access. Most of them are YouTube videos, which are particularly easy to organize and access with LessonPaths, but the advantage that YouTube playlists don't have, is that I can also add blogposts from other language teachers whose Brain Breaks might need more explanation, so I save the whole page for reference. I can add links to Google Docs -- my own or others', images, or even create quizzes and articles, although I don't use those features very frequently (read: at all). <br />
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I think of LessonPaths as a simplified internet filing cabinet that is student accessible. I have playlists for subtopics, cultural points, individual students -- basically whatever comes along that needs quick organization and quick visual access. Students like that they can move through the steps at their own pace, see what's ahead, and even skip steps that they may not need -- great for differentiation!<br />
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Give it a try, and let me know what you think!<br />
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Mme<br />
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Note: I just realized I posted this to the wrong blog. :) So here are some thoughts:<br />
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I had my post-observation conference a week or two ago, and my principal commented on his surprise at the fact that I used so little technology (I am 1:1 with Chromebooks this year). The blog for which I had intended this post, is my techie blog for WL teachers -- geared to a far more specific audience. I began that blog, as stated above, in 2011, so my affinity for technology is well known in my building and district. The lesson that he observed was focused on listening skills, and was at the start of a unit. I made the thoughtful decision to use low-tech formative assessment checks for a couple of reasons: First, as great as technology is, raised hands are a far simpler and more effective way for me to get instantaneous information about what students are understanding, and who is on task. Second, as this is our first year with most classes 1:1, many students are struggling with the leap to so much technology all day long. To that end, I have consciously decided that if I am able to do something as effectively without technology, I will, because<br />
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It's about the learning.</h3>
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So, my apologies for being too quick on the post, and not paying attention to my own blog title, but...</div>
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Tell me how you balance high and low tech!</div>
Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-33942534982117583332015-07-07T14:33:00.001-07:002015-07-07T14:33:33.985-07:00Trying to Unravel the Complexities of Race and Privilege<span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1414; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1414; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;">As a white teacher in a district with an increasingly diverse student population, but nearly exclusively white adult population (from bus drivers and custodians to Superintendent) I often worry about the impact it has on our students of color to be surrounded by adults who do not look like them, and who cannot relate to their cultural background. I feel the racial tension growing, and I feel powerless to stop it. It truly is frightening. I like to believe that I have the same expectations for all of my students, that is my goal, although I know they do not always believe that. Some feel that they walk into my classroom as if they are walking into enemy territory simply because our skin colors are not the same. I work to overcome that barrier. Sometimes I am successful. Earlier this year I had a "mama bear" moment with my blonde, blue-eyed daughter who was in the lobby of the school where I teach and she is a student (I can be rather loud). One of our African American students (male) happened to be in the lobby at the same time. He started apologizing to me, because I was yelling. He wasn't doing anything wrong. I didn't even know him. I was mortified. I apologized to him, introduced myself, and shook his hand, but left the building feeling that the problems in my school are so deep, and so unknown within the power structure of which I am a part.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1a1414;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;">At the same time, "racism" like "bullying" has become just a word to be thrown around by students -- regardless of color -- in an accusatory manner designed to throw adults off balance, and give them the upper hand in a situation. It has become, for too many adolescents, a tool without meaning. For example, I just finished my third year teaching Spanish, and part of my curriculum is to teach the color words. <i>Negro </i>is the Spanish word for black. Before I could even approach it linguistically, I had to handle the shouts from (mostly white) students "that's racist!" The lone African American student to address the word with me, saw it in a reading passage, raised her hand, and when I approached her table, she whispered to me that she had an "n-word alert". I wanted to hug her for the simple fact that she was so honest and unobtrusive, and never assumed that it was an intentionally harmful word use (although she did not understand it in context at that point.) It took several lessons before my students as a group were able to accept the word <i>negro </i>as just another Spanish word.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1414; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1414; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;"><i> </i>Shortly after school let out for summer, I attended </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1414; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;">a writing workshop as part of the Mario Einaudi International Studies Summer Institute (ISSI) given by author Sorayya Khan.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1414; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;"> One of the pieces she included as recommended reading was Kiese Laymon's essay "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America". The perspective of an imperfect black man raised to exist in a perpetual stance of self-defense for survival was extraordinarily powerful. It made me sad, angry, ashamed, but most of all, I think, it will make me ever more conscious of the (invisible) struggle faced by our students of color. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1414; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1414; line-height: 21.5999984741211px;">When I returned home from the conference, I finished Khan's </span>novel <i>City of Spies (</i>a fantastic read) which<i> </i>includes<i> </i>this line by the main character:<br />
