Personalized Learning: We Can Do This!

The Final Report on Competency-Based Education Pilot published in December of 2018 by the Ohio Department of Education cited Pane (2018) and stated the following: 

"Perhaps the biggest argument for personalized learning and competency-based education is that challenging problems persist and our current system has not fixed them. The system needs competency-based education, even in the absence of student outcome data."

Despite having decades of data with so-called high stakes assessment data to support the findings that the current system is not working with the current system being traditional education, we get back on the dead horse every fall and we whip it, feed it more, and try everything to get better assessment results. As the late, great educational leader, Jim Grant would state, "Its time to get off the horse". Unfortunately though, there are hundreds, if not thousands of educators ready to get back on the dead horse and go another lap. There are another group of thousands of educators ready to stand by with the status quo protecting statement, "Yeah, but...

• That will never work!
• We don't have the funding.
• I don't have time to do that, I have 185 workbook pages to cover before Christmas.
• I have to cover all my standards for the state test or my scores will be lower.

You could add to list and go on and on. 

OR, you can leave your comfort zone and start saying "What if...

• We increase engagement through student voice and choice?"
• We provided opportunities for students to select how they will demonstrate they have mastered the standards?"
• We examined real-world problems in our community and allowed students to develop solutions?"
• We had Math and ELA classes only on M, W, and Thursday and had science/SS on Tuesday and allowed students to work on problems on Fridays or go see their teachers if they needed help?"
• We posted assignments by semester and allowed students to work through the content at their own pace while I pulled students and provided small group instruction based on their needs?"
• We gave students the standards they needed to cover for Literacy and allowed them to self select texts they would to demonstrate mastery?"
• We eliminated the factory model of seat time determining when you are promoted and allowed students to advance at their own pace and promoted them to next level of standards when they have demonstrated mastery?"
• We asked our students what they would change about their classes?"
• We allowed students who mastered standards early work on additional badging that we incorporated into an honors/recognition program they would receive at graduation?"

I could make an even longer list of "What ifs". I have asked them many times when challenging the status quo: What are we waiting for? 

Personalized Learning can be achieved by looking at 5 areas: Voice, Choice, Path, Pace, and Place (Sheninger, 2021). When you look at these components separately, you can begin to explore ways you can personalize your classroom and engage and empower your students; however, you also quickly realize that the 5 areas blend together. Below, you will find my reflections on how I see these areas blending together and how they can be used to transform your classroom, building, or district.

Voice and Choice

To me, this is the most critical. Our kids are growing up in a digital age and just like us as adults, their options are limitless everywhere except most classrooms. We sit them down and we go through the same material and content with 20-30 students. I look back on my experience in school. I was fortunate enough to get to read a handful of books in literature that I loved: Where the Red Fern Grows, Tom Sawyer, etc...What about the kids who could care less about Old Dan and Little Anne and Billy Coleman running through the woods? It was probably as enjoyable for them as when I had to read Romeo and Juliet. Which leads me to the current trend of how bad our kids are and how disrespectful they are. News Flash folks...we don't need training on courses for "effective discipline in the classroom". We need courses like "Instructional strategies that will engage learners". I guarantee you that if you give voice and choice as a start, the disruptive off-task behavior will go away. I can look back and I probably had my nose in those books everyday and caused no problems. But on other days, I was a teacher's worst nightmare. It is not a discipline issue, it is a teaching issue. Listen, before you think I am pointing fingers. I did the same things. I did what I was taught in undergraduate school that was suppose make me an effective teacher. We can change though and reduce the stress on ourselves and take some of the work off of our shoulders as educators by empowering our kids to be a part of their learning process. A shift from be content focused to learner focused will change your world and you will forget about the need for an effective discipline class.

For Voice and Choice, consider the following actions:

1. Ask your students! Start small and maybe have 2-3 options for them to select.

2. Interest surveys: what do your kids like? More importantly, what are their passions. I saw a second grade teacher design a lesson and she had 5 groups: one with dinosaurs, a group with a singer, a group with a TV show, etc... and the lesson was a text features lesson. Yet, by changing the material used to deliver the lesson, she had 24 kids running around fully engaged in the learning.

3. Choice Boards: Create choice boards. A great resource for these are Eric Sheninger's Pinterest Page and Greg Jung. Follow Greg on Twitter @edtech_workshop. Again, start small but vary the activities you want students to complete to demonstrate mastery. Greg has a system of a choice board where you can only move down or to the right and the "finish line" is in the bottom right hand corner. Students then have a choice, but they all get to the same goal. 

4. Project/Problem Based Learning: Posing an open ended question with no defined solution can be a game changer for your classroom. The question provides the voice and choice. You can then structure the standards into the tasks students must complete. Need some help with with, a great resource is Teresa Dempsey who has been involved in PBL for many years. Connect with her on twitter @TDEM_ProfLrng. PBL also happens to be my passion and I would be happy to connect in any way to support you.

Path, Place, and Pace

The path and pace that students are able to choose can ignite your students. Your learners that are ready to go can move at their pace while the learners who need more time can feel successful going at their pace. Think of our current system: everyone has to finish the race at the same time. Over time, think of the learners that always finish last. How long are you going to stick with something if you are always finishing last? These are the learners that we then want discipline workshops for. Our classrooms are set up as factories and the learners are suppose to all look the same when they come off the conveyer belt at the end. We have created this school structure that we want everyone to fit in instead of focusing on the learner and what they need. Look at the number of students identified with ADHD. We don't need our kids on medication, we need a learner focused classroom that is varied. Start with the classroom environment. What if you thought of the concept of campfires, caves, and watering holes. The campfire is where everyone meets. The cave is where you go to work independently, and the watering hole is where you come for support. Then build in some seating options and the layout of your classroom. Why do you think so many college students go to a coffee shop to work? Look at how coffee shops have changed. They now have varied seating options. Why can't we do this as well? 

