February 2016 BCPVPA Journal Volume 28 • Number 3

Adminfo February 2016

BCPVPA Journal

Volume 28 • Number 3

HERE’S SOMETHING JUST FOR

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Honouring our partners BCPVPA President Gordon Li looks at the value of our many community supporters and how we can honour their contributions.

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or as long as I remember, BCPVPA Chapters have annually recognized some of their significant community supporters through a nomination for a BCPVPA Partnership Award.

2015 — 2016 Board of Directors President Gordon Li (Burnaby) [email protected] President-elect Kevin Reimer (Comox Valley) [email protected] Directors Susan Clough (Surrey) [email protected] Steve Dalla Lana (Prince George) [email protected]

When the Awards were initiated, the focus was clear: “The Awards recognize the valuable support provided to principals, viceprincipals, teachers and students by individuals or groups who have, over an extended period of time, demonstrated strong support for public education creating a direct benefit for students.” Throughout the years many worthwhile individuals and organizations have been recognized. A startlingly large number of awards have been presented to individuals who have put tremendous effort into breakfast and lunch programs for hungry

Darren Danyluk (Rocky Mountain) [email protected] David DeRosa (Kootenay-Columbia) [email protected]

students. We have recognized firefighters in several districts for volunteering, engaging students, and funding bursaries. We have acknowledged the work of local businesses such as the Panago Pizza owners in Hope who both fed many students and also promoted literacy through a unique park-based family reading event. We have also recognized major companies through their involvement in districts all over the province — from Overwaitea in Fernie where the managers “demonstrated exceptional dedication and support to the students for many years and diAt the 2014 Partnership Awards, Anne Mae Rae was recognized by the Vernon PVPA for five years of volunteer efforts to provide breakfast to 100 students every morning. “Anne Mae recognizes when students need a caring adult in their lives. She is there to greet them, ask them about important things, encourage them and offers them something to eat. She connects with young people and makes them feel special. She serves up love.”

Heidi Grant (Nechako Lakes) [email protected] Brett Johnson (Greater Victoria) [email protected] Bryan Johnson (Sooke) [email protected] Lee Karpenko (Prince George) [email protected] Carol-Ann Leidloff (Kootenay Lake) [email protected] Brian Leonard (Coquitlam) [email protected] February 2016 • Adminfo • 3

ISSN: 1201-4214

rectly benefited thousands of public school children and have provided them with the means to generate funds and participate in numerous educational and worthwhile activities” to the work of Teck Resources in Southeast Kootenay. Rotary and Kiwanis groups have been recognized, along with cultural groups such as the Russian Community, which helped to keep Russian culture alive for Kootenay students. We have recognized police officers and military personnel, and CKNW’s Orphan Fund’s work in New Westminster. One year we honoured a retired principal, Len Cox, who founded a scholarship fund in Penticton and raised more

than $1-million dollars between 1985 and 2012. I am sure that all BCPVPA members are well aware of someone in their school communities who has quietly reached out month after month, year after year, to support students. This is a great opportunity to recognize them and I encourage Chapters to submit a nomination before the deadline of March 31. Nominations can be downloaded from the BCPVPA website, but a direct link is here: http://bit.ly/1MWn2fL The BCPVPA Partnership Award is a beautifully framed print, which features an owl and eagle, and was created by Bill Bedard (who is also the artist who created our Connecting

Professional Reading

Creating Thinking Classrooms by Roland Case & Garfield Gini-Newman

Leading educational change for a 21st century world

Leaders logo). Bill has told us that his art incorporates both an Owl ‘to reflect the wisdom and the world of educators and their supporters because the work not end when the students go home, but requires many nights of hard work and reflection as we strive to prepare our students for a better tomorrow’ and an eagle who ‘travels between the physical world and spiritual world and signifies focus, great strength, peace, leadership and prestige.’ It is a beautiful work and I know that wherever it is displayed it is a reminder to one of our community partners that sometimes good work is not only appreciated but acknowledged as well.

Published in association with the BCPVPA & available from our website

Spirals of Inquiry by Judy Halbert & Linda Kaser

Organized to provide readers with specific inquiry tools, research evidence and examples from practice in BC schools. February 2016 • Adminfo • 4

Leadership Standards for Principals & Vice-Principals in British Columbia Relational Leadership, Instructional Leadership, Organizational Leadership Moral Stewardship

Learners at the center

A Coquitlam middle school weaves practice and theory

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by Leslie Dyson

ost educators and those who support them are working toward a day when everything we know about how children learn and the best pedagogical strateThe growth mindset that defines the culture of Eagle Mountain Middle gies combine with a beautiful fais illustrated by visual arts teacher Kevin Keeler. cility and a learning environment in which students, parents, teachers, and administrators are all pulling in secondary school. The large gym the same direction. is open to the multi-purpose room If you want to know what such a place is like, take a look at Eagle Moun- equipped with ping pong tables. tain Middle School, nestled in a forest in Anmore in the Coquitlam school Classroom walls can open and doudistrict. Principal Nancy Bennett, 44 years an educator and 20 as a princi- ble as white boards. pal, said, “I’ve been waiting my whole career for this. It’s so honouring of Students could be seen working the kids and the educators and what they bring.” around project tables and in quiet Vice-Principal Jonathan Sclater said, “I’ve been doing innovative things spaces with durable and lightweight for years but I felt I was alone.” Coming to Eagle Mountain has given him picnic tables that can be moved the opportunity to work with like-minded educators. around. The architecture includes a “We know we’ve got to the magical tipping point where the kids really great hall with large steps that small do own their learning, they’re engaged, and the behaviour problems disap- groups of students use to meet and pear,” said Bennett. work. There are lively noisy spaces “The evidence comes from the competencies,” added Sclater, “the kinds where presenters (teachers and stuof thinking the kids are doing. They’re going so far beyond what’s expect- dents) wear microphones to comed.” municate. There is a steady stream of visitors coming to see the middle school in Avni, who plays basketball and action with its 570 students, 30 to a class. “People want to see what it looks enjoys drawing and “making stuff” like when everything is woven together,” said Bennett. in her free time, said, “The atmoSchool tours are conducted by students who are eager to talk about the sphere is not just in a classroom. It’s beautiful features of their new school (it opened in 2014) and why their more engaging.” learning is so “engaging.” Sydney, who also enjoys field hockAvni and Sydney, both in Grade 8, showed the studio spaces used for ey, band, and piano, said, “We have drama, tech ed, art, and music. Theatre space is available at the nearby a lot more space to work. You can February 2016 • Adminfo • 5

