Helping the Technophobic Teacher

The following guest post was written by Mark Pullen, an elementary teacher in a 1:1 classroom in East Grand Rapids, Michigan.  

The infusion of technology into the classroom has the potential to be the greatest change agent in K-12 education for the foreseeable future. As a result, I believe that one of the most important goals for today’s principals must be helping their technophobic teachers to learn to utilize technology more effectively. Here are four ways in which principals can do just that:

Set clear technology goals: While this will be important to all of your staff members, this will especially aid the struggling teacher. Don’t be vague: “All students at Lincoln Middle School will learn to become active digital creators and safe web 2.0 citizens” may be fine language for your building’s official tech plan, but to the technophobic teacher, it means little.

Find in-house technology mentors: Mentors aren’t only for new teachers. Identify your best technology mentors and pair them up with teachers who need extra help. Students can be used to mentor other students as well; for example, in the elementary grades, schools often designate “reading buddies” – older students who pair up with younger students to read with them. For elementary principals reading this, why not encourage the creation of a “technology buddies” program where your older students pair up with younger ones to help them learn some core technology skills?

Focus on key proficiencies, not ever-changing sites and tools: Help your technophobe teachers to understand that the goal isn’t necessarily to have students learn Prezi, Glogster, VoiceThread, Animoto, and Adobe Premiere by the end of the semester; rather, it is to have students become comfortable with presenting their learning in a digital form. The specific sites and tools will change too quickly for the technophobic teacher to ever feel confident in understanding them, but the core student competencies needed will generally remain more stable from year to year.

Create differentiated professional development opportunities: Your technophobic teachers need to be met where they are and brought forward from there. Too often, I’ve seen professional development that is far too complex for some teachers and far too simple for others. I’ve seen teachers that struggle to attach a file to an email; if that’s where they’re at, professional development about starting a classroom Ning network just won’t be helpful.

Our mindset toward technophobic teachers should be similar to our mindset toward struggling students: all teachers can learn, and we need to intentionally provide those struggling teachers with instruction that meets them where they are to help them increase their tech competence and confidence.

About the Author:

Mark Pullen has been an elementary teacher for 13 years, currently teaching third grade in East Grand Rapids, MI. He’s an advocate for classroom technology integration, and writes extensively on that subject on behalf of Worth Ave Group, a leading provider of laptop, tablet computer, and iPad insurance for schools and universities: http://www.worthavegroup.com/education

"Why?" Often Leads To Change or Trouble

Every so often, I like to take a moment to share a few of my favorite tweets from the last few months and a brief explanation as to why.

Bill Ferriter, a remarkable teacher in North Carolina and part of the 2% within my PLN, brings up the importance of the always relevant question "why?" and it's ability to bring about change.    As school leaders, when a teacher asks "why," do you perceive this as a threat? As teachers, how many times do you perceive the "why guy" as the "wise guy" without a positive connotation?

These pair of tweets caused me to write one of my most popular posts found here.  It also sparked this post by a colleague, Anne Beck, who addresses the importance of embracing the "why guy" in the classroom.  All of this because @plugusin, @L_Hilt, @Stumpteacher, and @johntspencer had a great conversation.  It's time we begin embracing our valuable, critical colleagues and/or students.

Unless we CHOOSE to be!  In this case, I believe we are limiting our students to what one teacher knows and is able to do.  As Mimi suggests, it is time we break down classroom walls and go beyond the expertise of one teacher.

Take a look at Paula Naugle's blog post and how her students became the "experts" who educated other classrooms around the country.  We now have experts at our fingertips.

Thanks Kelly for such a meaningful tweet.  As educators, it's time we change how we perceive failure.  I also believe it's time we change the way we look at success.  Great teachers understand that failure is a success in learning.

Failing also builds resilience.  It's important that we teach our students not to dwell on their failures, and instead, acknowledge the situation, learn from their mistakes, and then adapt and move forward.  As the Japanese proverb states, "Fall down seven times, get up eight."