For pace and path, this is where we often throw our hands up because it gets real uncomfortable to think I could have learners in 20 different spots and how do I teach it all? Consider the following:

1. Starting small. At the beginning of a unit of study, give the learners all of the assignments and tasks that you are wanting to use for them to master the content. (Over time, this would grow to possibly a month, then a quarter, to a semester.)

2. Have mini-check ins. Create formative assessment tasks for your learners. Maybe you have something every other day that is formal. A great tool is Edulastic. Provide the learners with 3-5 questions to gauge how they are progressing in their learning. Take the data from this, which edulastic gives you in immediately. Since you are using choice boards, learners are working on materials already independently so you can then use the data to pull students back for direct instruction based on the formative assessments. This also provides opportunities for you to use targeted tier 3 interventions with learners at this time. So now, you have your interventions plus you have your data points for if the interventions are working or not.

3. Over time, students are going to begin to stretch out and be in different spots. Build the units as you go to stay where your learners need to be. 

As you dive into personalized learning and moving from a teacher structured classroom to a learner focused classroom, this will be some of the hardest work you ever do; however, it will be the most rewarding. Instead of teaching content, you will teach learners. You have to be prepared to be uncomfortable but make a commitment to stick with it because it is what is best for our learners. 

Realize that you don't have to have all the answers and you will face challenges. In the end though, you will take back your classroom. You can get away from the status quo of worksheets and the same old thing everyday. It will be work in the beginning, but over time you will develop material that is adaptable and flexible and grow your resources. Think if you and a teammate shared a choice board and were responsible for creating 4 options for learners. Now you have 8. Build into these 8 choices various projects and presentations that are not done in an afternoon, but are highly engaging to the learners. This will bring back the voice and choice of personalized learning as well. 

In closing, I know we can do this. There are success stories from school districts like Northern Cass outside of Fargo, ND where the focus is on the learners and not the content.  I am listing some resources below for you as well as contacts. I simply challenge you to become a status quo disruptor and transform from a content focused teacher to a learner focused teacher who takes your kids along a varied pathway where your learners are empowered to be responsible for their learning while you become a learning facilitator and they know you got their back and will be there for them. We have decades and decades of data that our factory model schools are not working. This blows up that factory setting and will restore your passion for teaching. When people ask you what you teach, you will no longer answer, "math". You will proudly answer, "I teach kids".

I appreciate you taking the time to read through my blog. If you want to connect, you can find me on twitter @CMill_STEMguy. I am including some resources below that will help you but I would be more than happy to work with you to support your efforts. Hopefully, you feel inspired to challenge the status quo and join the legion of #statusquodisruptors.

Note: If I were to go deep with each of these areas, I would have to write a book...this blog is hopefully going to spark your interest and get you started. Future posts will break down the areas and go deeper. Also, a great place to start to go deeper is with Eric Sheninger's book, Disruptive Thinking in our Classroom.

References

Sheninger, E. (2021). Disruptive thinking in our classrooms: Preparing learners for their future. 

     ConnectEDD, Chicago, IL.

Ohio Department of Education. (2018).  Final Report on Competency Based Education Pilot.

Pane, J. (2018). Strategies for Implementing Personalized Learning While Evidence and Resources Are 

    

    Underdeveloped. RAND Corporation (PE-314).

Resources:

Great follows on Twitter:

Eric Sheninger:                         @E_sheninger

Greg Jung:                                 @edtech_workshop

Northern Cass                            @NCDS97

In Ohio, connect with one of the personalized learning specialist:
Teresa Dempsey, Ohio Department of Education @Tdemp_ProfLrng

Amy Harker, ESC of Northeast Ohio  @AmySHarker

Tracy Merica, Madison Champaign ESC @mericat

Chad Miller, Ohio Valley and Athen/Meigs ESC @CMill_STEMguy

We have got to Change: FOR OUR KIDS and FOR OUR EDUCATORS

 This is going to be raw, but yesterday was the most difficult day as an educator in my 25 years. While I can't get into the details, it was a day you hope never happens to your school.

I created this blog to hopefully help with change in education. If you have read any of my posts or follow me on Twitter, you know I probably talk more about the importance of student engagement than anything. There is maybe one other thing I believe to be more important than student engagement and that is the relationships we have with our students and with one another in the building. We have talked and talked about social-emotional well-being; however, I think for the most part that is what we have done. We know it is important, but what have we actually done? This is me included. As a building principal, and those who are in a building leadership role, you generally know the kids who are in crisis. We know their background and we do our best to help them. The classroom teacher knows the issues their kids are facing. And so on and so on. We all carry that around. We send our kids with thein need of the most critical help to talk to a counselor. Beyond that, what do we do? Then on top of that, what do we do to take care of the ones carrying around that extra load of worrying about our kids?

 I'm not going to go and blame COVID. I think all COVID did was bring to the forefront the crisis that has become Social-Emotional Learning. COVID took all of our issues and compounded them. In some ways, COVID accelerated change. Right before COVID, Ohio introduced additional funds for Social-Emotional Learning and then COVID hit and probably sucked up a lot of those funds as there were few restrictions on how you spent the money. Addressing Social Emotional Learning and NOT just talking about it hit me square upside the head yesterday. I am at a loss for the experience that our team went through and it just leaves me questioning what we are doing. I need to do more. WE as a society need to do more.

