Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

Earlier, I posted my top 10 articles of 2010 based on the number of page views each post received.  That list included a few of my personal favorites, but there were a few others that I felt were among my best efforts that did not make the list. Here, I present my top 5 blog posts of 2010 that may have slipped by the reading audience. Global Competition, Results Based Evaluation, and Building a Culture of Civility in Schools: A Catch-22 for Educators Educational Reform Thoughts: An Independent Model for Public Schools? Maximizing the Potential Benefits and Sustainability of Good Ideas Does Your School’s Mission and Ethos Line Up? “Kicking and Screaming” – In Which Direction Do Your Students Go?    

Below are my 10 “ins and outs” for education in 2011.  These are based purely on my observations during 2010.  I also sought advice from the magic 8-ball, so the entertainment value in putting this together was certainly a significant factor in deciding to write this post. Feel free to comment with your own “ins and outs.” The Art of Education’s 10 Educational “Ins and Outs” for 2011   OUT IN 10. Power Point Presentations Prezis 9. .doc, .docx Google docs 8. “checking in” logging on 7. visiting websites creating websites 6. tri-fold exhibits Glogs 5. Multiple notebooks Evernote 4. “open your books…” “get your e-reader…” 3. in-class quizzes on-line quizzes 2. teacher reviewed drafts peer reviewed drafts 1. Defining standards Defining excellence

When I look back on 2010, I am reminded that it was the year that I decided to jump into social networking and blogging .  This blog, The Art of Education , launched in July, 2010.  Between September and October, I created my professional Facebook page and also opened a Twitter account.  My expectations for each of these mediums were limited to hoping that someone out there finds a few things that I have to say helpful and interesting enough to revisit and recommend to others. Now that 2010 is closing and I am staring at my first full year as a blogger, booker, and tweeter, I am both humbled and energized by the responses to my attempts to help.  Here are a few items that give me assurance that my time is being well spent. The Art of Education , in 6 short months, has been visited by readers in 17 countries and 5 continents.  Page views are approaching 1,500 for just over 100 posts. Facebook ‘likes’ are hovering around 50. Twitter followers are around 40. #edleaders Twitter chat

Recently, I had an occasion to talk to a 5 year old Pre-Kindergarten student about her first year in school.  Below are some highlights from that conversation (her words).  While these may not offer any great insight into school, I always find it insightful to stop and hear what students have to say.  This is especially true of younger students who are just beginning their school journey. If we are paying attention to them, we may discover a hidden gem among their words. “My favorite thing to do in school is make paper flowers because I like to make paper flowers.” “I would like to teach ballet because I took ballet and liked it.” “On the first day of school I was a little bit grumpy because I didn't know my friends yet.” “I have a lot of friends now.” “When I grow up I want to go to college then be a cowgirl.” “Pre-K is very close to kindergarten.” ( Whispering in my ear so that no one else could hear ) “I have a secret – I like after-school care.  It’s awesome.” “My fav

Frequent readers of this blog may notice that I have referenced some New Orleans items in recent posts.  The reason for this is that I have been spending my annual holiday vacation with family in the “Big Easy.”  I look forward to these days each year for many reason, but among the best reasons is an annual visit with a few former colleagues whom I have stayed in touch with over the years. Our conversations often go back on schools and education.  It is always an interesting topic because we are all facing much different circumstances and cultures in our various schools, and it is good to hear such a diverse opinion on a number of items. Of course, because we are so comfortable with each other, there is some venting of general frustrations, but for the most part, it is obvious that we all have one common element among us. We are all committed educators who care deeply for our students. This year, though, I heard a statement in the course of our conversation about which I am compell

Let me start by saying that I think that any program designed to help promote the scholastic development of struggling school systems is a noble cause and one that deserves prudently evaluated based on its intended goals and mission.  As I am not in any way involved in the operation of the program described in Times-Picayune article, Advanced Placement classes fail to take hold at two New Orleans high schools , I cannot speak of the daily operation and management of the program.  On the other hand, I am compelled to respond based on the information presented in this article. I encourage you to read the entire article, but here are a few highlights: “AdvanceNOLA began administering AP classes in spring 2009 with a $1.6 million grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation.” “In part because many high schools are just starting to implement college preparatory curriculums, passing rates have been extremely low…” “Of 158 students enrolled in AdvanceNOLA classes last year, only three passed an

Brief video clip about leadership - having and sharing a vision, set attainable goals, empower others, care for and take care of your team... I missed the episode, but hope to catch it on a replay.

