Supporting Rigor, Relevance and Relationships in the 21st Century

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Supporting Rigor, Relevance and Relationships in
the 21st Century

• Raymond J. McNulty, Senior Vice President
• International Center for Leadership in Education

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Themes

• Share Some Thoughts
• Rigor, Relevance and Relationships
• Motivation
• Innovation
• Closing Thoughts

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SUCCESS BY DESIGN NOT BY CHANCE
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Generally, we get what we design for!
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What got us to where we are today in
education,will not get us to where we need to
be!
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CHANGE
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What happened to GM..??
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Educators need to become the agents of change.
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(No Transcript)
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THE IMPLEMENTATION DIP. THE POSSIBILITY CURVE..
Fullan--1990
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The primary aim of education is not to enable
students to do well in school, but to help them
do well in the lives they lead outside of school.
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Weve created false proxies for learning

• Finishing a course or textbook has come to mean
  achievement
• Listening to lecture has come to mean
  understanding
• Getting a high score on a standardized test has
  come to mean proficiency

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Learning should have its roots in..

• Meaning, not just memory
• Engagement, not simply transmission
• Inquiry, not only compliance
• Exploration, not just acquisition
• Personalization, not simply uniformity
• Collaboration, not only competition
• Trust, not fear

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• Applied Skills
• Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
• Oral Communication
• Written Communication
• Teamwork/Collaboration
• Diversity
• Information Technology Application
• Leadership
• Creativity/Innovation
• Lifelong Learning/Self Direction
• Professionalism/Work Ethic
• Ethics/Social Responsibility

• Basic Knowledge/Skills
• English Language (spoken)
• Reading Comprehension
• (in English)
• Writing in English
• (grammar, spelling, etc.)
• Mathematics
• Science
• Government/Economics
• Humanities/Arts
• Foreign Languages
• History/Geography

Are They Really Ready To Work?
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This is the story about the big public
conversation the nation is not having about
public education whether an entire generation of
kids will fail to make the grade in the Global
Economy because they cant think their way
through abstract problems, work in teams,
distinguish good information from bad, or speak a
language other than English. Time Magazine
Dec. 18, 2006
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ALL STUDENTS

• RIGOR
• RELEVANCE
• RELATIONSHIPS

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HOWEVER.??
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ALL STUDENTS

• Relationships
• Relevance
• Rigor

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It is virtually impossible to make things
relevant for, or expect personal excellence from
a student you dont know.

• Carol Ann Tomlinson

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You cant teach kids you dont know.
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Motivation is a key ingredient for success in
learning.
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Talking with kids

• Its not us against them!

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(No Transcript)
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Think about how our education system generally
behaves
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We need more artists, so heres our plan.

• REQUIRE ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TAKE MORE ART!

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We need more scientists and mathematicians, so
heres our plan.

• REQUIRE ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TAKE MORE
  MATH AND SCIENCE!

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What Works Best?

• REQUIRE
• MANDATE
• FORCE

• EXCITE
• CREATE PASSION
• MOTIVATE

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When I say it this way.

• Relationships
• Relevance
• Rigor

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R X R X R LCWRS

• Relationships X Relevance X Rigor
• Life, College, Work Ready Students

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So relationships, Ive got that.

• Whats this Rigor Relevance about? Is it another
  add on to my already hectic life?

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• Rigor and Relevance is
• NOT
• a new add on !!
• Rigor and Relevance
• is a
• Philosophy of Teaching !!

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Knowledge Taxonomy
6. Evaluation
5. Synthesis
4. Analysis
3. Application
2. Comprehension
1. Recall Knowledge
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Assimilation of knowledge
Thinking Continuum
Acquisition of knowledge
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Application Model

• 1 Knowledge of one discipline
• 2 Application within discipline
• 3 Application across disciplines
• 4 Application to real-world predictable
  situations
• 5 Application to real-world unpredictable
  situations

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Action Continuum
Acquisition of knowledge
Application of knowledge
Relevance of learningto life and work
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Rigor/Relevance Framework
Knowledge
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5
4
3
2
Application
1
1
2
3
4
5
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We dont have TIME to teach in this deep a manner.

• So how do we find the time to keep teaching
  material over and over?

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AS A SYSTEM WE NEED TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO..

• LEAD
• ADAPT
• INNOVATE and CREATE

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We have a flawed perspective of always listening
to our best customers They tell us how good the
system is working for them!
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BANKING

• Sears
• IBM
• Xerox

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A Story.

• Sir Ken Robinson

• Paul McCartney
• George Harrison

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In the beginners mind there are many
possibilities in the experts mind there are
few.
-Shurnyu Suzuki
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Sustaining Innovation and Disruptive Innovation
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System
Innovation
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Sustaining Innovation
Disruptive Innovation
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Closing Thoughts
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Standardized Assessment

• Necessary but NOT SUFFICIENT

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STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES ARE AN ACCURATE MEASURE
OF STUDENT LEARNING AND SCHOOL SUCCESS.
We behave like..
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OUR WORK IS COMPLEX

• A test score is not a synonym for what a student
  has learned or a school has accomplished.

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TO DO THE JOB WELL

• QUANTITATIVE DATA
• QUALITATIVE DATA
• GREAT QUESTIONS

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SUCCESS BY DESIGN NOT BY CHANCE
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INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION
STRATEGY
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Themes

• Learning
• Collaboration
• Continuous Improvement
• Implementation

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Not About

• Judgment
• Individuals
• Past
• Criticism

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Components of School Excellence
Learning Criteria to Support 21st Century
Learners
Rigor/Relevance Framework Supported by
Relationships

• Embrace a Common Vision and Goals
• Inform Decisions Through Data Systems
• Empower Leadership Teams to Take Action and
  Innovate
• Clarify Student Learning Expectations
• Adopt Effective Instructional Practices
• Address Organizational Structures
• Monitor Progress/Improve Support Systems
• Refine Process on an Ongoing Basis

Foundation Learning Stretch Learning Learner
Engagement Personal Skill Development
FIDELITY OF IMPLEMENTATION
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You will need to plan to improve the design of
your system, but plan to learn, not plan to be
right.
LEARN YOUR WAY INTO THE FUTURE.
BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER..
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We Educate the Children
who put chocolate fingers everywhere, who
like to be tickled, who stomp in puddles and
ruin their new pants, who can never find their
shoes.
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And We Educate the Children

• who never get dessert,
• who dont have new pants to ruin
• who cant bound down the street
• in a new pair of sneakers
• who are born in place we wouldnt be caught
  dead.

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We educate the children

• who squeeze the toothpaste all over the sink,
• who shove dirty clothes under the bed and never
  rinse out the tub,
• who dont like to be kissed in front of the
  carpool.

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who have only dirty clothes to wear, who
arent spoiled by anyone, whose pictures arent
on anyones dresser.
And we educate the children
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• We educate the children
• Courtesy of Creative Leaps, Inc.