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Education Update:Taking the Fear Out of the First Year:Professional Learning Communitie... - 13 views

www.ascd.org/...ool-Leaders'-Perspectives.aspx
shared by Judy Boerm on 23 Jun 11 - No Cached
    • Laura Clausen
      Laura Clausen on 30 Jun 11
       
      Being a part of a collaborative culture helped to take my first year from being a complete, disorganized disaster to a year of successful learning for both the children and me.  I felt the mentoring process was a form of collaborative culture.
    • Allysen Lovstuen
      Allysen Lovstuen on 30 Jun 11
       
      The time for groups of teachers to work together is key. This can be difficult at the secondary level, districts and administrators are getting more creative about finding ways to make this happen.
    • Sheryl Dales
      Sheryl Dales on 01 Jul 11
       
      Specials teachers also like to be included in these communities. It seems like we get placed in the position of working with students while other collaborate in our building. Not sure how to solve this scheduling issue.
    • Jori Lizer
      Jori Lizer on 07 Jul 11
       
      Allysen is right! key is time for teachers to work together and learn the technology available
  • Because of teachers' busy schedules, it is important for administrators to allot specific time for teachers to meet as groups. "It's absolutely immoral to tell teachers they need to collaborate and not give them the time to collaborate," says Mike Mattos, principal at Pioneer Middle School in Tustin, Calif. His school implemented the Late Start Wednesday program, in which students come to school late on Wednesdays (the other days are longer to make up classroom time), allowing teachers time for collaboration.
    • Judy Boerm
      Judy Boerm on 05 Oct 11
       
      I think it's great that this article points out the importance to allot time for collaboration! We have implemented an early out once a month this year for basically this reason. We are using the time to work on AIW, Authentic Intellectual Work, with co-workers. This focuses on working together to improve tasks, student work and instruction.
    • Julie Taylor
      Julie Taylor on 06 Oct 11
       
      It is important to provide time to collaborate. In some schools the teachers only see each other at lunch, in the hallway, or at an already structured meeting. There should be an opportunity for teachers of all subjects to get together to talk about what they have been doing, what has worked, and what has not worked.
  • Matt Townsley on 23 Jun 11
     
    an easy-to-read article describing the professional learning community philosophy
  • ...6 more comments...
  • Todd ZInkula on 29 Jun 11
     
    Here is a great article I found during a PLN class I am taking and it talks on how to use twitter. Our class on Personal Learning Networks fits right with PLC's. Our school in Grundy Center, Iowa just finished it's second year. Here is the sight for the twitter info. http://cooper-taylor.com/2008/08/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-education/
  • Todd ZInkula on 29 Jun 11
     
    http://www.allthingsplc.info/wordpress/?p=2105 Here is an article to see if your school is doing a good job with PLC's. Our school thought it had a great first year and the second year we didn't. We followed the steps the second year and didn't personalize it as much and we regretted it later. While assessing PLC's don't ever forget to make it your own.
  • Brent Thoren on 29 Jun 11
     
    I am taking a class bout this concept of PLN's and we have been investigating multiple social media outlets in order to help contribute to the students' learning environment. Below is a link to the 2006 Time magazine "person of the Year" article. It's a good read and offers great perspective and it would be a great resource to explain to kids and other teachers (PD) as to what direction "learning" is heading and why is it important to continue to evolve our methods. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html
  • Julie Collison on 29 Aug 11
     
    Good article
  • Tara Liston on 29 Aug 11
     
    The PLC team I was on this year really felt like we were successful at helping our first graders. We were able to focus on what we wanted to do to help our students and have the time to discuss if it was working. We were also able to have the time to discuss what we can all do to make things better.
  • Julie Sorensen-Skaar on 04 Sep 11
     
    There is no question that a collaborative culture encourages improved student achievement. When we all work together, it's always better for the students and for us.
  • Angie Norton on 13 Oct 11
     
    I look forward to creating that collaborative culture in our district. I feel we have it, but turning the focus on to the student's actual learning will be very powerful and beneficial to all of our students. Providing the time for our teachers will be critical, and getting everyone to buy into the change in thinking.
  • boothl b on 05 Jun 12
     
    Perhaps because I am taking a class on and learning the power of PLNs, I am really impressed by the potential of this. And beneficial to teachers AND students.
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Using Formative Assessments to Meet Student Needs - ASCD Express 5.09 - 0 views

www.ascd.org/...509_video.aspx formative assessment culture
shared by Matt Townsley on 04 Feb 10 - Cached
  • Matt Townsley on 04 Feb 10
     
    Classroom culture + cards + formative assessment = success
  • Matt Townsley on 04 Feb 10
     