SEL can no longer be set aside for "when we can fit it in" and I am guilty of this. It has got to come to the front of the line. Our kids are in crisis. In some instances, our kids have no empathy. Why is it something we just try to fit in or have to create a special schedule to do 1 time every nine weeks or have that guest speaker in? I will tell you why? Because 90% of teachers are stressed about the almighty test at the end of the year. Then we have principals chasing test scores who ratchet up the pressure even more. I'm not saying we quit teaching; however, we have to intentionally create opportunities to have these discussions on a regular basis with our kids. We are a Leader in Me school and I truly believe in the power of this approach; however, we can do more. It can't be a program. It has to be the culture. We have got to be intentional about how we take care of one another, how we treat one another and provide support for our students and educators. Again, I am not saying we stop teaching, drop our expectations, and just give out participation medals; however, we have to meet everyone's basic needs first. We have to make this an everyday event where SEL is at the forefront. I believe that if we increase and strengthen relationships, increase authentic student engagement, and truly devote the necessary time to SEL, we can do so much better.

WE have also got to better equip our teachers, principals, and everyone to help our kids. I don't know what that looks like; however, we have got to do something. Then, we have to figure out a way to support our teachers and staff who are struggling themselves. 

We have got to change. It has to be ok to take some time to get to know our students and build the strongest relationships possible where they have at least 1 trusted adult they can turn to with anything. We have got to quit being upset because a student has to go to counseling and miss a class to do so.

Next, we have to address the lack of engagement. Our kids who are in jeopardy of dropping out do not decide to do this in HS. It starts long before then. We need to change our factory model of education across the board. I am proud of our current data from our student survey that is progressing where our student engagement score is up; however, we need to do more. Our kids can change the world if we provide an opportunity for them too. Put the textbooks away and engage the students in authentic problem solving that provides a voice and choice. An example of this is our current 4th-grade students who went through a design challenge where they addressed the efficiency or usage of space in our building. One group elected to explore a solar project while others looked at developing a plan for decreasing transition time between classes. Again voice and choice. Student engagement was through the roof and kids were inspired to be creative and solve problems that had a real-world application to them. In our primary wing, our kids are in the beginning stages of a chicken/egg-laying operation where we will incorporate agricultural careers into the primary grades while creating learning experiences around our standards. I firmly believe that authentic student engagement is the key to improving education.

So here is my challenge going into next year:

1. Take the first 8-10 days of the school year and forget about preassessments and data and collect the most important data: 

• what your kids interests are.
• Their family.
• Their learning style and what is their "why".
• How you can engage them in learning.

2. During this 10-day period, set the groundwork for developing a family within your classroom. Focus on the social-emotional learning for your students. Develop a way to check in on all of your kids. Regardless of their grade level, it is critical. If your team does not agree, be a #statusquodisruptor and do what is best for kids. Get to know them and discover their talents, their passions, and their needs. Do a lot of team building and create that culture in your classroom of empathy and understanding so they can help one another.

3. How powerful would a PBL be around some of these questions that you allowed students to explore and present their ideas and strategies for:

• How do we create a culture of respect in our building/classroom?
• How do we create a safe environment for all students?
• How do we stop bullying and harrassment while creating a culture of acceptance?
• How would you make our school a better place?
• Think of Social Studies and maybe you are discussing the class system and pose this question to your students: How does the class system of many societies of the 17 and 1800's relate to how we treat people today in modern society? How does it relate to how people are treated in our school? What are the similarities and what can we learn from our history?

None of these cost $$. These are simply ways for students to build empathy for each other and consider how they would address an issue. Often time, we as adults are quick to sit in a room and try to solve the problems when if we would simply get out of their way, a 10-year old could make a lasting impact on your school.

4. As a building leader, focus your walthroughs on 2 things: SEL of your students and staff, and student engagement. What if every Friday, students completed a survey on their level of enagagement like this:

• I was not engaged at all
• I was engaged in the lessons because I did not want to get in trouble.
• I was engaged in the lesson because I want good grades.
• I was engaged in the lesson because I was interested in the topic.
• I was engaged in the lesson because it was relevant to me.
• I was engaged this week because I had voice and choice.
• I was engaged this week because my teacher provided me with an opportunity to think hard, problem solve, and develop solutions to a problem based on the lessons.

Look at the difference in engagement...You want a bunch of test taking robots who are engaged to get good grades or you want a student who knows they can make a difference?

5. Increase STEM opportunities.

If you increase STEM opportunities and connect that to future careers, you will increase hope. If you increase hope, you will increase opportunities for students. If you have students who have hope for a better future or that they can pursue their passion in the future as a career, you will increase student engagement. Increasing STEM opportunities and connecting them to future career pathways will acomplish this. 

6. Create an Oasis for your teachers. How can you truly create a "lounge" for your teachers?

• Soft Seating
• A place to unwind when possible.
• A comfortable place for professional learning.
• Stock with their favorite snacks and drinks.

Again this is pretty raw and just some of my ramblings again after a tough day yesterday. Counselors are great; however, we have to create a system of support for everyone before we get to individual counseling and by addressing SEL and student engagement, you can take care of both. You will increase hope in your students. You will increase student engagement that will also reduce stress of your teachers. I would argue that if you address these 2 areas and work on your culture, student achievement will increase. Take care of each other before you take care of the test. 

If you would like to connect or have other ideas, please feel free to contact me or follow me. You can follow me on twitter @PrincipalCMill or reach me by email at principalcmill@gmail.com. Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings and if you have suggestions to help with SEL or student engagement, I would love to connect.

STEM Resources that can get you Started in your Classroom

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a Fire." 

