Ready to Stretch Your Thinking?

Summer is made for days at the beach, hiking spectacular trails, and reading a good book in a hammock.  It is also the one time during the year when educators have the leisure to pause, reflect, and review their beliefs about teaching and learning. New learning in courses and institutes help stretch, clarify, and reshape the way we think about our classrooms.  For over 25 years the Middle Level Education Institute (MLEI) has provided Maine educators and those from away with ideas that are innovative and effective.  This year will be no different.

I have learned many important aspects of instructional strategies.  Of most importance is the fact that it is not about the teacher, but rather it is about the student learning that takes place.

2012 MLEI Attendee

Join us July 29-August 1 on Bowdoin College’s beautiful campus in Brunswick, Maine to continue the journey toward more powerful learning for our students. We invite you to join the quest to re-envision schooling in a bold way that systematically models as well as promotes the essential capacities students need to successfully confront the challenges of their futures and the future of our world.

In many ways it is indeed a hero or heroine’s journey to pursue powerful teaching in today’s social, political, and economic climate. We believe, however, that spirited middle level educators want to explore…

• Empowerment and engagement
• Community and collaboration
• Content with meaningful context
• Assessment for reflection and growth

Are you ready to pursue this bold vision that…

• Cultivates learning that is engaging, challenging and meaningful?
• Shifts the classroom environment from teacher-centered to learner-centered?
• Incorporates student voice and choice in a substantive way?
• May rock your vision of teaching and learning?

This Institute has given me hope and the courage to take the full journey.

2012 MLEI Attendee

The journey continues July 29 – August 1 at MLEI on the Bowdoin campus.  All of the details and registration information can be found at http://mleimaine.net/home

Give my regards to Broadway

I love to watch Maine’s middle (and high school) show choirs perform. This year’s state competition was held at Ellsworth High School several weeks ago and as always, all schools brought their best work to the stage. As a sports guy whose musical career ended badly in third grade, I’ve learned to admire and appreciate the singing and dancing talents of middle school students. In fact, show choir may be the perfect activity for young adolescents in middle level schools.

Here’s why: It gives large numbers of students—many show choirs have 20 or more students—opportunities to participate. And these students have a wide range of abilities and interests; some like to be out front as soloists as singers or dancers while others like being part of the ensemble. Still others bring their unique skills as musicians, floor managers, costume and  set designers, and assistant directors. In show choir there is a place for everyone. I also like that these young adolescents take a chance by putting themselves out front. Bravo for them and their hard-working mentors and teachers.

Show choirs absolutely require collaboration, very, very strict attention to detail, with everyone striving for excellence. There are few stars here as everyone recognizes the importance of working as a team. But it isn’t all about winning. You can readily see the joy and excitement on the faces of 11-year-olds or 14-year-olds as they begin a routine scared to death and two minutes later realize they are having the time of their lives.

Middle level schools believe in exploration, giving every 10-t0-15-year-old opportunities to try out different experiences. From volleyball to foreign language, drawing and painting to creative writing. Show choir offers young adolescents outstanding chances to find potentially life-long interests,  a place to be a part of a team,  and the satisfaction of doing something well and receiving instant feedback about it.

Isn’t this what life is all about?

If you haven’t seen any of Maine’s middle school show choirs in action take a look here and here. Or go online to see if your favorite middle level school has posted its routine for you to enjoy.

(Full disclosure: My daughter is the director of the Hermon High School Show Choir. I am also an avid Glee and Smash fan!)

Photo permission by PKHomer and Pemetic School, ME.

Techno Wizards: Students Model Good Digital Citizenship

Recently Warsaw Middle School’s Techno Wizards presented to elementary and middle school students and their parents on various aspects of digital citizenship. Eight students from Warsaw’s (WMS) new student technology team shared research, insights, advice, and tips on several critical topics—digital natives and immigrants, private and personal information online, password security, digital footprints, cyberbullying, and intellectual property. The students were professional, cool, and knowledgeable while presenting information and answering questions posed to them. But this was not their first public presentation.

The Techno Wizards have been busy since last September under the able direction of advisor and mentor, Ms. Lori Stevens, Warsaw’s technology integrator. Key functions of the Warsaw student technology team are to provide technology and learning assistance to teachers and fellow students, to assist with needed technical repairs and set-up, and perhaps most importantly of all, to serve as positive digital citizenship role models for both their school and their community. Digital citizenship refers to understanding and knowing how to navigate the digital world responsibly, safely, and ethically, obviously a set of skills that are becoming more important everyday.

