Mid-Year Pause for the Cause

Hi Everyone,

By noon of this Sunday (January 10), please:

Make a Post

• To make a post, look at the upper right hand corner of the blog screen (way up there in small print)  and you'll see: "New Post." Click on that there thing.

Title Your Post 

• Let's all go with the same format / title: "My Name's Mid-Year Pause for the Cause" (example: Bill Rich's Mid-Year Pause for the Cause).

Write and Publish a Response to These Three Questions

1. Looking Back
Please describe a couple bright spots (successes--small or big--that you're feeling particularly positive about) from this year's course work so far, and pose a couple wonders / pressing questions you have.

2. Upcoming Overnight

Here is the agenda or our January 16 - 17 overnight. Please review this and provide feedback: What do you like and what questions / wonders you have about this agenda?

3. Message to Future WtS? Colleagues

We're in the process of recruiting colleagues to join us next year. It would be helpful if each of you wrote a couple paragraphs in response to this question: What's it like to be part of the WtS? team, and how is it impacting your thinking about teaching, collaborating, and/or learning? 

If I can lend a hand, please email (redhouselearning@gmail.com) or give a call (578-9786).

Tim, Colleen, Bob and I look forward to reading your posts this Sunday afternoon!

Fondly,

Bill Rich (aka Blog Master)

Student Excerpts from Blog Post #4: Reflecting on the Process so Far

"Succeeding in this course and succeeding in a traditional course have different meanings. Expanding my knowledge not just through my topic but through the many different things we have learned so far and will continue to learn, is succeeding. This is something that WTS has given to me that I would not have in any other course. Succeeding in a typical class is more grade oriented and less about the learning."

- Brennan Bordonaro (12/28/15)

"What’s the Story? gives very few boundaries. We are forced to be creative, even when we don’t want to be; and the teachers are not hovering over our shoulder, but rather guiding us from a distance. We are not told to do a documentary that includes this, this, and this about this specific issue while we look at a list of websites that are “good resources”. Instead, we are are told to create a documentary about a social issue in Vermont. We are leading this project, not the teachers. If we ask for help, we get advice, but that’s it; this is our project."

- Emily Pecsock (12/26/15)

"This course is a bit different than my classes at middle school. In middle school we have to do everything the teachers say and we have to work with what the teachers give us. In this course with What’s the story?...we have a wider space to do more things. In school we have materials given to us to use. But What’s the story?just tells us what’s new and updates us and makes sure we are on the right track, but mostly we have the front wheel in what we are doing in our group. We are mostly independent in this course and we are driven with our own ideas."

-Shoshana Tieyah (12/27/15)

"Jack and I talked a little about making some music for the film, which is something I would also like to do. We just heard back from Bill McKibben and he’s willing to be interviewed which I’m pretty excited about. He’s a really important figure in the world of environmental energy and climate change and having him speak with us will be an honor."

- Alex Kite (12/28/15)

"I really like feeling the freedom to pursue whatever angle of this project that I think will be helpful. We are free to grow this project to be whatever we want it to be, as long as we are achieving the general targets set by the class. Another thing I really like is that I do my work from home, listening to whatever music with nobody looking over my shoulder to check what I’m doing. I enjoy being treated like I can hold myself accountable to do my work (this is ironic since I wrote this late due to a few reasons). This class also provides me with the opportunity to find my own learning material, maybe a video or newspaper article rather than a dense textbook, or interviewing somebody with firsthand experience instead of reading someone else’s interview. "

-Jack Waterman (12/28/15)

"I would say that one of the benefits of this course is that it gets me talking with people and solving problems in a different way that how I would in the traditional classroom. I usually am just talking with students, teachers, and guidance counselors, but I think it is beneficial to be talking with community members because it educates about a lot we can’t learn in an average classroom. I also think a benefit is working towards a goal for a long period of time is a benefit. Instead of doing one assignment for maybe a week and then moving on to the next and forgetting about the last one, I like working towards a goal in this course, seeing how the project evolves, and having the motivation to get the work done so that I will have a good product. "

-Indigo Woods (12/26/15)

"I know what I need to work on and how I want to grow. This course is different because instead of checking off all the marks on my teacher's standards, I am able to create goals for myself and know exactly where I need to go to get there...What makes the course stressful is how important this project is to me. I really want to create a product that is not only educational and insightful but is entertaining and artful. It's amazing how many aspects there are to think about, and they all make me so excited! ...I have confidence in myself that I will succeed in this course because the issue at large is so important to me. I have found a personal responsibility in bringing the aspect of gender roles in education into the light and cultivating conversation around societal development."