    Some great commentary on formative assessment here.
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The Changing Face of Education in Iowa: 5 Characteristics of Effective Instruction - 6 views

eabbey.blogspot.com/...racteristics-of-effective.html ICC formative assessment
shared by Teresa Bellinghausen on 31 May 09 - Cached
Matt Townsley liked it
  • So not only will Iowa's high schools develop implementation plans for the content next year, they will also conduct a self-study to determine which characteristics need attention and put forward a professional development plan to improve in that area(s).
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      ICC is a process. To see this change to its fullest extent, the DE is proposing a plan for each district to create a plan to roll it out over several years. (This is how we should/might view our classrooms...focus on making a few changes at a time, but do them well rather than trying to be Mr. Awesome Teacher in all kinds of areas without enough time/thought/trial & error.) <-- this is KEY. What are your thoughts, Russ?
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      I like that it is built on reflection and continual improvement. You've explained it to me before as being "what good teachers should be doing." I think all teachers, rookies and veterans, can benefit from an open discussion on that point.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
       
      I'm leery of the plans becoming planning for planning sake, but the intention is good--trying to get at the process of continual improvement, as you mentioned.
    • Teresa Bellinghausen
      Teresa Bellinghausen on 07 Apr 10
       
      Evan, there's no doubt that some schools/districts will simply write a plan, then check it off the list of things to do. However, many others that recognize the value in the intent, or spirit, of the IC will approach the process seriously.
    • Lacy Kolpin
      Lacy Kolpin on 07 Apr 10
       
      Just to piggy back here, I also like it that there are people that are going to reflect on what may or may not be working. Often enough, I don't think that gets done enough. As Teresa said, some and perhaps the majority of schools will just fulfill what they have to, but some will put in time and get some neat things out of this process. I hope that many will take it seriously.
    • Karen Waid
      Karen Waid on 08 Apr 10
       
      Our district is currently working on the plan. I hope we do a good job so we can implement and use it!
  • Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students as part of instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of core content.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      I didn't think about this until my 5th year of teaching. What is your "assessment plan"? How will you assess? How often? What will you do if students are absent on assessment day?
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      Your comment made me think of the quote we shared with you this past weekend: "our generation wants in 7 years what our parents worke for all their lives." That's what I feel fairly often since I've been surrounded by veteran teachers. There are many times I need to slow down and remember that I'm learning, learning. learning. So, to "answer" your questions, I don't know. I appreciate being able to learn from your experiences.
  • A rigorous curriculum is one that is complex, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      This is a never-ending task. I don't expect to "master" this, even when I'm ready to retire. It involves really thinking about the content and the students and how authentic work can be created by them according to their interests. This is TOUGH!
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      Evan had a great comment on this point: "The key is to teach students how to learn that advanced content on their own--to become life-long learners. No one is arguing that teachers aren't cognitively limited; they are. But that is (or should be) irrelevant. To continue the transmission model of education, where teachers have all the knowledge and students have to get it in the approved way, will continue to stunt the growth of students."
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      That quote came from this post on Scott Mcleod's blog: http://is.gd/KhNX
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      Good point. It's the old 'liberal arts' education lingo...becoming a life long learner. From my experience, it's difficult to get some students to learn the basics, let alone do any learning on their own (the few that come to school because they're required...or only desire a passing grade...or some other sort of grade to please parents). Not saying it can't be done, but lots of thought, motivation and modeling needed.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
       
      One thing I've found is that out of the 5, this is the one that teachers say, "Yeah, I've got this one down". It seems everyone has seen the graphic of the quadrants. What's difficult is, even though we all know we need to be rigorous & relevant, we don't often know which of our lessons truly are rigorous & relevant. The best professional development will give teachers some specific, tangible examples to show how to ramp up rigor.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 13 Jul 09
       