Thanks Becky for tweeting out your experience at NAESP12.  I had the privilege of hearing Rafe Esquith speak about 7 or 8 years ago and the way he introduced Kohlberg's stages of moral development to his students resonated with me. Level 6 thinking is when an individual acts because it is right, and not because it is instrumental, expected, legal, or previously agreed upon.  Take a look.

We have all watched the following movie clip from The Shawshank Redemption.  Rafe Esquith uses this scene to demonstrate level 6 thinking.

If you enjoyed this post, you might want to read earlier posts highlighting my favorite tweets here and here.

LESSONS LEARNED

As I complete my thirteenth year as an educator, I would like to share thirteen lessons learned throughout my time as a teacher and/or principal.

1. I've come to realize great educators take responsibility for their own learning rather than waiting for the school district to tell them when and what to learn.
   
   
2. Great educators take responsibility for student learning and believe wholeheartedly that failure to reach mastery is not an option. By the same token, they understand that failure is a success in learning.
   
   
3. Great educators continuously rethink the way in which they learn and are comfortable with being uncomfortable. They work to remain intellectually curious inside and outside the classroom.
   
   
4. Great teachers never fail to plan and understand that 90% of differentiation happens before the students ever enter the classroom.
   
   
5. Talking about great ideas and actually putting these ideas into action are two very different things. Great educators let their actions speak for themselves.
   
   
6. I've experienced first hand that excellence doesn't happen by accident. Great educators believe there are no 9 to 5 jobs in education, only opportunities to make a difference.
   
   
7. As an educator, if you find yourself stuck between two decisions, I've learned the one that requires more work is the best decision for kids.
   
   
8. As a school leader or teacher, "Because I said so" or "Because its the way we have always done it" is never an appropriate response to the relevant question "Why?"
   
   
9. “No news is good news” is no longer the case when it comes to parent communication. Effective educators strive to establish partnerships with parents to support student learning. Great teachers understand this relationship may be the most important ingredient in a child's success.
   
   
10. Great teachers refrain from grading students during formative assessments and assist students in learning from their successes, failures, mistakes and misconceptions.
    
    
11. “I've never heard of a student not doing his work; it's our work he's not doing.” If you give homework at all, it should be meaningful, purposeful, efficient, personalized, doable, and inviting. Most important, great teachers allow students to freely communicate when they struggle with homework and can do so without penalty.
    
    
12. Competition can't beat collaboration! Great educators improve the curriculum together. They not only share responsibility for the achievement of all students but also admit other teachers contribute to their success.

13. “I see the student as myself.” Great teachers move beyond the narrow vision of content, skills, and knowledge and ensure that all of their student's educational needs are met. They are committed to educating the whole child. 
    
    
    What lessons have you learned?  Please share.

“Why?” Can Make Change Possible

As principals, we're not afraid to ask a lot of questions when we don't know how to do something. But what happens to the questions when we discover how to do it? They stop, don't they? If we think we already know the right way to do something, or worse, it's the way we've always done it, how open are we to learning a better way or even a different way? We aren't, are we?

Think about the educators in your building. Do you have a “why” guy or gal? I'm not talking about the much dreaded “why”-ner whose questions often lead to - Why is this more work for me? I'm talking about that relentless teacher who consistently questions your educational philosophy, ideas, methods, programs, guidelines, and expectations by simply asking the relevant question, “Why?” How is this courageous teacher perceived by others? Does annoying, obnoxious, or a nuisance come to mind? A better question may be, how do you as the leader treat this change maker?

As principals, it's time we embrace the “why” guy or gal. Every day, this teacher is asking “why?” and if you’re on a quest to lead a progressive school, you should keep asking it, too. Just as important as answering it for yourself is answering it for those you lead. It’s important to show your teachers the reasons you do what you do. In fact, I believe if you ever want to have any influence among your teachers, answering “why” is the most critical question you'll ever address.

I truly believe as principals, it's our responsibility to build a strong partnership with the “why” guy or gal to challenge our assumptions about what we actually think we know. It's normal to find ourselves having a superficial understanding rather than the deep understanding we originally thought we had. This is the advantage of such a partnership. These teachers are constantly pointing us in the right direction. Beware, avoiding their questions can prevent learning and change. However, embracing their questions can make change possible.