-Eva Rocheleau (12/28/15)

"The main advantage of WTS is learning independence; or how to make your own plan. Being able to do that will be very important in the future for college and potential jobs. Self-motivation is a very important skill which can be learned effectively from having to make blog posts regularly as we have been doing."

-Becca Cottrell (12/27/15)

"My experience with What’s the Story has been vastly different from my typical classroom experience. In the classroom, students are passive and have no need for personal drive. With this project, initiative is the key; without personal interest, nothing in one’s project is accomplished...This course is better than traditional learning in some ways. It allows students to pursue their own interests and create their own persuasive pieces in the form of videos. Students can work independently and then come together to combine their work into cohesive, well-rounded pieces, allowing both individual work and group collaboration. Work schedules are entirely up to the individual, which helps to teach self-discipline and focus."

-Adrienne Ledoux (12/29/15)

" I think that some of the benefits of this kind of course are getting to learn how to work with a group that does not see each other very regularly. Also working with the deadlines and working out your own interviews and meeting times can be great practice for the real world. You just don't get that kind of experience in regular school."

- Marianna Barrett (12/27/15)

"I have grown a lot with What's the Story. And I'm not just talking about height (because I haven't grown at all) I'm talking about writing. Ever since I began What's the Story I have seen writing and everything in a different sense. For example, when we get the constructive criticism after writing these posts, I don't only try to apply them to just next week's post, I try to apply it to my school work. And this experience has helped discover who I really am as a learner."

-Lydia Charbonneau (12/27/15)

This class is definitely unlike anything I've ever partaken in; and here are some of the main reasons why:
Teachers: I've been in a "team-taught" course before, but that still usually consists of one teacher dominating one subject or another. This is my first experience with a course that is taught by a true team of educators working together towards a group goal. In order for that to be possible, this class has a large variety of teachers of similar skill and shared knowledge, but who are able to focus on different aspects of the course as we go. I'm sure WtS could be taught by just one or two teachers, but it would definitely lose some of its character.
Material: The only time I've ever covered any sort of social action in school previous to WtS was either researching activism in social studies or writing a persuasive essay in English. WtS is different not only in that it allows us all to study a subject of our choice, but we also get to make a difference in that field.
Syllabus: Unless I missed something, I don't think we have any sort of syllabus beyond our standards. There's no list of facts we have to be able to rattle off once the year is over. This class is less about teaching us knowledge, but about giving us skills.
Students: Since we all had to go through the process of signing up and being approved for WtS, this group is all people who are willing, ready, and capable of taking part in the rigors of the class. Being a part of a class everyone is excited to be in is a breath of fresh air.
Environment: The classroom setting (or lack thereof) is accommodating to a different style of learning than what happens in a typical class. The informal settings that we have worked and met at make starting discussions and working together easier and more comfortable for everyone involved, and also removes any thought of WtS being just another dreaded English class.

-Jacob Parker (12/27/15)

