Single-Point Rubric

A single-point rubric is an excellent tool for self-assessment. It differs from a conventional rubric in that only one of the points is complete. Usually, only the middle point or meeting expectation is the one filled in and other points are left blank. The reason for this is so students can write their reflections in the below or above sections.

At my school, the IB learner profile attributes are our schoolwide learner outcomes (SLOs). This was some fabulous advice we received from ASC WASC during our visit last year. As part of our action plan, we are developing visible indicators of the SLOs. We will use these tools to assess how we are developing in the attributes. I decided to create a series of single-point rubrics to assess the learner profile attributes and would very much appreciate input into how they can be improved.

The ten learner profile attributes may be found here. I have noticed in practice that students, teachers, and parents presume they understand the meaning of the attributes by their own understanding of the name. For example, when we think of communicator, we think it means being able to talk to somebody. In fact when we read the definition carefully communicator encompasses: confidence, creativity, the ability to speak more than one language, as well as the ability to collaborate and listen.

I hope these rubrics are helpful to your community as you develop your understanding of the LP attributes. I highly recommend using the rubrics more than once to see if a student's self-assessment changes as they have more opportunities to engage with the particular attribute. I would also very much appreciate feedback into the language I have used in order to improve the coherence of the rubrics. Please leave your comments below and I will incorporate the changes. If anybody would like me to send the full document leave your email in the comments below and I will get them to you. 

3 Point Formative Assessment

On a professional development workshop by Marie Alcock (@mariealcock), I was recently introduced to the 3 Point Formative Assessment tool. It is so good, I just have to share it. The 3PFA incorporates two key elements of any unit, reflection and agency.

As the name would suggest, it contains three carefully planned parts.

Part 1 - Criteria/Learning Outcomes

The first part contains the learning outcomes that are being assessed. These may be knowledge, skills, attitudes or any part of the curriculum, you want the students to reflect on and make a plan to improve in. Below are some samples. This part of the assessment is usually assessed individually by the teacher with the student.

Sample courtesy of Jasmine Zhang, XLIS Visual Arts teacher

Part 2 - Reflection

This is the reflection part of the the assessment. Here the student has the opportunity to self assess where they are currently in relation to the learning outcome and decide what they need to learn.

Part 3 - Agency

Agency includes voice, choice and ownership. This part of the 3 point formative assessment tool allows students to chose how they will learn. The teacher provides a selection of learning engagements, for the student to choose from.

Sample courtesy of Kelley Phillips, XLIS P3 teacher

I hope this simple but effective formative assessment tool is useful. Keep learning!

Principal's Principles # 2

Leadership

To be a great school leader you need to develop in three areas: emotional intelligence, leadership and management. I am naturally a strong manager due to my logical-mathematical way of thinking. Leadership is an area I am developing in. The best way to develop as a leader is to identify mentors and learn from them. I am fortunate to be learning from some of the best, including John Ritter, John McBride and Brent Mutsch. This year Brent has been teaching me how to lead with the school mission at the heart of all I do. A simple way to put this into practice is at the end of each of your meetings ask the question, "What have we done today to further our school mission?" I do it as an exit ticket. 

Q2

If you are or want to be an excellent manager you need to live in Q2. One of the easiest ways to live in Q2 is to use an online calendar program or hire an experienced secretary. You need to schedule time for extremely important activities such as classroom observations, making next year's timetable, writing that newsletter piece. This way you are not bombarded with work at one time. This will be very beneficial for your relationships too as you will find yourself leaving work earlier as your important work is done in advance. Try to get things off your plate as soon as they come in, if you have the time.

Taken from: https://czarto.com/2012/04/24/four-quadrants-of-time/

Get Perspective

It is very important that you know your emotions. For example if you suffer from a chronic illness and come to work in pain, it is very important that you are mindful of this. Conflict can escalate quickly when our emotions are high or we are in pain. Getting perspective is also very important. You need to learn to know when others are struggling and gauge your approach accordingly. Ochan Powell once told me to listen for the emotion first, then the content. I am finding this advice to be golden.

Bullying

If you are starting out in a leadership role, I am sorry to say but you will most likely be bullied. This bullying will not be physical but more likely verbal and usually behind your back. Expect to hear things like he/she should not be in this job, he/she does not know what he/she is doing. This will be greatly reduced as you prove yourself by establishing a track record. Remember to fill the bank as was mentioned in my first post. This bullying will most likely not stop completely, but as you stay at a school you will notice the bullies come and GO! My friend Allison Vidotto once said to me when I was going through an intense period of bullying, "Ignore the naysayers, they are a small part of any great story".

