Teachers Teaching Teachers #154 - Resiliency: What are we learning with our colleagues (Part 2 of 2) -06.03.09

Post-Show description: 

This podcast is the second part of a two-part webcast about Resiliency, produced with the help of Christina Cantrill and the Urban Sites and Rual Sites Networks of the National Writing Project.

On the first of these two shows (TTT#151) our guests gave personal definitions for this field of educational research that describes resiliency in students, we asked these Writing Project teachers to describe what it look like in the classroom:

What specific structures, decisions, books, approaches, projects or technologies have you learned to employ in your classroom to provide the "protective factors" that enable "at-risk" students to develop the resiliency they need to succeed?

On this podcast, Paul Allison and Susan Ettenheim were joined for a second time by five Writing Project teachers from around the country:

  • DeWayne Dickens, Oklahoma State Writing Project
  • Suzanne Linebarger, Northern California Writing Project
  • Irina McGrath, Louisville Writing Project
  • Lynette Herring-Harris, Thinking Partner for Rural Sites Network, Mississippi State University Writing/Thinking Project
  • Vanessa Brown, Thinking Partner for the Urban Sites Network, Philadelphia Writing Project

Enjoy their conversation! It is laced with provocative questions, inspiring stories, detailed descriptions, and political urgency. In this second podcast, you will hear DeWayne, Suzanne, Irina, Lynette, and Vanessa discussing how resiliency:

  • helps them to understand and to demand the use of technology to give students voice, social comptency, and power
  • and provides a important context for the professional development work they do with their colleagues within their own schools in in their Writing Project sites.

That's a mouthful, but we think you'll understand after you listen to these engaging teachers describe the work that resilency has inspired them to do with their students and colleagues. Enjoy!

Image Credit: "resilient spirit," Uploaded on January 6, 2006 by dlemieux.

Click Read more to see a transcript of a chat that was happening during the webcast

