Variety is the spice of life. True. And I enjoy diversity. But every now and again, there is great comfort in spending time with like-minded folks. Time near the water and a glorious view of Mt. Rainier were just icing on the cake.
I spent the last three days at a CES Northwest Symposium in Seattle. I feel replenished. In the process of developing a brand new high school, I frequently fear that my well of ideas will one day run dry. Ideas breed ideas, for sure, and if you're taking out many more than you're putting in. . . At any rate, this was a time to listen, a time to soak up great ideas and begin to see how they could potentially play out in my situation.
Different than standard district-sponsored inservice trainings that focus on curriculum and instruction as isolated animals, CES workshops have kids at the heart. It's not about helping kids adapt to the structure that is comfortable for us. It is about us structuring learning opportunities with kids and for kids so that the learning is real and everybody grows from the experience.
Also different than traditional inservice, presenters did not come with all of the answers. Modeling real learning behaviors, presenters came with many questions. It was lot of "This is what I'm trying. What do you think?"
I spent the last three days at a CES Northwest Symposium in Seattle. I feel replenished. In the process of developing a brand new high school, I frequently fear that my well of ideas will one day run dry. Ideas breed ideas, for sure, and if you're taking out many more than you're putting in. . . At any rate, this was a time to listen, a time to soak up great ideas and begin to see how they could potentially play out in my situation.
Different than standard district-sponsored inservice trainings that focus on curriculum and instruction as isolated animals, CES workshops have kids at the heart. It's not about helping kids adapt to the structure that is comfortable for us. It is about us structuring learning opportunities with kids and for kids so that the learning is real and everybody grows from the experience.
Also different than traditional inservice, presenters did not come with all of the answers. Modeling real learning behaviors, presenters came with many questions. It was lot of "This is what I'm trying. What do you think?"
Kathleen Cushman's address was inspirational. She wondered about the steps of quality practice that move one from novice to expert in any field. Are there commonalities? Rather than wait on the researchers, she began her own bit of active inquiry--she asked the kids. And to help them more clearly understand their own process, she got them out there asking the experts. Interesting to watch the key commonalities emerge--desire, challenge, patient practice, feedback, seeking the new "hard," etc. But even more interesting to watch the student response to that. To see them analyzing their own learning, their own processes, and to see the "ahas." This is a great project! This will be a valuable experience for my students as they become more self-directed in project design and management.
2 comments:
Very neat, Tracy!!
Do any of your students blog?
Been struggling to get this posted. Hope it works.
J
OK. So I'm not sure how this works, either. Can I respond to others comments? Guess we'll find out.
Many of my critters have My Space accounts which are a type of blog I think. They post bulletins.
Thanks for the feedback.
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