Redefining Search!

Note - this post was originally written back in May/June but never published for a variety of complex and personal reasons mainly having to do with my health . . . but all is good now!


May 2016 - I meant to write this posting about a month ago, but things have gotten a little bit away from me with moving back to Asia for next school year. Too much to do with so little time left in Poland before we move on from here. On a fast train heading south to Kraków gives me a bit of time to reflect, write and just think . . .


After attending Learning2 Africa in Johannesburg in the fall, I have been thinking how I needed to alter my approach in the HS towards teaching research skills to students.  For the last number of years we have taught and reviewed research skills with all G9 students as they entered the HS (through a series of projects, lessons and workshops culminating in a large, personal research project in their English class) and in G11 as students began the Extended Essay process. Changes this year in faculty, curriculum, and the approach to launching the EE have resulted in most of this work with research skills falling away. After attending Jeff Utech's extended session at L2Jo'burg on research skills, I knew I had to do something different right away.

Rather than continuing with the model of periodically working with whole grades of students, I shifted my focus to the faculty. My reining was simple - up-skill the entire faculty to give them the same toolbox of resources, techniques and strategies and they will in turn use, model and train all students in the same way, in every grade and every class. What I developed was a differentiated workshop targeted at individual departments/disciplines which worked through how research skills have changed with Internet-enabled mobile devices in the hands of every student. As teachers, if we are still asking questions which can easily be Googled, then we are asking the wrong kinds of questions of our students. Are your students trained in how to conduct a really deep and targeted search, or to cope with conducting effective research when they do not have any search terms?

To answer these questions, I put teachers into research scenarios which changed their thinking about research.  When you have no search terms to begin with, research ceases being a solitary act. It naturally evolves into a collaborative and creative process involving critical thinking and communication - the 4 C's of 21st Century Learning. For example, in the workshop I had teachers work in small groups and try to answer the following questions about this image: what is shown in the photo and where was it taken?

Do you know what this is?  And where was this photo taken?  [can you figure it out without using Image Search?]

Individually, most teachers had no idea where to start with such a task. In their small groups some started discussing what they thought it might be and what search terms they could use to describe the image. All sorts of search terms were tried ranging from "golden dog poo" to "swirls" and to "golden ratio spirals". Other groups tried to work around the task to find the actual photo on the web, or to use Google Image Search to find similar images, but I did not provide them a copy of the image to work with. The most successful groups spent a lot of time talking and collaborating about what they thought the image might be, before jumping into any searches. These groups hit upon really important search terms like "Buddha" and "statue" through their collective knowledge, which they used to quickly used to figure out that these are the top knots on the back of Buddha's head at Wat Pho (the reclining Buddha) in Bangkok. Every time I did this workshop with another department team, they all agreed that this exercise was not only fun and exciting, but very thought provoking. As we are now an MYP candidate school, this exercise placed teachers in an open inquiry process which was unfamiliar for some.

Some of the groups who started with an easier task wanted to try the more challenging images rather than finishing the rest of the workshop. Simple testimony of how much they enjoyed working on this. The remainder of the workshop focused on sets of resources and alternative sites for research, compiled by discipline.  If you are interested, you can use the following shared doc as a resource with your faculty or students.

Harder - Who are these women (what "people" are they)?  And what does "what they are doing" mean?

Following the ripples and impact of these workshops was really interesting. It was great to hear about how teachers took my materials back to use with their classes for ongoing research projects, and how students could immediately employ these techniques and resources for their projects. Other teachers still required more support  and booked me to work with their classes - even small steps forward are still making forward progress.  One tech-hesitant teacher took the initiative to present these skills and resources to their class who were engaged with an large-scale IB Diploma Internal Assessment involving deep research into a topic of the student's choice. This teacher still felt that they could not completely help all of the students in their class with their research so I was brought in to work with a few particular students. I ended up working with two students in particular who were truly "stuck" in their reach process and it was really gratifying to help them get unstuck, and then immediately pass on some more advanced techniques to their friends . . . Students teaching students . . . it doesn't get better than that!

Another teacher had an epiphany in the workshop, and took my exercise with open, collaborative inquiry revolving around an image, and adapted it directly into their lesson . . . the next day! This teacher had been struggling with a unit centered on the Renaissance and the rise of religious art and its symbolism. The lesson changed from a lecture and discussion about a few important pieces of art, to open inquiry process where small groups of students truly looked at and analyzed a piece art to discover its importance, symbolism, and hidden meaning. This teacher told me with great enthusiasm about how the class were looking and thinking deeply about art for the first time . . . in years . . . and how much they enjoyed the process of discovery.  Huge win, and a big step forward.