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"Being white is not being half and half. it's being whole and knowing it"<br />
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Aliya is a young girl, half Dutch, half Pakistani living through the anti-American sentiment of the late seventies in Islamabad. She is privileged, relatively, as her family has a servant, but she is only able to attend the American school because of a scholarship. Her closest friend is the blonde-haired, blue-eyed American daughter of a diplomat of whom she is at times envious, curious, protective, and suspicious. Although being mixed-race gave her skin light enough to "pass", by the end of the book she has fully embraced her Pakistani self. That quote really resonated with me in the context of my racial reading and exploring, but I also find it incomplete as far as my own personal identity.<br />
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As a white American, (who fully identified as a Peach-American for most of my childhood, thank you Crayola) I come from quite a diverse background. My father is 100% Ukrainian, but I did not learn this fact until I was an adult. I was raised with "dumb Polack" jokes (mostly told by my father), thinking they were about me. In middle school, it was "revealed" to me that I was actually "Russian", not Polish. This was Cold War time ("...we are defined by the wars we have lived..." is another quote from Aliya in <i>City of Spies) </i>and resulted in my being labeled a "Commie" my several of my peers. My maternal grandmother identified only with her Irish father's heritage, but her mother was Quebecoise. That was never discussed. Neither was my maternal grandfather's mixed heritage (Dutch/German). As a result, I've never felt connected to my own personal history. I have never felt whole, and that is a loss I have felt at varying degrees throughout my life. Robin DiAngelo, in her post <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/good-men-project/why-its-so-hard-to-talk-to-white-people-about-racism_b_7183710.html">Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People about Racism</a> writes about "<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Suggesting that group membership is significant (challenge to individualism)" as a "trigger" of "racial stress for white people". My personal perspective is that group membership has not always come easily for me. Perhaps part of that comes from my lack of feeling a connection with my heritage, maybe it's from fighting so hard and never managing to belong throughout my own years of school, maybe it's from a lifetime of having individuality valued above all else, maybe it's simply a matter of never fully having anyone to rely on besides myself, but that particular statement resonated. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The video below gives a unique perspective on privilege, and walking in the shoes of another.</span><br />
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Clearly privilege comes in many forms. Does white privilege exist? Absolutely. Any American who denies it is willfully blind or stupid. But neither should anyone deny the existence of <i>male </i>privilege. It isn't more or less. The hurt isn't bigger or badder, but a little empathy goes a long way. The audience who heard those two speakers -- who <b>listened</b>, probably learned a lot. Carol Hockett, curator of the Johnson Museum of Art, shared these words at the Mario Einaudi International Studies Summer Institute last week "so much depends on your perspective".</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Kristin Craig Lai, a white blogger, echoes some of these ideas: "Race is real because it affects the identities and realities of everyone. Not just people of colour, everyone. Whiteness is not a blank slate, it is not the de facto absence of racial identity any more than maleness is the de facto absence of gender. The issue, for any thinking white person, is how do you inhabit and experience your whiteness? What does it mean to you to hold a racial identity that comes with so much privilege? What can you do to recognize your privilege and address it in a meaningful way? And if you answer that question with anything that sounds like, “Well I’m X so I’m oppressed too” you’re missing the point. Identity is a complicated and ever shifting thing. If you engage in the “more oppressed than thou” game everyone loses. The point is to think consciously and openly about what kind of privilege you benefit from and what that means."</span></div>
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Marilyn Rhames wrote this <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/op_education/2015/06/Racial_Injustice_Is_Rooted_in_Lie.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2">EdWeek Blogpost</a> that I loved. However, I was appalled by some of the comments that people, presumably educators, given the source of the post, made. Others were more thoughtful, including one from a poster named Robin who called the "worst kind of racism...when one knows not that he knows not". The fact is, we are <b>not </b>living in a post-racial society. Systemic racism is part of the American culture, and we are all products of the culture in which we are raised. It is inescapable. The best we <b>all</b> can hope for is to continue to listen, learn, and heal.<br />
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If you're courageous enough, take this Harvard <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html">survey</a> about implicit racism. You may (or may not) learn something about yourself. (My results were inconclusive...for whatever it was worth...)<br />
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Some posts and articles I read along the way:<br />
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<a href="http://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/hesaid-the-luxury-of-invisible-privilege/">The Luxury of Invisible Privilege</a><br />
