What's JOY Got to Do With It?

In education, as in life, time always feels like it is slipping through our hands but maybe never more so than in May. If the school year could be compared to a race, May is the moment you round the corner and can see the finish line, but that sweet moment also brings the knowledge that you need to push harder at this point than ever in the race and you aren’t quite sure where you’ll find the energy. But you do; you find reserves you didn’t know you had and finish strong! Unlike crossing the finish line of a race, the end of a school year isn’t really an ending. It’s more like a pause, a time for reflection and for re-evaluation.

Many times as educators, we hear and maybe even use the phrase, “begin with the end in mind.” Franklin Covey names that mantra as habit 2 in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey defines it as beginning every endeavor “with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.” So as the “end” of a school year moves into sight, it seems apt that the reverse holds true also, “End with the beginning in mind.” Before we close out a school year, it is important to look back over the journey in order to assess impact and record questions and thoughts from that journey.

Reflecting on the growth and progress made throughout the year is an important practice that brings closure to experiences and also sets up future successes. Achieving goals is rarely a linear process and as such, it is essential to think about what worked and what didn't so that you give yourself a starting point and a vector for your next steps in the work and puts you in the best possible position to gain traction moving forward.

This edition of the Joy Newsletter will share insight into the value of focusing on our "why" as we begin to reflect over this school year and why ending with the beginning in mind is just as valuable as beginning with the end in mind. We' will also dig into what mind mapping is and how the process of mind mapping can help students reflect on learning and connections made over the course of a school year, with a special spotlight on Brookwood Elementary's use of mind mapping.

To reflect on year-long or course-long learning with your students, a fantastic activity to consider is mind mapping. Essentially, a mind map is a diagram that starts with a central idea and branches out into related subtopics. This can be achieved through the use of words, symbols, illustrations, or codes, all of which represent important concepts. When creating a mind map, students can visually display how much they've learned over the course of the year in an organized and structured way. This involves synthesizing information, making connections, asking questions, visualizing, summarizing, and evaluating their learning, which in turn leads to goal setting for the next year. Mind mapping can be done collaboratively or individually, giving students a great deal of autonomy in choosing what to include and how to organize their maps.

For students, these maps solidify their understanding of concepts, unearth the magic of how all parts of the course are interconnected, and even extend learning to life outside of school. This time of year is also perfect for reflecting on the learning and growth that took place throughout the school year. This activity helps students see the difference between reflecting on growth and reflecting on grades. Encourage students to find growth in their actual work.

For teachers, these maps are like an album full of snapshots that provide invaluable insight and information into possible adjustments to instruction moving forward. Did students really get it? Did it stick? What connections did they make that I did not think of?

Mind Mapping Ideas:

• Why is the writing process an important workplace skill?

• What is the relationship between reading like a writer and writing like a reader?

• How do language elements and vocabulary impact an author’s style?

• How have you used the social studies skill of ____________ to analyze history and life?

• What are the parallels between foreign language structures and your 1st language?

Mind Maps can be digital or hand-drawn. Click on the images to see examples.

A conversation about immersing students in science content turned into a work of art, heart and mind at Brookwood Elementary. This conversation sparked GRT Rebecca Winslow to build mind mapping space in the hallway that 4th and 5th graders traverse on their way to lunch, PE, Art and Music. As students were able to view the maps often on this frequently traveled pathway, they began to identify information they already knew, were currently learning about, or something that would spark their curiosity displayed on the maps. In time, 5th grade teachers began to send students to a mind map with questions such as find something that is featured above ground, on the ground and below ground, find something that is interesting to you and explain it to your group, find something new to you or that you didn’t know as much about before, etc. 4th grade teachers would stop and talk about the unit they were getting ready to teach and point out the key features on the mind map.

The maps sparked such curiosity school wide, that Ms. Winslow went into 2nd grade classrooms and modeled for teachers how to create a mind map while the students taught her what they knew about weather. Every student had their own paper and together we all built one showing the entire unit.

Ms. Winslow has used mind mapping frequently over the years, noting she recognized its deep value when as a classroom teacher I created one and hung it on the wall. She would refer to the class-sized mind map often throughout the unit, but when test time rolled around, she’d take it down. She noticed, though, that students would glance up at a blank wall during the test so she asked a few of them about it. One student explained that it was because he could still see all the pictures up there in his mind and it helped him remember. From that day on, Ms. Winslow was hooked. Winslow notes that mind mapping can be both pre-assessment and post assessment data. Students love seeing how much they learned through their own demonstration on a mind map. It can be used as a note-taking device and works in every subject; it’s great for content, language arts and social-emotional strategies, she notes.

As a GRT, Winslow shares with her students (and teachers), the brain loves colorful images and the brain prefers wavy lines, so they need to build a map that their brain will love to follow, filled with images, words and connectors that make sense to the creator. “ If a student can share their mind map with you and take you on their journey through the topic using the key words and illustrations as evidence, then I believe they have an understanding of the information”, says Winslow.

One 5th grade student showing another student how to take the information from the mind map and turn it into a flipbook style study guide on the layers of the earth.

A 5th grader working on the order of the planets from the sun using an interactive, large mind-map that allows students to look at the planets’ order in various ways (order from the sun, largest to smallest, smallest to largest, terrestrial vs gas giants). The planet images are all separate images that can be moved around on the board depending on what the question is asking.

