Let It Snow!

 

Oh the weather outside (and inside) is frightful.  Kids are wound up.  The flu is running through the school and staff are ready for winter break. ...but the fire is so delightful. You have continued to maintain a high level of engagement and created safe environments.  You are enjoying one another's company.  The student support team has kicked into overdrive. So since we've not place to go... You are amazing!  You continue to come in each day and provide for our students! Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.  Your grit and persistence carry you through tough times (because it's a hard job even on good days.)

I was thinking about what to write this week when I thought of this song and how it is a metaphor for your resilience.  It's truly amazing how you have made every effort to continue the work of our. mission.  It's when times are tough that our culture kicks in.  It is the reflection of all of the work we've put in over the past years.  Please consider the following elements of a positive culture and reflect on how you contribute to it.  

Successful schools generate and maintain a sense of teamwork, order, productivity and shared goals that put both students and staff at ease.  Problems still exist, of course, bu there's a strong sense of optimism and hope for the future.

Gallup studies conclude:  "Engaged students are excited about what's happening at their school and about what they're learning.  They contribute to the learning environment and are psychologically committed to their school.  Engaged students feel safe at school, have strong relationships with teachers and other students, feel recognized on a regular basis and are learning important things that connect them to a positive future."

We can think of the previous statement as our why we work so hard to maintain a positive culture at Bloomer.  

How have we done it?  Let's look at the following:

• Address our core values, mission and vision.   This is our public definition of what we are about an how we will continue to maintain excellence.  
  

• Regularly and publicly recognize students and staff.  When you continue to nominate staff to be recognized and 'leveled up" when you offer names of students as champions of the week; you are making this a reality.  Look at the anticipation on the faces of your students when the announcement is read.  They are looking forward to it.  When you encourage participation in the fun activities like holiday week and join in you are putting pride and fun into education.
• Use specific language and action.  The work we've done around CHAMPS has been developing this element throughout the school year.  Using the language during transitions and workshop groupings have positive effects on the level of engagement we see when walking through your classrooms.  Hallways and other common spaces are safe and peaceful due to your continued work on our expectations.  Please think of ways that you will relaunch these when students return in January.
  
• Maintain a zero tolerance for bullying.  We do the bully screener (Thank you Sue Martin) each time a case is reported.  Doing your due diligence in making first response aware is job number one to keep bullies at bay.  Anna Heath is a level two investigator and will go out to buildings in the District to further investigate issues.  There have been incidents at Bloomer that were reported and a level two investigator came.  Our work in this area is never done.  Teaching kindness and tolerance for others is what it takes to stop bullying in its tracks.
• Follow through on discipline so students feel secure.  The first response team is here to address student discipline though their action.  Our system depends on you and the quality in the classroom in how you address behaviors.  Using of the peace corner, maintaining IEP/MTSS plans, contacting parents, providing more positive interaction, and disciplining/documenting are the first steps prior to calling for a first responder for discipline.  Referrals are made when you need an additional person to support the student.  We average about 5 of these a day(outside the support of students on MTSS plans).  This is a tremendous accomplishment considering the number of students we serve each day.

Consider the accomplishment of these four months.  Your efforts will be rewarded in the higher achievement of students.  Your focus on maintaining our culture is key to making it happen.  

Thank you for all you do and let's finish strong know that it can snow and snow and snow and snow but our culture will maintain our warmth and care for one another the students we serve.

Taking a look at the Entire View

 

It used to be difficult to take panoramic pictures.  If you wanted to do it you needed to use an expensive camera or attachment.  Often only professionals could shoot the incredible shots of an entire view.  However, now most smartphones have this feature on them.  All you need to do is point and click and you can have the view of something you are looking at and want to save.  Data is also like this.  It provides a snapshot of how we are doing and when we capture the entire view it's important to analyze it, celebrate and determine next steps to improve.

Recently we received our a panoramic view of our culture and the relationships you have with administration.  A few things to consider when looking at this data is that only those items that were scored a 4 or 5 are considered favorable.  Items that scored 1-3 are considered not favorable.  In addition, when a question asked about the building leadership team it is referencing the administrator/s assigned to the building.  Bloomer has just one, Kim Kazmierczak.  Therefore, these questions relate to the actions and perceptions of the principal and staff member or teacher.  

