#OneWord2021: Creativity Bursts & Connections

In a world of shifting thoughts and temperaments, words play a significant role. They hold the power to create peace or disharmony, balance, or upheaval. At the beginning of a new year or new project, a single word becomes a focal point, intentionally centering our thoughts toward future growth. 

The one word phenomenon has influenced my life journey each year since 2014. It called to my muse and invited me to venture on a new path of living toward change. This year, my one word is begin. This simple word is the light shining my way to creativity bursts and creative connections with life. With begin as a guide, I will move to Virginia soon and write a new chapter in the story of life.

On January 14, 2021, Laura Grundler and Matt Grundler, moderators of #K12ArtChat asked me to guest host their Thursday night chat. Honored to work with these dynamic and creative educators again, I opened the discussion on one word for a new year with an invitation to gather in our creative space on Twitter and to reflect on our craft and practice. I created a series of questions that would assist the participants to create one word that would impact their personal and professional life.

When the chat ended, Matt Grundler posed a question for #SlowK12ArtChat that would run throughout the week. Reflaction (Reflection with Action) - What steps will you take to create a sanctuary of thought that blends art, technology, and literacy for yourself and others? Respondents began to share their thoughts using the hashtags #SlowK12ArtChat, @SchoolArts, and @AdobeForEdu. As promised, my reflaction blended art, technology, and poetry to create a collage of inspired words and art. Please join me at my One Word 2021 Sanctuary of Thought here. 

I invite anyone who has a one word 2021 to add your digital inspiration to the One Word Sanctuary of Thought padlet here.

"Creativity is contagious, pass it on!" -  Albert Einstein  

🎨

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. -Pablo Picasso

It's Slice of Life Tuesday.

I join the community of writers with gratitude to Two Writing Teachers for their sacred space.

A Bit of Tech to Entice Folks to Embrace Literacy

The Red Carpet comes out for grand events like the Emmys or the Oscars so I thought why not for literacy events as well. 

You can view the 30 second video here.

Today, was the unveiling of the Summer Serenity Gallery, a project that I have worked on for several months as detailed in my post, The Evolution of a Thought on DigLit Sunday. There were many lead-ups to the event as one would expect when trying to showcase writing. I had to become conversant with digital tools, such as PicMonkey, Canva, Animoto, and emaze, sharpen my editing and revision skills, collaborate with writers around the globe, and embrace creativity. 

It has been an amazing adventure that likens itself to the classroom learning experience. Educators, as learners, have passions (mine being reading, writing, photography, and decorating). These passions should be exhibited in our interactions with our own learners and colleagues. We, ourselves, need to learn, practice new skills, try them out, and apply them to different settings. We also need to accept missteps as steppingstones to success. How many times during the past few months did I say to myself, "Back to the drawing board?" When asked why do I spend endless hours creating a gallery of artistic expressions, the answer always is, "This is what I enjoy. I am learning through the creation process." Isn't this what we want every learner to say?

Today, I opened a gallery of artistic expressions. I offer the site to all to peruse because writing is a an amazing gift to give learners. It is the releasing of the voice within to give rise to collaborative conversations and from those a new thought. It is transparent as William Zinsser said, "Writing is thinking on paper." What we say becomes a series of crafted words that spirals, eventually lands on paper, and lingers in our minds. 

Please peruse the Gallery of Summer Serenity as a visitor does when entering a museum. Let the vibrant visuals, written words, and composition of the site allow you to linger in summer moments and spur you on to dig deeper into the writing process.

Please join the Slice of Life community their site and on Twitter. 

Creating Hope from Paper

On Long Island, sound school systems, ongoing learning, and daily meals are the norm, so it is difficult to imagine places where these basics do not exist. But life without learning and food is a reality in many countries across the globe. Until we are connected in some small way to this unthinkable situation, we will not be able to understand the depth of the issue. It is with hope for better tomorrows for the children of poverty in Masese, Uganda that this blog post is written.

