The IDEA Blog
Young Principal Elevates Student Voices in Rural Texas
Note: This is cross-posted from the Community Learning Exchange (CLE) Blog - many thanks to the great folks at CLE and to Melia Dicker for this piece.
Mark Cantu is the kind of school principal who never talks down to students. Instead, he asks them to speak up, and he creates every opportunity for them to do so.
Mark is only 29 years old, so it wasn’t long ago that he was in his students’ shoes. He grew up in a Latino family in a small Texas town, and he was fortunate enough to have opportunities that helped him become the leader he is today. When he was in high school, he developed his leadership skills through the Llano Grande Center for Research and Development and was mentored by its founders, Miguel and Francisco Guajardo. Afterward, as many Llano Grande graduates do, Mark received his Master’s degree and Ph.D., and he stayed in Texas to improve education for the next generation of students.
“That learning experience (at Llano Grande) was really powerful for me when I was going through high school,” Mark says. “I wanted to do something similar within my new context at Waelder, and find ways to engage students both in and out of school.”
Students from Waelder spoke to the Texas legislature about state testing. From left: Principal Mark Cantu, Tatiana Garica, Jackie Garcia, Cody Orona, teacher Meghan House, Randy Tovar.
Circles open space for students to be heard
Back in the fall of 2008, when Mark was teaching English as a Second Language to students who had recently arrived in the U.S., he attended his first Community Learning Exchange in the Boston area. The focus of this CLE was strengthening youth-adult partnerships, especially within immigrant communities, and promoting collective leadership through peacemaking circles.
“This was the first time I’d engaged in the circle process, and I saw what it did for us.” Mark says. “We immediately opened up to each other and began to develop relationships that would positively impact...
Posted on Jun 13, 2013 - 12:24 PM by Dana Bennis
What Teachers Can Learn from Caine’s Arcade: Part 3
This is a guest post by Leigh Pourciau, a writer and Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project and a middle-school creative writing and language arts educator. On the side, she's a member of LearnZillion's educator Dream Team and leads Common Core professional development in Mississippi. She graduated from Mississippi University for Women in 2008 and lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her rescue mutt, Eudora Sheltie.You can contact Leigh at leigh.pourciau [at] gmail.com
Part 3: Take advice from your students
If you’re just tuning in, check out Part 1 - where Caine taught us to give students space, and Part 2 - where Caine taught us how to think like an entrepreneur.
The author with Nirvan and Caine
When I got home from meeting Caine and Nirvan at LearnZillion’s TeachFest, I was still puzzling over one question in my mind.
How can I make my classroom more like Caine’s dad’s auto parts shop so that my students, even the struggling ones, will become innovators like Caine?
How can I make my classroom more like Caine’s dad’s auto parts shop so that my students, even the struggling ones, will become innovators like Caine?
To answer this question, I turned to my students. I showed them the video and then asked them to reflect on what Caine could teach teachers. In doing so, they wrote this blog entry, which is composed of my favorite excerpts from their writing:
15 Pieces of Advice from Students to Teachers
Kenley (13) wrote, “Children just need something to love or to invest their time and energy into…we need space to try to learn for ourselves. Sometimes that’s the answer for problems.”
Melaan (14) wrote, “I’ve kind of got imagination and no use for it…I would rather be able to solve things on my own and be creative about it than be taught in a dull classroom with barely any room to grow creatively.”
Hailey (14), “I think teachers hold our hands from the beginning and have a hard time letting go, when actually they never had to hold on anyway...I mean, look at Caine! His brilliance is showing because he was given the proper tools and then provided...
Posted on Jun 10, 2013 - 12:13 PM by Dana Bennis
Mission Hill Chapter 10: Faith and Courage
This is a guest post by Laura Thomas, Director of the Antioch Center for School Renewal, the service division of Antioch University New England’s Education Department. Laura is currently involved in research around the experiences of students and educators in rural environments, particularly in the areas of social justice, problem based learning, and technology integration. The author of Facilitating Authentic Learning, (Corwin Press, 2012), she blogs at The Critical Skills Classroom and can be found on Twitter @CriticalSkills1
When we talk about schools in the 21st Century, we talk about a lot of things. Data, testing, competency, standards, and accountability are part and parcel of the lexicon of schools. Our focus has shifted to the hands and head - what children and teachers know and can do - at the expense of the heart and soul - what we believe and feel. In Chapter 10 of A Year at Mission Hill, we watch the community move through a series of reflective processes - exhibitions, retreats, and conversations about the future - by which they build a bridge between the head and the heart made up of equal parts faith and courage.
