A Vision for Learning

As our community begins the process of defining a vision for the Delta School District and for Delta Secondary School (see Vision BWTEIM) , we have asked stakeholders to reflect on a single “great moment of learning.” This appreciative inquiry will help us focus on the conditions that created learning that was engaged, purposeful, and effective. Having the good fortune of being a student, a student-teacher, a teacher, a parent, and an administrator in Delta, I can draw from many different experiences. I've done a lot of learning here! But what most easily surfaces for me are the moments when individuals and groups of individuals have overcome significant obstacles through new learning or working through a challenge with others. If I have to choose one, I’ll go all the way back to my time as a student at Delta Secondary in the 1980s...

My most memorable learning as a student at DSS was playing basketball for Delta teacher, Brian McGill. Brian inherited the senior boys basketball team from Neil Murray, who was quite deservedly a coaching legend. Neil was a notable athlete, who held a number scoring records at UBC and was recruited to play for the famed Dallas Cowboys, even though he had never played a down of football. As impressive as he was as an athlete, Neil was equally impressive as a coach, having led one of the most outstanding teams in Pacer history, the 1979 squad led by Canadian Olympian, Alan Kristmanson, and the late Anesto Charles, to the number one ranking in the province. As a junior student, I was looking forward to having Neil as a coach but prior to my grade 11 year, he stepped down, making way for a young social studies teacher, Brian McGill, to assume the coaching duties of the senior team. Clearly, McGill was following in the footsteps of a giant.

The transition to a new coach wasn’t easy. Brian’s approach to basketball focused heavily on defense. He believed that if our team held the opposition to under 50 points a game, then we had a chance to win. So we practiced defense … a lot. He committed to teaching us to play intense, fundamental, man to man defence better than any other team on our schedule. If good defence meant denying a pass, we would deny passes all over the court. If putting pressure on the ball meant being an arms length away, we would strive to be half an arms length. Some practices we didn’t even touch a basketball (now remember, these were the days of the “Lake Show” and the high flying, run and gun offenses favored by the NBA). So not surprisingly, it took a while for some of the players to warm to the idea (me included). 

Despite some early challenges (See also Cale Birk's post on GUTS - Brian McGill = GUTS), Brian never wavered and over the course of that first season, we built a strong student-teacher relationship. He was strict but he never raised his voice in anger. He consistently challenged and pushed us to “get out of our comfort zones”. Yet, he never singled a person out, embarrassed or humiliated anyone. He modelled mental toughness and was an example of self-control at all times. And when he introduced us to the teachings of John Wooden, they would resonate because Brian had been modelling this approach and holding us accountable to the Pyramid of Success since the beginning. Like my teammates, I became a reasonable high school basketball player, and our team had some modest success, but Brian helped me develop as an athlete and a person.  I was able to apply almost all of what I learned with Brian to other sports and more importantly, to other aspects of my life. Later, when I became a teacher and coach myself, I often found myself reflecting on how much I had learned from time with Brian as a coach.

What is your most memorable moment of learning in school?

Vision - Begin with the End in Mind

“In rowing, the stroke must be executed in precise synchrony with all other rowers in the shell. Coordinated timing at the catch is imperative to avoid "checking" the boat, or slowing its forward progress. Ideally, all rowers arrive at the catch at exactly the same moment, and immediately apply pressure on the oar with the oar in the water, which minimizes jerk at the catch. To accomplish this, the oar must be in the water slightly in advance of the rower's arrival at the catch where the seat reverses direction. When this action is completed correctly a bit of water, called "back splash" is splashed.” From Wikipedia: Rowing (Sport)

Whenever we begin a new project, if we begin with the end in mind we will have a much greater likelihood of actually achieving what we desire.  In education, we call this process Backward Design… you start at the end and work back to the beginning, designing instruction and planning for learning activities that lead to a desired end. 

That said the habit of beginning with the end in mind can be applied to almost everything we do in life.  When faced with major decisions or challenges, I try to make it a habit to stop and ask these questions. “What is the desired outcome?”  and “What do I want to have happen.” 