Four years ago the Garrity and Silon families, joining with HELP International, traveled to Uganda to visit the Masese people. There, they encountered the struggles facing the village people who were living in slum conditions near the Nile River in the town of Jinja. Poverty, disease, such as Aids, and distressing conditions were prevalent. Women without husbands and orphaned children raised by grandmothers comprised many of the households. With a strong desire to reach out and help, the Garritys and Silons channeled their energy to provide the Masese people with a sustainable living opportunity, schooling opportunities, and hope created from paper.

Through the efforts of these families, the Mothers of Masese, as they are now known, craft jewelry, belts, and bags created from 100% recycled paper that they roll by hand, dry in the sun, and weave together in bright visual patterns and shapes. 100% of proceeds from the sale of the jewelry not only support the women but have helped build the HELP elementary school, pay the salary of the Ugandan teachers, and provide breakfast and lunch during school days. A fence to safeguard the school is being built, supported through additional fundraising efforts. What grew from a school of 40 children to 500 children is an amazing feat of a humanitarian effort started by the Garritys and the Silons.

With one look into the eyes of the children of Masese, many images arise. May this poem about a journey that started with hope fill your heart with a desire to support this worthy cause, HELP Uganda, through the purchase of Bigger Than Beads products. 

Photo taken of Masese Child by Trish Garrity

My Eyes Speak


My eyes, dark and piercing, 

Speak of my village,

Impoverished and ill-equipped,

Hidden from other eyes

But real to me.
My eyes speak of a streaming tear,

Struggles to stay alive,

Education non-existent.

This is my Uganda, 

The land I know
But you did not.

Anticipating a connection-   

Your life to mine-

Across the deep sea,
You traveled

With hearts full of hope.

You came wide-eyed;

Scanned my tattered surroundings.

Bellies extended, ragged clothes

Did not push you away
But called you to help.

Because of this,

My eyes now speak- 

Whisperings of a dream, 

Housed in hope.

My eyes as deep 
As pools of reflecting light,
Visualize images of new life:
A school building bubbling with excitement,

Writing and drawing tools,
Hearty meals of warm food, 
Children engaged in learning,
Prideful work for Masese mothers.

And now, your eyes continue to meet mine,
In unspoken words,
Each time a bead is crafted, 
Jewelry and bags sold.
Beads upon beads
Stringing together a future-

An action beyond imagining

That gives Masese a renewed tomorrow. 

You and I can connect to the world of the Masese children through the HELP Uganda project and the purchase of the Mothers of Mases' beaded treasures, Bigger Than Beads. From the United States to Uganda and back again, the Garrity and Silon families brought supplies, shoes, and a pocketful of hope to the Masese villagers. You, too, can continue a tradition of giving back to the underprivileged. Hopefully, you will JOIN the fundraising efforts. 

Those on Long Island are invited to partner with Sportset Health and Fitness Club and Come Together Yoga

as they support "HELP Uganda" 

with a fundraiser to raise money for the HELP School

Fundraiser will be held at Sportset Health & Fitness Club
Rockville Centre, NY

You can also shop the collection at Bigger Than Beads at  http://biggerthanbeads.storenvy.com/

 

This post is included in Poetry Friday's May 23, 2014 edition, where you will find posts many other poems. This weeks' Poetry Friday is hosted by Violet Nesdoly from the "branches of the latest avian property."

Formative Assessment Can Be the Game Changer For You

While moving through the Twitter feeds on Sunday, I found a compelling #nctechat conversation on formative assessment facilitated by Franki Sibberson and Antero Garcia. Although I entered the chat late, what I participated in was enough to hook me into a blogpost invitation on formative assessment from Franki Sibberson. 

While assessment seems to be a contentious word these days, I am a proponent of formative assessment, a reflective process through which an effective teacher can gauge what students know and are able to do with what they learned on a daily basis. Formative assessment has the capability of transforming teaching and accelerating student learning through careful analysis of student work and thoughtful, scaffolded planning of next steps toward achievement. 