So let's take a look at the data:  Teacher Data is on the Left; Staff Data is on the Right

I'm sure you will agree with me that there is a lot to celebrate and analyze.  The leadership team will be looking at all of the data more closely in the coming week to determine more specifically what needs to be done to support your teaching and personal perception of how you view our climate and culture. 

Teachers area to celebrate

The area I believe most improved is the area of Teaching Efficacy.  In these questions you shared favorable results that you feel that you have the abilities to meet the educational needs of your students.  I am confident that this is an indication of the clarity of our school improvement plan and direction of professional development.  In addition, your work as a PLC centered on the needs of individual students is resulting in these higher levels of efficacy.  I hope that you celebrate these results and think of ways you can share how you are individually differentiating as well as managing all learners in such a magnificent way.

Staff area to celebrate

These two areas demonstrate significant improvement from the previous survey.  

There are a few areas that need to be explored.  The leadership team will be looking at the data and determining next steps.  After they have visited I will share the entire report with all of you on the bulletin.  They will support some needed changes to improve areas of belief in teacher satisfaction, trust, feedback and supporting you with challenges.  Please believe that you are the reason this school is successful.  I am 100% committed to your well-being and that of your family so you can support the children you serve.

Discuss the area for improvement as a PLC( belief that the administration(the principal) wants you to be satisfied at work, trust, feedback and supporting challenges at work).  What sort of leadership moves or behaviors would help to improve these area?  Please share you answers in the comment section.

Put your mask on First

 

I just had an 11 hour plane ride to arrive in Belgium to see my family.  I heard the flight attendants sharing these directions with us and I started to think about how important it is for you to do the same as you work with our students.  Caring for yourself is always important but especially when you are running into a holiday and MAP testing when we return in January.  So considering LEVELING UP on your self care.  Make a pact with someone at school sharing what your strategy and action plan will be.  We know this job is difficult on a good day so caring for your self and promising to do so is something you need to commit to before your rea on.

Your work around differentiation with your four students will. make a difference.   Your consistency and well-monitored plan will see this through.  In addition kids will begin to get excited and may have issues focusing.  It's up to you to implement our student support system as well as CHAMPs and common area expectations.  Research shows that the most effective way to transform a school climate into a civil and respectful one is to implement a schoolwide behavioral plan that stresses proactive and positive corrective responses toward misbehavior.

You will be discussing implementation in PD on Monday.  Remember it is key that you are implementing well to keep our school at the level it's currently at.  

We know that 

1. All students must be treated with dignity and respect.
2. Students should be taught the skills and behaviors necessary for success.
3. Motivation and responsibility should be encouraged through positive interactions and building relationships with students.
4. Student misbehavior represents a teaching opportunity.

These beliefs are the cornerstone of Foundations and CHAMPS.  Monitoring and implementing the components of CHAMPS is key to keeping kids engaged and well behaved.  Believe me when your kids are well behaved and monitored your stress level will go down,

Commit to your CHAMPS expectations.  Plan to relaunch them in  January.  These pieces are the glue that hold your work in differentiation together.

Remember... you will care for others but put on your own oxygen mask first!

How would you rate yourself on your implementation of CHAMPS?  Please consider the likert scale of 1-5 with one being not at all and 5 being rolling consistently at every turn.  Please write a few sentences justifying your score.  Please remember to label your comment with you name.

 

Lift: Push the Right Buttons

Entertaining and an Excellent Metaphor for differentiation

Pushing the right buttons to get lift in achievement.

Last week in PD you did some exercises in what differentiation is, when to do it and a little of how it's done.  We will be focusing on this during our academic time together on November 14th, December 5th, 12th and 19th.  We will work through the definition and get a solid foundation of how we will implement and learn with kids at the center of the work.

Now that we've covered the what and when it's time to explore the HOW.  