-W.B. Yeats

I love this quote. We are losing kids to boredom and lack of hope. They are disengaged and let's be honest, we now are competing with Youtube, Google, and everywhere else that you can find information and Entertainment. If you have a task at home and are not sure how to do it, what do you do? Where do you look? If you are like me, I search Youtube for a how-to video. My son, regardless of whether it is a video game or baseball, he is watching Youtube. STEM is the answer to increased student engagement. Our kids know how to find information, let's embrace the technology and use it to our advantage. STEM can be the kindling that lights the fire.

So where do I begin? That can be overwhelming. You Google STEM and in 1.17 seconds you receive 3.9 trillion links. I have included a few of my favorite resources for STEM plus some ideas that can get you started in your classroom, building, or district. It does not require thousands of dollars to get started. It starts with a mindset. 

Don't Be Afraid to Fail and Have a "Safe" Classroom

STEM is not always going to go the way you expect. Whether you are doing a design challenge or some type of open-ended question to cover some standards and you are anticipating it going one way, it may go totally South. In a lot of scenarios, these events though are your best learning experiences for us as teachers and for the students. Let's say you give them a problem and it involves some problem solving with a mathematical equation and students select the wrong operations...The most powerful thing you can do is not immediately correct them with, "No, you need to do this..." Instead, if you asked, "Tell me why you chose to solve this way...and what is your next step?" Now, I can understand their thinking. And you know what, you may not correct them. Let them continue and see where they go. In a scenario like this, you probably are going to have some type of share out. Students then can hopefully see their own mistakes. If you have established a safe environment where students can be vulnerable, you might even come back to the student or students and share their mistakes with the class in order to teach everyone. So first, create a culture that is a safe place to fail, and then don't be afraid to. When you do fail, make sure you model and set the tone for failure as part of learning. This starts with you taking chances and leaving your comfort zone. You might plan the most engaging lesson and it is an epic failure but the kids still learn. Model dealing with adversity, adapt and overcome, and move on. This is especially important with your highest students who are often not comfortable with struggling or failing. Everything has always come easy for them. They expect A's. Their parents expect A's (this is a whole other blog post and I could on and on about eliminating letter grades). We can teach perseverance. We too often worry about students struggling then they simply give up at the sign of adversity. We sweep in as teachers to help, their parents call to talk about how their kids come home worried about struggling. Learn to deal with adversity and the ability to not give up, they will thank you later. Don't be so quick to jump to the rescue. Probe and guide with questions, but make sure they figure it out. 

Open-Ended Multiple Outcomes

When you can, develop a guiding question that can have multiple outcomes based on the direction the students choose to go. Think of the following question that our 4th-grade science teacher recently posed to her students as part of the #STEMbuildsOHIO statewide design challenge.

"

How can you improve your school, community, or world by reimagining an existing physical space, system, product, or service so that it is more equitable, accessible, or efficient?

Look at this question and how would you answer it. If you gave it to your class and asked them to answer, how many different solutions would you get? With a question like this, you provide voice and choice. With this question, multiple outcomes were designed. Some students to the "efficient" part of the question and decided to add solar to our building based on our monthly cost of electricity. Another group proposed biometric locks for the lockers to make it easier for students to get in and out of their lockers between classes. Another group designed an outdoor learning space and yet another redesigned our library into a maker lab because they felt it was underutilized and due to the space constraints in our building. 

I know you are thinking..."Well, what standards did you cover?" Within this authentic learning, students discovered how to determine the average, some calculated the Kwh of our building and then had to determine how many solar panels they would need to cover our energy needs. They all created proposals and presented them using power points. On top of that, many used a 3D printer and Tinkercad for the first time. It was a well-rounded experience for the kids. I can also say that every time I visited the classroom and students were working in groups, not one discipline issue or off-task student. Kids were all-in to the process. Give students a choice and get out of their way, they will amaze you. Our group that presented on converting to solar has not been connected with a business partner and going to work with an engineer to develop a proposal to follow through on their idea of reducing our energy use by going solar. So the learning will continue.

While the statewide competition is coming to an end, you should still check out the challenges and resources at OSLN.org. 

Makerspace

Developing a makerspace is another great tool for increasing STEM. If you don't have room, create a mobile Maker cart that will allow teachers to have a set of tools to make their classrooms more efficient when it comes to PBL or any type of design challenge. Stock it with scissors, glue guns, cardboard cutters, and some materials they can use to develop their prototypes and models. 

StartSOLE

StartSOLE or Student Organized Learning Environment is a framework for taking a lesson and being the giver of knowledge to becoming a facilitator of learning and providing an opportunity for students to explore a guided question and then present their findings to the class. This link will take you to a video that explains how to SOLE. Not only will students find their own information and answers to the guiding question, but they must then present and share their findings which all of our students need to practice. With the number of virtual meetings, it is just as important to how you present your information. If you can't present and share your information, it really does not matter what you know. Again, think of how easy it is for students to find information. StartSOLE allows you to capitalize on technology and create an engaging lesson. Rather than be Mr. Hand trying to deliver a history lesson to Spicoli (If you know, you know) and just spewing knowledge that tunes out kids, give them the tools to find the information and then present it in some format to their class. You give students a choice in how they approach and present their content. PLUS...you become the facilitator and the kids are the ones who do the work. It also allows you to create your lesson plans in about 10 minutes for the lesson. You can give groups of students all the same question/questions or spread out and have different groups responsible for different standards. At the end of the day, you have covered standards while engaging kids and allowed them an opportunity to share and present their information.

PBL Works

This is another free resource on implementing PBL. This site is loaded with resources for implementing PBL in your classroom and transforming your classroom from ordinary to extraordinary. PBL is engaging and provides opportunities for voice and choice. Removes the need for so much paper/pencil worksheet boredom and inspires students to think about authentic real-world scenarios. 

