Expeditionary Learning National Conference, Winter 2013

I had the opportunity to attend the Expeditionary Learning National Conference in Baltimore last week, and I have returned to Bath with a lot of excitement, ideas, and concrete information.  In addition to the six Master Classes I participated in, I visited a K-12 EL school in Washington DC where I had the freedom to sit in on classes and talk with both staff and students.  I will try to share the most important parts of my experience here, with an emphasis on the real ways our district stands to benefit from the EL model.

Capital City K-12 School Visit (I visited the middle school)

Capital City is a charter school just outside of Washington D.C.  The makeup of the D.C. school district is approximately 55% normal public schools, and 45% charter schools.  Students are selected for the charter schools through a random lottery.

There is a great deal of commitment required from students and their families in order to remain in good standing at Capital City.  Parents must attend all parent teacher conferences (three per year), or their child may lose their spot at school.  Also, if student absences become a problem, they may not be asked to return.

The model used at Capital City for behavior issues is student centered and relatively simple.  A chair is placed in each room with the letters TAB written on it.  This stands for Take A Break.  If students and teachers are in an escalated disagreement, the teacher can ask the student to “TAB out.”  They can not “TAB in” (rejoin the class) until the teacher asks them to, and they must write a reflection explaining what the issue was.

I observed a Spanish class, a music class, a math class and a community meeting. Each of the classrooms I visited had a clear “Learning Target” written on the board that was initially explained and then revisited repeatedly throughout the lesson.  Each learning target began with the words “I can,” followed by that day’s target.  In Spanish the Learning Target was “I can create meaning from spoken or written input in Spanish.”

Each of the classes I observed had a minimum of two adults working with the students.  The school uses an inclusion model, meaning that ALL students attend the same class, regardless of special needs.  There is no Gifted and Talented program at any school in the Washington D.C. school district.

Each of the three classes I observed provided the chance for students to collaborate and problem solve with each other in pairs or small groups.  The music class was based around an African drum circle and focused on triplets and call-and-answer drum patterns.  The math class was a hands-on project to calculate the area of paper it would take to create the packaging for a pack of gum.  The Spanish class had students working together to identify images on a sheet of paper that corresponded to vocabulary words spoken by the teacher.  There was a real emphasis on interaction and conversation among the students.

In terms of preparation for the school year and tools to inform and design instruction the school uses the results from the A-NET assessment as well as video testimonials from students about the effectiveness of lessons and units.

The teachers collaborate on planning for many weeks each summer.  The first day of school is August 29th, returning staff returns on August 16th, and new staff begin on August 6th.  There is also an EL Adventure Coordinator position at the school.  This person supports the teachers in making arrangements and gathering supplies for expeditions.  He also helps provide ideas for CREW meetings and adventure activities.

The overall planning/scheduling philosophy of the school is “Identify the work we need to do, and then build the schedule around it.”  This is in contrast to the philosophy of building a schedule, and trying to squeeze what you can into it.

Paul Tough

The keynote speaker was Paul Tough who spoke about his book, How Children Succeed.  The overall gist of the book is that character development is inextricably connected to learning and achievement.  He cited various studies that empirically support the validity of trusting and caring relationships between students and teachers.

He also talked about the benefits of challenging experiences.  “Adversity and challenge in small doses can have a powerfully positive effect on development.”  Also, “Experiences that allow us to practice failure, that carry the risk of not succeeding, have the potential for lessons that are more significant, more memorable.”

Leaders Through Adventure

This session was run by two teachers from the Pocatello Community Charter School in Pocatello, Idaho.  Together, they initiated a wilderness mountaineering trip for 7th graders.  This was the first year for the trip, and it was a huge success.  One of the aspects they focused on was each participant’s concept of what good leadership is, both before and after the expedition.  The quotes they collected reflected deeper reflection, honesty and understanding after the climbing trip.

A quote that stuck with me is that “It’s important to embrace exposure.”  Don’t shy away from putting yourself out there, literally and metaphorically.  Going outside of one’s comfort zone can have a positive and enduring effect on character.  We talked about the fact that an extended outing changes the way our minds are working–we are able to let go of the artificial constructs and stresses of our daily lives and, in this unburdened state, get in touch with our true selves.  Day #3 is usually the point at which students are able to let go of home and be present with themselves in the wilderness.

The three experiences that are offered are camping and backpacking, rock climbing, and travel in the winter environment.

We participated in an excellent (and fun!) large-group initiative that teaches you about your leadership style.  I plan to do this activity with the BMS staff next week.  It could be a great activity for high school students.

Sequencing Teambuilding Activities

This session, run by the Teambuilding Coordinator at a Baltimore charter school, focused on the stages of group development and how to plan accordingly for each one.

Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development breaks the evolution of any group into these categories, in chronological order:

FORMING:  Introductions, feeling each other out, experimenting with different roles within the group.

STORMING:  Tempers flare as frustrations grow, arguments arise out of misunderstandings and miscommunication.  Group members may bring “baggage” from their lives outside the group into their interactions, leading to hurt feelings.

NORMING:  People begin to know themselves and their group better, they are able to identify their strengths and weaknesses (“stars and stairs”).

PERFORMING:  Group members gain self awareness, this helps the group surmount ever more difficult challenges.

TRANSFORMING:  The deeper each group member knows herself, and the more clearly defined each member’s strength, the greater the capabilities of the team.  A highly evolved team can thrive at challenges that would have been impossible during the earlier stages of group development.

In Conclusion

As a former Outward Bound instructor, I felt like I had come home at this EL Conference.  It was my first, and I just couldn’t fathom why it had taken me so long to find the organization.  Their basic method, boiled down, is to take the organizational constructs of an Outward Bound course, and apply them to schools and classrooms.  Learning targets are the focus of every lesson.  Collaboration and trust are practiced by students and teachers.  The development of character takes precedence over all other learning.  Compassion, effort, perseverance, and courage are all taught and promoted.  I am as excited about this model for education reform as I have been about any initiative since I began my Public School career ten years ago.  Expeditionary Learning done well will enhance the experience of any student lucky enough to be exposed to it, in a way that will last long after school is done.