      This definition is adapted from Teaching What Matters Most by Silver, Strong and Perrini. It's a great read (ASCD)
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Differences can best be accomplished by engaging in a process which has teachers using student and instructional assessment data to make sound instructional decisions to meet the needs of individual students.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      when formative assessment is done well, differentiation comes naturally. Again, easier said than done....so we need to be patient in this area as we learn the common misconceptions of students in our curriculum, this practice will become more visible over time.
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      I saw this on a large scale when I visited Knoxville West Elementary school as part of our IDM team. They had reading data on all students and used it to adjust the instruction for all kids. Do you think formative assessment flows naturally from the assessment to the remedial instruction? What I mean is, say a teacher formatively assesses students, do we assume that teacher is using that data to influence instruction? Is the "changing intruction" part of the definition of formative assessment?
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      You hit the big "aha" moment ICC is going to (hopefully) help so many educators in Iowa realize. I sort of feel like differentiation and formative assessment aren't mutually exclusive...one in the same (assess, use data to create new individualized/group instruction to help students move along the continuum of learning; repeat). Not sure if it's worth debating the definitions, but rather seeing the ideas as working together to improve classroom practice. Yes, it is possible to collect data and do nothing with it. This is the major misconception of 'formative assessment,' in my opinion. The analogy of "formative assessment is chef's ongoing soup tasting during prep; summative assessment is restaurant customer liking or disliking soup" seems to fit, but when some educators hear this, they only taste the soup (collect data, quiz more often, etc.) but never make any changes to the soup recipe (instruction). I'm guilty and to be honest thought this way until earlier this year. We can't just assume the data is being used, you're right. In a quality classroom, I think it would be pretty obvious that the data was being used (maybe my class next year?!).
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      The only reason I bring up the definition is so everyone is on the same page when discussing it. If some think "formative assessment" is only the assessment and others think it includes the instruction-adjustment, there's a disconnect. That's all. Plus I'm an English guy, so I like definitions. I'm already loving this ICC stuff now that I get "the point." So here's my big thought of the day: how are college education programs going to use the ICC? If the state has defined effective practices, will colleges follow suit in what they focus their teaching on...both in the ed. training programs and how the faculty teaches?
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
       
      I think ICC defines formative assessment as a process of both collecting the data and modifying instruction: From ICC, Module 5: "Assessment FOR Learning (Formative Assessment): Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students as part of instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students' achievement of core content. As assessment FOR learning, formative assessment practices provide students with clear learning targets, examples and models of strong and weak work, regular descriptive feedback, and the ability to self-assess, track learning, and set goals. (Adapted from Council of Chief State School Officers, FAST SCASS)."
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
       
      Not sure how/if it will impact higher ed. Impact on higher ed. will surely aid in determining success of ICC, but won't necessarily directly affect our day-to-day instruction. If new staff are trained with ICC in mind, it would help the process along. To be realistic, I think it takes extended classroom experience to get a grasp on what an abstract idea such as "assessment for learning" truly is. Nonetheless a theoretical framework (aside from modifying/extending student teaching/practicum as you and I have discussed previously), is one possible step forward.
    • Teresa Bellinghausen
      Teresa Bellinghausen on 07 Apr 10
       
      You both make excellent points, and I like the "chef" anaology. As far as post-secondary ed is concerned, some of them are coming to the table to at least sniff the soup. Eventually, I think they'll buy the whole meal because (1) schools will be demanding that teacher ed programs include the IC, and (2) students who have experienced full implementation of the IC in high school will demand the same of their experiences at the post-secondary level. It's just going to be a long-term process.
  • In Student-centered Classrooms, students construct their own knowledge based on experiential, holistic, authentic, and challenging experiences.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      From what I know about you, Russ, I think you'll do well in this area (student-centered classroom). Realistically, this can only be done "well" with a solid classroom management plan coupled with a focused look on the desired culture of your classroom.
    • Russ Goerend
      Russ Goerend on 31 May 09
       
      I appreciate you saying that, Matt. It struck me as funny, mainly because of what I emailed you last night: "I'm nervous about classroom management/atmosphere." :)
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      See other bookmark in this group, re: Harry Wong and procedures. Wish I would have known Wong (and implemented it) earlier on. You'll be much wiser and knowledgeable than me. Read the book and/or the website. Becky probably has the book. I can email you my procedures if you're interested. Rehearse! It seems goofy and a strange use of time for the first few weeks, but pays huge dividends. Once procedures are established, you can shape the culture (a la more student-centered) and build relationships with students to your heart's content.
  • while these 5 characteristics are essential to a successful school, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive of each other.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      Amen, Evan! See my notes on differentiation and formative assessment. They go together!
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
       
      It's my gut feeling that the DE thinks this is implicit; that everyone knows this. But given that the DE's main role is in checklist accredidation, they'll need to be a bit more explicit to districts, or I think they will have districts treating each one separately.
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 01 Jun 09
       
      Great point, Evan. I would venture to guess that the majority of the educators I know would say that "assessment" and "instruction" are mutually exclusive entities. I hear things all the time like "Today is quiz day" rather than viewing it as an ongoing activity. I discussed my thoughts related to this topic here: http://bit.ly/NBqyH This will be a HUGE task on the DE/AEAs part, in my opinion...helping Iowa educators see the conceptual connection as well as how it looks (and doesn't look) in practice.
  • Teaching for Understanding is leading students (to engage in a variety of thought-provoking activities such as explaining, finding evidence in examples, generalizing, connecting, applying, making analogies, and representing the topic in new ways.
    • Rob Kleinow
      Rob Kleinow on 01 Apr 10
       