Jason Learning

Jason Learning is an online resource with high-quality STEM learning experiences for students of all ages. Founded by Dr. Ballard, who found the Titanic, it is rich in video content and scenarios that can lead to deep problem-based learning opportunities for kids. Now, this is a paid resource; however, it is continuing to grow and add resources. Currently, they are adding PreK and early childhood resources that one of our PreK teachers is piloting and providing feedback on. There is something for everyone and again, you students could lead the learning, do all the work, and you facilitate.

DailySTEM.com

Daily STEM is an amazing resource and is organized by Chris Woods. Chris is a teacher in Xichigan who has written the book, Daily STEM (A amazing resource to get started) and can provide so many ideas for what you can do to increase STEM opportunities. Chris is also a great speaker, facilitator, and trainer who can come work with your team at your building or district. Chris is an HS teacher; however, he can help anyone make STEM a part of their classroom. STEM is not a place, it is a mindset. You can reach Chris on his website. If you want his book, you can buy it on AMAZON by clicking this link and then you have a great resource. My suggestion would be to book Chris to come work with your team, then buy his book and use as a book study prior to his visit.

PBL Anywhere

Like Chris Woods, Dr. Lori Elliott is a great resource and her book, PBL Anywhere outlines the process of going from a standard to a guiding question and through the PBL process. Below you will find an infographic outlining the steps that Dr. Elliott has researched and developed for effective PBL. I highly recommend her book as well. 

STEM is a mindset, it is a process, and it can lead you to increased student engagement. It will allow you to go from the dull and boring to the engaged classroom that every student wants to be a part of. If you engage students in their learning, you will increase hope for a brighter future. While doing so, you will also see discipline reduce and your life and job become a lot easier. So get out of your comfort zone, and increase STEM opportunities for your kids.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings on STEM and student engagement. I believe this is the key to transforming our schools into the places our kids want to be. If you want to connect, contact me at principalcmill@gmail.com or by Twitter @PrincpalCMill. If you want to come to visit our school, we are always welcoming visitors and would be happy to host you and your team for a visit on how we do STEM every day. I have many more resources for increasing STEM and student engagement, so feel free to reach out. If you simply want to talk more about ideas and resources for increasing STEM, we can collaborate and can collaborate to increase STEM in your building or classroom. Together, we can light more fires.

#STEM for ALL, not just Some: How do we make this a Reality?

As I finish my 3rd year as a principal in SE Ohio, it continues to be more and more of a concern about the lack of equity for students across this region. A simple look at the map below shows a void of STEM opportunities for kids in SE Ohio. Our region might mirror your region if you are in a rural area. For decades, rural SE Appalachian schools have received little more than lip service about the need for equity. Due to the geographical setting, the exposure to learning opportunities simply is not there. This has to change. While I am fortunate to have my son attend our district which is a STEM-designated district, how do we increase opportunities for all students in our region? How do you increase opportunities for students in your region? We all have similar challenges in rural America. How do we create access and opportunity for all students regardless of their zip code? 

There are so many excuses/barriers for "why" we can't do things:

Location and distance:

My district for example is 289 square miles, yet does not have a single traffic light (Although my tech coordinator has pointed out we now have one in our cafeteria which is a talk light). We have around 1000 kids in grades K-12. You look around the region the majority of our districts are less than 1000 students in grades K-12. I know in some regions of the United States, districts are even smaller in terms of students. We have a career center that focuses on many STEM careers, but students are reluctant to attend due to the distance they have to travel. For our students, they may ride a bus for an hour to get to our district and then ride another bus to the career center. This is a recurring theme across much of rural Ohio and rural America. 

Size and Limited Staffing:

Another barrier for STEM is that with the small number of students, you have limited staff. For a high school or middle school like ours where we have approximately 70-80 students at a grade level, that makes it challenging to add additional courses when the cost of a staff member puts a strain on your budget. It makes it a hard sell to offer a program or career pathway when you have to hire an additional staff member and they serve a small number of students interested in that pathway.

Lack of Qualified Teachers

All rural schools face the challenge of recruitment. Oftentimes, trying to fill those already difficult positions such as a course like robotics, IT, etc... becomes a challenge to find someone willing to relocate to take a position or commute closer to an hour. 

Need to Focus on Core Subjects

We have to prepare our students by ensuring they are able to master the basic core subject areas. We don't have time to focus on STEM. Many districts are simply chasing scores on a report card. I have mentioned this before, a colleague moved to a new position in a different district and he said it best, "We (their old district) were perceived as great because of our report card; however, our kids were being trained to be good test-takers." This is an easy trap to fall into. I get it. Test scores are what is reported to the public.

I could go on and on about all the reasons that you can't increase STEM whether that is in your district or your region. It is much easier to sit down and make a list of reasons why you can't do something. It is much harder to be creative and come up with ways around these roadblocks which is exactly what they are. They are nothing more than roadblocks and or excuses. We have to stop making excuses and do the real work of creating opportunities for kids. So how do we do that? We start by getting out of our own little world, our own little box, and we think of education like never before.

Collaboration

School districts are sacred and I get it. Growing up, I had cross-county rivals. The idea of consolidation leads to mobs of upset people attending board meetings so that is probably never going to happen and really should not happen. Tradition is tradition and our small schools are the hubs of the community; however, WHAT IF...