Mentors

Identify mentors! You would not believe how many leaders know exactly what you are going through and are willing to help for free. You will learn more from one hour with an experienced Head of School than a week at a PTC course, and it will save you a lot of money. Find the mentors strengths and learn from them. You can also learn what a mentor's weakness is and learn from that too. In order to seek out mentors you need to be humble and ask for the help. I have found the EARCOS leadership conference to be a great place to find such people. To give a quick shout out to some of the other mentors I have learned from, Kristina Seitawan, Helen Teese, Dr. Noel Geoghegan and my current HOS, Lily Liu. 

Strong pedagogical leadership can transform a school and make the lives of many students and teachers a joy. Fight for this!

Principal's Principles # 1

I have been holding of on this blog post, seeing if I was going to "make it" or "survive" in the principal role. I guess if I don't start posting on this topic I never will. This is the start of a series of blog posts called Principal's Principles. The hope is to pass on knowledge being learned as a starting out principal.

Making Decisions

I believe that all decisions should be made according to the school policies. I have learned in the countries that I have worked in that not wavering or making exceptions is important. If you bend the rules once you will be expected to do it again. Making decisions under a time constraint is one of the biggest challenges you will face in leadership. In this case you need to gather as much evidence as you can from different sources as quickly as possible. You should then make your decision based on triangulating the evidence. If you are working in a Christian context, obviously you have another source to go to.

Filling the Bank (Deposits and Withdrawals)

We have to make tough decisions in leadership and often have to ask our staff to do things they may not want to do. It might be long term cover or working on a weekend. It is very important to, "fill the bank". This is done over a long period of time. Trust is built through every decision you make, every encouraging comment you give, every gift on a birthday, every pancake you bake. Fill the bank so that when you need to make a withdrawal, you are supported. Know that every negative comment, every gossip, every unprofessional act is a withdrawal.

Communicate

Communicate, communicate and communicate. As much open and honest communication as is appropriate. I believe this is best done by email. Never waste teachers' time with meetings that are not necessary. Each morning I send out an email with a list of upcoming events. If there is something that will really effect teachers such as a change to their routine, this needs to be communicated as far in advance as possible. An example of this would be a concert rehearsal. When teachers are well informed and part of what is happening, they are more supportive. We cannot spring things on teachers, unless you have a very full bank.

Face to Face Tough Talks

Do not shy away from or put off tough talks. If there is conflict you cannot put your head under the carpet and pretend it is not there. You need to address it and have the tough talk. An example of this would be two teachers who are having a disagreement. What to do here is meet with each individually, then set up a time where we meet together face to face. I like to use the philosophy of restorative practices to repair relationships with students and teachers alike. I would advise any school leader to learn more about this philosophy. I learned an excellent strategy from one of my staff members when dealing with an issue with a teacher who is also a parent. Have the teacher take off their "teacher hat" and put on their "parent hat" when having the discussion.

I hope this was useful. Part two will be coming soon, if there is interest.

Lower Back Healing

The following blog post is based on fifteen years of research, trial and a lot of error! The errors include all the old wives tales such as: stretching the hamstrings, massage, acupuncture, yoga, McKenzie exercises, traction and so much more. The one and only, one-stop-shop, an absolute expert in low back pain is Dr. Stuart McGill. His thirty years of research are a blessing to so many. All the information you need about McGill and his research may be found here. 

In the last week of 2017, I hurt my back. I am currently experiencing pain in the middle of my lower back and a tingling sensation down my left leg. If I went to an orthopedic surgeon I would be diagnosed with bulging discs at L5 & S1. They would say the bulge is pressing on my sciatic nerve causing the sensation down my leg. This is not a nice sensation, but it is very common. In this blog post, I am going to share how to get from this place back to being pain-free. 

The goal is to get back to correct mobility as soon as possible. To do this, you need to determine the right amount of resistance (training/exercise) that the body can handle. This is then increased over time. Before anything else the most important concept here is movement. Now I know that there is a day or two when you need to lie in bed with the hot water bottle, pain killers, heat patch or whatever you do but you need to get back to movement as soon as possible. Too much rest actually leads to back pain.  Learn the hip hinge, ways for picking things up, getting up about of chairs and all of the extremely important movement patterns involving activation the hips and glutes (bum). All found in McGill's work. 