Any educator worth knowing recognizes that teaching is an act of tremendous faith. The seeds planted in a single school year may not be ready to harvest until years later. “It’s not about how hard we’re working,” says one teacher at Mission Hill, “it’s about how much they’re learning. There are all those small pieces you put into place, but those are all tiny little building blocks and it takes time for them to become something.”
The teachers I’ve talked with all over the country echo this sentiment. Half art, half science, the alchemy of supporting kids as they learn to reason, to process, to collaborate, and to think doesn’t always lend itself well to the timelines and assessment systems required by current educational policy. No Child Left Behind and it’s stepsister Race to The Top, two seemingly...
Posted on Jun 07, 2013 - 06:46 AM by Dana Bennis
Transforming Professional Development in Zuni Pueblo
Note: This is cross-posted from the Community Learning Exchange (CLE) Blog - many thanks to the great folks at CLE and to Melia Dicker for this piece.
Say the words “professional development” to a group of teachers, and watch their eyes glaze over.
“Everyone’s skeptical of professional development, of the guy who’s going to come in and fix everybody,” says Lee Francis IV, an education doctoral student and former high school teacher. Lee knows from experience what professional development can be like. “It’s so data driven, about bureaucracy and accountability measures,” he says. “Professional development can be really shallow.”
So when Lee was invited to lead a professional development session with a group of 40 plus teachers and school administrators in New Mexico, he made sure to bring something unexpected to the table.
Teachers and school administrators in Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico.
Lee began his session at Zuni Middle School in New Mexico by informing participants of the agenda for the day: Tell stories, and listen to stories.
“It threw them off,” Lee says. “Most efforts are quick intros or icebreaker games, like ‘Tell us one interesting thing about yourself,’ not taking time to do deep storytelling.”
He introduced the group to the Center for Ethical Leadership's concept of Gracious Space: A spirit and a setting where we invite the 'stranger' and learn in public. Each person would take a turn to speak, as much or as little as they chose to.
Building morale with Gracious Space
The new superintendent of the Zuni Public School District, Hayes Lewis, had invited Lee to share Gracious Space with his staff after he had attended the Community Learning Exchange (CLE) gathering in San Marcos the previous year.
“He was very moved by the process of Gracious Space and how we facilitate the CLE,” said Lee, a participant at several CLE gatherings. The superintendent’s hope for bringing the process to Zuni Middle...
Posted on Jun 06, 2013 - 11:06 AM by Melia Dicker
A Year at Mission Hill: The Final Chapter
Today is the release of the 10th and final chapter of A Year at Mission Hill, about a year in the life of a remarkable public school. Since January, a segment of the film has been released every two weeks and shared by over 50 organizations, networks, and communities.
The more than 200,000 views of the film between YouTube, community screenings, and the Prezi, are a testament to the power of a very simple story: teachers, parents, and students working together as a democratic learning community.
This last chapter wraps up the school year and is longest in the film - 10 minutes - and the most emotionally stirring. We honor the teachers, parents, and students of Mission Hill School for sharing their lives with us, and urge you to watch and share the final chapter with others:
The more than 200,000 views of the film between YouTube, community screenings, and the Prezi, are a testament to the power of a very simple story: teachers, parents, and students working together as a democratic learning community.
This last chapter wraps up the school year and is longest in the film - 10 minutes - and the most emotionally stirring. We honor the teachers, parents, and students of Mission Hill School for sharing their lives with us, and urge you to watch and share the final chapter with others:
You can view all chapters of the film and check out resources for each on the A Year at Mission Hill website.
Posted on Jun 06, 2013 - 08:59 AM by Dana Bennis
Wrap of Mission Hill Chapter 9 - Seeing the Learning
"The 8th grade portfolio exhibition process - it's almost like a thesis review, where they have to defend their work."
We're nearing the end of the ten chapter film, "A Year at Mission Hill." More than 200,000 people have viewed at least one of the pieces of the series through YouTube, community screenings, and the amazing Prezi.