Epilogue (October 2016) - a number of months have passed by since I wrote this, plus I have changed schools and continents. At my new school in Singapore, not a whole lot is different and I have discovered that I need to take the same approach with faculty. So Redefining Search is being rebooted and recycled, and relaunched with both faculties that I work with (my new school has two separate systems/curricula under one roof).  It's interesting to think about how the "students are digital natives" thinking has really taken hold all over the world, and how teachers don't often consider how student's search skills (and their own) need upgrading.  Taking this approach of up-skilling the entire faculty in order to reach the most students (hopefully all of them ;-) has been a successful and necessary approach at my last two schools . . . so, how are your search skills and the skills of your faculty? 

Takeaways from a Short Jaunt to HEL and back

A few weeks ago, I jumped on the opportunity to go to Helsinki to attend a workshop on Collaboration and Peer Observation with expert Fran Prolman.  The one-day workshop was being held at the International School of Helsinki (their entire faculty was attending) and sponsored by CEESA (which made it free for me to attend, thank you very much!).  We had a small crew from Warsaw there, and there were other teachers from Krakow and Riga as well.

Did you know . . . HEL is art deco?

My school brought in Fran this past fall, to work with our faculty on team building and protocols for having those "difficult conversations".  Having worked with Fran before, I knew that this would be something worth going to.  I really like Fran's straight-ahead, tell-it-like-it-is style of presenting, and how she encourages everyone to engage in professional conversations . . . even when they are difficult ones to have.  As I was going to HEL, I had a few "burning questions" (sorry, own intended ;-) in mind for Fran to answer about what I have been doing as a Tech Coach with conducting regular Tech Walkthroughs.

As we progressed through the workshop and got into the meat of Peer Observations, I began to wonder about how my Walkthroughs fit in with the model that she was presenting.  To help build a culture of collaboration in a school, having the trust and shared goals in place first, for Peer Observations to take place, are a given.  Peer Observations should be initiated by the observee (yeah, I know this is not actually a word but I am going to use it anyway), and they should direct the observer on the areas/topics they want data and feedback on, and the observations are typically longer or even over a period of time.

Storm clouds in HEL

So how do Walkthroughs fit in?  That was my new "burning question" that immediately sprang to mind, which Fran answered for me.  She told me that my tech walkthroughs were perfectly fine to do, and serve a different purpose than the more formal peer observations.  Although the observees are not initiating the walkthrough and are not directing what I am observing, they do know in advance why I am there and what I am looking at (technology integration in the HS).  Because the faculty know this in advance and expect me to regularly drop by their class at random times for a few minutes, my Tech Walkthroughs are productive and useful.  They have a clear purpose and understood parameters, the most important of which is that I am visiting their classroom in a non-evaluative role.  And when the walkthrough turns into a check-in with the teacher (because there is no class), then it is still time well spent through making connections with faculty, building currency, and bringing coaching/support directly to them.

Once I had confirmed with Fran that conducting regular walkthroughs as a tech coach was a good practice, I then pressed on with my original "burning questions" - Should I encourage other faculty to come along on walkthroughs in order to see other people's classes in action?  When I observe something in a class where I could suggest a change of approach/delivery/tools, should I give that unsolicited feedback to the teacher?

Yes, it does snow in HEL!  And they do like the colour red!

For the first question, I have been trying to get other faculty members to come with me on a walkthrough but I have not had anyone take me up on it.  Fran set me straight on this though - this will not work as anyone's class that we walked into will change the dynamic of the walkthrough.  In essence, the observee knows why I am there and what I am observing, but they don't know what someone else will focus on or what their goals for being there are.  This is where the Peer Observation model comes into play, where the observee directs the observer in what jot look for, collect data and give feedback on.  Fran cut quickly to the root of why I shouldn't do this and why it wouldn't be productive, so I will no longer suggest or pursue doing this and I now know why.