After reading the NCTE Position Statement, two thoughts resonated with me and validate my own thinking on formative assessment-the first being that it "truly informs instruction" and the second that it is “the lived, daily embodiment of a teacher’s desire to refine practice based on a keener understanding of current levels of student performance." The SmarterBalanced Assessment Consortium discusses formative assessment as a “deliberate process used by teachers and students during instruction…” While both thoughts focus on the process, the product, feedback from oral or written student work, is a critical component. Teachers who immediately review data they gather gain instant feedback necessary to plan next moves revolving around the lesson's learning targets. 

Throughout my career as a reading specialist, administrator, and now as a consultant, I have realized the potential of formative assessments in the classrooms of effective teachers. Quick reflective practices and protocols, such as Learning Targets, Exit Tickets, Quick Writes, Fist-to-Five, Thumb Up/Down/Sideways, or Think, Ink, Pair, Share, used at the right moment provide feedback to assist students who need support and those who need to be challenged. At the same time, the formative assessment tool allows students to self-assess, reflect, and use feedback to adjust their learning. But follow-up is essential in order for teachers to adjust their teaching and plan future lessons to help students succeed. This is the PAUSE point for teachers. How often have we put aside student work with the intentions of carefully analyzing it later? We need to make the time to review results and 

purposefully use the data to move forward. Further, we need to provide opportunities for students to grapple with gaps in learning. From this pause point, we can take actionable steps to provide the scaffolds to help all learners make progress.

For years, reflective practitioners have employed tools and strategies to study student behavior and learning patterns as a means to move students forward as learners. "Kidwatching" activities have been utilized by teachers of balanced literacy classrooms since Yetta Goodman coined the word, but the potency of this practice was not fully embraced by all teachers. The NCTE Position Statement reminds us of the need to look closely at the data, student work being one data point, that will provide a window into student learning. As Fisher and Frey note in the cartoon from their book, Checking for Understanding, "It is assessment which helps us distinguish between teaching and learning."

It is not enough to understand that learning is a process. We, as the facilitators/guides, not the sages, must lead learners to the realization that they are the main actors in the student-centered classroom, the owners of their learning. We must take a proactive formative assessment stance to design a variety of tools or choose the right tools, such as the tools and strategies in the NCTE Position Statement or the teaching practices and protocols for ELA on EngageNY that will assist students to vocalize or record their thinking and new learning.

Ultimately, we must change the culture of the classroom to include effective teaching practices that place formative assessment, "successment" (coined by Kristi Mraz), as a go-to practice in order to energize and improve teaching and learning. During this time of challenge and change in education, formative assessment can be the game changer that empowers teachers to know their learners, inform their instruction, and assist students to own their learning. Empowerment comes from within and through the collective voice. 

Are you ready to help students grow through the power of formative assessment?

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10 Important Elements of Formative Assessment

from the 2013 NCTE Position Statement

"Formative Assessment That Truly Informs Instruction"

1. Requires students to take responsibility for their own learning. 
2. Communicates clear, specific learning goals
3. Focuses on goals that represent valuable educational outcomes with applicability beyond the learning context.
4. Identifies the student's current knowledge/skills and the necessary steps for reaching the desired goals.
5. Requires development of plans for attaining the desired goals.
6. Encourages students to self-monitor progress toward the learning goals.
7. Provides examples of learning goals including, when, relevant, the specific grading criteria or rubrics that will be used to evaluate the student's work.
8. Provides frequent assessment, including peer and student self-assessment and assessment embedded within learning activities.
9. Includes feedback that is non-evaluative, specific, timely, and related to the learning goals, and that provides opportunities for the student to revise and improve work products and deepen understandings.
10. Promotes metacognition and reflection by students on their work.

From the Outside of 2013 NCTE Looking Back In

As with every memorable experience, the end quickly comes upon us but the energy remains and the stories reside in our hearts and minds. It is so with the 2013 NCTE Convention in Boston this year. From my little corner of office space, I reflect upon the four days of NCTE varied experiences, chance encounters, and rekindled friendships. Although life's list of to do tasks stares me in the face, I spend quiet moments savoring the NCTE experience that gives breath to my thoughts. 

