Event ID: 1638068
Event Started: 10/22/2010 3:35:43 PM ET
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Good afternoon. I am going to get started. Once I start talking everyone will come in. Did everyone enjoy the poster session?
Yes.
Good. For those who didn't have time to finish the scavenger hunt questions, I didn't tell you had to finish them all, that wasn't a requirement. So before tonight's event, if you want to stop by, see me or Elizabeth, we is share the prizes with you.
We were glad you participated in the posters.
We are really excited about our two speakers we're about to have. I don't think you will need coffee because they're going to keep you moving. Four first, speaker, Matt Nink, -- both are speaking on the topic of diversity. Matt has been the executive director of Global Youth Leadership Institute since its inception in December of 2005.
He also has 15 years of experience as award-winning English teacher and administrator at three high schools in Wisconsin.
He's developed many programs for students and teachers in the areas of commune building, student discipline and -- efforts to raise awareness about diversity in schools.
He's conducted successful student and teacher workshops at schools throughout the U.S., as well as in Costa Rica, India and Nigeria. Matt has presented on wide topics out of his work in the institute, known as GLYI, the national association of independent schools, conferences, people of color, independent school association of the central states, an annual conference for -- degree from English in -- and masters from Northern Illinois University. He has experience in the business world, united parcel services, lives in Milwaukee with his wife and four children.
We have Gloria West Harper, serves as an officer of golds Golden Apple Foundation, was director of the teacher education program, known as GATE, from February 2003 to 2005. That took the post at GAF as a after being a teacher, mom, and -- joined in 89 as a science teacher, taught freshman physics, biology, advanced placement. Appointed the diversity coordinator in 1995, and the first Dean of multicultural affairs in 2001. In 2005 she added the role of Dean of students. She taught in Chicago public schools. As an elementary and high school biology teacher in the Chicago public schools she was honored with the University of Chicago outstanding high school teacher award and the ile Illinois institute of technology award, serves on the board of -- and GLYI. She's a nationally recognized leader in eh equity and justice initiates. She received her BA in chemistry from the University of Minnesota at more head, MA from Chicago State University in natural science. Give them a warm welcome.
[Applause ]
Good afternoon everybody. We drew the Friday afternoon last session card, that means we get to have some fun. So yes, -- the first thing, thank you very much for the lovely introduction and we want to thank NOAA and the sponsors for the opportunity to be here. We had a great time preparing. We did know each other before this morning and I have had a great time getting ready to talk and work with you this afternoon.
To start, though, we want to do two quick things we like to get things going. First, take your index finger, right or left, spin it clockwise, keep it coming down, now counter clockwise. You switch, first clockwise, try that again, now down below nose and it's going counter clockwise -- no way. Your perspective switched, from the front to the back. The programs we run help change learner's perspectives, the number one thing.
Number two, anything in the okay sign, exit, light, both eyes open, this thing is in the okay sign, in the middle, you open, close one eye -- then you see that really one of your eyes is dominant. This is -- you have a left or right eye, only in one eye, one does more work than the other. Right eye is dominant raise your hand, left eye?
Wow, a lot more right eye dominants. Interesting. Research study for somebody about the right eye dominant among science teachers.
You heard about our bios. We are going to do some discussion of these two topics, diversity and transfer, how we create dynamic programs for student and teacher and transfer those back into the classroom. But first, a little story telling.
I am going to start. We like to get at diversity right away. I am 39, white, male, Catholic, hetero sexual, able-bodied. I think that's most of them for me.
I benefit from every privilege that exists, male, white, upper middle class, hetero sexual, every where I go, American Express, visa, people will help me. Gloria, do you want to introduce yourself in terms of diversity?
Hi. I am Gloria. Thank you very much for having us here, because I have learned a lot just sitting at the tables doing the roundtable discussion. When you look at me, you are probably forming a different opinion than when you looked at Matt.
Sometimes those opinions that you form just by looking at me might not be the right one. I am a scientist. I am an elementary school teacher. I am a high school teacher. I am a mom. I am a single mom. I am African-American, I am Native American, I am Jewish. Do I look that?
And, I am a Christian. When you think of diversity, and this is what most people think of, the first thing comes to mind when you think of diversity is what?
Difference. Different. Or, race, ethnicity. What about learning differences?
