Lindsay Lyons
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10/31/2022

Key Curriculum Review Practice for Educators: Values-Action Alignment Activity

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​Each educator has their own personal values. And every class, school, or district has them too. Some of these values are deeply integrated into classroom curriculum while others are placeholders on the website. 
No matter where you are on this spectrum, we can all agree that there needs to be alignment between values—what we say we care about—and what we actually do. 
For this reason, educators can take some time to complete a values-action alignment activity to take stock of where they are and how they can improve. I covered this practice in-depth on episode 92 of the Time for Teachership podcast, so you can listen to it as well! 

Step 1: Decide your values
The first step to align values with action is to actually know what your values are. Think through these questions:
  • What are our stated values?
  • How did we come to them? 
  • Do all stakeholders know about these values? 
If you’re unsure of what values are currently present in your class or school, take time to co-create values with other stakeholders. It’s important that everyone has a part in deciding what’s important and knows how the values show up in the educational setting. 

Step 2: Values-action curriculum alignment
Once you have identified the values that are important in your setting, it’s time to align them directly with curriculum content and activities. Take an inventory of everything that’s going on in your setting—activities, curriculum, projects, etc. 
You can do this by engaging various stakeholders including students, other teachers and colleagues, and the curriculum plan. 
Once you have a scope of the content and curriculum, assign one of the values to each item. You can do this by creating a document or log of each item and it’s assigned value. 

Step 3: What is success? 
After aligning your values and actions, zoom out and ask: what does success look like? What makes the curriculum successful can be divided into a few different parts:
  • Assessment: Look at the types of assessments you’re doing (tests, projects, etc.) and how they’re being evaluated. Does it align with your values? 
  • Pedagogy: Does your pedagogy relate to values that are important? For example, for student voice (value) to be amplified, students need to be able to speak out and push back on the teachers’ viewpoints and their opinions are welcomed and valued. 
  • Policies: What happens in your class with outbursts or disagreements? Look at your disciplinary or classroom management policies and how they align with values. 

Step 4: Design with values in mind
After going through this exercise, you can continue the process by asking one simple question for every decision: what values are prioritized here? Make it an ongoing process by writing the question on the top of every agenda or curriculum plan so that your values are visible and obviously aligned with each task and item. 
And, in all of this, consider the process. It’s not just about the end product, but how we got there. So, who’s involved? Does everyone get a voice? Are we asking the right questions? Commit to the process and don’t try to rush through this practice. 
--- 
If you want to go even deeper into this practice, listen to episode 92 of the Time for Teachership podcast. This simple activity will take some time, but it will help you better align your values and actions, which positively impacts your class and your ability to support students. 


Quotes: 
  • 8:35 “Another perspective here is the students’ perspective to make sense of this. You’re not just coming in as this leader or coach, or even the teacher in the class, saying, ‘this is what’s happening.’ You also want to get students’ perspective: ‘what values do you see played out in the activities?’”
  • 11:37 “Is the pedagogy or protocols students are being asked to engage in in the classroom fostering their grappling? Fostering their voice? Fostering their co-creation between students and teachers or students and students? Do they see the course as relevant to their lives now?”
  • 18:00 “At the top of all agendas, lesson plan templates, write the question: what values are prioritized here?”
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10/24/2022

What is a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum? with Dr. TJ Vari

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​Listen to the episode by clicking the link to your preferred podcast platform below:
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  • ​Spotify​
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As educators, we wear a lot of hats. Every day is full of diverse, varied tasks and responsibilities that keep our days full. Dr. TJ Vari, guest on episode 91 of The Time for Teachership podcast, also wears many hats—he’s a superintendent in a fast-growing school district, professor, coach for principals, father, and social justice advocate. 
​

And the variety of this experience, that we all have, is what makes us better educators. 
Because with each new role, we learn something new that can be used to create positive change and impact in our schools. We touched on a lot of topics together, but most of it centered on this question: how do we evolve our current system so that it doesn’t just prepare students for the real world, but is the real world?
For Dr. Vari, two big shifts are achieving guaranteed and viable curriculum, and understanding the art and science of education. 

Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
One of the biggest problems with our current education system in America today is the variance. Dr. Vari pointed out just how diverse students’ experiences are—education differs between teachers, schools, districts, and states. 
So even two students in the same school will have wildly different experiences learning, say, grade six math. And think about the differences across states, too! 
The first step for any change to the school system, then, is to achieve guaranteed and viable curriculum: 
  • Guaranteed: All students get it.
  • Viable: All teachers can teach it. 
This can start from simple conversations between teachers in the same grade level. By identifying priority standards--what truly matters for students to learn--they can create cohesive unit plans that guarantee everyone is learning the same thing. 
As you scale up, guaranteed and viable curriculum should be a priority across school districts and states, too. This is the way we can fight injustice and discrimination and ensure that all students have equal access. 

