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Leslie Armstrong
MSU-WIPRO Urban STEM Leadership Team
8 August 2014

Wipro Urban Stem Summer Reflective Paper

The Urban Stem experience has been the catalyst that has forever
changed many professional and personal aspects of my life. At the initial
orientation, it, was evident that the individuals that were selected and the
Urban Stem leadership team shared many unspoken commonalities; the
most important being the desire to effectively change the script of urban
education. Into the first minutes of the first day of class; we immediately
began to act out our new roles as explorers of the unknown. We were center
stage and the expectations were set. To further expand the idea of being
center stage means that we were treated individually and collectively as
important and vital to the success of this endeavor. The expectation to use
ones personal talents to be active was definitely a change in the structure of
most professional development that I received. The usual being; the experts
talk incessantly for hours between two short bathroom breaks. This
experience did not mirror the Price Is Right; where you come on down to
purchase products, but mirrors a Come On In environment of intellectual
and open exchange of ideas and talents. Growth through attainment of new
skills was an additional agent of change. These skills were not manufactured
processes, but hands-on; with a ribbon of a hand-up. The set of our active

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play was designed to encourage safety in collaboration, failure and success.

According to John Dewey, The self is not something ready-made, but
something in continuous formation through choice of action. Urban Stems
action has inspired this change.
When the Bottom Fell Out
Schooling, in terms of organization, structure, and format, remains
much the same today as it was throughout the 20th century(Kerluik et.al).
After reading that quote, I began to research this triad between the 1900 and
1950 to compare it to my educational experiences from 1979 to the present.
Early urban schools were designed with a uniformity pen. The school house
resembled a factory. The buildings were enormous; organized into identical
departments or classrooms. By the early 1900s school curriculum was
becoming much more strict, with a very non-liberal focus of math, science
and reading (Kostrikin par.2). These two quotes mirror the environment that
I have worked in and the teaching pedagogy that I have practiced for 17
years. However there have been several times that I refused to follow the
prescribed curriculum and decided to deviate to build excitement and
exploration. Urban Stem has taught me that uniformity can be transformed
or coupled with traditional practices. For example, the idea of correlating the
Fibonacci sequence with music composition would have never come to mind;
without exposure to this process. In the process of holding on to the bottom,
the article Relational Understanding and instrumental understanding

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caused my grip to loosen even more. Often type cast as the good teacher, I
secretly knew that my pedagogy needed much adjustment. Years of
prescribed teaching were the evidence of my so called success. This article
gave prescription teaching the surname of instrumental. Skemp describes
prescription, instrumental as rules without reasons (9). He goes on to state
that much of what is being taught under the description of modern
mathematics is being taught and learnt just as instrumentally as were the
syllabi which have been replaced(11). I have unintentionally played the
same tune for too long; what students learnt lacked depth. The modern
curriculum was repackaged and fed to 20th and 21st century students. I need
to begin slowing the production of instrumental teaching at our school by
forming focus groups that will identify, analyze and transcend from
instrumental to relative practices. Junior teachers will play a vital part in this
transformative work because they may not have been corrupted by factory
teaching and willing to take chances to improve teaching and educational
practices. Their classrooms may also serve as testing sites for this work.
This will probably appease administration because this trial will not affect the
entire staff. This will also enable me to gather data and participate in the
process more closely.
Collaboration
Collaboration was a contributing factor to the success that I have
attained this summer. In contrast, I have not always embraced this practice.

