Re-Inventing Schools Coalition

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A Collection of Practices and High Yield Strategies to support second order change

Leading the Learning

Visible Learning- Working Smarter, Not Harder

John Hattie, through his meta-analysis has created a compelling argument for designing learning that allows students to have a voice and control over their own learning. The book identifies all factors that influence student achievement. The contributions from students, home, school, teacher and curricula are placed on a barometer for effect on student achievement. Hattie acknowledges that many of the practices and procedures implemented in schools have a positive impact on student achievement. The book shows the varying impact and value of current initiatives and their influence on student achievement. The connection between value-added practices, continuous improvement and personal mastery are quite compelling. Hattie found that the average effect size of all the interventions he studied was 0.40. Therefore he decided to judge the success of influences relative to this value-added practice, in order to find an answer to the question, What works best in education?

Inside this issue:

Visible Learning: Research and Personal Mastery Engaging Students: Working on the Work Voices from the Field: Kim Hanisch Change Leadership: Drive, Daniel Pink

Teaching and Learning Approach Self-Reported Grades Providing Formative Evaluations Microteaching Acceleration Classroom Behavioral Teacher Clarity Feedback

Effect Size (Value Added) 1.44 .9 .88 .88 .8 .75 .73

Personal Mastery Practice I-Path PM.APP.03 PM.APP.02/.03 PM.IL.02/.03 PM.IL.03 LE.MCS.02/.03 PM.LT.02/.03 PM.APP.02/.03

This document was produced by: Daniel Joseph Educational Specialist Re-Inventing Schools Coalition

When thinking about design, engagement and personal mastery John Hattie has this quote, Learning is spontaneous, individualistic, and often earned through effort. It is timeworn, slow and gradual, fits-and-starts kind of progress, which can have a flow of its own, but requires passion, patience, and attention to detail (from the teacher and student)." Reflecting back to Larry Lezotte, Learning for All- do we believe that students learn differently and at different rates? If this is our belief then our design and delivery needs to account for learning for all. Personal Mastery is what we need to offer. To learn more, refer to the I-Path, start having conversations on ways you can work smarter, not harder on the work that needs to occur.

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Engagement Designing for Learning in a Personal Mastery System

Philip Schlechty has enumerated a number of beliefs about viewing the student as a customer, volunteer and a knowledge worker. What they have to volunteer is their attention and commitment. It is this perspective that drives the concept of teaching and learning from the studentcentered approach. The idea of personal mastery is to require students to lead their own mastery learning in a personalized manner. This requires clear expectations, frequent feedback and an engaged student. For students to see the importance of the work they must be willing to invest in their own learning. This requires the role of the teacher, student, curriculum and assessment to change in the following manner. The idea of design must begin with the needs of the student (customer), and result in added value to the student. Value- In order for students to invest time into monitoring their own progress, there needs to be a reason involved with the assignment, as well as a connection with their interests Commitment - Students need to see the importance of the work in order to be committed to it. Getting them "into" the work creates commitment. Persistence - Work needs to be challenging (a step above their level) in order for students to complete it. It adds value when they have to think further. Gratification- Easy/busy work does not motivate them to try. Create a growth mindset! Essential Question: Knowing that compliance is not enough, how can we as teachers design more engaging lessons/learning environments that promote attention, commitment, persistence, meaning and value? Our Students Want: - Lessons that are FUN, hands on, and relevant. As an organization reflects on these concepts, they must be honest with themselves at a personal and organizational level as to what degree they bring this level of work to students. This needs to be the way we do business here! In his book, Schlechty outlines 12 standards with essential questions to monitor an organizations movement

Commitment, attention, and persistence must be present to justify the claim that the student in engaged Philip C. Schlechty

This article is designed to give your practices and opportunities to move students from compliance into engagement. An essential element for building a personal mastery system.

from compliance to engagement. These questions are wonderful for districts to use to provide structure for the important conversations. Student - Teacher - Content (Meaningful Engagement). According to the Classroom Interaction Model of Student Engagement, meaningful engagement is most likely to arise when there is an environment with strong, positive studentteacher relationships: when students are interested in and committed to learning the subject matter because it is in some way relevant to them, and when teachers are wellversed in the content so as to maintain the rigor of the material and provide relevant challenges to the students. When students are meaningfully engaged they show a deep interest, involvement and investment in learning, take responsibility for their own learning and support the learning of others.

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Voices from the field, Kim Hanisch: Compliance to Engagement: DRIVE!

