Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Good Questions
I had the chance to talk with Claire today about some of the questions she's mulling around and found myself looking up this interview with Peter Senge on the Questions for Living site. So many of the questions he's asking resonated with me as questions we grapple with here. I'll steal a few for us to try out at our meeting this week--looking forward to seeing all of you on Thursday at 3:30!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
The Fog Town School of Thought
Kit Hawkins read this poem at the end of the professional development day at The Arbor School on Friday. I thought you would all appreciate it.
The Fog Town School of Thought
They should have taught us birds and trees
in school, they should have taught us beauty
and weaving bees and had a class
on listening and standing alone--
the children should have studied light
reflected from a spider web,
we should have learned the branches of streams
spread out like fingers or the veins
of a leaf--we should have learned the sky
is the tallest steeple, we should have known
a hill is a voice inside the sky--
O, we should have had our school
on top and stayed until the night
for the fog to bloom in the hollows and rise
like cotton spinning off a wheel--
we should have learned a dream--a child's
and even still a man's--is made
from fog and love, my word, you'd think
with the book in front of us we should
have learned how Fog Town got its name.
-Maurice Manning-
The Fog Town School of Thought
They should have taught us birds and trees
in school, they should have taught us beauty
and weaving bees and had a class
on listening and standing alone--
the children should have studied light
reflected from a spider web,
we should have learned the branches of streams
spread out like fingers or the veins
of a leaf--we should have learned the sky
is the tallest steeple, we should have known
a hill is a voice inside the sky--
O, we should have had our school
on top and stayed until the night
for the fog to bloom in the hollows and rise
like cotton spinning off a wheel--
we should have learned a dream--a child's
and even still a man's--is made
from fog and love, my word, you'd think
with the book in front of us we should
have learned how Fog Town got its name.
-Maurice Manning-
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Preparing for Thursday
Our next meeting is this Thursday, October 3rd!
Thinking about our conversation from last week, I think a protocol would be useful that could help us refine our skills in asking different types of questions, as well as to generate some ideas about the kinds of dilemmas or work we might present in future meetings. The Consultancy Protocol is one of the most versatile, with versions for both looking at dilemmas and for examining student work. As we prepare for fall conferences, we may want tools to help us look at collections of a particular student's work or to help us think through dilemmas arising in our classrooms and practice as we strive to meet the needs of everyone in our classroom community.
To help us refine the skills needed, we'll try an interactive fishbowl for modeling the consultancy on Thursday. It may be helpful to do a few things in advance:
Do some reflective writing (1/2 page or a page) on a dilemma you face. Use this document on framing consultancy dilemmas and questions as a guide.
Take a look at the pocket guide to probing questions in advance. We will have this available in print at the meeting for your reference.
See you on Thursday!
Thinking about our conversation from last week, I think a protocol would be useful that could help us refine our skills in asking different types of questions, as well as to generate some ideas about the kinds of dilemmas or work we might present in future meetings. The Consultancy Protocol is one of the most versatile, with versions for both looking at dilemmas and for examining student work. As we prepare for fall conferences, we may want tools to help us look at collections of a particular student's work or to help us think through dilemmas arising in our classrooms and practice as we strive to meet the needs of everyone in our classroom community.
To help us refine the skills needed, we'll try an interactive fishbowl for modeling the consultancy on Thursday. It may be helpful to do a few things in advance:
Do some reflective writing (1/2 page or a page) on a dilemma you face. Use this document on framing consultancy dilemmas and questions as a guide.
Take a look at the pocket guide to probing questions in advance. We will have this available in print at the meeting for your reference.
See you on Thursday!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
We're On The Calendar!
It's official, we're on the OES calendar for our monthly meetings in Morris House! Here are the dates to add to your own calendars. All meetings are 3:30-5:30 in the Morris House conference room:
Thursday, Sept. 19th
Thursday, Oct. 3rd
Thursday, Nov. 14
Thursday, Dec. 5th
Thursday, Jan 9th
Thursday, Feb 6th
Thursday, Mar 6th
Thursday, April 10
Thursday, May 8th
Our first meeting will be spent in a protocol to help us learn from one another's classroom environments. We hope to see you there!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Welcome Back, Friends.
