From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069878/Muppets-film-brainwashing-children-rich-says-Fox-News-anchor-Eric-Bolling.html

In my last post I promised a follow-up on my post that highlighted the “Fair and Balanced” Fox News approach. This one’s a little old now but I really wanted to share it, in case anyone might think I was accusing Fox News of being silly…”‘I wish liberals could leave little kids alone’: Fox anchor’s anger over ‘brainwashing’ in MUPPETS movie as villain’s name is Tex Richman”… Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069878/Muppets-film-brainwashing-children-rich-says-Fox-News-anchor-Eric-Bolling.html#ixzz1jcPkul32

And… “Fox Accuses ‘The Muppets’ of Brainwashing Kids Against the Rich”.

Anyway, I have a lot of more serious issues I plan on blogging about but I do think it’s important for all of us to stay as fair, balanced and well-informed as possible!

From: http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/communication/using-the-four-types-of-feedback-effectively/

I just came across two different sources of information on feedback… from a recent McRel e-News email that I received. One is a podcast which you can access from McRel’s site OR from Classroom Instruction that Works: Insights from a next generation of research. The other is an interesting article on praise that highlights the effects of praising achievement versus praising effort.

There’s also an amazing (many TED Talks are) talk from a 13-year old on what adults can learn from kids…

Just thought I would share! Enjoy… (I’m planning a follow-up post on Fox News, related to my previous post… stay-tuned!).

By the way… the blog that I found cartoon on feedback from… Kevin Eikenberry’s blog, is also really good!

From: http://www.foxnews.com/

Well, I’m sure I’ll tie-in to those ideas, somehow. Anyway! What a weird week (yes, it’s only Tuesday)! I have had a few strange, funny articles shared with me or that I’ve come across that I’ve just got to throw on this page:

From: http://savvysavingbytes.com/2011/07/so-how-much-wood-pulp-did-you-eat-today/

15 Food Companies that Serve You ‘Wood‘, EU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration, and Fox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Don’t Watch Any News: Study

Seriously!? Common thread? The cynic in me has a not very positive answer… I’m just thankful that I’m not surrounded by the people being discussed in those articles! Humor IS important, after all… we just need to TRY not to make it others’ expense but… boy! Some really seem to set themselves up.

From: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/11/eu-bureaucrats-ban-claim-that-water-can-prevent-dehydration/

Anyway, let’s keep the important things in mind… these articles certainly illustrate the importance of perspective, balance, reflection and education that promotes critical thinking (See! There IS an education/stay positive/balance connection!).

From: http://www.newser.com/story/133702/eu-warns-bottled-water-companies-water-doesnt-prevent-dehydration.html

And (never start your sentences with “And”)… the Philippines has got to be one of the best places in the world to be heading into the Christmas season (after all, we’ve been gearing up since September!)… may we all enjoy the conclusion of this year and look forward to a better (smarter) year in 2012!

From: http://www.organize-utah.com/2010/03/organize-your-difficult-conversations-2/

In previous posts I have talked about establishing a collaborative culture focused on learning. I see that one of the roadblocks is shifting practice to one that requires teachers to collaborate also means that teachers must then open themselves up and become vulnerable.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Tools-Talking-Stakes/dp/0071401946

Crucial conversations need to occur… but often don’t, in the interest of not ‘rocking the boat’. Certainly, Kerry Patterson and company did a great job of providing a communication ‘toolkit’ so that we CAN engage in safe, powerful dialogue without hurting feelings and making others angry… but, the fact is, it’s not easy! Making it safe for all collaborators to communicate honestly takes time and the ‘right’ effort in building trust.

Real collaboration just can’t happen if difficult questions aren’t encouraged and explored. One of Rick DuFour’s colleagues, Bill Ferriter, described very well…

I can remember several times where conflict felt like failure to our learning team. We’d have intellectual disagreements about practices and believe that everything we were building was coming to an end. Worse yet, we didn’t have the skills for conflict resolution AND we were fighting against a constant barrage of “be a team player” messages that surround schools… Luckily, we stumbled across a phrase that we drilled into our heads: “Questioning isn’t about the person, it’s about the practice.”

By remembering that simple idea, questioning became safer for those doing the asking and for those being asked… And it worked.