What about geography? I am from the Midwest, as you heard, I was born in Mississippi. The southern part of the state. I was raised in an urban area, Chicago. I went to a Chicago public school. All the way through high school. My whole desire in life was to be a scientist. I wanted to be Dr. West.
When I went away to college, you know where I went? Where did I go? I went to the University of Minnesota at [indiscernible], I was the only African-American for 500-miles. You know what I majored in? Chemistry. Can you imagine a female majoring in chemistry, an African-American, coming from the Chicago public schools -- I was the only female in my class. You know what? It took me all of those years before I found that teacher, that one teacher who told me "you can be anything you want to be." That one teacher who took me by the hand, who helped me through, so I graduated from Morehead with a degree in chemistry. When I went to college I was 15. Age. I consider myself seasoned to Matt, I didn't use the three-letter word. When you think about diversity think of all those things, and as you listen to our program, you will see why when I started my PhD at the University of Illinois, took all the classes and all I had to do was write the paper, but you know what I did? I went back into teaching. Because I wanted to make a difference. It's all about that one child. That one child could be you, like that one child was me. It doesn't matter where you are, whether you are in government, whether you are a scientist, whether you are at the university level, elementary, or whether you are high school. Make a difference in a child's life, it's always about that one. Listen to our programs and you will see, that's exactly what we are doing, making a difference in that child's life. So, come from anywhere, you don't have to be in the classroom to make a difference in a child's life.
Matt: We are going to get into the programs, what we do on a day-to-day basis, but we want to first get at the diversity conversation, who we're, and core beliefs. One is students are the leaders of today. We need youth engaged in the communities. When I go around to schools, I was just in St. Louis, put up your hand if you have ever been to a City Council meeting, zoning, school board meeting. Our students have never seen leadership in action, never seen negotiation, the back and forth, C span doesn't count. They need to see leadership in action. Part of our job training leaders, especially day to stay scientific leaders, need to see how it works.
We start working together from there. Get it on the table first. Doesn't matter how different Gloria and I are, it's how we work together across lines that matters.
A group of teachers came together in July of 2001, they said what can we do differently? What can we do a as a response to the tragic event of 9/11. Drawing on different -- sustainability and -- we deliver transformative program that's transfer four things, environmental sustainability, helping student and teachers develop the piece and become citizens of the world. The themes are important.
We want to start with this idea of difference and collaborative leadership working across and tie that with science. If everybody in this room wants policymakers, decision makers who are data driven, evidence based, research oriented, one of the biggest obstacles is faith traditions. Get the people of faith and the people of science in the same room. I can be fully Catholic, Jewish, whatever, and still use data to make my decisions.
There's a whole lot of folks in the world that want to prevent scientists from being fully human, that scientists -- to be fully ensconced in the faith tradition and still be good scientists. In our 21st century model of learning we tie these things together. That's important, to have these four things happening.
Just like all the RAT, amazing programs in the poster sessions, we are trying to get into attitudes, knowledge, perspectives, skills, through leadership experiences. Rather than thinking about the best content to come up with, we come up with the experience and the content comes out of the experience.
What does that look like? Whoo, well, we start with science. That's for a reason. We believe the first thing you have to do is look at the world using the Scientific Method, things the folks in this room have really developed high-end states. Our middle school program is for student and teachers, five-day hands-on. I give a shout out to Elizabeth Bullock, who developed the program. We have two sites, Connecticut and California. The high school sequence uses the same perspective through a series of different pieces. The first a tall ship, the second is a mountain retreat 95% solar powered in northern New Mexico, and in Costa Rica and India. We take in-bound student exchanges from other countries, take them to Columbia, American -- D.C., we just now, unique about both programs, golden apple and GYI -- we are -- and privately funded. Just this summer we were funded by the State Department to do a program in Africa and we have a program next summer to take students from Chicago and Milwaukee to Costa Rica and Panama.
We are expanding internationally, you can see by the program in Africa. So that was all student and teachers together. An important piece of the evaluation conversation, students, teachers together, co-learners. The teachers don't know anymore than the students when they get in, that exploration together, group inquiry makes a big difference. We will talk about transfer, have an online course we developed with SIT in Vermont to try to help them manage this experience from their amazing summer program on the tall ship back into the experience in the classroom.
