Changes in My Blog – I Said Farewell Today
Since I started blogging a month or so ago, I have mainly focused on tips that I generally send out to my teachers on a daily basis. That is all going to change today. While I will continue to publish my “Tips of the Day,” I will also begin to write reflections about my new role as Principal.
Since 2000, I have been an Assistant Principal at 2 inner city schools in Orlando, Florida. Most people think Orlando is just Mickey Mouse and Universal Studios; but we have some pretty rough parts that have seen surging crime rates in the last 24 months. Over the past year, I have been interviewing for principal positions within Orange County Public Schools. On February 12, 2007, I received a phone call from the Executive Area Director informing me that I was the leading candidate for the position of Principal at Thornebrooke Elementary School in Ocoee, Florida, which is on the outskirts of Orlando. On February 22, 2007, I met with Superintendent Ronald Blocker, who decided that I would become the next Principal at Thornebrooke Elementary.
As much as I would love to tell you about Thornebrooke today – I am not. I will save that for a future blog.
Today was a bittersweet day. I informed my staff that tomorrow night I would be going before the Orange County School Board to be named the new Principal at Thornebrooke Elementary. My current principal, Mr. Carl Colton, did an excellent job of sharing a story about a former principal as he led into telling the staff that I would be leaving. When he introduced me, he said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please help me bring up the newest OCPS principal, Mr. Kendrick.”
I was shocked to see my current staff gave me a standing ovation. I was even more shocked to see that they kept standing and clapping. I was extremely flattered. I then let them know the timeline for my impending departure. I let them know what I have learned from each of them and that my time at Orange Center was time well spent. It is hard to talk about yourself and to say goodbye, especially since I had laughed and cried with many in that room. It was extremely difficult to the people that I had hired. They put their faith in me, as I did them. It was very moving as each member of the staff walked by to give me a hug as they let me know the impact I had on them – that was very emotional.
Tomorrow night – the School Board Meeting.
Until then, this is Principal Kendrick, signing off!!!
Creating Enriching Environments
| The primary purpose of the brain is to survive, and in order to survive, a brain needs opportunities for continual growth. Using stimulus and learning as basic drives, the brain naturally seeks out what stimulates it, what is meaningful to it, what provides flexibility, emotion, choice, and an absence of threat.
Classroom teachers can work with how the brain takes in and stores information by providing what the brain needs to survive. One of the ways the brain survives is by keeping itself nurtured and growing. Learning provides the brain with the ability to keep changing and growing—which is known as neural plasticity. As the brain learns, dendrites grow and the brain actually changes shape. The brain also needs nurturing—good nutrition and water. It learns best in a safe environment, with novelty and choice. The brain needs learning and knowledge to survive, so one of its primary functions is to seek learning. Teachers are in an ideal position to satisfy the cravings of our students’ brains. “Every human being is driven to search for meaning. . . . It’s never too late to begin enriching the brain; the magic dendrite trees can branch and grow, enlarging the cortex, throughout life.” |
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DID YOU KNOW? Research shows that the brain is malleable or plastic, continuing to grow new connections in response to normal development processes and experiences (Huttenlocher, 2002). Research shows that our brains are composed of about one hundred billion brain cells organized into millions of neural networks (Jensen, 2000). TIPS: Create Enriching Environments That Enhance Student Learning When we hear the word “enriching” relative to a school environment, most of us think of additional activities or lessons that improve student understanding or enhance what students are learning. Brain researcher Marian Diamond has extensively researched the value of offering enriching environments to learners. Her research finds that in four days, dendritic growth as a result of an enriching environment occurs, and in four days, dendritic death due to lack of stimulation occurs. By continually creating enriching environments for our students, we ensure that students are learning and using their brains to the best of their abilities. There are many ways that you can enrich the learning environment for your students. Create an Environment of Emotional Support Support student comments when they are appropriate. Rather than stopping after a comment like “That’s right,” add a little more: “That’s right. The characters in the story are good at taking turns, just like you and Valerie did on the swings earlier today.” Support can also come in written form: “This essay shows much improvement, with well-developed paragraphs and a clear thesis statement” validates student work more than “Great job.” A little extra goes a long way. When students are comfortable and supported in their learning environments, the dendrites in their brains can expand and take in more information. Offer Choice and Challenge Rather than being told to complete essay questions one, two, and three, ask students to choose three of five questions. They can choose the ones that are most appealing or meaningful to them. Student brains are also in constant search of challenge. Challenges need to be manageable and fair, yet complex enough that the brain has to stretch a little. Appropriate challenge is comparable to starting up an exercise routine. It is important to start off slowly, with gradual stretches. Each time the routine becomes a bit easier, and the body can take on a little more. Manageable challenges keep our brains stimulated. Students who consistently read the aqua (easier) reading booklets may appreciate moving up to the maroon (more complex) booklets. The challenge may take a little extra time, and the result of getting through the harder material will be rewarding. Offer choice and challenge by telling students they can either read two aqua (easier) booklets or one green (advanced) booklet. They can choose the challenge that feels most appropriate. Stimulate the Senses If the lesson plan calls for teaching about the Civil War, bring in books with pictures of the uniforms. Consider bringing in a movie so students can see and hear what they need to learn. If possible, take your students to a local museum where they can see the costumes and weapons. Have students act out part of the war, where they have to learn about their historical figures and dress the part. Other students might like to research popular cuisine of the time, and bring in samples for classmates to try. Finding ways to stimulate the senses doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive when each student has a role in the learning. In fact, taking an active learning role is a fantastic way to enrich the brain. Offer Opportunities for Students to Actively Process and Participate Brains need opportunities to process and participate. Once information is taken in, our brains want to know what to do with it—how to apply it. These opportunities can come in the form of a worksheet, study guide, large or small group discussion, field trip, reflection journal, and so on. Ideally, there should be multiple opportunities for students to process and apply what they have learned. You can offer choice by letting students select whether they would prefer to write a journal entry processing what they have learned, do a pair-and-share with a classmate, create a graphic organizer, highlight their notes, or whatever method works best for their brains to process what they have learned. |
