For many weeks I remained on my library's waiting list for an audio copy of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. When I finally got the call just a few days after the New Year saying it was ready for me to pick it up, I did not think it a coincidence that its arrival coincided with the typical time to set resolutions. It was definitely a sign that I need to heed to McKeown's advice. He says to make "the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution," one must set clear priorities. I am ready.
Over the last several years I have attempted to minimize unnecessary stress in my professional and personal life by avoiding taking on projects that I know will cause me angst or are simply tasks that do not meet my skill set or comfort level. While serving as Program Chair for the Conference on English Leadership 2013 Annual Convention, for example, I said no to several interesting opportunities because I couldn't take on additional responsibilities without also adding additional stress. Also (though I adore my children), I do not volunteer to be room mom, PTA committee chair or troop leader. Those activities are just not my thing, and (quite honestly) I'd rather dedicate the time those activities take to spending time with my children.
However, listening to McKeown's book was still an eye-opening experience for me. While I have tried to make wiser choices with my time, I have not done so with the systematic approach he recommends. I have not identified my most essential priorities, choosing projects based solely on my passions and goals. And I have not really applied his essentialist strategy at work, where I tend to take on additional projects simply because I am asked to do so or because a topic interests me. As an educational leader, I need to work smarter and not more to make sure I guide and support my department effectively so that we can make tremendous strides in designing great curriculum and learning experiences for our students.
As I listened to Essentialism, I noted a few key lines that I know I will return to again and again as I weigh where to put my energy. They are:
"Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will."
"When we forget our ability to choose, we learn to be helpless."
“We often think of choice as a thing. But a choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice—a choice is an action. It is not just something we have but something we do.”
"You have to look at every opportunity and say, 'Well, no … I’m sorry. We’re not going to do a thousand different things that really won’t contribute much to the end result we are trying to achieve.”
“If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”
Now, I must confess that I write this blog post after one of the most over-scheduled, stressful weeks so far this year. Before the holidays I planned this past week as one where I would get a lot accomplished, scheduling several observations, running a few meetings, planning and presenting professional development sessions, and much more. And yet, I felt frustrated and unproductive. I had no time to think. I had no time to follow up with teachers. I had no time to focus on any one project. My week to "get things done" turned into "get little done well."
However, this week proved to me that McKeown is correct. I should have focused my energies solely on my top priorities, leaving those non-essential activities off my schedule. I am certain I would have performed those crucial tasks better had I given myself enough time to think about the goals and develop exceptional products.
Lesson learned.
Now I have to work valuing sleep more, which McKeown also argues is essential. But that is for another day... (or night)!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Differentiation DOES Work
This week James Delisle wrote a provocative piece on differentiating instruction for Education Week titled "Differentiation Doesn't Work." His article argues that differentiating instruction is just too hard for teachers to implement. Therefore, we should abandon our efforts to meet the varying needs of our students. Instead, he suggests, we should return to homogenous ability groups, as a large majority teachers would prefer it.
He's right about one thing. Differentiating instruction takes a lot of work and great teaching skill, as does any worthwhile learning experience we create for students. He is incorrect, though, to say it doesn't work. Differentiating instruction is respectful of all students, which means it is worth the effort. Not every lesson needs to be or should be differentiated, but we should seek ways to engage all our students several times a year based on their interests, their learning profiles and/or their readiness levels.
He's right about one thing. Differentiating instruction takes a lot of work and great teaching skill, as does any worthwhile learning experience we create for students. He is incorrect, though, to say it doesn't work. Differentiating instruction is respectful of all students, which means it is worth the effort. Not every lesson needs to be or should be differentiated, but we should seek ways to engage all our students several times a year based on their interests, their learning profiles and/or their readiness levels.
Additionally, his oncologist analogy in the article is terribly flawed. Of course you wouldn't send a glaucoma patient to an oncologist anymore than you'd send an ELL student to an AP English class. Not differentiating instruction, however, is equivalent to an oncologist giving the same treatment to every cancer patient, ignoring all the variables such as the tumor location or stage of cancer. It would constitute malpractice.
