#blogamonth Post for February: School Culture

The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development defines school culture as:

"The sum of the values, cultures, safety practices, and organizational structures within a school that causes it to function and react in particular ways; the way teachers and other staff members work together." -from a Lexicon of Learning 

School culture is constantly being constructed and shaped by the students, the way staff members interact with each other, and by the community. This is true of my school. Our demographics have changed since we opened our doors 50 years ago, creating the diverse environment we have embraced as an asset instead of a hardship.

Our direction has also changed. After becoming the first public Pre-K to 5th grade elementary school in Georgia to become STEM certified, our focus has shifted to include additional rigor in the STEM subjects. Even though I'm so proud of our accomplishments, I believe in constantly improving and growing. I would still like to see the culture of my school evolve to include the encouragement of more student choice as well as student and teacher innovation. 

After some reflecting, I feel there are three important ways to improve school culture. 

1. Collaboration

School culture improves as staff members interact with each other, the students, and the community. I'm thankful to have a principal who believes in collaboration to make decisions for the school. This is necessary for staff to feel they are on a team and also because we all have a vested interest in student learning. Teachers and administrators should work together to create and improve the school's vision, systems, and goals. When teachers are not in the loop because of a lack of communication, the school is at risk of becoming a place where teachers are unwilling to change and the school culture becomes negative and oppositional. This is certainly not the tone we want to set for students. 

2. Professional Learning

Have you ever walked into a faculty meeting for a professional development session on a topic you had no input on and led by someone you are not familiar with? The presenter may have wonderful teaching strategies and have expertise in a particular field, but you and some of your fellow teachers may not need development in that area. I have learned so much from some of the presenters my administrators have brought in. I'm not against bringing strong, engaging experts and educators into the school for professional development, but I still wonder something. What about ulizing the talents within our school buildings? YOU are highly educated with awesome ideas and skills. And so are the other teachers in your building. We all know the areas in which we have extensive knowledge as well as the areas we could use development.  We should have input on the professional development we receive. We should also have the opportunity to share our knowledge with each other! Professional Learning tailored to teachers' needs will impact school culture in a positive way. Teachers who receive training in areas they are genuinely interested in are more likely to bring this excitement for teaching and learning into their classrooms. 

3. Trust

Teachers have relationships with administrators, students, parents, as well as other teachers. Trust is the glue that holds these relationships together, therefore fostering a positive school culture. To make change happen, teachers need to be trusted to take chances in the classroom and try new innovative ideas. Allow them to think for themselves and value this. Autonomy is the greatest gift a teacher could receive. Students should be trusted as well. They are our #1 most untapped resource. Trust their ability to think, create, and persevere. Teacher and student voices should be heard and and respected. 

School culture will continue to evolve and it's up to us as teachers and administrators to create the best working and learning environment for our students and ourselves We have the power to change our school culture. Step by step, bell by bell, and year by year. How can your school's culture improve?

Celebrating Uncommon Thinking

We all have these students. The ones who can't sit still. The ones who have their own agenda and their own way of doing things. They are rebels. They are trouble makers. These are the kids who don't just think outside of the box, they simply don't acknowledge the existence of a box in the first place. They're called "weird" or "crazy" by both students and adults. These students challenge the status quo and are typically bored in the traditional classroom setting. They also have the ability to melt your heart and drive you crazy, all in a matter of seconds. Sadly, many of our institutions are structured in such a way to encourage these students to conform to some acceptable behavior code and culture. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not against behavior interventions to modify student behavior. But, the students I'm talking about don't need a behavior chart or an intervention. They need to be heard. They need to be encouraged. They need the freedom to be them. They do not need to be changed. 

I also love and appreciate a well-structured, organized classroom. However, organization which requires everyone to be the same, and do the same, limits our potential to unveil and encourage the kind of experiences that lead to student innovation and accomplishment. Fair isn't always everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need. We need to celebrate uncommon thinking, allowing differences to enhance the culture of the classroom. 

The students who may have what some call "crazy" ideas or the ones who feel the need to break a rule for a good cause; those are the students who are going to change things. They will do spectacular things in their lifetime. Don't you want to be the one they always remember as the teacher who just let them be who they are? I know I do. 

My Top 5 Tech Tools for Teachers and Students

Educational Technology became a new passion of mine this past year. Thanks to my wonderful PLN on Twitter, I've discovered so many tools I can use in and out of the classroom. The following tools have helped my students and I get organized, create, demonstrate learning, and more.  I hope you'll enjoy these tools as much as we do!

Padlet.com - This website allows students and adults to build a virtual wall. Formerly know as Wallwisher, this site gives you a blank wall on which you can put anything you want. Simply click (or tap for you tablet users) anywhere on your wall and add your text.  Users can also add multimedia and share their walls instantly. My students have created walls to demonstrate what they have learned about a particular topic. They love to play with the layouts! Padlet can be used as a discussion forum to share thoughts on a particular topic, create timelines, brainstorm menus, and so much more. The possibilities are endless! Check out examples in Padlet's gallery for more ideas. 

Webwhiteboard.com - This is an online whiteboard students and teachers can use to draw a simple sketch, work out math problems, or even jot down a quick list. My students love using this website on their iPads during math. Instead of using individual dry erase boards, students can solve math problems by drawing and writing with their fingertips. The drawing tools come in two different thicknesses and various colors. There's also an eraser tool. Your whiteboard is instantly saved and is designed for collaboration. 

Pocket - This is a free app available on iPhone and iPad which allows you to save articles, blog posts, or web pages all in one spot.  This app quickly became my favorite tool! There have been so many times I've come across an article or a blog post on Twitter and I just didn't have time to read it right then and there. Now, within five seconds I can have it saved to my Pocket. The app is easy to set up and gives you very easy directions showing you how to save items you wish to read later. 

Cloudart - Cloudart is a great creation app that let's you make colorful and dynamic word clouds. Check out the word cloud I made under my last post. I've also used this free app to create a cloud for my students. Create a word cloud using the lyrics to a favorite song or words from an iconic speech.  Let your imagination run wild! Simply copy and paste, or type text into the app and it will automatically create a beautiful word cloud for you. You can also play with fonts and color pallets, or create a custom pallet. Your word cloud can be saved to your camera roll and easily shared with friends. 

Vine - Vine is Twitter's baby. Vine allows you to create six second videos and instantly share them on Twitter. My students and I use Vine to document the learning that takes place in our classroom and then we post it to our classroom Twitter account. Through Twitter and Vine, my students connect on a global scale. Parents also love having a glimpse into our classroom. Vine allows us to be creative and think carefully as we record and edit using a six second time frame. Whether you're documenting the learning process, or making how-to videos, parents and students around the world will enjoy learning from and with you and your students.

My students and I love these creation tools and I hope they will be helpful to you and your students as well.