1D: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources

Today’s students have the world in the palm of their hands!  Our rollouts brought a device to each student that has an unlimited number of resources.  Teachers are tasked with finding and aligning these resources for just right instruction as well as personalized learning experiences.  We pull from myriad places to build instruction based on student need and essential skills.

The three elements of Danielson’s Component 1D: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources include an understanding of resources for teaching, resources to extend content knowledge and pedagogy, as well as resources for students.  With so many resources to access, developing a “lens” to view the resources through, is critical to ensure appropriate resources are being utilized.  This lens isn’t just for teachers, STUDENTS need to be able to analyze the quality of resources as well.  This is so important because websites like this exist...I know, it looks legit, doesn’t it?!

In a proficient classroom...the teacher displays awareness of resources beyond those provided by the school or district, including those on the Internet, for classroom use and for extending one’s professional skill, and seeks out such resources.

In an advanced classroom...the teacher’s knowledge of resources for classroom use and for extending one’s professional skill is extensive, including those available through the school or district, in the community, through professional organizations and universities, and on the Internet.

We have a short blog this week to take a moment to thank you all for the amazing things you accomplish with kids everyday.  You manage to be moms, dads, physicians, psychologists, authors, actors, motivational speakers, cheerleaders, artists, and traffic directors all in the same day!  Truly, you are nothing less than magicians.  Never underestimate the power of each interaction you have each day.  Never doubt the good you bring into a child’s life.  We hope you leave the week feeling the gratitude of so many for holding up our community of learners.

This week’s blog question is a fill in the blank.   Being a teacher is like being a _________.

1e: Designing Coherent Instruction

Gone are the days of turning the page in a teacher’s manual to plan a class period of instruction.  Designing coherent instruction is the heart of planning, reflecting the teacher’s knowledge of content and of the students in the class, the intended outcomes of instruction, and the available resources. Such planning requires that educators have a clear understanding of the state, district, and school expectations for student learning and the skill to translate these into a coherent plan. It also requires that teachers understand the characteristics of the students they teach and the active nature of student learning. Educators must determine how best to sequence instruction in a way that will advance student learning through the required content. Furthermore, such planning requires the thoughtful construction of lessons that contain cognitively engaging learning activities, the incorporation of appropriate resources and materials, and the intentional grouping of students.

The elements of 1e: designing coherent instruction include:

Learning activities

Instruction is designed to engage students and move them through their progression of learning.

Instructional materials and resources

Aids to instruction are appropriate to the learning needs of the students.

Instructional groups

Teachers intentionally organize and plan flexible, guided groups to support student learning.

Lesson and unit structure

Teachers produce clear and sequenced unit frameworks that allow for lessons throughout the unit that respond to students’ instructional needs.

What does this look like: 

• Lessons that support instructional outcomes and reflect essential questions 
• Differentiated activities that support customized learning pathsInstructional maps, frameworks, and lesson plans that indicate entry points for students on the learning continuum 
• Activities that represent high-level thinking 
• Opportunities for student choiceUse of varied resources 
• Thoughtfully planned guided groupsStructured lesson plans that demonstrate the gradual release of responsibility (I do it, we do it, you do it...)

In a proficient classroom...

Most of the learning activities are aligned with the instructional outcomes and follow an organized progression suitable to groups of students.  The learning activities have reasonable time allocation; they represent significant cognitive challenge, with differentiation for different groups of students and flexible use of instructional groups.

In a distinguished classroom...

The sequence of learning activities follows a coherent sequence, is aligned to instructional goals, and is designed to engage students in high-level cognitive activity based on customized learning paths.  These are personalized for individual learners.  Instruction groups are varied appropriately, with opportunities for student choice and voice.

Designing coherent instruction is at the heart of the teaching craft, relying on teacher expertise and collaboration for effective execution.  Ensuring our efforts are aligned to meet the learning needs of students maximizes the instructional time we have to move students forward.  

This week’s blog question:

What tools do you use to tie individual student activities to progressions of learning?

1f: Designing Student Assessments

“Don’t underestimate the power of formative assessment—for you and your students. Use it not only to give feedback to students, but also to see the gaps in understanding, so that you can readjust accordingly and step in when needed with new or more in-depth instruction.” ~Alexis Wiggins

As teachers we must assess the end product of student learning and most importantly, the process of learning.  Assessments OF learning ensure that students have learned the intended outcomes.  Assessments FOR learning are incorporated right into the instructional process and are used to modify or adapt instruction as needed to ensure student understanding.  Although these assessments are used during instruction, they must be designed as part of the planning process.  These formative assessments are vital for teachers and students to monitor progress toward understanding the learning outcomes.

