Our Newest Generation: Different Learners, Smarter, but May Not Be Happy

Today's generation recognizes that learning is enhanced when collaboration is a strategy. They are not interested in any lecture beyond 10 minutes; lectures beyond 10 minutes result in a negative effect on achievement.

We know that this generation has high expectations of the school they attend, and they learn different from generations before them. Today's learner is more globally educated, driven by technology and they will be the highest educated population ever to come out of school.

They might be highly educated, but they are not happy with the generation that is now their grandparents who have left them an incredible debt. This new generation experiences the highest poverty rate and is inheriting $30K of debt per person (every man, woman and child) in U.S. This is the first generation that will not live as long as their parents, they are fed up with partisan politics, and they will be vocal.

My prediction: if we give this generation our very best, this will be the next "Greatest Generation."

Observing the Classroom: What Produces Results

Learning walks are non-evaluative observations to collect evidence of practices and classroom environments that produce maximum student achievement outcomes. The observations are not done to observe the teacher; they are done to observe the classroom. These produce the data that will give teachers job-embedded staff development through cognitive coaching with each other and with the building principal (the instructional leader). Formal teacher observations will always be done for evaluation, but they don't lead to open discussions with colleagues to inform discussion. Feedback MUST be apart of an environment that sees maximum student learning and development.

"According to the research done by R. Marzano, feedback can be given formally or informally in group or one-on-one settings. It can take a variety of forms. Its most important and dominant characteristic is that it informs the student, the teacher, and all other interested parties about how to best enhance student learning."

Marzano, R. (in press). Formative assessment & standards-based grading. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.

His studies also show that negative feedback produces a decrease in student achievement. We have to ask ourselves what are the characteristics of feedback that produce negative effects?

Learning Walks: Collecting Evidence of Effective Teaching Strategies

Learning Walks are a best practice that is supported by current research. It has been proven to be very effective in teacher development as well as student learning results. Teachers collaborating with teachers is "job embedded professional development," and without that, we cannot meet our mission, vision, and strategic directions.

Principals will conduct these learning walks so that they maximize their impact as instructional leaders. The principal to the building is second only to the classroom teacher with impacting student achievement. One of my goals is for all principals to collect evidence of instructional strategies that have the greatest effect size by doing a minimum of 7 learning walks per licensed staff member. This will create the needed coaching sessions that focus on improved instructional strategies. All total, we will conduct over 5000 documented learning walks this year.