20:10:53 Lynette: Hi Irina, good to "see" you.
20:37:07 Lynette: Hi Pat, glad you are here!
20:38:14 SusanEttenheim: hi everyone
20:38:43 Lynette: hello susan
20:47:36 DewayneTUL: Hello room ... Hi Pat and Sylvia.
20:48:05 sam802: Hello
20:49:10 DewayneTUL: I'm here a few minutes early ... I didn't realize so many people arrive early
20:50:53 Lynette: Pat, look down below the chat. You'll see a cream colored field with a send button at the end. You can type a message in the field, hit send, and everyone on the chat
20:51:26 Lynette: Oops. hit send too soon. everyone on the chat can see your message
20:52:42 SusanEttenheim: don't worry everyone the skype call just crashed I'll call you right back!
20:53:12 Paul Allison: Do worry?
20:53:14 Paul Allison: Okay.
20:53:20 Paul Allison: Hi All
20:53:24 Paul Allison: Irina
20:53:27 Lynette: Good to know. Suzanne and I were worried
20:53:38 Paul Allison: Do you want to try your question one mroe time here?
20:54:20 [email protected]: Hi all
20:54:39 Christina: hello!
20:54:46 DewayneTUL: Hi Pat .. .welcome!
20:54:54 irina.mcgrath: Hello
20:55:25 SusanEttenheim: lynette - is your skype on?
20:55:59 Lynette: Yes
20:57:58 Lynette: The call dropped. Can you call me back?
20:58:05 Helen: Hi, everyone.
21:01:01 SusanEttenheim: hi everyone can you hear us?
21:01:58 Helen: No.
21:02:03 SusanEttenheim: will do !
21:02:57 [email protected]: NO
21:03:08 SusanEttenheim: hi all welcome! how is our sound?
21:03:39 Helen: I'm not getting any. Maybe I just don't know what I need to do at the computer in order to hear everyone.
21:04:08 [email protected]: Ditto Helen
21:04:10 SusanEttenheim: pmumford and helen click on listen
21:04:53 Helen: Got it.
21:05:09 SusanEttenheim: hi all can you hear us?
21:05:34 SusanEttenheim: slin2 - can you hear us?
21:06:00 Helen: Yes, I can hear. Can't figure out how to talk, but one thing at a time.
21:06:22 SusanEttenheim: helen we have to call you into the call for you to talk
21:06:34 [email protected]: I can now hear
21:06:36 Christina: to hear, click on the icons under EdTechTalk A on the right side of the screen.
21:06:40 SusanEttenheim: other than that you just type yourcomments here as you listen
21:06:40 Helen: OK. I'll just listen and type.
21:06:50 SusanEttenheim: great pmumford glad it's working!
21:07:37 SusanEttenheim: could you please introduce yourself!?
21:07:53 Lynette: Hi Gail.
21:07:56 SusanEttenheim: I'm at a high school in NYC
21:08:03 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:08:09 Gail Desler: Hi Lynette. I'm so glad to be joining tonight!
21:08:26 SusanEttenheim: hi gail! please introduce yourself to everyone!
21:09:11 Gail Desler: Hi Everyone.  I from Calif - up in the Sierra Foothills, but work in the sacramento area as a tech integration specialist
21:10:07 SusanEttenheim: welcome back elyseea - please introduce yourself! where and what do you teach?
21:10:33 ElyseEA: Hi everyone, I direct national programs at the NWP and have taught HS and teacher ed.
21:11:14 sam802: Hi All I am from Tulsa and teach  writing/ comp I pt @Tulsa Community College
21:11:15 SusanEttenheim: elysea - what state?
21:11:24 ElyseEA: California
21:11:29 SusanEttenheim: ahhh yes
21:11:48 ElyseEA: ;)
21:12:06 SusanEttenheim: and sam802 and slin2 where and what do you teach?
21:12:21 SusanEttenheim: hi peggy! welcome
21:12:34 SusanEttenheim: please introduce yourself - where and what do you teach?
21:12:53 SusanEttenheim: peggy... a regular :)
21:12:59 sam802: I teach developmental writing and freshman comp @ Tulsa Com Coll
21:13:01 PeggyG: Hi-sorry I'm late!
21:13:07 Gail Desler: Hi Peggy G!
21:13:10 SusanEttenheim: hi hollyanna welcome - where and what do you teach?
21:13:16 slin2: Hi Susan slin2 is me..Suzanne..Hey Gail!
21:13:18 PeggyG: I'm a retired elementary principal and university teacher ed instructor from Phoenix AZ
21:13:24 hollyanna: first grade
21:13:31 hollyanna: in Colorado
21:13:42 SusanEttenheim: welcome!
21:13:44 Gail Desler: Hi Suzanne - Heard you in the podcast
21:14:07 ElyseEA: Hi Gail.
21:14:18 ElyseEA: 209 sites
21:14:25 Gail Desler: HI Elyse
21:14:36 PeggyG: the summer writing institutes seem to be life-changing for the teachers who participate!!
21:15:06 Gail Desler: The SI was definitely life-changing for me, Peggy!
21:15:39 ElyseEA: Was for me too, Peggy.
21:16:36 PeggyG: what a fun writing project!!