Is anyone feeling that the metaphorical school bus you were driving in September is now a bus you are pulling and pushing? Does it feel like many who were sharing the driving duties are now stepping onto the bus, simply wanting the supported means of moving? Are you sensing that teachers feel students have lost their motivation? If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions, you are not alone! As a leader, it is important to shift quickly from Problem-Identifier (waning motivation) to ProblemSolver. This transition, oftentimes, requires questioning, reflection, and possibly adjusting. To begin the questioning, first, ask yourself: Am I on the right bus? Is my bus leading toward a personal mastery system? By definition, a personal mastery system is one in which all master their learning at a personal level. This begins by ensuring a learnercentered environment with a solid foundation of safety and efficiency. All are engaged in the development of culture to support learning. The system ensures learning targets are transparent and navigable by all. All are engaged in the process of assessment, progress monitoring and goal-setting. If this system is established, learning is owned and accelerated. In other words, people would be MOTIVATED to achieve. Next ask: Is the bus I am trying to drive going the right direction? Or, in other words, Will a personal mastery system motivate all to achieve? According to Daniel Pink in DRIVE, people are motivated and have higher levels of production when 3 key pieces are in place: autonomy, mastery and purpose. Autonomy, or acting by choice, (vs. independence) may be provided in what, when, how or with whom the work (learning) is done. Control leads to compliance autonomy leads to engagement and this leads to the desire to get better and better at something that matters. And that is Mastery: becoming better at something you care about. Oddly, Mastery does not correlate directly with completion. As Pink states, Mastery is an asymptote something a person never reaches; you can get close, but it is impossible to fully realize. If that is the case, why would a person try? Progress motivates. A system that provides conditions for, people to make progress, shine a light on the progress, recognize and celebrate the process motivates. Combine that with purposeful opportunities of choice to build meaningful and relevant learning opportunities, and answer-

ing the why of the work (not just the how), motivates! If we are driving toward a personal mastery system, autonomy (choice and ownership), mastery (focus on learning, progress and appropriate challenge levels) and purpose (shared vision, unpacking the learning, strategic planning) are the well-greased wheels to take us toward higher student achievement. So, you are on the right bus, heading the right direction, BUT you are still pushing and pulling, and frankly running out of gas. Often, as instructional leaders, we see our role as supporting teachers to ensure students are provided with this learning environment. What may be overlooked and in need of deeper reflection, though, is the underlying tenant of system. As an instructional leader, we do have a responsibility to ensure classroom success, but there is also the role of system or building leader. Students are our focus, but so are our staff. Why did staff lose motivation? According to Pink, The secret to high performance isnt our biological drive or the task/ reward/punishment drive, but our 3rd drive our deep seated desire to direct our own lives (autonomy), to extend and expand our abilities (mastery), and to make a contribution (purposefulness). What works in the classroom, works at the system level.

Effective instructional leaders build and maintain a system in which all students and staff are provided a driven culture.

Leadership Lessons from DRIVE!

A few suggestions, based upon Pinks Drive: *Develop autonomy centered practices and policies. Develop a consistent feedback loop with staff with specific questions and transparent responses. Analyze current policies and procedures and determine which are designed for the 15%

you lack confidence in vs. the 85% who need no consequences and will do right because it is right. Unshackle the hard working majority rather than inhibit the less noble minority *Ensure Mastery as the focus for self and others: Ask this question daily: Was I a little better today than yesterday? *Ensure purposefulness. Ask and answer the why you are doing the work. Use incentives for tasks, rewards and celebrations for us progress.

At times, system-wide motivation wanes as others are, unintentionally, led into compliance with tasks and roles, instead of challenged into engagement through purpose and autonomy. Get back in the drivers seat of your personal mastery system bus and motivate ALL from compliance back to engagement. It is not too late they are still there for the ride! To learn more about Kim Hanisch and building student systems of engagement please visit: www.reinventingschools.org

Check out: Re-Inventing Schools Blog: Personal Mastery Works @blog.reinventingschools.org

The Re-Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC) is a national nonprofit foundation established to transform education systems

Re-Inventing Schools Coalition

Re-Inventing Schools Coalition 1322 North Pioneer Peak Drive Wasilla, Alaska 99654

around the world and produce dramatically improved learning environments and achievement results for all children. We are committed to re-inventing schooling as we know it so that all students are successful in school and life, regardless of their background, their culture, their home life, or their previous educational experiences. This newsletter is developed by djoseph@reinventingschools.org

Phone: 907.357.9080 Fax: 907.373.6557 Toll Free: 1.877.357.9080 E-mail: admin@reinventingschools.org

One Thousand Districts Realizing Their Unique Vision of Excellence

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Re-Inventing Schools Coalition

Alaska Highland Tech High Charter School, Anchorage California Barack Obama Charter School, Los Angeles Ingenium Schools, Los Angeles Lindsay Unified School District, Lindsay Klamath River, Early College of the Redwoods, Klamath Sierra Charter, Fresno Montana Lame Deer Public Schools, Lame Deer Bridger Alternative Program/Bozeman Public Schools, Bozeman Colorado Adams County School District 50 Michigan Kenowa Hills Public Schools, Grand Rapids Maple Valley School Dist, Fuller Street Elem. Massachusetts Kehillah Schechter Academy, Norwood New York New York City Department of Education IZone Maine Maine Department of Education Regional School Unit 3, Unity, Maine Regional School Unit 2, Hallowell, Maine Regional School Unit 12, Whitefield, Maine

and growing

Regional School Unit 14, Windham Raymond School District Windham, Maine Regional School Unit 18, Messalonskee, Maine Regional School Unit 57, Waterboro, Maine Auburn School Department, Auburn, Maine Sanford School Department, Sanford, Maine South Carolina Red Bank Elementary School, Lexington Charleston County School District, Charleston

Works cited..

Hattie, John. Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. London : New York: Routledge, 2008. Print. Pink, Daniel H. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 2009. Print. Schlechty, Phillip C. Engaging Students: The Next Level of Working on the Work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011. Print. To view the O-Path in its entirety: http://www.reinventingschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/OPATH-V13i-FINAL.pdf
Feedback, questions or comments: Contact djoseph@reinventingschools.org