Minimum Wasted Effort Accomplished Without Great Difficulty

Recently, I attended a conference in which the topic centered around teacher effectiveness accompanied with the three different evaluation models that each school district in my state must adopt by April 16th, 2012. I was excited to attend due to the fact that I have not only reviewed in depth each model, but have spent the past year piloting one of the approved models. The meeting consisted of seventeen superintendents and three principals within our network. Besides the fact that not one TEACHER and only three principals were in attendance, I was taken back by many, many comments coming from, what should be, the lead learners within a school system. The comment that was the toughest for me to swallow, especially because ninety-percent of the educators in the room began nodding agreeably, was this particular statement:

“As we begin to decide which model to recommend for our particular district, the most important question we must ask ourselves is, which model is most efficient and manageable for our principals?”

Unbelievable! I could not disagree more. Wouldn't a much more important question be, which model is designed to help teachers systematically improve on their instructional practices by providing specific and meaningful feedback? Shouldn't a strong teacher evaluation model serve as a powerful (confidential) road-map for school wide, as well as, individual professional development?

Maybe for this group of superintendents, taking evaluations seriously may be the most important point to consider. I would love for teachers to comment and provide your most important question involving an effective teacher evaluation model. Is your primary concern related to what is efficient and manageable for your principal? Before you comment, let's take a look at these two words.

Efficient: Achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.
Manageable: Able to be managed, controlled, or accomplished without great difficulty.

I believe 'why' we perform these evaluations and 'how' they are developed are just as important in determining whether these efforts will be successful at accomplishing the ultimate goal - improving student achievement. If improving student achievement is linked directly to the quality of instruction students receive on a day-to-day basis, then it would seem that we would involve teachers on every aspect of the decision making. Instead, fifteen of the seventeen superintendents acknowledged at the end of a two hour meeting that they had made up their mind and were ready to recommend. Keep in mind, the rubrics were never presented other than the number of indicators accompanied with each model.

Model X (76 indicators)
Model Y (60 indicators)
Model Z (20 indicators)

Which model did the fifteen superintendents decide upon? You guessed it...... Model Z!
Does 20 indicators sound efficient and manageable to you?

Until our leaders and principals become educated in these efforts, I am afraid we will experience no significant change. I can guarantee that these rubrics will be as effective as the principal or instructional leader executing the process.

Adapt or Become Irrelevant! My 5 Favorite Tweets of 2011

I would like to take a moment to thank all of the outstanding educators who are part of my PLN and invest in making me better each and every day.  The 10 people who influence me the most and on a daily basis...... I have never met!  

As this year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to share my 5 favorite tweets of 2011 and a brief explanation as to why.  

#5 

Mary Beth Hertz offers some important advice when she tweeted, "Be patient but relentless in helping colleagues build connections!"  Steve Wheeler recently wrote a blog post titled, Connected Educators in which he shares, "It is abundantly clear to me that connectivity is one of the essentials in the 21st Century teacher toolkit.  We are now learning more from each other than we could ever learn on our own." 

Tom Whitby shares some meaningful advice in his blog, My Island View, in which he defines What's A Connected Educator?  "Educators must get over all of the obstacles they are putting up about connectedness. It can be done slowly, one step at a time, but it must be done. We need educators to be connected." You are absolutely right Tom, it must be done!

#4  

I could not agree more with Nancy and her straightforward tweet about technology integration.  For over a decade now, we have been providing much professional development in the area of technology integration in hopes all teachers will get on board.  Yet, many teachers still feel as if they have an option and choose not to change.  The fact is, we can no longer attend professional development five days a year and cross our fingers and hope that each teacher will utilize technology.  Nor can we continue to block access for those teachers and leaders who are willing and able to open up their classrooms and schools to the world.


Superintendent David Britten recently wrote, "Communities waiting until only the best roads are put in place before anyone's allowed to drive a car are just plain backwards and need to get out of the way of progress."

#3  

Thank you David for sharing this outstanding quote.  Recently, I read a provocative post by Jeff Delp called, Staying Plugged In, in which Lyn Hilt makes the following comment that I believe substantiates Stephen Downes quote.

