Classroom Practices that Promote Equity

Equity work is more than theory... There are regular classroom practices that can help teachers create an equitable learning environment.

ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS

• Prioritize academic excellence for all students
• Expect higher order thinking from all students; provide those opportunities
• Provide high-quality, timely, actionable feedback to all students
• Offer individual support/help to all students

Curriculum Design Work

Click here to review the entire course

Collaborative Curriculum Development Work

Civics was a newly required class as of 2017-18. I assisted the teacher-led Leyden Civics team to develop buy-in among department members and admin. I also fought to include special education and ELL students in this exciting new experiential course.

Course proposal created for Leyden 212

Effective communication

My Social Studies Blog allowed me to easily communicate with the department and even deliver PD/Instruction if necessary.

This post provided some instruction regarding our MTSS teams and how to use them (click here).

Professional development planning and facilitation

A Lunch and Learn designed with Jamie Winchell about increasing student participation using technology.

 “Learn Model Humanize” an examination of change leadership with Jamie Winchell at Illinois Golden Apple Teachers for Tomorrow Conference. 

At Leyden, I organized literacy PD for the entire department with Professor Mike Manderino from Northern Illinois University. [Dr. Manderino is now the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at Leyden 212.] This program was in response to a Needs Assessment that I had provided to the Department, and our goal to increase literacy and writing skills for students across our curriculum. 

More PD after the jump...

Department mission/vision work

Results of faculty survey about our Department's mission, vision, core values

Further development of our mission, vision, goals:

Example of One of My Social Studies Blog Posts: What You Can Learn at an IEP Meeting

Being a Gen Ed teacher at an IEP meeting can be a valuable learning experience...

Working with data

School Climate survey for my Leyden School Improvement Team. We based our morale/climate work around the book "School Culture Rewired."

Survey results I compiled regarding tech attitudes/usage at OPRF.

Collaboration

As the Teacher Leader for Educational Technology at Oak Park and River Forest High School, I collaborated with teachers in many ways: one-on-one consulting, small group collaboration or instruction, co-teaching and serving as a teaching assistant as a new technology was introduced to a class...

Creating Resources

As a leader, my blogs contained pages of resources along with all our Professional Development materials. Here is an example of a resource created with Jamie Winchell when I was a Tech Leader at Oak Park and River Forest High School :

Keeping Current...

Curating blogs and news sources with a tool like Feedly, I am able to easily stay current in my field:

Long-Range Planning & Reporting to District Admin/BOE

Click here to enter slideshow

While working at Oak Park and River Forest High School, I developed the District Technology Plan and delivered the necessary PD, data collection, and communication. The full 2 years of Board Updates I created can be found here. Some were provided live at Board meetings, others were delivered via screencast, like the one below:

Building a Learning Community

I used a series called "This is Awesome" on my OPRF and Leyden Blogs to share the curricular, pedagogical or EdTech finds within the learning community...

“This is Awesome” with J.P. Coughlin: Socrative

#10 Growth Mindset

A GROWTH MINDSET can benefit all of us in powerful, transformative ways...

When I started this position last year, I was by no-means a "computer person." I had just finished my Type 75 and wanted to help lead a school change initiative, but I wasn't all that tech-savvy. So, you may be wondering, "how did you pull this off?" Let me tell you a secret... I learned 99% of my current tech knowledge from the internet.

IT Flowchart provided to me by the GREAT J. Troiani

#9 Creation v. Consumption

The goal of an intelligent Tech Integration Initiative is creation, not consumption...

As educators, we know that great pedagogical ideas can often be misinterpreted or executed poorly...  The same is true for Technology Integration efforts in K12 education. As I learned from attending a national Ed Tech conference last year and from the troubling Pearson/iPad scandal in Los Angeles, many educators and corporations are using Ed Tech in frightening ways:

• to simply replace textbooks or paper
• to replace teacher-developed curriculum
• to keep students "entertained" and "calm"
• to standardize more (and more) of the educational experience

DIGITAL does not always equal BETTER

#8 The Cloud

I abandoned my User Drive: or how I learned to stop worrying and love The Cloud.