Students- One of my favorite things about this course is the fact that it has connected me with students from all over Vermont. Each student in the course is smart, and cares about not only their learning, but pressing issues in Vermont. I often struggle to have a good, deep conversation about issues that I care about with my students at my school, but I have been able to during this course. All of the students in the course, and especially Alexa and Jacob (my group mates) have challenged my thinking immensely. The fact that we are all from different schools and grade levels is also something I like. We can all offer a new and different perspective, whether we are a junior from a large school or a sophomore from a town of 800. Being able to interact with other students from different schools is a necessary skill and has proven to be very eye-opening and engaging.
Teachers- The teaching staff of this course is extensive in both numbers and skill. Each adult is a wonderful resource, and truly is an inspiring, smart person. I have never had more than one teacher for a certain course, and I love the depth that it provides for learning. Though this is a student-driven course, having adults to structure the conversation and provide helpful insight is crucial. I love being able to direct the path of my learning with help from teachers, which is different from the normal classroom setting where a teacher lectures or teaches a lesson. I also appreciate the constant feedback I am receiving from my readers and mentors. It really helps me stay on top of my work and grow as a student. Having such great leadership has been wonderful throughout the whole process.
Setting- One thing that is drastically different from the normal classroom setting is that we get to get out and experience. My group got to attend an Education Symposium at Saint Michael's College, and that was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had. Hearing Carol Tomlinson speak and then getting to interview her was truly an eye-opening experience that could not have happened in school.
Challenging- This class has extended my comfort zone immensely. I've had to present in front of the group about my topic, which is something I do not get the practice doing a lot. Also, I have had to interview many adults, including my superintendent, which is also something that I am not used to. Simply meeting the other students and teachers in the course and sharing my ideas for the first time was out of my comfort zone.

-Ella Nagy-Benson (12/27/15)

Students- I do not regularly have the opportunity to work with students that belong to other school districts. This course has students from schools all over Vermont, some are even home schooled, and this diversity in population opens up the possibility to see so many different points of views, experiences, and knowledge.
My group--- Jacob, Ella and I-- is made up of three different grade levels. I am a Senior, Jacob is a Junior, and Ella is a sophomore. I think having this age difference is so critical and will be very beneficial in the development of our film, especially the content. If we all interview people who we are friends with we might find that there is a very diverse range of opinions from the various grade levels. It is also important to keep in mind that Ella and Jacob may want to continue this project even after I go to college. It could be a very unique project to continue developing as ACT 77 is implemented across Vermont.
Classroom setting- The environment of this classroom is constantly shifting. I'm used to having my classes all within the same building and never venturing beyond. This course has taken place in various locations-- at Middlebury College, in Starksboro at the retreat, at St. Michael's College at the conference, in my high school, and at my home. The shifting classroom has opened up my eyes to the idea that knowledge is everywhere and the best ideas arise based not on where you are, but rather on who you are with.
Teachers- I have never before had so many teachers for one course! All the adults, whether leading the activities, giving directions or just being supportive, have really been great resources throughout this course. The course has been so organized and the couple times we have all been together I have noticed how many adults are part of the team. I am so used to having one teacher per class at my school that having a whole team of teachers is very unique. I have noticed the importance of having a lot of support in this course and having teachers from all different schools is very beneficial.
Grading System- As part of ACT 77 and proficiency based learning I am aware of the new grading system that will be implemented. This course is already using it so it's interesting to see how it works. My classes are all graded with percentages out of 100 and then a letter grade based on that. I like how this course has adopted a system of grading that enables me to see where I need to improve in order to show I'm more proficient, or rather, above average. My teachers at my school give me a letter grade but have never really explained how to get beyond that grade and improve my work for the next quarter.
Coursework- Finally I would like to highlight how the coursework is different from my work at my school. This work is all based around a topic of my interest that I am eager and interested in exploring, while at my school I am required to take various classes that don't really appeal to me. The work for this course is all very hands-on. I have never worked with video camera equipment and doing interviews at my school was very new to me. I also have never had to do weekly/bi-weekly blog posts. This is a great way to reflect on my work and expand my knowledge on new topics. It is great that we all have people who respond to our blogs and provide feedback. I love hearing what they think of my thoughts and their constructive feedback.

-Alexa Widschwenter (12/27/15)

The benefits of this system...are clear cut from the start. We have the independence to pursue our interests in the fashion of our choice and to do so on a timeline that we ourselves create. It also teaches life skills that one would not other learn otherwise. In our school, every English class is the same: you memorize vocab, you read books and have tests on what you learned, you write the same essays over and over again. While the words change, in the end the sentiment and the learning is nothing different year after year. This is not the fault of the teachers; it is just how the system works, but here we are completing interviews, doing research, making videos, and making a difference. This class is something different and it is breaking the mold.