The rowing metaphor helps me remember the importance of keeping the end in mind.  When team members are pulling equally in the same direction, we will reach our destination.  If we pull in opposite directions or unequally, the scull veers off (and may even tip over!) and we get nowhere. It’s always best to work together!

By starting with an image or a vision of a desired outcome as a frame of reference, we can make certain that whatever we do does not violate the values and beliefs we have identified as most important, and that each action or decision contributes in a meaningful way to that vision. Having a clear definition of where we are going allows us to be selective about what matters most. It's easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life and not be very effective.

This month, the Delta School District launched an ambitious and purposeful process for developing an inclusive and inspiring vision of the future. From now through the spring, our school community will be involved, along with other Delta schools, in contributing to the development of a shared vision for Delta Schools. While our involvement is important, no less important is opportunity that this occasion provides to re-visit our own vision of what we aspire for the future of Delta Secondary School. Having participated in an introductory session with district staff, managers and school based administrators, I’m engaged by the process and optimistic that our collaborative efforts will bring about our very best and set a compass point to guide future decision-making and actions.

As we set out to design our “end in mind”, I look forward to engaging with all staff, students, parents, and community partners in dialogue on our shared future.

Click here to watch a video introduction to the visioning process with Superintendent, Dianne Turner, DTA President, Paul Steer, and CUPE President, Colin Pawson.

http://web.deltasd.bc.ca/2011-visioning-process

Delta School District Visioning Process

(in summary)

What are we doing? Through engaging conversations around learning, and celebrating our past and current successes, we are articulating our inspired and inclusive dream vision of the future that builds on our very best. The questions we will answer through this process are: why do we exist (Purpose/Mission); what truly matters in everything we do? (Core Values); and in our boldest vision and most fantastic dream of the future, what do we want to do and be? (Bold Dream Vision)

Why are we doing this? When people in an organization share a bold, fantastic, collectively-held dream of the future, it draws everyone together in pursuit of that uplifting common purpose. The process will create a sense of belonging for the school district community and help poise ourselves for new realities in educational change.

Who will be involved? Meaningful opportunities will be created for all voices to participate in creating this compelling vision for the future of our schools: All Administrators, Managers, Teachers, Students, Parents, and Partners (PAC, DPAC, DYAC, CUPE and DTA, community leaders).

When? The Visioning process will unfold from January 6th through mid-April, and results will be integrated into relevant planning processes thereafter.

How Used/By Whom? The results of the Visioning process will create a compass for decision making in the Delta School District at all levels.

Why is a collective vision important to us?

Research by Andy Hargreaves, The Fourth Way, on schools and institutions that perform beyond expectations has shown that the 1st of key factors contributing to exceptional performance is a shared compelling and inclusive vision that everyone aspires to, and which builds on the best of the past.

“An inspiring and inclusive vision is one that draws people together in pursuit of an uplifting common purpose.” - Andy Hargreaves, The Fourth Way

Using Twitter to Build a PLN

@courosaAlec Couros

See if u can spot the 1 teacher in your school who's become energized with new possibilities w/social media.

http://youtu.be/rGEqWzw8A9g

19 hours ago via TweetDeck Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

Full credit to Alec Couros for this one!

While I bear little physical resemblance to the happy little penguin, I am no less enthusiastic about the possibilities of social media as a learning tool for busy educators. Count me among the many who are signing on to Twitter and other social media to support their professional growth and their work in schools. Looking around, I'm in good company. In fact, I don't have to look far to find a respected colleague that I currently work with or have worked with in the past, with whom I am able to share ideas, resources, links and extend conversations over time and space. Many people are referring to these connections as "networks" or "PLNs" as in Professional or Personal Learning Networks and I can attest to being deeply engaged as a learner as a result.

Twitter has been an incredible source of learning and perspective. It has introduced me to some amazing educators from around the province, across the country and throughout North America. I'm finding myself drawn to it whenever I have the opportunity. The iPhone allows me to access the feed whether I'm waiting for my daughter's volleyball practise to end, when I'm at the doctor's office, or when I'm tagging along at the mall (not much of a shopper) ... anywhere I have a few moments to spare, I'm able to access posts that are both interesting and relevant to my work as a principal.

