Media Bias Chart

 Here’s the latest edition of the Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart by Vanessa Otero

Levels of Inquiry-Based Learning

 from Marshall Memo 871:

A Continuum of Inquiry-Based Learning

In this article in Social Education, Kathy Swan (University of Kentucky), S.G. Grant (Binghamton University), and John Lee (North Carolina State University) describe their Inquiry Design Model, which involves building curriculum units around questions, tasks, and sources. The authors describe five types of inquiry, ranging from teacher-developed to student-developed:

• Focused inquiry – The teacher develops the inquiry but focuses on a particular disciplinary skill and piece of content – for example, causation, maps, or research. The authors describe a curriculum unit on the federal debt, guided by the “compelling question,” Does debt matter?

• Structured inquiry – The teacher develops the blueprint to scaffold disciplinary and civic outcomes. An example is a unit on the Great Compromise of 1787, with the question, Is compromise always fair?

• Embedded action – The teacher develops the inquiry, but focuses on structuring the understand-assess-act sequence into the core of the blueprint. The authors describe a curriculum unit on the debate over Obamacare, guided by the question, Why is the Affordable Care Act so controversial?

• Guided inquiry – The teacher develops the inquiry but there are dedicated spaces for students to conduct independent research. The authors describe a curriculum unit on the Civil Rights Movement, guided by the question, What made nonviolent protest effective during this movement?

• Student-directed inquiry – Students develops the blueprint on a question of interest and plan the inquiry using the blueprint. The sample curriculum unit here is an investigation of the LGBTQ+ movement, guided by the question, What makes a movement successful?

The “roof” over this “house of inquiry,” say the authors, is that students “ask good questions and develop robust investigations into them; consider possible solutions and consequences; separate evidence-based claims from parochial ones; and communicate and act upon what they learn.” Above all, students increasingly take ownership of the process and can replicate it in the years ahead.

“Blueprinting an Inquiry-Based Curriculum: Planning with the Inquiry Design Model” by Kathy Swan, S.G. Grant, and John Lee in Social Education, November/December 2020 (Vol. 84, #6, pp. 377-383); Swan can be reached at kswan@uky.edu.

Truth Decay and Updates to Media Literacy Standards

 from Marshall Memo 871

1. Beyond Fact-Checking: Media Literacy Skills to Combat “Truth Decay”

In this Rand Corporation report, Alice Huguet, Garrett Baker, Laura Hamilton, and John Pane bemoan what they call truth decay – “the diminishing role that facts, data, and analysis play in our political and civic discourse.” Here’s their analysis of what’s gone wrong and their synthesis of recommended standards for teaching media literacy skills in schools:

• Problem #1: Increasing disagreement about facts and interpretations of facts and data

  Teaching standards:

• Recognizing the limitations of one’s own knowledge and understanding of the facts;

• Filling gaps in knowledge by using experts, libraries, and search engines;

• Understanding how today’s information sources and tools can skew facts and perspectives – for example, search engine algorithms, specialized discussion groups, choice of social media connections.

• Problem #2: Declining trust in formerly respected sources of facts and information

  Teaching standards:

• Evaluating the expertise of purveyors of information (academic credentials, role, firsthand knowledge) and their motivations (political, financial);

• Evaluating whether information meets established scientific, journalistic, and peer review standards;

• Analyzing information for bias, deception, or manipulation;

• Considering the social, political, and historical contexts of information and how those influence meaning.

• Problem #3: An increasingly blurred line between opinions and facts

  Teaching standards:

• Seeing the way technology (e.g., audio and video “deep fakes”) can sow doubt about formerly trustworthy sources;

• Analyzing whether evidence can be independently confirmed and identifying gaps in support or reasoning;

• Comparing multiple viewpoints and spotting discrepancies;

• Recognizing how one’s emotions can be triggered, influencing attitudes and eliciting certain behaviors.

• Problem #4: The tendency for one’s own opinions and experiences to override facts

  Teaching standards:

• Monitoring the intended and unintended consequences of what one shares online;

• Recognizing how one’s own cultural perspectives influence one’s interpretations of information, especially on controversial topics;

• Remaining open to updating one’s own views when presented with new facts and evidence;

• Taking action rooted in evidence: constructing new knowledge, creating and sharing media, and engaging in informed conversations and decisions on key issues.

