Presume Positive Intent

My take on the CCSS is to presume positive intent. I don’t think that the folks (governors and state education commissioners and their people) who collaborated on their development got up one morning and said, “what can we do to mess with the US education system, teachers, unions, children and families”. I’ve read some, believed some, doubted some and then observed some. And this is what I’ve observed so far….. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to plan with, teach with and reflect with teachers and students daily. I’ve been in over 50 classrooms in the past 2 years. It is such a great opportunity to work this closely with colleagues and I would encourage you to advocate for this practice in your schools. During this time I’ve observed teacher utilize the standards to guide them as they intentionally plan lessons, deliver lessons and reflect on lessons. During planning, I’ve observed and participated in conversations regarding what, why and how to teach. We use statements of learning intentions as our lesson targets (Today I will….so I can…I’ll know I have it when…). Teachers grapple with those statements at a very deep level as they craft those targets. This has really deepened understanding of what, why and how for teachers and for the students as the target is read to them at the start of the lesson and reflected on at the end of the lesson. We use a book that is crafted at each grade level and published by McGraw-Hill called The Common Core: Clarifying Expectations for Teachers & Students. We fondly call it “the flip book”. I’ve only used the English Language Arts but they publish math and science as well. Here is the link, scroll to bottom when page opens: http://qualityinstruction.org/products/common-core-language-arts. This practice of crafting targets from the standards for each lesson has really slowed teaching down and deepened the understandings that are developed through the lesson. It’s evident in the products and talk that the content and process is sticking and being applied. Teachers and students know where they are going and they get there. So I choose to presume positive intent because I see the outcomes when the standards guide us. I feel strongly that this attitude will help me navigate the rest of what’s to come from this “reform”. And I know we’ve just begun! And just in case my vibe isn’t strong enough we have music to adjust our brain waves☺ Sonicaid: Music to Inspire Positive Thinking.: It has Alpha/Beta/Theta waves that help put you in a positive mental state.