Creating the conditions to support students who have needs beyond the strong universal core is how we will move from 65% proficient as a building to meet our goals of 75% in reading and math.  Providing intentionally planned instruction will result in a dramatic increase with you make the most of the three elements we will be working on in professional development over the course of the next month.  

Three Elements to implement with fidelity:

1. A system of assessment:  Systems of assessment are designed strategically to offer information for specific purposes to your students.  These assessments include formative assessments (daily, weekly, monthly) that demonstrate what students know and what they may need.  I see many of you (Stacy B., Emily, Katie N., Kate L. Paige M.) with clipboards walking around as kids work and marking what they see next to their names.  These teachers know what they are assessing for and have the success criteria at their fingertips.  They can analyze this information quite quickly and then respond right away.
2. A consistent schedule:  Creating consistency is KEY to help create and effective learning environment. With a schedule of targeted student names, duration (length of lesson), and frequency (how often each week).  This schedule is based on student need from the system of assessment.  Recently I observed Amy as she met with her kids during CORE literacy.  She had the kids in groups by color with a schedule written on the whiteboard. It mentioned when they met, their target and assignment.  This type of organization optimized the environment and gave kids a clear path to support their work. 
3. A plan:  During guided instruction, the teacher prompts and facilitates students through small group learning activities that increase their understanding of the content.  In order to do this well teachers need a clear plan and path to move kids efficiently and quickly through the lesson so they can achieve.  Jessica Meleney was observed doing and intervention group with a group of students.  She used data to guide her decisions and met with the group for about 15 minutes.  Because these first grade students weren't able to read consistently she took them through a series of activities (phonemic awareness ie hearing and recording sounds, syllabication, phonics (CVC words) and then wrapped it up with a book that she assessed as the kids read.  It was paced well and students showed significant success.  

Pushing the right buttons to get lift in achievement is key to raising our achievement profile.  You have the skill and support to get through and make a difference in reading and math.  We will go slow to go fast and as we move you will begin to understand your influence and power to affect change.  You are the key!

Question for your PLC:

What is the current state of your team with the three elements of: system of assessment, schedule and planning?  How will you work together in both reading and math to maximize your efforts at differentiation?  Please label your response in the comment section.

 

Do the Hustle

 

The Hustle is an American dance which originated in the 1970's.  It is traditionally danced to club hits from the 1970s through current times.  The dance is designed to be highly dynamic, flashy, and powerful.  Although it's movement history is rooted in in 6 count basic, the final form of the dance is a 3 count basic with some extended patterns and syncopations.  I remember dancing to this throughout the 70's and 80's.  I also see it in many dance programs at basketball and football games.  Writing the blog this week I was inspired by the word hustle and how much we all do each day.  I also thought of the hustle we do to accelerate achievement before the next MAP testing window.  

Hustle in terms of our school improvement plan is going to be centered for the next several months on Differentiation and Feedback.  I wanted to kick off this cycle of professional development with a description of what it is, when it takes place and how we are going to do it.  When we get it going you will notice the difference in achievement.  Without 80% of you differentiating with fidelity we will continue to see flat achievement.  Fidelity will be measure through feedback from one another and from me.   

So...Let's get it started!

What is Differentiation?

Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs.  Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes it successful.

When do we Differentiate?

We use the instructional model found in the gradual release of responsibility or GRR.  

 Show me, Help me, Let me

It is critical that you release students at a level of assurance that 80% can work on the instructional target using success criteria independently or in small groups.  By the end of the workshop 80% (or more) of the kids should be able to do the target independently.  Differentiation can happen within every aspect of the workshop but most specifically in guided instruction.  This means that the kids must be released within 15 minutes so you are available to provide the required instruction to those who need it.   We also differentiate through product (student work) and environment.  

How do we Differentiate?

Guided Instruction is not guided practice.  It's an instructional plan with "teaching" and monitoring at the center.  This can be in the form of a small group or in conferring structures.  The frequency and duration of the group is based on student need.   We will be working together to get the how done!  In PD Julie and 
Bri will be sharing how to maximize differentiation using our structures. 

So is the Hustle working?

You will know if it's working when you start to see the needle of achievement move.  You will also know through the feedback structures I use each week.  You have been experiencing these for the past quarter.  