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<a href="http://goodmenproject.com/newsroom/whiteness-is-not-the-absence-of-racial-identity/">Whiteness Is Not the Absence of Racial Identity</a><br />
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Join the conversation that we all should be having.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-35506099973925397692015-07-02T19:07:00.001-07:002015-07-02T19:07:20.483-07:00Recipe for SuccessI promise, my next post will <b>not </b>start with a quote from Mara Sapon-Shevin's <i>Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms.</i> My next post. This quote she uses to draw a parallel between implementing desegregation and implementing inclusion: "attempts...implemented without thoughtful planning and consistent monitoring are unlikely to succeed."<br />
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So, in addition to desegregation and inclusion, it almost seems like a no-brainer that should widely be applied to <b>anything</b> brought to the table, specifically in the realm of education.<br />
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I have long said that my least favorite word in education is <i>initiative</i>. The word itself carries with it the implication that the newest, latest, and greatest idea, innovation, or reboot will be <i>initiated</i>, <i>begun</i>,<i> launched, started</i>. The word itself implies a distinct lack of follow-through.<br />
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So when I joined a project that will pilot interdisciplinary learning over three years, and examine data upon completion, a project that will not begin until a year of planning has happened, I could not have been more excited.<br />
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My work on the PBIS Team at my High School I find very meaningful, because we are heading into our eighth year, we are constantly examining data from a variety of resources including student attendance, discipline and academics, and attitude surveys of staff, students and team members. Our decisions are directly influenced by the data and feedback, both formal and informal.<br />
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I also work with the School Improvement Team, which meets regularly to evaluate our annual plan which fits into the district's five year Strategic Plan. This team of teacher leaders and administrators is responsible for driving professional development in the building, as well as making sure all PLCs and teams within the building are working toward the same goal. More "thoughtful planning and consistent monitoring" leading to successful implementation and more often than not reaching of our goals.<br />
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What teams or committees do you participate on in your school? Are they meaningful to you? Are you able to effect positive change? If not, are parts of the "inclusion model" missing, can you change that, or is it time to revisit your participation in exchange or something where you can make a difference?Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-70527284138247530862015-07-01T14:57:00.000-07:002015-07-01T14:57:52.932-07:00What Can We Learn from the Inclusion Model?Again I am drawing on the words of Mara Sapon Shevin and her moving and enthralling book <i>Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms. </i>She says"This is an inclusion model; we acknowledge the challenges, and we figure out -- together -- how to make it work."<br />
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<a href="http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework">Let's revisit the P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning</a>. The 4 C's of Learning and Innovation Skills that they have chosen as their focus are: <br />
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<li>Critical Thinking</li>
<li>Communication</li>
<li>Collaboration</li>
<li>Creativity</li>
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If we put the inclusion model into perspective, clearly it needs to incorporate all four Cs to be successful. Logically speaking, inclusion can only benefit all students, as they would be required to use all of these skills on a daily basis as part of an inclusive community.</div>
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How about Project (or Problem) Based Learning? While true that it would involve some out-of-the box thinking to effectively design a year-long project involving the whole class, the driving question of "How do we, as members of ........class include every member of our learning community in all of our activities throughout the school year?" This driving question would acknowledge the challenges of including students of <b>all </b>needs, no matter how varied or intense, and the solutions would require ongoing communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity -- there can be no doubt -- and that's before the curriculum even starts.</div>
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That simple statement regarding the "inclusion model" has really got me thinking about how I will be approaching my classroom in the fall, and I am <b>so</b> grateful I did not wait until the last minute to start reading it!</div>
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I'd love to hear your thoughts!</div>
Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-78749601722735662392015-06-30T18:53:00.000-07:002015-06-30T18:53:00.346-07:00The Burden of Building a Classroom CommunitySo you get your class list in September, and then what? You're the teacher. You have access to the room, so you decorated to meet your anticipated needs. You also have your class lists, which provide basic information about each student from the SMS.<br />
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You could send out surveys to parents asking what they want you to know about their child.<br />
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You could send surveys to each student asking what and how they would like to learn this year. What strategies are successful, and what simply aren't. Who do they like to study with, or do they really study best solo.<br />
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I know a lot of teachers who don't want to know anything about their students until they meet them, feeling that its unfair to draw conclusions in advance. That, I think is a personal preference.<br />
