Strategies 9 and 10
How do you think these strategies support each other in program improvement?
Both assessment reviews and examinations of student work help teachers work together to create a plan for improvement. Assessments help teachers see overall trends and pinpoint areas of need across the board. Examining student work helps determine what factors might be contributing to the data that was gathered with the assessments. For instance, a particular teacher might be struggling with how to approach certain topics, or a particular assignment is failing to fully address the learning goals, and examining student work can reveal this as a potential cause of lower student performance in an area. Each strategy helps supplement what the other fails to address, as I will outline in the next section.
What are the strengths and challenges of doing each, do you think, in your setting?
Reviewing assessment data is useful because it helps teachers spot overall trends in student performance. They can isolate areas of struggle and strengths that are fairly consistent. Assessment data helps create a "big picture" of the effects of instruction. The challenge with assessments, however, is that they do not really address causal factors like curriculum and instructional practices. That is why it is imperative for teachers to provide feedback at data meetings to help draw a more complete picture of the situation. Also, evaluating student work can help fill in these gaps.
Evaluating student work helps teachers determine more specifically how instruction should be changed. By evaluating student work, teachers can analyze both the efficacy of an assignment and its appropriateness for the targeted learning goals. Evaluation of assignments helps give teachers tools for addressing areas of struggle as identified during data review. One challenge of using this strategy is that the specificity of it may not fully address larger instructional problems, such as teachers who are not familiar with research-based instructional strategies. That is why it is so important to discuss plans for improvement and provide research-based suggestions during the meetings. Another challenge is that teachers may feel vulnerable by opening up their students' work for criticism. That is why coaches must facilitate a professional environment, and everyone must adhere to the norms that they established.
How would they help the faculty you surveyed to make change?
We currently have a pretty well-developed assessment data program at my school right now. I think that we could get better about creating action plans for areas of weakness, though. We provide student remediation, but we do not really address issues on the curricular and instructional end of things, and I think that would improve our action plans. That's why I think it would be useful for my department to evaluate student work regularly. We could analyze assignments that different teachers used to help students with the topics that are on our assessments to see where our areas of strength and weakness are and to help teachers improve their instructional approaches.
Questions for You
- Does your school use assessment review and/or evaluating student work? How is it currently being implemented at your school?
- If not, how do you think these strategies would benefit your school?
- How do you think one or both of these strategies would create a foundation of program improvement to support you in implementing the PD plan you developed?
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Program Improvement 2
The two guiding principles that are most relevant to creating sustained change in my school are the first two in the chart. The first one is as follows:
"Evaluation and change are highly personal. No claims of 'objectivity' or 'data-driven decision making' can circumvent this reality. People change first, then programs; significant change is never easy. Anticipate emotional responses to evaluation and change. Take time to build relationships." - p. 163
1. What is your relationship with faculty, parents, and administration?
I am a newer teacher in my school. However, I have reached out and become a sponsor, and this year I am a mentor teacher for a first year teacher. I feel like I have maintained a fairly close relationship both with my administrators and the teachers in my department. I do not work as closely with the other teachers in the school, but my relationship with them is amiable enough to be a good foundation. In terms of parents, I feel like I am getting better and better about maintaining close communication with parents. I focus on the best interests of their children, and several parents seem to recognize that.
2. Can you identify the strengths of all the teachers you work with in the school?
I think that I would be capable of doing this. I can already identify the strengths of many of the teachers that I know and work closely with, based on anecdotal knowledge. We also have a data program and monthly benchmarks in all of the EOI courses, which would be a great place to start in terms of curricular strengths. Additionally, our principals have been very good about dropping into classrooms regularly this year, so I could turn to them to talk about the observations they've made. Finally, of course, I could talk with the teachers about what they think their strengths are. I feel like I could get a good picture of teachers' strengths, since I have so many sources for that information.
3. In what ways have you actively reached out to build a community of learners that is willing to take risks?
Currently, I've only done this in small ways. Last year, I worked with my department to find an approach to teaching writing that we all thought would be effective. This year, I've been more willing to step out of my comfort zone and talk with my colleagues about how we can all approach teaching different topics. Additionally, I am trying to model risk-taking in terms of volunteering for classes I've never taught and participating directly in the district's curriculum alignment. Also, I suppose my coaching practice this year could count?
The other guiding principle that is relevant to our school's current situation is as follows:
"The more those who are expected to change are involved in shaping the change process, the more sustainable the change effort will be. Evaluation that is controlled and managed from the outside is far less effective in supporting real change than evaluation that comes from within the system." - p. 163
1. How involved are the faculty in the shaping of current efforts?
I think that the faculty could be more involved. Part of that is the way our evaluation, curriculum development, etc. is structured, and part of that is due to initiative of some faculty members. We are somewhat involved in the evaluation of both teachers and students, but teachers who are not on leadership teams are not really involved in the design process. We try to let teachers have a say in the changes that go on at our school, but the efforts don't seem to be resulting in teachers' true involvement.
