Unless Someone Cares

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." ~The Lorax, Dr. Suess

It's been a good day. My youngest niece, Emily, played Sour Kangaroo with enthusiasm in Auburn Little Theater's production of Seussical Jr. Community theater is magical . . . and this performance was no exception. The idea of gathering a diverse group of people, assigning roles, learning skills, practicing, and working as a team to create a performance to delight an audience is the essence of good project-based education.

Shouldn't schools be doing more of it?

"Is there a common denominator that transcends the millenium -- that will survive the amazing technological revolution that we are in? All the technology, programs, buildings, and other resources that we have, will not have the life-changing power of one caring person"

"The Common Denominator is you."

~ Dr. Mark Eastman

Essential Question: In the end, what is most important?

Character at LIM Resources

Caring/Compassion

Process Skills at LIM Resources

Wisdom of Dr. Seuss

Effective Teams

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."

~ Goethe

Essential Question: What matters most?

How to Be an Effective Team Member
How to Build a Team
How to Build a Great Team
Team Building: Organizing a Team
The Leaders Institute: Efficient Meetings
Team Building at LIM Resources
Trust Building at LIM Resources
Active Listening at LIM Resources
Learning Styles at LIM Resources

The Maine National Guard and the Adventure Program

Today I found myself catching up on paperwork (or perhaps a better term would be organizational-work) in my tiny cubicle on the perimeter of the Oxford Hills Middle School library. This is often a great place to be because (1) there is a wealth of AC outlets within easy reach, and (2) as a multi-purpose area, I am often introduced unexpectedly to many special activities that are happening in the school. Today was no exception when seventy-five 7th graders filed in and two national guard instructors. I was about to experience the 2nd day of the Adventure Program that has a history at this school. Students have two classes on decision-making, cooperative learning, and team-building . . . and in the Spring will go to Bog Brook for outward-bound type activities.

Although this Maine program is not without controversy, I was impressed with the focus, which was process skills, and the enthusiasm of the facilitators.

This particular activity today was to have students work as teams to develop an egg-catcher, given a set of materials with which to work. It culminated with a contest to see which worked the best. Students described how they created their "catcher" and the reasoning behind it. Engaged Learning!

Do our schools have something to learn from military training methods?

Teampedia: Tools for Teams

Here is an excellent wiki that is collecting activities to use in helping to grow teams: Teampedia: Tools for Teams

Additional Process Skills Resources

School Culture

Every Wednesday morning at Mountain Valley Middle School in Mexico, Maine, is "late-arrival" teacher workshop time. This is a valuable time when everyone is fresh to work on ways to improve the school. One session a month is devoted to a literacy initiative with the Western Maine Educational Collaborative, as previously posted. Today was focused on school culture. MVMS has an enthusiastic committee called the MVMS Improvement Committee (formerly the Student Climate and Culture group). Not only have they created some areas to focus on each month, but they provide hands-on training for staff during the professional development time. In other words, there are some strong capacity-building activities that promote implementation, not just words alone.

Today we worked on team-building, cooperative learning activities and conflict resolution skills in small groups that could be used with students during flex-time. Congratulations to the team for excellent leadership. :) Good stuff that I'm sure will make a difference! You see. . . there is a double function here . . . teachers working as a team in order to promote teamwork with students.

Lindsay MacMillan, teacher at MVMS, created a Noteshare notebook called Flex Time with many great ideas. Here is the Web Notebook version. MVMS Librarian, Amy Ryder, added the library resources available to teachers and students.

Process Skills Resources
Student Aspirations: Eight Conditions