Element's I and II 2-3 times a week (Formative)

You can plan on getting formative feedback from this model at least twice each week.  You receive this blog as a form of collective feedback.  When you read it and then act upon what it says it creates the conditions for improvement.  In addition, you get feedback each week during your PLC.  Feedback given during this time is meant to support your chosen common challenge and designed to create action around implementation.  Every three weeks (at minimum) you will get face to face feedback based on a focused walkthrough that is based on your PLC work or individual need.   Again the purpose of this type of feedback is to positively influence your practice and increase student achievement.

Element III 3-4 times a year (Summative)

The feedback you receive here is quantitative and lets you know how the building is doing around our initiative.  For example, the study I did of your lesson plans and observations indicated that 100% of your are delivering a mini lesson/focus lesson.  About 80% of your are doing it consistently within 15 minutes.  100% of you have learning intentions/Success Criteria posted or clearly shared with about 85% fidelity of using them accurately and clearly.  Currently, I'm compiling  your answers from the PGS observations we just did and will share that data at PD on the 14th.  

Element IV 4-8 times a year (Summative)

The feedback you receive in this element is directly from our system of evaluation.  Your score is derived from collaborative conversations about your work.  It's a rubric that measures performance.  

Our environment is rich in feedback and requires all of us to work together to realize our goals and to create a community of learning.    

So are you ready? 

You are capable and intelligent!

Do the Hustle!

Put me in coach!

 

    

    My son played serious baseball for over ten years.  During that time there were many games that he sat on the bench while others played.  He practiced hard and cheered on his team.  Eventually, after a lot of coaching he started to catch and be the designated hitter.  He was so ready.  He was prepared to play every game.  I think what created those conditions was the coaching and practice that Max and his teammates received.  There was guided instruction and then they all went out to practice the skill.   The coach monitored and guided the practice.  They were all released to play.  There were kids who would stay back and get further support from the coach or assistant.  However, everyone was engaged and focused.  When practice was about three quarters over the coach would run a game giving all players the opportunity to be assessed at their position.  He'd used this data to determine who would be ready or proficient and give the team the best chance to win.  The coached differentiated practice to maximize performance and growth.

Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs.  Whether teachers differentiate content process, products or the learning environment, the ue of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.

    Our workshops in reading and math as well as in other classes follow this model.   Before we can release the team (students) it's imperative to start with a focus.   This means that there is a clear learning intention.  Last week I did several observations.  I'm going to highlight two classrooms, Sarah Kuhlmann and Katie Naughton.  Sarah started her lesson with the learning intention posted.  As she introduce it she revealed the success criteria.  Her introduction included a brief discussion of key words found in the intention.  Please look at the pictures below.

    Preparing for differentiation means that a teacher needs to deliver a mini or focus lesson that will catapult the majority of the class (80%) to work on the assignment independently.  This is a critical step before you start to differentiate for the students who need additional support.  Sarah's think aloud that is shown here sets the students up for success through her clarity and modeling of her thinking.  Remember you  are the expert and kids need to see and hear your thinking so it's visible.  This is the move that prepares kids to work.

    We are going to shift to Katie's room.  She also gave a very explicit mini lesson very similar to Sarah's but with different content.  She also had excellent success criteria that she used to confer with kids as they worked on the activity.

  

    She used the language of the success criteria to prompt and cue students to complete the work.  It was a classic example of differentiation.  Katie made the decision to let students work with the material and she met them where they landed.  Please watch the video to see her in action.

    The decision is easy.  Release kids from an efficiently planned and concise mini/focus lesson.  They support the students with purposeful feedback to help them do the work of the learning intention.

    Last week I was sitting in on the 2nd grade PLC and they asked about changing the process to meet the needs of small groups of kids.  I asked them "who makes the decisions in your classroom?"  They answered "I do." I then asked them "Is the decision you want to make student-centered?"  They said, "Yes". Then I said, "make the decision."   

Differentiation is key in moving our achievement.  You are the coach!  

Put your kids in the game.

