I love having school expectations like the RC3s. They are very effective for so many different aspects of school. Everything from holding students to high expectations to building community through cohesiveness.

I really like the site: https://secondaryenglishcoffeeshop.blogspot.com/2...

There were many ideas on here that could be used in the classroom to fill that "random" 7-10 minute chunk that sometimes finds its way in at the end of class, before specialist, on a assembly day, etc. The suggestions could help to bring the class together as a positive cohesive group, providing that opportunity to see, and be seen, by others are more than a student in a classroom. I especially like the "Throwback" jar as an option and the class paparazzi person.

From this site: https://www.brighthubeducation.com/lesson-plans-g...

I really like the circles practice. I have seen this in use both at the elementary level and the high school level with great participation and effects by and on the students. Similar to the items above, it helps everyone to see past each individual as merely a student and more as a person.

For part II... I am a Dean of Students. So, my success criteria is helping my students and staff to be successful. I will forward the first site I mentioned to them as a thought/strategy that they could use in their classroom.

I really like the learning aspect of mock consensus. There are so many potential applications in life and school that this is useful for. Especially as students have less and less face-to-face interaction with their peers. I think this could be a useful task throughout the different grade levels.

Huffpost: It means giving up control to other people. It means being vulnerable. It means needing to know when to fall on your sword and when to back down. Collaboration is inherently messy. Great ideas need some tension; otherwise they would be easy to make. And ultimately, there needs to be respect — of other people’s roles, thoughts and what they bring to the table. And there also needs to be trust.

Telling someone that collaboration is hard is like saying the sky is blue. Yes, we know that. Sharing what the problem is does not make it magically go away. Prior to true collaboration taking place, there must be many cornerstones already placed as a firm foundation from which to build the collaboration from. In Tahoma we are aware of norms, SPACE, Ladders of Inference, Experience Cubes, and so on. But, as leaders within the school community how often do we refer back to these tools and skills to support true collaboration within teams or between teams? How can our teams continue the process of feeling more comfortable with the uncomfortable feeling of “giving up control”, “being vulnerable” or “falling on our sword”? Are these inherently qualities a person has when they are hired or can we cultivate people as a system for true collaboration? This is a somewhat rhetorical question but I think worth discussion.

I also wonder about whether or not this differs from the primary levels to secondary? Maybe the pace is quickened in a coordinated effort through the continuum of grades? By the time student enter their 5th, 6th, or 7th grades it may just become the accepted or accustomed pace. I think the key would be for the pace to be coordinated though, without that it would just be a rollercoaster for the students and they would be well aware of the differences.

I have had the opportunity to work in some form K-12 in two different districts. Creativity seems to be a theme in one way, shape, form, or another. However, I think at many levels the wait time associated with "the struggle" is what leaves both the instructor and the student in this awkward moment of needing the answer "now". The feeling of "struggle" is not always a bad thing, rather as the second article points out, even the great minds at Pixar get stuck. It's what we, or our students, or we and our students, do when that stuck thing happens. What would it take for the "system" of education to take a step back and say, "go ahead and struggle for awhile, you will not get spoon fed yet"?