Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud

Honoring the Art and Science of Teaching

What happens when the marathon of teaching - the long rewarding journey with its share of challenges becomes an unending obstacle course laden with ever-changing rules and unseen hurdles? Jason McKenna, an experienced teacher, author and current VP at VEX Robotics explores this question.

 

Read Jason's article, "Embracing the Teaching Marathon with Joy and Well-being" here.

 

Contact Jason McKenna or subscribe to his newsletter here.

 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes! 

 

What’s in Your Grade Book?

What do you want grades to communicate? What do you want to be sure that your grading doesn’t do? When grades are used to teach life lessons, such as responsibility, or punctuality, the intrinsic value of learning for its own sake can be diminished. Does the lack of consistency among teachers’ use of grading create a grade fog because we are asking a single letter grade to communicate too much disparate information?

Read, "The Problem With Grading" here.        

Listen to the podcast with Sarah Morris here. 

Read Tom Schimmer's article here. 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes! 

Leading With Curiosity, Questions, and Deep Listening

According to a Harvard Business Review article, "curiosity helps employees engage more deeply in their work, generate new ideas, and share those ideas with others." Certainly, these are all benefits we would want for staff in our schools. The questions that leaders and coaches use can support tapping into curiosity.  Find out why "what" is a good start for your questions.

Listen to the podcast with Tanya Sheckly and Tom Willis here. 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes! 

Evidence Feedback to Promote Educator Learning

When we are engaged in growing and learning as educators to reach a student success goal, reflecting on evidence gathered along the way is key both to the goal’s success and to educator learning. Evidence that shows changes in teacher actions and in student learning production behaviors should appear before changes in learning outcomes. With school leadership team goals, changes in leaders’ behaviors should be some of the first evidence that’s observed. Coaching is a great tool for gathering and reflecting upon evidence. 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes! 

Reinvigorating Passion and Joy at the Heart of Teaching

Jason McKenna explores five strategies that can assist teachers in focusing on the joy and passion in teaching: creating a not to do list, embracing periods of unproductivity, redefining success metrics, prioritizing dialogue over data, and protecting personal time diligently.

 

Read Jason's article, "Embracing the Teaching Marathon with Joy and Well-being" here.

 

Contact Jason & subscribe to his newsletter here. 

 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes! 

Engaging in Physical Activities for Life (Physical Literacy)

How important is physical literacy, the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life? 

Anthony DeGiorgio reminds us that the relationship students develop with movement and physical activity often sets the tone for their future. Physical literacy is an element of life long learning.

 

Read Anthony's article on physical literacy here. 

 

Listen to the Podcast, "What Do We Know About Recess" here.

 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes! 

You've Got to Believe and They Need to Know That You Do

Research reinforces that teachers providing feedback to students that demonstrates the teacher's belief in the students' abilities (high expectations) can generate student learning behaviors that positively impact student's success. Additional teacher actions such as active listening, knowing them individually, celebrating, and being accessible are additional teacher actions that support high expectations. In many ways those coaching teachers need to communicate very similar beliefs and teachers need to know that the coach believes in the teacher's abilities.

 

Visit Larry Ferlazzo's blog here.

Read Jo Boaler's article here. 

 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

Coaching Questions for Finding Out, Reflection, and Exploring Future Actions

When coaches are conscious of the purposes of the questions they ask in coaching sessions, their questions are clearer and they can better focus on listening. That listening allows the coach to follow the teacher because the next questions emerge from that listening. Finding out questions provide the coach with an understanding behind the teacher’s planning and actions. Reflection questions generate teachers’ exploration of learning that arises from their experiences. Exploring Future Action questions guide teachers’ implementation of insights and learning to increase student success.

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes! 

Supporting Teachers’ Exploration of AI for Teaching and Learning

School leaders' own engagement and modeling of AI is important to support teachers in successfully initiating AI opportunities for teaching and learning. How can instructional coaches introduce and model AI use in their coaching activities with teachers? What might a school or district position statement on AI contain? Technology and design leaders from the Chester County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania, Josh Ecker and Kylie Hand, share the ways they support school leaders at various stages of AI implementation in their schools.

Resources: 

• Future of Work Report - LinkedIn 
• Value Add of Technology on Teaching Framework 
• TeachAI.org  
• AI Tools List 
• Assessment Reform in the Age of AI 
• Common Sense Media’s AI’s Impact on Kids 

AI in Education News & Guidance 

• AI for Education 
• AIxEducation 
• Common Sense Media AI 
• EDSafeAI 
• EngageAI Institute 
• GSV: AI & Education 
• TeachAI 
• The AI Educator 
• UNESCO 

AI Curriculum Resources 

• AI4K12 
• AIedu 
• Code.org/AI 
• CSTA 
• DataScience4Everyone 
• PA'S AI Resources for CSEdWeek2023 

Individuals  

• Rebecca Bultsma 
• Monica Burns 
• Vicki Davis 
• Dr. Kip Glazer 
• Dr. Josh Ecker 
• Kylie Hand 
• AJ Juliani 
• Dr. Ethan Mollick
• Charlie Reisinger 
• Dr. Demetrius Roberts 
• John Spencer  

Our Contact Info: 

Kylie Hand, Director of Learning Design & EdTech, Chester County Intermediate Unit: KylieH@cciu.org 

Personal Social Media: 

• X: @mrskyliehand 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyliehand/  

Josh Ecker, Learning Design Coordinator, JoshE@cciu.org

Personal Social Media: 

• X: @JoshEcker
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-ecker

How Much Thinking Are Students Doing?

Thinkers are characterized by their curiosity, willingness to explore different approaches, and the ability to think critically about a task. Thinking generates learning. The question for us as teachers is "How much thinking are our students doing?” Students who succeed in school by mimicking may get acceptable grades but are often set up for future, often unexpected, failure.

Read the blog on Visibly Random Groups here.  
Listen to the EdSurge Podcast with Peter Liljedhal here.
Visit Alexis Wiggin’s Blog here. 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!