This chart helps Stephanie's students know what
to include when sharing their thinking.

Elements of Component 1f: 

• Congruence: Assessments must match learning expectations
• Clarity: Expectations must be clearly defined
• Purposeful Design: Assessments for learning must be planned as part of the instructional process
• Usage: Results of assessment should guide future planning

Will creates learning progressions for students
to follow based on student pre-assessments.

Indicators: 

• Lesson plans indicating correspondence between assessments and instructional outcomes
• Variety of performance opportunities for students
• Modified assessments available for individual students as needed
• Clear progressions of learning
• Formative assessments designed to inform minute-to-minute decision making by the teacher during instruction

A proficient assessor...

• has a method to assess all learning outcomes in the lesson
• matches assessment types to the learning expectations
• plans for modified assessments when necessary for students
• includes clearly written assessment criteria
• plans to use formative assessment during instruction
• plans for possible adjustments within their lesson based on formative assessment data





(source)

What might this look like?

• The teacher creates a short questionnaire as an exit ticket in math class.  He uses their responses to organize different groups for the next day's activities.
• Using her formative assessment data from the previous day's project work, the teacher plans to have five students work on a more challenging extension while she works with six other students to reinforce the previous day's concept.
• The teacher makes sure her embedded rubric for the research assessment clearly defines proficiency.  She includes specific written feedback when she returns it to the student.

(source)

Looking for fresh ideas for Formative Assessment?  Check out: 

56 Examples of Formative Assessment

Looking into Digital Assessment opportunities?  Check out: 

Best Digital Tools for Formative Assessment

Self Reflection: 

Is your instructional planning continually responsive based on formative assessment results?

Do students know what proficiency looks like for their target they are working towards?

Comment questions: 

• What do you love about assessment?  What frustrates or challenges you?

4f: Professional Responsibilities

“A teacher’s integrity is demonstrated, most importantly, through honesty.  Professional educators can be counted on to do what they said they would do, to maintain confidentiality and to support the best efforts of colleagues.”

-C. Danielson

This week’s element is demonstrated every day in interactions with students and colleagues.  How we conduct ourselves and follow through with professional responsibilities are components of Danielson Framework 4f.  The elements of 4f: Professional Responsibilities include: Integrity and ethical conduct, service to students, advocacy, decision making and compliance with school and district regulations.

The descriptors for a teacher who is proficient in professional responsibilities include:

• Teacher displays high standards of honesty, integrity, and confidentiality in interaction with colleagues, students and the public.
• Teacher is active in serving students.
• Teacher works to ensure that all students receive a fair opportunity to succeed.
• Teacher maintains an open mind and participates in team or departmental decision making.
• Teacher complies fully with school and district expectations, including engagement in PLC discussions and meetings/community circles, as well as collaborative curriculum development and deployment.

The descriptors for a teacher who is distinguished in professional responsibilities include:

• Teacher is highly proactive in serving students, seeking out resources when needed.
• Teacher makes a concerted effort to challenge negative attitudes or practices to ensure that all students, particularly those traditionally underserved, are honored in the school.
• Teacher takes a leadership role in team or departmental decision making and helps ensure that such decisions are based on the highest professional standards.
• Teacher complies fully with school and district expectations, taking a leadership role with colleagues.

 
Throughout this year, there have been significant practices that have been launched and lifted by the professionals at STEM and Hawthorne.  The commitment to providing high quality PBL experiences, as well as iPad assisted personalized learning paths is rooted in an advocacy for students. The belief that we are here to move children forward is a powerful force in changing the lives of children.  This work could not have been done in isolation and requires a team focused on the same goal.  The time and expertise you share within your level and on vertical teams creates a bank of talents that we all draw from together.  Thank you for the wealth of collegiality you have brought to your team’s collaborative table...every day!

This week's question...not school related!

What is the best book you have read lately (for enjoyment) that you could recommend to everyone? Spring break is coming up fast and everyone needs a good read ;-)

4e: Growing professionally

Continuing development is the mark of a true professional; it is an ongoing effort that is never completed.  -C. Danielson

What are the current and future needs of our students and how are we adapting to meet those needs?  