This second to last segment focuses on one of the lighning-rod issues in education: assessment. For Mission Hill School, assessment is interpreted as "authentic" assessment -- tasks that connect to students' lives and interests as well as the needs of the community. Check out this great chapter if you haven't seen it yet:
Here's a wrap of articles and blogs responding to Chapter 9:
On assessment that supports education - Monty Neill, Executive Director of Fairtest
This episode introduces viewers to the Mission Hill portfolio system, collections of student work that complement the observations and interactions. As one teacher explains, “I really believe in looking at a student’s work as the best indicator.” The portfolios guide feedback to and evaluation of students. They also help teachers reflect on their teaching, individually and collectively. . . .The video series and this segment provide great evidence that our nation can develop educationally beneficial assessment. Most important, the film shows us why students and teachers – and we the public – deserve far better than test-based accountability.
On the broader picture of student growth - Carrie Lee Ferguson, mother, author, and activist
In an environment where they are free to self-express, students will so readily and creatively demonstrate what they have learned. We cannot let testing get in the way of whole-hearted expression, of the development of the whole human being, with an abundance of abilities and intelligences.
On the role of teachers in assessment - Kim Farris-Berg, author and consultant
Mission Hill's...
Posted on Jun 05, 2013 - 08:04 AM by Dana Bennis
What Teachers Can Learn from Caine’s Arcade: Part 2
This is a guest post by Leigh Pourciau, a writer and Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project and a middle-school creative writing and language arts educator. On the side, she's a member of LearnZillion's educator Dream Team and leads Common Core professional development in Mississippi. She graduated from Mississippi University for Women in 2008 and lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her rescue mutt, Eudora Sheltie.You can contact Leigh at leigh.pourciau [at] gmail.com
Part 2: Think like an entrepreneur
If you’re just tuning in, check out Part 1 in this series where Caine taught us to give students space.
At LearnZillion’s TeachFest, Nirvan revealed to us that he and Caine have shared many unexpected experiences since the short film went viral. In fact, Caine was invited to speak at a creativity conference in France last year. Nirvan divulged that Caine, not one for standing still, fashioned new games out of discarded pamphlets behind the conference stage where he, Arianna Huffington, and Bill Clinton would all present.
On the flight home, Nirvan challenged Caine to write down some things that he had learned from starting his own business. Here is Caine’s advice:
Who needs Moleskine when you’ve got an Air France barf bag?
Caine’s 5 Pieces of Entrepreneurial Advice on a Barf Bag (and how they apply to education):
1) Be nice to customers.
How would your practice change if you thought of yourself as a small business owner and your students as customers? Would you work harder to personalize the service that you give them? Would you be more careful to police the words that you say to them to ensure that they would continue to buy in to your “product”? What creative techniques would you use to “advertise” to them beyond the boundaries of your physical classroom?
2) Do a business that is fun.
A lot of time we teachers forget to find the fun in our jobs. We forget how much our students can learn through play –...
A lot of time we teachers forget to find the fun in our jobs. We forget how much our students can learn through play –...
Posted on May 31, 2013 - 05:39 AM by Dana Bennis
Mission Hill’s Five Habits of Mind - Rules to Live By
This is a guest post by Matthew Knoester, a National Board Certified Teacher and former teacher at the Mission Hill School, and currently Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Evansville. Matthew recently wrote a book about the Mission Hill School, entitled Democratic Education in Practice: Inside the Mission Hill School (Teachers College Press, 2012) and edited a book called International Struggles for Critical Democratic Education (Peter Lang, 2012).
Early in the A Year at Mission Hill series (can you believe the ninth chapter was released already?), filmmakers Amy and Tom Valens and narrator Sam Chaltain drew our attention to five “Habits of Mind” that are the central focus of the Mission Hill School curriculum. These “habits” are really questions that thoughtful people regularly pose to themselves. They are about being skeptical and evaluating the worth of arguments and tasks. They are:
Early in the A Year at Mission Hill series (can you believe the ninth chapter was released already?), filmmakers Amy and Tom Valens and narrator Sam Chaltain drew our attention to five “Habits of Mind” that are the central focus of the Mission Hill School curriculum. These “habits” are really questions that thoughtful people regularly pose to themselves. They are about being skeptical and evaluating the worth of arguments and tasks. They are:
