We Find Connection in the Process

March 27, 2023

By Jenna Fournel, Director of Teaching and Learning

Hooray for Monday is a weekly blog filled with questions, ideas, reflections, and actions we can all take to remodel the school experience for students.

You can now listen to Hooray for Monday on Spotify! Check out our podcast here.

For the past several weeks we’ve been talking about school connectedness after a report from the CDC found that just 61% of high school students feel connected to someone at school. Today we’ll take a peek inside a school where on a recent EmpowerK12 survey 98% of students said they feel a sense of belonging. What’s making that possible?

The Inspired Teaching Demonstration School (ITDS) does many things to make belonging central to its school culture. This week I talked with Monisha Karnani, director of demonstration and outreach, about one facet of that work: the Learning Showcase. We briefly referenced this a few weeks ago, it’s a learner-centered community event that flips the traditional idea of an “open house” on its head, focusing on the process of learning rather than simply highlighting end-products, and centering student voice in demonstrations of critical thinking, problem-solving, and growth rather than positioning the teacher as the expert in the room. One parent commented after the most recent Learning Showcase, “I enjoyed seeing my children’s work…where they were able to curate it for me in the school environment. It seemed to give them a little extra pride to show us around their spaces. I also enjoyed seeing all age groups displayed in the common areas.” Another noted, “My kids’ teachers clearly put a ton of work preparing – both logistically and getting my kids excited about the event. My kids were so proud and clearly felt so comfortable and such a positive sense of belonging in their school.”

Monisha shared t hese photograph collections that give you a glimpse into what the Learning Showcase looks like in PreK, 2nd grade, 4th grade, and middle school science. Remote learning during the pandemic challenged the school to come up with a virtual version of the experience and now these virtual tours help to share the learning with and model the process for other schools.

In our conversation, which you can hear at length in today’s podcast, Monisha touches upon a few key features of this once-a-trimester celebration of learning and community.

Shared language connects a community.

The 4 I’s, Intellect, Inquiry, Imagination, and Integrity are at the heart of everything students do at ITDS. When you visit a Learning Showcase, or even just a class engaged in a project at any point in the year, Monisha says that students “can tell you which I or Is they’re focusing on. They will be able to say, ‘I’m using my imagination here to figure out how to create a roller coaster where my marble can drop from the top and land at the bottom without going off track.’ Or they can tell you, ‘I’m using inquiry right now to figure out how to create a circle of Pringles because there is some physics here that I don’t really understand but I’m going to ask a lot of questions until I can figure it out.’” This common language and emphasis on these core concepts in learning create continuity across grades and Monisha also noted that it helps in onboarding new staff – they learn what these concepts mean to the school and can quickly adopt them as central to their practice.

Walls that talk reinforce a shared vision.

It is a schoolwide expectation at ITDS that student work be displayed but also that an explanation of the process and purpose behind the work accompany that display. Monisha shared this “Walls that Talk” document that outlines these expectations along with a few examples. How can bulletin boards like these build a sense of belonging? When students see their work – and their learning process – thoughtfully displayed alongside their peers they see themselves as part of the community. And as the document Monisha shared explains, “As a school where everybody learns, all educators (ITDS staff and external visitors), students (current, former, and potential), and their families can utilize the walls and learning displays to observe, understand, and wonder.”

The process matters as much as the product.

Monisha explains that the work students showcase shares with families “how they’re here figuring things out. They’re exploring: ‘ How do I start from an idea? How do I draw my idea, articulate my idea, create my idea, build my idea, refine my idea, and then display it?’ It’s really important for families to see that, yes, there is this really cool final product, but there was this whole journey of learning that led to that product.” Just think about the shared understanding and appreciation for the learning process that can create in a school community! After the evening event where families are invited in to see all the work on display in their child’s class as well as others, the next day is a PD day for teachers who then get to visit each others’ classrooms to observe and learn from each other. In this way, the value of the learning process is communicated to and appreciated by the entire school community.

If you are interested in learning more about doing a Learning Showcase at your school, Monisha said she’s happy to share learning from ITDS and you can reach out to her at monisha.karnani@inspiredteachingschool.org. But even if you’re not quite ready to do a whole-school event this year, what might be possible if you set up just one “talking wall” in your classroom? What shared language core to your school would show up there? How can you ensure student voice is central in the display? Not sure? Ask them. See what new connections you can make this week!

What We’re Curious About

Each week a member of the Inspired Teaching community shares something that’s currently piquing their curiosity. Maybe it will spark yours too!

The Education Gap

George Miller, husband to Michelle Welk (Communications and Marketing Specialist)

My name is George Miller. I’m an associate professor of journalism at Temple University, in Philadelphia, I’m curious about the male to female K through 12 education gap.

I have a toddler – a son, who is my first and only child. I spend a lot of time thinking about who he is and who he will become. As a professor with a doctorate in higher education leadership, I have a good understanding of college students. But I have no real familiarity with K through 12. So, when I heard on a podcast the other day that research has shown females achieving higher — better GPAs, more advanced in math and English — than their male peers, my interest was piqued.

While I believe growing up in a household in which both of his parents are very committed to lifelong learning will help my son in his own academic pursuits, it made me wonder: What should we be doing to ensure his academic development progresses at an appropriate pace?

I also wonder: What is the value of the metrics we’re using to determine who’s “ahead” and who’s “behind?” Is saying that our education system disadvantages boys because it emphasizes organization, for example, really accurate? Or are boys disadvantaged by an education system that prizes organization because of a society that does not expect it of them?

I want to see my son reach his full potential. What do we need to do to make sure he can?

Teacher Resources

Take a Virtual Tour of the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School

What does this experience you’ve just read about look like in practice? Check out this interactive slide presentation to take a trip through a PreK, 4th Grade, and middle school science classroom.

Walls That Talk

The Inspired Teaching Demonstration School uses this template to guide how they arrange their bulletin boards and displays throughout the school. It offers a window into how they center process in the sharing and elevation of student work.

Museum of Me

At this point in the school year your students have grown in all sorts of ways, what if they created mini-museums to showcase that growth? Consider taking a Learning Showcase approach to this student-centered activity.

Listen to This Issue of Hooray For Monday

InspiredTeaching · March 27, 2023: We Find Connection in the Process

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.