Inspire


No Small Change

Ontario Schools on the Edge of Something Big

By David Grady and David Overholt

These words, heard recently by millions of people around the world, were spoken by US President Barack Obama during his inaugural speech in Washington. We had the sense that day, listening to President Obama speak, that we were witnessing something big…that something truly great was about to begin.

We must change. The sense of urgency captured in these words is clear, and we couldn't help but see a connection between that message and what we, in education, have been hearing and are beginning to experience these past few years. We believe that Ontario schools, too, are on the edge of something big…that something truly great is beginning to happen. The world has changed and we, educators and students together, are learning to change with it. Classroom practice in literacy and numeracy instruction has begun its shift. We have heard from, and been supported by, the thinking of such mentors as Michael Fullan and Carmel Crevola.

Groundbreaking work in our Teaching-Learning Critical Pathways, along with our capacity building efforts over the last few years, have begun to move Ontario teachers into the 21st century. And what is happening now in many of our schools as a result of this energy shift is nothing short of spectacular. We hear that literacy for the 21st century is constantly evolving. Confronted with media texts, environmental print and internet messages, our students today are called to be responsible consumers of literacy, to think critically and deeply about the texts they encounter. They are encouraged to question a text's message, and to negotiate its meaning with the author. They are learning that no text is neutral, and that their schema supports them in interpreting meaning differently than their peers might.

Our focused, strategic instruction is beginning to lead our students into what Ellin Oliver Keene describes as thinking "more effectively and with greater depth and insight." Dr. Alan Luke says that parents are noticing that their children can't watch a television show or walk down the cereal aisle at a grocery store without analyzing what the producers' and food manufacturers' messages truly are. Is this not exactly what we want our students to be – critical thinkers who question the motives behind media advertising and marketing?

The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, during these past couple of years, has supported and witnessed a great shift in our schools as teachers form professional learning communities, and build on their understanding and practice of sound literacy and math instruction. Teachers are making the move from being isolated practitioners who teach programs behind closed doors, to being supportive and collaborative colleagues who teach students. Their practice is becoming increasingly transparent, and as a result, they are becoming more and more accountable for what they do everyday – and rightly so. One-size-fits-all instruction is disappearing as teachers apply what Fullan calls the three P's (personalization, precision and professional learning) to their daily practice.

Teachers are recognizing the importance of using assessment data to inform their teaching. They understand Regie Routman's belief that it takes a knowledgeable teacher, not a program, to teach reading effectively. Steven Katz' philosophy that "a student learning need is a proxy for a teacher learning need" comes to life when teachers examine and question their current classroom practice and engage in professional learning to change it.

Deep conversations about students' developmental reading ability are happening regularly in PLC's across the province. In a Teacher Learning Critical Pathway session recently, one teacher described how he had brought an audio recording to school of his three year old daughter describing how to prepare a simple recipe. He had his Grade One class write the steps, analyze their accuracy, develop a rubric and then write a response to his daughter about her procedure. By collaboratively moderating their work and giving genuine feedback, his students were developing critical listening skills as well as improving their ability to give voice to their writing. We have been inspired, on more than one occasion recently, to stop the table talk at a PLC and ask the teachers to recognize just how deep their discussions about their teaching have become. They are realizing, and state honestly, that they would never have been able, even a couple of years ago, to have the kinds of rich conversations about their instructional practices that they are having today. This is positive change, this is forward movement, and it deserves recognition.

The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat Collaborative Inquiry for Learning (C.I.L) numeracy study, which has begun with co-terminus boards in selected regions, is demonstrating wonderful cooperation between boards, teachers and administrators. Regional capacity and leadership in mathematics education is being developed as the stakeholders plan and implement mathematics lessons, and assess student learning. A teacher moderation process encourages analysis of student work samples based on evidence of mathematics, the link between solutions and planning next steps for instruction. While it all sounds daunting, the openness and professionalism of the teachers have made it a very rewarding experience. Having anywhere from eight to 12 observers in their classroom while teaching is a testament to their courage and that of their students. The student-generated artifacts elevate the mathematical discussion which adds to the capacity building process. The use of bansho, problem-solving based lessons, use of manipulatives and cooperative learning strategies add to the excitement of this project. The inclusion of all students in the lessons' discussions is heart-warming indeed as the children are encouraged to share their mathematical thinking.

No, these changes have not been lost on our students. In literacy, students are reaching more deeply into texts, identifying authors' points of view, inferring their texts' underlying messages, and weighing in with their personal opinions. Teachers are leading their students past surface level, literal interpretation of texts and allowing them to think more critically than ever before. Through their active participation in mathematics discussions, students improve their communication skills, and since authentic scenarios are used in math problem-solving there is a much higher level of buy-in by the students. A Youtube video (www.youtube.com) has been circulating recently, featuring a 10-year old boy, Dalton Sherman, as he delivers a keynote address to an assembly of 20,000 Dallas area teachers at a PD day conference. He begins his address to the teachers with the question, "Do you believe in me?" He goes on to ask, "Do you believe in my classmates? You'd better…" he says, "…because here's the deal. I can do anything, be anything, create anything, dream anything…become anything! Do you believe in me?"

As we continue our steps into this changing world of the 21st century, and as we learn to change with it, our answer to this boy, and to the thousands of other children we teach everyday, must be a resounding "Yes!"