Teaching and Learning: October 2017

Monday, October 30, 2017

Fwd: Kick Off Your Week: Schools of the Future

Teri Ann Lin

6th Grade LA/SS Teacher
Wheeler Middle School

teampueo.weebly.com

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From: Hawaii DOE <reply@hawaiidoe.org>
Date: Mon, Oct 30, 2017 at 9:09 AM
Subject: Kick Off Your Week: Schools of the Future
To: 20048903@notes.k12.hi.us

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Schools of the Future

The state of collaboration among education organizations in the state of Hawai'i was evident during the 9th Annual Schools of the Future conference at the Convention Center last week. Over 1,000 educators came together for two days of learning and sharing — a collaborative of the Hawai'i DOE, the Charter School Commission, and the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools, along with a number of dedicated sponsors. The conference is designed to provide opportunities to share best practices among and between our schools. The conference is noted for being agnostic to school type (i.e. public, charter, private), and instead focuses on the need for excellence across all district and school types to ensure access to quality education for all keiki in Hawai'i. While across the nation many states struggle to bring various school providers to the same table, the state of Hawai'i stands out for hosting an education collaborative of this magnitude by the education providers themselves.

As is self evident in the name of the conference, the focus of this convening is to push for a forward-facing view of our education systems. The Hawai'i DOE/BOE Strategic Plan likewise represents this present and future view of our work by emphasizing the importance of our collective work as:

Designers of schools
Engagers of student voice
Developers of powerful teacher collaboratives

Students provide feedback on their learning experiences at the Schools of the Future Conference, Oct. 26, 2017.

Our kuleana is to provide all students equitable access to excellent education. Classrooms across our state are delivering on this by keeping the end in mind: to prepare our students for college, career and community pathways of their design. As an education team with this student-driven focus, we are shifting our mindset to one where we are co-designers with students rather than for students. Many of these powerful practices were shared at the conference. The question for us now is, how do we bring a forward-facing, co-designer view of school design, engagement, collaboration and delivery models to all of our schools?

We have a tremendous opportunity in Hawai'i. We already represent diverse portfolio models in our schools and academies such as IB, STEM, agricultural sciences, construction, culinary arts, health sciences, teacher academies, and so forth. To support our next advancements, we must ensure that the qualities that are evident across our most improved and successful schools are embedded in all schools, while allowing for diverse school models. In these schools,

There are a lot of student-directed activities and lots of student talk about the learning,
Student teams can be observed working on group projects and engaged in design thinking,
The school campus and classrooms reflect a breadth of authentic and creative student-created products,
The school has adopted flexible learning spaces — students are working everywhere not just in controlled classroom settings,
Teaching is multi-disciplinary and co-teaching teams help students understand content as it is found in real practice,
Technology is being used to research, create, design and share, rather than to generate a digital version of analog work that's already out there,
Visual and performing arts are evident on the building, in the sounds of the hallways, in the courtyard and in the community, and
The history, culture, values and languages of Hawai'i are embedded in student, teacher, leader, parent, staff and partner activities.

If we boldly continue on this path of designing schools and learning opportunities around students, if we engage students in their areas of passion and interests, if we expand our construct around how we use time in school, if we redefine our thinking of instructional resources and student learning projects, we will advance toward a more forward facing view of a future that we know is already upon us.

Continue to lead boldly and advance your school design. I look forward to continuing my school and classroom visits to learn about your work in designing schools of the future.

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Monday, October 23, 2017

Fwd: Kick Off Your Week: Leading on Behalf of Our Students

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Leading on Behalf of our Students

Whose dreams will we tap, release, encourage and support this week? I wake up each morning in awe of our work — we are charged as servant leaders of this great school system, the Hawai'i Department of Education, a public school system of about 180,000 curious children and youth. Collectively we are charged with ensuring the readiness of our students to fully engage in their present and future. The true importance of our work lies in how we choose to do our work, how we choose to lead within each of our positions, and how we build pathways for students to pursue their aspirations and dreams.

Our job as the HIDOE 'ohana is to tap, expose, release, encourage and support the hidden and not so hidden gifts and talents of our Hawai'i children and youth.