work where it’s beneficial to you.” You can hear what students have been taught about brain development, learning styles, and multiple intelligences in Sydney’s statement. A courtyard in the centre of the school complex is well used in the warmer months. However, the design allows everyone to be outside many times a day no matter what the weather. Welcome blasts of fresh air greet students and staff as they move between the quadrants, home to each of the four multi-grade teams with two grades in each class. In addition to regular PE classes, students enjoy forest runs once a week. Both students were big fans of the school’s electronic device policy. The bring-your-own-device model demands a strong Wifi signal. We’re using devices to their full potential,” Avni said. However, no devices are used at lunchtime or during nutrition breaks, she pointed out. “That’s when we’re supposed to be socializing.” For students who don’t have devices, the school provides carts equipped with laptop computers and iPads in the classrooms. “We’re always doing projects we enjoy and (that) we’re interested in,” said Sydney. We’re not just writing notes from the board.” Visitors can’t help but be impressed by the architecture and amenities. However, Bennett stressed that “It has very little to do with our facility. We were well into it [a different philosophy and approach] in a 55-yearold building that was falling apart.” Sclater pointed out that even in this school, “You could work in your classroom with your door closed.” The school staff started the process of changing the culture by asking, “What qualities do we want the students to have when they leave?”

First Peoples’ Principles of Learning • Learning ultimately supports the wellbeing of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors. • Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place). • Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions. • Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities. • Learning recognizes the role of indigenous knowledge. • Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story. • Learning involves patience and time. • Learning requires the exploration of one’s identity. • Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations. That led to a belief system that “It’s OK for staff to be on a journey,” said Bennett. “We don’t have to be masters of everything all at once.” Staff worked together on a document called The Journey Towards Integrating and Innovating that outlines the teaching and learning strategies that would be used (personalized learning, restorative practices, hands-on exploration, etc.) and a list of characteristics that define the culture

of Eagle Mountain Middle School (a growth mindset, focus on core competencies, portfolios of learning, etc.). The information is prominently displayed in an infographic created by visual arts teacher Kevin Keeler. First People’s Principles of Learning have been incorporated as well. (see sidebar) “It’s a journey that can’t be rushed and that involves patience and time.

Adminfo

VOLUME 28 NUMBER 3

Adminfo is published five times per year by the BC Principals’ & Vice-Principals’ Association. Subscriptions for non-members of the Association are available for $33.60 per year, including taxes. Adminfo welcomes your editorial contributions and student artwork. All material should be sent to: Richard Williams, Editor, Adminfo, #200-525 10th Avenue West, Vancouver V5Z 1K9 [call 604-689-3399 or 800-663-0432, fax 604-877-5381 or email: [email protected]]. Editor

February 2016 • Adminfo • 6

Richard Williams

People need to be affirmed in the steps they’re taking and given opportunities to play with ideas and use their professional judgment.” The school opening coincided with the end of the strike in 2014. The staff had not met as a group before that day. She said, “There was no time to say, ‘I’m a math teacher.’ With the commitment to an integrated and inquiry model, it’s best if everyone is a math teacher.” Bennett said she could hear several teachers take a deep breath in, but say, “‘OK. I can do this.’” In the beginning, some teachers were reluctant to give up lesson plans that they had worked hard on and that seemed to be effective. “We heard, ‘But it’s working so well,’” said Sclater. To which he would reply, “But with the Learners at the Centre, is it working for them?” Collaboration was a value that came up repeatedly. This approach has staff sharing resources and styles. “If any one of us retreats, we know something isn’t right in that person’s world,” said Bennett. The administrators are following professional growth plans, she said, “encouraging conditions that lead to a self-sustaining culture of innovation so teachers are advocating for all these elements. It’s not just coming from the top down.” Sclater interprets this to mean that he has to constantly ask himself “What can I do to support teachers individually and allowing risk taking?” One strategy is to take what he learns in one conversation to another so that connections are made. The school year begins with everyone reading a novel. Last year, it was Ben Mikaelson’s Touching Spirit Bear. This year, it’s Walking Home by Eric Walters. “It allows a common conversation. It builds culture,” said Bennett. It’s one of many

