Teaching and Learning in HSE: Do I Have To?

From Jan: Worthy Work

Some people have questions about the expectations for teachers and HSE classrooms throughout the district. For example:

Do I have to change my classroom into a Reggio-inspired classroom?
Are there only certain things that we can put on our walls?
Is there a program to put in place that would create HSE²¹ classrooms?
Do we have to take the 1:1 initiative down to the elementary grades for our youngest learners?

Reading the Walls and Halls

Worthy work is important for students
and for teachers.

My response is to go back to the “whole” of becoming HSE²¹. The focus of HSE²¹ is inquiry, rigor, student voice, and authentic real-world opportunities that further the dispositions of learning—creativity, cooperation, collaboration, and teamwork. The question is: How do we get there? True HSE²¹ classrooms are a transformation from how classrooms usually work—they move the teacher from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side.”

Read walls and halls to see what work is valued.

This process takes reflection, engagement in deeper conversations, and a willingness to challenge our own thinking in order for this transformation to take place. When I walk the buildings with the principals, we talk about what we are seeing. We reflect, challenge, and process together. I will frequently ask principals what the educational value was in the work we are looking at, the level of rigor and higher order thinking that was involved, and whether the assignment was worthy of the student’s time.

In short, when I read hallways and classrooms—at any level—I get a sense of how much student voice, rigor, and worthy work we are asking of our students. The reality is we will never get to HSE²¹classrooms by doing what we’ve always done.

Many Paths

Asking the right questions is at the heart of inquiry.

There are many paths to inquiry. Stephanie did her doctoral work on inquiry and found (ten years ago) that there were over 40 different models for inquiry. Many roads lead to Rome! There is a lot of freedom for teachers to choose how to get there.

Important questions that will guide your journey include:

What is the educational value in what I am asking my students to do?
Did what I asked my students to do have rigor? Did it take them to deeper knowledge and higher order thinking?
Was this work worthy of my student’s time and talents?
Was student voice evident in what they were asked to do?
What am I doing today that I didn’t do yesterday that takes me another step closer to creating a HSE²¹ classroom?

Why Wouldn't We?

We want our own children in rich classroom environments.
All HSE students are "our own."

It’s an exciting time to be in HSE. If you read last week’s blog created by the HSE²¹ Elementary Design Team, you were able to see some of their passion as they have neared the end of the pilot year. The most powerful message for me was that our students can do so much more than we ever gave them credit for. When we relaxed control and empowered their voice, the students went places we never dreamed possible.

Perhaps, instead of the question “Do I have to?” we should shift to the question “Why wouldn’t we?” Why wouldn’t we want rich classroom environments that are authentic, engaging, and filled with student-driven inquiry and voice?

Keep reflecting, processing, and challenging your own thinking and beliefs. You will find amazing and joyful results.

Thanks for all you do for our students!