"At this point in my admin career, especially due to the connections I've made through Twitter, locating blog and other resources, attending conferences, etc., I have learned so many new things about teaching, learning, classroom culture, and more- there are many days when I wish to have a classroom of my own to try out these new ideas and methodologies with a  group of students." - Lyn Hilt

#2

 

Wow!  Adapt or become irrelevant!  On this particular evening, the discussion centered around the positives and negatives of limited technology in schools. Excuse after excuse tweeted throughout the discussion board.  Finally, @colonelb had the courage to submit such a honest tweet.  

A day or two later, David Britten followed up with a blog post of his own, Smoke From My Keyboard: Cut the Excuses and Lead!  This post, one of my favorites of 2011, not only expressed his frustration but also included many key points.

  

"It's about your kids' future, not yours!  In fact, it's not even about your present!  Teaching has never been about you nor should it be.  It's about kids - rich or poor - being raised in a world where technology is woven into their lives 24/7 (except during school in too many places) and has become a key tool in how they learn, how they communicate, how they socialize, how they create and publish, and simply who they are." - Superintendent David Britten  

#1

There is nothing like a tweet that speaks the indisputable truth.  I remember it like it was yesterday, the conversation was centered around accountability and how difficult it is to dismiss bad teachers.  Tom Whitby fired back with this veracious tweet.  This I believe to be one of our biggest obstacles in education. Student engagement is a precondition of learning.  If students aren't engaged in the classroom, they will not learn.  


"The least educators can do for kids is to stimulate a curiosity for learning.  The best would be to impart a passion for learning." - Tom Whitby

The Ultimate Gift

Every year, before winter break, I make it a habit to give my teachers a small gift to express my deep appreciation for what they do every day. Maybe it is movie passes or a gift card to their favorite restaurant along with a hand written card. If I could do more, I would. As leaders, I think we all would. But what if we could do more? What if there was something? Something that requires much intentional thought, much time, and much energy. I'm talking about “The Ultimate Gift.”

What if we became more than an instructional leader, more than an evaluator, and instead, became more of a leader of learning? In other words, what if we were to instill a passion for learning within every teacher? I do admit, it does sound difficult for an external force to persuade someone to develop a love of learning. I too believe the desire has to come from within. However, I believe with deliberate and purposeful planning, the ultimate gift can become a reality.

Make It A Priority

Look for and even create opportunities to spark a curiosity for learning. Give a teacher a book or article in which you have highlighted specific chapters or excerpts that you feel this teacher will find interesting and intriguing. Something that they probably would have never read on their own. Seek out information that contradicts their worldview. Attempt to make them think differently. Follow up by engaging in a conversation and allow them to do ninety percent of the talking.

Cause Intellectual Discomfort

Encourage your teacher to do something they have never done before. For instance, sign them up for twitter and tell them how excited you are to think, learn, and grow together on tonight's chat beginning at 6:00 CT. Forced learning in this way can be fun and challenging. Follow up by acknowledging their willingness to participate and to put themselves out there. Once they establish a PLN, they will be spending more time with people who are always thinking and who invest much of their time in learning.

Invoke Change In Behavior

Learning is useless if it isn't applied. Reading a recipe book is not the same as picking up a utensil and cooking. Albert Einstein once said, “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” Simply studying the wisdom of others isn't enough, you must put it into practice. Follow up by asking the teacher how they can apply what they have read or what they have learned.

Sharing Is Learning

It's been proven that you learn what you teach. Make time for teachers to think through ideas, to mentor someone or even discuss ideas with a colleague. Talk to them about the importance of self-reflection and the many benefits of starting a blog. Follow up by talking with them about their new ideas and assist them in solidifying what they have learned. Be sure to comment on their blog and tweet it out to the world.

The energy generated when teachers take ownership of their learning can create a school culture that sparkles with collegiality, collaboration, sharing and a passion for learning. To instill such a gift will require much intentional planning along with personal follow up, but developing thinkers, problem solvers, and curious minds is ultimately worth it!