Chapters 4-6 Reflection Kaffar

Hello everyone,

First off I want to say that this blog along with our sessions has been an outstanding professional development for me this summer. Having four kids and trying to balance all this and reading the book, it gets me excited to go back to school in August. I love my job and I love meeting with all you to learn from your classrooms.

Chapter 4:
Ownership - - - > It is the ongoing issue that I think we face in this area, how do we reach our students, parents, the community, our stakeholders, the importance of education? Is it something that is truly valued here in the DL community? I know we can all say that some families definitely treasure and hold onto their education, but far too many do not. It is not just a problem in our area, I think it is an epidemic that goes beyond our district boundaries. Maybe we don't see the shift in the primary grades, but when they get to the middle level it starts to become exposed and further develops. As we discussed in our session today, the teacher still has an impact on whether a student succeeds in the classroom or not, but they need to be there first. Maybe what I am getting at is how important the role is of our teachers and how they can make an impact on their students.

The Genius Hour Rubric: I think I am going to vlog on this... be looking for a video and if you want to watch it great :)... If not, well thats ok too.

I underlined the phrase "This should be inquiry driven, intrinsically motivated learning." - Pg. 38. This is in reference to a final project/presentation. This is something I need to work on, especially with my own kids. My kids are 6, 4, 18 months, and 3 weeks and I need to work on the shift from extrinsic motivation (I get a hershey kiss if I do my duties and play nice with my siblings and friends) to intrinsic (I do this because it is the right thing to do and it will make me a better person). It goes along with the adult in their life (me ;)). . . I have said a lot this summer that I am "adulting" when I help with the rearing of our kids, it is more of an inside joke between my spouse and I, but there is truth in it. "Adulting" means discipline, adversity, strength, growth, love, and respect, plus many more... There is not a break in "adulting."

Then I love this one line in reference to the Genius Hour Project Based Learning (PBL): "When facilitated correctly, it allows students to first find, and then develop, their passions." - Pg. 44 -- There is still a role of the teacher to facilitate their learning and help them make the leap to the next step.

Chapter 5:
The first page of this chapter caught my eye (Pg. 49). I am sure we have all heard the stereotype that is out there that those teachers that are more experienced tend to not change their ways and keep doing what they are doing and have a philosophy of "It worked for the past 20 years so why wouldn't it work again?" Well, the professional on the first page, Denise Krebs has 29 years of experience and during her 25th year of teaching she implemented a some innovative practices! And she used Twitter, which means that she had to have been somewhat familiar with the trends in education and was willing to reform her thoughts to better her students. Inspiring... The only word I can think of is inspiring.

We have had a lot of discussions about the process and growing in our understanding of the #geniushour and I love the growth mindset that comes from PBL. It is not about the final project and I think sometimes we get caught up in the grade and assessment of their final product rather than the progression and the change in their perspective as they move from something that is raw to something that is nearing a finished product. I think we need to remember that they may never finish the product... It very well could be a lifelong project that builds on their understanding and life's adventures and this is just one of the many pieces.

Chapter 6:
I thought that chapter 6 was all about having your passions and purposes to blend into one idea. I think that at the secondary level this is a possibility as many students at this level have a base understanding of life's expectations and how to move forward with their life based on the outcomes they have been given.
A couple of quotes that have me really thinking from this chapter:
"Passion may lead us to new experiences, but ultimately it should point us to purpose." - Pg. 60
"Inquiry-based learning is about providing time for students to grow as learners, individuals, and creators." - Pg. 63
"Purpose drives the beginning research and the final creation." Pg. 64

Final thoughts: I get the feeling that the innovative process, genius hour, is pointing us back to more self-containment, or having one primary teacher teaching all subject areas and creating inter-disciplinary/cross-curricular units and integrating the necessary tools for our students to be successful.

Is there a such thing as too much or our students being too involved with the 20% Time/Genius hour aspect of education? Just a thought, I don't know the answer, but I would love to hear from others...

Don Wettrick mentioned to us when we went to visit him that many times his students have a drop in their grades of other classes due to their investment in their Innovative Classroom. Grades are not everything but that message has not been clear to our parents and stakeholders that put the pressure on As and Bs.