Last August Hours Before the Year 2000
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Spun silk of mercy,
long-limbed afternoon,
sun urging purple blossoms from baked stems.
What better blessing than to move without hurry
under trees?
Lugging a bucket to the rose that became a twining
house by now, roof and walls of vine--
you could live inside this rose.
Pouring a slow stream around the
ancient pineapple crowned with spiky fruit,
I thought we would feel old
by the year 2000.
Walt Disney thought cars would fly.
What a drama to keep thinking the last summer
the last birthday
before the calendar turns to zeroes.
My neighbor says anything we plant
in September takes hold.
She's lining pots of little grasses by her walk.
I want to know the root goes deep
on all that came before,
you could lay a soaker hose across
your whole life and know
there was something
under layers of packed summer earth
and dry blown grass
to moisten.
----------
What are you planting this September?
What roots lay waiting?
Let's meet to find out what hopes we're nurturing and what we've decided is important enough to carry into this new school year. Shall we try Thursday, August 29th, in the garden in front of Morris House, 12:15ish-1:00? There's a picnic table there and I'll bring a blanket, as well. Bring your lunch and your calendar! I'll send out a message to all LS faculty so anyone interested will know--please feel free to spread the word.
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Spun silk of mercy,
long-limbed afternoon,
sun urging purple blossoms from baked stems.
What better blessing than to move without hurry
under trees?
Lugging a bucket to the rose that became a twining
house by now, roof and walls of vine--
you could live inside this rose.
Pouring a slow stream around the
ancient pineapple crowned with spiky fruit,
I thought we would feel old
by the year 2000.
Walt Disney thought cars would fly.
What a drama to keep thinking the last summer
the last birthday
before the calendar turns to zeroes.
My neighbor says anything we plant
in September takes hold.
She's lining pots of little grasses by her walk.
I want to know the root goes deep
on all that came before,
you could lay a soaker hose across
your whole life and know
there was something
under layers of packed summer earth
and dry blown grass
to moisten.
----------
What are you planting this September?
What roots lay waiting?
Let's meet to find out what hopes we're nurturing and what we've decided is important enough to carry into this new school year. Shall we try Thursday, August 29th, in the garden in front of Morris House, 12:15ish-1:00? There's a picnic table there and I'll bring a blanket, as well. Bring your lunch and your calendar! I'll send out a message to all LS faculty so anyone interested will know--please feel free to spread the word.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Our Realm of Influence
So many thanks to all of you for your trust, honesty, faith and time as we traveled down this CFG journey this year. If you couldn't join us today, we did some reflecting on what kept us coming to the CFG this year. What surprised us? What did we value?
Here are some notes on what was meaningful to us about the CFG:
-getting a glimpse into each others' classrooms and practice
-being inspired by colleagues' perspectives on the work they're doing
-walking away feeling energized and fulfilled instead of drained or frustrated
-hearing your own teaching frustrations mirrored in someone else's story, then hearing ideas and suggestions in their context that could be applied to your own
-a sense of honor and relationship
What would you add to this list? I'd love to hear from you about what you valued, what you craved more of, what you would like to see explored or questioned. I'll continue to compile this feedback as we look forward to next year.
We also tried out The Orchard Cove Protocol to look forward to next year. What work seems imperative to Lower School? What next steps do you think are important for us to embark on together as a learning community? What support will we need? What support can we provide each other?
In the spirit of that last question, what support we can provide one another, a model called the Realms of Concern and Influence came up. I offer it to you here as a tool for your own reflection, a journal prompt, or an activity with your team. Listing our concerns comes easily. What happens when we really look at what is within our immediate influence? What small changes can we make to our own time, collaborations and practice that can widen our realm of influence and ease our realms of concern?
Thank you again, friends, for your willingness to share this year together. I can't wait to see what the next school year holds in store for us.
