April 6, 2020

Focus: Pedagogy

Dear Colleagues,

With one full cycle down, I hope you are feeling more and more confident as you answer the doorbell to your Zoom room. Although I still have many questions, many of the questions that I had two weeks ago have been answered thanks to those of you who were able to steer me in the right direction. I am also incredibly grateful for all of the resources that have been made available, in particular One Schoolhouse. I know that many of you have signed up for their online course this week which focuses on assessments. They will offer another next week - stay tuned to their website and Monday Musings for the signups.

Many questions remain concerning distance learning, but I am beginning to be able to identify what it is that I don't know. My conversations with advisees have helped a great deal in particular in shaping my thoughts on feedback. Although I remain committed to providing narrative feedback through rubrics, one of them said that she appreciates when that narrative feedback is accompanied, eventually (I remain committed to decoupling feedback from a grade), by a letter grade. One advisee expressed his appreciation for frequent formative assessments and conversations about his learning. The ability to achieve a goal has motivated him. On another note, I have also learned that paper and pencil are really important. My advisees who have been taking notes, journaling, drawing, all seem to revel in the simplicity of the paper and pen.

The calendar on the Kravis Center webpage and on the distance learning page shows sessions every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:15-3:00. This Tuesday, April 7 session will be Q&A, and on Thursday, April 9, we will share ideas about rubric creation and feedback. Upcoming sessions will focus on formative and summative assessments. We will eventually host more specific tech sessions; however, the focus at this point should be on pedagogy as opposed to technology (aside from Zoom and Finalsite). I am also hopeful that Resources Version 2 (link to version 1) will be rolled out by the end of the week - this version will be separated into "chapters" to guide us as we move forward.

On a final note, please congratulate our latest Penn Fellow graduates Michael Chung, Izzy Fitzpatrick, and Andrea Rodas. They join the esteemed group of faculty (Lauren Williams, Mat Denunzio, Maribel Blas-Rangel, Marc Cardwell, Hannah Insuik, Matt Johnson, Courtney Doyle, and future Penn fellow grads Michaela Chipman, Kevin Guevara, and Danielle Fergus). As their advisor and teacher Scott MacClinitic said after their presentations last weekend: "Thoughtful, inquisitive, caring, innovative, and passionate - this year's group of BSTR graduates only reinforce for me that the future of teaching is in good hands." Loomis Chaffee is fortunate indeed. Congratulations Izzy, Michael, and Andrea!

Have a good week, and I hope to see you during the Kravis Center sessions on either Tuesday or Thursday at 2:15 in Sara's Zoom Room (https://zoom.us/j/4512570408)

Sara, on behalf of the Kravis Center

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PD Opportunities, resources, and articles

Summer online PD opportunity for all teachers: Athena: Resource Sharing, Collaboration, and Professional Development. If you are interested, Eric LaForest and Laura Rochette have participated in the past.

How We Might Rethink time to Empower Learners, Global Online Academy

As Human as Possible, Inside Higher Ed What is the difference between online and distance (remote) learning?

And for parents! Video Games to Play With Your Kids That Won't Drive You Crazy, NYTimes

Many of us have read James Lang's Small Teaching. I look forward to reading his latest: Small Teaching Online.

Resources on distance learning from NAIS

Challenge Success Strategies to support student well-being and engagement with learning.

SAMR model: Practical Guide for Edtech integration

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Valuable Resources for distance teaching

Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching is an invaluable resource which includes a plethora of topics ranging from grading student work, to teaching statement to student evaluations of teaching, to writing good multiple choice questions. Check it out!

Deans for Impact and the pdf of The Science of Learning - a must read on teh neuroscience of learning.

Academic Tenacity by Dweck, Walter, and Cohen The New Faculty Cohort (NFC) read excerpts for orientation. A must read on creating a sense of belonging and increasing classroom motivation.

Leadership and Design's monthly newsletter is a great window into current conversations in independent schools