2. What are some of the ways you are attempting to bring some of those outside the process more inside the process?
We are creating small committees and having meetings to discuss changes that we can make on our level. We have regular team meetings among small groups of teachers, administrators, and counselors to discuss issues with particular students or groups of students. We also have data meetings within each department to discuss the results of our benchmarks and to discuss how we can tailor both our tests and our instruction in the future.
3. Is there a leadership team taking shape within your school?
Yes, to some degree. We have created a "data program," but there isn't much that goes beyond the data focus. We focus on tracking student performance and progress, and we do regular remediation for struggling students. The ultimate focus is getting students to pass their EOI tests. I would love to see us form leadership teams that go beyond the EOI preparation data.
Questions for you:
1. Do you feel like the guiding principles discussed here are pertinent to your school too? How so?
2. In terms of the guiding principles discussed in chapter 11, what is one that you think would be most relevant to your school's situation? Why?
"Evaluation and change are highly personal. No claims of 'objectivity' or 'data-driven decision making' can circumvent this reality. People change first, then programs; significant change is never easy. Anticipate emotional responses to evaluation and change. Take time to build relationships." - p. 163
1. What is your relationship with faculty, parents, and administration?
I am a newer teacher in my school. However, I have reached out and become a sponsor, and this year I am a mentor teacher for a first year teacher. I feel like I have maintained a fairly close relationship both with my administrators and the teachers in my department. I do not work as closely with the other teachers in the school, but my relationship with them is amiable enough to be a good foundation. In terms of parents, I feel like I am getting better and better about maintaining close communication with parents. I focus on the best interests of their children, and several parents seem to recognize that.
2. Can you identify the strengths of all the teachers you work with in the school?
I think that I would be capable of doing this. I can already identify the strengths of many of the teachers that I know and work closely with, based on anecdotal knowledge. We also have a data program and monthly benchmarks in all of the EOI courses, which would be a great place to start in terms of curricular strengths. Additionally, our principals have been very good about dropping into classrooms regularly this year, so I could turn to them to talk about the observations they've made. Finally, of course, I could talk with the teachers about what they think their strengths are. I feel like I could get a good picture of teachers' strengths, since I have so many sources for that information.
3. In what ways have you actively reached out to build a community of learners that is willing to take risks?
Currently, I've only done this in small ways. Last year, I worked with my department to find an approach to teaching writing that we all thought would be effective. This year, I've been more willing to step out of my comfort zone and talk with my colleagues about how we can all approach teaching different topics. Additionally, I am trying to model risk-taking in terms of volunteering for classes I've never taught and participating directly in the district's curriculum alignment. Also, I suppose my coaching practice this year could count?
The other guiding principle that is relevant to our school's current situation is as follows:
"The more those who are expected to change are involved in shaping the change process, the more sustainable the change effort will be. Evaluation that is controlled and managed from the outside is far less effective in supporting real change than evaluation that comes from within the system." - p. 163
1. How involved are the faculty in the shaping of current efforts?
I think that the faculty could be more involved. Part of that is the way our evaluation, curriculum development, etc. is structured, and part of that is due to initiative of some faculty members. We are somewhat involved in the evaluation of both teachers and students, but teachers who are not on leadership teams are not really involved in the design process. We try to let teachers have a say in the changes that go on at our school, but the efforts don't seem to be resulting in teachers' true involvement.
2. What are some of the ways you are attempting to bring some of those outside the process more inside the process?
We are creating small committees and having meetings to discuss changes that we can make on our level. We have regular team meetings among small groups of teachers, administrators, and counselors to discuss issues with particular students or groups of students. We also have data meetings within each department to discuss the results of our benchmarks and to discuss how we can tailor both our tests and our instruction in the future.
3. Is there a leadership team taking shape within your school?
Yes, to some degree. We have created a "data program," but there isn't much that goes beyond the data focus. We focus on tracking student performance and progress, and we do regular remediation for struggling students. The ultimate focus is getting students to pass their EOI tests. I would love to see us form leadership teams that go beyond the EOI preparation data.
Questions for you:
1. Do you feel like the guiding principles discussed here are pertinent to your school too? How so?
2. In terms of the guiding principles discussed in chapter 11, what is one that you think would be most relevant to your school's situation? Why?
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Literacy Learning in the Early Years and Adolescent Literacy
Chapter 4: Literacy Learning in the Early Years
The first section of the chapter talks about initiatives in early education and how that is relevant to literacy leaders and professional development efforts. One initiative is for supporting curriculum in the pre-k through 3rd grades because there is evidence of a "literacy achievement gap [that] starts early and persists throughout the grades" (61). Professional development should support teachers' implementation of higher standards and school-family relationships. Another initiative that the chapter discusses is the use of assessments in early education, and professional development should emphasize "learn[ing] and exchang[ing] ideas about the collection and use of assessment data" (61). The chapter also discusses technology initiatives and suggests that professional development focus on both the selection of "appropriate technology" and the integration of it into the curriculum (62). The final initiatives are about educator evaluation, which the chapter posits should be used "to plan ongoing professional development to support teachers' abilities to demonstrate competence" in their evaluated areas (62).