Pictures of Google Server Farms throughout the world

#7 I Don't Know

IT'S CRUCIAL FOR US TO ASK THE BIG SCARY QUESTIONS THAT WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWERS TO

...and not just the questions about curriculum and strategies, I mean the questions about the whole enchilada. Does traditional schooling make sense anymore? Eight periods, sitting in chairs, being on-time, taking the test, logging in, keeping quiet, turning it in, putting on the ID, getting the points, and reading all the directions...

When it comes to preparing young people for their futures, is this the best we've got?

.

#6 PLNs Work

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORKS (PLNs) WORK

I am learning every day thanks to my Twitter account!

We already know the benefits of teacher collaboration: it exposes us to new ideas, challenges our assumptions, and reduces workload. Imagine if you could collaborate beyond the confines of planning periods: anytime, anywhere. That's where social media comes in -- NOT your Facebook account!  Rather, a Twitter account connected to your school email that is specifically designed for your professional life. This has been a game-changer for me.

Case in point: in my last blog post, I described my interest in semi-revolutionary, lets-start-from-scratch school reform. I wasn't going rogue, I was just tapping into the zeitgeist. My PLN was all abuzz about how to #makeschooldifferent... This online discussion was giving me great ideas for my teaching next year, and informing my personal philosophy about how to run a modern high school.

#5 Ask a Student

ASK STUDENTS FOR HELP. ROUTINELY.

One of the best strategies teachers can use as they begin to incorporate tech into their classroom is to ask THEIR STUDENTS for help. When trying something new, don't expect it to work perfectly. Also - don't position yourself as an expert at whatever tech tool you are using.  We are all learning as we go. Model the flexibility and risk-taking you want your students to display.

If there is a problem as you are using the tech - ask your students for help first. While there will be many students with no idea what to do, there may be a few students who have some experience that can help the class. Example questions:

"Has anyone used this before?"
" ____ is not working. Anyone have an idea of what we should do?"

Not only will you be able to find some quick answers - you will be shifting the paradigm. Teachers are learners, just like students. Being willing to admit what we don't know is courageous and it helps develop a Supportive Learning Environment for everyone.

#4 The Four Year Degree...

TECHNOLOGY AND THE NEW ECONOMY IS MAKING A FOUR YEAR DEGREE LESS RELEVANT

HOWEVER, training and learning are as important as ever.

Our world is changing fast. Degrees in English or Business are not delivering the same job opportunities as they once did. Self-knowledge and post-secondary credentials are gaining ground.  

Watch this video -- it's still blowing my mind:
Success in the New Economy from Brian Y. Marsh on Vimeo.

#3 Get out!

TAKE OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT OTHER SCHOOLS

#2 Risk Taking

RISK-TAKING IS CRUCIAL TO IMPROVING PUBLIC EDUCATION

If you are asking, "Greenberg, what does this have to do with technology?"  Let me tell you...  Integrating technology into our school is a bold step, a risk. That's because Ed Tech is not about devices, it's about instruction. It's about doing whatever it takes to make our school relevant and effective for all students in this modern age.

Do not underestimate the fact that we are all walking around with the internet in our pockets. It has changed everything. Do you learn in the same way you did 20 years ago? When you have a question or curiosity, how do you learn more about it? How many times has the internet helped you with a problem or provided the context you needed to make a decision?

The way we learn and access information has fundamentally changed. I'm not saying it is better. But to ignore this shift may make our school "dangerously irrelevant" (per Scott McLeod). The risk is to embrace this change... Who is willing to shake the foundation?

Food for thought:

From Will Richardson, "You have been warned" (2014):

We cannot think critically and make great decisions about ed tech for our students if we don’t make learning the starting point. And we can’t make learning the starting point in a relevant way if we have no evolving, articulated belief around what learning looks like in a modern context. 

From Isaac Asimov, "How computers can enable us to revolutionize education" (1988):

Isaac Asimov on an Education Revolution from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

#1 People are Everything

The #1 thing I learned working in Ed Tech is how much I love connecting with teachers, administrators, students and staff!

You have no idea how talented, caring, and creative you are, tucked away in your job functions and Divisions. I know because I was able to get out of my bubble and work with you for two whole years. What a gift. You have changed me for the better, friends. 

My application video to be a Google Certified Trainer