At our first meeting, we touched on the importance of identifying the "essential conditions" for the development and sustained effectiveness of a PLC at our first meeting. We will spend more time uncovering the traits that have been shown to be essential in a PLC, but the most basic conditions are derived from the intrinsic interests of the community members. Think about the following:
What initially caused you to be interested in this community?
What conditions or factors are vital to engage and sustain your passion and commitment in this community?
What concerns or reservations do you have after the first meeting?
One of the essential conditions that has been identified from successful learning communities is the ability of members to reflect critically on existing conditions or barriers that stand in the way of the goals or achievements they seek to attain. The transformation of our schools will require the passionate commitment of professional educators... The first step is to determine what are the necessary conditions we must address to secure your passionate participation in this community. Before the next meeting, please add a post to this page (click on the "New post" button below to add your thoughts). Don't feel constrained by the questions listed above. You can return to your post and edit it as often as you like. Please maintain the comments tool at the bottom of your post page so that others can provide feedback, ask questions, or affirm thoughts expressed in your post.
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posted May 22, 2008 5:29 AM by Linda Nelson
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updated May 22, 2008 5:30 AM
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I hope many of you were able to see and hear Benny Pete and Shamarr Allen, members of New Orleans' own Hot 8 Brass Band, whom the Opera House is bringing in July as part of our 8th Annual Deer Isle Jazz Festival, at the Reach yesterday in their presentation to the 6-12 grades. I have attached here the list of guiding questions Judith created to help teachers integrate their presentation into their classroom curricula. Creating and using such questions for enrichment events is an important part of arts integration and of the Kennedy Center best practices for improving teaching through the arts . . .
Next Wednesday, May 28, the Opera House via our Advisory Board co-chair Amanda Larrabee will present, at 10 a.m. for grades 9-12, a senior exhibition project by a Ezra Halkett, a student from Mount Desert Island High School, on his experiences of living with physical disability following a severe car crash when he was younger. The senior exhibition project and its importance in assessing students' project-based work against standards is something Todd is encouraging (and possibly requiring) going forward for our students. In fact, several of our seniors--all of whom, like many of our best students, completed their requirements early--will be presenting their first senior exhibitions at the Opera House on Monday, June 2. We are looking forward to these! |
posted May 21, 2008 5:15 AM by Linda Nelson
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updated May 27, 2008 8:36 AM by Christel Kendzia
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FOOD |
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Judith J. |
Anne D.
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katy fruit salad
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| Main Course |
Lee
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Christel {(finally I figured this out! :-)}
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linda wine |
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Hi everyone--our next meeting is in less than a week! Please sign up for the potluck, which will be at Katy Helman's from 5:30 - 7 p.m. Please don't forget to review the notes from the last meeting, including Karen Erickson's fine comments! -- Linda |
posted May 7, 2008 5:27 PM by Linda Nelson
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updated May 7, 2008 5:55 PM by Mark Arnold
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Hello friends – At our last meeting Karen Erickson, who sat so
quietly on the couch, took some notes that she passed on to us before she left.
Karen has worked all over the country, through the Kennedy Center and
otherwise, on systemic arts integration, so hers is a big picture view. It is
an interesting set of questions that she asks:
- How is each individual on the committee defining integration? How do
you come to a shared vision?
- What is Kennedy Center arts integration? Is it a misnomer?
- How do you transfer the arts from arts educators and teaching artists
to classroom teachers?
- Can parents and students be added to the PLC at strategic points?
- How do you form an advocacy plan?
- For kids
- For the community
- For educators
- For parents
- How do you use the Kennedy Center teaching artist for the PLC and
advocacy issues? To attain sustainability?
- How can we keep the arts and academics rigorous if we combine them?
- How do we gather evidence to show the impact of the arts?
I think that the first question is a very important one to begin with.
As Amy Dumas of the Kennedy Center regularly says, “The turkey made out
of your hand-print is not arts integration.”
