Tips and Strategies for Healthy Stakeholder Engagement

Datie Priest

Principal, West Decatur Elementary

Decatur, Alabama

• grew up in projects, poor, had a single mom
• learned to be adaptive, navigate “mindfields”
• FAMILY ENGAGEMENT was the key that unlocked doors
• kids today LACK ACCESS … parents lack resources … many allow family members to step in
• TRUST and RESILIENCE are the key … have to build relationships
• parents today don’t often engage the school … when they show up it’s for a reason
• WDES motto … “Empowering Leaders One Step at a Time”
• 20% of students go home with a bag of food each week … however, it’s still important for them to learn how to give back
• Principal stands on the “front porch” of the school to greet students each day
• Engagement matters and kids expect it!
• School used to be the bedrock of the community
• Today … participation is a choice, F2F communication dwindling, emails & text message replace phone calls, schools aren’t as valued as they were before.
• Why the current problems?

• change in priorities
• change in family dynamic (double income)
• lack of time, overbooked families
• change in family structure (eating meals together)
• introduction of technology and social media
• parents empower the kids more than they empower the teacher!
• kids used to not know if their parents “liked” their teacher or not … now they will openly speak negatively about the teacher
• We need to coach parents on how to model appropriate behavior.

• Donuts for Dads - no agenda … no kids … this is just to get them in the door!
• Why develop trust?

• foundation for relationships
• build confidence

• PERCEPTION IS REALITY!
• “Let’s give them something to talk about!”
• Provided opportunities for bonding...provide opportunities for ENGAGEMENT!
• It’s not what you do or how you do it, but WHY you do it!
• Engage in purposeful professional learning with teachers

• Tell me more…
• Help me understand…
• Talk me through…
• What’s the evidence of…

• Celebrate teachers who are great students of their craft!
• Celebrate what you HAVE!
• Proactive vs Punitive Language … Are you an advocate? Do your words support your actions?  Do you BELIEVE people deserve to improve and have access to a better quality of life?
• Reflection required before responding to families!
• Validate stakeholders openly and regularly!
• Open praise goes a long way for those who come with a chip on their shoulder. Tear down walls one nicety at a time!
• COLLABORATE → ENGAGE → REFLECT
• Times and stakeholders have changed … GROW with them!
• http://www.alsde.edu/ 

To IGNITE, DRIVE, EXCEL is All About that Team, Bout that Team

Mark Lukert

lukertm@yahoo.com

marklukert.com

@marklukert

• educator for 38 years, principal for 21 years
• What are you?  (square-leader, triangle-intelligent, circle-creative, squiggly line-social people)

• not researched based :)

• find something to laugh about every day … it helps build a strong team!
• Alone we can do so little … together we can do so much!
• If you do not understand the power of relationships, you will NEVER have the team you want on your campus!
• Kids don't learn from people they don't like! -Rita Pierson
• BE the CHAMPION
• No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship. -James Comer
• On the first day of school, bring a bag to school with items inside that reflect who you are.  Share them with kids! Build trust & relationships!
• http://www.jongordon.com/
• Negativity can kill every positive thing that we do.

• The Red Balloon

• 7 people on each side of the room
• each blow up a balloon and tie off
• write on balloon with marker “What 1 trait do you value most in your team?”
• teams take turns reading aloud and put into a big trash bag
• loosely tie the bag closed
• have teams get in a circle and gently tap the bag to keep it floating between the group … how many times will you to tap it to keep it floating?
• take a count … 28? 32? 41?
• open the bag back up and put it in the middle of the group
• give each team one water balloon … have them write all of the negative qualities they DON’T want on their team on the balloon
• read the negative qualities aloud and then put the negative water balloon in the bag … keep the bag on the floor and tie it back up
• Is it easier to do the negative or the positive qualities?
• Now predict how many taps it would take to keep the bag floating in 20 seconds
• CHAOS ensues!
• What happened to all of the positivity when we added negativity?!

