OSP Connected
January 2021-Office for School Performance-Volume 45
Message from Dayle
Zaretta Hammond says that a warm demander stance is about getting the student's permission to push them cognitively into their zone of proximal development and the key is to start with relational trust. Relational trust requires you know a student well- what motivates them, what challenges they have, what they care about, and what their strengths are. That's impossible to do with every student-but what if we each chose just one?
As we move forward this year, I challenge each of us to choose just one student to be their "warm demander". It starts by building relational trust. Ideally that is already established but if not, reach out to start conversation and the building of a relationship! Next, have an honest and truthful talk with the student about your belief in them, acknowledging strengths and weaknesses and discuss how it feels to be "pushed". Let the student know you will check in to see how that feels for them over time. The explicit discussion is important.
Finally, being a warm demander is about consistency with heart. A students' job is to test limits, relationships and be inconsistent. It's your job to hold consistent high expectations and provide support with care and resources. For some students, they have a history of knowing that when things get tough at school, pushing people away is easier than taking risks in their learning. Be the warm demander that makes that risk safe.
Again, I want to recognize that building these strong relationships with every student is challenging, especially if you see hundreds of students like our high school colleagues. But in Hillsboro we have thousands of employees; if we all chose one, we could make such a difference.
Happy 2021!
HSD Focus 2020-2021
INSTRUCTION: Student Engagement in CDL
As we continue with our distance learning model, engaging students in live classes through Google Meet can be challenging.
For our educators of the younger grades, Edutopia recently published the article, 5 Ways to Take Some the Distance Out of Distance Learning, with some ideas for keeping students connected and fostering engagement. Here are some ideas shared in the article:
Focus on connecting with students - upfront time will pay dividends
Strategies for getting all students to speak
Be specific with feedback and praise - let students know you see them
For our educators of the upper grades, Edutopia recently published an article, Strategies to Encourage Students to Turn Their Cameras On, with tips and tricks to encourage students to turn on their cameras during live classes on Google Meet. Here are some ideas they shared in the article:
Incorporate social emotional learning (SEL) strategies to encourage camera use
Use icebreakers
Visually vote or share understanding
Be empathetic
CLIMATE AND CULTURE: Compassion & Empathy
Starting the new year ignites deep breaths and renewed energy. Leaning on compassion and empathy can strengthen bonds and establish connections. Brene Brown, Ph.D., characterizes these well by stating, “Empathy is the skill or ability to tap into your own experiences in order to connect with an experience someone is relating to us. Compassion is the willingness to be open to this process.” Allowing yourself to serve others through a lens of compassion and empathy requires Social Emotional Learning competencies (view slices surrounding the middle circle of the visual below). A Competency is a cluster of related abilities, commitments, knowledge, and skills that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation. Therefore, competencies may incorporate a skill, but are more than the skill, they include abilities and behaviours, as well as knowledge that is fundamental to the use of a skill. As educators, we must remember there are multiple ways to express or apply social and emotional competencies. Expression and application of social and emotional competencies vary by culture. Being aware of our own culture and others is a first step toward authentic compassion and empathy. Cheers to starting 2021 together!
“The opportunity for resilience originates in how we make sense of the things that happen, because interpretation dictates actions.”
- Elena Aguilar
Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators
Additional Resources HERECAREER & COLLEGE READY: FAFSA/ORSAA & Elementary One-Pagers
HSD Student/Family FAFSA/ORSAA Workshop. Please share with high school seniors that the Hillsboro School District will be offering a FAFSA/ORSAA workshop for students and families on January 21, 2021 from 6-7 pm. Please connect with the building’s School to Career counselor for more details. In order for students to access Oregon Promise financial aid for the 2021-22 school year, FAFSA/ORSAA completion must be done by February 1, 2021.
Career and College Pathway Elementary One Pagers are Live! We have created feeder aligned career pathway information for elementary students, families and staff. The one pagers focus on character traits and student interests that are aligned to the programs that are offered at the feeder high school. They are designed as a tool for students to discover the HS pathway possibilities and career/postsecondary opportunities in our community that align to the pathway. Please click HERE for more information. (Spanish Translation Coming Soon)!
Leading Change in HSD: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Bias
Perhaps the biggest challenge we face when becoming culturally responsive educators is confronting our biases. Oftentimes, unpacking the opinions and insights of other people and ourselves gets in the way of uncovering and accessing information. Often these biases are unconscious or implicit, meaning we might not even be aware we have them.
Until we become aware of our biases, and how these attitudes and opinions emerge through the language we use and actions we take, we can fall into what’s known as the bias confirmation trap. This is when we see opinions with which we agree as fact and information with which we disagree as false.
Nurturing self-awareness in our students and guiding them to see how their biases interact with their information acquisition is a fundamental element to helping them develop the media literacy and communication skills essential for advancement. Self-awareness is necessary to promote cross-racial dialogue and foster socially just schools and communities.Instilling self awareness into our practices also help our students develop this skill.
In the 2020-21 school year, we are charged with building a strong equity foundation as we Lead Change in HSD. Uncovering your biases is a wonderful start in your own journey of self discovery. If you are interested in looking into this more, check out the test linked below. It will help you become more self-aware which will help your students too.
Teaching Tolerance: Test Yourself for Hidden Biases
Coffee Conversations: Dyslexia
This month's Coffee Conversation includes everything you want to know about a hot topic - dyslexia! TOSA Jaime Goldstein is the go-to expert at HSD and shares with us the ins and outs of identification and support. Dyslexia screeners are required for all students and are not a part of a special education evaluation.
If you want to know more about dyslexia, reach out to your instructional coach, success coach, or school psychologist.
Click the image below to view the video.
AG Video Series for 2020-21 - Two Minutes about TAG for Teachers - New this year from K-12 TAG:
These are a series of short, 2 minute videos sharing about TAG and related topics for teachers! It provided a quick way to see and hear tips and info about TAG students - identified and those not yet identified in classrooms. The goal is to provide teachers with more resources on knowing their students by Name, Strength and Need. If you have any suggested topics please let Deb Luther, TAG TOSA know at lutherd@hsd.k12.or.us.
Tech Teach Grow
Our Purpose
This digital magazine is intended to support educators with technology integration in the classroom. Our hope is to provide HSD staff with tech integration ideas, info and updates via quick digital media easily accessible at your convenience. Everything we share works with current HSD tech.
Want a different result? Try something new!
Learn What’s Next…
Follow this link to a new (2.5) #TechForward>> digital magazine focused on the different types of apps HSD staff has access to that can be integrated into Google Classroom and beyond.