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Change is Hard!

Change is hard!  When one spends years practicing a skill, to unlearn that skill and perform in a different way is difficult at best!  Let's take riding a bike, for example.  See what happens when you make one small change - turning the handlebar left makes the bike go right, and turning the handlebar right makes the bike go left...

Through training and support, funded by Raise Your Hand Texas, Birdville ISD is asking teachers to rethink the way they plan for and implement learning experiences for students.  We believe that one-size-fits-all actually fits no one, and are therefore working to personalize learning for all students through Blended Learning.

This year English Language Arts teachers at Richland and Haltom High Schools are working to personalize learning through station rotations and flipped learning models.  A demonstration classroom has been identified at each campus and we will soon welcome visitors to these campuses to see first hand the transformation that is taking place.  These two campuses will be in their second year of implementation.

At Shannon High School, we will launch year one of flex blended learning in all content areas.  A personalized student experience will be realized with online learning experiences, a mentoring program, and a revised campus schedule to facilitate the anticipated transformation.

To learn more about Birdville's implementation, view our blended pillars here.

For questions or comments, please contact cheryl.mcknight@birdvilleschools.net, Blended Learning Project Manager.

Blended Learning Hits a Homerun!

Yesterday I met Payge Scoggins, freshman at Richland High School.  Payge and the freshman class at the three Birdville ISD High Schools are the first group of students to experience blended learning in their English Language Arts classrooms.  Blended is being implemented in Birdville ISD as a result of being awarded the Raising Blended Learners grant in April 2016.

This spring rather than completing a traditional research paper project, teachers Kate Chambers and Heather Palmer instead engaged their students in a research based Passion Project.  A focus of blended learning is to personalize learning for students and engage them in relevant learning experiences.  Kudos to all Birdville teachers striving to do exactly that each day!

Payge says, "I decided to put together this softball game event at first for a school project but soon it became even more special and meaningful to me.  My dream for my future career is to work with kids and adults who are disabled or have special needs.  My passion is to play softball so I thought I could put the two together and create this charity softball game.  All the donations we receive will go to the Special Olympics foundation."

Each member of the girls' softball team partnered with a special needs student and all enjoyed a fun game of softball - batting, running the bases, and playing the field.  One of the special needs students sang the National Anthem just before Laura Holt, Director of Special Education, threw out the first pitch.  NBC-5 covered the event and you can see the story here: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/Richland-Softball-Game-Raises-Money-for-Special-Olympics_Dallas-Fort-Worth-425404194.html

Payge saw an opportunity and hit a homerun by planning and coordinating the first Richland Charity Softball Game, raising $448 for Special Olympics.

See the Richland High Facebook story here:

Celebrating Successes!

Birdville ISD is implementing a Raising Blended Learners grant initiative.  There are many definitions and iterations of blended.  Our focus is to create student-centered learning environments in which students are authentically engaged in the learning process.  This can occur when both students and teachers are actively using data to determine progress and next steps in the learning cycle.  Students must become active participants in the process and remain the focus of all planning and professional learning that occurs.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.  It is not a blended learning environment; however what I observed fits into blended models being implemented in Birdville.  Students at RCA are highly engaged in rigorous, student-centered activities every minute of the school day, and are learning at least two grade levels above.  RCA serves students with all needs and learning styles - it is not a gifted academy comprised of only high-achieving students.  In fact, many students enter the academy below grade level; yet in by the time they leave are performing at very high levels.  

What I bring back to Birdville from this experience is that blended provides an opportunity for our teachers to receive additional professional learning and support that will allow us to completely shift the way students in our classrooms interact with content achieve results similar to RCA.  I believe Birdville teachers are among the best and have exceptional content knowledge and strategies. Through blended, we are adding more opportunities to increase rigor and engagement.  

We are nearing the end of the school year, and our first year of iteration of blended learning.  There have been lessons learned and successes noted.  As we continue to plan and iterate for the 2017-18 school year we must take time to step back and celebrate our successes!  Students have shared that their English class is different, more fun, and that they know their teachers really care about them.  Teachers report that through blended learning they see higher levels of engagement and have shifted teacher practices to keep the student at the center of planning and instruction.  School leaders are supporting teachers and students throughout this process to enhance the learning environments and provide time for professional learning and planning. We are still early in the game, learning, and responding to needs but the future is bright. Thank you Birdville teacher, deans, coaches, and school and district leaders for your continued passion toward creating the best possible experience for our students!

