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Let Flexibility Lead To Alignment

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  In my previous school district, I was the only teacher teaching a physics course with set, district-wide learning outcomes. These same outcomes were also taught in physics classrooms at the other high school in our district. But at our school, I was one of the 2 physics teachers. The other teacher taught the AP-level physics courses. So, in many ways, I had opportunities to incorporate strategies I believed were best for learners and that I found worked best for them without being seen as out of alignment with anyone in our building. My amazing friend and one of my teaching philosophy goddesses, Katie Novak, stated the following misconception about alignment: All teachers must deliver instruction in the exact same way. True alignment, she says, is about shared goals, rigor, and outcomes. Thank you, Katie! Katie has taught me to truly believe that learner variability is the rule, not the exception. I encourage you to take 10 minutes to listen to Katie Novak explain it in the ...
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Waves of Innovation in Elmbrook Part 2

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As I continue interviews for my graduate school project involving innovation in learning environments within my school district (find part 1 here), I was able to talk with three amazing educators at Brookfield East High School.  Again, I'll be short on the introductions to the videos because I want you to watch them.

Bill Kujawa was one of the first teachers in Elmbrook Schools to begin using technology as a lever for personalizing learning in the classroom. In this interview learn how he is able to personalize instruction in his classroom and the importance of skills based instruction for students.  Bill also speaks to how he can have students meet all the same learning targets as a traditional course but provide more context and deeper understanding.  



Molly Mathia and Lindsay Sayles embarked on a unique journey 2 years ago when they decided to merge their English 9 and World History courses into a single year-long cohort. In this interview, they explain why they undertook this challenge, how they were able to merge their curriculums, challenges they faced, and student successes. 




I'll be interviewing my last group of educators tomorrow. In addition, I'm excited to know that our district is recruiting a new cohort of educators to begin their journey into innovative practices this February.  I look forward to attend that meeting and see what is in store for Elmbrook Schools.

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