Working Today: But What About Tomorrow

It has been awhile since I last published so a lot of "stuff" is rattling around in this little brain of mine. I continue to be focused on and frustrated by the changes we need to consider if we are to make our schools places where kids and adults want to be. What does this mean beyond bringing gadgets used outside of school into the school house?


Some of the things that I am beginning to know are important for this significant shift from my reading, conversations, and reflections include:

• Knowledge is changing in this new world where anyone with access can influence what it is and how it is used.


• In this world we must find ways for kids to own the learning, to create the contexts for acquiring and using knowledge in ways meaningful to them.


• Teachers must become comfortable with owning their own learning with technology in and outside the classroom. It can not continue to be a sit and get, they must experiment with it and discover how it can enhance their personal and professional lives. They must be able to add value to inservice learning by teaching themselves.


• We must teach our kids how to teach themselves so that they can successfully adapt to an exponential world of change. This requires metacognition and sharing our own learning strategies. This works best when we are not the expert, when we are in an authentic learning situation like I find myself in with VISTA, blogs, wikis, and the list goes on.


• We are approaching a time when kids will not tolerate sit and get. There are too many options in place and around the corner to actively engage with and control their learning.


• We must engage our parents like we have not been able to do in the past. They must understand and support change if we are to continue with stable funding at the local level and if they are to be true partners in their children's learning.

What priority should I and we be giving these thoughts as we struggle to identify and implement aligned curriculum, common assessments, and Classroom 10? For me, it has become one of my highest priorities because I believe that we must change our environments as we consider what a Classroom 10 looks and sounds like. The stakes are too high to ignore. How to create this focus given all that we are doing and are expected to do and how to allocate resources for this effort has become the thing that keeps me awake. How to support shifts in our thinking and decision making that don't feel like demand without support is the struggle that I encounter almost daily.

Enough for now, have a great day!