Professional development that focuses on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards should have a few areas of focus. It should emphasize an "integrated model of literacy" that effectively combines all aspects of literacy, rather than teaching reading, writing, speaking, etc. separately (62). Expectations should be cumulative and vertically aligned to build on students' knowledge continually. Teachers should plan collaboratively to support students' literacy development. Professional development should also help teachers support students "become proficient in reading complex texts independently and in a variety of content areas" (63).
The chapter describes a few different approaches that can support students' early literacy development. Teachers should focus on "strategies that promote a positive view toward reading" (64). Strategies should "help expand children's vocabularies and conceptual understandings" through discussion of texts. Students should be supported in understanding the functions of print and the purposes of writing, and teachers should help build up print awareness on a regular basis with a variety of strategies. Teachers should introduce students to types of texts and text structures through discussions that "[go] beyond simple recall" (66). Teachers should give students various opportunities to both listen to and respond to stories to help develop listening comprehension. In terms of decoding, teachers should focus on strategies to promote three areas: alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness (awareness of speech sounds), and phonics ("link[ing] written symbols and sounds") (67). Finally, teachers should give students opportunities to write in a variety of contexts every day.
The chapter concludes with a section on accountability and assessment. Assessment should be developmentally appropriate. Assessment should be used to track literacy development that informs decisions about curriculum and instructional approaches. The chapter outlines a few approaches for this type of assessment, including oral observations and observations of print awareness.
This chapter begins by describing the evolution of adolescent literacy instruction. In the 1960s and 1960s, there were initiatives related to helping "students who needed instructional support in using reading to learn," which began the focus on content area reading (86). However, there was miscommunication and a lack of appropriate professional development, so many content area teachers "did not feel prepared" to support students' reading (86). Content area reading approaches later evolved in the 1990s to become what we now know as content literacy or disciplinary literacy. From then until now, content area teachers are expected to approach literacy by teaching their students "how to write, think, and learn with text within the context of disciplinary literacy"; they are encouraged to teach their students to think like experts in their field (87).
The next section of the chapter discusses aspects of effective literacy programs for adolescents. Students should be able to read a "wide variety of reading material," much of which should appeal to them (88). Instructional strategies should focus both on skills and engagement, and teachers should be responsive to students' individual contexts. Assessment should be used as a tool to guide instruction, and teaching should include both modeling and "explicit instruction in reading comprehension and study strategies across the curriculum" (88). Finally, schools should employ the assistance of reading specialists to guide teachers, and schools should emphasize the relationship between the school and the community.
The last two sections of the chapter outline standards for literacy coaches as outlined in leadership standards and Common Core and content literacy standards.
A few highlights: Literacy coaches should conduct a literacy needs assessment that is implemented "by developing a schoolwide literacy team" (90). Literacy coaches should also familiarize themselves with adult learning strategies and implement them in every aspect of their coaching. Additionally, good literacy coaches "keep up-to-date on current research about teaching, learning, best practices, and curriculum materials" (90). Literacy coaches should be familiar both with content area standards and the actual subject matter of the actual areas in which they will be coaching teachers.
The first section of the chapter talks about initiatives in early education and how that is relevant to literacy leaders and professional development efforts. One initiative is for supporting curriculum in the pre-k through 3rd grades because there is evidence of a "literacy achievement gap [that] starts early and persists throughout the grades" (61). Professional development should support teachers' implementation of higher standards and school-family relationships. Another initiative that the chapter discusses is the use of assessments in early education, and professional development should emphasize "learn[ing] and exchang[ing] ideas about the collection and use of assessment data" (61). The chapter also discusses technology initiatives and suggests that professional development focus on both the selection of "appropriate technology" and the integration of it into the curriculum (62). The final initiatives are about educator evaluation, which the chapter posits should be used "to plan ongoing professional development to support teachers' abilities to demonstrate competence" in their evaluated areas (62).
Professional development that focuses on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards should have a few areas of focus. It should emphasize an "integrated model of literacy" that effectively combines all aspects of literacy, rather than teaching reading, writing, speaking, etc. separately (62). Expectations should be cumulative and vertically aligned to build on students' knowledge continually. Teachers should plan collaboratively to support students' literacy development. Professional development should also help teachers support students "become proficient in reading complex texts independently and in a variety of content areas" (63).