21:17:09 [email protected]: Me too; more importantly, the network is available, dynamic and changing for the longevity of your career.  There's a place for everyone.
21:17:57 Gail Desler: I'm working this year mostly with 4th graders at three of our Title 1 schools. I marvel at , despite some of the horrific issues they face daily, most of them are impressively resilient
21:18:35 PeggyG: that sounds so exciting!!
21:18:47 Paul Allison: Vanessa seems to be on line.
21:18:52 PeggyG: they will remember that experience for a lifetime!
21:19:27 PeggyG: what a wonderful story!!
21:19:50 SusanEttenheim: looks like vanessa's online but it fails will keep trying...
21:20:18 Gail Desler: Jotting down notes on Suzanne's program...
21:20:37 SusanEttenheim: hi watchorn welcome!
21:20:44 SusanEttenheim: where and what do you teach?
21:20:51 PeggyG: what a win-win situation Dewayne!
21:21:44 PeggyG: lots of process skills too!!
21:22:06 slin2: Gail..I can send you a copy if you want. S
21:22:15 Gail Desler: Suzanne, have you done any kind of write-up on your project? Something posted on line mayb?!
21:22:33 PeggyG: I would love to have a copy too Suzanne!!
21:22:55 slin2: We'e using it as part of out tech proposal.
21:23:04 SusanEttenheim: hi teach welcome! where and what do you teach?
21:23:15 ElyseEA: I think the process of going out into the community and into spaces, like back in the kitchens in the restaurants, etc. is an important element in building confidence that you can be out in the world, confident, welcomed.  Could be significant for many students to have that be part of susan's project.
21:23:49 PeggyG: definitely ElyseEA!! those are really important life skills!
21:24:32 sam802: Very important point that they do need social skills at an early age.  Also useful for the older/adult students!
21:24:50 Gail Desler: Rural and suburban poor have no transportation out of their immediate communities.  How wonderful to build those excursions and experiences into the school day
21:25:14 PeggyG: that was a powerful learning experience Dewayne!
21:25:24 ElyseEA: Yes, we can forget how circumscribed their travel can be.
21:25:54 Gail Desler: DeWayne - a colleague of mine calls that "stealth teaching"
21:25:59 slin2: I have several extras for those who might want them.  It's cheap..the resturaunts love it!
21:26:11 PeggyG: I like that term Gail :-)
21:26:15 Helen: I call it "stealth learning."
21:26:22 SusanEttenheim: suzanne please mute if you are typing and not talking , ok? thanks!
21:26:58 PeggyG: that is a great use for a flip camera!
21:28:11 slin2: You bet!  This real multi tasking!!!  Wow!
21:28:22 DewayneTUL: Stealth Learning ... I'll have to adopt that phrase
21:28:37 sam802: Dewayne it is great to have learning move across the curriculum in such meaningful ways for the student
21:28:46 ElyseEA: There's an interesting project that Dwayne reminds me of online at WKCD.org called the Practice Project.  Essential question: What does it take to get good at something.  Student i-search results presented online.
21:29:16 DewayneTUL: Oh, thank you ... I'll have to bookmark that link.
21:29:51 Helen: Yes, I've found that I-searches can be empowering.
21:29:51 SusanEttenheim: questions comments for our guests?
21:30:06 PeggyG: what is an I-search?
21:30:50 sam802: We really need more great ideas for using technology in the classroom.  Students seem to respond very well
21:31:29 ElyseEA: Great question:  It's a kind of project that stresses answering your own question -- "what I search" rather than assigned or outside topics that have been done before --re-search.
21:31:30 PeggyG: that must have been a very special experience for the parents to come to the teacher's home!!
21:31:51 PeggyG: thanks ElyseED-great explanation!
21:31:56 Helen: Ken Macrorie initiated the term. He believed that traditional research is teacher-driven. An I-Search is a REAL question that a student wants answered. What does it take to get a job as a fireman? What's it like to grow up with a drug dealer in the family (a real project one of my students did; it was her best work of the semester)
21:32:21 SusanEttenheim: welcome back paul!
21:32:32 SusanEttenheim: can you turn your skype back on too ;)
21:33:07 Lynette: Were you getting horrible feedback when I was speaking earlier?
21:33:27 ElyseEA: Yes, there was a spot of bad feedback but very short
21:33:28 Gail Desler: A bit Lynette