- Alex Bickart (1/4/16)

Notable Quotes from 11/29/15 Blog Posts

"My thinking about this topic still intrigues me and I want to know more. The complexity of my ideas has changed because I am continuing to learn more and realizing the depth of my misunderstanding as well. What I would really like to continue with is going down as many different paths and keep the project from snowballing into something that becomes difficult to handle." - Brennan Bordonaro (11/29/15)

"[Brandon Stanton] said that interviewers need to"be the vehicle through which people can tell their story how they want". That will be very important to remember, particularly for a topic like the one that our group is working with. Everyone has a story relating to gender/LGBTQ+ equality, they just might need a bit of prompting to share it." - Becca Cottrell (11/29/15)

"Additionally, multiple people have mentioned that it will be hard to be unbiased when doing our interview, but we really must. We all have a very strong opinion, but we must keep those opinions to ourselves while we are doing our interview because even though we are only in eighth and tenth grade, we are still going in as professionals." - Emily Pecsock (11/29/15)

"After reviewing all of the resources, a lot of what I have learned about storytelling was reinforced, yet my new thinking will definitely help improve this project. I have already learned about what makes a story worth telling and reading in memoirs class, but these resources helped me think about how I can apply that learning to this class...We are going to have to hold each other accountable and make sure we check-in with each other often; communications will be key in other words. Through the interviewing process, my goals are to find unique and thought-provoking questions and to persevere to find the best connections and stories. Like most of the people in the resources provided this week said, you have to keep trying and work to find the best stories, and at the same time it is important to enjoy the process of doing the work. " - Indigo Woods (11/29/15)

"Ira [Glass] also goes on to talk about how his interviews and radio stories; how his writing and use of language evolve into something that is worth listening to and that he is proud of.  This is helping me realize that even if our project and our goals change, that could be for the better." - Jack Waterman (11/29/15)

"Another important thing to remember that my group hasn't focused on so much yet is the stakes. The stakes in a story is just a slightly broader term for the conflict, or the problem that needs to be resolved. The development of most good stories goes along with a conflict, and a documentary like we are going to make is no different." - Jacob Parker (11/29/15)

"I also learned that it is important to focus on the past, present, and the future. To not just dwell in the past, whether it was a good past or not." - Lydia Charbonneau (11/29/15)

Notable Student Quotes from Blog #1 of Phase Two

"I have realized that I am constantly trying to engage myself in situations where I can gain a better understanding of other people's view on the subject. Whenever I get the chance to talk to students about education, I always flood them with questions; even though I don’t have all the recording equipment to do official interviews" - Alexa Widschwenter (11/15/15)

" My thinking has evolved in ways that I might not be able see.  I already knew about this topic, but I know now what a big issue that this is.  I did not know about all of the different sides that should be examined, and talked about.  Even with just having the overnight to work on it with my group, I can look at it with a much broader understanding of what needs be thought about and brought into the light. " - Marianna Barrett (11/15/15, regarding her DCF/Foster Care work)

"Instead my thinking is changing in the logistical sense, when I went into the overnight I was a lone wolf, going at this alone. By the end of the day however I was joined by four other people who are passionate for the issue and now everything is changing." - Alex Bickart (11/15/15)

"Over the past week and a half, Becca, Fiona and I have been able to cultivate our ideas and focus our thinking towards what message we want to deliver to our audiences. "We not They" "Dissolving binary boundaries" and "establishing that there are more than one gender" are just a few of the ideas that we've been circulating. Among this progress, we've been starting to talk about the structure of our film and particular aspects we want to include. In our most recent meeting we discussed our hook and different b-roll film we want to get and how we might go about filming that." - Eva Rocheleau (11/15/15)

