Developing Character: Student Achievement and Socio-Emotional LearningOCTOBER 30, 2014 • THE DAVIS CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT

PRESENTS ITS FOURTH ANNUAL STATEWIDE CONFERENCE

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

ANGELA DUCKWORTHAngela Duckworth is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research is clarifying the role that intellectual strengths and personality traits play in student achievement. She is a former high school math and science teacher.

CO-SPONSORED BY:

SAVE THE DATENext year’s conference: OCTOBER 29, 2015

www.therowlandfoundation.org

8:00-8:45 Coffee and registration in the Davis Center

9:00 Welcoming remarks: Chuck Scranton, Executive Director, The Rowland Foundation

9:15 Remarks by Rebecca Holcombe, Vermont Secretary of Education

9:30 Keynote Address: Angela Duckworth

10:15 Questions and Answers, Angela Duckworth

10:30 Break, Team Debrief

10:50-12:25 Morning Workshops

12:25-1:10 Lunch

1:15-2:50 Afternoon Workshops

3:00-3:30 Closing Session — My School Builds Character Our student contest winners present their videos to highlight the conference theme

Morning Workshops:Measuring Self-Control and Grit in Your ClassroomAngela Duckworth will offer her experience and expertise to the challenge posed by measuring social-emotional learning. Using her research, she will explain best practices and recommend strategies for overcoming the inherit pitfalls. Participants will have the opportunity to develop a few basic strategies to begin quality methods of measurement in their own schools and classrooms. Participants will then have the opportunity for a question and answer session with Angela in regards to their developing measurement strategies.

Presenter: Angela Duckworth

Accomplishing More Earlier: Adversity by DesignEveryone encounters adversity and our lives are defined by how we deal with it. Many students leave high school inexperienced with adversity and have not developed the skills to overcome it. Building off the work of Angela Duckworth, Carol Dweck, and Paul Stoltz, this workshop will guide you through how a fabrication-based Physics, Engineering, and Humanities teaching team supports their students through tremendous adversity and pushes the limits of what high school students can do. The focus of this workshop is on practical project and cultural considerations when implementing difficult technical projects and covers multiple disciplines.

(Also offered in the afternoon session)

Presenter: Scott Swaaley, Science teacher, High Tech High School, San Diego, CA

Designing Arts Infused Project Based Learning: A Culture of Beautiful WorkProject Based Learning (PBL) has the power and potential to transform the culture of a school community. Cabot School is working to build the next generation of a project-based learning pedagogy: rigorous, real-world, collaborative, interdisciplinary experiences infused with the arts and informed by social-action. The design process leverages these elements to provoke inquiry and fuel the creation of authentic products that are relevant to students and have meaning in our world. Using effective tools and filters, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how high-quality PBL fosters a culture of beautiful work.

Presenters: Brian Boyes, Peter Stratman, Music and humanities teachers (respectively), Cabot School, 2014 Rowland Fellows

Identifying Metacognitive Variables: Eight Facets of a Successful LearnerAs a high school educator concerned about the personal success of my students beyond high school, what indicators can I use to predict that my students are prepared for their journey? A traditional measure is the SAT, which has been shown to be an imperfect forecaster of college readiness, especially for disadvantaged students. The metacognitive variables, also known as the non-cognitive variables, are a set of attributes that predict a student’s ability to do well in college

or career with a higher correlation than the SAT. Participants will learn about the metacognitive variables and how educators can promote the presence of these variables in the lives of their students.

(Also offered in the afternoon session)

Presenter: Jim Shields, teacher, South Burlington Big Picture

Using the Body to Focus the Mind: Three Easy Classroom Techniques to Cultivate MindfulnessToo much stress? You’re not alone. The rapidity of our contemporary life, with its increased screen time, social networking, and over-booked schedules, can create stressful and dissonant rhythms in our bodies that encourage obstacles to learning. In this experiential workshop, designed for both adults and teens, we will practice three body-centered techniques that are easy to use in a high school classroom. Together, we will work to cultivate attentiveness through concentration and self-direction, to achieve affinity through collaborative problem solving, and to promote adaptability through heightened sensory awareness. Come ready to move, to play, to work together and alone, and, ultimately, to relax. Participants will leave this workshop with a set of practical tools that can be used immediately in the classroom.