We have an emerging experience for Cuba for next summer.
Diversity. A very important topic, of course. Why we are here. For us, diversity, just like evaluation, embedded all the way through, can't think about it afterwards. Now that we have the program, let's get people of color, women, -- the program has to have that woven through, the design, different communities and audiences.
We have learning locations spread out geographically and have to teach lessons about diversity. We run the [indiscernible] replica of a former slave ship in the state of Connecticut. We won't go on that without talking about the passage, immigration. We draw from a wide population of schools, boarding schools, parochial schools, a Christian science school in St. Louis is involved in the program, very interesting for the medical forums. They say please allow so and so to consult their Christian science practitioner if there's an emergency. I didn't know what that was, had to look it up.
We had age diversity, one of the biggest workplace skills once assistant professors need to figure out, the difference in age, how to work across the line. Students, adults as co-learners can't be understated.
Diversity during the program, we address just as we did now this conversation about who we are at the get-go. This is the end of the conversation, talked about our feelings, who we are, wonderful that, was it, happy. No. That's day one. Day two. Now that we have them on the table we have to work creating solutions. There's a mathematics at Michigan many of you know, Scott page, where mathematically proven a bunch of very different thinkers beat the experts. Done with the NFL draft -- you get a lot of people, putting in a contribution, beat the expert. If we are creating solutions on climate change, geo political conflict, whatever the issue is, we need a bunch of diverse thinkers.
Then, diversity after the program, we go back to school, say okay great. Had this experience, now what? Teachers and students have to create a plan, try something out, post on the website by November 1, all coming up for these folk and then we survey after that, in the spring, early summer about attitudes, perspectives. That's a big part of the outcome, have their attitudes about other people, older, younger, different religions changed.
There's a great organization called Ed Steps, funded by the chief -- officers -- looking to get rid of high-stakes testing, creating matrices of learning, six categories, writing, critical thinking, analyzing information, one is global competence. Based on global competence matrix, I made a matrix of our themes. This is Edsteps.org. Great organization. I will turn it over to Gloria to talk about golden apple.
Actually, we are going to talk. I want you to close your eyes, but I don't want you to fall asleep on me. Close your eyes, I want you to reflect black and think about that great teacher you had, that great teacher. Could have been in kindergarten, the primary grades, high school, or like me, to college or even post-graduate, or professional school. Think about that great teacher.
Think about the quality of that great teacher. Now open your eyes. Wake up. Now, share with us, just a few, one of the qualities of the great teacher?
Just one.
Give high motivation.
Quality of a great teacher?
Great communicator.
Sense of humor.
Gave me flexibility in what I could study.
She was always smiling.
Positive.
Reinforcement.
Excited about his research.
Caring.
Kind.
You thought you were getting away because you're in the back. That's the teacher in you, you have to gets them all. It's always about that one.
Push me out of my comfort zone.
There are a lot of qualities you can think of when you think of those great teachers. Liz? Quality of a great teacher.
Named Gloria Harper --
Quality of a great teacher?
Approachable.
Role model.
Cared about my learning.
High expectations.
Genuine.
Creative.
You know this is my table, I have to come over here.
Worked hard.
Compassionate.
Rarely said no.
Enthusiastic.
Confident.
Now, when you think of Golden Apple I want you to think of everything you just heard.
Leadership.
Pushed us.
No comment.
That's okay. Now, the Golden Apple, our mission is, if you don't remember anything else what Gloria told you, all children deserve excellent teachers. All children. We're talking about diversity. When you look at the Golden Apple family you are going to see we have 1300 Golden Apple scholars that we've worked with over the years. All the way through college, that are coming into teaching. We have inducted 260 Golden apple teachers into the Golden Academy of educators that exhibit all the qualities you said. Where did the vision come from?
