Thank you to all who were in attendance Wednesday evening. You will find the PowerPoint presentation under the For Parents tab above. If you will follow the links to Curricular Resource Materials you will find the PowerPoint for viewing or downloading.

If you have any questions or comments about the presentation, please contact your teacher or MS English Department Chair LeeAnn Emerson.

8th grade fashionistas…

and it’s not who you might think it is!

I am consistently amazed and amused by my students!  One of the things I love about my 8th grade classes this year is that I get to teach half of the students I taught last year.  One of the advantages of teaching the same kids two years in a row is the level of comfort reached in the classroom early on in the year.  This became so evident yesterday when six of my eighth grade boys proceeded to model the clothing I had brought into the classroom to help us review clothing / color vocabulary.  I never intended for them to put the clothes on… my clothes!  They had so much fun!  They amused themselves, the class and me- and it really was a great learning tool. When I suggested taking a picture, one of the boys immediately grabbed my laptop and snapped this photo…priceless!

One of the most fascinating new tools I’ve implemented this year in my classroom is the online learning environment- Moodle.  I have one for each of my class periods, and I love using it.  It was wonderful way to begin going “paperless.”  I am able to post notes about class, link to Quia quizzes and websites, and even have students hand-in assignments that can be automatically graded.  It is a private site- that requires log-in, so even though it is web-based, the security is still in place.  That being said, I also want to say that there is no substitution for one-on-one relationships and the power of a face to face conversation.  I think one of the advantages we have being in a community like Lovett is the rapport we have with our students.  This rapport allows us the flexibility of being able to explore new technologies, such as laptops in the classroom, blogging and online learning environments such as Moodle.  I think that our relationships with our students will become increasingly important and more valuable as we continue to define how we, as educators navigate the 21st century shift.

Last February NAIS president Pat Bassett challenged independent schools to change. Referencing work by Thomas Friedman, Mel Levine and Howard Gardner, Bassett outlined the need for revisioned schools and retooled students. Why? This new global knowledge-based economy and society requires more creative, collaborative, and networked people who can critically think and communicate innovative ideas. As Gardner writes in his book Five Minds for the Future, “[s]tudents may have accumulated plenty of factual or subject-matter knowledge; but they have not learned to think in a disciplined manner.”

Beginning in the 2007-08 school year and continuing in earnest this year, the Lovett middle school faculty is focusing on what a 21st century learning environment looks like and what outcomes we should expect from our students. As we develop a more ubiquitous computing environment and navigate a networked world of information abundance, we are examining what we teach, how we teach, and how we assess the work. What demonstrates learning? What is the role of the student? The teacher? Technology?

Check out the following video, produced by a small team of faculty along with Owen Matthews, Middle School Technology Coordinator, and Laura Deisley, Technology Consultant. Presented to a group of 20 leading independent schools in the Southeast-including Trinity, Westminster, Woodward, and Holy Innocents- the video demonstrates the hard work our faculty and students are doing to “understand the shift” and begin the process of learning to thrive in a highly networked culture.

Find more videos like this on Lovett Video Archive

In this main blog, we will offer new ideas, as well as onine tools and games; explore our evolving learning environment; highlight developing best practices and projects; and share the voices of students, faculty, and others who are transforming their learning by becoming more “connected.” And, most importantly, we hope to inspire one another to uncover our passions and share our gifts.

Benjamin Zander, an entertaining and highly accomplished conductor, believes we unlock learning when we practice the art of possibility. In the following TED talk, Zander shows us just what it means to have “shining eyes.” I hope you’ll take the time to listen to his entire presentation and then share with us (using the comment feature of this blog) what makes your eyes “shine.” I also wonder: How might you encourage someone else’s eyes to shine?

Laura Deisley, ldeisley@lovett.org, ext 1348
Technology Consultant and Lovett parent

The Lion’s Eye May 2008. Just click on the link below to get a full color PDF!

lions-eye-may-2008

Don’t take me away…
Please.
It’s my only place
to forget the past,
and move on…
Just THAT place.
That SINGLE place.
That each and everyday,
creates a new
shining star,
and a silver turning point,
in my life.

-From My Shining Star, Giselle 8th Grade Maryland

The words unfold, the images stir, the ideas and thoughts and dreams of students across the United States pour onto the pages of Space 2008 Issue 2.

Please read and reflect on the writing of students from Lovett and these other schools, and leave your comments for them here on this post. You can reference their writing (title of work, author) and they will come read and comment back here.

Enjoy!

I am from colorful outside toys strewn everywhere
From the shouts of my brothers and their friends echoing through the cul de sac
From the smell of just blossoming honeysuckles
And the wind whistling through the leaves

I am from the gold dome of the capital building
From the home of the Braves
From a place to have a block party with friends and neighbors
And where ya’ll isn’t slang but a way of life

I am from the home of the brave
From the country where the people decide
From a place where liberty and justice are real
And people are free to speak their minds

I am from deep roots in northern Europe
From the struggle to find a better way of life
From farmers, engravers and jewelry makers
And an example that hard work and determination pay off!

I am from a place without war, pollution and injustice
From a world where no one lives in fear
From cool tropical breezes on the beach
And the sound of the crashing waves on the shore
I am from Home

-Hope B., 8th Grade, The Lovett School

I am from a cottage in the woods
From bright colors of the flowers sprouting
From where two dogs run here and there
And open welcoming arms of family greet you

I am from flashy cars
From shopping malls
From mega-mansions
And people living the high life

I am from the Land of the “Free”
From a history of sadness and discrimination
From backyard cook-outs for the whole neighborhood
And the land of opportunities

I am from beating drums
From trails of tears
From not wasting a thing
And becoming one with the Earth

I am from paintbrush swooping the snowy tops of the mountains
From flashes of cameras capturing a moment of peace
From where the world becomes one someday soon
I am from home.

-Katie A., 8th Grade, The Lovett School