Fourteen students applied for and eventually joined the Techno Wizards because they enjoy learning about and using technology; they also take seriously “giving back” to their school. It shouldn’t be a surprise that they are emerging student leaders at WMS. The Techno Wizards don’t get paid and they don’t receive academic credit for their work. Those types of external awards aren’t what motivate them! They do meet with Ms. Stevens every Tuesday morning at 7:20 a.m. to prepare for their next presentation, learn about applications of software to learning,  or how to assist their own teachers in using an app or software more effectively.

What else do the Techno Wizards do? Early in the school year they learned about Google Sites, a tool that every student at WMS will use to build his/her own digital portfolio. (A digital portfolio is a “purposeful collection” of a student’s best work in an electronic format, required by more colleges and workplaces.) Techno Wizards learned how to operate Google Sites first so that they could assist their teachers and eventually fellow students. I attended one of the professional development sessions and loved seeing the interesting role reversal as teachers learned from students!

Each week several students assist Ms. Stevens as she instructs fourth  grade students at the elementary school across the street. Every Techno Wizard also offers daily assistance to teachers and students in their classes. This ranges from trouble-shooting computer problems, to showing how to save, find, or send information to others, how to print, or how to use new tools as they are introduced. In short, the 14 Techno Wizards become 14 additional teachers for WMS.

But make no mistake…this is not simply a modern-day “AV Club” focused on computers, tablets, and projectors. Today’s student technology teams, like the Techno Wizards at Warsaw Middle School, use student expertise, leadership, enthusiasm, and an uncanny ability to work with a variety of people to strengthen the learning missions of their schools.

How do students assist with technology and learning in your school?

Another Service Project! Maine Based PuppyRescueMission

My last post focused on the Tacugama Chimp Sanctuary in Sierra Leone. Just today I read about another project that would definitely appeal to middle grades students because it is about bringing to the U.S. dogs and cats that our soldiers in combat overseas have adopted. What makes is really cool is that its chief organizer is a Mainer, Anna Cannan from Ft. Kent!

Anna began PuppyRescueMission because her boyfriend, stationed in Afghanistan, wanted to find a way to bring home a puppy of a stray dog who had alerted soldiers that a stranger was nearby.  The man turned out to be a suicide bomber, and the U.S. soldiers were determined to take care of the dogs who saved their lives. Long story short, Anna began the PuppyRescueMission to raise money to bring this dog and others to the US so they could be with the soldiers when they too came home.

It’s very expensive to transport these animals to their new homes so the organization is continuously in fund raising mode.  Students looking for a service project would find this a worthwhile endeavor.

Anna first started a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/puppyrescuemission?fref=ts

The organization now also has a store and a blog:

• Store: http://www.thepuppyrescuemission.org/store
• Blog: http://puppyrescuemission.blogspot.com/

After investigating these sites, individuals, homerooms, advisory groups, teams, or an entire school might be inspired to get involved or create some other type of service project using this one as a model. Anna Cannan has certainly demonstrated that one person can make a difference with hard work and ingenuity–she sounds like a good role model to me!  It is also an opportunity to help students become savvy consumers of the Internet by having them research the reliability of the site and the percentage of funds raised going to the actual cause–two habits students need to develop in order to make good decisions about getting involved with organizations/charities they read about online.

Reference:

Fitzpatrick, K. (2013) “This is my way to say ‘Thank you’ to our heroes!” Woman’s World. 3/18/13. p. 26.

500 Middle School Students

March 14 – 26th Expanding your horizons conference

Looks like today, Friday, will be an exciting day at the UMaine campus when 500 middle school girls converge from all over the state for an opportunity to attend a conference learning more about science and math.

The event is cosponsored by UMaine Women’s Resource Center, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine, College of Engineering, University Bookstore, the Provost’s Office and Maine Girls Collaborative Project.

The day begins at 9:00 AM with a keynote provided by a representative from Hardy Girls Healthy Women in Waterville. Students will select hands-on workshops being held throughout the Orono campus.