Mike and Pat Coal-- are founders. Mike is a businessman, capital, marketing, he and his wife were watching the academy awards. You know how we honor our actors, actresses, the films they make. Teachers deserve the same because all of you can reflect on that teacher. Maybe not one, maybe two. Maybe many. Teachers need to be honored. That's what the golden apple does. Each year, and this is our 25th anniversary year, we have honored 10 teachers in five counties. One year we were down in central Illinois, what are we looking for in those teachers? The qualities that you named. Why are we honoring teachers? Because they need to be honored for the work they are doing. In addition to that honor, those teachers are original partners, Northwestern University, partnered with Golden Apple, in addition to Northwestern, public television, WTTW, channel 11, we do an hour broadcast of those 10 teachers. You want to flip back? Here are the 10 teachers we honored this year. These are high school teachers. Every three years we honor high school teachers. Next year, 2011, it's teachers teaching in fourth to eighth great. The following year, 2012, teachers teaching in pre-K through third. Where do they come from? Public, private, suburban, urban, all types of religions, five counties throughout the state. You say why honor? In addition to getting a sabbatical, spring and summer, to take whatever classes they wish at Northwestern University, we give them $3000 to use during the sabbatical and they are inducted into the Golden Apple Academy of educators. We have inducted, since 1986, 260 teachers. You know what those 260 teachers do? They develop all of the programs that we have.
When you look at the Golden Apple award, take those teachers, what they know, they have shown they are outstanding. Those teachers come to -- when I was going around the poster, looking at the different programs, where the outstanding teachers could go during the summer, because they come back. We leverage what they learn. All the teachers of Illinois cannot get in your programs. These teachers have shown they are outstanding, they have the passion, compassion, everything you named. Use it.
first program they developed was the golden apple scholars of Illinois. You look at the Golden Apples scholars of Illinois, this year we selected 105 scholars. 100 of those are high school students, five are career changing adults that would like to teach in the primary grades. Our golden apple scholars, 1300 since we initially started in 1989 we only selected 30. The state of Illinois is our biggest funder for our scholars. When you look at our scholars, 60% chosen are students of color. 50% come from low income. I can tell you each year we get at least two of those scholars that are homeless. They want to be a teacher. We tell them to follow their dreams. You look at scholars, 83% of those chosen complete the program. What does that mean? They graduate and go into teaching.
What do we give them? We give them scholarships, we give them stipends during the summer. What do we require of them? That when they graduate, they teach five years in a school of need, defined by the federal government, looking at the Pell Grant, it changes each year. You ask about those scholars, you look at those scholars, 93% of those individuals who teach for five years and complete the five years, you know what? They stay in teaching. If not in teaching, they are administrators.
If we compare it to the other teachers in Illinois, only 68% of Illinois teachers remain in teaching over five years. That was a study done in 2009.
In 2001 the University University of Illinois, Chicago campus, did a study of our scholars program, showing they were clearly superior in behavior, reflective practice, displayed more sophisticated classroom management skills than any other. You ask why. Before those scholars go to college, you know what we do? We bring all of them together at DePaul University, we partner with 53 universities in the state of Illinois. At each of those we have a college liaison person who looks after our scholars. All of our scholars, coming from all over the state, those from the southern part of the state that may have been on farm land, never been to a big city, but they have to stay in the dormitories during the summer. They stay in the dormitories with the other scholars, form a close bond. Very close bond. We teach them college success before they go to college.
After their first year of college, you know what they do? They come back to DePaul, back again. They are together during the second summer working on additional skills.
Third summer, they design their own program but it has to involve something working with children, GYLY, you name it. I am walking around thinking where can our scholars go for the third year, to prepare them. Fourth year, going into senior year, we bring them together, prepare them for student teaching. You ask, who is doing all this? We're at the different universities, but you were the teachers inducted into the Golden Apple, they mentor them, work with them, conduct reflective seminars. We visit them at their university, the liaison person at the university brings themtogether. So we can make sure they are getting whatever they need. When they graduate, the five years they have to do the commitment; do we turn them loose? The teachers in the classroom -- those teachers have the most difficult time of all. Our mentors, Golden Apple award winning teachers, the ones we call not retired, they call themselves -- ARC -- resource rich. They don't think of them as retired teachers. Those teachers are mentoring our scholars through their first five years of teaching. You know what? That first class, the class of 2010, one of those recipients was a Golden Apple scholar. We have inducted two of our scholars, recipients of the Golden Apple award.
We honor teachers, recognize teachers, empower teachers to help us recruit and prepare individuals who are thinking about coming into teaching. Finally, professional development. What better way than to take those award winning teachers and have them to go out into the schools to make sure those other teachers are getting the professional development, what they need. Our award winning program for professional development is our inquiry-based science.
