Session C 13 Teachers Teaching Teachers…Professional Development That Makes a Difference!

1. Session C 13 Teachers Teaching Teachers…Professional Development That Makes a Difference! Location: Rm. 314, Recommended for Teachers Gr. 3-12 Doug Lyons, Jane Costa, Leah Cristi, & Meghan Lockwood; Principal and Gr. 6-8 Teachers: Walter S. Parker MS We at Parker Middle School are learning how to learn with and from one another to improve instruction and engage students. Come join us to hear about how we have developed professional learning structures that have helped us integrate technology into classrooms and have helped students and teachers make their work public. We will also touch on how this process has shaped our culture, responsibility, and shared accountability for student performance. Standards: Professional Community, School Organization & Culture, Leadership & Educational Vitality

2. Teachers Teaching Teachers Instructional Leadership Team Student Engagement Open Space Technology Audience Greater Than One Peer Feedback

3. Getting Started… • What are some factors that can increase student engagement in their learning? • Consider the following statement: When students understand that their work is not just for their teacher to grade, not just for their peers to see, when they understand it is a product that could become public and feedback could come from outside the classroom, they’ll try harder, take more pride in their work and be driven to do their best. • How can we help students effectively give and use feedback to increase their learning and improve the quality of their work?

4. The Instructional Leadership Team • Who is the ILT? • What do we do? • Examples of ILT-planned PD: • World Café • Technology • “…Students creating work for an audience greater than one…” • Peer Feedback • Learning is on-going • Teachers assessed through student work/ student performance

5. The Work of the ILT • Research-based • Starting point: text-based discussions • Use of protocols, structures and norms • Good facilitation • Data collection • Assess results, determine next steps • Varied groupings • Recorders: Collect feedback from staff • Teachers held to expectations -Produce real lessons -Real results

6. Getting Started with the ILT at Parker • Establishing/practicing group norms • Using protocols to: -Resolve dilemmas -Reference best practices -Review text and research • Initial focus: student engagement • World Café forum -9 tables/different themes connected to student engagement - Games and Gimmicks, Use of Space, Technology

7. Teachers teaching teachers about technology…A possible starting point for you? • “The Answer is in the Building” • Sharing areas of expertise • Non-threatening • Beginner to advanced levels

8. Examples of Teacher-Led Technology Workshops at Parker Smartboard Basics/Varsity Smartboard Senteo Getting Started with Blogs Document Camera Basics What’s Available for Technology at Parker Wikis Moodle

9. Open Space and Making the Concept Work for us… What is Open Space Technology? • Designed to deal with real “business” issues • Adult collaboration, learning and reflection are required. How does OST work? • Simply. Open Space runs on two fundamentals: • passion and responsibility • Without passion, nobody is interested. Without responsibility, nothing will get done. • Ground Rules at Parker • Find a place to learn something • Be willing to share what you are learning… Adapted from SRI and Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide, Harrison Owen, Abbott Publishing, Potomac, Maryland, 1992.

10. Ideas and Rationale behind Adult Learning and our Open Space Model • Willingness to learn about and incorporate new technology • Willingness to share experiences • Willingness to adapt/change practice to best help kids • Ground Rules: Be honest and follow the “Law of Two Feet”. Find a place where you can learn. This model is consistent with the latest work and research around Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s), Teacher Collaboration as well as School Improvement and Professional Learning Models.

11. “Creating Work for an Audience Greater Than One…” • Phrase emerged from previous goals • Increasing student engagement • Integrating technology • Developed a working theory regarding making work public • Adapted already developed assignments to AGTO • Periodic check-ins in small groups • “tune” assignments, troubleshoot, support • Executed lessons • Open House: celebrate student work • Surveyed students and teachers • Students enjoyed the activities • Felt uncomfortable giving and receiving feedback

12. Using Feedback to Improve Student Work and further engage students in their learning… • Article/Discussion • In departments/mixed groups • Used protocols • Student needs: • uniform structures, common language, practice • Departments developed prompts/questions • Guide created for all teachers/subject areas • Teachers chose buddies, created, executed lessons • Results discussed and shared • Surveyed staff re: PD • Next year’s idea: learning cohorts • Higher order thinking skills, student led discussions, project-based learning, portfolios, etc.

13. A Teacher’s Perspective • ILT-Led Professional Development • Influence on individual practice • Effect on team culture

14. ILT-led Professional Development • Tuning protocol • http://schoolreforminitiative.org/protocol/doc/tuning.pdf • Teachers present a piece of teacher work, or an assignment with several student work samples, to be “tuned.” Through a facilitated, structured conversation, the group examines the work and provides warm and cool feedback on the work. • Text-based protocols • Four A’s Protocol: http://schoolreforminitiative.org/protocol/doc/4_a_text.pdf • Allows group members “To explore a text deeply in light of one’s own values and intentions.” • Four A’s: Assumptions, Agree, Argue, Act • Factors that need to be in place: • Clear expectations • Skilled facilitator • Norms

15. Influence on Individual Practice • Technology integration • Collaboration with colleagues • Expectation that work be public • Expectation that teachers learn • Examples of work: • Podcasts: http://meghanlockwood.podbean.com/ • Book Review Blog: http://sixthgradeupstairsela.blogspot.com/ • CommonCraft style video projects: http://www.youtube.com/user/meghanglockwood

16. Effect on Team Culture Overall: increased efficiency and professionalism in our Common Planning Time. Examples: • Team goal: looking at student work together • Every two weeks, we use the ATLAS protocol to look at a sample of a student’s work in every academic class. • http://schoolreforminitiative.org/protocol/doc/atlas_lfsw.pdf • Loop back to discuss each student’s work again to analyze progress. • Increase in coherence across the team: • Team Time Literacy and Math across the team • Grading policies: discussion of A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades by Ken O’Connor (2nd Ed., Pearson, 2011)

17. Teachers Teaching Teachers… What occurs when teachers collaborate and learn with one another? Relationships happen… Common experiences are shared… Expertise is shared… Our relationships and our learning directly affect how we collaborate and create learning opportunities for kids.

18. Thank You If you would like to contact us, we can be reached by e-mail at: Jane Costa - jcosta@reading.k12.ma.us Leah Cristi – lcristi@reading.k12.ma.us Meghan Lockwood – meghan.lockwood@reading.k12.ma.us Doug Lyons – dlyons@reading.k12.ma.us