Skip to main content

Fly Eagles Fly




I hope you all enjoyed watching the Super Bowl! No matter who you were rooting for - it was a great game! And the story of resilience - a second string QB - to Super Bowl MVP!! 

I was fortunate enough to be in Philadelphia and see all the excitement in the community! People were all united by the common goal of being Champions.
If there is anything I know about resilience I learned it growing up here, in Philly, always being an underdog. It makes me realize that the work I do - supporting teachers as they engage learners, is a lot like helping the learner take the risk when they are a bit afraid to jump in! Who knows - they might be afraid of failing, or being made fun of, or not being cool, pretty or strong enough. As teachers and facilitators, we are here to level that playing ground. I love that in the online World of Learning (WOL at IU08) that connection seems to be even more evident.
I love the energy of our facilitators for learning and helping our learners to become more engaged! With all the enthusiasm, I watch as we unearth strategies and tools that allow us to continue to gain TRUST and create environments that are safe for learners. It seems many students disconnect from school because they did or do not feel welcomed, valued or heard. It takes time to get them reconnected and enjoying the excitement of learning - I think we do this well.
With all of our efforts - to try new tools, use different strategies and taking risks to learn we will continue to bridge the divide from passive to active learning as we continue to grow and gain confidence in facilitating engaging live sessions and interactive asynchronous activities!
We look forward to working with you and your learners on your journey to more engaged learning.
With Courage!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Connected Learning - Anywhere!

Teaching and learning in an online, virtual, blended or internet based platform is not just about the tools, it is also about the connections. Don’t get me wrong, we couldn’t provide virtual services without the tools, but the tools come and some go… so we work hard to figure out how to engage with the learners and make the virtual experience meaningful. In the late fall, we spent some time with a few learners and their teacher. You can see that they like each other even though they have only been working together for about 8 weeks. We wanted to know a bit more about how learners were navigating these new tools that were being used at Windber Area School District so we asked them some questions. Here is what we heard when we asked: “What did you think when you heard you were going to be doing some of your class in a virtual environment?” The first students started “I thought it was going to be hard!” Another student described using the virtual tools as an “ex

Leading with Language

Words matter! How we use words matters. The Leaders of the Hopi Nation in 2000, proclaimed “the time of the lone wolf is over”.   I watched a special on PBS that gave me hope. “American Creed - Ideals that Unite Us” - former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Stanford colleague, historian David Kennedy lift the many amazing stories and different voices that make up the unique fabric of the United States of America - check it out HERE . We are all in this together. So when I opened my email and saw Dr. Michelle Saylor front and center of Education Week’s Leaders to Learn From - I was excited! She talks about language uniting people - expanding possibility. I love the positive impact of teaching World Languages to all learners. Language matters. Dr. Saylor’s mission to provide opportunities for everyone to experience another culture through the language rings sweet for us in the World of Learning at IU8 . Michelle’s story is well worth the read. Learning

What Matters in Schools - Today and Every Day?

I started my weekend with a text message from Dave Lehman, the Superintendent at Conemaugh Valley School District about his testimony in the State Senate this week. I like working with Dave. We have become sounding boards for each other as we have worked collaboratively through Appalachia IU8. The job of a Superintendent goes well beyond the scope heading up schools. Most people don’t know how many hats a Superintendent wears on any given day. Some days we talk about alternative programs and expanding learner options - other days we just commiserate about how little we get to talk about education. James Hollis in his book Swamplands of the Soul stated, ‘Doubt is a radical form of faith’, something that I think is needed when working as a Superintendent. I have learned so much from working with Dave these past few years, he digs in when doubt is present. He often has simple, yet profound advice as he muddles through one of the many difficult issues faced by Superintendents most days.