Change Yields Change

I read a quote this week, “Nothing changes if nothing changes,” that I believe states exactly why implementing blended learning is so critical.  In some schools, and in some classrooms, teachers and students feel a level of success and satisfaction in their results as indicated on the big test (STAAR) and other measures; however is it really good enough?  Even if one has 95% success rate, what if I am the student in the 5% or the parent or grandparent of the 5% - it no longer good enough!  While we may never reach the 100% mark (and quite honestly our state pretty much makes that impossible) should that not be our goal?  Should we not always strive to improve? However, there is much more at stake than success on a high-stakes test, and that is where blended learning can really make a difference.

Blended learning combines the best of face-to-face and technology resources to create a learning experience for students, but it is so much more than this.  It is also about using data and student agency (ownership and responsibility) to create a student-centered learning experience that intentionally increases student involvement and interest. 

Earlier this week I tweeted a blog post by Catlin Tucker that challenges teachers to forget everything they’ve done in the past, and rethink, redesign the student experience to meet the needs of the students.  If we really want different results we must do something different.  That said, it’s not just about the results (on a test), but also about teaching students to be responsible for their learning and advocating for their needs - this is a skill that will serve them well the rest of their lives.  

Last night I watched a 20/20 news special about people trying to achieve the American Dream.  As challenging as this has become, the common thread among those who are living in poverty but have not given up is that they all have perseverance and grit - they have assumed 100% responsibility to achieve their dreams and goals.  They did not blame others or the system.  They’ve pulled up their bootstraps, so to speak, and are doing whatever it take to survive.  

We all face uncertain days ahead - nothing is promised and no one knows what the future holds, but I believe those who will find success will be the ones that take ownership and responsibility for where they are and have a whatever-it-takes attitude to achieve their dreams and goals.  I believe this is as important of a skill as anything measured on a high-stakes test!  If students don't have the opportunity to learn this life-skill in school, when and where will they learn it?  Nothing happens by happenstance.  Intentionally planning for change yields change. 

 

Tailored Learning

Since late last fall, a simple two-syllable word has taken over my life. Like a trending hashtag, this word has appeared more in my writings, discussions, and trainings than other words that have long been the foundation of my working vocabulary. Like all good words, this seven letter word came with multiple connotations and denotations that prompted me and my colleagues to constantly define what it means to us as an organization. As well as I thought that I understood the definition of the word “blended”, my district’s experiences preparing teachers and administrators for implementation of this deceptively simple and common word has added multiple layers of meaning to my now complex personal definition of this word.

Winning a Raise Your Hand Texas grant to transform learning has become much more than just a district and department initiative; it has evolved into a complete and sometimes jarring shift in thinking and practice. Birdville ISD was chosen along with four other innovative and diverse schools/districts across the state of Texas in April 2016 as part of a Raising Blended Learners program. Our official definition of “blended” is taken from our blended learning bible, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools by Heather Staker and Michael Horn. Founded in the work of the Christensen Institute, Staker and Horn use the following definition: “...blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns:

1. at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace;
2. at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home;
3. and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.”

As a former secondary English teacher, words and authors’ choices speak to me. This three-part definition is specific and descriptive while also including nudges towards innovation in its word choice. If you look closely at the definition above and pull out only the adjectives, those extra words that author’s painstakingly choose to pinpoint their exact meanings, you get these words: formal, education, online, student, supervised, brick-and-mortar, learning, integrated. These adjectives alone create a basic picture of blended learning. The looser general definition of “blended” that most educators think of consists of a basic “blend” of technology and traditional teaching. Because of this, the “online learning” words in the Christensen Institute definition are often what teachers and administrators focus on, and though technology is an essential tool to unlock the possibilities of blended learning, it is not the most important part of this disruptive innovation.

As we have prepared, trained, and observed our blended learning teachers these first few months of our blended learning implementation, I have come to think that though the definition provided by Staker and Horn is specific on paper, the definition of “blended” is still sometimes muddy in reality. The connotations associated with the word “blended” are getting in the way of the true purpose and goal of this mindshift: personalized learning. One who blends would be described a “blender,” a word that evokes images of a loud smoothie maker chopping different components to bits and then whirring them forcibly together to create a new, tasty mixture. This image is not remotely close to what blended learning is in truth. So, in the interest of clarity, I humbly offer a different word to replace “blended” that I believe better captures the essence and spirit of what my district and others in the state are trying to do for students: tailored.  