21:34:35 SusanEttenheim: vanessa I just brought you back in - can you hear ok?
21:35:35 PeggyG: that sounds like a great project! You should submit their videos to Tony Vincent's "Our Town" video project!
21:36:11 PeggyG: http://learninginhand.com/OurCity/participate.html
21:36:16 sam802: Question for anyone: Do students seem more resilient when they are meaningfully connected to their communities?
21:36:54 PeggyG: Tikatok is also a great site to publish kids' writing and you can view online and also purchase hard copy :-)
21:37:23 PeggyG: http://www.tikatok.com/help/teachers
21:37:44 Gail Desler: sam, I think that's a key challenge.  So many of our poorest students really have no sense of community - constant turn-over, people move on, etc
21:38:08 PeggyG: that's an excellent point!
21:38:44 SusanEttenheim: hi lindan welcome
21:38:55 LindaN: Hi Susan!
21:39:16 SusanEttenheim: welcome - where and what do you teach?
21:39:38 Christina: Is this the profile that Suzanne was referring to: http://www.impactinc.org/trails/resilprofile.htm?
21:39:41 sam802: I agree Gail.  Have we lost the overall sense of community these days?
21:39:42 Helen: As Irina was speaking, I thought of a conversation with one of our TCs 2 weeks ago. She was out for a walk after a difficult day as an elementary guidance counselor. She said "who de-escalates the de-escalator? I don't know what my job even is anymore." We need to think about resilience with teachers.
21:40:09 LindaN: I am in Chester Springs, PA teaching elementary gifted support
21:40:25 vanessa: I am back in and can hear the conversation
21:40:38 ElyseEA: Very important to focus on a healthy environment for the adults too.  You know the phrase: "Feed the teachers so that they don't eat the kids?
21:40:47 SusanEttenheim: vanessa we need you to mute when you are not talking - do you know how to do that?
21:40:52 Christina: :)\
21:41:06 sam802: Yes! Teacher Resiliency is so necessary!
21:41:12 Lynette: Elyse, I'm LOL
21:41:37 LindaN: Having a PLN provides you with the support to be resilient!
21:41:37 ElyseEA: :D
21:41:43 Paul Allison: I'm back
21:41:51 Helen:  a PLN?
21:42:17 Gail Desler: You're right LindaN! How do we help students build the same kind of community?
21:42:17 sam802: Excellent point Dewayne.
21:42:18 ElyseEA: Yes, a PLN (personal learning network) can blend personal support and colleagial learning mixed.
21:42:21 PeggyG: You are all such persuasive advocates for both the writing project and resiliency!! :-) Very inspiring!
21:42:22 SusanEttenheim: welcome back paul! this conversation has barely stopped for a  sec
21:42:40 LindaN: Personal learning network across the globe of like minded educators who teach you, support you, challenge your thinking.
21:42:59 ElyseEA: critical friendship
21:44:15 LindaN: @Gail I help my elementary students by offering a Ning - Aspiring Writers that gives them an opportunity to connect with other writers like themselves.
21:44:20 Helen: I appreciate the positive aspects of the resilience research; what kids (and teachers) CAN do rather than the ways they fail.
21:44:47 LindaN: I always want my students to be problem solvers not just problem finders.
21:45:07 Gail Desler: Linda, can you post the URL to the ning?
21:45:13 [email protected]: Also referred to as personal learning community--PLC--a place to be safe and vulnerable--a group who supports risk for innovative teaching ideas.
21:45:21 SusanEttenheim: linda what a great phrase
21:46:21 LindaN: http://www.aspiringwriters.ning.com
21:46:23 ElyseEA: I think that people often use PLN to refer to virtual and widespread communities and PLC often refers to communities of faculty in buildings and districts, so I think this is a slight distinction
21:46:37 LindaN: @E
21:46:53 LindaN: @ElyssaEA I think you are right on!
21:48:12 ElyseEA: Both valuable, and complementary
21:49:04 ElyseEA: I think it's also important to expand connections to avoid group think. So a group of colleagues where each member has varied and diverse PLNs will expand its sources of information dramatically
21:49:11 PeggyG: What an excellent example of a Ning LindaN! Thanks for sharing the link!
21:50:00 PeggyG: I think districts commercialized professional learning communities which makes it different than a personal learning network!
21:50:08 ElyseEA: Suzanne is right and is true across the country