ways that all the adults in the school Bennett said she recalls taking a are able to engage with all the stu- moment to think about one student dents. who received “meeting expectaAlso reflecting the culture is the tions” in his first report while some Thunderbird Code that was developed peers were excelling. “But, I thought, by the students with staff input. Key that’s OK. He’s taken three months qualities are: respectful, inclusive, to figure out middle school. That’s inspirational, and purposeful. perfect. If we tried to squeeze high Bennett laughs and says, “There performance out of him we’d be aren’t many lists of rules, but we dealing with anxieties in Grade 8.” have questions, like, ‘Is that purParents are now onside because poseful?’” there are no surprises. Students are “We don’t have a lot of behaviour using One Note to take photos of management to deal with because their work and white board notes, of the innovative teaching strate- and Fresh Grade to create online gies,” said Sclater. portfolios. Knowing their parents “I know full well my interaction will be able to see the work they’re with students is quite different from doing is providing added incena traditional school. Typically, the tive. During in-depth conferences vice principal is dealing with disci- between the teacher, student, and pline because that’s the model that parents, the teacher can make notes exists. I’ve seen the lineup of kids online and on the spot. “Writing reoutside the vice principal’s office. port cards is a piece of cake,” BenBut [here] it’s about the develop- nett said. ment of these kids as learners, as peoHelping Communities And Organizations ple and building reWith Issues Of Crisis And Trauma lationships. When WORKSHOPS COMING TO BC IN WINTER-SUMMER 2016 kids make mistakes, ANXIETY-Practical Intervention Strategies there are supports Victoria: March 7; Vancouver: March 9 in their teams and VIOLENCE THREAT ASSESSMENT-Planning and Response Vancouver: March 30 with teachers. RareADDICTIONS AND YOUTH-Creating Opportunities for Change ly does someone get Victoria: April 5; Vancouver: April 8 kicked out to be disAUTISM-Strategies for Self-Regulation, Learning ciplined.” and Challenging Behaviours Vancouver: April 6-7 The staff is mindDE-ESCALATING POTENTIALLY VIOLENT SITUATIONS™ ful that students’ Kamloops: May 5; Victoria: May 10; Vancouver: May 11 development and CRITICAL INCIDENT GROUP DEBRIEFING Victoria: May 11; Vancouver: May 12 growth should be FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER-Strategies for Supporting viewed over 30 Vancouver: May 26-27 months, rather than DEPRESSION-Practical Intervention Strategies Victoria: May 31 from report card to report card or year NATIONAL RESTORATIVE JUSTICE FACILITATOR TRAINING Banff, Alberta: April 13-15 EVENT by year. There are no grades, just performance standards language. Naturally, there was resistance To register or for to this approach more information: www.ctrinstitute.com 877.353.3205 from some parents. February 2016 • Adminfo • 7

The architecture includes a great hall with large steps that small groups of students use to meet and work.

While there was great support for the new philosophy, some parents were concerned that their children would not be prepared to enter a more traditional model when they graduated to high school. Bennett said she assures them that things are changing in the secondary schools as well. “We just had the privilege of starting a little sooner,” she tells them. Avni and Sydney said they liked

the inquiry based approach. “It’s where we ask questions,” Avni explained. Using Barbara Stripling’s Points of Inquiry and Bloom’s Taxonomy to develop higherorder thinking, the school chooses big idea themes. Last year it was game changers. This year, it was Back to the Future, timely in light of the hoopla surrounding the 30th anniversary of the movie of the same name. Avni was looking at inventions from 1985 to the end of the century compared to those at the beginning of the 21st Century. Sydney was following up on her interest in the uniqueness of fingerprints. “Bigger ideas and themes weave in and out,” said Sclater. “They’re working with others but can choose to work alone. It’s not read, copy, and answer these questions.” “We’re doing them a disservice if we ask them to do the same project at the same time with the same outcomes,” added Bennett. Presenta-

tions back to their classmates can be done with PowerPoint, Presi, or an essay, but also interpretive dance. “Every single team leader meeting and visitor meeting is an opportunity to tell the story of our school. It’s what is building the culture and acknowledging the staff,” said Bennett. There are so many strategies and theories in play, but Sclater said he tells visiting educators, “Start with one thing you can try.” Bennett recommends, “Take a look at the timetable. Let’s unpack that.” Allowing larger blocks of time reaps tremendous benefits. “Remove the pressure of ‘Wrap this up and move on!’” recommended Sclater. “And a daily schedule is a big piece.” “And ask good questions,” added Bennett, “because it triggers other things. It’s exciting working with kids!” Leslie Dyson is a regular contributor to Adminfo. She can be reached at [email protected]

Cover Story Our cover art for February is by Savannah King, a Grade 10 student at Fraser Valley Distance Education (Chilliwack School District). Our thanks to Savannah, her classroom teachers Leah Kelley and Hildi Mitchell, art teacher John Le Flock and Jeff Dartnell Vice-Principal for submitting this work. February 2016 • Adminfo • 8

Short, timely updates Join the BCPVPA’s more than 3090 followers on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/bcpvpa

Salt Licorice and Self-Regulation Alan Stel (Principal, Penticton Secondary) writes about the power of self-regulation … but leaves himself a little room for self-indulgence.

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ack in my thirties I began to carry a little more weight than I was used to. Vanity is a motivator. Right around that time I took up running.  Like all athletes, I needed a goal. With some urging from a friend I committed to running the Vancouver half-marathon. When May rolled around I was

ready.   To fully appreciate my intentions here you need to know that I was introduced to Dutch “Zoute Drop” at a very young age. I became addicted to this traditional, black, salty, licorice candy. When I offer this candy to friends and colleagues who taste it for the first time, their facial expressions remind me of the first time I was introduced to cod liver oil.  They usually spit it out. Addicts like me are pained by this response, not because we are sympathetic, but because we are aggrieved by this wasteful and wanton action. There are few, if ever any converts.   I arrived a day early for my race in Vancouver because that is what athletes do.  Athletes acclimatize, and I took my training kind of seriously. Perhaps it was my youthful naiveté or likely just plain ignorance, but I made an unscheduled visit to the Dutch store which is often a part of my Vancouver trip ritual.   I bought a generous half pound of salted licorice.  Sweetly oblivious to the salty side effects, I began to consume them immediately.  I ate them all; coveting every piece. We arrived at the race early the next morning.  I was in good form.  It was a beautiful day and the run began smoothly until I reached the end of the first five kilometers.  My best guess is that the vast amount of sodium I had consumed the day before functioned as a diuretic.  My bladder felt like it was going to burst.  There was no relief.  At first I was able to wait a few kilometers between bathroom breaks, but the frequency increased to the point where my entire focus became a quest for the next facility. My friends were very amused by my discomfort. They took photos. This school year, on the October 23rd Provincial Development Day, I joined in on a session sponsored by the The Canadian Self-regulation Initiative. I listened to Sandra-Lynn Shortall, Mike McKay, and Chris Kennedy describe how self-regulation has become embedded as a school district goal and a curriculum. They kept referring respectfully to the work of Stuart Shanker, so I bought his book: Calm, Alert and Learning: Classroom Strategies for Self-Regulation. I’m not sure what comes first, inspiration in the form of new thinking or sound common sense type beliefs that simply resonate with us because they are already informally part of our practice. Selfregulation feels like the latter. Without ever looking at it in a systematic or February 2016 • Adminfo • 9