Sowing the Seeds of Greatness

 

There's a certain kind of person who doesn't wait for greatness.. they make it! We aren't waiting to be great together we will take action to make it happen!    What matters is having the courage to think big and the strength of mind to k now that there is no limit to the greatness you can achieve. Garin Kilpatrick

    Creating the conditions for growth requires ample doses of focused and relevant feedback connected to school improvement processes. Feedback serves as the compost for cultivating a culture of collective action. Rooting it in a comprehensive model for supervision and using tools and strategies that promote relevance ensures that the teachers and students in your care will grow beyond measure.

    Effective feedback is information that helps teachers grow so students can. Bambrick-Santoyo (2012) state that, “the primary purpose of observing teachers isn’t to judge the teacher, but to find the most effective ways to coach them to improve student learning”. This requires an approach to feedback that has teachers engaged so they can identify what is working and what needs improved. For this to happen feedback has to be specific and connected to the daily work of the school. Feedback has to be focused and relevant.

    Feedback and observation is more than a series of steps that lead to a final evaluation. Supervision is about supporting and directing, not judging and being in compliance. It is about creating a culture where examining practice, working together to figure out issues, and constantly improving is the norm. A broadened definition of supervision, one that moves away from thinking it is just about appraisal, and viewing it as a vehicle for growth is needed.

As mentioned last week during our PLC professional development feedback for staff will be found in these four elements. It is critical that the feedback you receive in relevant and focused so you may apply it in your daily instruction. The interplay of the four elements is important as each of them build upon the other. It is important that we collaborate so you find the feedback authentic and useful to support your teaching.

Element I: Universal Support, Qualitative Feedback. Practices and processes in this element are designed to help move the school forward by providing focused feedback around the school improvement plan. Collaboratively defined look fors used during daily walkthroughs provide the basis for feedback.

Element II: Individual/ Small Group Support, Qualitative Feedback. Practices in this element are targeted at individual teachers and small groups. While all elements are needed, this element packs a big punch in terms of affecting student achievement because it uses frequent observations in both classrooms and PLCs to provide targeted ongoing feedback. 

Element III: Universal Support, Quantitative Feedback. The practices in this element are designed to help determine levels of implementation of school improvement plan efforts. This summative check is necessary in order to help identify what additional supports are needed so that all students benefit from improvement efforts.  

Element IV: Individual Support, Quantitative Feedback. Practices in this element provide individuals with summative feedback on their overall teaching efforts. Methods in this element are dictated by state or district mandates. Feedback is based on teaching standards. 

So let's get started and make greatness happen. Together as a team along with the support of your colleagues we will improve the achievement profile at Bloomer!

Let's take another route...

 

Do you remember taking a road trip and really wanting to get to the spot you've been waiting for?  You are so excited and maybe had been planning only to find that time seems to be moving so slowly that you start to ask your parents, "Are we there yet?" My sister and I were so annoying that my dad stopped at a rest area once and gave us a map and told us to stop talking.   We never traveled again without a map.  (You know those are those paper things we used to use before Google Maps.)  I sure you aren't surprised by this story to know that I was impatient as a kid.

Our journey to achievement can also be tedious.  We want to achieve so badly that there are times when we get impatient because we don't seem to be getting there fast enough.  Our time will pass if we bring out our map and check our mileage.  The map is the standards and our mileage our assessments.  If we feel like some of our kids are taking a detour we need to maximize the workshop and differentiate.  We know that not all kids travel at the same speed and direction.  It's our job to determine what they need and how to give it to them.

Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs.  Whether teacher differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment.  It is customizing the journey to get kids to achieve the learning.

Content:  The knowledge and skills students need to master.

Process:  The activities students use to master the content.

Product:  The method students use to demonstrate learning.

We will be exploring and learning how to do this with vigor starting in professional development.  Our goal is to become flexible in our instruction so that we day or do just the right things to get kids to do the cognitive work.  This flexibility requires a strong workshop based on the model of gradual release of responsibility.  Consider this diagram below.

You need to have command of the workshop and this model to differentiate.  

Consider this example from last week.