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The invisible walls that divide teachers elicit professional stagnation,

isolation and false pride. The bricks of these walls may be formed from the
mortar of competition, resistance to new practices, and false pride.
Teaching on the bubble sets up this air of competition among teachers.
Teachers whose students score the highest on standardized test are
automatically considered to be superior teachers. Strategic plans will never
be revealed due to fear and loss of status and job security. New practices;
especially those that veer from the instrumental teaching style elicit
vulnerability. Breaking from tradition may be viewed as rebellious from
administrations perspective. Vulnerability has no place in the iron teacher
arena. Teachers are indoctrinated that they must be strong on discipline and
improvisations mirrors a lack of planning. Senior teachers sometimes exhibit
false pride. They believe that longevity is often the result of their best
pedagogical practices. Expert hats that are stitched with lettering that state
I know what works. Embracing collaboration has shown to be beneficial.
Surveying the works that I have created was due to the support I received
from classmates and instructors. Assistance was easily accepted because it
was not given by an expert hand of authority. Translating this power of
collaboration to the staff at Laura S. Ward will be part of my Dream It
platform. Building collaborative capacity will be achieved by pattering after
the model that was presented by Urban Stem. Randomly grouping
individuals will force the staff to expand their personal reach. Scheduling
individuals to present cool wonders opens our thoughts to others in a

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nonthreatening manner. A spin on the slow burn quick fire charges

individuals to work collaboratively; sharing talents to create a unique
product. Establishing platforms of digital communication affords the freedom
of exchange within our school and globally. All of these steps will lead to
continued progress in the professional development of our school
community. Collective capacity generates the emotional commitment and
technical expertise that no amount of individual capacity working alone can
come close to matching.(Fullan). The impact of collective learning and
sharing among teachers will flow into our classrooms. Teachers and students
can begin to evolve the atmosphere of learning through sharing and
implementing personal interests; making learning more relative. Relativity
may reduce some of that teaching for amnesia.
Sticky Teaching Breaking Down Misconceptions
A sticky idea is an idea thats understood, thats remembered, and that
changes something (Chip Heath and Dan, Heath 1). Agreeing with the
previous statement does not compare to its power. As a teacher, youre on
the front lines of stickiness (Chip, Heath and Dan, Heath 1). Comparing
teaching to a battle field may seem overly dramatic, but can be sanitized to
reflect a battle to reshape students thinking. Opposing sides battle for the
victory. In preparation for each encounter with students, strategic lessons
must be analyzed for misconceptions. Placing oneself into the minds of
students is advantageous. If you are able to determine misunderstandings;

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lessons will have a meaningful effect on students learning. Misconceptions

are deadly in regards to educating students. While growing up, children are
told by adults that the sun is rising and setting (Com. Undergrad Sci. Ed.
Natl. Research Cent. 27-28). This is reinforced daily by our local news
stations. Abundant, concrete works must be done to counter balance
erroneous ideas such as these. The teachers arsenal contains simple
methods such as listening to small group discussions or advanced
maneuvers such as analyzing errors by looking for patterns. The secret
weapon of S.U.C.C.E.S. may be used as generals and commanders retreat to
their bunkers for common planning time. Simplicity sets a target for enticing
students by covert unexpected maneuvers such as mysteries.

Credibility is

supported by right there models of concrete ideas while connecting to

students through stories that elicit an emotional response (Chip Heath and
Dan, Heath 1). In this battle, nothing will be lost or labeled as collateral
damage; both sides win.
Looking Ahead
To dissect the word manifesto I split the word in half to make a whole
meaning. Man denotes human beings; the focus is me. The faux amis of the
word fest can be interpreted as a celebration or something that becomes
worse from neglect; festering. Time has shown me that neglecting steps to
improve professionally and rationing hidden talent is like the folly of Rip Van
Winkle. Waking up after almost 20 years of professional stagnation is the

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pinnacle motivator. As an educator seeking to grow professionally, I will

focus all energy and efforts on the following goals:
I.