Among the selections are:

• Experimenting with the Natural Flora of Bacteria on Our Hands, led byundergraduate student Jordan Myerowitz, 10 AM, noon and 1 PM, 180 Hitchner Hall.
• Critter Clues: Studying Marine Animals, led by graduate student Skylar Bayer, 11 AM, noon and 1 PM, 201 Shibles Hall.
• Colorful, Cold Chemistry, led by professor Alice Bruce, 10 AM and 11 AM , 227 and 228 Aubert Hall.
• Tidal Energy, led by graduate student Colleen Swanger, noon and 1PM, Aquaculture Research Center.
• Sustainability Solutions — Working Together, led by staff member Elizabeth England, noon and 1 PM, Mitchell Center, Smith Hall.

Teachers will have the opportunity to attend sessions as well including a Maine Girls Collaborative Project panel discussion about working with girls with disabilities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. During the afternoon they will attend a workshop to explore strategies for encouraging Native American girls to pursue STEM subjects in school.

Sounds like a great opportunity for all participants. If you attend, please share your experience with Bright Futures blog readers!

Rice Bowl Challenge

Have your students join the fun!

Maine is participating – a note from MLTI

This is just a quick note to let you that the 2013 RiceBowl Challenge is underway! Already we have some schools that are playing – is yours? If not, why not? All Maine schools should be pre-registered, so all you need to do is visit http://thericebowl.org/sign-up/ for directions on how your students (or teachers can do this for kids if they are younger) can set up an account at FreeRice.com. At the bottom of that page, you’ll find PDFs you can download that have step-by-step directions that you can share with kids to help them.

You will also find the list of Maine school team prefixes. These are 6 character unique prefixes that your students need to use when establishing their login accounts. This will allow us to associate their rice donations with your school so we can track your school’s overall total. The prefix is simply your MEDMS school code preceded by ME….so it would look something like ME1234. That means kids’ accounts should be something like ME1234john. They don’t have to use their name at all in the account…just something they will remember. So, ME1234PatsFan would work too.

Every student needs an individual account because FreeRice is adaptive, so it needs to individually track your answers so it knows what question to ask next based on your last response.

Also, teachers — please sign up and register for Digital Learning Day at http://www.digitallearningday.org/registration/  It’s quick and painless, but it will put you on a mailing list to receive curriculum ideas and links to resources about how you can use technology in the classroom. The State with the most teachers registered (as a percentage) will be called out on the national Town Hall Meeting on Digital Learning Day which will be streamed live over the internet. Go Maine Go!

7 Habits Team

Biddeford Middle School

Recently at the MAMLE conference held at Sugarloaf I sat with a team of educators at lunch and we had a delightful conversation. Much to my surprise when lunch was over and the awards were presented the three teachers were representing their middle school team from Biddeford who received the MAMLE “team award”. The following briefly explains the recognition and why their team was celebrated.

As a result of a year and a half preparation by the 7 Habits Committee, Biddeford Middle School devoted a week last January to unfold, introduce and practice the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens/People Porgam. Staff read Covey’s book over the summer of 2011 and spent the fall semester developing the program.

The 7 Habits Program is directly related to developing positive habits and relationship among teens and pre-teens. The habits focus on “private victory”:

1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first. Then students learn about “public victory”.
4. Think win-win
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
6. Synergize. Finally the focus changes to personal renewal
7. Sharpen the saw

Ray Sampson, Jeff Mears, and Doug Bertrand, representing Biddeford Middle School

Staff and students participated in activities and skits that reinforced all habits. The 7 Habits Committee helped students become leaders in various activities throughout the week. Parents were invited to the activities and the community newspaper reported on the festivities. All in all, every member of the school was involved and continued to live by the seven habits throughout the spring. Reminders through visuals and actions of students and staff were witnessed every day. A great deal of interest and enthusiasm was generated well beyond the Biddeford community.

If you know of a team or a teacher who has a practice that you think should be nominated for MAMLE’s Exemplary Practice Award please go to MAMLE’s website and download the nomination forms.

Let’s Do It! Teaching Young Adolescents–Statewide Learning Network

Courageous educators and students

Members of the Medomak Pantastics Teach Sugarloaf Participants to Play the Steel Drums

Sixty Maine educators and students shared their work at MAMLE’s Annual Conference at Sugarloaf.  They were willing to step out of their comfort zones and talk about their ideas, practices, and products with colleagues from across the state.  Presenting takes tremendous courage because the classroom door is flung open and all is subject to both praise and critique.  Participants left the conference with many new ideas and models with which to compare to their own practice.  Both presenters and attendees grew professionally as a result of this event.   For two days we were an active learning community focused on successful educational practices for young adolescents.

