A Snowy Friday at Turning Point

Everything I am observing at TPLC is for the purpose of sharing with others – helping others to learn, true collaboration. Such an emphasis makes learning always have a purpose – besides writing a paper that a teacher reads (or may not read) and grades. Whether it’s a podcast, a tweet, or on diigo, the information is presented to others. What an incredible way to make learning seem like real life! It’s because of this value of sharing, students are enthusiastic about working and doing projects.

The teachers are truly a part of the learning community – eat lunch at various tables, not hiding out in the teacher’s lounge, acting like they can’t wait for a break from the kids. Students start coming early in the morning by 7:30 even though school doesn’t start until 8:45. Teachers arrive early too, but instead of sitting in their rooms, or in the lounge, they are sitting at the tables where the students are sitting. All are busy. Teachers are talking to each other or working online. Students are doing the same. Of course TPLC isn’t perfect. Sometimes students get tired, sometimes teachers get frustrated, and sometimes things don’t go as planned. But this is all normal. It’s refreshing to see a true learning community. All are lucky to be here!

Readicide - How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It

You know how people drive by an accident on the highway and slow down so they can gawk at what is going on, even though they know it's not polite. Well, this book reminds me of that slow drive by the wreck. The state of reading in schools is in sad shape. I knew that already, but this book takes a slow drive past the scene, zeroing in on the details with painstaking precision - so much so, it almost hurts to read about it. Because teachers are spending so much time on test preparation, there is little room in the school day for just "plain 'ole" reading. And on the occasions when reading is done, it's often chopped up into little pieces so that students never get into the "reading flow" and have the chance to enjoy the book. One thing I like about Readicide is that the author, Kelly Gallagher, gives lots of suggestions for what teachers can do. For instance, he espouses the dire need for more books to be available in schools. He shares with teachers several options for scrounging up money for books, including being a pesky asker to the principal, assistant superintendent, superintendent, school board, and media - whatever it takes. He says this is the one thing we should all go to bat for. My question is, why aren't we already going to bat for more books in our schools? Duh! This should be a given.

My favorite quote is not from Gallagher, but from Lev Vygotsky, "Children grow into the intellectual life around them."

What You See Is What You Get

Throughout my day at Turning Point, I have been struck with things that are different here than at a traditional school.

What You Won’t See at Turning Point:
• time spent doing busy work
• formal bathroom breaks
• students walking in lines
• teachers grading papers
• papers on the floor, filling up the trash can,
• teachers going to the copier
• misbehavior among students (I am not kidding) because they are so busy doing meaningful work
• unnecessary assemblies that take students away from learning
• students sitting, waiting for others to finish their work
• students wasting time sharpening pencils, finding textbooks, papers, folders, walking around the room
• long pauses of time between activities where students don’t have anything to do


What You Will See at Turning Point:
• all activities have a purpose
• the highest expectation for student learning that I have ever seen – we learn because it makes us smarter, not because it helps us on a test, gets us a better grade, moves us ahead of someone else
• an enthusiasm for learning from both students and teachers
• students running the stairs and hallway to get their energy out
• a general expectation that students will try to figure something out themselves (usually using the information box [computer]), then ask a couple of classmates, then ask an adult
• students working in different places within the classroom, hallways, and other classrooms (and they are really working!)
• students using cellphones for a short period for a specific purpose
• students listening to ipods when working independently
• equipment being operated by students (microwave, projector, speakers, computers)
• teachers and students communicating with each other through chats
• students learning to play musical instruments of their choice and learning a foreign language
• teachers constantly modeling problem solving with technology
This list doesn’t even begin to capture the amazing value of learning that is embedded throughout the day and even continues after school with clubs and at home with individual and group homework.

It will be very difficult for me to go back to traditional schools.