Tailored learning. One who tailors learning would be called a “tailor.” A tailor brings to mind an image of a person with a tape measure who can work magic to create clothing that is perfect for any body type. This tailor listens to the customer and finds out fabric preferences, deadlines, style, and purpose needed for the clothing before getting to work to create the garments that the customer needs and wants. These garments are being made by a true craftsman to be just right for each customer. This personalized design process is at the heart of the goal of blended learning, and though I doubt our teachers want another word or another definition right now, I want to help all of our teachers become the learning tailors that all of our students need to achieve and become future-ready. Our current educational system of “ready-to-wear” clothing that is made in huge quantities for general sizes is not “fitting” a growing number of students as seen by the increasing EOC re-tester numbers in our district. Tailored learning is a solution that, like clothes tailoring, takes more time, effort, and intentionality than factory-made clothing or one-size-fits-all lesson design, but the rewards and benefits of personalized learning make it an imperative for teachers and curriculum designers in our district as we strive to prepare students that reflect our new district Portrait of a Graduate.

Works Cited
      Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2014). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.

     Christensen Institute - Improving the world through disruptive innovation. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://www.christenseninstitute.org/ 

Taking a Step Back to Reflect

As the first six weeks comes to a close I am taking the time to step back and reflect on our blended journey.  In November 2015 I had the privilege to work with some amazing colleagues to dream about how we could leverage an opportunity to bring innovation, blended learning, to Birdville.  After days of intense collaborative thought, four of us sat in a room until almost 11:00 PM on the day that Raising Blended Learners round one grant submissions were due to make final changes and click “submit.”  

For the next several weeks we waited, and speculated on the possibilities.  In January 2016 we learned that Birdville ISD had indeed advanced to the final round.  We immediately began to reflect on our first submission and began to dig-in and expand our understanding of blended concepts and contemplate how we could implement in our district.  The team expanded to draw in more stakeholders and a group of blended leaders participated in an intense 2-day workshop in Austin to prepare for round two grant submissions.  Following this, the now expanded team spent hours and days designing and editing a plan could change the teaching and learning structure in Birdville and cause the student learning experience to change and meet the demands of today’s learners.

April 13, 2016 will always be remembered as a pivotal moment in my career.  It is on this day that Raise Your Hand Texas formally announced that Birdville ISD would be a Raising Blended Learners demonstration site!  I had been named Project Manager and would now formally embark on a journey that has led me to much reading, learning, and design work to train and support the work of blended learning.  It has challenged my thinking and made me reflect on past practices.  It makes me hopeful for our future generation.  It has reignited my passion for education and the pressing need to make a difference.

With my colleagues and outside consultants we, the Birdville Blended Leaders, mapped out training opportunities to begin the onboarding process of preparing all 9th grade ELAR teachers to launch blended learning in their classrooms beginning the first day of the 2016-17 school year.  Six weeks into the school year I am now reflecting upon and evaluating our work.  

My first response was we had somehow missed the mark!  That is not a fair or true statement!  There are iterations of blended learning happening in Birdville ISD that are on-track to prove that student success absolutely can and will increase through this implementation.  But on the flip side I must acknowledge that there are also opportunities for growth and additional learning.  I am a teacher.  I should not be at all surprised by this!   Not learners advance at the same pace!

To quote the work of Staker and Horn in Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, “Blended learning is the engine that can power personalized and competency-based learning.”   The word I want to focus on is PERSONALIZED.  I am a lifelong learner.  Teachers are lifelong learners.  All learners are in a different place on their personal journey, and bring with them a variety of experiences that contribute to their understanding and ability to apply new concepts and models.  This work is hard!  This work causes us to put aside years of traditional teaching and conforming to out-dated models of education.  It creates dissonance in our cognition that forces us to grapple with and make sense of new ways of teaching and learning.  

As my amazing team of colleagues and I look forward to the next six weeks and the supports that we will offer to our blended teachers, I feel compelled to revisit the definition of blended learning and the reason we are embarking on this work.  The focus is personalized learning - to meet students at their level and advance academic achievement, ultimately preparing them for college and career.  We do this by examining data, collected formally through screenings and assessments and informally through exit tickets, observations, and reflections.  The next step is to design a personalized student experience that is at a level of rigor to engage students and lead them to deep understanding of the standards. The student experience can be delivered through individual or small group instruction using both online and offline resources in a variety of modalities with opportunities for student agency.  

Birdville ISD is committed to the work of transforming teaching and learning and making blended learning work at our schools, for our students!

Cheryl McKnight

Raising Blended Learners Project Manager