"During the meeting we discovered that the answers we are looking for are not simply on the internet. No one has done what we want to do. In order to accomplish much of anything we need to do more than look on the easy-access internet. The information we need is not there. The information we need is in the people who made this decision and the people who are affected by this decision. In order to go anywhere with this topic we must contact people, or else we will have little to no information...Overall, the topic our group has chosen is new, so we are the ones who are going to figure out the story, not the internet. Because of that, I really like our topic, it affects all people and it’s not an easy one to do because it’s never been done before, which is good, because why bother to do it if it’s already been done? " - Emily Pecsock (11/15/15)

Tim O'Leary's (post) Halloween Reflection

Reflecting on the Last Two Weeks

I've hesitate to take a pause for the cause" because there was too much to iron out between our retreat and today. I really wanted to right the ship in at least three ways: (1) figure out how to best connect with our Learning Scales and use them intentionally, (2) figure out what Phase Two of our blogging will look like, and (3) offer additional technical, hands-on training for use of the digital equipment.

I think I've succeeded in working with the Learning Scales after a really great phone conversation brainstorm with Emily Rinkema this past Sunday. Part of that solution bleeds into what skill(s) each blog post will intentionally ask of the students and then be assessed by the instructors. I still need to talk with Bob and Colleen about the structure of making those assessments, but at the risk of being too suffocating with too many emails, I'm shelving that conversation for a week or so.

On Monday morning I launched an email to students to define our Phase Two of blogging. See this document for the details. Behind the scenes, I've been back and forth with our readers to make sure they are still on board and paired them with students if they were linked with any of the three that dropped since mid-September. I've added two new readers to the mix (Shel Sax of Middlebury College and Walter Gustavson from VPIRG). This diagram/chart of readers/blogs is on the document linked above. I will email the entire group today or tomorrow to bring the reading audience clearly into the picture and prepare them to respond to a student blog beginning Monday morning.

Agendas from our Two In-Person Work Sessions

I wanted to archive the agenda and links from the kickoff day and our retreat. Please see those links directly below:

Agenda for our 9/18 Kickoff at Middlebury College

Agenda for our 10/30-31 retreat

The Long Range View

I think this year is going well. Things can always go better. That's inevitable. But, we've done yeoman's work to take the roughed out version of last year's WTS and really refine it into a more effective effort. I wonder and worry that there is not enough time or energy for anyone that is really at the core of our work to promote the bigger picture beyond this year in a way with sustained effort to make this work live beyond some fairly random but VERY generous donor.

Here are a few ways I see to establish a financial foundation to move WTS forward:

(1) Link with a public post-secondary institution in Vermont to leverage Act 77 funding. What this could mean is that junior and senior high school students could enroll in a future WTS class with their sending school district and the state paying equal shares of the student's tuition. Maybe a CCV or a Castelton would accept a 'handling fee' and the vast majority of the tuition funds could be funneled into the program.

(2) Prove our worth and forge a partnership with some of Middlebury College's undergraduate work. If we could do that, my hopes would be high that MC could see this work as a necessary part of their operating budget. There is great work being done at the Center for Social Entrepreneurship and that is the clearest potential connection that I see: a way for those undergraduates to work alongside us at WTS and benefit from one another.

(3) This is probably the hardest way forward: Convince a Supervisory Union / School District in Vermont to underwrite what we are doing. This is hard, because these districts are their own silos and the money they invest they want to "their kids." In addition, public school funding is so fickle that a lot of work could go into setting this up and then it could vanish in a year or two.

Nonetheless, there are sure to be other ideas, but the general concern about how does WTS make a difference post-private funding is a big one for me.

Communication with the Middlebury College Advancement Team

Ann Jones-Weinstock and Phil Oldham from Middlebury College's Advancement Office had been in touch to get an update on some specific elements of WTS. I met with Phil last Friday and followed it up with the email below:

Ann and Phil,

Last Friday I had a chance to meet with Phil as he and Ann wished for an update on "What's the Story?" (WTS). Ann had specifically asked about its "Bread-Loafness" and also about it's portfolio-based, student-initiated learning. After meeting, I promised to write this follow-up email to capture some of my thinking and our work. Please share with whomever you wish. I have included a few people CCed on this email that have been important to WTS. Also, please feel free to follow up about anything; our work is very much a work in progress. 