Erik Wade Shares Ideas on Integrating Technology and Outdoor Education

The need for a statewide learning community focused on young adolescents and their learning needs

At the Bright Futures World Cafe event in Belgrade last June, a young teacher said to some of us more veteran educators. “It sounds like you had a network of middle level teachers–we don’t have that.”  He was right; when Maine schools were making the transition to middle level philosophy, we had the MAMLE conference, the Middle Level Education Institute, Ed Brazee’s master’s program at Orono, the NELMS conference, MAMLE newsletters and journals, and small regional after-school drive-in conferences. As a teacher I knew who or what school to contact if I wanted to know more about a particular program or practice because I was continually meeting folks who were elbow deep in work. They remain friends to this day–in fact, many are my friends on…Facebook.  I still know what they are doing!

But wait!  All of these things except for Ed’s courses still exist, and Chris Toy teaches similar ones at USM in the summer.   Yet they are not providing the networking that builds a state-wide vision of what our young adolescents need to experience in school.  I am not going to expend negative energy examining why these activities are not attended as widely as they used to be.  Instead, I would like to suggest some ideas to rejuvenate a statewide learning community or professional  learning network dedicated to the education of Maine’s young adolescents.

Principal Sherry Levesque from Gray-New Gloucester MS Shares Her School’s Work With Customized Learning

Let’s Build Our Professional Network of Educators Dedicated to Providing Our Young Adolescents the Educational Experiences They Need to Thrive!

I learned to be a better teacher from my colleagues.  Today I would add that I also learn from my students and young relatives who are so savvy about technology.  In this day of social networking we have the means to share ideas, ask questions, and participate in action research projects statewide. As Ed Brazee said in every class I took with him–we have a professional responsibility to share our work so the profession can grow and improve practice. Let’s Do It!

Some ideas to consider:

• Be willing to share your work in a public forum open to all.   Maine educators are exploring exciting practices like customized learning, expeditionary learning,  proficiency-based learning,  STEM, and STEAM–we all need to hear how your work is going and what you have learned.  Middle level education is bigger than any one school, district, or cohort. As a state we need to grow and nurture successful practices. Think about MLTI–how much we have learned from one another across the state about integrating technology.
• “Like” the Maine Association for Middle Level Education page on Facebook and post comments to share ideas, resources or pose questions. You’ll get ideas back that you can use.
• Ask your principal if the school has an institutional membership in MAMLE, NELMS, and/or AMLE.  If you do and are not receiving digital newsletters and other updates, ask your principal to please forward to the staff everything that comes in via email. Here are the topics in a recent AMLE Middle Level Insider:

1. Creating Online Galleries of Student Work
2. Make Environmental Education Exciting
3. The Family Connection

• Host a Google Hangout video conference (they are free — http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/) with colleagues across the state on a specific topic.  Be brave, ask people to participate via MAMLE’s Facebook page–there are people following from all over the country!
• Follow Maine Middle Level Educators on Twitter–Lisa Hogan, Chris Toy, Barbara Greenstone, Mike Muir to name a few.
• Forward this blog and others of interest to your colleagues.  Encourage them to join the conversation.
• Write about your work.  It doesn’t have to be long.

1.  MAMLE:  send articles to Wally Alexander (wallace_alexander@umit.maine.edu)
2. Start a blog (you and/or your students) and publicize it on MAMLE’s Facebook page.
3. Write a guest post for this blog.
4. Consider doing a Pinterest on strategies that work for you.  Here’s an example of one on math apps: http://pinterest.com/mikefisher821/math-apps-for-the-ipad/

Geographically we are spread out from Ft. Kent to Kittery, but we are only a keystroke away from building a powerful and energizing statewide learning network.  I know readers have many more ideas than I do—please make suggestions in the comment box. Let’s do it!

Time to Stand Up and Be Counted

Displeased with the direction of the educational reforms sweeping our country? Or, perhaps you support them. Whatever the case, write a letter or an email to President Obama on October 17, 2012 to explain your thinking. I read about this date in a blog: http://dianeravitch.net/2012/10/05/this-teachers-letter-for-october-17/.