What if we were able to sit down at the table from districts across our regions and talk through the programming we need to offer for our kids. If we were able to sit down as a group and discuss shared staffing or even sharing students. Maybe district Y or high school Y is going to offer a program in advanced manufacturing, yet only has 15 kids that want to take it. Why can't district A send 15 kids to that school? In return, District A will offer a medical pathway and serve students from district Y. Rather than again making a list of red tape items that make this impossible, we make it happen. Students who go to district Y from district A still graduate from their hometown school and attend their school for everything else, there is simply a shuttle bus that runs back and forth. This process is repeated across the region. If District Z is too far for a student from District A, why can't we do remote learning except for a couple of face-to-face days a week if it is critical for them to be on the other campus for a lab or hands-on experience? OR what if courses were blocked and we scheduled students like a college schedule where I may only have to be on a different campus 2 times a week.

I know this is not a new idea; however, it is time for the adults in all of these districts to figure it out and make it work in order to give our kids the same opportunities as a larger comprehensive HS could offer. It is the only way we can match the opportunities and put our kids in rural communities on a level playing field.

The biggest issue always becomes with staffing, who is going to pay for it, and how do we grade? How do we give credit for a class taught at another high school or middle school? You know what though, all of these issues are adult issues that we create with statements like, "we can't do that" or "we have never done that and it will not work". We need to stop creating roadblocks and rebuild what school looks like.

So if I attend district Y and I take 3 courses or a program at District Z, I still attend my home school and I graduate and get my grades from my home district. If we can have kids move into our district and we accept grades, why can't we simply accept credit like a student who transfers? We can make this happen if we just get out of our own way and collaborate. We could probably take some of our high school students and give them a day or two to plan and they would have a working solution. We just need to throw away the box and do what is necessary for our kids.

Business and Parent Advisory

Not just small rural districts, but all districts need to leverage their communities in the educational process beyond requesting new dollars when it comes around to levy campaign season. Go to your local businesses and find out what they need in future employees. What can we offer as a district to prepare our students to walk out of high school with the necessary skills to help our local businesses? Again pull in all of your local districts and work together. At Noble Local, we have an award-winning business advisory council that has driven many of the changes to our district and our approach to what we offer to students. When it comes to adding programs, you have to make sure you add the right programs. Second, by creating strong partnerships between your local businesses and your families, you are able to explain your "why". When you begin asking business partners how you can help them rather than simply asking them to write a check for this program or that, you develop collaborative relationships that support one another. From a parent perspective, the parent advisory allows for input from families. My current parent advisory team consists of business owners, engineers, social workers, medical personnel, and other fields. So not only do they provide a parent perspective, but their backgrounds are diverse. When we meet, I can share current challenges and seek input; however, I also share our "why". At the most recent meeting, I started with a video about SMART manufacturing and how programs such as coding and robotics are critical to the careers of tomorrow. So while I am gaining input on issues, I also create a "tribe" that gets an in-depth look at our "why" who can then hopefully explain it at the ball fields or in the bleachers if they are asked about a program. When your community understands the why and that school has to look different than when they were in school, your message ripples through the community. Support for new programs grows because your why becomes their why: preparing their kids for their future regardless of what that might be.

Empowering Your Team

When I look at our current middle school course offerings, I would say it rivals some small high schools by the number of opportunities that our students have to explore various career pathways. It all started though by going to our team and asking them to think of a course that they would like to share with our students. What is a passion they have that we could build a course around? From there, we developed multiple electives for our students that range from advanced PE, Green Jobs, Creative Arts courses, Intro to Outdoors, Food and Nutrition and many more. Teachers have a voice in the creation of courses and they are able to share their passion with students. It has been very well received by everyone. The other option to look at is how you look at your current staff and utilize them to increase course offerings. One of the most unique staffing adjustments we have made is how we utilize our school nurse. Our school nurse was approached and asked to teach some courses that are part of our medical pathway and lead to an STNA certification. Her transcripts were reviewed by our local partner university and they approved her to teach the necessary courses. This has been a win-win for everyone. We increase opportunities for our kids while we also support our local partners and that is not to even mention that our kids now have increased courses they can take for college credit with little to no expense to the students. Then add in our business partners and our students in the medical pathway can be employed by one of our local hospitals and work on their nursing license that will be paid for by the hospital. Now, not only are we creating employable students, we are opening up a career for them where they can better themselves and do so with little to no cost to them.

STEM for All

The bottom line is STEM has to be more than a fancy elective. It has to be a cultural shift in our schools in order to prepare our current students for their futures...and we can't wait. We can not have a 5-year plan to have STEM courses in year 4. What do we do for our current high school students when the data suggests that 90% of future jobs are STEM-related? What do we tell our current high school students...do we tell them we are sorry? We have to remove the barriers. We have to rethink education in general and in most cases that means a complete overhaul of what we consider "traditional" schools. If we looked at scheduling like a college, we could have 2-3 days of core content and 2-3 days of career pathway work. Our middle schools become career exploration centers where students get a taste of each pathway available. Think if I am a small rural school and offer 5 career pathways...now think if I partner with a neighbor school and they offer 5 different pathways. Now our kids have more options based on their interests. Our schools move to a block schedule and students are transported for their career pathway/STEM courses 2-3 days a week. Maybe it is 2 days of core academics, 2 days of career-based education, and 1 day of off-site externship or a day that is a WIN (what I need) day. We just have to rethink what "school" looks like and our purpose. If we do that, these changes become easy.

We can do this, we just have to collaborate, work with our partners, and not be afraid to disrupt the status quo while maintaining our small schools found around the United States. We can have the best of both worlds and our kids deserve it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. STEM and career-based education are my passion. If you would like to discuss further, maybe bounce ideas off of each other, you can reach out to me on twitter @PrincipalCMill or by email at principalcmill@gmail.com.