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I know other teachers who think it's foolish to seek out this information. They simply don't want to get to know their students. I find that to be a form of educational malpractice.<br />
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The relationships must come first. One of my mantras is: Teach the students, not the curriculum. The state may not see it that way with its high stakes testing designed to "hold teachers accountable" for the "product" of student learning (as if we were making widgets), but it looks like I'll be around to give it another go next year.<br />
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I actually fall into paragraphs one, two and three. And I chat up my students in the hall -- at random, if they're looking particularly happy, if they're looking particularly sad, if they seem really angry. If I see any drastic change in mood, I'll do something, because as much as I do try to make my classroom something of a family (however dysfunctional) that makes me, as the de facto matriarch, responsible to keep things running smoothly, and make sure everyone feels like they BELONG so that learning is maximized (see, there is a method to my mushy madness). <br />
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I'm doing a book study this summer on Mara Sapon-Shevin's <i>Widening the Circle: The Power of the Inclusive Classrooms</i> (as I've mentions, and as you <i>must </i>have figured out from my recent posts. She writes that mainstreaming literature from the late 70s and 80s "presupposes that it is the job of the (special needs) child to fit into the existing classroom structure...little or no burden or responsibility is placed on the teacher and students in the regular classroom to modify what they do to create a successful learning environment for the mainstreamed child (or for anyone else)."<br />
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So I used the phrase "classroom community" in the title of this post, very deliberately. In your classroom community, everyone should feel welcome. As the teacher, it is your job to set that tone in September, model it every day, build it up when it lags, and bring new members into the fold with as much warmth as possible -- and I truly mean this whether you teach Pre-K or Advanced Calculus.. Children take more educational risks when they feel safe. School, for too many children, is a safer place than home. This is the part of the job not measured by test scores, but do not think that it has no influence or impact on learning.<br />
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How do you build and maintain your classroom community?Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-28665733090613434472015-06-28T17:10:00.001-07:002015-06-28T17:10:06.588-07:00Competition in the Classroom: Yes? No? Maybe so......preparing our students to succeed in a complex, interconnected, ever-changing world...<br />
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an excerpt from my school district's mission statement. <br />
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From Mara Sapon-Shevin's <i>Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms </i>regarding traditional criteria for mainstreaming students: <i>"</i>it assumes that the regular classroom will inevitably be structured competitively and that the child with disabilities will therefore be expected to behave competitively to be successful."<br />
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<a href="http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/competition-ever-appropriate-cooperative-classroom/">Alfie Cohn</a> is unwavering in his opinion that there is no value whatsoever in competition in the classroom. He goes so far as to suggest that teachers who walk the middle of the road on this issue do so out of a misguided fear to take a stand.<br />
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In my classroom, I find many students drawn to competitive activities. They clamor for them. Many of these students are competitive athletes, for whom competition is already a big part of their lives. Others are students who I find much more willing to engage in competition than any other type of classroom activity -- even though they may not be as successful, due to their habitual disengagement.<br />
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My favorite competitive classroom activity is one I borrowed from Lauri Clarcq & Karen Moretti years ago, at the start of my career, and have since twisted into something more suited to my own personality. It is a team game, so is competitive in a cooperative manner. There is some measure of competency in the content required to continue to the "luck" portion of the game, but from there, team balance is irrelevant (since students tend to be regularly sent back and forth between teams at random) because point values fluctuate wildly based purely on luck. Clear as mud? I use it very sparingly, as unit review, but the anticipation is part of its effectiveness.<br />
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Two things I fear the "competition abolitionists" are overlooking are the following: the nation of which we are preparing our students to be productive citizens is one driven by a capitalist economy. We cannot deny them the experience of competition and then expect them to be equipped to handle it upon graduation, any more than we can expect them to magically be able to collaborate without having been taught those skills. As in all things, balance is key.<br />
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The second thing, is that each of our students is an individual, and deserves to have that fact respected in their educational experience. Just as many students benefit from group learning, and all students need to be taught the skills necessary to succeed working in a group, there are students who thrive in competition. Those students deserve to have that learning style honored, even if it isn't currently en vogue.<br />
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I welcome your thoughts on this topic.<br />
