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.