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) in Cleveland, Ohio — 70 school districts, among the largest in the United States, including HIDOE, working as partners. The program included a panel presentation on, What Does Equity Really Mean? One of two students from the Cleveland Public Schools who served on the panel was a young man recently arrived from a refugee camp in the Congo. While he arrived to this country only a year ago, he sat proudly on the panel working through the English language to communicate what it means to be a part of a country where there is free access to public education at the quality level found in the United States. He spoke about being free from persecution, free to learn, free from fear, free to live. He shared his story about fleeing with his family from their home at the age of four and living in a refugee camp until only one year ago. He described his public school experience in Cleveland as an "incredible blessing from God." There wasn't a dry eye in the room of 1,000 public school leaders. This teenager could go to school and pursue his passion for learning through which he found meaning and a place of belonging, where he was welcomed and could pursue his dreams.

This is our work everyday in the public school system. Our HIDOE framework for Na Hopena A'o makes a purposeful connection between belonging and access. Without belonging, our kids are inhibited from reaching their full, beautiful potential. Without access, they never get a chance.

So, what does it take for us as leaders, teachers and staff to tap and uncover a child's place of passion and gifts? It takes a willingness to break down traditional barriers. It takes a willingness to engage in the continuous change that is public education — to come back together as often as necessary, until we solve the problems that inhibit belonging, that squash passions and hope, until we get every child onto a pathway of success.

Our individual and collective stories are powerful and important. As we push ourselves in how we deliver our work, on what we choose to focus on, on where we choose to take risks, let's continue to collaborate to create powerful learning and life changing practices for our students.

Monday, October 9, 2017

Fwd: Kick Off Your Week: A Day on Kaua'i

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From: Supt. Christina Kishimoto <reply@hawaiidoe.org>
Date: Mon, Oct 9, 2017 at 8:37 AM
Subject: Kick Off Your Week: A Day on Kaua'i
To: 20048903@notes.k12.hi.us

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A Day on Kaua'i

Despite the on again, off again rain that made our Kaua'i trip a little soggy on Friday, Board of Education Member Maggie Cox, Complex Area Superintendent Bill Arakaki, OSIP team member Kendra Oishi and I made our way through two schools, a visit with the mayor and a state legislator, and we held a Board Community Forum before Kendra and I headed back to O'ahu reflecting on our great visit.

There was something incredibly special about our trip; something about Kaua'i. The conversations throughout the day were enveloped in a culture of lokahi, a culture of togetherness that permeates how things are done in Kaua'i. Everywhere we went — whether we were meeting with student leaders at Kaua'i High School sharing thoughts about how to expand student voice, or meeting with Mayor Bernard Carvalho to talk about the partnership between Lihu'e and schools, or meeting with State Representative James Tokioka about technology-based partnerships for our schools, or meeting with members of the public at the Community Forum at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle about our shared vision for public education — there was an assumption of respect and of coming together on behalf of our keiki that was palpable.

At both Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle and Kaua'i High, we were received by student leaders. Hearing students talk about their pride in school and their school design was powerful and provided a great perspective. At Kamakahelei we learned about the 23 elective courses that students get to select from that focus on engagement and exploration of new, fun learning areas. The school also has an outstanding music program, as well as great art, technology and P.E. offerings. We observed an inclusion classroom and learned about the full inclusion approach of the school. As Principal Debra Badua explained it, at Kamakahelei there is a high value placed on providing middle-level students with lots of opportunity to explore many new areas of interests and passion.

At Kaua'i High School we toured a range of classrooms from CTE to Advanced Placement to mathematics and English. Students served as tour guides and told us about the school culture of respect, the climate of support, and the pride in school. They shared detailed information about classroom learning objectives and even included us in solving an algebra equation. Later in the tour around 20 student leaders gathered to meet with us to talk about their vision for student voice and activism. The conversation was infused with multiple "yes ma'am"s and "yes sir"s that made me feel like I was with family in North Carolina; the humbleness of the students and the desire to meet school expectations was striking. Students at Kaua'i High have a vision for expanding their leadership reach and talked about next steps in establishing their school's Student Council. Discussing a new space they are exploring called student-led advocacy, they talked about their learning and the great support that they have from Principal Anne Kane and teachers to take their ideas to the next level.

Ending the day at the Community Forum was yet another example of the community's commitment to excellence. We received a broad set of questions and comments from students, parents, educators and community partners, who raised topics such as how to increase parental engagement at the high school level, campus safety, charter-public partnerships, school design and other timely topics. The discussions were wrapped in kindness, respect and passion for the island and its students and families, with a wonderful focus on student-centered decisions.