Art and Science of Education
Talking about a guaranteed and viable curriculum might seem rigid to some educators—shouldn’t education be personalized? Isn’t there room for flexibility? 
Dr. Vari offered a few thoughts on this dichotomy of flexible vs. rigid curriculum. From his perspective, it comes down to understanding the art and science of education. There are some things that are a science—studied, proven, and should be standard. Other things are an art—open to flexibility and creativity. 
The four sciences of education are: 
  • Content knowledge: Educators need to know and understand their content inside and out. 
  • Pedagogy: Effective ways to teach content has been studied and proven—some things work, and others don’t. 
  • Disposition: How we interact with students matter and has also been studied to understand what’s effective and what’s not. 
  • Grading: Again, there are studies that show what is the most effective way to do this. 
The art of education is just one thing… but a hugely important thing! It’s your creative flair as a teacher. It’s what makes you, you. It’s something no one can take away from you and should be embraced as a unique and beneficial strength you bring to the profession. 
So instead of seeing a rigid curriculum in front of you, consider what’s an art and what’s a science. We can all study and grow in knowledge of the science of education while maintaining our unique and creative identities as educators. 
--- 
This is just the tip of the iceberg from our conversation with Dr. TJ Vari on episode 91 of The Time for Teachership podcast. You can listen to the full episode or connect directly with him and his work at www.theschoolhouse302.com. 


Quotes
  • 4:18 “I am an advocate for school reform. That doesn’t mean that it needs to be a revolution—it can be an evolution. A revolution’s fine, but we’re going to meet a lot of resistance. I always say that the definition of leadership is influence, the challenge of leadership is conflict, and the result of leadership is change. And if you want change, you’re going to experience conflict.” 
  • 10:42 “The biggest problem we have in schools and education is variance … The variance for kids from one teacher to the next, one school to the next, one school system to the next, one state to the next. So, guaranteed and viable—let’s break that down. Guaranteed means that every kid gets it. And viable means we have trained staff who can deliver.”
​
Click here to visit The SChool House 302 website
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10/17/2022

Designing a Unit Around the Dobbs v. Jackson Decision

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​​Listen to the episode by clicking the link to your preferred podcast platform below:
  • ​Apple podcasts​
  • ​Google podcasts​
  • ​Spotify​
  • ​Stitcher

Not too long ago, most of us were glued to our phones and social media to hear the outcome of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. This landmark Supreme case brought up so many cultural conversations around bodily autonomy, consent, sexual assault and more. 
And it’s a conversation that needs to be brought into the classroom. 

​Our students need a place to unpack and understand important cultural events. Through careful and intentional curriculum planning, we can provide that space for them. 

Recently I’ve started doing mini curriculum bootcamps, where educators can learn how to design a unit around a specific topic. A recent one centered on the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which was also discussed on episode 90 of the Time for Teachership podcast. 
Here are the steps educators can take to design a unit that opens the conversation of this important current event. 

Principles for Justice-Centered Curriculum
Before diving into the how-to, it’s important to clarify some principles for justice-centered curriculum. Here are the core principles to remember when designing a unit:
  • Define and walk the line. Being on the side of justice is to uphold the dignity of all—keep coming back to that line. 
  • Curriculum is more than just content. The entire unit needs to be relevant to all students and affirming to intersecting identities. 
  • Use current events to engage students. 
  • Pedagogy is personalized—justice-centered curriculum needs to be accessible to all students. 
  • Go beyond the grade, teacher, and classroom with your curriculum—help students make their mark outside this immediate environment.  
  • Student voice is essential. They can be co-creators of what they’re learning. 

How to Design a Justice-Centered Unit
With those core principles of justice-centered curriculum in mind, educators can structure a lesson plan. I go into this in more detail during Curriculum Boot Camps, but here are the main steps an educator can take when designing a unit:
1. Start with a mind map. 
Get out your computer, a pen and paper, or a whiteboard and start brainstorming everything that comes to mind in the context of the Dobbs v. Jackson case. This could be related to the content of what to teach, questions that come up, or texts and resources you want to use. 
  • Tip: Do this process with other teachers and produce a cross-departmental unit plan!
2. Brainstorm some questions that uphold people’s dignity. 
This is to get at your driving question for the unit. Some examples related to this topic are: 
  • How can we balance safety and freedom? 
  • How can we provide healthcare for all Americans? 
  • Why or how is intersectionality important in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision? 
  • How is this topic explored in XYZ Resource? 
  • What has or is the most effective social change strategy? Think of supreme court rulings, protest culture, art, etc. as agents of change—which is most effective?
3. Come up with a project
Start with your own ideas, but also invite students to come alongside you and co-create some ideas. Since one of the goals of justice-centered curriculum is for it to go beyond the classroom, consider ideas like a multimedia project (podcast or movie) or a presentation to the school board. 
4. Determine protocols and how you’re going to teach the unit. 
Establishing regular protocols and rhythms is essential to teaching a successful unit. Consider having check-ins each week on Monday, as it’s a heavy topic and important to see how everyone is doing. Then set up the rest of the weekly teaching plans to align with your guiding question and project. 
5. Determine a strategy for resource gathering
Don’t leave this to the last minute! Make sure you’re constantly curating and collecting resources—podcasts, TV clips, books, news stories, art, etc. There are so many directions to go with content, so start collecting it early and store somewhere easily accessible. 
--- 
Creating a justice-centered curriculum and unit plan needs to be intentional and thoughtful. The ultimate goal is to help students interact with current events in an inclusive space that upholds everyone’s dignity. 