Recently, I ran across a paper I wrote in the fall of 2006.  As part of that paper, I did an informal survey of various professional educators.  That survey asked the respondents to rank, in order of importance, a list of leadership qualities. Here is a copy of the actual survey instrument I used for that paper: SURVEY OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP QUALITIES Purpose : The purpose of this exercise is to determine which qualities of an educational leader are most important to teachers. Directions : Below are descriptions of six qualities normally associated with educational leaders. Please rank each of these six qualities in order of importance to you. Do not put your name on your survey. The results will be reported as a group, not individually. The six qualities described below are derived from a 1996 report by Jantzi and Leithwood. PROVIDES VISION (V): “behavior aimed at identifying new opportunities fro the school leadership team and developing, articulating, and inspiring others wit

Poll: What measures should be taken to improve public education? While I am visiting family in New Orleans over the holidays, I saw this article from December 14th. The brief article in cluded an online poll for readers to answer the question about improving public education? One thing that popped out right away was the distinction of "public education." I work in private schools and I was raised in New Orleans. It is safe to say that the perception and reality in that area is that there is a large achievement gap between public and private education. Given that information, the suggestions readers could choose from would not necessarily be based on what is done in private schools in New Orleans that work, but rather a list of national agenda items from which to pick. If you click on the link to the article, you can see the poll results. The suggestion with the most votes was "Get parents more involved" followed by "Pay teachers more" and "Tie te

In many schools, the return to school in January signals the beginning of the “formal” class visits that ultimately become part of a teacher’s summative assessment.  It is also the time in which many administrators perform the “formative” observations based on goals set earlier in the year. As such, I thought some reflection on the nature of instructional supervision would be appropriate.  I have included my own thoughts below.  Instructional supervision is a process through which the instruction is reviewed and refined in order to define and implement the most effective instructional strategies. Therefore, the purpose of supervision is to prompt teachers to seek out new methods while sharpening their current skills. Teachers are willing to do this when the supervisor actively promotes a supportive and caring relationship with teachers. Recognizing that there are many factors influencing teacher performance, the supervisor will listen, encourage, and ask questions. Teachers are ultima

A few years back, my family and I were living in a house that had a built-in entertainment center area in the living room.  In the middle of this built-in, was a space large enough for about a 40+ inch television set.  At the time, we had not decided to buy a new set and were still using our older 27-inch tube TV. One day we were watching a football game with my brother-in-law who announced that watching such a set in the space provided was “inappropriate.”  Now, I must confess that I was happy to hear his comment because I had been hoping to replace the set with a newer one, but I thought his choice of words was strangely effective.  The set did appear “inappropriate.”  It worked fine.  The game was clearly watchable.  Everything about the set was issue-free, except that it looked “inappropriate” given the space and technology available.  It was “inappropriate”, n ot “ineffective.” The feelings I had that day faded.  I eventually got a newer, larger LCD TV.  Not until recently hav

A recent blog post by Rob Jacobs concerning high-involvement organizations describes such organizations as offering: Challenging and enriched jobs A say in the management of their own tasks A commitment to low turnover and few layoffs A relatively egalitarian workplace, with few class distinctions between managers and workers and relatively small ratios between the salaries of the CEO and the average worker Jobs organized in self-managing teams A strong sense that every employee is a member of a supportive community Extensive, ongoing training and education to all Salaries rather than hourly wages Employee participation in company stock ownership and a high share in company profits (from James O’ Toole’s essay titled “Free To Choose: How American Managers Can Create Globally Competitive Workplaces”   in the book The Organization Of The Future ) The post also includes descriptions of 2 other organization models (low-cost companies and global-competitor companies).  In the e

I began using Wordle in class as a means to have students practice recognizing central themes and important ideas in their reading. I have since used Wordle to help students examine their own writing to see if the main points they tell me their work is about actually shows up in the language they use in their writing. In my own blogging, I thought it would be good to apply a Wordle check. Below is the result of that check. I am happy to see "school", "students", and "leaders" appear as major themes. What would your writing's Wordle look like?