The chapter describes a few different approaches that can support students' early literacy development. Teachers should focus on "strategies that promote a positive view toward reading" (64). Strategies should "help expand children's vocabularies and conceptual understandings" through discussion of texts. Students should be supported in understanding the functions of print and the purposes of writing, and teachers should help build up print awareness on a regular basis with a variety of strategies. Teachers should introduce students to types of texts and text structures through discussions that "[go] beyond simple recall" (66). Teachers should give students various opportunities to both listen to and respond to stories to help develop listening comprehension. In terms of decoding, teachers should focus on strategies to promote three areas: alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness (awareness of speech sounds), and phonics ("link[ing] written symbols and sounds") (67). Finally, teachers should give students opportunities to write in a variety of contexts every day.
The chapter concludes with a section on accountability and assessment. Assessment should be developmentally appropriate. Assessment should be used to track literacy development that informs decisions about curriculum and instructional approaches. The chapter outlines a few approaches for this type of assessment, including oral observations and observations of print awareness.
- How does this chapter relate to something you read this week?
- How can you address these issues as a literacy leader?
This chapter begins by describing the evolution of adolescent literacy instruction. In the 1960s and 1960s, there were initiatives related to helping "students who needed instructional support in using reading to learn," which began the focus on content area reading (86). However, there was miscommunication and a lack of appropriate professional development, so many content area teachers "did not feel prepared" to support students' reading (86). Content area reading approaches later evolved in the 1990s to become what we now know as content literacy or disciplinary literacy. From then until now, content area teachers are expected to approach literacy by teaching their students "how to write, think, and learn with text within the context of disciplinary literacy"; they are encouraged to teach their students to think like experts in their field (87).
The next section of the chapter discusses aspects of effective literacy programs for adolescents. Students should be able to read a "wide variety of reading material," much of which should appeal to them (88). Instructional strategies should focus both on skills and engagement, and teachers should be responsive to students' individual contexts. Assessment should be used as a tool to guide instruction, and teaching should include both modeling and "explicit instruction in reading comprehension and study strategies across the curriculum" (88). Finally, schools should employ the assistance of reading specialists to guide teachers, and schools should emphasize the relationship between the school and the community.
The last two sections of the chapter outline standards for literacy coaches as outlined in leadership standards and Common Core and content literacy standards.
A few highlights: Literacy coaches should conduct a literacy needs assessment that is implemented "by developing a schoolwide literacy team" (90). Literacy coaches should also familiarize themselves with adult learning strategies and implement them in every aspect of their coaching. Additionally, good literacy coaches "keep up-to-date on current research about teaching, learning, best practices, and curriculum materials" (90). Literacy coaches should be familiar both with content area standards and the actual subject matter of the actual areas in which they will be coaching teachers.
- How does this chapter relate to something you read this week?
- How can you address these issues as a literacy leader?
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Professional Development and Coaching Updates
Professional Development Program
I've gotten some feedback about my preliminary PD ideas, and as of tonight, I'm about halfway through writing up my actual plan for the program. Each of the parts of our program is supposed to have about 1-2 paragraphs of general description, correct? I feel like I'm making fairly good progress. I still haven't decided which one to do in more detail yet. I've got the whole-group session, the small-group break-out sessions, the lesson workshops, and the follow-up PD. Which do you all think might be easiest to plan in detail? I think one reason I'm having trouble narrowing it down is that I'm not sure which ones could contribute ideas for my grant proposal. What do you think?
Whole group session topics: writing overview, academic vocabulary overview
Small-group break-out session topics: Classroom Structures for Facilitating Writing Development, Types of Academic Writing, Evaluating Writing, Introducing Vocabulary, Exploring Vocabulary in Context, Continued Use of Academic Vocabulary
Lesson workshop topics: Writing Lesson Planning, Academic Vocabulary Lesson Planning, Writing Lesson Plan Analysis, Academic Vocabulary Lesson Plan Analysis, Writing Lesson Model Analysis, Academic Vocabulary Lesson Model Analysis
Follow-up Options: Article Study, Literacy Coaching, Action Research
Coaching Practice
I've finished the observation portion, and I've written some questions and observations that I can share in the post-observation meeting. We were supposed to have our meeting this morning, but my partner teacher had something come up, so we're doing it next week. I've been doing reflections with every step of the way, and they've really helped me gain a sense of how I think I'm doing with the different aspects of the coaching process.
I'm a little nervous about the post-observation conference. I'm trying to prepare, with the readings we've done and the coaching stances in mind, but I'm nervous that I will be too evaluative or not facilitative enough. I suppose it does take practice, though. How are you all doing with those issues?
I've gotten some feedback about my preliminary PD ideas, and as of tonight, I'm about halfway through writing up my actual plan for the program. Each of the parts of our program is supposed to have about 1-2 paragraphs of general description, correct? I feel like I'm making fairly good progress. I still haven't decided which one to do in more detail yet. I've got the whole-group session, the small-group break-out sessions, the lesson workshops, and the follow-up PD. Which do you all think might be easiest to plan in detail? I think one reason I'm having trouble narrowing it down is that I'm not sure which ones could contribute ideas for my grant proposal. What do you think?