(Also offered in the afternoon session)

Presenter: Anne Bergeron, English teacher, Blue Mountain Union School, 2011 Rowland Fellow

Letting the Students LeadThis workshop will describe current models for student-led parent conferences, discuss recent research surrounding these model conferences and look at the role these conferences will play in the implementation of Act 77, the Flexible Pathways Initiative. Additionally, it will walk conference participants through the steps of how to effectively develop notification and conference protocols as well as offer sample timelines for implementation for the conferences. The presentation will be participatory with small-group breakout sessions to help teachers and administrators determine how they might develop an implementation strategy for student-led conferences at their school.

(Also offered in the afternoon session)

Presenters: Beth Brodie, Research Fellow, Burlington- Winooski Partnership for Change; Laura Botte, teacher, Edmunds Middle School

Growing Autonomy: Helping Students Become Independent LearnersMost educators now recognize the importance of student-directed learning, but what happens when students don’t follow through? How can we help students identify the learning opportunities they need the most for their long-term goals? In this session, the co-designers of Montpelier High School’s SOAR program share experiences and challenges in their work to ensure successful student-directed learning. Participants will leave with strategies to develop effective habits of learning, reflection, and the meta-cognitive skills necessary to help students become self-aware, independent learners.

Conference Schedule & Workshops

Presenters: Julie Morton, English Teacher, Montpelier High School; Matt McLane, Community-Based Learning Coordinator, Montpelier High School

Using Research to Inform our Pedagogy: Mind, Brain and Education ScienceToday we have access to unprecedented empirical and neurological research into how humans learn. This is research that should be guiding the decisions we make when reforming curriculum, classrooms, schools and policy. In this workshop we will examine the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and pedagogy and unpack John Hattie’s work on using meta-analysis to identify the strongest influences on student achievement. Through discussion participants will address the following questions: What are the major influences on student achievement? How do we use this research to reform our schools? What is different about this research?

Presenter: Ken Reissig, Coordinator of UVM’s middle level teacher education program.

Afternoon Workshops:Making Positive Change Happen: It’s All About LeadershipThis is a special workshop designed for school leaders and administrators. This practical session will briefly review the research on school based learning and change and will apply this framework to participants’ schools and districts. Participants will leave the session with new thinking about how they can put ideas they learned from the conference into action and a deeper understanding why change efforts in their schools have succeeded or failed in the past.

Presenter: Page Tompkins, Executive Director, Upper Valley Educators Institute

Cultivating the Synergy: Grit and Academics“... many classrooms—particularly at the high school level—still tend to rely on instructional delivery which minimizes the social and cooperative aspects of learning. In contexts where individuals must work collaboratively in problem-solving teams, social skills are likely to be more directly related to performance. (“ Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners, Farrington, C. et al.”)

The Eagle Rock Professional Development Center in Colorado has facilitated organizational change processes in schools across the country. That experience has revealed that many schools that value skills such as perseverance and grit do not necessarily know how to integrate attention to those qualities in academic contexts. This experience will help you identify and develop opportunities for integrating the worlds of content knowledge and academic skills with those behaviors and attitudes that are typically referred to as noncognitive factors. You will leave the experience with a clear plan of action to improve the integration in your setting.

Presenters: Michael Soguero, Director, Eagle Rock Professional Development Center; Dan Condon, Associate Director, Eagle Rock Professional Development Center

Implementing PLPs: First Steps from Schools around VermontWith all Vermont schools working to implement Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs), many school leaders are wondering how to begin. This session brings together representatives from the 18 Vermont districts who have been developing strategies for implementing PLPs with support from the Agency of Education. In addition to developing new resources, many schools are designing ways to leverage existing structures (e.g., advisory, career planning, portfolios, power standards) in order to build capacity. Participants will leave with concrete examples from schools around Vermont which are using a variety of

approaches to create PLP structures & processes.

