LFKS Secretary
School is almost over for this semester…winter break is upon
us. As you leave the kiddos, colleagues,
bustling halls, and familiar classrooms for homes and celebrations both near and
far, we at Learning Forward Kansas wish for you the gift of time
so that you may relax and appreciate all that matters, enjoy the closeness of
family and friends, and rejuvenate your soul.
But we know that learning never really takes a break, so we imagine that
you will also steal a few minutes to reflect on the past year and consider ways
to improve instruction, implement new ideas, or spark new interest in the coming
year just as we do here in our LFKS Annual Holiday Letter.
Learning Forward Kansas has been
right there with Kansas educators who are knee deep in navigating and
implementing the KESA process, finding ways to examine current practices, and rethinking
how we do school. The State Board has
asked schools to prepare students for success in the world after high
school. To accomplish this, the idea of redesign
is at the forefront of our conversations.
What does that really mean? Why is it important? How will it help students succeed? How will we know we got there? LFKS is asking the same questions and uncovering possibilities for educators and schools to consider.
LFKS spent the last few years redesigning our
organization from how we support schools, promote effective professional
learning, and share information, to how we conduct business. We didn’t really call it redesign when we started
this journey, but we definitely did a lot of rethinking of our purpose and what we wanted to accomplish, and how
that might look differently from previous efforts. We took a hard look at our data, at our
impact, and sought feedback and ideas from other educators and organizations. Feedback was one strategy that provided us
with valuable input and helped guide us as we focused our vision and mission
and aligned our actions accordingly. We
listened. We brainstormed. We tried ideas. We succeeded and failed, but most
importantly, we kept moving forward. We
are working with and for Kansas educators to make professional learning matter
as we transform our schools to better prepare our students. Just as parents are proud of their children’s
accomplishments, we are proud of the direction LFKS is headed today.
This past fall LFKS hosted the Fall Institute, a learning opportunity featuring Joellen Killion (Learning Forward) sharing her expertise on Learning Focused Feedback.
By rethinking how we might use feedback for growth, eliminate the
mindset of “giving or receiving” feedback, and focus on the idea of feedback as a process for people to
construct understanding, it takes on a new meaning, thereby increasing trust
and effectiveness. As schools consider redesign, how might implementing a feedback
process that engages learners in
conversations designed to change practice help create a culture of growth and change?
The LFKS
Annual Leadership Conference (January 31-February 1, 2018 in Wichita)
totally focuses on redesign for
student success. All of the keynote
speakers (Ron Berger, EL Education; Commissioner
Randy Watson; and KTOY 2015, Shannon Ralph) and breakout session
facilitators will focus on elements of redesign
in the way we teach, how students learn, how we incorporate technology, how
we organize schools, and how we plan and conduct professional learning. The first day is an immersion in how we
teach to engage and empower students through authentic learning. The second day
is filled with multiple perspectives, ideas, and experiences coming from all over
the state and a variety of school sizes.
We invite you to make plans to
attend and join the conversation on redesign.
LFKS has been doing our homework too which has resulted in resources
that can be found on our website for
all educators to use as they work through the process of school improvement and
redesign. Protocol guides, videos, and
learning opportunities are just some of the ways LFKS supports individual
educators and schools in their professional learning. We have new opportunities and resources ready
to roll out in 2018 as well – so stay tuned!
When you look to 2018 and beyond, consider what results
you’ve had and what results you’d like to have.
Once that “why” has been determined, the redesign of current practices, or the creation of new practices can
begin to take place. Change happens one conversation at a time. LFKS would love to see every educator and every student in every school thrive in a responsive learning environment that encourages
inquiry and growth. We wish for each of
you the courage to step outside your comfort zone and realize that learning new
ways of teaching doesn’t mean what you did before was wrong…. It just reflects
that you are growing right along with your students.
So as we close this latest Holiday Letter, we are thankful for the high quality educators that dedicate their lives to Kansas students. We hope that
you have a wonderful winter break, and before you head back in January, you will set new learning goals for
yourself and your students. What would you like to see in your school or
classroom if resources were not an issue? What’s on your bucket list for teaching and
learning? Who would you like to meet
that would inspire your practice? We
want to hear from you as your redesign
efforts transform teaching and learning.
Imagine the possibilities! What a
year it will be!
Happy Holidays from all of us at Learning Forward Kansas!
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