Teachers are so wrapped up in our practices—we own them, we craft them, we believe in them—and in the nobility of our work that being questioned can be one of the most painful and personal “offenses.” It was only when we take the focus off of the person that questioning became safe on our learning team.

Let’s have that crucial dialogue, openly explore and remember, “Questioning isn’t about the person, it’s about the practice.” … we all have room for improvement!

From: http://trinities.org/blog/archives/2837

Background image from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/att/site1/20070801/xin_530804011109988173573.jpg

In my previous post I touched on the concept, introduced to our faculty by Jennifer Sparrow during an EARCOS Weekend Workshop, of TEA… Targets, Evidence, Action(s). It’s a great way to organize thinking on what we do as a school. In many respects, it’s a simplified version of creating a results-oriented school advocated by Mike Schmoker, Rick & Becky DuFour, and others. In fact, it simplifies the SMART Goals process originally established by Jan O’Neill and Ann Conzemius.

From Jennifer Sparrow EARCOS Weekend Workshop, Sept. 3-4, 2011

Our job is to focus on student learning and how to improve it. It’s just common sense that we first figure out what we want our students to learn (learning objectives/Performance Standards); gather evidence that indicates how well they are ‘getting it’; and develop a plan of action to ensure they are supported and able to reach those intended learning goals. A simple, direct approach to helping all learners meet their goals. Thanks again, Jennifer Sparrow! Cuppa TEA?

From: http://www.joelmonty.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Education-Paradigm-Shift.png

I have three things very much on my mind, lately…

1. the general direction that education is going;
2. technology and how best to integrate it/use it/teach it;
3. and, the work we’re doing at my school on continuing to build a collaborative culture.

Until I wrote that previous sentence I have been thinking of those three things separately. I must be going blind/losing my mind. Seeing them in print – it hits me hard that they are all inextricably related. The fourth thing, that ties the three together, is what I deal with at work on a daily basis.

I read Jay Cross’ Internet Time blog (irregularly) when I want to reflect on 21st Century learning as it spans the worlds of education and business. He descriptively summarizes the direction the world is going when he talks about learning…

The process of seeking out and sharing meaning is a responsibility of enlightened social citizenship… Work-life was much simpler in the last century. Information work entailed following instructions, logical analysis and left-brained procedures. Today’s concept work is improvizaton (sic). Learning leaders must deal with situations that aren’t in the rule book. Concept work relies on pattern recognition, tacit knowledge and the wisdom borne of experience. You can’t pick this up in a workshop… The workplace has changed. Business has become unpredictable. Results are asymmetric. Everyone’s connected…  Learning and work are converging. Time has sped up… The 21st century workplace is so different from its predecessor that managers and professionals must

From: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom's+and+ICT+tools

follow a new set of practices to succeed.

Every ounce of my being believes that developing a collaborative culture in which administrators, teachers, students and parents learn together by establishing what outcomes are essential (the Target); how we will know students are achieving those outcomes (the Evidence); and, what we will do to support ALL students in achieving those outcomes (the Action) is THE WAY TO GO! Rick DuFour and his Solution Tree colleagues have a great blog (for all of us) that helps keep us focused on how to develop a real collaborative culture centered on learning. Problem is… it ain’t easy!

Procrastination, Coblaboration instead of Collaboration, unwillingness to adjust practice based on evidence because ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it’ all make it very difficult to stay on course and promote a collaborative focus on learning.

More to come later on using Targets, Evidence and Action as an organizer for school improvement and focusing on improving student learning…thank you, Jennifer Sparrow, EARCOS Expert Practitioner!

From the 101Educare blogspot: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FncW59VAuGg/TGFwKgVgk8I/AAAAAAAAEhE/5pbtOOIXF7w/s1600/think-positive.jpg

In fact, I’m feeling pretty positive for two main reasons: I’m back in the classroom again… as a teacher, AND despite work being… well… WORK, it’s going pretty smoothly so far.  Orientation was short, a bit intense but IMHO went well. I think the core message – what we’re here for as educators – came through loud and clear.  Light that fire, encourage those questions, help the students meet learning goals (feedback in the form of formative assessments and trying new strategies, helps) really embrace our role as educators/guides/mentors and COLLABORATE and learn together.