      This characteristic is always one that concerns me because of the word "understanding" I think it will be interesting how these definitions of understanding evolve through the process
28More

Teachers.Net Gazette October 2002 - HARRY &amp; ROSEMARY WONG: EFFECTIVE PRACTICES APPLY TO... - 0 views

teachers.net/...wong.html
shared by K Wolf on 31 May 09 - Cached
  • Teachers put off dealing with non-emergency situations and needs until students are working
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      I like to say, "let's talk about it later..." It gives students a chance to cool down and me a chance to think about it...as well as keeps the class moving forward.
    • S Adair
      S Adair on 11 Jun 09
       
      This is a great idea! How much of my class time is spent with students telling me "I forgot my book" or "I had pizza last night" or other things that may be interesting, but not relevant to what we need to do!
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 13 Jun 09
       
      I agree. A lot of time during class is spent on nonrelevant discussion. We need to refocus to keep the class flowing.
  • High school and middle grade teachers have bellwork/warm-up/sponge activities on the board or overhead projector so students get to work as soon as they enter the classroom
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      If you haven't thought about a bell-ringer, you should. It gets the students working right away and gives you time to take attendance and do other things for the first few minutes. It may seem like "busy work," but you'll eventually figure out how to use the bell ringer to maximize your instruction, too.
  • Objectives for the day are displayed on the board
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      I can go either way on this one. I used to post objectives, but students didn't really get into it. Instead, I post a bulleted list of the day's activities on the board, i.e. 1) Discuss HW 2) Go over quizzes 3) Circumference of Circles 4) Area of Circles This takes away the "what are we doing today?" questions and gives students an idea of what to expect for the day. It also establishes a nice routine, helps you metacognitize before the day, and provides a 'back-up' in case you freeze. It's not uncommon for students to say, "hey..weren't we supposed to go over our quizzes?!" when I've mistakenly moved on.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • A student "class secretary" maintains a "What Did I Miss?" folder
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      Create whatever system you want for missing work. After a few weeks of helping absent students see how the system works, you'll never have to answer the question, "What did we do yesterday in LA?" Students will know the routine (who to ask or where to go) to get the handouts, assignment, etc.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
       
      I was never able to get that developed. Eventually, when I put things on Moodle, students got into the habit of checking there after missing (or before). Still, I could see many other setups being just as effective.
    • K Wolf
      K Wolf on 17 Jun 09
       
      Re: make-up work - this task can easily become digital - assignments, handouts, summaries of the lesson by other students, etc. could be posted on a class wiki so it's accessible 24/7
  • Each teacher has a system of procedures for setting up small groups
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      Do it. Rehearse it every day or two for a few weeks. Tell 'em what you expect. It'll make your life easier later on.
  • Students are informed of and discuss the specific purpose/s before viewing a vide
    • Matt Townsley
      Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
       
      I would add, "Students are informed of and discuss the specific purpose before ANYTHING"...not just videos. Saves the "Why do we have to do/know this?" comments.
    • Evan Abbey
      Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
       
      Ditto!
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 13 Jun 09
       
      Students do need to be informed about everything they're doing. It saves a lot of time answering questions rather than spending it repeating the information over and over again. We want to make sure they're prepared and ready to go.
  • shakes hands
    • Darin Johnson
      Darin Johnson on 17 Jun 09
       
      What do you think about shaking hands? My supervising teacher read this suggestion in a book, and she required that I join her. I did it one year on my own. Are we too germ phobic to do this today?
  • Students who have something of a non-emergency nature that they wish to tell the teacher can fill out a prepared form titled "Listening Ear" with a line drawing of an ear and four blank lines for the student's message.
    • Darin Johnson
      Darin Johnson on 17 Jun 09
       
      My students would never do this. This man has some good advice, but having students fill out a "listening Ear" form in the target language is utterly cumbersome.
  • Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
     
    Harry Wong - okay, so this isn't ICC, but it does talk a lot about effective practices. If you haven't read "The First Days of School," you should. If not, check out this website. It summarizes lots of the main points. I'll mark it up with what I see as the most important points.
  • ...3 more comments...
  • Matt Townsley on 31 May 09
     
    Wong on effective classroom practices.
  • Evan Abbey on 01 Jun 09
     
    Wong on effective classroom practices.
  • anonymous on 13 Jun 09
     
    Some teachers send home progress sheets and letters informing parents whenever a new chapter or unit begins, outlining the objectives and providing information about any cultural activities or projects associated with the new unit.
  • anonymous on 13 Jun 09
     
    I think this is a good way to keep parents informed on what their child is going to be working on. This can help promote interaction between parent and child.
  • K Wolf on 17 Jun 09
     
    Wong on effective classroom practices.
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