In this chapter, Payne details the "hidden rules" of a group. According to our reading, students in poverty view people as possessions, money as something to be used or spent, language as survival and education as valued, but in an abstract way.
Why is it important that we as BES staff members understand the "hidden rules" of poverty?
How can we communicate the hidden rules of Birdville Elementary to all of our students? What are some success stories you have had in doing this?
We are going to take a "commercial break" from the Visioning Document for a bit. We have had several good conversations about the material in the document, but we are going to take some time to refresh/refocus some of our beliefs. In the fall, we wrote down statements on post it notes about the ten things that we wanted our students to say about Birdville Elementary. The first WOW team then compiled those ideas into the belief statements that were posted in the lounge for some time. Well, after reading the Visioning Document and especially after our staff meeting last Monday, I pose a new question for you to consider...
What are some things that you want people (students, parents, staff and community) to say about Birdville Elementary?
Please post your responses. We will use these postings when we discuss our beliefs as a staff on Friday, April 10. Please have your postings done by Wednesday morning.
It is ironic that our discussion of this article appears this week, our first week of TAKS for the 2009-2010 school year. In the previous weeks, many of you have come to me frustrated about how your students will perform on the TAKS test. Students have been attending tutorial sessions and parents were coming to school to confer with their child's teacher about progress toward "passing." I have spent the better part of the last week (especially this weekend) planning and preparing for the TAKS test. I am sure that you have read your blue TAKS Administrator manuals and are ready for our own "Super Tuesday."
With that said, Article III deals with assessments. The statement of principle of Article III begins, "Appropriate and varied types of assessments are essential for informing students about their level of success..." After you read Article III, please post your opinion on assessment vs. standarized testing. Are they one in the same? What are their differences? Are standarized tests useful? Why or why not?
Thank you to everyone who posted thus far! If you read through the responses, several of us maintained that we need to take risks with our instruction to let students have access to technology at school. However, there is a certain level of fear out there about how exactly to use these new tools.
Just to let everyone know, I have been attending some lunch classes on technology offered through BISD. The ITS are amazing! I have learned so much this year about using these tools in my job as a principal. I can say though, sometimes you just have to get out there and mess with the tools to get comfortable. I would encourage ALL OF YOU to get your students in the labs and try something new. (Just this past week, I learned how to Twitter.)
Article II in the VI document presents a discussion on New Learning Standards. These standards should be clear, deal with multiple intelligences and be flexible enough to expand at the local level (to name a few).
Watch this video before responding.
This week's question...
How would you write these new learning standards in a way that would incorporate a future that we may not be able to imagine yet? Information is multiplying at an exponential rate, how do we keep up?
As promised, we will use this blog to discuss the Visioning Institute document.
The VI document explains that schools must adapt to the ever expanding digital learning environment. Our children, the "digital natives" have almost unlimited information at their fingertips via the internet. They know how to navigate through technology while we as adults are still trying to learn how to "Tevo" or record a T.V. show. (Some of us may still be trying to figure out how to set our VCR!)
If this is the case, how do we or how should we embrace this new learning environment for our students?
How would this look like at Birdville Elementary?
How would this look like in our classrooms?
What do we need to make this happen?
We will continue to discuss the VI document through this blog. The expectation is that all staff members will post a comment to each blog posting, and respond to another staff member's posting. Enjoy!
Hello everyone, I hope to use this blog as a means for us to collaborate professionally about our learning at Birdville Elementary. We have so many staff members who are more proficient at this "blogging thing" as I am, so I hope that I will only facilitate not direct this journey.
This blog will be used for us to share what we are learning. Whether book studies, professional development, our study of strengths or simply a discussion of our own learning, this site will aid us in learning together.
As is expected at school, please remember to keep your comments constructive and productive. Nothing is to be gained by tearing each other down.