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<br />Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-5445730794089628622015-06-26T09:45:00.001-07:002015-06-26T09:45:35.764-07:00Widening the Circle...First ThoughtsI'm involved in a summer book study of Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms by Mara Sapon-Shevin. I joined the book study because for the past several years I have been scheduled to teach classes with a high number of students who receive some kind of SpEd accommodations. As a regular education teacher, the sum total of my formal training in the area of Special Education is one graduate level course...in research. Useless to say the least, but it fuled the requirement, and was the only course that fit my schedule at the time. Since then, I have had numerous conversations with Special Ed teachers, paraprofessionals, students and parents, as well as attending g workshops and reading as much as I can to try and add to my bag of tricks so I can best serve the students in my class (read: feel slightly less like a bumbling idiot).<br />
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So here I am starting this book, and right from the introduction, I'm recognizing my own daughter. DD1 is graduating high school this very evening, and I couldn't be more proud (read:sobbing mess). She is not a SpEd student, and I didn't think this book was about her, but I was wrong. When she was six weeks old, we discovered that she has a life-threatening allergy to dairy. Along the way peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, peaches and sesame were added to the list, just to make life more interesting. I went back to work when she was six weeks old (and that's how we discovered the allergy) and shortly thereafter we enrolled her in a private daycare center. The director was not happy to be accepting a child with allergies as severe as hers. The bottle-only months were uneventful, and once she started solids, I just sent all her food. When she joined the toddler classes, I prepared lunches that matched what was on the daycare menu. Every. Day. Things went pretty smoothly, the teachers were great, the only issue we had was when I asked to be informed ahead of time when a classmate woe be bringing treats for the class, so I could bring something for my daughter. I was told it was an unreasonable request. Fast-forward to the day when I brought a holiday treat for the entire class (something that was also safe for my daughter to eat) and one girl told the other kids not to eat my daughter's "weird food". No one did. Fast forward again to kindergarten in her Catholic school where they insisted (despite my protests and evidence from food allergy advocate groups) that she could only be safe sitting at a special "peanut-free" table in the lunchroom. There were no other students with food allergies in the school at that time. Once she came to public school -- the district where I teach -- I had an administrator address me in regard to her, with a note of pity in his voice, "now, she's a special needs student, right?" I told him no, and explained the allergy, but the fact remains that maybe if I had said yes, she wouldn't be graduating without ever havin tased a school lunch. I know, she didn't miss much, and I've told her so, and SHE surely doesn't feel any sense of loss, but the option was never there for her on days she forgot to bring something. Class celebrations are ALWAYS food-centered (and it's almost always pizza) and she cannot participate. For her, it has simply become something she is accustomed to. For me, it has always been heartbreaking. After six years of Marching Band, there was nothing she could eat at her Senior Banquet. Graduation rehearsal? Pizza for everyone. Well, not quite everyone. And I'm sure she isn't alone in our class of seniors whether by medical necessity or dietary choice. Either way, as a school community, we need to become more aware. And now that I'm no longer. "Walking conflict of interest" on this particular issue, I feel like I can make my voice be heard, and maybe make a positive change for others in the boat my daughter was in. <br />
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And many heartfelt thanks to the teachers along the way go always has Skittles or Twizzlers on hand when the other kids got chocolate. You will always be remembered, even though she woul never have complained otherwise.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-6103989015420699912015-06-24T17:31:00.002-07:002015-06-24T17:31:33.325-07:00Whew!I. Am. Done!!!! I just finished (with two presentations and a paper) the LAST of the classes I was required to take to complete my permanent Spanish Certification. (Can I get an Amen?!?) The realization actually hit me a couple of days ago, that despite the fact that I have precisely one week of consecutive unscheduled time this summer, I am elated, because this is the first summer in several years that I am only doing work that I WANT to do. What an incredible difference that makes! I have more projects in the works than I care to count, all my scheduled travel is work-related, but I am unbelievably excited to get started! I truly didn't realize what an incredible relief it was going to be to have my time be my own again. <br />
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Once I hopped down from Cloud 9, it occurred to me that this is probably the way many of our students feel throughout their time in school. Very little of their time is their own. Bells move them from room to room, from compartmentalized subject to compartmentalized subject -- totally contrary to how the "real world" works. They have very limited choice within schedules of requirements packed to the hilt. Within classes, too often the extent of their ability to make any kind of choice is limited to what font they use in a required Powerpoint presentation. <br />
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Part of the beauty of my planned work this summer is the development of a pilot program that will (hopefully) begin to change some of these formerly entrenched systems. The concept is a sort of "school-within-a school" that allows for natural connections between and across content areas. Exciting stuff! There are nine teachers from a variety of content specialties who will be collaborating on this pilot. The pilot will continue with three consecutive freshman classes, with data examined along the way. We have the luxury of having a summer and a school year to solidify the plans -- which is great, because there are fabulously strong personalities and undoubtedly many ideas will be bounced around before we find a landing place. But I feel that this passion will be contagious, and will allow our students much more freedom to explore their own passions than a more traditional system.<br />