Whole group session topics: writing overview, academic vocabulary overview
Small-group break-out session topics: Classroom Structures for Facilitating Writing Development, Types of Academic Writing, Evaluating Writing, Introducing Vocabulary, Exploring Vocabulary in Context, Continued Use of Academic Vocabulary
Lesson workshop topics: Writing Lesson Planning, Academic Vocabulary Lesson Planning, Writing Lesson Plan Analysis, Academic Vocabulary Lesson Plan Analysis, Writing Lesson Model Analysis, Academic Vocabulary Lesson Model Analysis
Follow-up Options: Article Study, Literacy Coaching, Action Research
Coaching Practice
I've finished the observation portion, and I've written some questions and observations that I can share in the post-observation meeting. We were supposed to have our meeting this morning, but my partner teacher had something come up, so we're doing it next week. I've been doing reflections with every step of the way, and they've really helped me gain a sense of how I think I'm doing with the different aspects of the coaching process.
I'm a little nervous about the post-observation conference. I'm trying to prepare, with the readings we've done and the coaching stances in mind, but I'm nervous that I will be too evaluative or not facilitative enough. I suppose it does take practice, though. How are you all doing with those issues?
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Professional Development 2
I am really excited about the prospect of an article study--I've never participated in one before. I do think, based on the preparation section of the chapter, that an article study requires dedicated teachers more than other forms of PD might. In terms of the facilitation of discussion, I love the idea of starting with "ratings" of the article. I think that facilitating evaluation is a great way to help teachers share their insights. I also really like the idea of text coding; like with our students, it definitely helps to give people focus for their reading and a method for writing down their thoughts quickly.
I like the idea of working closely with the school's principal for faculty meeting PD. I feel like if you decide on a topic in conjunction with the principal, and if the principal is the one to introduce the PD session, teachers are more likely to be receptive to it. Also, I really like the overview samples that this chapter provided. They are very succinct, but still informative. I feel like I would accidentally make the overview too lengthy or detailed.
I love the idea of doing a lesson study! Imagining how it would work in my school, I do think it's a good idea to start with a pre-made lesson plan and tweak it to suit the needs of the group. I would be concerned about developing a rapport among the members of the group so that one member feels comfortable teaching the lesson and discussing their teaching with the rest of the group. I suppose it would just be really important to emphasize the fact that it is the lesson being studied, not the person.
I feel like a lot of strategy 7 is review for us, based on what we've read and discussed so far. I do think that, for me, there were two big take-aways. For one, I think it's important to establish guidelines for working together. My data team at my school did that this year, and it's going a lot more smoothly than it has gone in the past. I also agree that it's important to conclude PD sessions with a heads-up about how you will follow up on the PD topic. I wish I had attended more PD that was followed by further inquiry into the topic.
Questions:
1.) What are some more open-ended questions you could present to an article study group?
2.) When time is severely limited, such as with PD during faculty meetings, how can we prepare for the possibility that the session takes longer than originally planned? What can we do to prevent having to hold people over the time limit?
3.) How can you best prepare a group of teachers to handle a lesson study professionally and seriously, particularly if they are hesitant about being the lesson-teacher?
I like the idea of working closely with the school's principal for faculty meeting PD. I feel like if you decide on a topic in conjunction with the principal, and if the principal is the one to introduce the PD session, teachers are more likely to be receptive to it. Also, I really like the overview samples that this chapter provided. They are very succinct, but still informative. I feel like I would accidentally make the overview too lengthy or detailed.
I love the idea of doing a lesson study! Imagining how it would work in my school, I do think it's a good idea to start with a pre-made lesson plan and tweak it to suit the needs of the group. I would be concerned about developing a rapport among the members of the group so that one member feels comfortable teaching the lesson and discussing their teaching with the rest of the group. I suppose it would just be really important to emphasize the fact that it is the lesson being studied, not the person.
I feel like a lot of strategy 7 is review for us, based on what we've read and discussed so far. I do think that, for me, there were two big take-aways. For one, I think it's important to establish guidelines for working together. My data team at my school did that this year, and it's going a lot more smoothly than it has gone in the past. I also agree that it's important to conclude PD sessions with a heads-up about how you will follow up on the PD topic. I wish I had attended more PD that was followed by further inquiry into the topic.
Questions:
1.) What are some more open-ended questions you could present to an article study group?
2.) When time is severely limited, such as with PD during faculty meetings, how can we prepare for the possibility that the session takes longer than originally planned? What can we do to prevent having to hold people over the time limit?
3.) How can you best prepare a group of teachers to handle a lesson study professionally and seriously, particularly if they are hesitant about being the lesson-teacher?
Monday, September 29, 2014
Professional Development 1
Synthesis
One of the connections I saw between the two readings was
that high-quality professional development should be a “sustained, intensive
process” (WSQ 125). As the article stated, “the value of maintaining focus”
cannot be understated (561). I think that’s really important, since I feel like
most professional development is just a quick strategy or method that teachers
are expected to implement. Even the professional development that allows for
flexibility and individualization seems to be a quick “here you go, good luck!”
approach, and I just don’t think that’s as effective as it should be.
