ASCD Empower 18 Day 2

I had such a hard time deciding where to go for my first session on day 2. I couldn't decide if I wanted to go to one about an instructional strategy (asking good questions) or on leadership (the coach approach to feedback). I literally walked back and forth in the hallway, constantly changing my min (that's the socialized knower in me). I ended up going to the coach approach session.

My main take-away from this session was that, it's actually possible to be a great coach, even as a socialized knower! They gave me really concrete strategies for separating feedback from emotions. The most important idea is that we as coaches should keep two things at the forefront of the conversation: 1) the effectiveness of our mentees instruction on the students and 2) their progress toward their own goals. It is not my role to pass judgement or make decisions for others. It IS my role to ask the right questions, be a humble and authentic observer, and to help my mentees achieve their goals. I'm lucky because next year I will not be expected to do any evaluating of other teachers.

The general session was presented by Jill Biden! She's extremely humble and down to earth. She spoke to use as a fellow teacher and friend rather than as "the second lady." She talked about how hard we teachers work. We are so dedicated to our practice and our students never leave our heads but our work is the most important work that there is. She was really truly inspiring.

Right now, there is someone in the world that can solve problems better because you pushed her. There is someone out there that is a little kinder because you showed him kindness.

In the afternoon, I was lucky enough to see Ken O'Connor, the author of "15 Fixes for Grading and a new book about how to assess using standards. J and I attended together. A lot of what was said during this session was review of what I already know about competency based education. However, there were a few golden nuggets that I took away.

Firstly, standards based grading will not work unless it is accompanied by standards based learning. We can't just switch to a system in which we only give scores on standards, as assessed on summative assignments. We need to create a culture in which students understand the importance of learning the skills, practicing the skills and focusing on their progress, not the percentage of questions they answered right or wrong.

Ann Jung added some insight into how we think of formative assignments and summative assignments. We should be so strict in what we call formative and we call summative. We should think of it more as a journey and the summative is the point we arrive at.

Perhaps the biggest take-away from the session was the inspiration provided by examples. Champlain Valley Union High School is a school in Vermont that has been working on developing a CBE school for eight years. They proudly shared that they have passed the tipping point. It took time and perseverance but the students, parents, and community are finally there. Students are asking "how can I learn this skill?" rather than "how can I get more points?" They gave inspiring stories and showed us that it IS possible. It's going to be painful but you just have to keep going!