Less is More

Notes from "Less is More: How A Focus On Learning Can Make This Happen in Schools." Martin Skelton ECIS Administrators' Courageous Leadership Conference Istanbul April 2011

• The speaker likened the acquisition of knowledge to the choice of buying a book, i.e. if you know what book you're looking for it's best to go to a big book store but if you don't, it's better to go to a small one because too much choice can be overwhelming. English teachers, please note when giving composition choices!





• The value of trying established methods and not adopting everything that's new just because it is. The Dalai Lama has said that he is disappointed in the spread of Buddhism in the West as he sees it as a trend, people hopping from one faith to another. It would be better to examine your own faith and make headway in that direction.





• "Less is more" was the philosophy of the 20th century architect, Mies Van Der Rohe who designed according to the holistic nature of things.





• "The Hedgehog" versus the "One-Trick Pony" concept. See http://www.jimcollins.com/
  
  

The benefit of choosing a simple concept as a frame of reference. The clearer the focus, the higher rate of success.

What defines a good school?
Based on parent satisfaction? Limiting
Based on management satisfaction? Equally limiting
"Learning should be the driver." The school should arrive at a shared definition of learning.

• When we look at learning, "Are they busy?" versus "Are they busy learning?"
  

If you're learning you should be struggling. The speaker gave the example of a Spanish teacher who had excellent skills but the level of learning in her classes was disappointing. She found out that the less she taught the more her students learned. With more focus came more learning.

When looking at your classroom, keep the following points in mind:

1.Knowledge which is based on memory
2. Skills which develop with resilience
3. Understanding that comes with experience and reflection.
4. When observing teachers the importance of understanding whether the students are learning.

See Diagram for Learning:

• Set realistic goals...80% maintenance 20% development





• Don't set too many targets





• School improvement planning: Focus on issues that you can solve





• Being brave in carrying out the solution

ORTAK PAYDA UÇUŞTA TOPLANIYOR :)

ORTAK PAYDA UÇUŞTA YİNE TOPLANIYOR ....
15 NİSAN 2011 CUMA GÜNÜ SAAT 15:45 'TE AYAZAĞA IŞIK İLKÖĞRETİM OKULU, YABANCI DİLLER BÖLÜM ODASINDA SİZE EV SAHİPLİĞİ YAPMAK İSTİYORUZ.

KONUMUZ: IŞIK OKULLARI ÖĞRENCİSİNİN İLKÖĞRETİMİNİ TAMAMLADIKTAN SONRA IŞIK OKULLARI'NDAKİ ÖĞRENİMİNE DEVAM ETME İSTEĞİNDEKİ AZALMA NEDENLERİ

PRESENTER / FACILITATOR : ESRA GÜLSEREN & CEYLAN NURCAN & VEYSEL LAÇİN
PROTOCOL : CHALK TALK ( SCHOOL REFORM INITIATIVE RESOURCE BOOK PAGE 97-98 )
GÖRÜŞMEK ÜZERE :)

Feedback for CFG 6&7 on Session 2

Feedback on Session 2 I shared our meeting notes with Canan and she explained the various stages of your meeting with Faika hanım about disciplinary problems. Re. Rules: I will approach Faika hanım about the possibility of adapting the School Rules as set out for Grades 1-5 with input from representatives from Grades 6,7&8. We'll obviously have to build upon what's already in place as starting from scratch would appear to be taken as a direct criticism of the admin. Re. Home Rooms for English Teachers: There is no possibility of this happening now or in the near future. Therefore, we have to make optimum use of the extra rooms at our disposal. In most of these I notice that the layout is classic. So why not change it? Only English teachers use these rooms so you are free to decorate and organize as you wish. Canan mentioned that there are materials in the Dept. which you can make use of, i.e. posters, games etc; she also said that improving class technology is a very likely possibility. Re. Counseling: If we want workshops from the Counseling Dept. we'll have to make the first move. Conclusion: To achieve change it is necessary for everyone to examine their practices and this is a painful process. We will just have to keep chipping away and try to take small steps in the right direction.

CFG 6&7 Session 2

Session 2 CFG 6&7 Topic: What methods and techniques can we employ to deal with problematic behaviour in the classroom? Protocol: The Charette Presenter: Heather Facilitator: Beverley Expected Outcomes: Solutions At the first session we discussed classroom problems, focussed on what was going wrong. In this session I want to address the question again and hope we can come up with some solutions. I understand what you are saying about rules and the school's overall attitude to discipline but I felt we got stuck in the last session and couldn't focus on possible solutions. That's why today I'd like to question the system under the following headings:

• Physical environment


• Teachers' attitudes


• Students' attitudes


• Admin/Teacher/Student/Counselor/Parents relationships

Academic learning in Music versus appreciation

Dilemma: Academic learning in Music versus appreciation

Students are expected to learn to read music and play an instrument. This may be very challenging at times. should we aim to build music apprecaition instead?

Expected Outcome/Objective: To build more realistic expectations for the Music curriculum. ıncrease enjoyment from the subject, make the lessons more efficient

Protocol Issaquah

Presenter Tunç Demirağ

Facilitator Betti Delevi

Supporting materials Music Curriculum

Session Date Mar 8, 2011, 16:40 - 17:50

Participating Members Betti, Tunç, Berna, Nathan, Hande, Nilhan, Simge

Absentees / Why Alex ( JMUN preparation), Sinan ( Montessori training)

Notes/Issues/Highlights : Tunç explained why this subject became an issue for him. He felt it was more important to build appreciation of music in children than teaching them how to read music and play an instrument. He discussed this issue frequently with colleagues in his department but could not resolve the dilemma.

The group asked clarifying questions like: How do you cope/when did you start experiencing the dilemma?/how do you give grades / which parts of the curriculum don't you like/ who expects the music department to follow the curriculum what are the hours allocated to music at which grades

And probing questions: What would an ideal music lesson look like for you / for students what musical skills should ss acquire by graduation / have you asked ss what they would like to learn in music

Recommendations: work on scheduling: schedule two classes in parallel and separate them into two tracks: singing / instrument or other tracks like music appreciation / listening / music history / different styles.... Try harmonica as alternative to recorder Try to increase music hours to 2 per week, maybe by having Music in English i-pads for music teachers ask ss what they want to learn and how they want to be graded