Why not take some time to learn about the benefits of mindfulness on this snow day?
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This blog highlights my fortunate view as a Kentucky Educator. As the Executive Director of NKCES, I have the opportunity to see many great educators in action throughout Northern Kentucky. We are "moving to the edge" and taking positive risks for students. We invite you to join us-- there is always plenty of room! #NKY~TheBestPlaceToLearn
Monday, January 25, 2016
Let's not start over but keep moving forward!
I was fortunate to be able to attend Commissioner Pruitt's first State of K-12 Education in the Commonwealth Address: Focusing the progress we have made and the challenges we face. I especially like the commissioner's response to Common Core(@1:03).
Thanks to the teachers' voice, we own the work and revisions of KY Core Academic Standards. Let's not start over but keep moving forward!
Thanks to the teachers' voice, we own the work and revisions of KY Core Academic Standards. Let's not start over but keep moving forward!
Friday, January 8, 2016
NKCES P.O.P. Tours (Problem of Practice Tours)
During our ISLN meetings, instructional leaders shared the problem of practice (i.e. What
instructional concerns keep you up at night?) that they struggle with in their district. At a follow-up
meeting, the group also had conversation around what is working in specific areas in response to the
questions. NKCES has compiled these problems of practices and possible solutions into a Livebinder
for your review. P.O.P. and Successful Strategies Compilation
We will also begin scheduling visits to some of the schools that shared strategies to the problem of practice. The first one is coming up this month and will focus on the Problem of Practice: What are the strategies and next steps that are being implemented to build continuous improvement for PLC work for our schools?
Our first visit will be on January 20th at Glenn O ‘Swing to see PLCs in action. If you are interested in this visit, please contact Michele Augsback A.S.A.P. as space will be limited. Sharing practices such as this, we can become stronger as a region ( #NKY~TheBestPlaceToLearn).
for your review. P.O.P. and Successful Strategies Compilation
We will also begin scheduling visits to some of the schools that shared strategies to the problem of practice. The first one is coming up this month and will focus on the Problem of Practice: What are the strategies and next steps that are being implemented to build continuous improvement for PLC work for our schools?
Our first visit will be on January 20th at Glenn O ‘Swing to see PLCs in action. If you are interested in this visit, please contact Michele Augsback A.S.A.P. as space will be limited. Sharing practices such as this, we can become stronger as a region ( #NKY~TheBestPlaceToLearn).
NKAGE AND NKCES PARTNERING FOR REGIONAL IMPACT: DREAMFEST
The regional kick-off meeting was a huge success with 100% representation from our NKY districts. The conversation about future endeavors and potential leadership for key positions was very productive and progress was made. The next meeting with be held at NKCES on January 22nd at 12:30p.m.
The Northern Kentucky Association for Gifted Education, NKAGE, is planning Dreamfest, a day for our students who are identified as gifted and talented in math, science or the visual and performing arts. It is truly a day that many of the region’s students look forward to each year! This year, Dreamfest will be held on the campus of Northern Kentucky University on Thursday, March 10, 2016. We would like them to have a hands-on, active experience in a topic that interests them while it employs and encourages their talent.
Mindfulness in the New Year
Mindfulness in the New Year
There is a great mindfulness in education movement underway. With growing distractions and the need to engage students in learning, mindfulness provides a key for educators. Not only does it create a stronger awareness but the benefits to brain development are many.
“The picture we have is that mindfulness practice increases one’s ability to recruit higher order, pre- frontal cortex regions in order to down-regulate lower- order brain activity,” she says. In other words, our more primal responses to stress seem to be superseded by more thoughtful ones. MRI scans show that after an eight-week course of mindfulness practice, the brain’s “fight or flight” center, the amygdala, appears to shrink. This primal region of the brain, associated with fear and emotion, is involved in the initiation of the body’s response to stress. As the amygdala shrinks, the pre- frontal cortex – associated with higher order brain
functions such as awareness, concentration and decision-making – becomes thicker.
The “functional connectivity” between these regions – i.e. how often they are activated together – also changes. The connection between the amygdala and the rest of the brain gets weaker, while the connections between areas associated with attention and concentration get stronger. –Tom Ireland
Read more: What does mindfulness meditation do to your brain? Resources: http://danielrechtschaffen.com/mindful-classroom/
NKCES has Mindfulness Resources you can review to see how this strategy can strengthen student learning. Of course, let’s not forget what these strategies can do for educators who are caught in a fast-paced world ....check out whil.com or headspace.com for an easy to use mindfulness tool!
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