Running in Place

I feel like I am out of breath from a long race that began this morning when I arrived at Turning Point. There are so many ways to share ideas here that I feel like I am running in place. Ginger, or one of the other teachers, mentions an application, and the students immediately access and use it. I am two steps behind, trying to catch up. I watched a great lesson on social bookmarkng - a new concept to me. Immediately following the explanations, the students went off to give it a try. At the same time, I downloaded the application, created my account, and tried to figure out what to do next. I have quickly learned one adage here: when in doubt, ask a student. In fact, the expectation for students is to ask two or three classmates before asking a teacher. I am trying to follow this when I can. A student gave me a great explanation of how to use diigo.com, how to bookmark, highlight, and make a sticky note. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to go to my computer immediately and try it out. It feels like I am fumbling around. I don't know why I expect to know how to do this, except that the students make it look so easy! I have to remember, it's as natural as breathing. That's no lie! While I am still trying to figure out Diigo, we move onto Twitter. Shortly after that it's time for AIM and Bonjour. Before I came here, I thought I would mostly be collecting things to share with my students. Little did I know I would be learning so much myself.

Brain Dead

Oh my gosh, I just resubmitted my book proposal, and I feel brain dead! I don't know how I ever thought I could write a whole book! I must be crazy!

Back to Writing

I have decided that writing is a very selfish act - even when you are creating something for others to read. I have done enough writing to know that in order for me to meet a deadline, I have to stay focused. I need chunks of 2-3 hours of uninterrupted time. To get this, I am finding that I have to put off other things and, unfortunately, other people. My sister called and wanted to talk to me about something I didn't know was urgent. I put off returning her call because I was in my writing "groove". My daughter wants to talk to me about where to buy her physics book, but I am reluctant to talk because I might forget my train of thought in my writing. A colleague wants to meet about a project, but I have to beg off because I am trying to meet a deadline. Maybe these are sacrifices all authors make, I am not sure. I do know that it takes a single-purposed, drive to maintain the stamina it takes to write a book. It's the stringing together of minutes, hours, days of writing until you have something that makes sense to others. When I finished the first book that I edited with Tara, I remember likening it to giving birth. I am not sure if that's how I would describe it now. I can say that it's a long, slow process full of self-doubt, tediousness, and mental draining. Why do I do it? I guess it's because I have something to say.

The Old and The New

The old radiator represents the contrast between old and new I am seeing on my visits at Turning Point. The school is wireless with a 1:1 laptop ratio. Just about everything is done on computer. However, the school is housed in, what I would guess is, one of the oldest buildings in the district. I heard that at one time the school was condemned, but I am not totally sure about that. I can say that the building is old. Old isn't necessarily bad, but it provides a stark contrast to the "newness" of the technology. The building itself has many beautiful elements - maple wood trim, built in wood and glass cupboards in the classrooms, a staircase at either end of the main hallway with a solid wooden balister, and an interesting arched and barred window in the hallway that looks like it used to be a ticket booth. At a quick glance one wouldn't guess that some of the most innovative teaching and learning is happening here. The feeling I get inside the school is one of hominess, which is nice when I am also surrounded by new ideas, applications, and ways of teaching.

Talk about a learning curve! Today is my first day to visit Turning Point Learning Center - a school that centers around project based learning and each student has their own Macintosh computer. As Ginger Lewman, the lead teacher puts it, technology is as common as breathing. This is true! One of the first things I have noticed is the lack of paper. No wads of paper on the floor, no loose sheets falling out backpacks, no stacks of papers carried around by teachers for grading. Another initial impression is that the students treat their laptop as an extension of themselves - carrying it with them from classroom to classroom, sometimes wrapped in their arms. Today I have learned about Google docs, tag clouding, microblogging, twittering, and personal learning networks. Whew! I am thrilled to be here and apprehensive at the same time. My goal is to figure out how to take the project based learning format with an emphasis on technology and apply it to my college teaching. Ginger says that immersion in social networking is going to be the key. Certainly this is a great place for me to learn from both the teachers and the students. Today I have joined Google, Diigo, and Twitter. It's all a good first step, but the challenging will be learning how to use these for instruction!

Writing is just plain hard work! I know this, but I had forgotten it, as I have been out of practice from book writing. The words stamina, resilience and, crazy come to mind. The other day I spend 3 hours writing two paragraphs – and I don’t know if they were even that good! I am currently revising three chapters for a proposal. This is the third revision based on reviewers from three different publishers in a year. At this point, I feel a bit lost in the whole thing. I know that is a typical feeling during the writing process, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I enjoy writing, especially when it’s finished! We write because we feel like we have something to say, but over the past week or two, I have found myself wondering if I am writing something that people will really want to read. I guess I am feeling self-doubt. It’s a good thing I have a writing partner to inspire me. This keeps me going, at least for another day.