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posted Apr 11, 2008 3:15 AM by Linda Nelson
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I am regretfully going to have to miss the next meeting on the 15th of April. I have agreed to serve on an accreditation visiting team to Woodland HS from the 13-16. Steering us through the accreditation process is one of my highest priorities over the next two years, so I do need to take part in the trip.
I do want to participate in the PLC, and I do support its efforts, but our schedules don't seem to be agreeing at the time. I will try really hard to be at the next meeting- Todd |
posted Mar 24, 2008 7:49 PM by Linda Nelson
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updated Apr 14, 2008 4:24 PM
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Judith and I will provide wine for 15 participants -- that is my guess on the number attending.
I think we have enough folks that if you each bring one of the types of dish below that feeds 5 we will be totally cool. Or be creative, and add your own suggestion!
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Mark A.
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Judith H |
Anne D |
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Kimberley! |
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Liz |
Catherine |
Katy |
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Debby |
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Lee |
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posted Mar 22, 2008 12:46 PM by Linda Nelson
It was really heartening to everyone in the room to hear all the ideas bubbling around at our meeting last week. I completely agree with Debbie (Chappell) that it is difficult to watch things cycle through and back.
Therefore I hope we will all begin, as part of the outcome of this group, to feel empowered to bring BACK or make NEW structures and philosophies of learning we feel will improve our students’ education – as well as improving your lives as educators. The bottom line is that even difficult monsters like the school schedules ARE within your control as educators: it just takes agreement, persuasion, implementation . . . all of which I believe we can achieve in this group . . .
Mark Arnold opened this section of the site pointing toward our need to create the “essential conditions” that will move us as a PLC forward together. To get us started, here are some of the ideas that have already circulated via email:
DRAFT – ESSENTIAL CONDITIONS for OUR PLC—please add your thoughts to this!
- Develop and maintain spirit of “passionate commitment” for education.
- “Cultivate an environment where constructive/critical reflection is seen as a foundation of and for improvement:” look critically at existing conditions and identify areas for improvement. Risk taking is encouraged, there are no “mistakes” only ideas we decide not to pursue.
- Create a regular space in which we can think innovatively about our schools; and integrate our work and efforts.
- Help each other and our administrators to identify and to remove hurdles that prevent desired actions from being implemented.
- Use technology to facilitate more "time together" for members of our PLC, storing knowledge and maintaining an ongoing connection to thinking and to actions being carried out . . . is this possible? where does the time come from to have dialogue even here, in this space?
-- Linda |
posted Mar 22, 2008 12:42 PM by Linda Nelson
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updated Mar 22, 2008 1:20 PM
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First off, I want to thank Mark for all his efforts on this site, getting it up and running so quickly. And thanks again to each of you for your great participation at last week's meeting; and for your enthusiasm to continue and to grow this Professional Learning Community.
Now, a couple of quick examples of why using the site is important. Judith, Mark and I have all communicated via email since the meeting; but as a group it is extremely difficult to carry on a conversation in email. Not only are all of our in boxes overwhelmed on a daily basis, with emails loaded with tasks to which we must attend; but when you want to follow the thread of a conversation, you sometimes need to hunt through the mess of your In or Sent Mail boxes to do so.
Plus, our students are more and more part of what is becoming known as a "participatory culture." Their brains are developing differently from ours, as a result; and the more we can connect with the literacy and brain development of THEIR culture, the more effective we might be as educators. MIT has a new website entirely devoted to thinking about this, and about media literacy in general: go to http://newmedialiteracies.org/.
Posting on this site allows all of us to follow a thread of dialogue, when we choose. No crowded, crazy in boxes to which to attend. You come here on your own will, and all past conversation, minutes, and additional resources are awaiting YOUR input and comment.
Next I am going to repeat, as a post, some of what I said in email: so it is here for people to respond to. -- Linda |
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