Exercise Program - Week 1 - In Pain

10 x Cat/Camel - Warm-Up

10 x Kneeling Hip Hinge - Warm-Up

The McGill Big 3

3 x Side Plank on Knees (3 on each side)

3 x Bird Dog (Leg Only, 3 on each side)

6 x McGill Curl (3 on each leg)

Please click on the links to the videos to see the correct form. These exercises have been tested with sensors and have been found to put the minimal load on the back. They are the best possible exercises to build up support around the back and core and to begin to train the correct movement. 

7.1.2018

After just over a week I am pain-free and have moved to the Russian descending pyramid. 5, 3, 1. This means I am still doing the above exercises but am now doing 3 sets. The first set is 5 reps on each side holding for 10 seconds. The second set is three reps and the final set is one repetition.

10.1.2018

Too easy so have moved to full side plank which you can see in this video. The difference here is that the contact point with the ground is the feet now instead of the knees. I am not transferring into the plank position at this stage. The other two exercises remain the same. You should also walk for 15 minutes three times a day from the very start but I did not incorporate that in this program due to work commitments. I am also ready at this stage to increase the intensity of the bird dog by raising an alternative arm. It may be seen here in this video (coming soon). I am still doing the Russian descending pyramid 5, 3, 1.

23.2.2018

I am now almost two weeks into the program. I have moved to the advanced level of McGill's Big 3. I am also slowly increasing the number of repetitions. My current program with videos is below. I warm up with the cat/camel and knee hip-hinge every day throughout the whole program.

The McGill Big 3 - Intermediate
Note: When I try the advanced level a slight pain returns to my back to I stop and return to intermediate.
Curl-up - 5, 4, 1
Side Plank - 5, 3, 1
Intermediate Bird-dog - 5, 3, 1

I have decided that as I am not two months into the program I am going to return to the gym. It is very difficult to leave my ego at the door and continue with my program, but I must do. One step backward to hopefully take two forward. The below exercises are designed to train the correct movement as I am now pain-free and am planning to set a new goal for myself. I am going to stick to this program until the end of June, then work towards 5 reps of 100kg in the bench press, deadlift, and squat. This is something I have never done before in my life. I currently weigh 75 kg.

In their book The Gift of Healing, Dr. McGill and Brian Carroll write at length at the importance of correcting the wrong movement. The following workout I am planning to do 2-3 times a week on top of doing the above program each day.

Kettlebell squats - 5, 5, 5
Bottoms-up kettlebell press - 5, 5, 5
McGill Pull-up - 1x10
15 min walk on the treadmill
Farmers walk

The goal in all of these exercises is to learn to brace by back correctly and to maintain perfect form throughout the exercises. Before each exercise, I engage my lats, brace my stomach and employ the other techniques advised in the book. You must learn this as it goes further to protect the back under loads.

Advanced Bird-dog 5,3,1
Side bridge to plank 5,

Note: After 3 months of doing great I decided to try squatting and deadlifting again. I immediately hurt my back and have been out for a month. I am starting at the top from scratch again:-( Dr. McGill recommended I stay out for 6 months but I did not listen. This time I will, hopefully...

3.8.2018

I have been pain-free for a couple of months now and have decided to give the weight training a go again. I am well on my way towards my goal of 5x100kg on the big three. At the moment I am at 70 kg and have been incorporating the Hex Deadlift. This video shows the correct form. It is extremely important when lifting anything to:
1. Engage your lats and abs
2. Tuck your chin
3. Take a deep breath and hold it, pushing on the belt
4. Grip the floor with your toes, but push through the heels
5. Always begin with the hip-hinge
I am experiencing a slight amount of pain today but whether this subsides or not will determine whether or not I continue with the program.
Note: I did not give the 6 months that Dr. McGill suggested. This is extremely foolish and I highly recommend 6 months of McGill's exercises before returning to lifting.

22.9.2019

I am hoping this will be the final entry in this blog. I have learned so much about my body and by back through this journey. A recent MRI has shown that the discs are extremely degenerated. The surgeon who saw me did not recommend surgery, suggested I can eventually go back to kickboxing (he was Thai:) and lifting but suggested I not do any squatting or anything that loads the spine.

So I got back to it again and worked my way up to 5-3-1 on The McGill Big 3 in their strictest forms as shown here, here and here. I decided to stay at 5-3-1 this time as when I tried to increase in the past along with the weight program have hurt myself. I did this for two months then began a new training program doing a push session based around the bench, pull session based around chins and the hex deadlift and a leg session where I tried numerous different exercises to replace the squat. Every time my ego kicked in and I tried a variation of the squat slight pain returned. The penny has finally dropped.

1.10.2019

I started this journey two years and one month ago, and completed it today.