formal way, I have been a believer in self-regulation since the beginning. My parents modelled it, and subsequently I have always believed in balance and moderation. This is probably true for most of us. Shanker speculates that EQ (Emotional Quotient) in the twenty-first century replaces IQ (Intelligence Quotient) as the major psychological construct of the twentieth century. Essentially, EQ helps students self-regulate enabling them to access their learning. “The better a child can stay calm, focused and alert, the better he integrates the diverse information coming in from his different senses, assimilates it, and sequences his thoughts and actions.” Again, I believe this is applies to everyone. I make better decisions when I am tuned into my physiological responses. Some of this is dictated by sleep patterns, diet, physical activity, even breathing exercises, however, I realize with increasing frequency how my effectiveness and capacity for problem solving is determined by how calmly I approach the issue, particularly if others are involved. Monitoring my own responses and thinking processes makes me a more effective problem solver. Articulating this understanding and shifting it from the realm of instinctive practice into the domain of intentionality is the challenge and a growing educational mandate. Teaching others to self-regulate is another dimension of the critical thinking curriculum. It is easy to see why self-regulation continues page 11

HELP US GET

HABITUAL HA TRASHERS* ON THE RECYCLING HONOUR ROLL *(AND ON-THE-GO DISCARDERS TOO) DO YOU KNOW A FUTURE HABITUAL TRASHER? IS THERE AN ON-THE-GO DISCARDER IN ONE OF YOUR CLASSROOMS? IF SO, ENCORP PACIFIC WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR YOUR HELP IN TRANSFORMING THEM INTO “GRADE-A” RECYCLERS.

British Columbians have every right to be

• Habitual Trashers are younger men who

through our Return-It School Recycling Program.

proud of their recycling behaviour. Over the past

usually throw containers away rather than

Doing so helps all of us: recycling saves precious

fifteen years, we’ve increased the amount of

recycle them. They comprise only 18% of

landfill space, and helps us conserve energy, and

material we recycle by almost 310%. But

BC’s population, but they account for 49%

resources. Perhaps more importantly, by educating

we can’t be complacent—there’s still work

of all containers thrown away, making them

students before they turn into Habitual Trashers

to be done.

the heaviest discarders in the province. In

and On-the-go Discarders, we’ll go a long way in

general, they don’t believe recycling is

making the trashing of beverage containers a

We believe one of the best ways to achieve

convenient. They’re also not convinced it

thing of the past.

our target of 100% container recovery is to

makes a difference.

reach out to people like you: educators and school administrators. Working with you, we

• On-The-Go Discarders are a group that

have an opportunity to educate the next

includes many families. They usually recycle,

generation about the importance of recycling,

but when they’re out and about—at school,

and establish good recycling habits that will

at soccer practice, at birthday parties—they

continue for decades.

tend to throw containers away. It’s not that

WHO’S NOT RECYCLING?

recycling, it’s just that having young children

In order to better understand how to improve

makes them pressed for time. Because

the recycling behaviour of British Columbians,

they’re out and about a fair bit, such

we’ve conducted research to identify the

behaviour can really add up.

HABITUAL TRASHERS REPRESENT

18%

they don’t understand the benefits of

profile and the attitudes of people who don’t recycle as much as they should. That research identified two groups that educators come in contact with regularly:

OF THE POPULATION BUT THEY TRASH

49%

It’s time for this to change. Over the next year, Encorp Pacific would like to reach out to school administrators like you and ask for your help in establishing good recycling habits with students

OF ALL CONTAINERS THROWN AWAY

Aluminum cans, glass bottles, In fact, of all gable top juice cartons plastic containers—BC residents sold in BC, 28% are simply thrown in are pretty good at recycling most the garbage. And 49% of juice boxes beverage containers. But when it are too. comes to juice cartons and juice And that’s a shame, because for boxes, there’s still room for every ton of paper pulp recycled from improvement. these juice cartons, juice boxes, and

February 2016 • Adminfo • 10

similar polycoat containers, we can save almost 17 trees. So the next time you’re drinking from a juice carton or juice box, make sure to bring it back to a Return-It Depot. It will go a long way to achieving our recycling goals.

ADVERTORIAL

WE WANT YOUR JUICE CARTONS—AND YOUR JUICE BOXES TOO

RETURN-IT.CA

Stel, continued from page 9

WHERE CAN YOU RECYCLE?

WE NEED YOU

Looking to recycle your containers? You’ve got a

We all have a role to play in improving our recycling

number of options. First among them is your local

behaviour. A great place to start is by signing your

Return-It Depot: our network of 173 depots accepts

school up for the Return-It School Recycling

a wide variety of recyclables, including juice cartons

Program. Every container returned through our

and boxes. If you’re short on time, try our new

program makes a tremendous difference to our

Return-It Express kiosks—simply drop off your used

community—both now and in the future. And that

beverage containers and we’ll take care of the rest.

benefits us all. Encorp Pacific’s Return-It School Recycling Program makes it easy to educate your

For students, our Return-It School Recycling

students about the importance of recycling.

Program provides free bins and recycling bags to collect containers in schools. Online support and

Enrollment is fast, easy and free to any registered

bonus cash prizes give students an incentive to

elementary, middle or high school in the province.

recycle. We can even help arrange for free pickup

There are bonus prizes, online resources, and remember—your school keeps all deposit refunds.

services where available.

A win for your school—and the environment.

R E CYC

ROGR LIN G P

AM

HELP YOUR SCHOOL GET TOP MARKS IN RECYCLING

Encorp Pacific’s Return-It School Recycling Program makes it easy to educate your students about the importance of recycling. Enrollment is fast, easy and free to any registered elementary, middle or high school in the province. There are bonus prizes, online resources, and remember—your school keeps all deposit refunds. A win for your school— and the environment. Sign up with the Return-It School program and receive: Custom recycling bins and a supply of clear bags for your school.