Last month, I attended a dinner with the local chapter of PDK and I had the opportunity to sit and chat with many educators who are using social media tools to participate in personal learning networks. At the dinner, I had the pleasure of meeting David Wees @davidwees. David and I had never met in person, nor had I ever spoken to him or exchanged direct correspondence with him but I had met him virtually through the dialogue on Twitter. It was obvious that the introduction through social media enriched our face to face conversation that evening. I felt like I knew David, much like it might feel if I met an author or a media personality I had known from television. At the time, I tweeted about meeting my digital heroes. But it was clear that I had come to know David through his writing. And after meeting him in person, I'm likely to seek out opportunities to collaborate with him in the future. By the way, he's a fantastic writer! David's blog is called 21st Century Educator.

Twitter has also allowed me access intelligent, thoughtful posts and reflections that challenge my beliefs and assumptions from people with whom I already have a working relationship. It all cases the connection through social media has enhanced our relationship, and allowed me to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for their individual perspectives. Here's a few examples:

Doug Sheppard @dsheppard40 is the Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Delta. Doug has a keen interest in technology. He was the first educator to introduce me to Twitter and I'll admit that it took me a while to see it as a valuable tool. As an experienced secondary principal, Doug's been a great mentor to me but we are both pulled in many directions with long days that are filled with various urgencies. Twitter allows people to connect around ideas when it is convenient. And since we both have young children, it's usually well into the evening before there's a chance. As a former science teacher, Doug is a source of some great science-related links. Right now, I copy the links and pass them on to our science teachers through email. Perhaps in the future, we'll convince a few more of them to sign on and follow Doug's Twitter feed themselves. Doug's blog is called Inspired Learner.

Bernie Soong @bsoong and I worked together a few years ago at McNair Secondary in Richmond. He's a great science teacher and we play a fair bit of golf together in the summer but in the last few months social media has allowed us to connect in a deeper dialogue on learning, assessment, and technology. I no longer get to see Bernie as often, but he's ideas are helping me grow as an educator. He has a great blog too: Mr. Soong's Blog

Chris Kennedy @chrkennedy is the Superintendent of Schools in West Vancouver. I first knew Chris as a teacher and basketball coach when he was at McRoberts Secondary in Richmond. Chris is an impressive educator in person but his skillful use of social media has expanded both his influence and his learning network. Re-connecting with him through social media has been a great source of both learning and inspiration for me. Chris' blog Culture of Yes is a must read for BC perspective on educational change.

Finally, I only have to look next door to find Aaron Akune @aakune.  Aaron is a first-rate blogger and thinker and best of all, he is also a part of the leadership team at Delta Secondary School.  It's great to be able to extend our conversations and our thinking through Twitter and blogging (Educating in the 21st Century and Pacer Post) and be able to come back to the conversation face to face. Often our conversations lead to a search on Twitter or reflection in a blog post. We started this digital journey together but Aaron has really taken off. I'm very fortunate to be learning so much from him. Check out Aaron's post on Becoming a Tweep! for his reflections on using Twitter as a learning tool.

It's this relationship with Aaron that has me enthusiastic about the potential of Twitter as a tool to support teacher collaboration in our own building. What if we were using social media tools in combination with valuable but limited face to face collaboration time? While we often talk about making cross-curricular connections, could Twitter make it possible? Most would agree that given the choice, face to face collaboration is best, but social media opens up the possibilities of including more participants at times that are convenient and accessible. Conflicting schedules? No problem! While face to face time is often limited by the daily demands of teaching - prepping for classes, marking, extra-curricular involvement, coaching, and life in general, social media is accessible 24/7. Add in benefits such as archiving posts and you have a powerful tool that is surprisingly easy to engage with.

Our DSS PLN is growing! Presently, @aakune, @agoelstevens, @gharkley, @rheagunning, @samotohashi, @kgadowsky, @nicolecruise and @terryainge are recent additions who are testing the waters. In the weeks and months ahead, I look forward to exploring the potential of these tools with even more colleagues at DSS. While I won't admit to having all the answers for "how",  like the little penguin, I'm feeling pretty energized about "why."

Check out this video from the learning blog on Twitter for Teachers for more: