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Staff Development
FOCUS ON LEARNING
Volume 1, Issue 1 August 28, 2009
Team OASIS—High School Teacher Needed!
Would you like to be part of a team whose purpose is to thoughtfully identify how we
might improve processes for teachers? If yes, Team OASIS is for you! Currently, there
is an opening on the district steering team for one high school teacher. If you are
interested in serving, please read the information below, and submit the short
application no later than Wednesday, September 9, 2009 to Team OASIS c/o Anita
Kissinger, Kraft Administrative Center.
What is “Team OASIS”? OASIS stands for Organized Abandonment—Seeking Informed
Submit your Team OASIS
Solutions. This acronym accurately describes the team’s charge which is to application by September 9!
thoughtfully use information to identify processes that if improved or abandoned
could enhance working conditions for teachers. It is important to note that an http://springfieldpublicschoolsmo.org/
“informed solution” always considers how a change might impact students. Once staffdev
solutions are developed, resulting recommendations are forwarded to the appropriate
administrative level for consideration. In 2007-08, Team OASIS results included
school calendar revisions that provide more flexibility for schools and ensure
dedicated professional work time for teachers. In 2008-09, recommendations
Inside this issue:
resulted in a district-wide expectation for sites to seek teacher input into the 21st Century Learning 2
development of the site schedule and the development of a staffing formula to ensure
an adequate number of elementary specialty teachers when the number of core
21st Century Learning 3
teachers increases. (continued)
Why does SPS have this team? Springfield Public Schools is committed to a
continuous improvement approach. Such an approach is based on the philosophy that 2009 Science Olympiad 4
Summer Institute
those closest to the work often know best how to improve processes. In addition, such
an approach asks us to consider what processes we can improve without negatively
impacting students. Summer Academy? 5
You Bet!
What is the structure of Team OASIS? The team OASIS steering team is composed of
Ray Smith, SNEA president, Glenda Thurlkill, MSTA president, four elementary
teachers, two middle school teachers, and two high school teachers. Anita Kissinger
and Kathy Gross serve as administrative representatives. Site representatives help
ensure there is communication to and opportunities for input from each school. The
district steering team focuses on opportunities related to district level processes that
impact teachers. In future years, we hope to expand this concept to other staff
groups.
How often will Team OASIS meet? Monthly.
How will teachers be selected for Team OASIS? To be considered for one of the
steering team positions, a teacher must complete and submit the application by the
due date—September 9, 2009. Current steering team members will review the
applications and select participants for the 2009-10 school year. All applicants will be
notified via email regarding their selection status.
For more info, contact Dana Jennings, 523-5571 or ext. 40401
Volume 1, Issue 1
21st Century Learning
Are we preparing students for their future or our past? Unfortunately, this simple question
has a complex answer, one that requires a change in thinking about how we conduct our
classrooms. “Our world is
The theme of the recent International Baccalaureate Conference of the Americas centered changing at warp
on preparing students for the 21st Century - New Thinking for a New World. Our world is
changing at warp speed with changes in technology, economy, and demographics unlike we speed with
have ever seen before. Consider the following estimates regarding our current student
population termed the “Digital Native” learner (Trilling, 2005). changes in
technology,
By the time our “Digital Native” students exit school and join the workforce they will have
experienced: economy, and
• 10,000 hours of video games demographics
• 250,000 emails unlike we have
• 10,000 hours of cell phone use
ever seen
• 20,000 hours of TV
before.”
• 500,000 commercials
• <5000 hours of book reading
What are the implications for the classroom teacher? What are the implications for curriculum? Presenters at this
conference included leading American business author and lecturer Daniel Pink and Joanne Deak, a noted educator and
leading expert on brain research. They each had insights on how to help students become more competent, confident, and
connected to others. How we structure and facilitate learning opportunities for students is critical for their ability to leave
our systems ready for the 21st Century workforce.
The global society we face will require students to have skills and values that combine both “what” is learned with “how” it
is learned. Jeffrey Beard, Director General of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), stated that there is a
profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and those they need in typical 21st Century
communities and workplaces. To meet this challenge schools must align classroom environments with real world
environments by infusing 21st Century skills into the classrooms.
“The global
Beard believes these skills and values include a new learning formula: 3Rs X 7Cs = 21st Century
Learning. Translated, the basic “3Rs” of reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic, multiplied by lifelong society we face
skills called the “7Cs” becomes the new formula for success in the 21st Century.
will require
Continued on page 3...
students to have
skills and values
that combine
both “what” is
learned with
“how” it is
learned.”
Page 2
For more info, contact Dana Jennings, 523-5571 or ext. 40401
Volume 1, Issue 1
21st Century Learning (continued)
The Seven Cs – 21st Century Lifelong Skills
Seven Cs Component Skills
Critical Thinking-and-Doing Problem-solving, research, analysis,
project management, etc.
Creativity New knowledge creation, “Best
Fit” design solutions, artful
storytelling, etc.
Collaboration Cooperation, compromise,
consensus, community-building
Cross-cultural Understanding Across diverse ethnic, knowledge,
and organizational cultures
Communication Crafting messages and using media “...getting the
effectively
wrong answer
Computing Effective use of electronic
and struggling
information and knowledge tools with the concept
is in fact more
Career & Learning Self-reliance Managing change, lifelong learning
and career redefinition beneficial for
learning.”
Having a strong knowledge base along with the behavioral capabilities to act upon that
knowledge or apply the knowledge in a useful way is the crux of the matter. In traditional
classrooms getting the right answer is usually what is most important. This type of linear or
sequential-type thinking, as Pink stated, is simply not sufficient. In fact, Deak asserts that getting the wrong answer and
struggling with the concept is in fact more beneficial for learning. For example, a traditional learning situation might be to
ask students to solve:
59 x 12 = ? a. 1000 b.700 c. 708 d. 7080
A similar situation for 21st Century learning might be, “Demonstrate three different ways to solve 59 x 12.” Or, write and
illustrate a word problem that demonstrates how to solve the problem. This becomes a higher level thinking task and
should involve active conversations between classmates to arrive at solutions. This requires a shift from students being
consumers of information/knowledge to producers and users of that information/knowledge.
This is just one example of how the 21st Century teacher can facilitate 21st Century learning. As Beard explained, a
significant crisis facing business leaders is the lack of employees that can adequately communicate and collaborate – as
well as think critically to solve problems. Infusing the classroom with situations that require students to communicate with
each other in a collaborative manner to solve problems, think creatively, and demonstrate their knowledge in ways other
than just giving the correct answer will go a long way in preparing students for THEIR future rather than our past.
Page 3
For more info, contact Dana Jennings, 523-5571 or ext. 40401
Volume 1, Issue 1
2009 Science Olympiad Summer Institute
The heat was stifling – close to 120o F – but it The SOSI provides teachers/coaches the
did not dampen the enthusiasm of approximately opportunity to learn about the events for the “A successful
one hundred teachers who gathered from across upcoming year, share winning strategies and
the country at Tapatio Cliffs in Phoenix, Arizona network with other schools. Our schedule was team is not
from July 13 through 17 for the annual Science packed, with sessions beginning at 8 in the
Olympiad Summer Institute (SOSI). Our teaching morning and ending at 10 at night. necessarily the
backgrounds and years of experience were as Presentations were given over every one of the
diverse as the states we came from. The one twenty-three events and included many hands- one that brings
thing we all had in common was a love of science on activities. It was not unusual to find
and the desire to learn as much as we could to teachers skipping their lunch or dinner breaks home the most
help our students be more successful. to continue a project, such as bridge-building,
they had started during one of the meetings. medals or
The presenters included board and advisory
Science Olympiad is a national organization committee members as well as National event trophies but
created in 1985 whose main goal is to instill a supervisors. The founder and president of the
passion for science in elementary and secondary National Science Olympiad organization, Dr. rather the one
students. In addition to teacher training Gerard Putz, and his wife, Sharon Putz, who
institutes and non-competitive events, the works as executive administrator did a superb that pulls
program holds competitions at the regional, state job organizing and coordinating all the
and national levels to recognize the outstanding
together
sessions and making everyone feel welcome.