Facilitators: Mike Martin, Director of Curriculum and Technology, Montpelier School District, 2009 Rowland Fellow, Senior Rowland Associate; Ellen Berrings, Employment/Transition Specialist, Harwood Union High School, 2013 Rowland Fellow; Debi Price, Education Project Manager, Vermont Agency of Education

Implementing Social-Emotional Learning in a Vermont SchoolMost schools value perseverance, self-control, and integrity, but how do we actually teach them? Participants will be walked through the process of implementing a social-emotional learning program in their schools with grades 6-12 in mind. The presenter will use research from his travels to schools around the country known for their emphasis on social-emotional learning and his participation in Angela Duckworth’s series, Talks for Teachers, to guide the discussion. Participants will have the chance to reflect on their current school culture, areas of social-emotional learning strengths, and be provided with a framework in their own implementation process.

Presenter: Mike McRaith, Principal, Enosburg Falls Middle School, 2013 Rowland Fellow

Raising Aspirations: Growth Mindset for All LearnersExpectations are a subtle but central force in any relationship and essential to building “grit” and perseverance. In the classroom, they are one of the strongest predictors of a student’s academic success (J. Hattie, 2009). This is one factor we can influence in our schools, honoring the potential of all learners and shifting the school culture to incorporate this message into day-to-day practices.

Youth are particularly effective messengers of information about expectations and how the brain learns. As peers, they can engage classmates through stories and activities that come from shared experience. In several district in-services, faculty have been particularly responsive to students’ creative portrayal of the neuropsychology of expectations through skits and other mediums, debunking myths and stereotypes and challenging current practices in respectful and provocative ways.

Youth and adult participants will leave this workshop with concrete tools to dispel the common myth that intelligence is fixed and with strategies to reinforce the theme, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t you are right” (Henry Ford).

Presenter: Helen Beattie, Executive Director of UP for Learning, UP for Learning Youth Facilitators

Measuring and Reflecting on Learning: Digital Portfolios in ActionDigital portfolios can be a dynamic and powerful way to show student learning. The question is how to do that well. In this workshop you will sit at a series of round tables hosted by approximately 6 different Vermont schools and at each table you will meet with students while they share their digital portfolios and reflect on what has and has not worked. Participants will leave with concrete examples of how digital portfolios help students measure and reflect on learning.

Facilitator: Jason Cushner, 2013 Rowland Fellow, former director South Burlington Big Picture

Workshops Repeated from Morning (see previous descriptions):

Accomplishing More Earlier: Adversity by Design

Identifying Metacognitive Variables: 8 Facets of a Successful Learner

Using the Body to Focus the Mind: Three Easy Classroom Techniques to Cultivate Mindfulness

Letting the Students Lead

Bryan Aubin, 2011 Fellow Mt. Mansfield Union High School, Social Studies Teacher

Jessica Barewicz, 2014 FellowU-32 Middle and High School, English Teacher/Curriculum Leader

Anne Bergeron, 2011 Fellow Blue Mountain Union School, English Teacher

Ellen Berrings, 2013 Fellow Harwood Union Middle/High School, Employment/Transition Specialist

Jean Berthiaume, 2009 FellowSenior Rowland Associate; Principal, Fayston Elementary School

Richard Boisseau, 2010 Fellow St. Johnsbury Academy, Retired

Brian Boyes, 2014 FellowCabot School, Music Director

Alison Moncrief Bromage, 2012 Fellow former Vermont Adult Learning High School Completion Coordinator

Karen Budde, 2012 FellowThe Danville School, Pathway & Advisory Coordinator

Marsha Cassel, 2014 FellowRutland High School, World Language Teacher—French

Jason Cushner, 2013 FellowBig Picture/South Burlington High School former Program Coordinator