Acquire and develop skill set to be an effective coach and teacher

II.
III.

leader
Increase collaboration within the school community
Engaging in active use of technology to build collaborative

IV.

communities
Creating a blended planning format that satisfies curricular mandates
and true innovative practices
Better Coach Better Leader
Transitioning from classroom teacher to a school-wide specialist

expanded my responsibilities. Possessing the ability to connect with

individuals to effect professional growth and change is a key skill that is
required. There will be a combination of tools that I will utilize to begin
driving towards this goal. Chicago Public Schools offers courses through the
New Teacher Center that focus on improving practices to build enhance
school leadership. Within my Urban STEM team and cohort, I will utilize
social media sources such as Facebook and Twitter to reach out to individuals
whose current role relates to school leadership. Using the Twitter search
engine, I have made connections with individuals and organizations such as
http://www.edutopia.org and http://instructionalcoach.org/resources. Twitter
and Facebook offer private and public messaging options. There are not any
time constraints in regards to communication. With training comes
accountability. Utilizing https://www.surveymonkey.com/ will allow teachers

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and parents to complete surveys with convenient, confidentiality about their

evaluation of my performance.
Collaborative Communities
The community that encompasses my school fits the typical pattern
that is repeated across this country. Vast unemployment, crime, substance
abuse, lack of resources; the list is endless. The school house represents
stability for parents and students. This stability can be further supported
and maintained by developing collaborative communities within our building.
Preparing students for 21st century skills cannot be accomplished with
disconnected classrooms. To begin this process I must first provide strong
evidence that collaboration is a worthwhile investment. Data from
accredited organization such as http://www.nea.org or government entities
such as http://www.ed.gov will form the initial basis of validity. These sites
may also be followed and accessed on Twitter and Facebook. This access
gives teachers the power to research and make connections independently.
After analyzing data, I will begin the process of unpacking 21st century
learning. The Partnership For 21st Century Skills @http://www.p21.org
provides an array of avenues to present this content and sources to go
beyond what the site contains. To insure that the 21st century dialogue has
continuity, I am interested in setting up a 21st century book club. The
readings and conversations will be formed around various works that focus
on 21st century learning and teaching; the introductory text is entitled 21st

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Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times by Bernie Trilling. Video
conferencing from sites such as https://www.zoom.us will be used to stage
our discussions. Using this technology promotes collaborative, interaction at
convenient times. Recently I lost a beloved student to violence. One of our
last conversations was centered on how our school provided the academic
and nurturing support that needed. Once removed from our school
community; he lost his way. The essence of a collaborative community has
value. The solidification can be an unstoppable force that effects change in
our students lives.
Blended Format
I would like to move the daily educational atmosphere from action to
reaction. The actions are district-area demands that teachers follow
prescribed curricula, sketched out pedagogy and concrete times to teach
content areas. The mean number of mandated assessments, excluding
teacher made tests, totals 15. Amnesia, instrumental teaching is the easiest
method to achieve test scores and job security. To deviate may lead to
disaster. The teacher remains safe but our students are grossly unprepared.
This lack of preparation often leads to the last graduation being 8th grade and
continued learning goes to the street.

I have created a draft of a planning

matrix that teachers may utilize to satisfy these mandates and also include
the new (See Appendix A). Nothing commences with education without
standards. NGSS and Common Core standards are a means to reflect

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equality in expectations for student learning and teaching globally. Lets

examine a path through this matrix; beginning with the CCSS.ELALITERACY.RF.K.1.B Recognize that spoken words are represented in written
language by specific sequences of letters (corestandards.org). The objective
will be that students create a one lined musical composition that represents
a word in the at word family. Students will be using the following STEM
practices to create their compositions: Developing and using models &
Planning and carrying out investigations (succsesstemed.org). The teacher
and students will utilize websites such as www.bassbuton.com and
www.bgfl.org to mirror these STEM practices and to repurpose technology to
create a digital music artifact. During each daily lesson, the teacher can
infuse traditional methods such as recitation and worksheets to satisfy
requirements and use a KAGAN technique such as Round Robin as
cooperative, educational structure (Kagan 33). 21st century skills and
learning bind all of the components of this matrix.

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Appendix A.
Blended Format Matrix
Standards Addressed :( NGSS, CCM, CCL)

Objective (s)

STEM Practice

KAGAN Co. Focus

Building Community:

Tech Communication

Tech Product

KAGAN

21st

21st(Repurpose)

Reinforce Content

Teacher:

Teacher:

(Drill the Skill 20

Student:

Student:

minutes per day)

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