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As with anything new and different, there are naysayers, and there will be bumps in the road. We may end up with data showing that the program is a failure. I don't think so, but we're prepared for that eventuality. Commitment and passion give this a better than average chance of success. Full administrative support doesn't hurt either. :) I will surely be posting updates here about our journey.<br />
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Does anyone have any similar programs going on in their schools?Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-15960302975837602692015-06-22T08:27:00.002-07:002015-06-22T08:27:49.652-07:00Reflections So much has changed since my last post that I hardly know where to begin! If you're a teacher in NYS, you have some idea where I'm coming from. The roller coaster ride that has been my career these last several years is another story all its own. Shortly after my last post, I received news that I was going to be embarking on a new phase to my career-- and not by my choice. A French teacher for 17 years, I was being asked to teach Spanish the following September. My last Spanish class prior to that was as an undergrad about 20 years prior -- SPA 202 to be precise. I needed to take the Content Specialty Test in mid July, in case I didn't pass it the first time it was offered again in July. Three weeks of my life after school ended that year, 7-8 hours a day, I did pass the test. But there was a catch. Apparently I would need 15 more credit hours to make the certification permanent. My last class-- Introduction to Spanish Linguistics-- is over in two days. I can finally reclaim part of my life. The irony, for me, has been that during this three year transition, I served as president of my local professional organization for a year, took over as director of a major district event, filled part of a vacancy as co-coach of my district's PBIS team, and this school year that is (finally) coming to an end, I have presented at a professional event every month except December and January. I've lost all of my French classes, and am now teaching only Spanish. It may seem to many people (because many have said it to me) that I should simply be grateful to have a job. I get that, and I am grateful, but only other language teachers can understand how much of one's identity is tied up in being a French teacher or a Spanish teacher or an Italian teacher. We do so much more than teach Vern conjugations and vocabulary. So this has been equally a period of grieving my former identity, and learning to give up the autonomy that I had working with only one other French teacher, and accept that I am now "low man on the totem pole" on a larger, more contentious team. The rest (more irony) is that within my department I have become more isolated than I have been since the early years of my career. Despite all of this, I am poised to return in the fall (who am I kidding, I have exactly one work-free week this summer) to a course I haven't yet taught, but with one major stressor ?coursework) off my plate. I am on an exciting new team that will be collaborating on a program to be piloted in Fall 2016. This opportunity promises to be a professional stretch in any case. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and I have come out the other side having learned a lot more than what has been on the course syllabi. Onward and upward to make the most of what I am given.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-66085149560628995752012-04-25T07:27:00.000-07:002012-04-25T07:27:55.757-07:00Stop the Madness!I am writing this blog from the classroom where I am proctoring the first part of the NYS Math Exam. I am here to relieve the proctor who began the test. All proctors are afforded this benefit. The students must sit.<br />
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There are eleven seventh graders who began testing about an hour before I arrived (15 minutes ago). Four were still working at that point. Now, there is only one student still working. Students are not permitted to speak until the end of the testing time. They cannot read, do homework, draw, or use electronic devices of any kind. These eleven children, like several hundred others throughout our building, like thousands across New York State, are practicing the skill of timewasting. Forbidden to engage in any constructive activity, one student makes a pile of eraser crumbs. Two students independently play (almost) silently with their pencils. Several have their heads down, although this enforced lethargy does not seem to lead to actual sleep. One plays with a snap bracelet (too noisy, I must ask her to stop). No need for resentment to build against the lone student still working -- even when he finishes. This state of twitchy, stifling, monotony will go on until the mandated exam period is over.<br />
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As adults, parents, and educators we often lament the time our students "waste" on Facebook, texting or watching "Annoying Orange" videos on Youtube, but socializing is a critical piece of adolescent development. Humor is vital to all of us for a healthy spirit. I would argue that forcibly wasting our children's time in this manner is shameful.<br />
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But the rules and requirements of state testing are clearly beyond the realm of my control, so how is it an appropriate topic for this blog? Think of your own classroom while students are testing. What happens as students who work more quickly finish, but some take the entire class period to finish? How many of your students are productively engaged in another activity, how many are sitting with their heads down leaving you to clean up the drool before the next class comes in? What restrictions do you place on their post-test activities?<br />