The answers to those questions change every day, with every learner and will never be answered completely. This week we are examining component 4e from the Danielson framework, Growing Professionally. The elements of 4e include: enhancement of content knowledge and pedagogical skill, receptivity to feedback from colleagues and service to the profession.

A proficient teacher will seek out opportunities for professional development to meet the needs of his/her learners.  As we continue to move students towards the in-depth application that the core requires, using strategies and tools that were not in the academic standards in the past, we are all feeling the need to seek out TDP and PSI courses.  Some have entered graduate, licensure or certificate programs to grow expertise around proven instructional practices.

A proficient teacher also welcomes feedback from colleagues when made by supervisors or when opportunities arise through professional collaboration. Gone are the days where we wait for an evaluation from an administrator to get feedback to help shape our practice.  Now, we use all collaborative parties to seek out new strategies and explore innovative teaching practices that will move our learners forward.

Finally, a proficient teacher participates actively in assisting other educators. The feedback loop should go both ways.  We all have areas for growth and we all have areas where our expertise can support others.  Growing professionally is a community effort.

A distinguished teacher ensures that these efforts are effective through action research and seeks out feedback from both supervisors and colleagues.

In addition, a distinguished teacher initiates important activities to contribute to the profession.  If you have ever hosted a field placement student or mentored a new teacher, this is where you have helped lift the teaching profession as a whole.

Our practices have changed more in the last 5 years than in any time in the history of teaching a learning.  With the arrival of our Waukesha ONE technology, Project Based Learning frameworks and Proficiency Based Learning Pathways, we have all cycled through being a novice on some piece.  As we move our students into being 21st century learners, we ALL must live in that 21st learner space as teachers!  Our growth is triggered by figuring out what we “don’t know”, and is motivated by the thirst to “know more”. When we implement these new practices with our students, and refine them through vital feedback, we create the innovative space to move all students forward.  

Choose one of three questions to respond to in the comment section below:

-Who do you turn to for feedback?  

-How do you get the information you need to refine the practices you use with students?

-What new practice have you launched as a result of professional development or feedback THIS YEAR to enhance the learning of your students?

4C: Communicating with Families

We work with many families and their level of involvement varies, it is our responsibility to connect and provide opportunities for them to understand our instructional programs and their child's progress.  Teachers establish this relationship with families by communicating to them about the instruction that is taking place, conferring with them about individual student growth, and inviting them to be part of the educational process.  The importance of regular communication cannot be overstated.  

The elements of component 4c are:

• Information about the instructional program 
• The teacher frequently provides information to families about the instructional program.
• Information about individual students
• The teacher frequently provides information to families about students’ individual progress.
• Engagement of families in the instructional program
• The teacher frequently and successfully offers engagement opportunities to families so that they can participate in the learning activities.

A proficient teacher: 

The teacher provides frequent and appropriate information to families about the instructional program and conveys information about individual student progress in a culturally sensitive manner. The teacher makes some attempts to engage families in the instructional program.

What does this look like?

• Sending home a weekly newsletter to describe current class activities and learning goals, PBL projects, field trips, etc.
• Creating a monthly progress report that is sent home with each student.
• Keeping StandardScore up to date so that parents have access to current student information.
• Utilizing BB9 to house instructional materials so parents can connect to the work happening at school.
• Involving parents in at home learning opportunities.

A distinguished teacher: 

The teacher communicates frequently with families in a culturally sensitive manner, with students contributing to the communication. The teacher responds to family concerns with professional and cultural sensitivity. The teacher’s efforts to engage families in the instructional program are frequent and successful.

What does this look like?

• Students create information to take home that shows what they are learning in science.
• Students maintain a daily reflection log describing what they are learning that goes home each week for parents to read.
• Students design an inquiry project to work on with their family connected to the learning at school.

Here are two examples of communications that are happening in our schools:

Level 3 at Hawthorne sends home a weekly update.

Level 1 at STEM Randall sends home updates to show their PBL units in action.

This infographic has ideas for utilizing social media to connect and communicate with parents:

(source)

Other resources on Communicating with Families: 

• What Parents Want in School Communication (from Edutopia)
• How to Strengthen Parent Involvement and Communication (from Edutopia)

Reflect in the comments: 

How have you involved and connected families to the learning that is happening in your classroom?