Living Our Vision

1. Living Our Vision August 17+18, 2011

2. How did Trinity prepare me for where I am today?

3. How did Trinity prepare me for where I am today?

4. How did Trinity prepare me for where I am today?

5. How does my day-to-day teaching transfer to abilities beyond the subject I teach?

6. Living Our Vision

7. Our Vision: The Trinity Student Academic In their academic endeavors, Trinity students: have a responsible and aspiring work ethic, understanding and appreciating the role of effort in academic success and fulfillment work efficiently as individuals and as team members are critical thinkers and problem solvers communicate their ideas effectively and listen well to the ideas of others are empowered learners, well-equipped to meet the challenges of an ever more complex global society Social In their interactions with others, Trinity students: feel a strong sense of connection to the school community practice dutiful citizenship & thoughtful leadership in daily activities demonstrate pride in themselves and in the school show respect and caring for others in their community demonstrate global awareness and concern Personal As individuals, Trinity students exemplify: integrity courage confidence resilience empathy responsibility ethical awareness

8. Trinity Student Academic In their academic endeavors, Trinity students: -have a responsible and aspiring work ethic, understanding and appreciating the role of effort in academic success and fulfillment -work efficiently as individuals and as team members -are critical thinkers and problem solvers -communicate their ideas effectively and listen well to the ideas of others -are empowered learners, well-equipped to meet the challenges of an ever more complex global society

9. 1. • Intrinsic vs. extrinsic qualities • Everything hinges on effort • Balances academic success, understanding, aspiration, fulfillment

10. 2. • How do we define “Efficient”? • Defining the roles and learning how to contribute to a team • Different learning styles makes groups stronger • Personal/prof relationships requires self-knowledge of skills • Team work can be defined, taught, and learned • Individual vs. community needs

11. 3. • Critical thought is a life skill • Used to gain a deeper understanding of the world • Students are energized by “getting something” after grappling w a problem • Learn to take time to do things step-by-step

12. 4. • As social beings, our ability to engage meaningfully w each other is critical to living a full existence • Necessary for: Leadership, critical thinking, thoughtful understanding of others, teamwork, discovery

13. 5. • BC the world is changing fast, we don’t necessarily know what the future will look like. Encourage students to find knowledge confidently on their own. • Flexibility and adaptability • Authentically motivated and curious. Value of needing to grow and learn more. • Our world is more connected, calling for greater comm ability

14. What daily moves do I make that lead to this vision of Trinity students?

15. How were you educated?

16. Think about it… • Do our students experience the same thing when they only superficially understand something? • How do we know our students have more than superficial understanding of what we are teaching?

17. In relation to our Trinity Student Vision, how do our teaching methods, activities, and assessments really gauge these abilities? Take some time to think about this question in relation to your own teaching and share with your neighbor when you are finished.

18. teaching vid http://testornado.ning.com/group/mathk8 26:30-

19. What did the teacher do that led to more than a cursory understanding?

20. A “deeper understanding” is necessary for developing the abilities of the Trinity student.

21. And now, team… break!

22. I TAUGHT STRIPE HOW TO WHISTLE.

23. I DON’T HEAR HIM WHISTLING

24. I SAID I TAUGHT HIM. I DIDN’T SAY HE LEARNED IT. From Checking for Understanding, King Features Syndicate.

25. What we’re ultimately looking for is competent understanding

26. What does it mean to have learned something? • The point of school is competent understanding not prompted recall of content & compliance • Competency=independent & effective understanding, in context • Understanding=using content for transfer and meaning

27. Competent People "Sully" Sullenberger Derek Jeter Dr. MLK Jr. Lady Gaga Steve Jobs

28. Highly Competent Everyday People Pick an area of human performance you are interested in and very knowledgeable about (teaching, carpentry, cooking, golf…): Who is a highly competent performer you know? What makes you say that he or she is ‘highly competent’? T&T

29. Provided that you want competent understanding in your discipline, would you complete this sentence? By the end of the year, learners should be (better) able, on their own, to strategically use all the content learned this year, to...

30. How would you complete this sentence? By the end of their formal schooling, learners should be able, on their own, to use all the content learned, to...

31. Content is a tool…

32. Toward what end?

33. Trinity Student Academic In their academic endeavors, Trinity students: -have a responsible and aspiring work ethic, understanding and appreciating the role of effort in academic success and fulfillment -work efficiently as individuals and as team members -are critical thinkers and problem solvers -communicate their ideas effectively and listen well to the ideas of others -are empowered learners, well-equipped to meet the challenges of an ever more complex global society

34. Competent Understanding • Our aim, arguably, is to produce confident and competent students who have understanding and can use it productively. • Real understanding is different from merely being learned; “book knowledge” is not enough for us to say that someone “really” understands. -Grant Wiggins

35. What is real understanding? How does it differ from knows a lot? When you really When you know a understand, you lot, but you don’t can… really understand, you can only… Write down thoughts in note packet, post its, t&t, then share w/group – 15 min.

36. If you really understand, you can… Figure out Apply Support Teach Create Interpret • Connect • Not just plug in • Use • Say way

37. The more you do one… If you understand you can: Figure out Apply

38. Formal language If you understand you can: Transfer your learning in context Make Meaning via active inferences

39. Not a new idea: Bloom – • “Application is different from simple comprehension: the student is not prompted to give specific knowledge, nor is the problem old-hat. The tests must involve situations new to the student… • “Ideally we are seeking a problem which will test the extent to which the individual has learned to apply an abstraction in a practical way.”

40. In short, if you have competent understanding, you are able to - • Retrieve and adapt the most appropriate content, in context, to make sense of things and perform optimally

41. HW: look at your guided notes

42. Thank you!!!

43. Living Our Vision

44. The more you do one… If you understand you can: Figure out Apply

45. Formal language If you understand you can: Transfer your learning in context Make Meaning via active inferences

46. Competent Understanding • Our aim, arguably, is to produce confident and competent students who have understanding and can use it productively. • Real understanding is different from merely being learned; “book knowledge” is not enough for us to say that someone “really” understands. -Grant Wiggins

47. Day 2 HW: A. What implications does teaching for deeper understanding have for the role of the teacher?

48. HW. B. Think back to your many prior experiences with learning, both in and out of school. What was the most effective class you have ever taken? What features of the instructional design -- not the teacher’s unique style and expertise -- made the learning so engaging and effective for participants?

49. HW C. What 1 – 2 common teacher practices or habits unwittingly undercut the aim of competent understanding and/or make students think the aim is just lots of knowledge?

50. Trinity Student Academic In their academic endeavors, Trinity students: -have a responsible and aspiring work ethic, understanding and appreciating the role of effort in academic success and fulfillment -work efficiently as individuals and as team members -are critical thinkers and problem solvers -communicate their ideas effectively and listen well to the ideas of others -are empowered learners, well-equipped to meet the challenges of an ever more complex global society