Last week I observed Paige's math lesson.  She released to kids to work on a fairly complicated problem involving multiplication of fractions.  She differentiated the content for a group of special education students who were the first to see her.  She guided them through the first stages and checked on them frequently.  The process was slightly different for them as they weren't released to do the entire problem until she check them for understanding.  She also differentiated with method.  Her students were grouped by ability after she reviewed their student work the night before the lesson.  Kids were given agency to use a variety of methods to solve the problem.  Some kids used the table and dry erase markers as a draft.  Others went straight for the paper.  The most exciting part, however, was that they knew the learning objective and were comfortable with the success criteria.  Paige floated between groups asking different questions, providing prompts and/or cues and finally delivering direct instruction if the kids didn't land where she needed them to.  All in all it was a great example of differentiation within the workshop.  Getting the students out to work quickly was imperative.  Have clarity in learning intention and success criteria a must.  Knowing the process and assessing was the key to her success.  It was an excellent example of how a math workshop can meet the needs of all students.

The journey is ahead and we know what we are up against.  It's time to start our engines; get out our map and fill the tank.  Let's move in the direction of excellence through collaboration and support; so when we are asked, "are we there yet?"  We will say...

Yes, we are!

Don't Be the Lid

 I have used this video to illustrate that when we put on a lid we are limited by the container.      What does it make you think of?

This week you will begin to mark and measure progress of your instruction on our Data Wall Graph documents.  You will use the student work results from your daily lessons that match your learning intentions and success criteria.  The key to our higher achievement will be in working to ensure that kids are meeting these intentions and that they are written at grade level expectations.  The success criteria map our what kids need to know to accomplish the learning.  You are in control of this along with your team.  When kids leave the mini or focus lesson you should have some level of assurance that 80% of them can meet the standard when they go out to work.  Those who can not should have an explicit plan from your tool kit that will support kids in meeting the success criteria.  This is differentiation and it is the key strategy in our school improvement plan.

Last week when I observed in Katie Naughton and Emily Baxter's classrooms I saw these concepts in action,  Kids were working in specific groups designed by the teacher.  Emily had kept a group of seven kids with her to reteach the lesson.  The other 18 kids were working in partners to work on the activity.  When I gave her feedback i asked her if kids were able to meet the learning intention she posted.  She said yes with about 85+%.  It's the precise actions that she made to support those 7 kids to meet the objective.  Sure there may have been 1 or 2 who didn't but without that tiered intervention and the clarity of her lesson there would have been far more.

In Katie's room I observed her teaching a group of about 4 students who have targeted intervention.  They were working at a lower level that the other students in her classroom.  She modified the learning to support the kids with concrete scaffolds to help them eventually reach the grade level expectation.  It is this additional teaching outside the tier of special education or intervention that has created the conditions of growth in students year after year.  In addition, she's differentiated workplaces with students so they work at a level that supports their learning.  Finally, her use of Dreambox with individuals rounded out the room.  

Making a difference in achievement doesn't happen by accident.

You need to think and plan for the efficient use of the entire workshop.  I trust you to utilize it within the conditions that have been presented to you.  You have the opportunity to put on a lid or lift it so students can reach their fullest potential.  It is you and you along with your team hold the secret.

Let's Get It Started!

 

Let's get going!

Last week I shared the learning intentions and success criteria looks fors.  It's time to get clear.  IT's time to raise achievement.  We have a baseline after MAP now we can change the face of our profile.  

First start with the standards in reading and math.  Work together as a team to develop plans and meet the individual needs of students.

Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey define them as "what you want students to know as be able to do by the end of one or more lessons."  Without learning intentions and success criteria, they write,  "lessons wander and students become confused and frustrated."

Your lesson is about learning not the activity you are having students do.  Crafting a quality learning intention takes planning.  Often, teacher will use an activity as their learning intention.  However, a learning intention goes beyond and activity.  It focuses on the goal of the learning.  It is the thing we want kids to know and do.  The learning intention helps students stay focused and involved.

In order to develop success criteria once you have the learning intention is to do the work.  Find yourself in the shoes of the learner.  Anticipate what they have to know.  Additionally, you may want to consider unpacking the standard so you are aware of what is entailed to accomplish the goal.