Here are some notes on what was meaningful to us about the CFG:
-getting a glimpse into each others' classrooms and practice
-being inspired by colleagues' perspectives on the work they're doing
-walking away feeling energized and fulfilled instead of drained or frustrated
-hearing your own teaching frustrations mirrored in someone else's story, then hearing ideas and suggestions in their context that could be applied to your own
-a sense of honor and relationship
What would you add to this list? I'd love to hear from you about what you valued, what you craved more of, what you would like to see explored or questioned. I'll continue to compile this feedback as we look forward to next year.
We also tried out The Orchard Cove Protocol to look forward to next year. What work seems imperative to Lower School? What next steps do you think are important for us to embark on together as a learning community? What support will we need? What support can we provide each other?
In the spirit of that last question, what support we can provide one another, a model called the Realms of Concern and Influence came up. I offer it to you here as a tool for your own reflection, a journal prompt, or an activity with your team. Listing our concerns comes easily. What happens when we really look at what is within our immediate influence? What small changes can we make to our own time, collaborations and practice that can widen our realm of influence and ease our realms of concern?
Thank you again, friends, for your willingness to share this year together. I can't wait to see what the next school year holds in store for us.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Our Last Gathering of the Year
Our last scheduled gathering for this school year is tomorrow, Wed., May 15th. Let's plan on gathering from 4-5:30, and to reflect together on our school year and our experience as professional collaborators. See you then!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
May We Disagree
Some of us have lately been intrigued and challenged by this 18 min. TED Talk by CEO and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan, titled Is Conflict Good for Progress? I suspect CFG members may be particularly interested in Heffernan's thoughts on the importance of recognizing and embracing the potential in disagreement. From Heffernan's talk:
It's a fantastic model of collaboration, thinking partners who aren't echo chambers.
I wonder how many of us have, or dare to have, such collaborators.
What does that kind of constructive conflict require?
I think we need to be teaching these skills to kids and adults at every stage of their development if we want to have thinking organizations and a thinking society. The fact is that most of the biggest catastrophes we've witnessed rarely come from information that is secret or hidden. It comes from information that is freely available and out there but that we are willfully blind to because we can't handle, don't want to handle, the conflict that it provokes. But when we dare to break that silence or when we dare to see, and we create conflict, we enable ourselves and the people around us to do our very best thinking.
I first heard this talk as the final segment on a TED Radio Hour episode called Making Mistakes that also features ER physician Brian Goldman, professor, author and lecturer Brené Brown, and jazz musician Stefon Harris that further explores what we can learn and gain by reflecting on our mistakes. After Deborah and I discussed Heffernan's talk specifically, I know I started asking myself questions about how to encourage the embrace of conflict in my own classroom. By placing so much emphasis on connection and on building on each other's ideas, have I inadvertently created a climate where ideas that don't connect or easily slide together are avoided? Now that we've established relationships and community where the necessary trust and honor for one another is in place, how do we help children embrace the value of both connection and conflict?
This week we'll be treated to a picture into the work and growth Janet has been experiencing with Story Workshop in her classroom. I don't know about you, but one of the things I most cherish about Janet is her willingness to disagree, to state an opinion that she isn't certain will be embraced. I don't think of Janet as a person surrounded by conflict because she does all of this with a generous spirit and the humbleness of someone always wanting to learn. She is, however, someone I suspect understands some of the nuances of constructive conflict. I value her, and the rest of you, as members of our CFG community for the ways we are connected through this work but also through the ways we can challenge each others' thinking. Looking forward to seeing all of you on Thursday April 11th at 3:30 in the MHCR. May we find some ways to disagree!
It's a fantastic model of collaboration, thinking partners who aren't echo chambers.
I wonder how many of us have, or dare to have, such collaborators.
What does that kind of constructive conflict require?
I think we need to be teaching these skills to kids and adults at every stage of their development if we want to have thinking organizations and a thinking society. The fact is that most of the biggest catastrophes we've witnessed rarely come from information that is secret or hidden. It comes from information that is freely available and out there but that we are willfully blind to because we can't handle, don't want to handle, the conflict that it provokes. But when we dare to break that silence or when we dare to see, and we create conflict, we enable ourselves and the people around us to do our very best thinking.