Personally, I am going to either write about alternatives to using student test scores as an accountability tool or explaining how well the middle level program at his daughters’ school addresses the learning needs of young adolescents. I will then ask him to energetically advocate for these kinds of programs, organizational strategies, and class sizes in every one of America’s middle grades school. (http://www.sidwell.edu/middle_school/index.aspx).

I think it is important that our letters do not sound whiny. They should be articulate and concise. State the issue, give 2 or 3 pieces of evidence to support what you are saying, be specific about what action you would like him to take, and explain the positive outcomes of such action.  (Sorry folks–once an English teacher, always an English teacher–just have to give you an assignment.)

It’s tempting to think–my letter will not matter.  One letter–maybe not.  Imagine, however, 1,000,000 emails/letters pouring into the White House on October 17 from all across the country–from teachers. parents, students, administrators, librarians, custodians, school counselors, etc. This isn’t about the election or political parties; it’s about providing our students with the learning experiences that will empower them to chase and capture the American dream.

If you read the post I mentioned above you will see a letter from Rick Davidson from New Hampshire.  I met him this summer at the Middle Level Education Institute.  He is passionate about teaching and learning, and his letter explains just what he stands for. I think it is time for many more of us to take a stand…in writing.

I hope you will choose to join me in writing to President Obama on October 17 to express your vision of education and to make one or two concrete suggestions on how we can improve learning for all of our students.  Thank you!

 US mail: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 20500

 email:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

Here’s more info on this campaign: http://dianeravitch.net/2012/10/06/spread-the-word-about-october-17-campaign-for-our-public-schools/

Students at the Center–Sugarloaf–Oct. 25 & 26

Students at the Center

MAMLE Annual Conference

Sugarloaf

October 25 & 26

Music by the Medomak Middle School Pantastics!

What Does Learner-Center Instruction Look Like?

Innovative educators who are experts at creating student-centered classrooms will be sharing their classroom-tested strategies and activities during Best Practice Sessions.  Session descriptions can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aDfQv4XiHQRtsUlbaMiLqbTuyQde2Knp2ICdHtU33tQ/edit

What is Proficiency-Based and/or Customized Learning All About?

Bill Zima, principal of Mt. Ararat Middle School, will be leading an interactive panel discussion focused on Customized Learning on both Thursday and Friday.  He is also the featured keynote speaker on Friday.  His topic: Yeah, We Got That! Why The New Reforms in Education Are Middle Level Minded

Sherry Levesque from Gray-New Gloucester will be presenting on her school’s transition to proficiency-based learning on Friday.

What is a Sane Way to Approach the Complexities of Leadership in 2012?

Jeff Rodman, principal of the Middle School of the Kennebunks, will lead an interactive panel on both days.  Panel members include international workshop leader, Chris Toy and NASSP’s Associate Director for Middle Level Services, Patti Kinney.

Specific Best Practice Sessions include:

• Tools and Strategies for Leading Change
• Making Change Manageable: Leadership Team
• Connecting the Dots: Common Core, Customized Learning and More
• Customized Learning–Transforming Our Schools and Classrooms to Meet Needs of Our Students
• School Change
• iPads, Conversations, and Observations

GREAT DEAL for Administrators!  

Register 4 staff members and your registration is complimentary!

Allied Arts–Where Do We Fit In a Standards-Based World?

Specific best-practice sessions and an interactive panel on both days take on this critical issue! Creativity, Art, Health, Music, and Technology Integration weave their way through the program.

What About Our Students at Risk–What Strategies Have Been Successful Around the State?

One of our most highly rated interactive panels last year was the one focusing on supporting students at risk.  The panelists will be back to continue the conversation.

Best Deal in Town!

The 2 day MAMLE Conference costs about the same as many one day events. $175

Plus, when a team comes and stays in a condo the professional conversations and problem solving continue late into the night.

Where Do We Find More Information About This Fantastic Opportunity?

Registration materials at http://www.mamleonline.org

Email Dr. Wally Alexander, MAMLE Executive Director: wallace.alexander@umit.maine.edu

Ask Your Administrator If Your School Is A MAMLE Member. 

If so…ask them to please forward all MAMLE communications (e.g. newsletter went out recently).  If not, ask why not?

See You On The Mountain!