39 annual th

Support to make your bottle drive successful. Keep all the money raised to benefit your school. Mobile pickup services where available. Tips to increase fundraising potential. $

Eligibility for bonus prizes. Recycling beverage containers is more rewarding.

ENROLLING IS EASY

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Register your school at returnitschool.ca Receive your username and password. Report the number of containers collected online. Set goals and watch your progress. Hit your milestones and you could win bonus cash prizes.

JOIN TODAY AT RETURNITSCHOOL.CA

is getting some traction with educators, especially if it helps students master complex skills and concepts and ultimately reinforces metacognitive thinking. There is nothing really very mysterious about it. As a parent and a teacher, being mindful and intentional about teaching students techniques and strategies that reinforce behaviours that help us monitor our actions and thoughts, making us better thinkers and learners, and ultimately better citizens. The more I read of Shanker’s book, the more I am convinced about the necessity of designing a curriculum that incorporates strategies that embody self-regulating techniques. Pen High continues to work at implementing an inclusion model, facilitating a literacy and critical thinking culture, and promoting authentic assessment practices. I do believe more than ever that mindfulness, self-awareness, self-regulation or whatever you choose to call it has the potential to improve learning and achievement when they are integrated with the above curricular goals, particularly if it is done systematically and with intention. It can be life changing. I am now in my fifties, gravity and time continues to temper my vanity and my humility. I eat less sodium. I exercise more. I occasionally surrender to the odd impulsive act. I am more cognizant of my actions and their consequences, except when it comes to Dutch licorice. Some addictions defy impulse control. In every other respect, when it comes to self-regulation as an instructional methodology for our students, I am a convert. Alan last wrote for Adminfo on helping students with anxiety (February 2015). He can be reached at: [email protected]

February 2016 • Adminfo • 11

Powerful teaching

Charles Ungerleider writes about six teaching strategies that have been shown to improve student learning outcomes.

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A growing body of evidence indicates that effective teachers must possess a repertoire of effective teaching strategies and be able to mobilize them at the appropriate juncture.

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any educators are familiar with John Hattie’s two books on visible learning. In Visible Learning Hattie synthesizes more than 800 metaanalytical studies of the factors that affect student achievement, In Visible Learning for Teachers, Hattie incorporates more recent meta-analytical work and presents the results of the meta-analytical work in a manner that is designed to increase the impact that teachers have on learning. Hattie argues that it can be particularly difficult to identify or “disaggregate” the specific effects of policies or practice in education since these are usually part of a complex system of interacting factors. As a result, any number of modifications to policy and practice can lead to some observed change in student achievement because, to quote Hattie, in education “almost everything works.” To minimize the risk that decision-makers will adopt policies and practices that may in fact make only a marginal contribution to student achievement but be undertaken at consid-

”

erable costs, Hattie advocates that those concerned with improving student achievement look for factors that yield results that “… enhance achievement in such a way that we can notice real-world differences” (p. 17). It is the notion of noticeable differences in achievement that Hattie captures in the titles of both books – their visibility. Implicit, if not explicit, in Hattie’s argument is the necessity of distinguishing effective from ineffective or, because almost everything has an impact, less effective practices. A complicating factor in making the distinction is assessing the costs that a practice entails. Costs, of course, include time and effort as well as other financial costs. A factor or practice that produces a large impact on student achievement at a large cost may be less desirable than a practice or factor that produces a smaller impact with a modest cost. It is fortunate that most of the highly visible changes in student achievement are produced by factors or practices that have costs that are equivalent to the factors or practices February 2016 • Adminfo • 12

currently employed or with only modest incremental costs. Hattie describes a number of ways of thinking about costs. But one that has significant resonance is the cost to the student of exposure to ineffective factors or practices. Any consideration of costs must take into account both the short and long-term impact of ineffective factors or practices – even though they may have been adopted in the past. A growing body of evidence indicates that effective teachers must possess a repertoire of effective teaching strategies and be able to mobilize them at the appropriate juncture (powerful teaching). Powerful teaching requires that teachers possess high levels of language proficiency. The list below, adapted from John Hattie’s work, provides a list of strategies (and a measure of the effectiveness of each strategy) that have been shown to be effective in a variety of contexts: • • • • • •

Reciprocal teaching [70%] Metacognitive strategies [68%] Problem solving [66%] Direct instruction [66%] Setting instructional goals [65%] Advanced organizers [61%]*

* The percentage is the probability that a randomly chosen student from the group in which the practice is used will outperform a randomly chosen student from a control group in which the practice is not used.

When teachers use these instructional strategies, their students show improved learning outcomes in comparison to students whose teachers do not use these strategies. Reciprocal teaching is a set of strategies designed to help students improve their reading comprehension and learning skills. The term “reciprocal” refers to the exchange of roles between teachers and students. During the initial instructional period, the teacher leads a discussion about a reading passage, for example, and models a set of language skills for building comprehension of the passage. When the students understand the skills, they take on the role of discussion leaders, applying the skills, and receiving guidance in the form of feedback from the teacher. The discussion follows a specific four-part structure. The teacher begins by modeling each part of the discussion: 1. Questioning to generate useful questions about the passage. 2. Clarifying to identify any areas or vocabulary that students may not understand and providing an explanation. 3. Summarizing to provide a concise summary of the key points addressed in the passage. 4. Predicting to generate ideas about what will happen next or what additional information will be presented.

