Skilled Teachers Matter!

I just finished reading, Good to Great to Innovate, by Sharratt and Harild. How could I resist this book, as the title bears resemblance to what is still one of my favorites of all time, Good to Great, by Jim Collins.

The books' core argument has been that innovation is not just about introducing a new thought or idea but also about applying it in practice. I am going to focus my reflection on Chapter 6, the title of which I have named this blog post, skilled teachers matter.

How many times have we heard the research shows, that a high-quality teacher, is the number one factor in student achievement? Have we really stopped and thought hard about the power of this statement? Student achievement increases with great teachers who focus their relationships, their work, and their learning on the core business of student learning. It isn't a 7am-3pm job. It is a calling, a commitment, a passion, to make a difference in the lives of all students. If you are a teacher reading this, and this isn't your servant mission, do yourself and your students a favor and just step away. Some people cringe as this may sound just too harsh, but the reality is that our students need and deserve teachers working good to GREAT to INNOVATE!

Sir Ken Robinson (2013) reminds us that "no system, no school, no program is better than its teachers. They are the engine of achievement. Great teachers mentor, motivate, stimulate, provoke, engage, and empower."

As you took time to re-charge over break and spend precious time with family and friends, what did you commit to that will make you a better teacher? What did you learn, read, or do...that you will take back to your classroom and positively impact the students that come back to you on Monday? Some of those impressionable minds will be eager to learn, and some will not. In today's world, change is inevitable. So, you are either constantly learning and changing, leading the way innovating by design or you are playing catch-up and therefore so are your students.

I have seen many New Year's resolutions and New Year's commitments splashed heavy over social media this week. For all the good teachers out there, commit to being GREAT, for yourself and most importantly for our students.

Making Thinking Visible

Everyone in the @WaukeshaSchools is using the phrase this year, "Making Thinking Visible."
Walk-through forms focus on ways our students are making their thinking visible.
What does this all mean?

I just read the book, Making Thinking Visible, by Ritchhart, Church and Morrison. With a copyright of 2011, they talk about how to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners. Well who wouldn't strive for that, right? The mission addressed by this book is not only learning to think but thinking to learn. The broad goal to focus teachers' attention on the issue of developing a culture of thinking and having confidence in every learner's ability to think. We need to nurture that thinking. Making students' thinking visible becomes an ongoing component of effective teaching.

When we tell someone we are thinking, what is it we are actually doing? Questioning is a natural part of what we do as teachers. The most powerful question often asked in the most fully integrated classrooms of teachers who make thinking visible is, "What makes you say that?" Teachers remark that the wording of this question seems to strike just the right tone with people and invites them to elaborate on and clarify their ideas in a nonthreatening way. This simple yet powerful question is a perfect example of the kind of question that can facilitate and clarify the learner's own thinking.

Do you have a culture of thinking in your classroom? Is it a place where a group's collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted? Have you set up the expectation that thinking must be present on a daily basis? What does the room arrangement tell you about how students are expected to interact? What is up on the walls, and who put it there? If your room doesn't have anything on the walls, what does this communicate? When school is no longer about the quick answer but focuses on the expression of one's ideas, questions, and observations, then a new playing field is created for all students.

There are many factors that play into shaping the learning culture. Thinking expectations, routines, interactions, modeling, and the environment play a critical role in making thinking visible.
So again, I ask you, do you have a culture of thinking in your classroom?