Matthew DeBlois, 2009 FellowRowland Associate; Principal, Addison Central School

Jessica Ann DeCarolis, 2009 FellowEducation Specialist, Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, NYC

Dawn Deibler, 2010 Fellow Thetford Academy, Mathematics Teacher

Carrie Felice, 2013 Fellow Peoples Academy High School, School Counselor

Jason Finley, 2009 FellowFoundation’s Technology Coordinator; Randolph Technical Center, Cooperative Ed Coordinator

Sarah Ibson, 2013 Fellow Harwood Union Middle/High School, Social Studies Teacher

Sarah Keifer, 2009 Fellow Fair Haven Union High School, School-based Clinician

Kristine Kirkaldy, 2010 Fellow Vergennes Union High School, Spanish Teacher, World Languages Department Chair

Jennifer Kravitz, 2012 Fellow Rowland Associate, Rutland High School, Social Studies Teacher

Kendra Larson, 2011 Fellow Burr and Burton Academy, Social Studies Teacher

Michael Martin, 2009 FellowSenior Rowland Associate, Director of Curriculum and Technology Montpelier School District

Peter McConville, 2011 FellowRowland Associate, Burlington High School, English Teacher

Colin McKaig, 2013 Fellow Black River Middle & High School, English Teacher

Mike McRaith, 2013 FellowEnosburg Falls Middle School Principal

Laura Mina, 2012 Fellow Mt. Abraham Union High School, Library Media Specialist

Shaun Noonan, 2013 Fellow Peoples Academy Middle Level, Humanities Teacher

John Painter, 2014 FellowSouth Burlington High School, Math Teacher

Lauren Parren, 2012 Fellow Mt. Abraham Union High School, Ed. Tech Coordinator

Jeanie Phillips, 2014 FellowGreen Mountain Union High School, Librarian

Jill Prado, 2012 Fellow Essex High School, Spanish/French Teacher

Adam Rosenberg, 2010 FellowPrincipal, Proctor Jr./Sr. High School

Tom Sabo, 2011 Fellow Montpelier High School, Science Teacher, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Systems

Caitlin Steele, 2009 FellowRowland Associate, UVM doctoral student

Peter Stratman, 2014 FellowCabot School, Middle School Humanities

Erica Wallstrom, 2014 FellowRutland High School, Science Teacher

Mary Whalen, 2010 FellowDirector of UP for Learning (formerly YATST)

Application deadline for 2015 Fellowships is December 31, 2014, although we accept and appreciate

earlier applications.

For more information, visit: therowlandfoundation.org

The Rowland Foundation seeks applicants who are visionary, willing to lead, motivated and committed to affecting change in an area of concern within their respective schools, and who take risks and work collaboratively with others. The ideal candidates see connections between the school’s culture and climate and a student’s classroom performance. They demonstrate leadership within their school or are willing to step into a significant leadership role. They are keenly interested in their own professional development and are committed to their chosen discipline, the school and its students. The candidate is one who sees a task to a conclusion and is able to form clear partnerships with others to realize a vision.

Each year up to ten Vermont secondary school educators are selected as Rowland Fellows from among all qualified applicants. The Foundation provides a $100,000 grant to each of their schools for the Rowland Fellow to implement a vision to transform an aspect of the school which will positively impact its culture and climate.

The Foundation seeks proposals which:

• Systemically change school culture and climate

• Are visionary and comprehensive

• Are sustainable after The Rowland Foundation completes its funding

• Are exportable to other schools throughout Vermont.

• Demonstrate the complete support of the principal or head of school. This will be a key element of the interview process by the Executive Director prior to the selections.

The Rowland Foundation provides Vermont secondary school educators with a unique professional development and leadership opportunity and the resources to positively affect student achievement and the culture and climate of their respective schools.

Barry and Wendy Rowland South Londonderry, VT

Rowland Fellows

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