Many of us were taught (at least in elementary and secondary school) in a traditional classroom.  In some college and in most graduate level classes, I was taught in a more constructivist classroom.  With the advances in technology in education, it appears that the constructivist classroom is becoming more normative in the earlier school years. This is not to say that a traditional approach is not beneficial to some students.  What I think is happening is that the growing acceptance of the social nature of education is making a strong case for renewed professional development in the differences between constructivist and traditional classrooms. I am a firm believer in working from your strengths while addressing your professional challenges.  In terms of whether or not your class is constructivist or traditional (or a hybrid), I have found the following checklist useful in helping to make that determination. I would also point out that technology is not expressly mentioned in this c

The following reflection points are taken from: Leadership as an Organizational Quality – by Rodney T. Ogawa and Steven T. Bossert   “Leadership flows through the networks of roles that comprise organizations.” “The medium by which leadership is exerted is social interaction.” “Thus the currency on which leadership is based lies in the resources possessed by individuals.” “Administrators are instrumental in adopting structures to mirror cultural rules in the environment.”   Schools are complex organizations.  As such, school leaders play a vital role in establishing the ethos of the school as an organization.  Highly effective school leaders are able to make sense of the complexity presented by the school’s organizational factors. Often school leaders are concerned with individual needs and work to align those needs with the goals of the school as a whole.  In order to do so, leaders must appreciate and act on the highly social nature of their positions. What are your thoughts

As educators, we are always learning about how to improve our classes, divisions, and schools.  One question that should be asked in almost any reflection about our classes, divisions, or schools is: “Is the structure that I have established conducive to what I am trying to achieve?” In order to answer this question, one must view the class, division, school, etc. through a structural frame or lense.  Bolman and Deal (2002) state that “most educators rely primarily on the human resource or structural lenses” (p. 4), but what is this structural lense and what does it offer in terms of the decisions I make about my school? Background on the Structural Frame Bolman and Deal (2003) provide two main intellectual roots for the structural frame. The first is the maximum efficiency work most prominently explored by Frederick Taylor (1911) using scientific management. The second root stems from the work describing bureaucracies by Max Weber (1922). According to Bolman and Deal (2003), “…the

This past summer, I completed the requirements for my doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of New Orleans.  August graduates do not have a commencement ceremony, so I decided to accept the university’s invitation for August graduates to take part in the December ceremony.  The ceremony was held this past Friday. Reflection has become such an integral part of my professional and personal life, that I have had a difficult time limiting my reflections on the events of this past Friday and what they mean to me. Best advice from a non-faculty member :  “One day, you will be 40 years old.  Do you want to be 40 with a Ph.D. or without?  Either way, it’s up to you and I will support you no matter what you decide.”   My wife in a conversation about whether or not I should enter the program after I found out I was accepted (2003). Best advice from a faculty member not on my doctoral committee : “You’re not writing your Magnum Opus.  You’re simply adding one more peb

The holiday break is rapidly approaching.  How will you use this time away from your students and school? One suggestion: review your yearly goals and prepare for the second half. Earlier this year, I blogged advice for setting goals .  In that post, I offered a three-part test to help with goal setting: Is the goal appropriate (in other words, is it ambitious enough to be considered an actual achievement)? Is the goal realistic (is it something you can honestly achieve if you follow an appropriate plan of action)? Is the goal flexible (can you adjust the goal to account for early achievements)? When you review your goals, re-apply these three items and make any necessary adjustments.  When re-viewing, I have found a reverse application of the three above questions to be most effective.  For example: Have you achieved your goal(s) already?  If so, can you add a layer to the original goal? If you have not achieved your goal(s), have you made noticeable progress towards achievi

As part of my series on notable educators, today I highlight Booker T. Washington .  Born a slave, Washington became the “foremost black educator of the 19th and early 20th century.” Among his many accomplishments were founding the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and acting as an advisor to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. As always, your comments are appreciated.  Please feel free to send any suggestions for future educators to highlight in this series.

As teachers and leaders, we have a great deal of influence over the environment we create in the classroom.  As an example, I recently had a conversation with a parent who passionately described her son’s math teacher as being so determined to make sure the students learned math that she “pulled some students kicking and screaming to an understanding of the material.” I wasn’t sure how I should interpret that description.  The image of students being dragged to an appreciation and understanding of the course was not necessarily pleasant at first, but upon reflection I am not sure “kicking and screaming” to an appreciation and understanding of a course is such a bad direction to guide the “kicking and screaming.” Let’s look at a couple of alternatives. Students “kicking and screaming” in an attempt to get away from the class Students “kicking and screaming” to stay home from school Students come to us with varying levels of motivation.  Some students are quite easy with which to