Another important connection I noticed was the emphasis
placed on professional development that gives “teachers a voice in both the
content and the process of professional development” (WSQ 125). It’s like how
in the program that the article describes, the teachers were “given permission
to modify lessons and ask questions about the entire instructional model” (555).
The teachers have control over what they implement and how they implement it;
the professional development is a tool for them to use as a framework and a
foundation, but they can tailor it to their own needs and contexts.
I also noted that there was a common theme of teachers’ need
for “supportive follow-up” throughout the professional development process (WSQ
125). According to the article, teachers should be given “time to talk with
their peers and develop their expertise in decision making” (561). I feel like
this is very important and often overlooked. I have had administrators ask us
to tell them how we’re implementing things we learned about in professional
development, but there was no real feedback or dialogue about it after the
workshops/presentations/etc.
Relevance
I think my biggest take-away from our conversations and from
our readings is that you need to balance different types and aspects of
professional development so as to best serve everyone’s needs over a long
period of time. I would like to mention a couple of specific things I’m
thinking about, though. For my professional development plan, I definitely want
to include some sort of “peer support” in nearly every aspect of the professional
development (WSQ 127). My co-workers expressed a great interest in types of
professional development that allow for discussion, collaboration, etc. One
element they didn’t mention is feedback, and I think that is also an important
component of peer support. I would also love to do “threaded discussions and
forums via email or an online platform,” although I feel like my particular
school would be a little hesitant about doing that (127).
Questions
- If professional development is supposed to be sustained and focused over a long period of time, is that professional development or program improvement? I’ve got the distinction on the brain since we talked about it tonight.
- How could you incorporate online discussion into professional development with a group that is reluctant about technology? Or would you eschew that altogether?
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Coaching 3
Sorry my post this week is kind of brief—homecoming week is so
crazy, but it’s almost over!
Page 102 Questions
- With what types of communication do you feel most confident? What do you see as your strengths in this type of communication? I feel like my strength would be critical communication. I think that, as a person and as a teacher, I tend to be fairly good at helping people evaluate ideas and situations. I think that I am usually fairly good at deducing the right kinds of questions to ask to help people discover and express what they think about things, and I hope that will transfer into a strength of mine as a literacy coach.
- With which types of communication do you feel least confident? What do you see as your needs? How might you improve your confidence or skills so you feel more confident?
While I feel like I’m pretty good at
helping people be evaluative, I don’t feel like I’m very good at taking it to
the next step and being collaborative. I struggle to help people take their
evaluations and turn them into new ideas without taking a more dominant role and
inputting my own ideas when they say that they can’t think of much of anything
(if they easily think of ideas, then that’s a different case). That’s
definitely a weakness of mine, and I need to work on being more collaborative.
I really want to learn how to help people think of new ideas without giving
them those ideas myself.
Question for You
- What are some ways that you all promote collaboration with others? How can you help people come up with ideas without dominating the task?
Reflections About
Strategy 1
- How ready am I for literacy coaching? I have a pretty good understanding of the curriculum and the alignment, especially since I spent a week this summer helping my district align their English curriculum and create lists of pertinent academic vocabulary in relation to literacy. I have a decent understanding of what literacy instruction looks like in my school, but I would benefit from seeing more of the SPED English classes. I am very familiar with the literacy resources at my school, since I teach literacy for life. I am also fairly familiar with the demographics in my school, in terms of race, language, socioeconomic status, and special needs. I have not worked much with my principal to lay the foundation for literacy coaching, but I would love to do that at some point. I do, however, know who the “experts” and other literacy leaders in my school and district are, and I’d love to work more closely with them. I’m fairly well-versed in literacy instruction, although my weakness is the foundational skills like decoding (which is still occasionally relevant for adolescents). I am slowly gaining knowledge and confidence in relation to adult learning and literacy coaching, but I have some definite room to grow there. I am a younger teacher, but I feel like my colleagues respect and trust me, so I think I am building up my credibility. I try to be a good listener, but it is something I am always working on, and I’m excited about how much we are learning about that in this course. And I have not had much time to see many curricular initiatives at my school, but I think I am already very reflective about them. All in all, I am surprised to see that maybe I am more prepared for literacy coaching than I first realized, even though I have plenty of work and practice to do.