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My challenge to you is to offer your students some post-test options that encourage them to think. I'm not suggesting tying it to the assessment or offering extra credit, but as an analogy, my daughters will eat chips and junk if it's around, and they're left to their own devices, but if I buy fresh fruit and keep that around, they'll eat that and be just as happy. Some kids will be mentally burnt after a challenging test, and may need a "mental break" to do nothing more than put their head down, but let's stop the madness of mandated monotony.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-56032886649594958732012-02-23T17:41:00.000-08:002012-02-23T17:41:38.002-08:00Are We Being Asked to Accomplish the Impossible?Education reform, what it should look like, and whose fault it is that it's so necessary ( I think most of us agree that it's necessary) is a hotbutton issue for educators, politicians, and average citizens alike. I've posted in the past about what I think education reform should look like -- to some extent -- and I surely will again, likely in the not-too-distant future.<br />
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As for whose fault it is that education needs reforming, consider the words of Clayton M. Christensen in his book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Disrupting-Class-Expanded-Disruptive-Innovation/dp/0071749101/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330046889&sr=8-2">Disrupting Class</a> :</i><br />
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<i>"</i>Schools in the United States have in fact constantly improved. Society just keeps moving the goalposts on schools by changing the definition of quality and asking schools to take on new jobs."<br />
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When I picked up this book to read, I was primarily interested in Christensen's take on how technology would, could, and does disrupt the educational process -- hopefully in positive ways. When I got to the above quote (the idea of which is revisited throughout the book) I felt like I had been hit between the eyes with the obvious. Christensen backs up his statement with a historical perspective of education in the US. He points out the four jobs the American education system has been asked to do (each added on to the next, never swapped out) since it's inception:<br />
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1. Preserve/inculcate democracy<br />
2. Provide something for every student<br />
3. Keep the US competitive<br />
4. Eliminate poverty<br />
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When stated as baldly as that, it's no wonder the existing system seems to some to be an abject failure. From this perspective, education has clearly been successful at jobs 1 and 2. Success at job 3 might be open to debate, depending on the criteria used to define "competitive". Job 4, the newest responsibility" of the American education system has thus far eluded our grasp, and therefore it needs to be reformed, and someone needs to be held accountable...for not working the miracles being asked of educators. To again quote Christensen:<br />
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"Asking the public schools to negotiate these disruptions from within their mainstream organizations is tantamount to giving them a demonstrably impossible task. And yet, they've done remarkably well."<br />
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Most of us know (and often lament) that as educators we also must, at least in part, be parent, counselor, soup kitchen, Santa Claus, and hero to our students. Pressure from all sides often makes us feel as though we are failing.<br />
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So here is my challenge to you:<br />
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Reread those quotes from Christensen. Acknowledge to yourself <i>honestly </i>how successful you are at educating your students given escalating expectations and often diminishing resources. Pat yourself on the back before you pull up those tights, tie on that cape, and try to teach your students to fly.<br />
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Let me know how it goes.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-35240314340752715502012-02-20T09:09:00.000-08:002012-02-20T09:09:15.520-08:00Tweet Your Bucket FullI just finished reading an inspirational book by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Full-Your-Bucket-Positive-Strategies/dp/1595620036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329756984&sr=8-1">How Full is your Bucke</a>t. </i>The book is a summary (written for the layperson) of Clifton's lifetime body of work studying the impact of positive and negative interactions with our friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers. They say that positive interactions "fill our buckets".<br />
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I think most of us realize the impact of a sincere compliment -- I know it can lighten my step throughout the day. Sometimes I'll even pull out the memory of it later, and wrap myself in it like a cozy blanket. I also, unfortunately, have had my share of negative interactions whose memories sneak up and undermine my confidence at inopportune moments.<br />
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Rath and Clifton recommend actively "filling other people's buckets" -- giving sincere compliments and personally acknowledging those with whom you interact in a positive way -- as a way of filling your own bucket. I have found that growing my PLN with Twitter is an almost constant stream into my bucket, as well as providing endless opportunities to do some bucket-filling.<br />
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Consider the thoughtful retweet. (I use the word thoughtful, because random retweets are meaningless). When you retweet another professional, you are effectively letting all of your followers know that you think that idea is worthwhile enough to share. You have filled that Tweeter's bucket.<br />
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Consider the uptweet. When you read a blog post that impresses you in some way, and you uptweet it to your followers, you again are making a statement that what this person wrote, among all the posts you may have read that day, is worth your followers' valuable time to read themselves. You have filled that bloggers bucket.<br />
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Consider the side conversations that can sometimes develop from a Twitter chat. The majority of those I've had have grown from a mutual sharing of ideas. Sometimes they are shared values, sometimes the ideas are at odds. In either case, the willingness to engage in professional dialogue shows that you value the other's ideas enough to take the time for a conversation.<br />