​To dive in deeper to this topic, go listen to episode 90 of the Time for Teachership podcast. You can also check out my resource list for support in creating a unit around the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. Interested in Curriculum Boot Camp for your staff? Book a call with me. 


Quotes:
  • 1:48 “Justice-centered curriculum includes more than just content that addresses an issue. It’s engaging and relevant content—it is relevant in the sense that it’s relevant to our students in the room. It represents and affirms intersectional identities.” 
  • 14:48 “My hint to myself is ABC, ‘Always Be Curating.’ It’s very important to not just leave this to the last minute. But as you see something, as you hear about a current event, you listen to a podcast, you hear a clip on John Oliver—whatever it is … add it somewhere.”
  • 21:53 “We center dignity in all that we do. Current events are relevant, engaging, and students deserve a place to unpack them.”

Reproductive Justice & Consent Resources
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10/10/2022

5 Components of Real Buy-In with Dr. Samuel D. Nix

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Listen to the episode by clicking the link to your preferred podcast platform below:
  • ​Apple podcasts​
  • ​Google podcasts​
  • ​Spotify​
  • ​Stitcher​


​We hear the term “buy in” all the time, especially in the field of education. We want people to be on the same page about proposed changes or new ideas. 
But are people really buying in? Or are they just complying because they have to?
We talk about how to initiate and sustain true change on episode 89 of the Time for Teachership podcast. Dr. Samuel D. Nix shares his wisdom with us for how to take steps towards significant, impactful change and progress. He highlights the importance of making a mindset shift and allowing that shift to impact your actions. 
Here are some of the takeaways from our conversation. 

Acknowledging Unconscious Biases
When asked what his dream for the field of education is, Dr. Nix said it was that there would be no more equity gap or learning gap. That every student would enjoy their education, benefit from it, and have the same opportunities as their peers. 
But before this dream can be realized, we need to start recognizing and dismantling our unconscious biases. 
Dr. Nix does an exercise with educators where they look at photos of a diverse set of students. Then, based on their ethnicity, gender, clothing, etc., educators will give them a grade from A to F, based on what they think they’d have. 
Then comes the question: why? Why are certain grades assigned to certain students? Dr. Nix goes on to say that these are all A-level students. So why do we think otherwise? It comes down to those unconscious biases each and every one of us have. 
Recognizing we have those biases is the first step to any real change and is the over-arching mindset shift that most educators need. 

Steps to Initiate Change
Besides this understanding of unconscious biases, Dr. Nix identified five steps to get true buy-in from others—five steps to initiate true change. They are as follows:
  1. Engage in honest, transparent dialogue. This goes back to unconscious biases and the willingness to talk about it. This is the first step for any practical and lasting change.
  2. “Chunk the change.” Change is hard. And asking people to change something they’ve always done is even harder. Breaking things down into smaller “chunks” and action steps makes it easier. 
  3. Listen to form relationships. Come from a place of truly desiring to understand where someone is coming from. This is the basis of all strong relationships and, ultimately, relationships are more important than ideas. 
  4. Obtain feedback and input from the people the change impacts. Make sure you are listening to how people are impacted and what they think about the changes. 
  5. Communicate progress with the people it impacts. You can do steps 1-4 perfectly, but this last step is what keeps people motivated and excited for the long term. Report back to everyone on how things are going and what the progress is. 

Change doesn’t come over night—we know this. It’s an ongoing process that requires openness, vulnerability, and persistence. 
It also requires the ability to look inward and reflect on where you are. Dr. Nix’s one next action step for all educators is to stop and think: are your actions having the impact they have the potential to have? Start with yourself and start with reflection. 

​We covered so much more in this conversation with Dr. Samuel D. Nix! Have a listen to the whole thing on episode 89 of the Time for Teachership podcast. You can also connect with Dr. Nix at his website, www.snix3consulting.com, or over on twitter: @samuelnix. 