It's important that you use the learning intentions before, during and after instruction.  

Ask yourself the following questions:

What do I intend for students to learn?

How will I know when they have accomplished that?

How will I assess them?

Make sure it's posted in your classroom.  Use the language during your focus lesson or launch.  Finally, make sure student know what's expected by making the success criteria explicit.

Getting started is easy.  Maintaining and assessing is another story.  You are writing the plot together as a team.  Divide and conquer.   

I look forward to seeing your learning intentions and success criteria posted and used this week.  

Let's get it started up in herer!

You are what you eat

 

    We all need nutrition to thrive. Recently my husband has discovered the benefits of this in his own diet. He has researched and continues to each day. He is making gradual and sometimes radical changes in what he eats with positive benefit. His goal is to be healthier and live longer

     Raising achievement also requires good nutrition for teachers and staff. Our essential nutrients are creating an engaging & safe classroom, focused instruction, and planning authentic task. We exercised and 'feed' our progress with professional development and feedback from one another.

    Having great schools requires having great teachers and staff. Helping them grow is job number one for school principals who want to make a direct impact on student learning. This sounds simple enough, but schools are complex systems. Much like a bountiful garden requires planning and attention to the processes that help plants thrive, school leaders have to develop systems that promote teacher growth. Plants thrive when surrounded by the right conditions (good soil, water, sun) and so do teachers. Individuals develop capacity when they are learning and getting feedback from the powerful interactions around them. Meaningful feedback serves as the fertilizer for teacher growth.

    One of the reasons crafting effective feedback is so difficult is because teaching is a complicated endeavor. There are a lot of things happening in a classroom at any given moment. The antidote to this has been to use cumbersome rubrics and/or checklists that include every aspect of teaching. Science and experience have taught us that we can’t improve multiple things at one time. Focusing feedback requires being clear about what needs improved and then defining it in a tangible way.

Our School will excel when we use the following look fors.

Clarity/Implementation:  

• Learning intentions and success criteria are written for a standard, and not specific to certain lessons or tasks.

• Learning intentions and success criteria are posted, and stated in clear, student friendly language.(One and Two)

• Teacher references learning intentions and success criteria before, during, and after the lesson.

• Students are able to use the language of the learning intention and success criteria through the lesson. 

• Workshop in literacy and math represents the GRR(gradual release of responsibility) i.e. concise launch/mini lesson, guided instruction, collaborative learning and independent practice.

Last week I was in Abby Oswald's classroom and took some pictures so I could outline and show evidence of these look fors. Her clarity of expectation along with how to engage in the content was so precise. Please look at the photos and reflect how you could #levelup your nutritional regimen this year. When Abby spoke to kids her language was very precise and connected to the learning intention. She used the opportunity to double dip and teach kids talk moves while engaging them in the language of the learning. She has started strong! Please think about walking through and learning from her.

Post Learning Intentions/SC

Confer with students

Use Graphic Organizers to support

 

Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get. 

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Helping everyone in a system grow and develop is no small task. Creating the conditions for growth requires ample doses of focused and relevant feedback connected to school improvement processes. Feedback serves as the compost for cultivating a culture of collective action. Rooting it in a comprehensive model for supervision and using tools and strategies that promote relevance ensures that the teachers and students in your care will grow beyond measure.

it is like this friend.

 

Making it Work.

Making a Difference.

There are two mindsets to focus on when highlighting the work of your peers.  I've mentioned it before that you do not need to look outside this building to find models.  I'm going to weave what I've seen in their classrooms and then work to influence all of your to adopt or be inspired by their methods .

Let's start with Paige's classroom.  I observed her teaching a literacy lesson but the how it is to highlight is her method of daily formative assessment.  To focus our thinking let's think of the mindset 

I see assessment as informing my impact and next steps.