For my second question, it is something that I have been wondering about - giving unsolicited feedback or suggestions to a teacher about something observed in their lesson.  Fran's basic direction here is "don't do it".  Again, relating back to the Peer Observation model, the observee needs to choose what they want to learn about in their class, and direct the observer in what data to collect and what they want feedback on.  Giving unsolicited feedback can be perilous - Fran's advice here was to tread lightly or not at all.  If you really have to provide some feedback on what you observed in someone's classroom, then you must guide the teacher to think about and reflect upon what you observed.  Do not judge, do not evaluate, do not interrogate, do not ask "why" and do not make suggestions on what to do to "correct" the issue.  All you can do is gently/collegially/professionally guide the teacher to reflect on what happened and to come to their own conclusions about what the problems & solutions might be.  Or just don't say anything at all . . . after all, as a Tech Coach I am not there to evaluate, but to support and coach.

These are my personal takeaways (there were more, but more specific to my school rather than for my role) from a short, one-day focused workshop with Fran Prolman.  Each of these items has a direct impact on my daily coaching practice and how I work with my faculty - that's a big win in my books!  It's a great feeling coming home from a conference experience with your "burning questions" extinguished, and with practical advice which you can implement immediately . . . well worth the trip to HEL and back.

'84 on 8/4 Unplugged Challenge - Revisited

In a previous posting I talked about hosting an unplugged or blackout day in the HS, as a way to create student awareness of their own "wired" behaviours and to give them a sense of how "connected" they really need to be.  We are now at the end of a five week long buildup to our first ever Unplugged Day which happens next week on April 8th.  Throughout these five weeks I have been trying to engage and draw staff and students into participating in this event, using some "hooks" such as having 1984 related references and videos in assemblies and newsletters, running weekly trivia contests (grade level competitions for house/grade level points) for 5 weeks in a row, branding the Unplugged side of the event as being a student in 1984 (you can only use technology that was available back in the day), connecting a dress-up Spirit Day in the HS with the event, and building mashup movie posters with teachers from favourite movies of the 80's.

1984 Weekly Trivia

A major component of the buildup to the event has been the weekly trivia competition where the four grade levels compete for "house" points over the school year.  I used the 80's to theme all of the trivia questions - at first I did not even say what it was all about and let the student's natural curiosity build.  Over the last month, I have been asked a number of times about what all the 1984 references were all about.  In fact, the student council president had the idea to kick everything off by having the movie trailer for the movie "1984" mysteriously be shown during an assembly with no explanation at all - that got the students talking.

Fitting the trivia questions in with the theme of the 80's was simple.  The first week focussed on major events in '84 such as the famine in Ethiopia, and the recording of "Do they know it's Christmas" as a fundraiser.  The second week's questions turned to famous bands and movies from 1984, and the famous "1984" Apple television ad to launch the Macintosh to the world.  The third week raised the bar as students had to identify famous bands/songs, movies and television shows from 1984 based on video clues that I spliced together.  Here is one of the video clues that I put together, if you are interested . . .

Week four questions forced students to use primary sources, as I built the trivia questions around information about the school in 1984 (location, address and name of the director), and about the current faculty (Who graduated from high school in 1984?).  This was interesting to watch unfold as students could not just go online to figure out the answers.  They had to actually talk to one another and collaborate, talk to various people in the school beyond their immediate teachers, and figure out their own plan of attack.  This particular week's trivia was definitely the most difficult to answer, so it generated the fewest responses, but it was interesting to see how students were working together, talking with the students in their grade who have been at the school the longest, and trying to figure out how old their teachers are - some estimates were very far off in both directions!

The final week of trivia was designed to hype next week's event, and to give students more information about what to expect that day.  To get more of the faculty involved and to help build some spirit into the event, I decided to put a ton of time and effort into making teacher mashup movie posters from the 80's.  Teachers simply had to send me their favourite movie from the 80's and I would insert them into the movie poster as one of the characters.  In some cases, the posters turned out much better when they took a self-portrait with their head at an angle to match what is in the original posters, which the staff were more than willing to do.  As I was doing all of the technical work to make the posters and staff just had to volunteer to be included, this turned out to be a massive hit with more than half of the faculty getting involved.  The final round of trivia was simple - students were shown in an assembly, a video with 22 different movie mashup posters and they had to name the teachers (in order) as they saw them . . . and it was tough but a whole lot of fun!  To hear the hooting and waves of hysterical laughter from the student body as they saw the posters made it all worth while.  After all, part of the event is all about school spirit!  Here are three posters that I made for the final trivia, as I could not help it (it was so much fun and I kept getting ideas for movies to use as examples) . . .