1. Evidence - asking, “how do you know?”
2. Connections - asking, “how is this connected to something else I already know or care about?”
3. Perspective or Viewpoint - asking, “from whose perspective is this story being told?”
4. Conjecture - asking, “how can I imagine a different outcome?”, and
5. Relevance - asking, “why is this important?”
These Habits of Mind are intentionally interwoven into much of what takes place at Mission Hill, from 8th grade portfolio defenses, to mediating schoolyard disputes. These particular habits were chosen because they are central questions that professionals in many sectors of the economy regularly use, and they are central questions ordinary citizens ought to ask as they evaluate and deliberate on issues while taking part in civic duties, such as serving on the board of a community organization, judging pieces of legislation, serving on jury duty, or deciding on a candidate for election.
What struck me about the 8th and 9th chapters of the film series was that the...
Posted on May 30, 2013 - 07:33 AM by Dana Bennis
What Teachers Can Learn from Caine’s Arcade: Part 1
This is a guest post by Leigh Pourciau, a writer and Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project and a middle-school creative writing and language arts educator. On the side, she's a member of LearnZillion's educator Dream Team and leads Common Core professional development in Mississippi. She graduated from Mississippi University for Women in 2008 and lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her rescue mutt, Eudora Sheltie.You can contact Leigh at leigh.pourciau [at] gmail.com
Part 1: Give them space
I recently participated in a well-earned standing ovation given by 200 teachers. The recipient of this applause was not a CEO, a principal, or a six-figure-earning educational consultant, but a ten-year-old boy – the son of an auto mechanic from east LA. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? Caine Monroy? If not, stop everything and watch Nirvan Mullick’s short film about his cardboard arcade before proceeding.
Back to that standing O. I was sitting among 200 other educators at LearnZillion’s TeachFest. When the company’s co-founder Eric Westendorf opened the morning session by showing this film, laughter and sniffles spread throughout the room. We teachers were struck by the seemingly simple truths Caine’s story revealed about how we learn. We learn when we are self-motivated. We learn when we are doing something we love. In awe of Caine, we sat quietly as the lights in the hotel ballroom flickered back on.
Eric took the stage and announced that we had two guest speakers – Caine and Nirvan, in the flesh! Inspired by their shared creativity and what they had accomplished by pursuing their passions, all 200 of us rocketed out of our seats and began clapping. In that moment, I realized how strange it was that this was the first education conference I’d attended whose featured guest was a child, not an adult. Who better to teach teachers?
Educators cheer for Caine and Nirvan
In the following Q&A session, Caine answered our questions...
Posted on May 24, 2013 - 07:09 AM by Dana Bennis
Mission Hill Ch. 9: Making the Journey to Authentic Assessment
This is a guest post by Laura Thomas, Director of the Antioch Center for School Renewal, the service division of Antioch University New England’s Education Department. Laura is currently involved in research around the experiences of students and educators in rural environments, particularly in the areas of social justice, problem based learning, and technology integration. The author of Facilitating Authentic Learning, (Corwin Press, 2012), she blogs at The Critical Skills Classroom and can be found on Twitter @CriticalSkills1
In Chapter 9 of A Year at Mission Hill, we get a window into what assessment looks like when teachers and leaders recognize that the best way to measure a student’s progress requires more than a standardized exam, when they step beyond the “narrow measures of success” used in our current educational policies. What seems intuitive in theory - what educator would disagree that this is the case? - can seem overwhelming in the face of intense district, state, and federal pressure to raise test scores.
Salem Avenue Elementary School in Hagerstown, Maryland, is one school that has committed to “sitting beside” students in an effort to accurately assess what they know and can do. I recently spoke with Mary Helen Spiri, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Coalition of Essential Schools and school coach at Salem Ave about her work- a process she describes as “Helping the faculty to shape a planning process that back-maps from standards, enduring understandings and big ideas from the end of the year when exhibitions happen, back to the beginning of the year.”
The process began nine years ago, when the faculty and staff agreed to join the Coalition of Essential Schools and work with Dr. Spiri in an effort to increase student success. By examining classroom practice, school culture, and relationships between the community, school, and families, the school community as a whole was able to progress towards more authentic assessment...
Posted on May 23, 2013 - 06:47 AM by Dana Bennis
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