Snow Day?

I missed my first two school visits to Turning Point Learning Center due to bad weather. How disappointing. Even though the school district was closed, Turning Point was still in session virtually. The students were expected to log on by 9:15 am and participate in a small group chat with their advising teacher until 10:00, at which point the teacher gave them individual schedules of activities to complete. Here are the directions for the day: "Read carefully and if you have questions, read again. If you still have questions, ask a classmate. If you still have the same question, then ask your advisory teacher. ASK YOUR ADVISORY TEACHER ONLY AFTER YOU'VE ASKED ANOTHER KID or TWO."
My colleague, Melissa, shared the following description of what her son did that day (thanks for sharing, Melissa): The schedule has choice and flexibility, yet is also structured. He was given a five minute break to move from advising and to begin his schedule. He went to the kitchen to get a drink and then he sat back down to begin to search for a science fair project idea. He set his timer to remind him when he needed to have his science completed so he can move to his next requirement for the day and stay on schedule. It is interesting to watch him manage his tasks! He is having a blast!!! They are also required to do one "fun" activity today during the snow day as well. Keyghan is trying to decide if he will create an imovie of him making a fun lunch or "make a flake" on the snowflakes everywhere website. He laughed out loud when she told them when they could break for lunch, but NOT to eat it at their computer!

He can log off at 1:30 to "enjoy" the remainder of the snow day! I believe he is having the most fun for this day right now. They will not have to make up this day since they have officially had school. I am once again amazed at how this works....but most of all at Keyghan's enthusiasm about being "in school"! He carefully set his alarm last night to make sure he was up and logged in at exactly the right time. He has not complained and I have heard him laugh and enjoy what he is doing several times already. Isn't learning fun!!!!!!
What a concept - to continue having school when there is no school. Learning is no longer contained within the school walls, during the school scheduled time. Choice, flexibility are the key. I would venture to guess that Keyghan was not the only one who enjoyed having some structure to their snow day (students as well as parents). I know that students at Turning Point are also expected to log on when they are home sick (unless the illness is extreme). I am curious about how this whole concept changes the ways we teach and the ways students learn.

I have two projects for this sabbatical. One is to write a book, the other is to visit schools. So far, my first two school visits have been cancelled due to bad weather, so that only leaves writing. I have been having a hard time getting started to write. Once I get in the groove, it goes a little better, but starting is one of the hardest parts – next to writing a good conclusion. My self-imposed deadlines are usually very motivating, but I also have the tendency to put off writing. Tara talks about how when she had to write, and her sons noticed her cleaning the house, they knew she was having trouble getting started. Like Tara, I can come up with dozens of excuses to put off writing, one of which is the urgent need to clean my desk. But there comes a point when you just have to put your poe-poe in the chair and get to it. Since the wind chill is supposed to be between -15 and -30 today, there is really not excuse not to stay in my fortress (as Eric describes my office) and putting fingers to keys . I am sure something will come to me amidst this mess of inspiration.

Joining Facebook

This must be the season of technology! Several friends convinced me to join facebook, much to the disappointment of my children – neither of whom want to be my friend. I had hesitated to join facebook even amidst hearing about lots of people “my age” joining. It just seemed like another thing to check besides my current three email accounts. I didn’t want to make the commitment or take on the responsibility of more communication. What convinced me to join was a couple of experiences I had at NRC in December. First, lots of people talked about being on Facebook, to the point where I felt a little left out. Some friends encouraged me to join, well in fact, I would call it badgered me to join. Talk about peer pressure! I guess I just wanted to see what all of the hoopla was about. Also, I went to a session where the presenters discussed the concept of “wobbly identities” referring to the way technology is changing how we present ourselves to others. And this way of presenting ourselves is always changing. Maybe as a teacher who promotes technology, I should consider my web presence – or fix my lack of it.
So I took the plunge, and I am glad I did. Already I have been in touch with several relatives and friends who I only typically contact through Christmas cards. I have seen photos of cousins and their children that I do not usually get to see. I have learned how and where to post messages, and my children are enjoying the opportunity to teach me something new. Plus on cold, wintery days when it’s just me and my computer, I can be connected to people by reading about the movie my niece is watching or a friend’s trip to the mall. Exciting stuff - but I guess that’s what life is about.