After modeling the role of discussion leader, the teacher gives students a chance to practice leading each of the four parts of the discussion, using language to provide hints and feedback as students may require. Reciprocal teaching relies heavily on teachers’ use of oral language. They need to: speak clearly using language appropriate to students’ proficiency levels; and, generate questions germane to the key ideas presented in a reading passage. When summarizing the key points of a passage, teachers need to simplify, clarify, restate and rephrase key points. Metacognitive strategies refers to thinking about thinking. It includes awareness of one’s own thinking and learning processes and conscious control over those processes. Teachers employ metacognitive strategies to show students how to approach new tasks, how to evaluate their own learning and progress, and how to monitor their comprehension of material they are learning. Teaching metacognitive strategies relies on teacher-student interactions. Teachers present, discuss, and model metacognitive strategies by expressing in language their own use of metacognitive strategies, what some call “thinking aloud.” They check for student progress and understanding by listening carefully to students, and providing them with oral feedback. Teachers’ use of their speaking and listening skills is important to engaging students in learning conversations, guiding them toward a deeper underFebruary 2016 • Adminfo • 13

standing of learning materials, and prompting them to articulate their ideas and thought processes. Problem solving is an instructional strategy used by teachers to help students define the nature of a problem and to guide them as they identify, prioritize and select approaches to solving this problem. Once they have selected and applied their solution, students evaluate the outcomes and the effectiveness of their approach. The problem-solving context provides rich learning opportunities: students learn by communicating with one another about their understanding of the nature of the problem and requirements for solving it. They explain to one another their proposed solutions, apply the criteria they have developed to those solutions and build consensus about developing and applying the solution they have selected. In the problem-solving context, the teacher’s role is to facilitate learning and moderate the dialogue among students. Teachers must ask questions that challenge and advance the learning of students with varied levels of expertise. They must support their students’ explorations without taking over the process of thinking through the viability of different potential solutions. These skills rely on teachers’ listening abilities. They must listen to students’ ideas to determine when they are on the right track and require only gentle prompting or when they are on the wrong track and need help in identifying obstacles. (continues next page)

Direct instruction or explicit teaching is sometimes required in combination with the strategies described above or on its own. In those situations in which it is employed, teachers will orient students to a topic, make explicit presentations of new material, guide students while they practice working with the new ideas of procedures and, once concepts are properly mastered, structure opportunities for students to practice independently. Teachers typically begin by introducing lesson objectives and identifying relevant prior knowledge. Teachers then present new material in sequenced steps, give instructions and explanations, and show students how to apply the new procedures or knowledge in a practical manner. Teachers next guide students while they practice, monitoring their progress, asking questions to gauge students’ level of mastery, and providing feedback or correction when necessary. The effectiveness of direct instruction relies almost entirely on teachers’ use of language. Teachers need to give rich verbal descriptions and examples of the material they are presenting. For example, when teaching new vocabulary, teachers have to be able to define the terms and provide examples of how to use them in sentences. Teachers’ use of language must be appropriate to students’ proficiency levels. For example, teachers may need to slow their rate of speech, simplify their sentence structure, and clarify terms that are unfamiliar to the students.

tional strategies and a stand-alone technique for motivating student learning. Goal setting establishes a direction for learning. Student learning improves when teachers clearly state the purpose of their lessons and identify the learning objectives. Articulating the goals, explaining evaluative criteria, and encouraging students to assess their progress are essential parts of setting instructional goals. Teachers must be able to use language with precision to make clear to their students the declarative and procedural knowledge that students are meant to learn. This requires clear statements about what students are supposed to learn and how this learning will be measured. Effective goal setting requires precise use of language: if teachers define the learning goals too narrowly then students may ignore relevant information not obviously related to those goals. On the other hand, goals that are too broadly defined engender ambiguity, making it difficult to determine what information is relevant or irrelevant. Advanced organizers are used by teachers when introducing new material to help students organize and interpret the new information. Advanced organizers represent the

new material to be learned at an abstract level and provide a framework within which students can situate the new material. Teachers communicate advanced organizers in many different ways, such as expository text (e.g., a brief written summary) or graphical overviews (e.g., a bubble chart depicting relationships between concepts). To make effective use of advanced organizers, teachers need to describe, classify, and categorize information. They must supplement the organizers with clear instructions using explanation and questioning techniques. They need to be able to define concepts and explain relationships between different elements. Teachers rely on their oral and written language skills to incorporate visual, verbal and written features in their use of advanced organizers. These six practices have been highlighted because they produce learning improvement in a variety of curricular contexts and do not require additional resources. They are powerful teaching practices. Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus of Educational Studies at UBC and Managing Partner of Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group, LLP. He can be reached at [email protected]

Creating Thinking Classrooms by Roland Case & Garfield Gini-Newman

Leading educational change for a 21st century world

Published in association with the BCPVPA & available from our website

Setting instructional goals is an aspect of many different instrucFebruary 2016 • Adminfo • 14

In praise of

appreciative inquiry by Dr. Sandra Cottingham

In mid-October, outside Play Leaders added the Buddy Bench to its safe play initiative – another way of getting students involved and feeling included at big, busy Lord Tweedsmuir.

W

Discover Dream Design Destiny

hen the announcement came that the opening of New Westminster’s new middle school was being delayed a year, my school immediately risked being a school in limbo as it awaited downsizing. Determined that would not be the case, I turned to Appreciative Inquiry as the best way I knew of to keep teachers excited about their work – to chart a course for the year ahead that was meaningful, fueled by the passions of staff, and built upon a common understanding of what was important enough to make so many stay together for, in many cases, multiple decades. École Lord Tweedsmuir Community School is a triple track elementary offering two programs of choice – Early French Immersion and Montessori – to 550 New Westminster students in kindergarten through grade seven. The huge turreted hundred-year-old main building sits regally on busy Eighth Ave, with million dollar views of the Fraser River and Mount Baker from classroom windows at the rear. On more than one occasion, I have been beckoned by an early-arriving staff member to come and share a particularly spectacular sunrise from a classroom. Some people climb Haleakalā in the middle of the night to experience such beauty. We just take our coffee upstairs. I became Principal of Lord Tweedsmuir in the middle of the most recent BC teachers’ strike. All of our mutual first impressions, staff’s and mine, were made on the picket line. Not only new to the New Westminster School February 2016 • Adminfo • 15