- Is my school ready for literacy coaching? In terms of administrative support, we have a very strong emphasis on professional development, but many teachers seem resistant. I would love to see the school culture change and perhaps see some types of professional development being implemented that the reluctant teachers are more willing to get behind. Our principals are all very strong curricular leaders, and three of them have been academic principals at the school before, so they are very supportive of anything that improves the resources and standards at our school. There is decent professional communication among teachers, but I do think there is some room for improvement. We do have a defined literacy curriculum in our district that is meant to be aligned with CCSS and PASS, and it follows a progression from grade to grade. Unfortunately, the higher level grades focus more on English studies and less on actual literacy development, which I think is a bit of a weakness. We are, however, held accountable for implementing the curriculum appropriately. We are great about having a shared understanding of language and assessment, especially since we have monthly standardized benchmarks across each department (we are very data-driven), and we have district-wide academic vocabulary for every grade level. We do have some school-wide goals for improving students’ literacy development, at least in terms of helping struggling readers, but I would like to see some improvement there. Unfortunately, most teachers are very much closed to the idea of having others in their classrooms, and there has been some backlash about that as of late with principals making casual observations in everyone’s classes. Fortunately, schedules are fairly conducive for literacy coaching. We are all accustomed to frequent meetings before school, although a literacy coach would likely have to be allowed quite a bit of free time during the day for observations and meetings. Overall, I think my school could handle having a literacy coaching program, even though there are some areas that would need to be worked on while that was being implemented.
Meeting
When and how should we all get together about the survey results? I personally think Adobe Connect works fine, unless someone else has a better idea. I can’t do it tomorrow night since it’s our last night to finish up our homecoming float, but pretty much any afternoon or evening after that should work for me.
When and how should we all get together about the survey results? I personally think Adobe Connect works fine, unless someone else has a better idea. I can’t do it tomorrow night since it’s our last night to finish up our homecoming float, but pretty much any afternoon or evening after that should work for me.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
(Delayed Post)
Hey, ladies! With homecoming this week, my post will unfortunately be slightly delayed. I should hopefully have it up by tomorrow night!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Coaching 2
Strategy 13: This section was really helpful for me. I had heard of SMART goals before, but I liked getting to see them within the context of the coaching cycle. I learned from the "strategy in action" section that it's important to have follow-up questions prepared when asking questions to guide the teacher toward goals. I was concerned about how to guide the pre-observation conference in terms of goal-setting, but the SMART goal format really helped me. Question - How can you best support a teacher who is unsure about how to achieve his/her goal?
Strategy 14: One thing I learned about modeling from this section was that it is important to explain to the students what's going on so that they know how to behave and know with whom they should interact. I would have been hesitant in terms of the students being disrespectful about the idea of their teacher learning from someone, but I liked the way the book framed it. I also liked the observation form in the section; I think it's important to help break the lesson down into sections and strategies so that the teacher can more easily make specific notes while observing the lesson.
Strategy 15: I learned that during the planning process, it is important to know what the purpose of the co-teaching session is, since some teachers want to use it to demonstrate a lesson for support and feedback, whereas other teachers will want more guidance. I also thought that it was very useful to see the specific details that need to be covered in the co-planning session. It's important to set a learning goal for students, as well as to discuss the academic vocabulary they will need to know. Question - Many aspects of co-teaching/teaching that were discussed in this section, such as modeling and explicitly discussing the learning goal, are practices that many teachers don't often utilize in their teaching. I think some teachers would be reluctant about them. How would you handle a situation in which a teacher claims that those things don't fit into their teaching style when you encourage them to include those strategies in the co-taught lesson?
Strategy 16: I would have originally thought that the purpose of co-teaching would be to "build teacher capacity by supporting the teacher in trying something he or she would not be willing to try independently" (160). However, I thought it was interesting that you could also choose to co-teach for the sake of giving students "evidence-based instruction," as well as to further gather data about the teaching and learning situation (160). I think that all of these are important, especially since I didn't originally think about all of those goals, and a co-teaching session could also have multiple purposes. I'm also glad that this section listed specific things to keep in mind with co-teaching, such as classroom arrangement, co-teaching styles, explicitly explaining the situation to students, etc. That list will be very useful. Question - What do you think would be an effective way to allow for taking "real-time" reflective notes without taking time and attention away from the actual lesson?
Strategy 17: I'm glad that this section provided specific language that coaches can use during the pre-observation conference and the post-observation conference. I need all of the support and examples I can get! I definitely will need to be conscious of using objective language rather than evaluative language; I have a feeling it's going to be a challenge to avoid telling them what I thought they did well, but I think I can handle avoiding critical evaluative language. Question - How do you think you could best approach the "possible actions" during the post-observation conference while maintaining a collaborative or facilitative structure and tone?
Strategy 14: One thing I learned about modeling from this section was that it is important to explain to the students what's going on so that they know how to behave and know with whom they should interact. I would have been hesitant in terms of the students being disrespectful about the idea of their teacher learning from someone, but I liked the way the book framed it. I also liked the observation form in the section; I think it's important to help break the lesson down into sections and strategies so that the teacher can more easily make specific notes while observing the lesson.