I feel amazingly relaxed for having such a full plate (leading school accreditation, setting up MAP testing, guiding school-wide curriculum work, managing Professional Development for faculty, empowering HODs to facilitate learning on all levels, and teaching that class). I’ve talked about presuming positive intentions – something I regularly remind myself of.  An extension of that is establishing positive expectations. To me, that means expectations that are realistic and help us all move forward – learning together. Positive expectations for me and what I can offer – realistically. Positive expectations for my students and what they can achieve.  Positive expectations for faculty in what they can achieve.

The start of a new year SHOULD be positive… let’s keep that energy going through the entire year!

From: www.theenergybus.com

]]> http://balancingacts.wordpress.com/2011/08/06/positive-energy-positive-expectations/feed/ 0 jlevno think-positive Poster-ThinkPositive http://balancingacts.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/back-at-it/ http://balancingacts.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/back-at-it/#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:02:01 +0000 jlevno http://balancingacts.wordpress.com/?p=334 ]]> I love sites like ThinkExist.com that have random quotes… it’s amazing the direction one can take you!  I just saw the following quote on their random quote of the day post:

Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.

~ Howard Aiken (American computer engineer and mathematician 1900-1973)

My first reaction… I laughed! That’s good, I thought. Then, I thought some more… I’m preparing for faculty orientation, starting very soon… no, that’s not so great. I would like to think I have plenty of good ideas… My leadership philosophy (and life philosophy, in general) is NOT, “Ram it down their throats”! Yet, I admit to being frustrated, at times, by what appears to me to be good, common-sensical ideas that aren’t put into practice. The question is, why?

As with so many things (broken record, here…) it all comes down to two essential and inter-related things: trust and communication. My wife (knowing what a sucker I am for ‘Leadership readings’) sent me an article link from Forbes – The 8 Steps to Authentic Leadership. Again! There in black and white – how essential trust is, how linked it is to proactive communication. It takes time, too!

I love this visual summary by Jack Ricchiuto, at Network Weaving:

From Network Weaving - The Trust Equation 1.0!

So, as we head into a new school year, let’s work on that trust thing.  Patiently, presuming positive intentions and asking questions (the best ones are difficult ones) that help us all reflect and improve!

From: http://www.smstemplates.net/category/trust-sms/

I’ve reflected before on the cyclical nature of the school year. Despite our full knowledge (and considerable wisdom) of what’s in front of us, stress levels peak and patience wanes! In the Philippines, we have another notable factor that influences moods – the heat and intense humidity before rainy season!

My advice… eat! This may sound like common sense… the facts are, food provides nourishment, pleasure and, when you include others, fellowship. Aircon helps . There’s a lot to be said for that person that first urged others to, “Eat, drink and be merry!” The Philippines is a GREAT place to employ this maxim.

As the year draws to a close, savor those final moments and realize that it is a cycle and the ‘refresh and rejuvenate’ part is right around the corner!

From: http://chipdesignmag.com/sld/blog/2010/02/25/mind-the-gap/

Point made repeatedly: We really already know

what we SHOULD be doing… .

The phenomenon (to use a relatively neutral descriptor) of the Learning – Doing Gap seems to occur for a variety of reasons (fear, lack of focus, lack of belief in self-efficacy [caused by many other factors], lack of skills/capacity, laziness, confusing talk with action [talking about what we can/should be doing is not

actually doing it], etc.). Personally, I think it really comes down to three things: the willingness of leaders to commit time and effort to a single-minded focus (on student learning); effective communication skills, ability to build trust (and eliminate fear).

The Dufours sure chose an appropriate title – Learning by Doing. That automatically takes care of being action orientated AND building trust (as we learn together we inevitably make mistakes and take risks… by doing that together, we build trust). At the heart of it – there are no shortcuts.  We all want a magic

bullet that makes everything better without much effort.  It does take effort but it doesn’t need to be an EXTRA effort.  The benefits far outweigh the costs when there is a clear focus and you ‘cut-out’ what doesn’t need to be done.  Work smarter and more focused, not harder.

WORK SMARTER! NOT HARDER. From Ryan Eliason's blog: http://bestbusinessyear.com/the-8020-rule/