At our meeting Phil asked me some questions about the larger BLTN funding model. I'd follow up with Dana, Dianne, and or Dixie on this one as I'm not aware of those details.

Here's some of my thinking on the topics posed:

On the Topic of WTS's Bread-Loafness:

The rigor and authenticity of student-to-student and student-to-teacher collaboration unfolding is remarkably like the unchained academic curiosity that spills out of the Bread Loaf classes and onto the lawns, outdoor seating, and dinners on campus. It permeates the ethos, which sounds a bit hyperbolic, but I assure you is alive and well as deep respect for personal ideas and values and a heightened sense of listening to each other pervade our interactions and forge personal bonds. This galvanizing of ideas and relationships was particularly evident at our first overnight retreat. To see many of those young people enter into the Common Ground Center (Starksboro, VT) on Friday afternoon and witness deep relationships built on shared social interests in just over 24 hours was remarkable. It might be a soft shadow to the 6 weeks of living on the mountain and the BLSE melting pot, but it pushes in that direction. 

Particularly important to the Bread Loaf Teacher Network and some of the courses offered each summer, WTS students' desire to understand what it means to take "social action," be "change agents," and work towards a social justice that is meaningful to their lives and others by strengthening student voice through choice of how they become agents of change and what they are working toward is at the very core of WTS and much of what BLTN holds dear.

The adult WTS participants are "taking back home" many of the ideas, lines of questioning, activities, and handouts that are being created and used in our WTS arena. This powerful form of professional development is important to BLSE and particularly BLTN. Rather than discussing theory in isolation, here we have real work, assignments, etc that are directly transferable to many other classrooms across the state. If VT-BLTN can grow and we can replicate WTS, there is no reason that VT-BLTN/WTS can be a fundamental source of professional development for every school in the state and perhaps beyond as BLTN is interested to have Bill Rich and me show the WTS model to other geographic areas connected through BLTN to see if it is something they are interested in pursuing, especially given that the core model was roughed out last year and is being significantly refined during this year. We have such a tremendous template to offer others.

I realize I've shifted a bit away from the "Bread-Loafness," but on a similar note, I don't think it's too self-important to see WTS/VT-BLTN as a resource for Middlebury College's undergraduate study and faculty/staff. Particularly the growing like-minded focus through work at the college like the Center for Social Entrepreneurship and others that are quickly transitioning the power in the classroom toward students and seeing faculty as mentors rather than professors. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I think there could be great growth in a collaboration with the undergraduates of MC.

Portfolio-Based, Student-Initiated Learning:

The growing portfolios that are being curated this year are being done so through student blogs that are a visible record of their learning and writing. These blogs are at the heart of this conversation about "portfolio-based, student-initiated learning." Touted programs across the globe such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) program see the importance of portfolios for students to demonstrate learning. However, IB does not use them as a dynamic landscape to demonstrate and influence learning along the way. We began this year with 50 writers: 21 students and 29 members of a curated blog audience. Roles were defined, spaces were created to not only archive ideas but to also expand thinking by conversing with students in a way that created a record of that growth. Students are now working on shared-blogs as they have forged groups around social issues and these same attributes apply to what is sure to continue evolving over the next several months.

The strength of student voice and choice is also at the heart of WTS, but these topics, ideas, issues, and solutions are not only based in the "real world" they aim to shape that world. Continuing this riff, WTS aims to not just create informed citizens (that's too one-dimensional). It expects to create citizens who can grapple with difficult and complex issues that impact a community and develop their skills to leverage ways to make meaning and make change where they see injustice. This is like a superhero compared to an informed citizen. This is a a citizen that is prepared and trained to shape their own communities.

Ultimately, these portfolios will include work in other mediums: photography, audio/video interviews, edited video documentaries, and polished writing aimed at particular audiences asking for particular responses and change. The portfolios will also be a source for assessment and to pull student-exemplars based on our identified Learning Targets; work is being developed now to focus the next several months to assess learning and tailor specific instruction where needed to move everyone forward in these identified areas.