Strategy 15: I learned that during the planning process, it is important to know what the purpose of the co-teaching session is, since some teachers want to use it to demonstrate a lesson for support and feedback, whereas other teachers will want more guidance. I also thought that it was very useful to see the specific details that need to be covered in the co-planning session. It's important to set a learning goal for students, as well as to discuss the academic vocabulary they will need to know. Question - Many aspects of co-teaching/teaching that were discussed in this section, such as modeling and explicitly discussing the learning goal, are practices that many teachers don't often utilize in their teaching. I think some teachers would be reluctant about them. How would you handle a situation in which a teacher claims that those things don't fit into their teaching style when you encourage them to include those strategies in the co-taught lesson?
Strategy 16: I would have originally thought that the purpose of co-teaching would be to "build teacher capacity by supporting the teacher in trying something he or she would not be willing to try independently" (160). However, I thought it was interesting that you could also choose to co-teach for the sake of giving students "evidence-based instruction," as well as to further gather data about the teaching and learning situation (160). I think that all of these are important, especially since I didn't originally think about all of those goals, and a co-teaching session could also have multiple purposes. I'm also glad that this section listed specific things to keep in mind with co-teaching, such as classroom arrangement, co-teaching styles, explicitly explaining the situation to students, etc. That list will be very useful. Question - What do you think would be an effective way to allow for taking "real-time" reflective notes without taking time and attention away from the actual lesson?
Strategy 17: I'm glad that this section provided specific language that coaches can use during the pre-observation conference and the post-observation conference. I need all of the support and examples I can get! I definitely will need to be conscious of using objective language rather than evaluative language; I have a feeling it's going to be a challenge to avoid telling them what I thought they did well, but I think I can handle avoiding critical evaluative language. Question - How do you think you could best approach the "possible actions" during the post-observation conference while maintaining a collaborative or facilitative structure and tone?
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Coaching 1
(We were supposed to re-read WPQ 3 for this week, correct? Or is that a misprint in the syllabus?)
Among the readings, I thought there was quite a bit of emphasis on finding the "perfect balance between you [the coach] and your partner" (Elish-Piper and L'Allier 181). The L'Allier, Elish-Piper, and Bean article expands on this by describing teachers who feel like good literacy coaches "respected their abilities" and behaved "like a facilitator of their learning rather than a dictator" (548). One of the most important take-aways from the readings for me was that the coaching situation should be reflective for the teacher, in which teachers have "continual opportunities... to take ownership of their learning by reflecting on their students, their own learning goals, [etc.]" (Miller & Stewart 294). To foster reflection, coaches can choose facilitative questions that "shape understanding" or that "press for reflection" (Wepner, Strickland, and Quatroche 53). Another idea from the readings that I thought was really important is the emphasis that coaches should place on working directly with teachers. According to L'Allier, Elish-Piper, and Bean, working with teachers often is especially important because research has shown that student reading gains were higher in classrooms "supported by a literacy coach who engaged in the most interactions with teachers" (547).
Regarding the similarities and differences between team and individual coaching, I got the impression that team coaching gives teachers a less personalized experience. Teachers on a team work together with a "reflective thinking exercise to select an inquiry topic in literacy," so their topic of focus is relevant to the needs of their team as a whole, but not necessarily to each individual teacher (Miller & Stewart 292). I think that could be a disadvantage, so I appreciated the fact that the CCCM "model also includes time for individual coaching" (293). Team coaching and individual coaching can be similar, though. They both involve reflection and personalization, even if it's not on an individual level. They also include modeling, observation, and debriefing time, just with a different structure.
Questions:
- There's been a lot of emphasis in the readings on taking the facilitator stance, promoting teacher reflection rather than being dictatorial, etc. I think that's great! However, I am wondering, how should/can a coach handle a situation in which the teacher knows little about promoting literacy, such as in some high school content area classes?
- What do you think the difference between questions that "shape understanding" and questions that "press for reflection" is? I'm having trouble figuring out the difference. (See: pg. 53 of WPQ)
- There was repeated emphasis in the readings about the importance of developing good relationships with teachers, and one of the articles talked about ways to help foster that trust. However, I'm wondering, how do you think you would approach teachers who are reluctant to work with a literacy coach regardless of how much you work at building that relationship?
Friday, September 5, 2014
New Literacy Tools - Reflection
My strengths:
New literacy tools as a learning aid:
Question:
- I feel like I usually pick up on how to use new literacy tools fairly quickly, since I have a lot of experience with some of them.
- I really like incorporating multimedia into things, like one might do with a multi-genre research project, so tools like Blogger and Glogster suit my communication style.
- I have a particular interest in exploring new literacies as a teacher and as a learner.
New literacy tools as a learning aid:
- New literacy tools help us communicate more effectively when we are not communicating in person. E-mails and phone calls would likely fall short in comparison.
- The tools also help us share not only our ideas, but relevant resources, videos, etc. This helps us not just talk with one another, but actually engage with one another.
- Tools that allow us to do things like annotate each others' videos aid us in our ability to support each other's learning.
Question:
- What do you think your biggest struggle will be with using the new literacy tools this semester?
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