I have found that effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal, is a consistent quality among good teachers.  While this may seem obvious, it is one of the most difficult topics about which I talk to teachers. In all honesty, I am not a communications expert.  I do, however, need to effectively communication with a variety of audiences (teachers, other administrators, students, parents, etc.).  Therefore, I have a few principles of communication that have served me well and I believe would be helpful for anyone who is reflecting on their own communications. Communication is a two-way relationship Whenever we try to communicate with someone, we take the chance of revealing something about ourselves to the audience.  This can leave us vulnerable for both acceptance and rejection.  On the other hand, this investment can reveal something about the audience that we would not have known if not for our communication.  These lessons provide the context for future communication. The bur

I frequently say that one of the reasons many people do not accept the call to take on leadership roles more often is an unwillingness to accept the responsibilities that accompany leadership roles.  When I talk to people about why these responsibilities are such a roadblock, I am led to believe that the issues are normally not a lack of confidence or ability to perform at a high level and address these responsibilities effectively.  What I do find is a that more often than not potential leaders are turned away because they do not want the stress that comes along with these additional responsibilities. From my own career, the ability to accept and manage the stress of leadership responsibilities was the biggest obstacle that I needed to overcome before I was able to make the decision to pursue a career path in administration.  Even today, I find one of the most challenging aspects of my work is to continue to function at a high level while under stress. Each of us has our own set of

The following post is taken from: Cambron-McCabe, N. & Quantz, R. (2000) Guiding principles for preparing transformational educational leaders . As published in: Senge, P., Cambron-McCabe, N., Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J. & Kleiner, A. (2000). Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education. New York, Doubleday. The following points are listed as guiding principles.  As suggested in the chapter (pg. 316 – 321), these principles should be examined based on the current reality of our schools. The transformation of schools should be the central focus of the field of educational leadership. The primary goal of public schools is to educate children to be citizens in a democracy. School leadership is an intellectual, moral, and craft practice. Educational practice must be informed by critical reflection. Schools are sites of cultural politics. Leadership should not be equated with positions in a bureaucracy.

Today, I decided to do some very informal qualitative research concerning student perceptions of schools and teachers.  In other words, I walked around and asked students to complete the following 2 sentences: 1.  Great schools ….. 2.  Great teachers…. Here are the responses I received.   Great schools… Great teachers … 6th grade achieve goals interact with students   build community answer tough questions   succeed give clear answers     listen     help     teach       7th grade understand teach   teach listen to students   learn answer   educate help students learn   help have fun     allow creativity       8th grade make great students help students do well   provide education understand students   help students achieve long term goals do not rely on slides, they teach   are safe havens for learning prepare students   have excellent morale do not pick favorites   achieve excellence allow for

One definition of leadership that I like is: Leadership is saying, “Follow me!”  Not, “Go there!” School administrators are not necessarily the only educational leaders in the school, but they are often the most visible.  Knowing that every time you leave your office to venture out into the school (which I hope is very often), how much attention do you give to the non-verbal signals people pick up on and what do those signals say about what you care about in your school?  For example, one thing I try to do as often as possible is carry the book I am reading in my pocket (if it is a paperback).  While it is rare that anyone asks about my book, I want students to see  that reading is important.  I am also sending a signal to others that at my school reading is valued. Here are a few other suggestions.  Let’s start with the beginning of the day.  During drop off time, are you outside welcoming your students and families?  Are you in the hallways speaking to students?  Are you visit

I am not afraid of technology.  Nor am I one of those holdouts who will only try something new if I can completely justify its value.  I enjoy new things as much as anyone, and I grew up with as many electronic toys, tools, etc. as anyone in my generation.  We had computers in college, but the internet was just getting popular (Rhodes College, class of ‘93).  I bought my first computer and got my first email address in ‘94. However, I was somewhat skeptical about jumping into social networking, especially from a professional point of view.  I guess I was comfortable with my blogging, email, and internet searching.  Social networking seemed different from those items.  For me, trying Facebook and Twitter was the electronic equivalent of firing a BB gun for the first time.  I was intrigued by the prospect of entering a world filled with people who share my interests and talents, but also somewhat hesitant to share my ideas and thoughts. What if I actually “shoot my eye out” when I try

In his book, Leading in a Culture of Change , Michael Fullan offers an insight into the nature of change and an approach leaders can use to navigate the change process.  The basic approach is for leaders to act with enthusiasm, energy, and hope while keying in on 5 principles of leadership in a change environment.  These 5 components are: Moral Purpose Understanding Change Relationship Building Knowledge Creation and Sharing Coherence Making If leaders key in on these 5 components with energy, enthusiasm, and hope, then the predicted outcome is increased commitment (external and internal) which then results in more positive things happening. In examining schools, we are always in a climate of change.  These changes may come in a variety of forms.  A few of them may be: technology changes faculty turnover changing students changing economy changing standards curriculum changes When examining your school, how would you rate the “outcomes”?  More good than bad? Which, if an