Think about your own recent experiences as learners. If Google Apps training, for example, is "one size fits all" in its approach, those teachers who are already Google experts are bored and teachers who are novices are frustrated. Then most people leave the training having learned little. If teachers are forced to attend professional developments courses in which they have no interest, they are not motivated to be there and won't engage in the learning. In fact, they often leave such trainings feeling disgruntled and disrespected. So why won't teachers offer the same respectful differentiated tasks to their students?
I agree with Delisle that some teachers are confused about what differentiation is and when to use it. It is incumbent upon school districts to provide professional development experiences (differentiated, of course) and ongoing coaching. However, I can provide you a quick "what" and "when" right now.
Carol Ann Tomlinson (the DI guru) says differentiation is simply an "active planning" strategy to " accommodate the different ways that students learn." To decide when to differentiate, you need to be clear on your objectives and know your students. Then differentiate by interest to increase student motivation. Identify those lessons that most student dread and find a way to use their interests to engage them with the learning. Differentiate by learning profile to improve efficiency. Think about those skills that are particularly challenging for all students. Design lessons that allow them to practice these new skills in a learning style they prefer. The new learning, then, isn't hindered by a learning practice that also challenges them. Differentiate by readiness to show student growth. When students show widely different proficiency levels on a specific objective, you need to design learning experiences that allow all students to work in their zones of proximal development. Does it take work to do this? Yes. But in doing so, we design learning experiences that are responsive, respectful and effective.
Carol Ann Tomlinson (the DI guru) says differentiation is simply an "active planning" strategy to " accommodate the different ways that students learn." To decide when to differentiate, you need to be clear on your objectives and know your students. Then differentiate by interest to increase student motivation. Identify those lessons that most student dread and find a way to use their interests to engage them with the learning. Differentiate by learning profile to improve efficiency. Think about those skills that are particularly challenging for all students. Design lessons that allow them to practice these new skills in a learning style they prefer. The new learning, then, isn't hindered by a learning practice that also challenges them. Differentiate by readiness to show student growth. When students show widely different proficiency levels on a specific objective, you need to design learning experiences that allow all students to work in their zones of proximal development. Does it take work to do this? Yes. But in doing so, we design learning experiences that are responsive, respectful and effective.
And yes, I am one of those administrators that he casts in the "out-of-touch" light. However, I taught for many years, and I frequently differentiated instruction, giving students choices, placing them in readiness groups and designing learning experiences to meet their learning preferences. My students felt respected by the learning experiences I designed, and they demonstrated growth in the language arts objectives placed before them. Yes, it involved many late nights as I got used to the methodology. However, as I gained confidence and expanded my repertoire, it wasn't so hard anymore. Like any worthwhile endeavor, it simply takes practice.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
3 Lessons Learned in 2014
As we look forward to new goals for 2015, I also like to look back and reflect on what I have learned about leadership this past year. Here goes:
Lesson #1 - Hire Learners
When interviewing possible candidates, I have always wanted to find the most qualified, compassionate teachers. I have long searched for experts, teachers who know how to manage classrooms, design creative lessons, and engage students. Often I have looked for teachers with many years of experience, as I expect they can jump right into the fray. Some can (and do). Others, though, cannot. What I have learned is it is more important to hire educators who see themselves as learners first than it is to hire a pedagogy expert. If they are deeply committed to their own professional growth and recognize that we are all always a works-in-progress, then they are teachers I want on my staff.
While my interview questions continue to include inquiries about content, pedagogy and management, I also include some about their professional goals and (most importantly) their plans for achieving them. Now I ask, "What is the best critical feedback you have received, and how are you working to improve in this area?" I ask, "What professional journals do you read regularly? What article intrigued you most and why? How have/would you use the ideas in your classroom?" I ask, "What workshops have you attended because they interested you? What were your takeaways? How have they influenced your teaching?" These answers tell me a lot about candidates' commitment to themselves, their students and the profession.
Lesson #2 - Make Time for Paperwork (and Protect It)
Gosh, I have been terrible at this one for many years. I have had good intentions of carving out time to complete reports, curriculum documents, etc., even blocking out time on my calendar to catch up on the paperwork. And yet, I would fall prey to meeting requests and schedule them during these paperwork time slots. I'd open my e-mail and spend the entire hour writing responses rather than observations. Thus, I'd be stuck with looming deadlines to submit all the required documents on time. Can you say stress? Ugh...it was terrible and paralyzing. Well, no more.