"What's the Story?" is project-based work in its soul and offers participatory-professional education for students and teachers that combines Action and Research. 

The Triangular Vein: Courtney Krahn's Halloween Reflection

Bread Loaf is a part of who I am -- as a thinker, reader, writer, learner, teacher and community member.  It's hard to separate these roles, as they intertwine so thoroughly.   My work with WtS?  is the same: all at once I'm doing my best do be all of these things. Like Bread Loaf, WtS? pushes me to engage in reading, writing, learning, teaching and engaging in my community in a way that I might not otherwise.  With a full teaching schedule, it would be easy to say I'm doing enough of this stuff already.  However, WtS? provides a different avenue, a different venue, a different view: I'm reading blogs and I-Search research papers (as opposed to lit analyses, literature itself or memos from administration). I'm writing my own blog (which I haven't done since my first Bread Loaf summer, when I was too inspired not to create a blog). I'm thinking about all kinds of things I don't normally think about (including, suddenly, a lack of emergency dispatch funding in VT -- who knew?!). I'm learning about I-search papers, about blogging, about digital media (and that's the tip of the iceberg). I'm teaching (I hope I'm teaching) in a way that is fairly new to me.  This feels like teaching from behind as opposed to teaching from the front. And I'm not even a "teaching from the front" kind of gal, but this still feel different.  I feel like more of a cheerleader and collaborator than a teacher.  And that feels great. 

I think that WtS? has the potential for fulfilling expectations of Act 77.  In fact, I think that the requirements of Wts? exceed the expectations of Act 77 in some ways. At Middlebury Union Middle School, Personalized Learning Plans are set up digitally and are intentionally formatted in a way that gives students a great amount of ownership.  Because this is our first year developing them here, there is still much room for these digital documents to grow and expand.  That said, I could envision students' WtS? blogs and documentaries being literally inserted right into the PLPs they are required to maintain at school, as evidence of personal growth, learning and reflection. 

In a nutshell: WtS? is a triangular vein through which Bread Loaf blood flows from teacher to student to teacher to student, etc. 

Emily Rinkema's Halloween Reflection

There were so many highlights from my time at Common Ground this weekend. One was watching the students present about their topics and ask each other questions the first evening. They seemed genuinely interested in each other's ideas, which we saw play out later as well. Another highlight was during the team conversations day 2--to watch the two high school girls work with their middle school teammate, and to see all of them pushing each other to think more critically was incredible. I can't wait to see this relationship develop (though I can anticipate some challenges for sure!).

I must say that I was surprised and impressed by students' willingness to compromise about their topics. I was worried that the fact that they didn't know each other would lead to a bunch of "silo" ideas--but Tim and Colleen did a great job finessing the group-making. Another a-ha is the importance of this overnight; I had been skeptical about the need for an overnight, but watching the difference in the way the students interacted on day 1 vs day 2 showed that the bonding that happens when you're tired and not pressed for time is so valuable--I imagine that the relationships begun this weekend will help when challenges arise along the way.

I wonder about a few things. First, because we are a standards-based class, I think students need to know throughout the year where they are on the targets and what they need to work on. We have the scales, and I wonder if the instructors will be looking at individual student work and assessing using those...and then as a whole group determining if there are skills that need to be instructed. I also wonder how we keep the excitement/momentum from the weekend going--I have seen two of my students this morning and they are both so excited...and I want that to continue!

• One of the Middlebury fund raisers is working up a proposal to get us more resources. She's wondering about your sense of "Bread-Loafness" of WtS? and "how Vermont BLTN is exploring new ground in portfolio-based, student-initiated learning." Any thoughts for her?

WtS is SOOOOOO Bread Loaf, from the collaboration (student and teacher), to the social action element, to the rigor involved in the tasks the students (and teachers) will continue to be doing. I think that the bonding that happened this weekend is also very Bread Loaf--I wasn't able to spend the night, but I have heard from adults and students that talking and playing cards in the lodge was a highlight--much like the many late nights spent in the Barn at Ripton campus.

Thanks to everyone who made this weekend such a success.