Where do they go? Partnerships, we partnership with the museums, we have award winning teachers working with NASA, the museum of science and industry is where we conduct our professional developments. Award winning teachers have selected 18 Chicago public elementary schools, someone was sitting at our table, saying elementary school teachers have a very difficult time with science. I first started out in the fifth grade, teaching fifth grade. When I started teaching I wasn't 21. They didn't think I could handle the high schools. Believe me, high school was easier than elementary school.
Teaching for me. Those teachers are in 18 schools. You know how you go to professional development in the summer and then in the chases classroom you can't remember -- our teachers go in the classroom once or twice a month, back in the classroom working with those cohorts. Each school sends five teachers, because it's very difficult, those who have summer programs, it's much easierif another teacher goes with you. The school must select five teachers, show they can work together.
When you think of Golden Apple, think of recognition. Secondly, think of recruitment and preparation for the scholars. Thirdly, think of professional development. That's golden Apple. Remember, all children deserve excellent teachers. When you find one, honor one. As Mike said, our biggest funder for our programs, for the scholars, the state of Illinois. You know the state of Illinois, broke now, we are out trying to find people.
For our teachers, the biggest finder is when we have the awards. We get it from private funding, but when we go to federal they always say where's the research? That's why I really enjoy the evaluation and research, because when I go back it can help us. We have done it, but now I know which way to do it, so I can make sure all children have excellent teachers. We are not copyrighted because there are Golden Apples all over the place. If you are in a state, open up a scholars program, award teachers, bring them together, use those resources, let them develop the programs. Let them do the professional development. Teachers need to be honored.
Now, I forgot a whole lot, because it's on the little flash drive, Matt is going to sum up.
Our laboratories, the tall ship or in New Mexico, we have to have learners that can recreate all kinds of situations. If they are going to be confident as a 15-year-old in their religion, ethnicity, their family situation, they will be confident in Spanish quiz, engineering homework. Learners will have to keep learning themselves. That Montessori, on the rug, all of us will have to be on the rug all the time. The knowledge is changing too fast for anybody to own it.
Other things come from that, one of the biggest issues of whatever the minority might be, the field, confidence, they don't think they are controlling their own destiny. That's our job, in this room now to, invite others to the table.
Questions at this point?
[indiscernible]
Which one?
Wondering what the cost was to --
Over $2 million. When you look at the scholars, the scholars are in our programs for four years, we give the freshmen and sophomores -- and $5000 for the juniors and seniors, a stipend. At DePaul U they require us to pay for the five weeks the scholars are there each summer, for tuition, room -- not tuition, room and board. We add up what we pay the university for the summer institute -- we run five summer institutes, two at DePaul; one at The Street Xavier, one at elm hufort and one at the math and science academy.
We add up all of those, four cohorts at one time.
How many staff?
We down sized, our largest staff group, the scholar staff, my staff, because I do the selection of the award-winning teachers, it's two of us. I travel throughout the state. We have over 70 volunteers that do the selection process. The selection process for the 10 teachers, those individuals, the college professors, most of them are college liaison, teachers that have won the Golden Apple award, administrative, anyone not eligible for the award. We use the Charlotte Danielson framework. I don't know if you are familiar with Charlotte Danielson framework in selecting teachers, there are four core things we look at when selecting the teachers.
How many total staff in Chicago?
14.
Easily replicable in other cities around the country. Other questions?
Actually you don't need 14, we start at central Illinois there were two people. Two people at the University of Illinois, it's critical the university partner. Also, those individuals that are not part of the education, museums, -- different scientists, the partnership with them.
[indiscernible] staff is two, two full time, the rest seasonal and partnerships and part time people.
You can go on our website and get a full impact of all of the programs, and see every time you click it says donate. We normally, for scholars, we always have our private funding come from individuals that sponsor a scholar, because we have a lot of scholars each year that are homeless, because one of them -- I took her down to the University University of Illinois in Springfield. She had no one. You look at them, the ones with the least -- those are the ones that have the best grades. It was a teacher. That teacher was a counselor who watched over her four years to make sure she got everything she needed. When she became a Golden Apple scholar I took her over, there's no way you can send a child to school and everyone else is coming with someone. She had a difficult time in the summer institute, everybody else was talking about family. Someone has someone, but she had no one. She's doing quite well. Before I left she called to tell me she got an A in English.ments to be an English teacher.