STEM Designated Schools in Ohio

STEM is the Way! (Strategies that Engage the Mind)

 My superintendent is constantly saying "I hear you talk more about student engagement than anyone". There is a reason. I feel like we are losing our kids due to the lack of engagement across all of our schools. In some schools that are perceived as excellent due to their report card data, they look fantastic when you look at the test scores. Recently, I spoke with a new superintendent who had been a principal in another district and he said it very well when he stated his previous building was "perceived" as excellent because of their test scores...however, here he was with his new team and visiting our building for the programming and how we were preparing students for the future because he knew "excellent" was more than a test score.

At a state conference with a team of great educators from across Ohio in 2018, I was fortunate to get to present "Future Ready" and the importance of preparing our students for future careers. About midway through the discussion, the question was posed, "Will this improve my test scores?" As a group, we responded that they were in the wrong session if they wanted to talk about test scores. Here is my challenge to you, I believe that if you increase student engagement and give students a purpose for being at school, the test scores will increase as well. Unfortunately, this is the greatest challenge for us as educators. We also feel the pressure of state report cards and we fall into the trap of "teaching to the test" and making sure we cover every standard in order for us to feel like, "I did all I could". We have got to change. We have to connect students to purpose to be engaged in their learning.

Look at this graphic from Phillip Schlechty and it really holds true. A lot of our kids fall into the strategic and ritual compliance area. They are good at playing school. They do so to avoid negative consequences from home and complete tasks/assignments for their grades. Unfortunately, we also have students everywhere in the lowest levels of engagement. These are the students who not only have stopped doing the work but also are now making it difficult for others. In some cases, they have little hope or desire. They see no purpose in what is being asked of them and would rather spend their energy avoiding the work.  When they have no hope or cannot connect to a purpose, you might as well forget it. This is often why incentivized programs fail.

So how do we increase hope and engagement?

STEM is the way! STEM is more than Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It is an engagement tool and a paradigm shift in how we present material/content to our students. We have to shift from being the "givers of knowledge" to the facilitators of exploration and allowing students to connect to their personal emotions. Heather Sherman, with the Ohio STEM Learning Network and Battelle, has called STEM: Strategies that Engage the Mind. When you look at both approaches which are both critical to our student's future, we can develop an engaging learning experience. First, 90% of jobs in the future will be STEM-related so these areas are critical to be embedded into our daily practices. When you think of STEM as how we engage our students, this is the key. How do we move a student from strategic compliance to truly being engaged? To take the famous speech from Jim Valvano at the ESPY's, "If you spend time each day where you laugh, think deeply, and are moved to tears...that is a heck of a day". We have to engage our kids emotionally in their learning where they can connect to a purpose.

Our kids are not interested in sitting in their seats and listening to someone go on about pollution, independent variables, or a civil war. IF they can Google the answer, why not let them? Then go deeper. Why not bring STEM into the classroom through authentic real-world problems. Recently, our 8th graders partnered with a local business, Micro Machines, and helped the owner by creating ideas on how he could recruit and retain additional employees. Students created videos, social media posts, sweatshirts, and signage as part of their proposals. Mr. Yost, the owner was blown away by the presentations and quality of their projects. How did this happen? How did our 8th grade ELA teacher, Miss Goolie, take a bunch of 14 and 15 yr olds (that many write off as incapable) and inspire them to help Mr. Yost? Through engagement. This was not a fake project. This was authentic learning and students went above and beyond to develop proposals and ideas for Mr. Yost because they had a real audience. STEM is the Way.

We need a paradigm shift across the country. Give them a sense of purpose. Give them the responsibility and they will rise to the occasion. When they become authentically engaged at the highest level, test scores will go up and discipline issues will go down. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. If you want to connect, or feel strongly about disrupting the traditional school and all things STEM-related, please follow and connect with me in the Twitterverse @PrincipalCMill.

Looking for resources around STEM and student engagement. Here are a few of my favorite. I am receiving nothing for these recommendations but find them all to be powerful resources.

Dave Burgess' book, Teach Like a Pirate. Dave's book will give you various ideas for "hooks" and how to up your engagement game. This is a great start.

Buy Teach Like a Pirate on Amazon

Dr. Lori Elliott's book, PBL Anywhere. Dr. Elliott's book will give you a framework of going from standards to authentic learning through PBL. An amazing resource for blending standards and transforming your classroom.

Buy PBL Anywhere on Amazon

Jason Learning: This is a great resource for authentic problems. While you can align to standards, there are so many Problem Based Learning scenarios ready for you to blend your standards into.

Podcasts: Meet Your Kids Where They Are...On Social Media

     Whether we like it or not, our kids are growing up with social media. While I am not a big fan of all of the platforms that are out there. I am cognizant that if we do not rethink how we engage students. Walk around the mall, or even in some hallways of schools, and probably 80% or more of students have cell phones and they are checking on social media, texting, etc... While we can teach the appropriate use of technology, the idea that you can outlaw cell phones is only going to set you up to become the cell phone police and you will have to create a very large jail for all the phones you confiscate. Rather than outlaw cell phones, let's rethink how we engage kids through the use of technology. One way is through a podcast that involves students.

    Podcasts are a fantastic way to engage students. Recently, my son and I started a podcast titled "Principal and the Kid" that is co-hosted by my middle school son. While it started as a way to engage him in my role as a principal and be able to spend more time with him after he has asked me many questions about what I do, it has continued to evolve. After three episodes, we have talked about student leadership in our school, he has interviewed 2 classmates regarding a service project, and I have had a conversation with 8th graders regarding their 8th-grade experience. As things happen around school, we will continue to add episodes. Kids are excited to share their stories and excited to share their experiences.