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The professional Twitter community of educators that I have been a part of for almost a year has rarely yielded negative interactions. On the contrary, the connections I have made energize me as a professional, and as a human being.<br />
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So here's my challenge to you:<br />
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Pay closer attention to your retweets and uptweets. Acknowledge to yourself that you are filling the author's bucket. Pay attention to when you are retweeted or uptweeted, because your bucket deserves to be filled to.<br />
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Let me know how it goes!Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-36169612899166460902012-02-13T19:00:00.000-08:002012-02-13T19:00:03.956-08:00Leadership Means Recognizing Those Who Make You Look Good"Behind every woman scorned is a man who made her that way." -- Miranda Lambert<br />
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I am an avid music listener, and I do love country music. I heard that song (<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/baggage-claim-single/id454531274">Baggage Claim</a>) over the weekend, and I had to chuckle. It rattled around in my brain, and started to ring a bit true in a broader sense -- morale being on a clear downswing these days. <br />
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I would put forth the following:<br />
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Behind every disillusioned professional with low morale is a leader who did not recognize his or her contribution.<br />
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I previously posted about the <a href="http://changingmyrealmofcontrol.blogspot.com/2011/09/power-of-gratitude.html">power of gratitude</a>. Unfortunately, the inverse is equally powerful. Not being recognized for professional accomplishments by the people who "matter" can take its toll over time. I am a true believer in <a href="http://www.angelamaiers.com/">Angela Maiers</a> and the philosophy of "You Matter", but in the current climate where teachers are often portrayed as less than professionals in the media and arenas outside of education, recognition from within becomes doubly important to continue to inspire teachers to go the "extra mile". It's hard to keep going when your emotional tank is on empty.<br />
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Any undertaking that involves more than one person to accomplish, deserves to be followed by the positive recognition of all who helped make it possible. Any leader who comes out smelling like a rose, owes that heavenly fragrance, at least in part, to any number of people, and a good leader spreads the accolades -- "pays it backward" for lack of a better phrase.<br />
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My challenge to you: <br />
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As an educational leader, look around at the people who help make you look good. Actively recognize that not one of us can do it alone.<br />
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Let me know how it goes.Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-566998536594193600.post-40695945776437462612012-02-09T11:15:00.000-08:002012-02-09T11:15:21.139-08:00Madeline Hunter 2012Madeline Hunter is one of those names in education that I recall studying back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and I was studying to be a teacher. Yes, I confessed to being only 40 in my last post, but when I think back to typing some of my papers on a <em>typewriter</em>, it seems we're in a completely different world now. <br />
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I landed in teaching in sort of a backward way. My undergrad degrees were in French and music, and I did not take any education courses until grad school. I completed my Master's program in fifteen calendar months -- including studetn teaching. To be honest, all the names and which names matched which theories were all a blur -- especially as I tried to simply survive student teaching.<br />
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I recently picked up a copy of Hunter's <em>Mastery Teaching.</em> It is designed to accompany a video series, but read it anyway. I would, in fact, encourage any veteran teacher to revisit "the classics" through the lens of a seasoned teacher -- I think Hunter would agree.<br />
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So here's a quote from Madeline Hunter's <em>Mastery Teaching:</em><br />
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<em>...it is important for teachers to identify consciously and deliberately the decisions needing to be made in each category and base their decisions on research-validated knowledge. Equally important is teachers' ability to "read" signals from students and to assess the learning situation so necessary adjustments will be made.</em><br />
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From my perspective as a veteran (but still growing) teacher, I offer this:<br />
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Plan your lessons thoughtfully, but be ready to seize those "teachable moments". Be prepared to be flexible. Listen to your students so you can better meet your learning needs. Be data-informed, but not data-driven -- in other words, don't box yourself in based on last year's results from assessments taken by last year's students. Date from last week may even be overridden by a sudden breakthough in learning, or an unexpected tragedy affecting students in your class.<br />
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<em>If your teaching employs only science, you're a technologist. If your "art" does not have a scientific foundation, you're simply a promising amateur. You need both art and science to be a mastery teacher.</em><br />
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<em>--</em>Madeline Hunter, <em>Mastery Teaching</em><br />
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So my challenge to you is to go read something by Madeline Hunter. Think about it in relation to your teaching and your students.<br />
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Let me know how it goes!Tracy Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037055266403699864noreply@blogger.com0