21:50:21 Helen: Suzanne, thanks for telling us about how PLC can become co-opted. Important to know.
21:50:42 LindaN: PLN are ALL about YOUR choice not some authority
21:50:54 PeggyG: exactly LindaN!!
21:51:59 Gail Desler: Vanessa, this is very true - unfair - but true
21:52:34 LindaN: Whenever the education system takes an idea an systemitizes it- then it loses it's life and passion
21:52:41 sam802: Vanessa, I think it goes back to making community a center where students can access technoloty
21:52:55 Helen: Vanessa raises a valid point. Actually my university lags behind many of the public schools where I go to observe student teachers. It's not just K-12 where access and opportunity are an issue.
21:53:16 DewayneTUL: Linda, that's a great quoatation ... I know I will use that again
21:53:48 PeggyG: we need to keep looking for those opportunities to support those students though and not make it an excuse for not using what's available. I saw a classroom that was 99% free lunch and they did student blogging by getting their parents to take them to the public library to use the computers.
21:54:33 LindaN: @DewayneTUL Just think of all of the examples you can name!
21:54:36 ElyseEA: I think this is also an area where mobile devices and low cost cloud computing can have an impact.
21:55:06 SusanEttenheim: wow peggy
21:55:20 Lynette: The community in which I taught didn't have computers in the public library, which was open only two afternoons a week
21:55:24 PeggyG: yes ElyseEA--it's amazing how many students have cell phones--computers in their pockets :-)
21:55:40 sam802: Elyse explain low cost cloud computing?
21:57:21 Christina: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2513
21:57:42 ElyseEA: @sam802   The system whereby the applications are on the server -- in 'the cloud' -- like with Google Docs so that you can access them through a simple browser...cheater computer or shared computer or netbook.  So you spend less in hardware for the same power. but you need internet.
21:58:39 sam802: Thank you! I am still learning. :)
21:58:54 ElyseEA: Me too -- all the time. :-)
21:59:02 PeggyG: Very well stated!!!
22:00:03 PeggyG: wonderful story!!!
22:02:30 Lynette: I've lost sound and can't communicate just now
22:02:34 PeggyG: a resiliant attitude is definitely a "can do" attitude--I love it!!
22:03:16 Lynette: Are you folks still there.
22:03:23 SusanEttenheim: lynette - trying to call you back.. did your skype quit>?
22:03:31 LindaN: So how do we as adults accomplish more than one priority at a time- we can accomplish NCLB at the same time we accomplish something much more significant
22:03:33 sam802: The access issue comes up for adult students as well.  It is important for them to search out their alternatives and become empowered also.
22:04:29 SusanEttenheim: lynette I think you're back in the call
22:04:43 Lynette: I'm back!
22:05:03 LindaN: TRUST your expertise and understanding- you will achieve MUCH more than NCLB if they are NOT your priorities!
22:05:28 PeggyG: I agree with you LindaN!
22:06:18 PeggyG: please come back and keep this conversation going!! This has been a great conversation!!
22:07:48 sam802: Thank you for the conversation. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
22:07:51 LindaN: @PeggyG Yes has it- what an energizing experience!
22:08:21 LindaN: Oh Alfie Kohn- What a master!
22:08:46 PeggyG: so true, Irina! modeling provides such a powerful example!
22:09:35 LindaN: A strenght based model is what helps everyone be successful
22:10:04 PeggyG: Thank you all for sharing your stories!! So inspiring!
22:10:32 Gail Desler: Great conversation.  Night everyone.
22:10:39 SusanEttenheim: night gail
22:10:50 ElyseEA: night night all
22:10:56 LindaN: Night Everyone- Great conversation!
22:11:21 PeggyG: Suzanne--how can we get your cooking genre unit information? would love to see it!
22:11:44 Lynette: Thanks to all for the rich conversation.
22:11:45 [email protected]: Thanks all, I'll get a better handle on this next time. 
22:12:13 SusanEttenheim: night all
22:12:19 SusanEttenheim: thanks for joining us
22:12:30 PeggyG: I love it-Dave Lebow :-)
22:12:33 slin2: Peggy email me at [email protected]
22:12:43 Paul Allison: Thanks -- ah I want my computer back!
22:12:45 PeggyG: Thanks!
22:12:55 DewayneTUL: Good night everyone ... Thank you!
22:13:13 sam802: Good Night All!
22:13:44 Christina: good night everyone!