    A Podcast is simple if you make it simple. For a podcast, you only really need a couple pieces of equipment: a computer and a microphone. Many options are available on Amazon for under $50. Do your research and pick what works for you. For me, there is no editing, retakes, or redos. We hit record and roll. Using a platform like Anchor will allow you to upload the audio clips with a simple click of the mouse. While adding music limits where people can listen to your podcast, I have found this to be very important to a middle schooler so we add music intros. Again, Anchor does this seamlessly and really does all the work for you.

    Your podcast does not have to be a dissertation. Keep them brief. A lot of podcasts are 5-15 minutes. Focus on a topic you feel comfortable discussing OR talk to the kids in your building and let them select the topics.  Find something in education you are passionate about and hit record. While I am focusing on engaging students and sharing their stories, I hope it helps us connect with other educators and schools. I definitely don't have all the answers but hopefully can connect with others who do.

    So grab a mic, hit record, and get rolling with your podcast. Consider letting your students tell the story of your school in their own words. As a classroom teacher, set up a podcast station and have your kids discuss topics and describe your classroom activities and share out with your parents. They will be excited for the opportunity and what better ambassadors for your school and the great things you are doing than your kids. Besides, they can probably figure out a podcast quicker than we can. Meet your kids where they are on social media and provide them with a voice while being a cheerleader for your school.

Principal and the Kid Podcast

If you are looking to connect and grow your network, give me a follow on twitter @PrincipalCMill. 

    

I Teach Kids...Not Standards. PBL Can Get You There.

     Student engagement is the key to transforming our classrooms and our schools. When we do not engage students in learning, they find other ways to engage themselves. When you look at classrooms, you often have students that look engaged: they complete their work, perform well on assessments, and don't cause issues for the teachers. However, in many cases, they have just figured out how to play school and they fit the mold of a model student. They know the routine. The teacher introduces the lesson, take notes, complete questions, study the unit guide, take the assessment, maybe complete some homework along the way and then move on and repeat. I have seen the file folders of teachers where the unit is planned one time and taught over and over. The same books are read year after year and the same worksheets are pulled out and completed each year. This style of teaching is driven by the feeling that we have to cover standards. It is compounded by the number of standards that we have to cover each year. Joe Sanfelippo has a great clip from a discussion regarding things we should "unlearn". We don't need the traditional system any longer.

    We need to transform our schools and our classrooms in order to engage our students. Recently began reading Project-Based Learning Anywhere: Live It, Learn It, Love It! by Dr. Lori Elliott and it has really simplified the idea of student engagement and learning. PBL is not a place or thing (See the graphic below based on Dr. Elliott's book). It is the thing. Dr. Elliott has a quote in her book:

"It would be tough for students to live in a worksheet world and do just 1 or 2 PBL units a year."

    The big issue for most when it comes to increasing PBL is the idea that PBL does not cover standards.  The issue is that we often take our personal favorite concept and we try to cram standards into it when the process of developing a PBL should start with the standards. See the graphic below that is outlined in Dr. Elliott's book. The standards and the essential questions are the foundation of the PBL. When you begin with the standards first, you are able to cover the curriculum plus provide authentic learning and increase authentic engagement through student voice and choice. 

    Voice and choice are also a downfall or hurdle. As teachers, we are comfortable when we have this roadmap to our lesson. With voice and choice, the students create the roadmap for their learning. They do the research and create the finished project that is often undefined. That takes us out of our comfort level and often leads to the worry of if students learned. We have to get over this hurdle and understand that we transform from a lecturer to a facilitator. We don't have to be the expert in regards to the topic of the PBL, we have to be the experts on the standards and guide the learning through our questioning. We can still guide students through the standards. Instead of reviewing the standards and practicing problems or learning content, we are applying the standards and skills. If we get out of our own way and allow students to select the content and weave the standards into it, we not only engage students but also reduce the work effort as a teacher. I don't have to have a script for every minute of the day. Allow the kids to create the scripts. 

    We can still have ongoing assessments embedded into the PBL. We can have students journal or complete exit tickets in order to gauge understanding the covered standards along the way rather than waiting until the end. If in the middle of a PBL, you see students struggling with a standard, THEN take some time to direct teach and intervene and guide your kids back on the right path to mastering the standards. The difference is we are teaching kids and letting them guide us rather than teaching standards and letting them control us. Your kids will tell you where they need to go (Elliott, 2020). 

    Here is the key though, you are intervening for standards, NOT PBL. We are allowed to make mistakes so why are our kids not allowed? Think of a team working on a problem in an office somewhere. They analyze the issue, make changes and sometimes the changes work and sometime they do not. Yet, the team learns and makes additional adjustments and continues to improve. Too many of our kids do not know how to persevere. Our top students typically understand and grasp concepts easily and perform well on assessments; however, when challenged many cannot grasp not excelling immediately. Allow students time to critique and reflect, make adjustments and learn from failure. While you may need to put on your cheerleader hat to keep students motivated through their failures, we can still have amazing learning with failure. Maybe, the next project is done differently due to the failures just like we do in real life. 

    Dr. Elliott got it right. The worksheet world is painful. We have to change this and it will take a paradigm shift away from schools being driven by standards. Schools need to be driven by kids...who happen to learn a few standards. We teach kids the standards. We don't teach standards to kids. We can do this. All it takes is for adults to get out of their own way and do a PBL of the learning process in their classroom, their school, or district. Learn what works and what does not. Your kids will tell you.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. Let's connect and give me a follow on twitter @PrincipalCMill. Look for my podcast, "The Principal and the Kid" hosted by myself and my local expert on student engagement, my 11-year old son to be rolling out soon or when he thinks it is cool enough.

Elliott, L. (2020). Project-based learning anywhere: Live it, learn it, love it! 

    Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.