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!