Quotes:
  • 5:13 “I believe the most difficult thing to do, in any field, not just education, is shifting a person’s mindset. What you’re in essence dealing with is a belief. Experiences shape beliefs, beliefs influence actions, and actions produce results.”
  • 31:37 “Even though you may be in a system that is inhibiting your freedom to be all the way autonomous … it is absolutely possible. Although challenging, it’s possible. And it doesn’t take a lot—there’s just some things you have to shift in your mindset.”
  • 38:32 “The first thing that people should do is ask this question: ‘Are my actions having the impact that they have the potential to have?’”
Visit Dr. Samuel Nix Website
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10/3/2022

Season 3 Premiere—Curriculum That Challenges, Affirms, + Inspires

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It’s hard to believe that what started as a simple blog a few years ago is now approaching the 100th podcast episode! Time for Teachership has come a long way, and we are excited and ready to launch right into season three. 
Episode 88 is the intro to season three, and you can have a listen here. We covered everything new and exciting that’s coming up. Season 3 of the Time for Teachership podcast will have two main focus areas:
  1. Curriculum and Instruction
  2. District-Level Curriculum Policy and Leadership
Let’s dive in a bit further into each. 

Curriculum and Instruction
The student voice and student leadership has always been at the center of my teaching practice. This season, I want to explore how curriculum and instruction can integrate and elevate student voice. And, taking it further, I want to better define what good curriculum and instruction looks like. 
When thinking about what makes great curriculum, I came up with the acronym CAI:
  • Challenging: Good curriculum will challenge students at an appropriate level, within their zone of proximal development. That means it’s not so hard they want to give up, or so easy they want to zone out. It’s challenging in the right way for their unique needs. 
  • Affirming: Who are the unique students and identities in your class? Curriculum should affirm the diversity of each classroom, which is going way beyond a poster on the wall or a few BIPOC authors on the reading list. 
  • Inspiring: We want students to walk away from class inspired to make an impact on the world around them. Good curriculum drives them to create something new for a broader audience—it’s bigger than the teacher and beyond the need for grades. 
Using this as a guide, we’ll dig into how to create curriculum that challenges, affirms, and inspires students. And in doing so, we will amplify and elevate student voices.

District-Level Curriculum Policy
Season 3 will feature learning for and from district curriculum leaders. The reason for this is that when change comes from the district level—along with resources and motivation—then teachers are better supported to make change in their classroom. 
It’s possible to make a positive impact as an independent teacher, but it is both easier and more desirable to do it together in community. 
So, we’ll focus on what’s happening at the district level and how policy changes there can make impacts in each classroom. 

Practical Things
Along with this new content direction, there are two more exciting developments for season 3 of the Time for Teachership podcast:
  1. We’re part of the Teach Better podcast network! This is super exciting. The Teach Better conference is in Akron, Ohio from October 14-15, 2022. If you want to join, register at www.teachbetterconference.com/register with the code “Teachership22” for $50.00 off!
  2. New resources: I’ve put together a new freebie for leaders to help equip their teachers with resources appropriate to where they currently are. Check it out at www.bit.ly/curriculumquiz. 

Season 3 will also feature more solo “how-to” episodes that walk you through aspects of curriculum or instruction. We’ll also have case studies from educators and teachers who’ve successfully implemented new changes or curriculum into their classroom. There will be some of the regular interviews with inspiring educators, too!

So, are you ready? This is going to be a good one. Make sure you’re following along with the Time for Teachership podcast to listen to every new episode that comes out. Thanks for being here—we’re so excited to have you along for the ride.
 


Quotes: 
  • 3:48 “The thing I want to focus on this season is curriculum in a way that integrates and leverages that student voice, that student leadership.” 
  • 4:17 “I thought of this term, teachership, out of the blue. And then I was like, ‘I wonder if this already exists?’ And wouldn’t you know, a year before I thought of it, it did come to fruition in academic literature … the intersection between leadership and what happens in the classroom at the instructional level.”
  • 6:56 “Challenging, affirming, and inspiring. Really good curriculum challenges students, affirms students, and inspires students.”
  • 12:32 “I want to really focus on the district systems and structures. Because when we have those in place, the individual schools, and then the individual departments, teams, and teachers will be better supported when we can learn and grow in community.” ​
Click here for the Which Curriculum Development Stage Are We In? Quiz
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    Lindsay Lyons (she/her) is an educational justice coach who works with teachers and school leaders to inspire educational innovation for racial and gender justice, design curricula grounded in student voice, and build capacity for shared leadership. Lindsay taught in NYC public schools, holds a PhD in Leadership and Change, and is the founder of the educational blog and podcast, Time for Teachership. ​

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