AD Connect
November 12th 2017
Modeling/Teaching vs Independent Practice/Assessment
Ps. The same applies to you...coaching training plan with modeling vs observe evaluate
Coaching
I truly appreciate everyone's engagement during the area meeting. Examining practice and sharing what we do allows us to hone our systems, move the conversation forward, and leverage our actions. I referenced a few resources and asked for you to provide feedback and/or share your own resources so we can continue to tighten and improve our systems together. We will discuss these resources in upcoming campus visits and coaching sessions, but until then, here are a few additional shared resources:
Systems Check (We would like your feedback here, please.)
A few thoughts to ponder:
- How many walks and coaching are you getting?
- How effective is that?
- What is keeping you from doing more?
Nester Area Data
ELAR walk Checklist
Last week I shared the science and math look for's...this link takes you to the ELAR look for's. Let me know your thoughts.
Flexibility with Scheduling
Creating a duty schedule can be difficult. You may have received communication from various departments about limitations with staff members, specifically CTAs, counselors, diagnosticians, and SLPs. To address your concerns, ADs met with supervisors for these roles, and we came to the following agreement about duty assignments:
All staff members may be assigned duties.
Schedules should be equitable - no single staff person should have an inordinate number of duties compared to other staff members.
Flexibility should be provided for staff to attend to other job duties, such as ARD meetings, SST meetings, lunch counseling sessions, etc.
Socials skills Curriculum
Pacing
Pacing a lesson so its nearly seamless takes expertise and practice -- and can be one of the greatest challenges for new teachers. For those more seasoned out there, here's a scenario many of us can relate to from the early days: way too much time for one learning activity, while not enough for another and clunky transitions in between.
Also on the teacher plate when it comes to instructional decisions that influence pacing? How best to chunk and scaffold content so it's grade-level appropriate and then deciding on the best instructional mode.
During our walks we have noticed that in several situations lessons have not been well prepared and therefore taking away much valuable time from actual instruction.
So let's take a look at the essentials when it comes to pacing the lesson and the learning:
1. Create a Sense of Urgency. The true art of pacing lies in creating a sense of urgency and also not leaving your students in the dust. Think diligent pace but not frenetic. This pacing feels just right to most learners in the room.
Using a timer on your desk (or try this one) can help create that "we are on the clock" feeling -- while moving steadily ahead proving ample wait/think time along the way. If a teacher question is asked of the whole group, don't expect an answer the first second or two, or three. Count to five when asking those particularly challenging questions. Sometimes we need to slow down in order to move the learning in the room forward.
2. Make Goals Clear. One way to avoid a clunky lesson pace is to make sure the learners know exactly what they are learning and doing for the day. "Our mission today is to discover... . We will be doing this by... ." Keep students focused as you transition from one learning activity to another, announcing how much closer they are to accomplishing the day's goal.
3. Have Smooth Transitions. Speaking of transitions, good ones demonstrate purposeful pacing and knowing next moves. Be thinking two steps ahead of the next activity, and begin setting up for the next activity without finishing the last. While students are completing one piece of the learning, pass out any materials, set up the projector, or have instructional notes in place so that there's little to no dead time between one learning activity to the next.
4. Be Sure Materials Are Ready. Doing this will let you keep the flow going. Have handouts, markers, scissors, and construction paper all in place. Many teachers create small supply containers of materials that include glue stick, scissors, highlighters, sticky notes, etc. and place it in the center of each collection of desks or team table. Each group can elect a Supplies Captain who keeps inventory and rounds up contents at the end of class time.
Photocopying can be the bane of the teacher's day. Do you really need to have the quiz or the writing prompt on individual copy paper? Can it be displayed on the projector screen instead? Can there be just one copy on the group table for all to look at? (Less passing out and collecting saves time and keeps the focus on the task at hand.)
5. Present Instructions Visually. This helps keep that pace uninterrupted. For each set of instructions, write them ahead of time on the board or have a slide in your PowerPoint or Prezi. If you are relying on giving oral directions only, think of those students that have poor listening skills: "What are we doing again?" What do we do after this?" The energy and time you take to make the instructions visible will pay off.
6. Check for Understanding. Taking time to see where your students are during the lesson and adjusting accordingly means formative assessments play a key role in pacing.
Pair and share creates energy in the room following direct instruction. Keep it in short spurts, breaking up every five to seven minutes of new information with "turn and talk with your elbow partner." Walk around the room and listen in to gauge understanding. These pauses for students to talk with each other can be as brief as 45 seconds. Also, use non-verbal quickies like thumbs up/thumbs down to see where students are and assess if more time or re-teaching is needed.
7. Choose Most Effective Type of Teaching. How will I get this new information to my students? Teachers must ask themselves this question continually when lesson planning. Sometimes new information is so new that students need to first see a visual representation and then require some information directly from their teacher to think about. Other times, it's best to set up a situation connecting to student schema and then group work to follow. Deciding the instructional mode (direct, student-centered, or facilitation) can be as important as choosing the content.
When that pacing seems off, is it time to switch the mode of delivery? Do they need a mini-lecture to clarify some misconceptions? Might a re-energizing activity be necessary, like a choral reading or class A-Z line up? Use a variety of activities with different formats to keep that flow and rhythm in the room.
How do you set up lessons so they flow? What pacing tips might you like to offer up that work well with your students?
Leveled Text Resources..Thanks Melissa :)
In their book, Making Teacher Evaluation Work: A Guide for Literacy Teachers and Leaders (Heinemann 2017), Rachael Gabriel and Sarah Woulfin list online sites that provide leveled reading texts:
- New York Times Kids Blog: http://www.nytimes.com/section/learning
- Tween Tribune: http://tweentribune.com/
- Epic Books: https://www.getepic.com/
- Kids Discover: http://www.kidsdiscover.com/quick-reads/
- Common Lit: http://www.commonlit.org/
- ReadWorks: http://www.readworks.org/
- Starfall: http://www.starfall.com/n/level-c/index/play.htm?f
- Breaking News English: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com
- For the Teachers: http://www.fortheteachers.org/reading_skills/
- ThinkCERCA: http://www.thinkcerca.com/
- NewsELA: https://newsela.com/
- News in Levels: http://www.newsinlevels.com/
- Unite for Literacy: http://www.uniteforliteracy.com/
- Bookbox: https://www.youtube.com/user/bookboxinc
- Center for the Study of Adult Literacy: http://csal.gsu.edu/content/are-you-learner
Great resources!
Contract Review
Elementary Attendance
As referenced at Team GISD, first cycle attendance was lower As referenced at Team GISD, first cycle attendance was lower this year than last year. Because we know how critical student attendance is for funding and student learning, remember to follow some best practices for increasing attendance:
Ensure consistent communication with parents of students who have chronic behavior issues and impressing upon them the importance of being in school
Connect families in need with district and community resources to ease burdens
Ensure all students have a meaningful relationship with an adult on campus
Provide incentives for students for regular, improved, or timely attendance
Deliver engaging instruction from the first bell; students should want to be at school at the start of the day
Student Needs
Upcoming Events
November 16: Principal luncheon
November 17: Shut down lists due
November 20-24: Thanksgiving Break
November 30: Required Videos Due, Review 360 Modules Due, Childfind Checklist Due
December 1: Logramos assessment window opens
December 5: Spelling bee lists due
December 7: Team GISD - Bring your GRS Giving Place Donations
Para Bailar La Bamba!
Tuesday: Campus walks; PM District walk at Hickman
Wednesday: CIA and AD meeting
Thursday: Performance planning and campus walks
Friday: Campus Walks