Just a quick question -- very impressive presentation -- are you all now seeing any impact in terms of student grades, at the different schools these teachers are working in?
That's where we are working with the University of Chicago right now. That's why I came here, I am so happy I was invited because we need to do that research now. That's what we have been told.
Just an ideal, excellent strategy, approach to the critical need of getting more teachers in the classroom, but look a little further, see if you can -- with these golden teachers, look at developing golden schools. Something to think about.
With the cohort, one thing we have been told V a group of them. Actually, if you notice our founder, most of you have probably heard of the Academy for Urban School Leadership, Mike -- the founder of the Golden Apple program is doing the turn-around schools, puts cohorts of our teachers, and we are running into opposition. A lot of people when you pull teachers out, put another group in, new administrator, then you run into progress -- problems, but that's what he's dog.
No more questions?
You stunned them into silence.
Anybody else want to start a Golden Apple? Scholars?
We are both very open to research and evaluation partnership opportunities, so before we leave the room, wanted to say that. Also, money, not afraid of money.
For our university individuals in the room, university partners, think very carefully about the scholars. About, especially in the college of education, for whatever fields they want to go into, think of partnering with a school district or school or even a scientist, or some association to work to get programs. In addition to that, we have had -- Matt talked about the Gate program, something I didn't mention BECAUSE we no longer do that. They are career changing adults coming by the alternative route. Golden Apple was the first foundation that did it. Now there are alternative programs all over for individuals thinking about coming into science. Or, just coming into teaching. They are out there. The universities, you have a lot of options, because you can reach out a lot of ways.
Is NASA in the room? Who else? All these different -- oh! Oh me -- let me have your card!
You know what, one of our Golden Apple award winning teachers comes every year, Timothy Mccull a, every summer, works with NASA, bring that's back, all of our teachers can't go. He brings it back and we just had a fantastic, fantastic professional development for all Golden Apple teachers at the University of Chicago, partnering with universities, teachers, doesn't matter the grade level, find a university. We had a technology showcase, I can't tell you all the things we learned.
Partnershipping with the university, and Tim, brings things back from NASA. Google, all of those -- we need you, as educators, scientists, all of you in the room, university partners, department of energy, yes. Yes. See, I am moving around the room and that's what we need to do for our scholars. I have a scholar that would work well --
Okay? I have some tremendous scholars who would do wonders.
[indiscernible]
No, I am not, but I am going to give you my card -- what did I tell you? It's always about the one child. You can make a difference in the life of one child. I will never forget the teacher at the University of Minnesota, made a difference in my life.
Matt: To seal that in we are doing one final activity. This is what teachers can do, power of teachers, make the okay sign, on your chin, your chin, those who put it here, students are watching us, don't hear a word, just watch. When we struggle, work across differences, they see what we do, do the same thing. Those who followed that, you do not have a place at the table, do not do that to somebody else. Thank you very much.
[Applause ]
Thank you very much, we really appreciate your time, and your words of wisdom. Amazingly enough, we're ahead of schedule. How did that happen? Right? That's a good thing. We want to -- I want to wrap up a few things. We want to thank anyone who participated via the webcast. We will find out who that is later and will make all of these presentations available via video, captioned online. We might have mentioned the presentations will be available, most are on your thrum drive, but two are not. Bora and Howard's presentation isn't on your thumb drive, as well as Dr. Robinson. All of our panel presenters, you don't have those, you can get those via the website.
A few items to note. Those who have checked in, or are checking in now, staying at the Hampton Inn, keys are available, you don't have to stand in what is now a really long line. We thank event planners for coordinating that. If you didn't see me during the poster session to get your prize, stop by and see me before you do that. The reception this evening is being held in the lounge on the 18th floor of this building. You cannot get to it through the main elevators where your hotel rooms are. You have to go back towards the lobby, almost exit the building, look to your left and you will see a door that says Pose -- they will ask who you are, and you will say -- if the future research experience conference," and they will escort you to the top level for the 20th anniversary reception.
If you have questions, Liz and I, people in the front, tomorrow is another full day, some of the same things we did today, some new things. I hope that will keep you engaged, excited. I look forward to seeing you at 6:00.
Thank you.
[Applause ]
[event concluded] >