• pulled it down
• made it harder
• broke the structure
• less control
• expectations are lowered

• I AM ALLERGIC TO NEGATIVE PEOPLE!
• Negative Freeze Tag

• cut a head hole in a garbage bag
• write negative team traits on the outside of the bag
• person wearing the bag “freezes people” with negativity
• can’t get unfrozen until TWO people tag out out
• negativity spreading can ruin the climate of the district, campus, etc

• Make a concerted effort to have team building efforts EVERY SINGLE MONTH!
• Treat employees like they make a difference and they will. -Jim Goodnight
• You raise what you praise…
• http://www.shindigz.com/

Get Google Without Going Google

Jessica Johnston

@edtechchic

presentation link: https://goo.gl/Tg59QF

Differentiation that Works at the Secondary Level

Lin Kuzmich

http://www.kuzmichconsulting.com/

• DIfferentiation doesn’t have to take 6 weeks … it can be done in 5 minutes
• What does differentiation look like at the secondary level

• opportunity to students to access information at different levels
• all about scaffolding … different starting points
• flexible grouping & stations
• should promote higher level thinking skills
• promotes student independence … self-evaluation

• Model for differentiation that works at the secondary level

• Why is this so different at the secondary level?

• the pace of learning changes as students move up … rapid fire at HS
• teachers assume “background knowledge”

• You HAVE to know your students and you HAVE to know your content FIRST
• DIFFERENTIATION should NOT be based on summative data … should be based on FORMATIVE data

• If you wait until summative … will have kids that have failed … not you have to backtrack
• Differentiate in small intervals after small bits of data have been gathered

• Activities in the classroom should be CONGRUENT with the objectives and SEs
• Don’t focus on differentiation until you know you have the instructional basics and lesson cycle down first
• What NOT to differentiate… → → → →
• The first time your kids are independent should not be on a quiz!  
• What can you differentiate…

• time spent on learning and teaching
• teaching and learning strategies
• collaboration methods
• materials, resources and tools
• grouping and logistics
• how to dispense your expertise

• strategy after homework … zones of proximity … if you did well on homework, you sit in the back … if you did ok, you sit in the middle … if you didn’t do well or didn’t do it at all, you sit right up front with me

• The higher level the critical thinking … the smaller the group size should be

• you can’t hide in a pair!

• Planning for differentiated learning…

• When to differentiate …
• Opening and closing activities

• “if I give you back your exit ticket, do question #1 … if I didn’t give you back your exit ticket, do question #2”
• as kids are working in collaborative groups, dispense exit tickets based on what you see and hear (2 different exit tickets)
• TEACHING CHANNEL - differentiated exit tickets

• During test prep and interventions

• stations with technology activities

• start with 2 stations + 1 seat work activity in a 45 minute period … “go slow to go fast”

• look at your “bubble group” and plan for that first
• have at least one station that addresses the RIGOR level of the lesson

• Unit level demonstrations of learning (unit-based differentiation is more complex)

• station rotation with blended learning (use once a week in a 3 week period)
• use stations after 2-4 objectives have been taught

• Failure prevention and use of strategies

• GET YOUR OBJECTIVES RIGHT

• Know - TEKS & content language
• Think - level (Webb’s Depth of Knowledge) … not just the verb, but the content that comes after it!
• Do - how are the kids going to show you what they know (graphic organizer, draw a picture, solve a problem…)
• Write a check for understanding for the know, think, and do and you have ALL THE DATA YOU NEED! … and then you’ll see where in the process you need to differentiate!

• Strategies

• 5-10 redirect or relearn
• choices to build confidence and rehearsal

• kicking off a new topic … building on last topic … put up 2 choices in opening … let kids choose which one they could best answer or solve
• there are 10 problems on this paper … you must do #6 … then choose 4 more

• differentiated resources or tools
• station rotation for blended learning
• controversy to raise critical thinking rapidly

• teens are highly attracted to controversial subjects
• source spark - video clip, quote, etc … do you agree or disagree

• tabletop jigsaws

• support weaker students … stronger students can move ahead … ensure equity

• http://www.avid.org/
• Differentiate for AP kids - https://www.youtube.com/user/electrickeye91 
• Math

• https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
• http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/itv/mathdude/

• Flash cards for kids - http://ankisrs.net/

Communicating Learning Goals Through Google Tools

Alicia Brooks

eaglebandb.blogspot.com

• place your learning objectives on pop-culture pictures to gain greater engagement (Google Drawing)
• use embedded YouTube videos as timers in your google presentations
• use sound effects to get their attentions!  (can embed YouTube sound effect, too!)
• docAppender! - multiple form submissions to same Google Doc

Using GAFE to Stay CIPA Compliant for E-Rate

Jessica Johnston

Presentation: goo.gl/XAWPCl