When it come to motivation and generating more positive results, I have found that the saying, “success breeds success” is quite relevant.  The challenge to leaders whose teams are stuck in a cycle of negativity is often finding something to use as a positive foundation from which additional (and incremental) successes can be built.  In my experience, as positive momentum gathers steam, these smaller “successes” begin to add up to major changes. I mention this because, once again, I read an article about how poorly American students are apparently doing in school .  As usual, my gut reaction was to wonder if the Education Secretary Arne Duncan realizes what just about every teacher I know understands – students are aware of these messages and they do nothing to motivate them to do better.  Also, if you’re trying to motivate teachers and schools to do better, then putting down on their students is probably not going to be very effective. I do, however, have a proposal. Let’s try to f

The following post about independent school effectiveness is taken from Roddy, T. (2010). Frame analysis of the self-perceived leadership orientations of headmasters of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, Southern Association of Independent Schools, and the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington member schools (Doctoral dissertation, University of New Orleans, 2010). Making an impact is an important end in education (Fullan, 2001). As institutions of education, schools are charged with making impacts. These impacts are felt by the entire school community including: students, families, teachers, staff, and administration. Ultimately, the school leader is responsible for whether or not the school is indeed making an impact. This is not an easy task. The challenges presented in today’s schools are more frequent, more challenging, and more intense; thus they demand “a new level of excellence” from their leaders (Green, 2005). Independent schools have

Walt Whitman once said, “ To have great poets, there must be great audiences .” I was reminded of that quote today while reading the refrigerator magnets at a friend’s house, and I have been wondering since then if the same can or should be said of teachers.  The reason this issue has been weighing on my mind all day is because at first I thought the answer was simple:  Of course – if we measure teacher “greatness” by student “greatness” (which is often measured by test scores), then the best teachers will obviously teach the best students. You may be thinking something like, “Wait a moment, Dr. Roddy.  Teacher greatness can also be measured in other ways like student growth, motivation, collaboration, etc.”  To which, I would respond, “I agree, but let’s reverse the logic and see if it still stands up.  Let’s explore the idea that the students with the worst results are taught by the worst teachers.  Would you agree with that statement?  Probably not.” So where does that leave

Socrates was the Greek philosopher for whom the Socratic Method of teaching is named.  Though very influential, Socrates never wrote anything for us to reference.  Rather, we know much about Socrates through the writings of others such as Plato , Xenophon, and Aristophanes. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a good resource to learn more about Socrates. 

Michael Fullan, well respected author on educational leadership, discusses Motion Leadership. Michael Fullan talks about Motion Leadership from Corwin on Vimeo .

After reading a recent article by Andrew Marcinek concerning strategies for re-engaging students , I was reflecting on ways in which students help re-energize teachers.  Here are 5 ways in which I have found teachers to be re-energized by students (oh by the way, good grades is not on the list). Students re-energize their teachers when they… 1.  Ask great questions There may not be any bad questions, but a teacher who is paying attention can certainly identify when a student is asking a great one.  Sometimes, these questions are concerned with a higher order thinking skill, but they may also be questions that lead to additional questions.  Bonus points for drawing out additional questions from other students!  2.  Respond to classmates without prompting While this could be a result of #1, unprompted dialogue, between students, that fuels continued and constructive conversation is the educator’s equivalent to a chef perfecting a soufflé.  A flash mob of discourse in class is a tr

In just about every school I have worked or visited, I felt an obvious link between organizational health of the school and the sense of teamwork that existed among faculty, staff, and administration.  As a former athlete and coach, I wholeheartedly believe in establishing a team mentality.  Teams help create cohesion and shared purpose.  Teams also help share the burdens.  I had a coach in college that would tell us, “If everyone does a little, nobody has to do a lot.”  I find this true in schools, especially when we ask teachers to perform so many functions:  teach a full load of classes, be an advisor, coach, sponsor clubs, chaperone events, etc. There are those, however, who do not appreciate their role as part of the team.  Typically, these are the ones who prefer to focus solely on THEIR classes and when asked or invited to take part in other aspects of school life, they either find a reason to be excused, find a way to be a non-factor in the activity, or simply refuse to accept

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com