Laura K Spencer, Ed.D.

Author: Laura Spencer

  • The Gift of Urgency

    The Gift of Urgency

    Urgency is often a gift. It can create both clarity and action. – Mark Miller

    When I started my teaching career, my dad would scoff about Teacher Professional Growth Days. I remember him saying, “I don’t see cars in the parking lot… it’s just another day off for teachers.” Well Dad, today we had 300 teachers packed in at one school engaging in some of the most meaningful professional growth I have seen during my 16 years as an educator.

    Starting our day was a call to action from the superintendent. After years of stagnant test scores, he emphasized that it is time to face our current reality. Students aren’t succeeding academically. What work must be done to turn this around?

    Five instructional systems were discussed: Coherent First Teaching, Intervention, Positive Behavior Support, Assessments, and Teacher Collaboration. These gears, when in sync, can create monumental shifts in the learning experience of students. So how do we get there? Through professional learning, principal leadership, and district leadership.

    After our call to action, teachers were placed in collaborative teams, K-8, to look at the mathematical and NGSS science and engineering practices and really dig in to understanding them. It wasn’t about what lesson are we teaching tomorrow, but about how we engage students in deeper thinking, deeper questioning, and deeper problem solving. In every room, the conversations were powerful, engaging, and with the student in mind.

    Something special is happening here today. I think one day down the road, when the gears are well oiled and working smoothly together, we’ll look back and see this day as the day the shift happened. The day we embraced our gift of urgency and responded to the call to action.

  • Are You a Master Teacher?

    Are You a Master Teacher?

    In his blog post, “What Makes a Master Teacher?” George Couros lists what makes a master teacher. Are there any qualities you would add? Or remove? Which one resonates the most with you?

    For me, I tried to ensure I got to know students on a personal level. Having taught middle school English Language Arts, it wasn’t uncommon to have 150-175 students walk through my door every day. It was critical that they not see themselves as just another warm body in a seat, but rather as an important contributing member to the class. 
    I’ll admit that I did better with some students than others. But I think that, overall, the effort paid off. By knowing my students, I was able to tailor curriculum to meet both their needs and their interests. For example, one year I had a student who had a poor assignment completion rate. He hated essay writing (and really, who doesn’t?). But when I learned he wanted to be a rap artist, I let him write some of his literary responses as a rap instead of an essay. Lo and behold, he had a lot to say, and it was good, too! One year we studied the Zoot Suit Riots because the large percentage of African- American students in my class expressed an interest in it after hearing the song on the radio. 
    I by no means would consider myself a “Master Teacher” and wonder if any teacher ever feels they have truly reached master status. I look back now, after having been out of the classroom for a few years, and see so many missed opportunities to do even more, but I’m proud of the work I did to connect with students.

  • 100 Starts with 1

    A while back, I read an article in Good, “A magazine for the global citizen” about a #100StartsWith1 project. The idea is to promote positive change that betters society. It’s an idea I circle back to today because I just spent three days at CUE Rock Star Admin being inspired by the passion, innovation, and creativity of school and district leaders in attendance.
     

    Sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that make the biggest impact. 

    For example, dancing and singing during morning drop off, as this vice principal in Arkansas does every day. 

    Maybe my #100Startswith1 project will be a return to blogging. Don’t get me wrong… I don’t believe my blogging will better society. But perhaps the time for me to reflect, and the ability to hold conversations with others about the current state of education, will spark a change that will lead to a better society.

    It’s worth a shot. 

  • BurnBook – An App Created for Bullying?

    BurnBook – An App Created for Bullying?

    Photo from 10News: http://goo.gl/HcKI4E

    I shared the below information with my management team today as Burn Book seems to be the latest and greatest way for high school students to cyber bully. Feel free to modify and use if needed.

    But more importantly, I encourage you to read this blog post by a high school student about the impact these types of apps have on people: http://goo.gl/Ls4Tv8
    By now, most of you have probably heard of an app called BurnBook.

    Burn book allows students to anonymously post comments about anything. They choose their school, and then start posting. There are a lot of mean comments about other students and teachers being posted on the app, and occasionally threats to the safety of the school’s campus.

    I began monitoring the app the other day, and so far, it seems to be focused on high schools. 

    The high school district personnel have started a campaign to talk to students on all their campuses about the seriousness of posting threats on the app. Because of this, there may be a temporary increase in student curiosity as older siblings come home and share the information. And this morning San Marcos responded to a school threat posted via the app (http://goo.gl/kP8f9z) so that will be on the news this evening. 

    Unfortunately, we can’t block access to the app because students are using their own devices to access it.  What we can do, however, is remind students about the impact cyberbullying can have on others. And also let students know that anonymous does not mean untraceable – IP addresses are recorded by the app and can be used to trace people posting serious threats.

    More Information: 
    Burnbook App CEO Promises Change After School Threat – http://goo.gl/Hqwahm 
    Burnbook: Can An Annonymous App Have a Conscience – http://goo.gl/Nsy1RC 
  • Technology is Not the GrandMaster of the Ticker Tape Parade

    Technology is Not the GrandMaster of the Ticker Tape Parade

    High School Student’s FB this morning

    On #CAEdChat Sunday night, we discussed ways to “pimp” our lessons so that students walk in the door jazzed to learn. Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like a Pirate, shared that he always asks, “Here’s my lesson…now how can I make this come ALIVE?! How can I create an EXPERIENCE?” 

    So often, I see teachers who drag the technology out of the cupboard and expect the students to start the ticker tape parade. 

    But students are bored, just like the high school student who posted the above FB pic this morning from his class.  Technology is not a ticker tape parade for them. But learning should be!

    As student Alex Bockert explained during #CAEdChat, “Don’t start with all the actual work/research to be done – start with why this project will rock.”

    So how will you make learning rock today?

  • Bringing the Heart to Education

    I love Angela Maiers. I think I love her because she values what should be valued: the person. Yes, technology is fabulous, and it allows us to do fabulous things, but if we aren’t valuing the person, then it’s all for naught. I first started following Angela when I saw her “You Matter” manifesto. It resonated. Deeply. Who we are to others doesn’t matter until we realize that we have to matter to ourselves. It is a powerfully simple concept. But one which many of us don’t take the time to own.

    Recently I came across another one of Angela’s blog posts that also resonated with me.

    The Heart: An Underused Tool for Digital Learning discusses the need to challenge students to “work together to solve problems that break their heart.” Can you imagine the impact this approach to education would have? Not only would students find meaning in the work they were doing, but they’d be making an impact on the world. They’d be saying, “Hey, I matter and so do you!” 

    Some quotes from “The Heart: An Underused Tool for Digital Learning”:

    “Students today are technologically savvy. Yet it is too often the case that students, and teachers, are using technology simply to do old things in new ways. When a student submits a PowerPoint file to a teacher discussing an assigned topic, instead of a set of sheets of construction paper, learning is not advanced, and genius remains with its head in the sand.”

    “Nonetheless, teaching students how to pursue a task that matters is essential to their finding their place in the world today.

    “Let’s be the educators who start with what matters.”

    So how do we make this a reality? I’m curious to hear from those who are putting Angela’s call to action.