to grow, knowing that all you re- where they could spread out and ally did was till the soil, plant some began sorting their random 1/8th seeds, and hope for sunshine. of the cards. When all was said and Ironically, the announcement of done, 12 clear themes had been the delay took the wind out of ev- identified. These became the basis eryone’s sails for a bit, allowing me of the next phase: the opportunity to pitch my idea of using the upcoming Professional DREAM Development days, still unplanned, I knew staff would love DREAM, to carry out a 4-D Appreciative because their teams (made up of a Inquiry process. Sure they said. primary, intermediate, EFI, MonWill you be leading it? Sure I said. tessori, Resource teacher, and EA) And then, using the next scheduled were given huge 5’ x 6’ pieces of staff meeting as the entry point, we quality drawing paper and boxes of AM NOT NEW to Apprecia- moved swiftly into stage one of the brand new coloured felt pens. The tive Inquiry (AI). In 2007 I was 4-D process: 12 themes were the only structure named an Associate of the Taos they had to stay within. Without Institute, a sort of headquarters for DISCOVER limits, they were to free themselves What do we do well at École Lord AI in North America and Europe. from the usual shackles of practicalTweedsmuir Community School? I have facilitated many large planity and reality, and envision what When are we at our best? ning sessions outside of education, our school could be. They were to document their conversations and and have used AI extensively in one form or another in my work as But we did not stop at asking the musings pictorially, producing a an educator and administrator for teachers what Tweeds does well. By huge visual map of what they envinearly a decade. It’s just that I am the time we gathered at that Pro-D sioned together. Hours later, a gallery of eight very always humbled by what it achieves, day, we had amassed no less than who buys in, and how the energy it 800 pieces of data about what we different elaborate mind maps with evokes in participants is so self-sus- were doing well from parents, stu- fantastic and funny and far-fetched taining. If you have ever decided to dents, EAs, clerical staff, crossing ideas, hung on display in the library. form a committee, and called teach- guards, night custodians. Everyone And after some food (nourishment ers to participate, and your perse- was asked for their input. And then, needed after the deep soul-searching verance became the driving force of every comment was in turn tran- journey they had willingly gone on the project, you know how exhaust- scribed onto an index card, colour with their travel mates) they would ing that can be. AI is the opposite. coded so that we could have the share their dream of what could Its like watering your garden with context of what school community be, with each other. I had visited Miracle-Gro – the results are amaz- sub-group owned a comment if the groups throughout the process, ing, and you stand back and marvel we needed it during our sort. Eight and was struck by the intensity, the proudly at what you have managed mixed-role teams found a corner engagement – conversations about District, I was embarking on my first Principalship. All I really knew was that I would be leading the district’s largest elementary school through a downsizing that would send some students off to the new middle school and leave our school a much smaller K-5. But before my first year at Tweeds reached the half way mark, news came that the opening of the new middle school would be delayed by a year. Business as usual at Lord Tweedsmuir? Not exactly.

I

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might make it difficult to recapture that clarity and creativity that had energized session two. I sensed that stage 3, moving from the abstract to the concrete, would be the riskiest and most difficult. And I believe most AI facilitators would agree. At very least, it was the first time selfdoubt had crept in, but I could hardly ask staff to take a risk if I was not willing to do so myself. The dream maps were useless if we could not extract from them the crucial elements that they were about. These would be foundational to the action plans we would be creating soon. We set to work to do that. The first identified element was “relationships.” We spent the morning defining what relationships DESIGN It was late May by the time we dust- would look like, based on the pered off their dream maps and recon- fection they had achieved in their vened for another day together. I dream school models. Over the was worried that the passing of so course of the morning each staff many weeks since that last session member was provided with a large schools and educating and practices; what it could be … and what it should be. And it took me back a little, that this piece of paper, 12 felt pens, and a handful or educators, could come together to cover this much territory with such ease. And then I remembered – it was the Appreciative Inquiry. Always allowing for the participant to tell old stories in new ways; moving from the monological (circling around and around) to the dialogical: creating the space for the teller to shift to an authentic meaningful, insightful place. And in that shift, opening a space to allow movement from thinking to acting. And that would be stage 3:

pile of Lego, challenged to build and present a model of what they were about, personally and professionally. There were moments of silence as 48 adults assembled their blocks, reflecting on what facets they would represent in their three dimensional metaphor. It became more of a challenge when they had to build and articulate linkages first to a partner, and then to the other participants, until each table had one interconnected, physical model to use as the visual for their explanation. (Representing abstract thought three dimensionally and then verbalizing what has been built takes the discussion to a completely different level. I highly recommend it.) The second key element that was identified was “organizational structures.” Pulling directly from the original dream maps, they teased out and agreed upon the important systems and processes that were em-

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I am humbled by the power of Appreciative Inquiry, and its ability to zero in on whatever it is that gets us out of bed in the morning, and to create the space for action – for acting on what is authentically meaningful, doing more of what matters, and what makes a place be its best. bedded in and foundational to their imagined optimally functioning schools. And then, how we would be together, and how things would be organized, became the armature for the build of stage 4: DESTINY By the time DESTINY’s tables were cleared and the chairs stacked, we had a messy long list of initiatives and cool things staff wanted to do. But we did not have to play with the artifacts of those conversations for long before seeing the emergence of three broad themes, now organizers for the blueprint of our actions: Improving Student Engagement and Learning, Building School Community, and Staff Care. ... AND NOW WHAT? When summer ended, without the previous year’s frustration of job action or anxiety of a new admin team, staff reconvened in their usual happy-to-see everyone summer pro-d manner. We felt fortunate to have returned from the break having honed our priorities and clarified our collective vision prior to the 2015-2016 school year even starting. Before heading out on the waters of Indian Arm in three huge voyageur canoes, the morning was spent, blueprint in hand, putting June’s plans into action. For instance, one of the spring decisions had been to collapse the school’s two separate