The journey began last year with the penning of the NCTE '13 proposal for Debbie Diller and I. Since Debbie Diller and I only see each other once a year (Texas to Long Island is a long distance), the NCTE Convention gives us the opportunity to continue the conversation where it left off, an art forged through a decade of friendship.  With purpose, we set our plan in motion a year ago with the submission of the proposal, "Redesigning the Literacy Landscape, Common Core Style." Once at the convention, Debbie and I collaborated, reflected, revised, and enthusiastically presented using the collegial circle model to an engaged audience. Our group, that spanned the United States and reached to Japan, were committed educators who joined our conversation even though it was the last one for the NCTE Convention. Needless to say, we left that session renewed and eager to read the haiku take aways soon to be posted to Twitter.

As for the conference days, they were busy. Hallways buzzed with learners from many walks of life. Often lost amidst the crowd of 7,000, I smiled as I encountered familiar faces, tweeted out memorable lines, and texted friends for meeting places. Although spaces were tight and frustrations mounted due to closed out sessions, the relationships that were renewed or forged were priceless.

Highlights of  the NCTE 2013 Convention included: a powerful opening ceremony with First Wave performers who pushed boundaries through spoken word;  lingering conversations about life and education with dear friend and co-presenter, Debbie Diller; a plethora of sessions that I attended, presented by national presenters, such as Laura Robb, Katherine Bomer, Donalyn Miller, Chris Lehman, Kate Roberts, Maggie Beattie Roberts, Franki Siberson, Ann Marie Corgill, Georgia Heard, Tom Romano, and Linda Rief; the trifecta of annual Scholastic events-Authors' Reception, Annual Thanksgiving Dinner, and Literary Brunch, with literary luminaries-Laura Robb and Ruth Culham, Scholastic friends, David Smith and Ben Woodward, and the gracious and generous host and educational advocate, President Dick Robinson; educational conversations with friends from Long Island, JoEllen McCarthy, Erica Pecorale, and Larry Butti, on the drive up and back; numerous engaging chats with other Long Island educators; hallway conversations with the charming Katherine Bomer and the spirited Chris Lehman and a quick question from Lucy Calkins inquiring if she could look over my shoulder at my notes during a crowded round table discussion. Tech integration was everywhere present in the sessions but connectivity issues frustrated me. Lastly, there was an endearing sight in the Exhibit Hall, a large sign at the Heinemann booth remembering Donald Graves, a gentle man with a heart full of wisdom for us all. 

Although most of my notes floated away in Cyberspace due to those connectivity issues I previously mentioned, I was able to capture a few quotes that were either preserved through Twitter or in the old-fashioned manner via a pen and learning log.   Garnered thoughts from amazing literary luminaries, presenters, and authors follow: 

•  Stories and books are the heart and soul of the culture. -Laura Robb
• Censorship grows out of fear. -Judy Blume
• Reinventing the teaching of English is about who we are-Holding possibilities of what should be taught. -Ernest Morrell
• Build a world with all you know. -First Wave
• Your reading life is essential to your teaching life. -Carol Jago
• Kids are our curriculum. -Chris Lehman
• Messy allows you to be creative. -Marissa Moss
• Close reading is a practice we can apply to our lives when we can see the patterns. -Maggie Beattie Roberts
• Without dreams the world is just dirt and dust. -Ann E. Burg

As with every conference, there is one new presentation that catches my interest. This convention, I was immediately fascinated by Bill Bass' presentation on technology to build community in classrooms so I searched Twitter to follow him. His blog, "Giving Students Ownership through Mashups," resonated with me. Provided below is a glimpse into his thoughts,

• ...I often say that the media that we have students create is a reflection of their world and by providing them the opportunity to create, we are giving them a voice in which they can share their thinking and viewpoints as well as help them determine what they actually believe about a specific topic.
• ...Many times, we just need to provide the opportunity for them (students) to make connections and create their world.

