Moonshot Thinking Newton-Conover Leadership Retreat July 2015 David Stegall

The Committee of Ten 1857 The National Education Association (NEA) became the first, and for over 40 years the only, forum in which leaders in all levels of education could discuss common concerns The NEA formed a committee - The Committee of Ten - to specifically discuss the chief purposes for teaching in public schools. Twelve years of education were recommended, with eight years of elementary education followed by four years of high school. The significance of the Committee of Ten was its contribution towards liberalizing the high school by offering alternatives to the Latin and Greek classic curricula and the belief that the same subjects would be equally beneficial to both academic and terminal students. The goal of school was to prepare all students to do well in life, contributing to their own well-being and society's good, and to prepare some students for college. Are schools today accomplishing this?

“Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education”- Martin Luther King Throughout human history we’ve revered those who have acquired the most knowledge, but for the first time in history, knowledge is a free commodity. People don’t care what you know. They can figure it out easily online. Now what matters is what can you DO with what you know.

Whatever you are thinking, Think BIGGER Everything in this world was at some point invented by someone like you and me. –Everyone thought Disneyland was going to be a disaster!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world....it's the only thing that ever has." Change is hard, but stagnation is fatal.-Peter Bishop

What do I believe? All students have gifts. We are born curious, creative and imaginative. All students can grow. Imagination is stronger than knowledge/dreams are powerful Children are taught that it’s much more important to give the right answer than to ask the right questions. Logic will get you from A to B, but imagination will take you everywhere. Imagination and creativity are the driving forces of every invention by our species. Positive thinking is more than just warm fuzzies. It can change your life. Positive attitudes and smiles are contagious, as are negative attitudes and frustration. Creativity is the heart of education.

I believe… Vision comes from the heart more than the eyes. Hope always triumph over experience. Stories are powerful. Everyone deserves a seat at the table. We are stronger than me. Successful people take risks. Creativity is contagious and inspiring. Ambitious people break away from group thinking and expose themselves to new ways of thinking. A kind word can bring healing and gossip can rip chasms. Children too often are taught to observe in school, not create. The world wants people who can innovate, bring new possibilities to life, and solve problems creatively. Our community are doers and makers. Love conquers all.

What do you believe? List some key beliefs about schools, students, and our profession on your moonshot

Are schools preparing students for life?

I wish/I hope… We could create a district-wide feeling of trust. That we could light a spark in every child and find a place for them to connect. We will create great experiences that our students will share with their friends and colleagues years from now. On your Moonshot, list your wishes and hopes for your school or our district.

I Wish/I Hope What's keeping you from doing it? Who do you need to help you? How would your job/life be different if you reach the moon?

Success isn’t accidental

When People Own Something, They Care About it If there were no rules and you were creating public education, what would it look like? How would this improve your life? How would it improve the lives of students? How would this Improve our community?

My Fears Are… That public perception will hinder our ability to be as successful as we could be. That I won’t be the leader that I need to be. Funding cuts will limit our resources. Teacher and staff turnover will negatively impact our schools. On your Moonshot, list your Fears

If we believe it, and we own it, and we wish it were true, Then why don’t we do it?

I wonder… How do/should our belief statements impact how we hire, how we structure our schools, how we empower our students? How do we teach our children to solve complex problems? How do we move from classrooms that are passive and focused on consumption to ones where the teacher is coaching and students are problem solving? How do we take appropriate risk and remove fears of failure? How do we build trust? How do we get more play, more passion and more purpose into our classrooms? How do we make our work public? How do we bring our community into our schools? How do we move past excuses and find new answers?

We need to take a risk We need to take moonshots in our schools and classrooms

What if

Design Thinking- Let’s model what we expect

Design Thinking Empathy-HOW to empathize- Observe, Engage, Watch/Listen. This is why we shadowed students. Define- What are the Needs? Who will this benefit? What’s keeping us from doing this? Ideate- How Might we…? What if…? No idea is too wild. Prototype- Practical, not pretty Test- What did we learn? What worked? What failed?

Possible Ideas… Redesign what a classroom looks like Change what grades look like Obtain business partners so that…. Change the role of the teacher Change what lunchtime looks like-thinking games in common areas with school branded charging stations SMART lunch Create a forum for students to exchange ideas Innovating our learning spaces Created genius hour/20% time Build a community Made “play” a large part of learning Create our own MOOC for student enrichment Foster a culture of risk takers We quit educating creativity out of our students

This year I want you to build a better school The goal of school is to prepare all students to do well in life (not on a test), contributing to their own well- being and society's good.