The end of the school year should be a time of review, reflection, and celebration. As a school leader, no one needs to remind you that you don't have unlimited time, energy, and resources and throughout the school year, you’ve likely had to figure out where your time, effort, and influence will count the most and have the greatest impact, and then deliberately set your course in that direction, even if that course is not the pathway you’d originally planned.

Let’s start by celebrating. Creating, guiding, and nurturing a community of learners through a school year is an incredible accomplishment that we can sometimes forget is also worth celebrating. As a school leader, it is important to take the time to celebrate your own successes and connect with colleagues to celebrate and support the adult community. Brene Brown in Dare to Lead reminds us, “We’ve got to stop and celebrate one another and our victories, no matter how small. Yes, there’s more work to be done, and things could go sideways in an hour, but that will never take away from the fact that we need to celebrate an accomplishment right now” (pg 84).

It is also important to acknowledge that we move forward not by only looking to the future, but learning from the past. This year, consider being intentional in creating opportunities for reflection. What were your goals at the beginning of the school year, and how have they evolved over time? Have your skills as an educator improved? Which accomplishments are you most proud of? To delve into these questions, it's beneficial to step out of your routine and engage in a reflective activity such as journaling, having coffee with a colleague, or taking a mindful walk. By reflecting on the past, leaders can make informed decisions about the future. By being honest and acknowledging your successes and opportunities for growth, you can pave the way for continued progress.

Ending with the beginning in mind is an approach that emphasizes the importance of reflecting on the past to inform future planning. Educational leaders can apply this approach by reflecting on what has been learned in order to continuously improve effort and impact. By intentionally carving out time to reflect now, you can build on successes, refine areas for improvement and prepare to start the next school year with renewed enthusiasm.

More often than not, the end of the school year is chaotic. It seems everything is focused on closing things out and ending the school year. Another valuable process we often use at the start of the school year that also has deep value at the end of a school year is to examine our mindframe for the work we do. Effective school leaders talk about their mindframes and their beliefs and prove them through their practices and results. Mindframes are our Why. They represent an internal set of beliefs we hold near and dear to our hearts—a belief about our primary role as educators and our impact on student learning. But sometimes in the chaos of the end of the year, the focus seems to be on the what- the outcomes we intend to accomplish or the evidence of our collective impact on student progress and achievement. Mindframes by Hattie reminds us that the way we think about what we do (our why) is more important than what we do (the specific practices, strategies or initiatives we chose.

This idea is supported in the work of Simon Sinek (2009 ) and his thinking in his book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. In this book, Sinek underscores the idea that “[i]t is not just WHAT or HOW you do things that matters; what matters more is that WHAT and HOW you do things is consistent with your WHY” (p. 166), which is why a focus solely on practices alone, even high-probability practices, represents an incomplete recipe for success. Successful leaders talk about their Why and prove it with what they do. The main question for these leaders is why something should be done. Answering this question leads them to the question of how to do something (e.g., high-probability practices) and finally to what, or the results of those actions.

After taking time to reflect on this year using the questions shared earlier, take some time to frame each of your answers with your why. This might help inform work you will continue, work you might refine or even new impact pathways you might endeavor to take in pursuit of your why.

The development of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills is crucial for individuals at every stage of life. SEL skills such as managing emotions, setting and achieving goals, feeling and showing empathy for others, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions are essential skills needed to succeed in school and life.

A supportive and inclusive environment is essential for the development of SEL skills. Such an environment should foster a sense of belonging, respect, and safety for all, and provide opportunities to practice and apply SEL skills. Adults play a crucial role in creating and maintaining such an environment, by modeling positive behaviors, providing guidance and support, and promoting a culture of kindness and empathy. By prioritizing SEL and creating supportive learning environments, we can equip our students with skills that foster self-efficacy and success in their lives.

The continuum of SEL skills is intended to provide developmentally responsive SEL skills that align with the VBCPS SEL Framework and this month we highlight Adult SEL “I Can” statements.

This book brings the mindframes of ten world-renowned educators to life. Ten chapters, each written by a different thought leader, detail a mindframe at the heart of successful school leadership, along with the high probability influences that make each mindframe visible.

10 Mindframes for Leaders: The VISIBLE LEARNING® Approach to School Success John Hattie and Raymond Smith, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2021. 128 pp.

This book challenges educators to become catalysts for change—regardless of their titles, by discovering their leadership qualities, promoting student leadership, building a crew of colleagues, and finding and using leadership "superpowers" to make a difference in others’ lives.

From Chapter 13, Defining and Crafting Your Role. "As a classroom teacher, I knew my WHY—the reason I ran to school every single day. I wanted to empower my students and push them to empower each other. And then I expanded that WHY to empowering teachers to bring student-owned learning to the classroom. When I started sharing my why—and the WHATS and HOWS—things began to change for me and for the teachers I served.

"Lead Beyond Your Title: Creating Change in School From Any Role Nili Bartley. Lead Like a Pirate San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess, 2019. 177 pp.

For more information, contact the Office of Professional Growth and Innovation of Virginia Beach City Public Schools at pgi@vbschools.com or 757.263.6972.