Transformed

First...

We fall apart and our pieces scatter.  

We feel like we have just been shattered.  

We grunt and moan when we clean them up.

We step on the shards get angry and curse

We painstakingly grasp at them and our fingers bleed.

We panic that we are exposed and flaws hidden are now seen.

Then...

We remember this has happened before and it will happen again.  

We say a prayer collect the scattered pieces and begin.

We match one fractured piece to another.  

We there are visible gaps left on the edges.

We expend much energy and much time trying to recreate the past.

We finally realize the microscopic pieces bring pain.

We make the choice to let them go and move on.

We sweep them into dust and toss them aside.

Finally...

We obtain FAITH which manifests into action.

We gain emotional muscles lifting foundational pieces back into place.  

We find FAITH in ourselves,

We gain FAITH in others,

We realize or remember a FAITH in something greater.

We smooth His strength into the gaps left behind. 

We allow it to cure.

We heal through His grace and become pure. 

Remember...

We will lose many pieces that we thought we couldn’t live without.

We will gain more strength that we can possibly imagine.  

We will be “hard pressed on every side, but...

We will not be crushed,

We will not abandoned;

We will be struck down, but...

We will not be destroyed.”  

We will be shifted and become crooked at times,

We may even shatter, but...

WE WILL always have the option to THRIVE through His power.  

An Authenticated Learning Championship!

If...

to Authenticate is to prove or show to be real, true, genuine, and to validate, substantiate, corroborate, confirm, or to claim proof of identity. 

and

Learning is defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught. 

Then... 

Authenticating Learning is an ongoing action focused on the acquisition of knowledge or skills with the confirmation of knowledge to be genuine through a tangible application where the individual can claim ownership of said knowledge. 

We need to train the"stabilizing muscles" to achieve applicable knowledge!

Click on the Link above to hear an analogy
perfectly describing Authenticating Learning! 

Levels and Layers of...

Authenticating the learning process not only for students but for educators has become my focus throughout this year. I am discovering layering of learning theory, practices, and most importantly the application of this knowledge is a powerful catalyst for growth.  As I reflect on my week I recognize that everyone learns best through application, reflection, and revision.  I am lucky enough to be a facilitator of learning for students, teachers, directors, and leaders. I am able to experience the similarities and differences between adolescent and adult learning sometimes within a single day. This provides me with a perspective on learning that topples a desk (student), bursts out of the classroom (teacher), shatters the exterior walls of a building (principal), expands into the local community (directors), reaches out to a region (leader) and goes light speed into the virtual realm (professional).  My self proclaimed assignment has thus become to authenticate learning by facilitating creation, reflection, and application of vision and practices between the multiple levels and layers. 

Learning Lead to a...

To learn and grow, an individual or group must display vulnerability. A person, especially an adult, must allow themselves to be vulnerable to change and grow. This is not a comfortable state for those of us who feel strong in our practices or desire to sustain a certain sense of control and authority.  We fear that if we are vulnerable it will be perceived as a weakness. However, in my line of work vulnerability displays strength.  The more vulnerable one is to open up, reflect, revise, redesign, and redefine their practices the stronger they become not only as a facilitator of learning, but as a learner themselves. 

The leaders must permit the educators to take risks and try new things, even encourage this. The instructional coaches and directors must be willing to show vulnerability and trust the that the teachers are capable, willing, and experts in their content.  The teachers must trust the coaches and directors enough that they are willing to share their knowledge as well as their lack of knowledge in order to grow together as an equal team. The teachers must also relinquish some control to trust and allow the students to take risks and learn through failure with support and guidance, even encourage this. When these layers of willingness and vulnerability are functioning well, the students will accept the challenge to learn and they will set higher expectations of themselves.  

Championship Moment!

Click on the link above to see just a snap shot
 video of one of the 13 student proposals! 

I witnessed this difficult alignment occur yesterday! I watched the layers and the levels fit and flow seamlessly together as an outside entity. I witnessed motivated students shine, dedicated teachers glow, and visionary leaders in awe! As the crowd dispersed after the proposals ended, the door closed, and the team celebrated with high fives, hugs, "oh my"'s, "did we just do that?"'s, and smiles! As an athlete, I have won state championships, placed in national championships, and have more than my share of wins.  As an instructional coach, this was my teams first championship moment and it felt just as good if not better as those I experienced on the court! To feel the rush of adrenaline similar to winning a big game within the classroom and with a team of educators is how learning should always be. 

Then, I thought to myself as I walked out of our arena(classroom).... this is not what learning should be, 

THIS IS LEARNING! 




Thank you to Mr. Smith and Mr. Schmdit for allowing me to join you on your journey in Authenticating Learning! These teachers and students will be blogging their progress and as they publish I will link in their perspectives on this championship so you can see the whole amazing journey! 

My One Word: Can You Make the Connection?

I have worked my way through several words that I have even announced as my official “One Word” to focus on for the new year.  However as a change agent I reserve the right to change my word. This week was an enlightening week for me professionally where many connections fell into place.

I was awarded the unique opportunity to work with three different High School Algebra 1 teams from two different districts and three different building throughout the course of this week.  The interesting thing is that there was a connection between all three of the teams. They all utilize the same book and same online resources as the foundation of their instructional practices. This placed me in an interesting position to make some connections.  I facilitated learning for teacher teams to determine what works in two very different districts with the same resources three times! What I found was that shifting instructional practices towards a more personalized approach gets easier the more you allow the teachers to take the lead and the more they take the lead the more personalized the learning plan becomes and the more connections I could see in their practices.  

The three models we have developed are very similar. Each time I lead a team of teachers to design their personalized pathway towards the creation of a deeper learning model for their students the easier it gets for me to connect to the best approach.  I believe that this realization of a working model at the secondary level for blended learning is due to the connections that are being made. Not only the connections between teams, but the connections between the ideas, strategies, data, and resources.  I am connecting with teachers who are experts in their content. The teachers are the ones who need to be connected to the precision design process of the model of blended learning implementation that best suits the content that they teach. They are the expert, the implementor, and they must have a strong connection to the design of the delivery model.  

This week I made the connection that to achieve a next generation learning experience at the secondary level educators need to make connections between a few essentials when choosing an instructional delivery method within relation to the 7Cs of College and Career Competency.

When making these connections, teachers need to consider...

• the students prior knowledge of the content,
• the Common Core State Standards that the students are expected to achieve at the end of the task,
• the ability level of their students to independently discover the content,
• the common sense approach to content delivery to ensure a realistic pace and path are achieved, and
• that the content and assessed student need must be the main factors that drive the blended approach.

The connections that I make when speaking with administrators and teachers in various districts helps me to better adjust my approach to instructional coaching and continue to grow.  The connections that I make between the content, the prior knowledge, student need and ability, and the resources help me to facilitate the development of precision based curriculum delivery methods. The connections that I see not only in Math but cross curricular help me to facilitate the design of problem based learning experiences where teachers are co-teaching sections of their courses with each other at the high school level. The connection of a teacher and their students to their passions embedded in a learning experience is the most effective and rewarding connection I will always witness. The connections that I have made personally, professionally, content wise, strategically, vertically, horizontally, and intellectually are what ignite my passion to learn and continually encourages me to seek for more connections.  

Can you see the connections that this post has to my “One Word”?