lunches into one – where primaries and intermediates would be all together outside, and staff would no longer eat separated from colleagues who taught different grades. In order for this to work – 550 students in the playground at once – we had agreed that there needed to be some activities for them, and somebody running them. Its mid-October as I write this, and we have had Play Leaders outside at recess and lunch (Grade 5, 6 and 7 leaders) organizing games, skipping, and fun, safe play for weeks now. Inside, pairs and trios of teachers take turns overseeing Open Gym at lunch. Outside, students are happy, busy, and involved. Inside, student engagement is a school-wide poetry project where students have the opportunity to work with students in other classes, gain inspiration from the environment and others, and take a good look at who they are as people and young learners. Students have begun sharing their poetry in a Poetry Café one recess every week. Teachers are focused on one of the Core Competencies outlined in the New BC curriculum: Positive Personal and Cultural Identity. In the foyer, a poem is on display that was written with input from every stu-

dent and teacher in the school. This is the tip of what Tweedsmuir has planned for building community in the months ahead. One morning a table spontaneously appeared in the foyer near the main office around 8:30 a.m. and several well-spoken, obviously prepared intermediate students introduced themselves to a TTOC who arrived. One girl took him, pointed out the location of the staff room, and then walked him to his classroom, which, by the way, was out the back door, down the stairs, across the courtyard, and in an entirely different building. This was a staff care initiative. There are many initiatives, as small and costless as adding a line that says that our school code of conduct applies to every member of our school community, to plans for an outdoor classroom and community garden. Twenty-seven initiatives in all. The point is, and the thing that thrills me, is that teachers are energized and jumping in to help and follow through at every turn. I am repeatedly humbled by the power of Appreciative Inquiry, and its ability to zero in on whatever it is that gets us out of bed in the morning, and to create the space for action – for acting on what is authentically meaningful, doing more of what matters, and what makes a place be its best. It has been an amazing journey with a tremendously talented and passionate group of teachers who really care about kids, and love teaching. We are definitely not a school in limbo waiting to downsize.

Dr. Sandra Cottingham, Principal, Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary (SD#40) has been an instructor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education at UBC, and a guest presenter for SFU. This is her first article for Adminfo. She can be reached at [email protected] February 2016 • Adminfo • 18

On the road to fair compensation The BCPVPA’s Executive Director, Kit Krieger, writes about freezes, amendments, compensation, and appropriate funding.

BCPVPA

members have received their first increases in compensation, other than advancement on existing grids, since 2009. The increases were approved pursuant to an amendment on exempt staff compensation, which was announced in late June 2015. Your Association gave its highest priority to ensure that members received the greatest possible benefit from the amendment. The Contract and Legal staff, affectionately known as the Three Amigos, worked tirelessly and effectively to this end. Regular communication with BCPSEA achieved clarity about the guidelines and helped the Association offer support to Chapters in their discussions with senior staff. BCPSEA was helpful throughout the long process and responded quickly and thoroughly to our many queries. The costs of the increases were born entirely by school districts as no funding was provided by government. Nevertheless, all 59 districts whose Chapters are affiliated with the BCPVPA received salary increases for both periods. Districts have faced significant fiscal pressures due to provincial funding levels that have failed to keep up with the cost of doing business and these pressures were increased when

government demanded $79-million in administrative savings over three years. Districts could have refused to grant the increases and cited government’s failure to fund the costs as an excuse. Instead, they recognized the need to support school-based leadership. The increases are intended to be interim increases pending government’s decision about the future of the exempt staff compensation freeze, which is still in effect. In anticipation of the freeze being lifted, important work remains to be done. School districts have until midMay to inform BCPSEA how they intend to move to the regional grids found in Realities, Risks and Rewards, the report of BCPSEA’s Exempt Staff Compensation Working Group. Proposals, which are to be submitted following consultation with BCPVPA chapters, must include an assurance that compensation increases will include consideration of performance. This requirement brings managers in the K-12 sector into alignment with other public sector managers. The BCPVPA is working with other management partners (Superintendents, Trustees, and Business Officials), to develop a framework that will incorporate performance into the salary structures in a manner that is appropriate for the K-12 sector. BCPVPA members will be engaged in this discussion over the coming months. The movement toward the regionFebruary 2016 • Adminfo • 19

al framework is an important step in two respects: the grids will restore an appropriate gap between the salaries of teachers, principals, and viceprincipals, and they will establish a long overdue regional consistency. Discrepancies in benefits must also be addressed. Teachers have achieved improvements to benefits through a decision to move to a provincial plan for Extended Heath Benefits and through funds generated through the last two rounds of contract negotiations. Principals and vice-principals, for the most part, have not seen improvements to benefits plans for more than 20 years! The Realities, Risks and Rewards document is based on the concept of total compensation, which includes salary, benefits, and perquisites. The Association is working on this important issue and it is on the BCPSEA agenda. If the K-12 system is to address the long-standing inequities and inconsistencies in exempt staff compensation, the freeze must be lifted and government must foot the bill to enable districts to retain and recruit able leadership at the school and district level. The Association is advocating for such funding and made this a primary focus of its brief submitted to the all-party legislative committee on Finance and Government Services. As always, we will ask for your input along the way and keep you fully informed as progress is achieved.

Professional Know more Learning

http:www.bcpvpa.bc.ca

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Super Vision For Learning Level 2

Learning Walks with an Instructional Framework Principals and vice-principals who have completed Level I of the BCPVPA Super Vision for Learning program will deepen their knowledge of effective instructional practices and use various tools and processes for observing and analyzing instruction and planning next steps based on the analysis. Feedback from this year’s participants: • The practical application of the principles of supervision for learning have increased my capacity as a learning leader significantly. (SD#59) • The Framework has provided me with fantastic educational conversations that have allowed our staff to reflect and continue to develop our practice. (SD#22) • I am expanding my instructional leadership skills through the shared experience of visiting classrooms and practicing the art of observation, feedback and questioning. (SD#38) • I feel I am much more ready to support teachers and lead instruction in a real and meaningful way. (SD#64)

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