#sharedpurpose

Our “Make” this week was derived from a principle we’ve been learning throughout this course...shared purpose. I think this “Make” was one of the most streamlined and direct example of what we’ve been reading/watching about this semester. We know that Connected Learning is student-centered and I wanted to focus in on the importance of “student voice” in an equitable classroom. We’ve seen resources explaining how to tie together student interest, the community, passions, and the importance of a supported network of peers. 

Yes, yes.  I know it’s not yet Friday, but it’s Friday, Jr., so that’s a good enough excuse for me to post my finds.  This week, the finds will look at the concept of shared purpose.

(1) Harvard Business Review posted a brilliant article on how a shared purpose drives collaboration and then took it a step further by reminding us of some of the most outstanding examples of collaboration in history!

(2) Lately, I have found myself asking the following question: “Why did I decide to go into education?”  I have asked my teacher friends the same question, and after much conversation, we really all came back to one shared purpose --> We all went into education in the hopes of making a difference.  Truly to make a difference though, we need to do our best to find what inspires our students to help them find their purpose.

(3) I LOVE the idea that my classroom is a little family.  As is such, it is important to do our best to group students purposefully together, which leads to productive collaboration.

(4) In regards to Find #3, the reality is that students always will not get along and work collaboratively toward a shared purpose or goal.  Fortunately, Thom Markham wrote an article that delves into how we, as educators, can foster collaboration and team work in the classroom. 

(5) Finally, I bring to you this spoken word piece that I stumbled upon ages ago, that the boyfriend happened to stumble upon recently, thereby bringing it to my attention and sparking a renewed interested in this piece.  Taylor Mali cannot help but share what his purpose was as a teacher, and I cannot help but agree with every word he says.

Always,

What does it mean to have a shared purpose?  In order for a shared purpose to exist, then a common goal must be present.  For students, the common goal often is a project or an assignment that must be completed in order to receive a grade.  For educators, though?  Well, the hope is that educators have a shared purpose of bettering our students in terms of academics, social skills, courage, and personal goals, to name a few.  Fortunately, as educators, we are given many an opportunity to collaborate with our students and our colleagues, thereby enabling us to go even further with our shared purposes and goals.  Not only are we able to collaborate during professional development trainings, but we also have the opportunity to work together to write curriculum, while also giving our students a voice in the classroom, especially with the technology initiative the provides every student at the high school level with their own Chromebook!

Once a shared purpose or goal is determined, then it just becomes a matter of staying determined and motivated to see the purpose or goal through until the desired results are accomplished!  With that said, we should find a way to work toward a shared purpose of creating equity in education.  

Working in the field of special education, and working with students who are on the spectrum, I am no stranger to the inequalities that exist in education.  All of my students are limited in certain skill sets that come more easily to some of their typically developing peers, thereby creating an unequal playing field.  With that said, this inequality is not specific to my students, as there are a number of students at the high school who find themselves on that same unequal playing field.  These students find themselves on that unequal playing field due to socio-economic status, language barriers, opportunities, and so on and so forth.  Therefore, it is our duty as educators to do our best to ensure that our students have what they need in order to become successful.  Will it always be fair that some students receive more supports than others?  Not necessarily.  However, fair does not equate equity; rather, fair enables for equity as every person then ends up on that very much desired level playing field.

What are some of your purposes and goals that you would like to see come to fruition??  

Always,