Professional Learning Communities

Are you ready for some learning? In this blog post I am going to try to share my research into Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). I began formally researching PLCs in 2011 as part of my Masters of Education and ended up writing my thesis on them. For much more detailed information on the research you can purchase this paper I published or read this short version free of charge.

So, what are PLCs? Somebody else always says it best and in my reading, it was Karen Seashore Louis and Louise Stoll when they said:

In sum, the term ‘professional learning community’ suggests that focus is not just on individual teachers’ learning but on:

(1) professional learning;

(2) within the context of a cohesive group;

(3) that focuses on collective knowledge;

(4) occurs within an ethic of interpersonal caring that permeates the life of teachers, students and school leaders. (Stoll & Seashore Louis, 2007)

There is so much in that alone that I could unpack in a series of blog posts, but all I will say here is – the words that I have put in italics are what will determine the success or failure of your PLCs. Take the time to reflect on each word and think of positive and negative examples of these in your PLCs. For example, a cohesive group, are the right people together? What needs to be changed?

P1 PLC including the lead teacher, assistant teacher, EAL teacher and PYP coordinator.

In 2011, I set up 3 PLCs in a school in Viet Nam. I used Interpretative Phenomological Analysis, a qualitative research method to learn what teachers’ lived experiences were of the PLCs, over a six-week period. A thorough literature review was conducted before the process of anonymous questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and a research diary was used to document findings. The results were transcribed and text analysis used to identify emerging themes. The results may be found in the table below, with the most emergent theme on the top.

Results of the formal research.

To summarise my findings, teachers felt the most valuable outcome of the PLCs was the sharing of resources. PLCs developed teacher leadership and school culture as well as helping to orientate new teachers. A clear agenda was required for the PLC to stay focused and the timing of the PLCs was very important. The PLCs worked best when they were prioritised by being timetabled. At the end of the day or during lunch time did not work well as teachers wanted to leave as soon as possible. Below is a sample timetable showing how the time when students are with single subject teachers can provide an opportunity for year level horizontal PLCs to be timetabled.

PLCs can be timetabled by administration to allow time to collaborate.

So how do PLCs work best?

There are two key theories that I believe support successful PLCs. They are action research and appreciative inquiry. Action research is a spiral process of ongoing improvement. The IB authorisation cycles as well as WASC/CIS accreditation are all examples of large action research cycles. The school researches and acts, researches and acts, researches and acts and keeps refining its practices. Another example of this is the action cycle in the PYP shown below. Here students choose, act, reflect, choose, act, reflect and so on. In your PLC you might be working on formative assessment, research, act, reflect, research, act and so on until you are happy with your practice.

The Action Cycle taken from Making the PYP Happen p. 26.

Appreciative inquiry on the other hand is an organisational change theory. It has a strong, “no blame” policy. Having this kind of culture in PLCs is very important so people feel safe to make mistakes and share their opinions. There is a big focus on the positive, when was the organisation at its best, how can we improve? It looks to harness the unlimited imagination and dreams of the groups in the organisation, as this is the best change agent.

Early childhood teachers collaborating with PSPE teacher on a transdisciplinary unit.

PLCs in the PYP

Standard C1 of the IB standards and practices is all about collaboration. If you prioritise time for PLCs by timetabling them and develop the capacity in your team to utilise this time it will help you with C1. Some of the requirements are that collaborative planning:

-       - takes place regularly and systematically

-       - addresses vertical and horizontal articulation

-       - is based on agreed expectations, differentiation, informed by assessment, language development.

-       - addresses the learner profile attributes.

If PLCs are prioritised, the PYP coordinator has enough release time to attend the meetings, a clear agenda is in place and capacity is built in staff to utilise the time, then Standard C1 is one of the most beautiful standards in any curriculum. 

Whole School PLCs

The PLCs mentioned above are grade level groups that meet for planning. In the secondary school these kinds of PLCs are usually created around a subject like the arts or the science department. For accreditation with WASC, schools are required to have what they call focus groups. These are whole school PLCs that take information from the grade level PLCs which they call home groups and analyse that data to determine how it will impact student learning. Thanks for reading PLN!

References

Cooperrider & Whitney (2005), Appreciative Inquiry - A Positive Revolution in Change.

Kruse, Seashore Louis & Bryk (1994), Building Professional Community in Schools.

Mertler (2009) Action Research - Teachers as Researchers in the

Classroom.

Lalor & Abwai (2014), Professional learning communities enhancing teacher experiences in international schools, International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning.