As I was returning home from my visit to Kaua'i, I reflected on the uniqueness of the island and its values, the way the people listen to each other and work together, all with a focus on community.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Fwd: Reaching our goals via School Design, Student Voice, Teacher Collaboration

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From: Supt. Christina Kishimoto <reply@hawaiidoe.org>
Date: Wed, Oct 4, 2017 at 11:35 AM
Subject: Reaching our goals via School Design, Student Voice, Teacher Collaboration
To: 20048903@notes.k12.hi.us

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DOE LOGO

OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

Reaching our goals via School Design,
Student Voice, Teacher Collaboration

On October 3, 2017, I presented an Implementation Plan to advance the goals of the Strategic Plan. The Implementation Plan is targeted around three high impact strategies: School Design, Student Voice, and Teacher Collaboration.

The document outlines various requirements and conditions to support the 10-point action items for each strategy. Work on a number of these are under way at the state level as we examine how to best support schools.

I invite you to review the document and let this be your guiding question: How does our work contribute to ensuring that all students have access to quality education and preparation for college, career and community success? It is through our practice of lokahi — collective, intentional, and inclusive work — that we can create more opportunities for students and build a bright future for Hawai'i.

Mahalo,

Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto
Superintendent

Monday, October 2, 2017

Fwd: Kick Off Your Week: Welcome to October!

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From: Supt. Christina Kishimoto <reply@hawaiidoe.org>
Date: Mon, Oct 2, 2017 at 8:50 AM
Subject: Kick Off Your Week: Welcome to October!
To: 20048903@notes.k12.hi.us

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Hawai'i State Student Council

The Hawai'i State Student Council, with representation from across our great state, has 42 committed student leaders representing each of our secondary schools. Flying in from neighbor islands to come together on O'ahu, many of our student leaders rise as early as 4 a.m. on many Saturdays throughout the school year to arrive on time and work together on important issues that impact students. During these meetings, they also engage in peer training around powerful learning practices.

Among their topics, the Council leadership provided peer training around the five components of the Design Thinking Framework as an effective teaching and learning practice and a student empowerment model. Engaging in their work by district teams and by committees, this highly organized leadership council documents their work and engages in research using their laptops and the Google platform to organize an agenda with links to resources to keep them focused and on schedule. Suited up in professional attire and presenting their work to one another throughout the day as they create new knowledge and understanding, the Council delivers with an executive leadership style that is not only admirable but serves as a model for executive leadership practice.

HSSC members collaborate at their Sept. 30 meeting

HSSC members collaborate at their Sept. 30 meeting

Hawai'i State Student Council members collaborating at their Sept. 30 meeting on O'ahu.

I had the distinct pleasure of joining our Student Council this past Saturday to engage in a discussion and input session around our second of three statewide priorities: Student Voice. The discussion was deep and thoughtful with concrete feedback around personalized learning, design thinking, social-emotional-learning, Na Hopena A'o, and peer feedback approaches in the classroom.

One significant topic of conversation was about the opportunity that students would like to have around curriculum, elective and core course development, including project designs and student created assessments. Student leaders shared their perspective that student input on new course development and course reviews can significantly improve the relevance of the materials, projects, and overall course designs. This is student voice!

The Council made a commitment to align the work of their committees this school year to the priorities of our Hawai'i Strategic Implementation Plan, and thus will provide continuous feedback throughout the year.

I came away from our time together encouraged by the mindset of our students who desire to be a key part of our learning organization with a significant design voice. And what will this yield us? Thoughtful, integrated, powerful leadership that advances the work of public education to serve the needs of all students. This is the power of Student Voice that we are just beginning to tap into.

Designing Schools for Hawai'i's Future

In partnership with 'Olelo Community Media, the Hawai'i DOE will be hosting a panel discussion titled "Designing Schools for Hawai'i's Future" on Tuesday, Oct. 3 that I will participate in, and will also feature the following panelists:

Governor David Ige
Chairperson Lance Mizumoto, Hawaii State Board of Education
Principal Keith Hayashi, Waipahu High School
Stephanie Mew, 2016 State Teacher of the Year, Kapunahala Elementary
Ian Kitajima, Oceanit (moderator)

The program will air on Channel 49 and will also be streamed live at www.olelo.org/49. Maui's Akaku will air it live on Channel 54. The program will also be available for viewing on 'Olelo Video On-Demand Channel 52, as well as at www.youtube.com/olelocm and on olelo.org/olelonet within 48 hours of the live airing. Please tune in!