This year I dedicated time for paperwork and stuck to it (with some exceptions, of course). I allotted time each morning and afternoon to e-mail, shutting it down for long periods in the middle of the day. I let the phone go to voicemail and said no to less-than-urgent meetings so that I could dedicate whatever time I had blocked out during the day (whether 15 minutes or 1 hour) to complete paperwork. I even closed my office door and plugged myself into headphones to help me stay focused on the task at hand. I protected paperwork time as best as I could. Did it eliminate all work at home? Of course not. But it has greatly lessened it and my stress.
Lesson #3 - Be a Cheerleader
I often say I am the luckiest supervisor on the planet (because I am). I work with smart, motivated educators who are passionate about literacy and their students' learning. And they are so, so talented. Last year, I realized, though, I wasn't doing a good job at encouraging my teachers to travel beyond their classroom walls to attend professional workshops and to share their ideas with others.
Now I make time to find workshops that interest my teachers and advocate for them to attend. I encourage them to submit session proposals for conferences and to compose articles for professional journals. I even invited a few teachers to lead a Twitter chat on independent reading at the secondary level. Truth be told, I have one or two teachers who would do this anyway. But I now view it as an important part of my job to make sure I encourage my teachers get out of the building, learn from their peers and to share their good work with others. Some people just a little push, a little "Hey, Hey, you can do it if you put your mind to it." It has been great watching many of them from the sidelines as they experience all our profession has to offer.
I can't wait to see what lessons are in store for me in 2015!
Lesson #1 - Hire Learners
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| Image Source: http://www.greenbookblog.org/ |
While my interview questions continue to include inquiries about content, pedagogy and management, I also include some about their professional goals and (most importantly) their plans for achieving them. Now I ask, "What is the best critical feedback you have received, and how are you working to improve in this area?" I ask, "What professional journals do you read regularly? What article intrigued you most and why? How have/would you use the ideas in your classroom?" I ask, "What workshops have you attended because they interested you? What were your takeaways? How have they influenced your teaching?" These answers tell me a lot about candidates' commitment to themselves, their students and the profession.
Lesson #2 - Make Time for Paperwork (and Protect It)
Gosh, I have been terrible at this one for many years. I have had good intentions of carving out time to complete reports, curriculum documents, etc., even blocking out time on my calendar to catch up on the paperwork. And yet, I would fall prey to meeting requests and schedule them during these paperwork time slots. I'd open my e-mail and spend the entire hour writing responses rather than observations. Thus, I'd be stuck with looming deadlines to submit all the required documents on time. Can you say stress? Ugh...it was terrible and paralyzing. Well, no more.
This year I dedicated time for paperwork and stuck to it (with some exceptions, of course). I allotted time each morning and afternoon to e-mail, shutting it down for long periods in the middle of the day. I let the phone go to voicemail and said no to less-than-urgent meetings so that I could dedicate whatever time I had blocked out during the day (whether 15 minutes or 1 hour) to complete paperwork. I even closed my office door and plugged myself into headphones to help me stay focused on the task at hand. I protected paperwork time as best as I could. Did it eliminate all work at home? Of course not. But it has greatly lessened it and my stress.
Lesson #3 - Be a Cheerleader
I often say I am the luckiest supervisor on the planet (because I am). I work with smart, motivated educators who are passionate about literacy and their students' learning. And they are so, so talented. Last year, I realized, though, I wasn't doing a good job at encouraging my teachers to travel beyond their classroom walls to attend professional workshops and to share their ideas with others.
Now I make time to find workshops that interest my teachers and advocate for them to attend. I encourage them to submit session proposals for conferences and to compose articles for professional journals. I even invited a few teachers to lead a Twitter chat on independent reading at the secondary level. Truth be told, I have one or two teachers who would do this anyway. But I now view it as an important part of my job to make sure I encourage my teachers get out of the building, learn from their peers and to share their good work with others. Some people just a little push, a little "Hey, Hey, you can do it if you put your mind to it." It has been great watching many of them from the sidelines as they experience all our profession has to offer.
I can't wait to see what lessons are in store for me in 2015!
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