Lalor & Geoghegan (2013), PLCs as a change agent for improving teacher and student outcomes in an international school in Vietnam.

Andrews & Lewis (2002), The experience of a professional community: teachers developing a new image of themselves and their workplace.

Stoll & Seashore Louis (2007), Professional Learning Communities - Divergence, Depth and Dilemmas.

Honest Recruiting

The most important resource of any school is its teachers! With this in mind, the job of recruiting is an extremely important one. A solid recruiting system can transform school culture, implement quality teaching, create community and make everybody's' life much easier! In the past three years I have grown significantly in this area. My associate, John Ritter and his wife Susan, at Search Associates have invested hours in me, teaching me the principles of recruiting. I would like to acknowledge from the start that much of my current learning has come from them, while also acknowledging, I have a lot yet to learn.

I recently took part in the Search Associates Dubai Fair. This was only my fourth fair to take part in as a recruiter. Speaking to some far more experienced recruiters than myself, I learned that it takes about ten candidates before you get the right fit for one teaching position. I found this to be very true. Recruiting, done thoroughly, is extremely labour intensive but extremely rewarding! 

With Bill Turner from Search Associates

Many international schools recruit through agencies such as Search Associates, International School Services and to a lesser degree The Council of International Schools. One of the great advantages to a reputable agency is that they require references to be submitted by candidates before their profile becomes active. These can help you screen out candidates at the early stages. Their websites also have filters so you can enter specific criteria such as experience or geographic location. There are of course flaws with these systems too, so asking questions and making connections with the associates and other recruiters is key.

So here are some of the eureka moments I have had when it comes to recruiting:

- Building Trust

Perhaps the most successful tool to hiring and retaining strong teachers is to be honest from the get-go. At fairs you will have an opportunity to do a presentation on your school and its context. This is most likely the first time you will meet teachers who are interested in your school. It is a time to sell your city and school. You should find that one thing that sets your school apart from the rest and communicate it clearly. You should also communicate the difficulties living in your context. I remember in Viet Nam the constant noise and honking of horns was difficult to get used to. Be honest from the start!

Speaking to a candidate at a fair
(permission for photo was granted)

- Reference checking

This is something that usually happens after the interview and before an offer is made. I have found it to be the most important part of the process. Checking a reference should be like an interview. It takes time and should always be done by a telephone call. Nowadays school leaders are very careful what they write, so if you want the truth, a call is the way to go. A great tip I learned is the awkward silence. When you are asking questions say something like, ''Is there anything else you would like to add?'' If the referee says no, say, ''ok?'' and leave a silence. It is incredible what can often come next. I cannot stress the importance of making connections through social networking. In IB schools, very often the PYP coordinator is not a reference on the C.V. or Search, however, this person is the one who plans with, teaches with and trains the teacher. More than once a Tweet to a fellow PYPC has saved our school years of pain!

It is vital to match the potential teacher to the culture of the school.

- Screening candidates

I am not one to be wooed by a great C.V., or PYP, or PhD for that matter. I am looking for somebody who has stayed for a significant amount of time at a school and who has perhaps been promoted in one of their previous positions. I believe pedagogy to be half of the equation and a positive attitude to be the other half. But how do you find the right candidate? It all starts with screening through hundreds of C.V.s. One of the questions in the confidential reference Search Associates asks is to rate a candidate between one to ten on how they impact school moral or climate. If this figure is consistently below seven, I will look no further. After this I will look for teaching experience, program knowledge, length of stay at schools and read the personal bio. Again looking for the right fit to school culture is key.

- Interviews

The decision to make an offer should not made by one person. This I believe is dangerous, as if I had my way our entire staff might love hurling, Guinness, singing and potatoes. Our Head of School will always conduct a second interview so the decision goes through at least the two of us and often the HR manager too. The interview is a time to determine the candidates knowledge of teaching and learning, not their character. Anybody can be nice for thirty minutes, character is checked through the references. Use the interview time to ask about teaching, classroom setup, personal pedagogy, communication with parents, assessment beliefs and other teaching related areas.

- Offers

Another key point I learned from John Ritter at Search Associates is to give candidates a reasonable amount of time to consider an offer. I have found one week to be reasonable. At Search fairs there is a minimum time of 24 hours to give candidates. I would advise you give them longer and not rush them to make a decision they will regret. It is much better to recruit a teacher who has made a well informed decision than twisting their arm into signing an offer they will regret.

So there you have it, my current understanding of the recruiting process. There is an old saying "hire slow and fire fast", I thoroughly agree with the first part of this.