With eager anticipation to engage in continued conversations that enrich my learning life, I ponder the next presentation for the 2014 NCTE Convention in Washington, DC. Unfolding the Diller-Varsalona story of redesigning the literacy landscape for information age learners under the umbrella of the convention theme, "Story as the Landscape of Knowing," is my current project that sits between the Christmas holiday and the New Year. This will be a from the inside out to the NCTE Committee task that requires time, so I am writing to Santa to bring me the gift of time? But while I wait for Santa, you can explore available handouts and materials from the NCTE 2013 sessions in the NCTE Connected Community.

Books Change Lives

Reading is one of my passions but it is not a universal one shared by all. Sometimes, I think how sad it is to not have developed a love for reading; not to have grown up feeling the weight of a book in your hand or the thrill of reading late into the night. 

Books are a uniquely portable magic. 
Stephen King

Indeed, books have magic. They helped me create my own private space and took me to places that I would never have been able to visit. They were the sights and sounds that I might never have heard other than in between the pages. As a child, books provided me with a feeling that I stored in the recesses of my mind for years and then, transferred to my own children. 

Growing up in a house of readers is a different picture than the one painted for many children in America. I remember the cries of children coming to elementary school with no gloves and little warm clothing during very cold snowstorms in upstate New York. There were the junior high students who did not own books and were not passionate about reading; the adolescent boys in the juvenile detention center that longed to know how to read despite their challenging situations. Thinking back on a career filled with struggling readers makes me reflect on the influences teachers have on children's lives. Passion for reading and learning is infectious. 

On Thursday night, in a lovely living room space at Scholastic headquarters in New York City, Laura Robb, nationally known teacher/author, and her son, Evan Robb, principal and author, greeted guests at an evening get together devoted to the power of books and how literacy changes lives. They passionately showcased their philanthropic foundation, Educator2Educator (E2E), whose mission it is to:

• Provide print and e-books to high poverty school and class libraries from preschool to high school.
• Develop a professional library for teachers with suggestions for collaborating to learn and improve instruction so teachers can prepare students to meet 21st century needs by developing problem solvers, expert readers and writers, expert users of technology, collaborators, and creative thinkers.

The Robbs spoke of the opportunities reading provides for struggling learners and why they feel so strongly about the place of books in children's hands.  Evan recounted a recent story of a middle school child who desperately wanted a book he saw at the Scholastic Book Fair in his middle school but did not have $7.99 to pay for it. Laura read student letters speaking of the power of reading and learning. Supported by UBS Financial Services and an Advisory Board of notable figures, the night offered pleasant conversations and reflecting time in an environment that highlighted a print-rich environment and the power that reading brings. 

There are so many students living in poverty who have not had the privilege of a book rich home environment.  There are those who have not even been exposed to the public library or if they have do not have opportunities to frequent it. Books change lives. That is a clear message that we heard. "I hated reading in middle school and most of high school. I couldn't read the books. I couldn't write essays or stories. Reading gave me a headache. I was going to drop out, but my tenth grade teacher for my special help class told me I was smart. He helped with reading every day. He got other teachers to help me. I graduated high school. I'm starting college next year." This real voice from the classroom is one heard by many teachers across America. Laura Robb made the voice public. As a dedicated teacher for over 40 years, she has passionately prepared students for their roles in society and continues to provide teachers with guidance, research in the field of literacy, and modeled examples of strategic reading. Her love for reading and what it offers was felt by all in the room on Thursday night. 

With the Common Core rigorous expectations, voluminous reading is a priority. Developing children's passion for reading is a combined call to action for both parents and educators. Did you know???

• 10% of American public schools don't have a central library where students can check out books.
• Each year 1.3 million high school students drop out due to poor reading and writing skills; more than half are students of color (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2010).

If inclined, you may wish to visit the Educator2Educator website to find out more about the noble cause of bringing books and ebooks to high poverty schools. Also, part of the initiative is to develop professional libraries for teachers to meet the challenges of creating learners who read like detectives and write like conscientious, investigative reports. Teachers may wish to apply for grants from the foundation.  Information is noted on the website.

United voices are heard across the globe today as we celebrate World Teacher's Day. Educator2Educator is but one voice speaking to the cause of the power of books to change lives.