Paige maximizes her time with kids through conferencing with individuals and small groups.  Her goal is to release the work to groups so they can work independently.  When I spoke with her she said, "Kids have to know they need to do the work independently first."  She uses her assessment tool to code student performance while they are working.  She uses the assessment for feedback and to examine if kids are meeting her learning intention.  She uses it to evaluate the judgements kids are making in real time.  She is right there with the kids so she is also able to monitor that her kids are spending the majority of their time learning while they are working on the task she assigned.  She is able to scaffold and challenge them as they work.  Finally, she is able to see a quick snapshot of how kids are performing.  What is the result?  he kids are now performing at 70%+ on common formative assessments.   

Legend: B (worked with Bazer)         — (Not meeting intention)                 ✔️ ( intention)            ✭(above intention)

I give and help students understand feedback and I interpret and act on feedback to me.

The second teacher to highlight this week is Carol Bigley.  I observed a math lesson last week that was an exemplar of the workshop and implementation of our school improvement plan.  Like Paige Carol maximized her time with student by conferring with individuals and small groups.  Carol provides crucial information through dialogue with kids.  You can see evidence of her positive relationships as you view the videos of her work with identified students.  Her feedback is timely and meaningful on their progress on the learning intention and success criteria.  Please take the time to view the videos.  They are powerful.

Stick Together Team!

    WHY

 Let's face it working in a school is difficult and challenging that at times you can feel overwhelmed and unfulfilled.  It's through working together that you get through.  Teachers/staff in studies have reported feeling connected to one another and also described feeling as if they are completing something together.  These emotions when activated keep us engaged in difficulty over time.  In addition, if teams are effective than people learn from one another.  They can do more than they could alone.  They inspire and challenge one another.  

What

    I know that it takes time to get together to share the load but knowing how much easier our work can be when we are together accomplishing our goals is most rewarding.  Let's take a look at the elements of strong teams and determine how to make your team stronger than it already is.

1. A good team knows why it exists.  It's not enough to give yourselves a name.  That is a label and not the explanation of why you exist.  You need to develop a purpose that is relevant, meaningful, and clear.  When I think if this element I am reminded of the first and second grade teams.  Their purpose is to support one another to make the work easier and student achievement grow.  I sat in on both of these teams last week.  They meet even when they don't have to just to get stuff done.  For example, the first grade team worked to develop a rubric for fluency.  The second grade team worked to plan the genre writing unit.  In both cases they jigsawed the work and then discussed how and when they would implement.
2. A good team creates a space for learning.  It's critical that you don't meet just to meet.  You should be learning from one another or creating opportunities to learn.  When you work to trust one another you feel safe to make mistakes, take risks and ask questions.
3. In a good team, there's healthy conflict.  It's inevitable and most certain that when you are learning together there will be disagreements.  Teams who disagree are engaged in constructive conversation and work to push thinking.  The fourth grade team has gone through this and came out stronger.  They were discussing the order of lesson in a unit and went back and forth if they should change or do them as listed.  In the end they decided to do them as listed.  Yes, they disagreed but they pushed one another to find the solution.
4. Members of a good team trust each other.  This means that when there is conflict you handle it.  It's managed.  If you know each other you listen to one another.  You follow your norms and feel comfortable holding one another accountable.  You also have a facilitator who makes sure it stays safe.  Trust means that everyone participates and are heard.  You share in decision making.  You break in effective habits like dominance of one voice.
5. A good team has a facilitator, leader, or shared leaders.  You all can lead because you work to push one another.  The leadership team member is there to share information but isn't the only person required to facilitate.  It's important that you have a plan so you can function at high levels.  However, together you build the plan and then implement the learning around it.  I see this often in the PK, Kindergarten and third grade teams.  They work together but it's not always clear who the leader is.  They share in the work and take turns leading and/or facilitating.  It's quite defined in the PK team.  Each member has a specific strength so they share and switch from week to week depending on their topic.

    The more teamwork fundamental exhibited the more opportunity exists for students to learn.  Strong teacher teams create strong schools.  They help to fend off external factors trying to inhibit our practice.  It is the driving reason that we emphasize PLCs to support teacher-to-teacher professional development.  When collaboration is present it results in high achieving schools.

So let's work together to fight the forces that try and attack us.  Let's come together and raise our arms with positive result to celebrate.