achievement of students and teachers in the
teachers, parents
areas of science and technology. The
competitions consist of twenty-three building and Perhaps the most valuable lesson from this and community
academic events that focus on teamwork and five-day experience was that Science Olympiad
application of science process skills and is a community effort. A successful team is not members in
reinforce state core curriculum science necessarily the one that brings home the most
benchmarks and standards. Every year the medals or trophies but rather the one that supporting the
events are slightly different from the year before pulls together teachers, parents and
and every three years a few new events are community members in supporting the growth growth of our
introduced in place of older ones. Science of our future generation. If your school has a
Olympiad events are not just for competition but Science Olympiad team, please consider future
can be easily incorporated into the core volunteering to help. You will be glad you did,
curriculum adding a new dimension to our daily and so will the students. generation”
instruction.
Page 4
For more info, contact Dana Jennings, 523-5571 or ext. 40401
Volume 1, Issue 1
Summer Academy? You Bet! By Teresa Young
When I first came to the Middle School world, it was very apparent that my students knew far more about technology than I
did. Throughout the whole year, I kept my cool when tool bars disappeared or were moved to a sideways position and acted
like those changes did not bother me. Some people seem to be naturally technology savvy and then there are others, like me,
who need time to explore what each tool offers. In the summer, I decided it was time to equip myself with some technology
tools. One of the summer academies offered this past summer was TECHNOLOGY BOOT CAMP
which gave me brief, concise directions on how to incorporate more technology with my Middle
School students. Here is a checklist of the technology tools we learned and how they will impact
the learning in the Study MS Library.
SMART BOARD
In the library, the SMART board is mobile so it requires orientation each time someone decides to
use it. What a pain, right? But now that I am aware of the other tools the SMART board offers such
as highlighting, spotlighting, magnifying and existing lesson links. If I find part of a lesson I can use,
I know how to easily tweak lessons to my needs, which makes the SMART board more than a
projection screen. Because the SMART board is used in my building, my students have access to
download the program in their homes so they can create files for presentation of their research.
Who knows, soon parents may want to install SMART boards in their homes!
DIGITAL CAMERAS
With film cameras being old technology, everyone knows about digital cameras but can you use one effectively? Using a point
and shoot camera or even a cell phone, I learned how to operate a digital camera and how to make your pictures tell a story.
By using simple composition rules such as the Rule of Thirds or Counter Point Elements, a photographer can turn a good
picture into a better picture! While I practiced with a partner taking pictures, it dawned on me that my students need to know
these composition tips so they can not only be a better photographer but can select images that make a powerful statement
for their projects.
POWERPOINT
While working with Photostory and needing images to bookend the Photostory, slides were created using PowerPoint and
saved in a Jpeg format so they could be imported as an image. Do your students know about PowerPoint and can they make a
presentation of information using it? Our students deserve to be equipped with the ever changing tools that technology brings
to the learning environment.
PICASA
Now that you take so many digital pictures, what do you do with them? This free download, Picasa, gives you a thumbnail
picture to work with, crop, retouch blemishes, soften wrinkles, and add effects such as sepia, black and white as well as make
picture corrections. Picasa is a word I heard others talking about, but I had no idea it provided a world of resources at your
fingertips. Not only can a teacher use this with their students but also personally.
PHOTOSTORY
You have seen pictures put to music like a movie at weddings and receptions but do you know the software to make those
stories is available free? Photostory allows you to grab your students’ attention with images you have taken or imported from
PowerPoint or even the Internet. With this software, you can use several pictures to tell a story and put them to music or you
can even narrate each image yourself. The software makes a lot of choices for you but if you want to change the transitions or
the effects of the picture, it is possible if you know what button to push. Using Photostory is a simple way to communicate a
major project and always has good results.
Attending this summer academy was like a shot in the arm and got me excited about the technology I have in my building that I
can make use of with my students.
Page 5
For more info, contact Dana Jennings, 523-5571 or ext. 40401