I first heard this talk as the final segment on a TED Radio Hour episode called Making Mistakes that also features ER physician Brian Goldman, professor, author and lecturer Brené Brown, and jazz musician Stefon Harris that further explores what we can learn and gain by reflecting on our mistakes. After Deborah and I discussed Heffernan's talk specifically, I know I started asking myself questions about how to encourage the embrace of conflict in my own classroom. By placing so much emphasis on connection and on building on each other's ideas, have I inadvertently created a climate where ideas that don't connect or easily slide together are avoided? Now that we've established relationships and community where the necessary trust and honor for one another is in place, how do we help children embrace the value of both connection and conflict?
This week we'll be treated to a picture into the work and growth Janet has been experiencing with Story Workshop in her classroom. I don't know about you, but one of the things I most cherish about Janet is her willingness to disagree, to state an opinion that she isn't certain will be embraced. I don't think of Janet as a person surrounded by conflict because she does all of this with a generous spirit and the humbleness of someone always wanting to learn. She is, however, someone I suspect understands some of the nuances of constructive conflict. I value her, and the rest of you, as members of our CFG community for the ways we are connected through this work but also through the ways we can challenge each others' thinking. Looking forward to seeing all of you on Thursday April 11th at 3:30 in the MHCR. May we find some ways to disagree!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
See You Tomorrow!
Just a reminder that our next CFG meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13, from 4-6 pm in MHCR. Erin will present the beginnings of some project work using an Inquiry Protocol introduced to us by Judy Graves. Also a reminder to read the Seth Godin article for tomorrow's meeting, or to refresh your reading if you did it last month. We'll use this article as a centerpiece of a discussion around what kind of future we're preparing students for, and what kind of school experience we think they may need to have to enter that future at their fullest potential. Looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Block Party Article!
Thanks so much for your wonderful thoughts, insights and company this afternoon. Here's the link to the full Seth Godin article (Brainwashed: Seven Ways to Reinvent Yourself) to read for next month. If you are interested in hearing his interview with Krista Tippett on On Being, visit Seth Godin: The Art of Noticing, then Creating.
While you're on the On Being site, there are some amazing education-related interviews. Two of my favorites are Learning, Doing, Being: A New Science of Education featuring Adele Diamond, and The Meaning of Intelligence with Mike Rose.
While you're on the On Being site, there are some amazing education-related interviews. Two of my favorites are Learning, Doing, Being: A New Science of Education featuring Adele Diamond, and The Meaning of Intelligence with Mike Rose.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
February Meeting
The MHC is occupied tomorrow (Thursday), so we'll be meeting from 3:30-5:30 in Erin Baker's classroom. She has the biggest chairs! :) Thanks to Erin for her hospitality--see you then!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
A Few Opportunities
I wanted to let you know about an evening opportunity being offered through Lewis and Clark College on April 2nd, a brief hour and a half Courage to Teach experience rooted in poetry as a means to reflection called Renewing Ourselves as Professionals (link).
I also have the registration information for the 2013-2014 Courage to Teach cycle that starts next October if anyone is interested. Check here for dates, and let me know if you'd like me to forward you the registration form.
I hope these last weeks of winter are treating you well. Take care of yourselves! I look forward to us meeting again soon on Thursday, February 21st at 3:30 in MCR where Dori will invite us to participate in a protocol centered around some of her work with the Primary class. Thanks to all of you also for your valuable feedback regarding my presentation for the Planning for Playful Inquiry Workshop. It was certainly stronger and more meaningful thanks to your input. I look forward to sharing the revised version with interested OES Faculty sometime soon.
I also have the registration information for the 2013-2014 Courage to Teach cycle that starts next October if anyone is interested. Check here for dates, and let me know if you'd like me to forward you the registration form.
I hope these last weeks of winter are treating you well. Take care of yourselves! I look forward to us meeting again soon on Thursday, February 21st at 3:30 in MCR where Dori will invite us to participate in a protocol centered around some of her work with the Primary class. Thanks to all of you also for your valuable feedback regarding my presentation for the Planning for Playful Inquiry Workshop. It was certainly stronger and more meaningful thanks to your input. I look forward to sharing the revised version with interested OES Faculty sometime soon.
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