“Responsible engagement with the information ecosystem is not simply about consuming information,” conclude Huguet, Baker, Hamilton, and Pane. “It is also about creating, sharing, and selectively emphasizing content.” 

“Media Literacy Standards to Counter Truth Decay” by Alice Huguet, Garrett Baker, Laura Hamilton, and John Pane, Rand Corporation, January 2021; Huguet can be reached at Alice_Huguet@rand.org.

Ask Questions of your Team

 from Harvard Business Review email from 1/21/21 - This tip is adapted from “Good Leadership Is About Asking Good Questions,” by John Hagel III

Chances are, most leaders are too focused on having all the answers — and not focused enough on asking the right questions. It's time to recalibrate. Despite what you might think, expressing vulnerability and asking for help, clarification, or input can be a sign of strength and confidence, not weakness. The right questions are signals of trust — and they can inspire people to trust you in return. For example, rather than telling your team about a new opportunity you've identified, ask them, "Do you see a game-changing opportunity that could create much more value than we’ve delivered in the past?" A big, simple question like this can inspire a burst of collaboration and creativity across the organization. And if you consistently demonstrate a question-first mindset, you’ll help establish an overall culture of curiosity and learning that will keep your team innovating and responding to challenges effectively. So try it out this week: Ask your team a big-picture, open-ended question, and see if it doesn’t lead to some new and exciting ideas.

Well Said - kudos to staff members and "books I'm reading"

 My colleague at RMHS does Kudos in staff emails:

KUDOS to JOY RUCKOLDT: Yearbook Sponsor

KUDOS to GABE POPOVICH: M.O.S.T Sponsor

KUDOS to ALISON DEBERGE: National English Honor Society, Orchesis Assistant

KUDOS to AIMEE SCHAAP: PAC Representative, Cooperating Teacher

KUDOS to ALICIA RAFACZ: PERCC Representative, Mentor

KUDOS to MARYANN KOPENY: Resource Teacher

KUDOS to MARK MAXWELL: Resource Teacher

KUDOS to DENISE HERFF, MARICELA FERNANDEZ, JUDY CURIEL, ALICE BRATKO, SANDRA TELLEZARVIZU: Special seminar sessions & tutoring

KUDOS to all PLC Leaders: TONY COMO, RYAN KIRKORSKY, JEN MARCONI, MARK MAXWELL, GABE POPOVICH, ALICIA RAFACZ, IZABELLA WNEK

She also lists books she's reading like this:

Currently reading the following:

Fiction - Opposite of Always by Justin a. Reynolds

Non-fiction - Stamped by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

Play - Gloria  by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Poetry -Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

Professional - Differently Wired by Deborah Reber

check in emotionally at next meeting

 Why not use this technique at the beginning of your professional learning community or grade-level or department meetings? It's not self-indulgent to take time to pose these questions to one another:

• What's on your mind?
• What's a recent challenge or success?
• What are you thankful for?
• What are you looking forward to?3 

In our experience, taking time to check in emotionally with one another for a few minutes actually increases the efficiency of a meeting. We get more accomplished—and prevent some of the "decision fatigue" that can set in as a meeting goes on.

from ed leadership article - Regaining Compassion Satisfaction - link

Design Your Meeting Agenda Around Questions

 

A good agenda is the first step to any successful meeting. If you want to make the best use of everyone’s time, turn your bullet points into questions that drive to the outcomes you’re looking for. For example, instead of a general topic like “Budget Problems,” try a specific question like, “How will we reduce our spending by $100,000 by the end of the fiscal year”? Or replace an item like “Strategic Planning” with a challenge like, “What is the key market threat we need to be aware of, how could it affect us, and what can we do to anticipate?” Preparing these questions before the meeting will make it easier to determine who should be there and how much time you’ll really need. Ultimately, a questions-based approach to your agenda can bring focus, engagement, and better performance to your meetings. And if you can’t think of questions to ask, maybe you don’t need that meeting after all!

This tip is adapted from “How to Create the Perfect Meeting Agenda,” by Steven G. Rogelberg

Talk to your team after traumatic events

 HBR article about talking to your team after the Wednesday mayhem: 

So many Americans are infuriated and heartbroken by the events that occurred in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021. As lawmakers convened in a joint session in the House of Representatives chamber to count Electoral College votes and certify the election of the 46th President of the United States, rioters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the process of democracy at work. It was a horrifying display of domestic terrorism.