Spinoff or Collateral Learning

In preparing for our upcoming Unplugged Day, there has been a lot of spin-off learning amongst staff and students that has come up through the weekly quizzes.  Some of these outcomes I had hoped for, and some came as a surprise, but these are what make all of the time and effort really worth it.  Some of the collateral learning and positive outcomes which reach beyond technology, have been:

1. Development of student search online skills and working with primary sources
2. Student collaboration and communication, and working in self-forming teams or small groups
3. Building school spirit and involvement with both staff and students
4. Faculty developing new technology skills such as using Photoshop or other built-in tools on their new Macs like Photobooth and iMovie - there is nothing like "just in time" tech learning to move people's skills forward
5. Building currency and connections with the faculty that I work with in the high school
6. Faculty developing new project ideas and connections with their own curriculum through inquiry learning, using different media in class, and how visual and video media can be used in the classroom to study/analyze advertising and other concepts.

It will be interesting to see how our Unplugged Day works out tomorrow, but I will write a short follow up once our first attempt at this is complete.  It has been a fun build-up to the event, and I hope that staff and students gain at least a little insight into their habits and need to be connected - it's all about finding the right balance.  Have you hosted any school events which had collateral learning beyond technology or spin-off technology development?  What happened and how did it go?

Going on Walkabout - A TechXcursion in your own School

Classroom walkthroughs are a popular and current tool for administrators to gauge what is going on in their school, but I have found walkthroughs to be a simple alternative to observational meetings as a Tech Coach.  I have divided up the HS into four different areas or zones, and I am intending on conducting a Walkthrough/Check-in of each area about once a week.  I have always been interested in getting into more of the HS classrooms on a regular basis, other than when I am meeting with a teacher, perhaps observing their class on their request, co-teaching a class, or delivering some kind of tech-related lesson to students.  Getting into HS classes can be especially challenging due to the usual reasons of time (many teachers equate a classroom visit to an unwanted disruption, or they go the other way to "put on a special tech show" for that one class), compartmentalization in the HS (a few teachers have a "closed-door" policy and do not want to be disturbed, ever), and fear of observation (some teachers perceive classroom visits as part of the teacher evaluation process).

I have only done a few of these walkabouts to date, but I think I have cracked the nut - finally!  I am branding my school walkabouts as Walkthrough/Check-ins to make them informal, short, strictly observational if there is a lesson going on, and teacher focussed if they are in a prep period or if they can stop and talk for a minute while I am there.  By making this less about the observation of their class (and the use/integration of technology in their lesson) and more about checking-in with them for how things are going (with the use/integration of technology in their classes), I am seeing an openness and appreciation that I have not seen before.

The "closed-door" teacher became much more welcoming and open when I was simply checking-in with them, rather than observing them.  The simple act of going to them to see how things are going seemed to validate that whatever level the integration and use of technology in their class is currently at, that it's alright.  I was coming to see them, to see how I can make things better, how I can help them "just in time" with something that they are working on, or tease out that niggling problem or question which they have never bothered to ask before or have forgotten about.  To me, a short check-in visit in a teacher's own space really helped to build currency between us.

Early days in our HS 1:1 program

For the "do not disturb" and the "am I being evaluated?" teachers, the unscheduled, informal and brief nature of the Walkthrough/Check-in has served to relieve the anxiety of the more formal (and lengthy) classroom observation.  I got a more realistic view into what is going on in their classroom with technology, had a chance to talk with students about what they are doing, and took the opportunity (if it presented itself) to check-in with the teacher on how things are going.  I find that the informal nature of the walkthrough, combined with the teacher-centric focus of the check-in, has helped to reduce "evaluation anxiety".  A good friend and mentor once told me that what I am best at (as a tech person) is "keeping it real".  I think the Walkthrough/Check-in model does just that, and gets rid of the anxiety and facade of classroom observations.

By conducting a short walkthrough of a section of the school, I can cover 1/4 of the HS faculty in 30-60 minutes.  I take notes along the way, and typically find a number of issues/problems/questions to further investigate, follow-up with and hopefully resolve.  Walkthrough-Check-ins also allow me to talk with students and see firsthand how technology is being used to enhance their learning.  I frequently hear about projects that particular teachers are doing with particular grades or classes.  But what about the other classes?  What about when their class is not working on a big or special project?  How is technology enhancing teaching and learning during those times?  What about the class or the teacher that I do not typically hear about?  What is happening in their class?  If I can conduct these Walkthrough/Check-ins on a regular basis over the school year, I will hopefully get some concrete answers to these questions.

Have you ever thought about doing walkthroughs?  Maybe you should!  If you are already going on walkabout, then how has it helped with being a tech coach or integrator?