Kelly's Curriculum Corner

A blog post by Elliot Seif from ASCD’s the Edge caught my eye today. The author lists a variety of journal articles that support staff development for a variety of purposes e.g. assessment, change process, curriculum, instructional practices etc.…. The articles listed can be found in the ASCD archives for members. Journal articles become a resource for studying and reflecting on our profession, developing teacher background knowledge and nurturing life learning. If we want students that are life long learners, we need teachers that are life long learners. Utilize your membership by diving into a few of the suggested articles and share/discuss them with colleagues.

  In his new book, Transforming Professional Development into Student Results , Doug Reeves makes a case for severely limiting the number of initiatives a school or district pursues. “Education leaders have three essential resources: time, money, and emotional energy. Time is fixed. Financial resources are typically fixed, and in the present economy, diminishing. Emotional energy is variable.” “The Law of Initiative Fatigue states that when the number of initiatives increases while time, resources and emotional energy are constant, then each new initiative, no matter how well conceived or well intentioned – will receive fewer minutes, dollars and ounces of emotional energy than its predecessors.” Reader Challenge: Take a blank sheet of paper and write down every initiative in your school. Reply via comment and let us know how many initiatives you have and your thoughts about the Law of Initiative Fatigue.

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott was the featured at our administrative book club this year. True to its title the book boldly described the need and the process for having critical conversations both at home and the work place. The book resonates with sound, practical advice. For a taste of the author’s edgy wisdom read on: “I don’t know about you, but I have not yet witnessed a spontaneous recovery from incompetence” (p. 60). “As a leader, you get what you tolerate” (p. 60). “What are you pretending not to know” (p. 70). “Sometimes we put so many pillows around a message that the message gets lost altogether” (p. 144). “Identify your contribution to the problem” (p. 151). Stay tuned as we apply Principle 1: Master the Courage to Interrogate Reality to school improvement. Scott, S. (2003). Fierce conversations: Achieving success at work and in life one conversation at a time. New York: Berkley Book.

The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) is an organization dedicated to sharing the principles of effective, results-driven professional development. There is a science to staff development and NSDC promotes the practices that result in student achievement. For a limited time, NSDC is offering a trial membership. Since change happens at the school level, a special invitation is extended to building principals who want resources to improve the implementation of staff development initiatives. Click here for details on obtaining a trial membership.

Blogs and wikis to document the research process? Joyce Valenza and her colleagues at Springfield Township High School in Erdenheim, PA have not only done it, they are debating which tool is the best. Click on the links below to check out examples and additional discussion. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see the wiki examples. Blog Research Template Wiki Research Discussion and Examples Clearly the teachers love the technology tools to help students organize and build their projects in one place. What an exciting way to make research organized, relevant, and motivating for students!

The National Staff Development Council (NSDC)Conference is by far the best conference I have attended ... and as a professional developer I have attended my fair share. The pre-conference sessions on Sat. and Sunday are with some of the most renowned speakers from across the nation. Two years ago, I spent the day with David Sousa talking about applications of brain research. I am still using the information I brought back from the workshop. Monday through Wednesday are numerous sessions on just about any topic imaginable.... math, professional learning communities, school improvement, literacy, technology, induction, mentoring and the list goes on...... What makes this conference stand out from all the others is the quality of the presentations. Facilitators go out of their way to model effective staff development practices. I leave, not just with good content, but also with effective strategies to share the learning. NSDC's annual conference is in Washington, DC this year. It w...