When major events like this happen, with millions of people watching, the workplace spillover is inevitable. And, particularly over the past year, many organizations have committed to stepping up in such situations to support their workers’ needs. Consider the clear and strong stances many companies took in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police, including work with internal and external partners to develop their DEI competencies and address social justice issues. This is yet another opportunity for managers to put those corporate ideals into practice on the ground.

Many leaders are unsure about how to discuss current events that elicit strong opinions and emotions from their team members and so their default is to say nothing or make only a passing comment. Resist that tendency. You need to instead lean into this moment of disbelief, frustration, anger, fear, and anything else people might be feeling — not only today but from here on out. When something unspeakable occurs, you won’t find the perfect words to calm your people and restore their focus. No one does. But it is important that you acknowledge pain when it is felt. It is top of mind for your employees, and they are waiting to hear from you.

As you approach these crucial conversations, two things should be clear in your mind:

• Political views may vary but there is no tolerance for the spreading of disinformation, racism, violence, or attacks on democracy in a civil society or a respectable organization.
• Each team member’s context is unique. For example, as women of color, we are hurt and angered by the contrast between law enforcement’s docile response to yesterday’s rioters and the undue force shown to peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters last summer. Others might be triggered by seeing a Confederate flag paraded through the Capitol or a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt proudly worn by a trespasser because it harkens back to horrific acts of past violence. And employees born outside the United States who have histories in countries with government uprisings leading to civil wars might be reminded of those experiences.

Now you can focus on encouraging an inclusive dialogue that shows you to be a supportive leader who cares about your employees both at work and in life. Here’s a template you might follow:

Create space. Let your team know that the crisis has been on your mind and you want to give them time and a venue (even if it’s virtual) to express their feelings about what’s happened. Clarify that it’s also okay to not discuss it if they prefer.

• “I want you to know that part of being able to bring your whole self to work is not ignoring the things that impact us outside of it.”
• “What’s on your mind today?”
• “How did yesterday’s events affect you?”
• “How did that situation make you feel about the work you do here?”

Acknowledge. Show that you understand how difficult it can be to process traumatic events.

• “I recognize you might not be able to articulate all your feelings, and that’s okay.”
• “I know it might be hard for any of us to get our heads around what happened.”
• “I understand that you might be distracted today.”

Affirm. Demonstrate that you are taking in individual perspectives.

• “I appreciate you sharing how this looks and feels from your point of view.”
• “Thank you for opening up and speaking so honestly and vulnerably about this.”

Personalize. Share your own authentic reactions but don’t make assumptions or generalizations about how others feel.

• “I felt ________ when watching the news.”
• “Today _________ is really on my mind.”
• Do not say: “I can imagine as a person of color you may feel upset/angry.”

Offer support. Let your team know you stand ready to help them today and going forward.

• “How can I offer you support?”
• “I’m here for you if you want to discuss any of this in the future.”

Reinforce values. Remind people of your personal and your organization’s commitment to employee wellbeing, democratic values, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• “Our leadership team remains committed to __________.”
• “I’m always going to stand up for this team and our values.”

Highlight resources. Point people to your organization’s DEI and mental health support groups and programs, as well as online guides to external help.

The events of the past several years — culminating in yesterday’s attempted coup — have left a great many of us reeling. Managers need to check in with their teams now more than ever, engage in open and honest conversations, help people process their evolving emotions, share their perspectives and opinions, and offer ongoing support. Done right, this sets the stage for the kind of strong manager-employee relationship that can also weather turbulent times in the future.

LT principal after chaos in Washington

 Well said... after january 6, 2021 chaos in Washington.... LT principal sends this out:

The events that occurred during Wednesday’s election certification in Washington D.C. were historic, tragic, and not reflective of the democratic society most Americans strive for. On Thursday, our remote classrooms included questions from students and discussion, which undoubtedly included varying opinions, thoughts, and feelings regarding Wednesday’s events. Please know as educators, while we do not have all the answers to student questions, our obligation is to focus on acknowledging the history of the moment and the reality of what occurred, to demonstrate empathy to those who were injured or lost their lives, and to provide an opportunity for all students to share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions in a respectful manner.