Lakeview Instructional Summary
On the Path from Knowing to Doing!
October 28, 2016
Culture Trumps Strategy!
So far this school year we have:
Welcomed students with open arms!
Implemented Capturing Kids' Hearts as a campus
Revised our Vision, Mission, and Beliefs
TTESS Training, Goal Setting, and Beginning Observations
1st 30/20 days - Implementation and walk- throughs
Rounds - Instructional Rounds with a focus on Rigor
Extended Planning - 6 week planning for Lesson Design
Begun the Lesson Study Process - third grade is complete:)
XYZ Meeting- focused on knowing our students
ICLE - PD on how to plan for moments to increase rigor and relevance
Parent Conferences
Subject PLCs with the District
I am sure I have missed something, but to say we have done a lot would be an understatement!
Instructional Focus
This Year We are Continuing to Work On:
Our Vision, Beliefs, and Mission
Feedback From our Rigor "Rounds"
10-25-16
Celebrations:
9/15 teachers working with students in small group instruction
The quality of writing in student journals is improving
Evidence teachers are being intentional with differentiation
Classroom environments are warm, caring, and safe for students to learn
We saw more evidence of guided math groups than we have seen in the past
Opportunities for Growth:
Not much evidence of students asking higher level questions (academic discussions)
Did not see very many Quad D lessons
Students self-assessing their own learning and working towards goals
Next Steps:
November 10th - Faculty PD - Revisiting and Introducing using Depth and Complexity Icons to enhance students' abilities to ask higher level questions and make relevant connections.
If We Know better, we need to do better
A blog on the Knowing Doing Gap in Education
Some Key Points Regarding the Knowing Doing Gap
The beginning of a new year for schools is much the same: we all start with great intentions and plans built around the important work necessary to improve student achievement outcomes. We know the research, we have the data, we have the personnel, and we know the great need that exists in our schools—but how do we move beyond the knowing-doing gap? How do we turn that knowledge into measurable action?
- Knowing what to do is not enough. The authors conclude that “knowledge management systems seem to work best when the people who generate the knowledge are also those who store it, explain it to others, and coach them as they try to implement the knowledge” (p. 21).
- Culture is important when implementing change. The authors state, “In organization after organization that failed to translate knowledge into action, we saw a pervasive atmosphere of fear and distrust” (p. 109). The connection to this point is again the importance of school leaders being able to manage the change process and recreate culture. There have been too many examples of school reforms that did not have any impact on student achievement because nothing was done to address the culture of the school. “Fear helps create knowing-doing gaps because acting on one’s knowledge requires that a person believe he or she will not be punished for doing so—that taking risks based on new information and insight will be rewarded, not punished” (p. 110).
- Shared leadership and a culture of collaboration have a huge impact. “Another key to the firm’s success, and to the success of many of the firms that turn knowledge into action, is decentralized decision making. This practice encourages people to learn things and to actually implement their knowledge” (p. 128). We know that successful schools are schools that foster a culture for learning that is safe and collaborative and that encourage people to take risks.
Professional Learning Communties
We Are Each Other's Greatest Resource
- Focus on Learning
- Collaborative Culture and Collective Responsibility
- Results Oriented
Process: As a grade level team, teachers meet each Tuesday during planning to answer one of these four questions:
- What do we want the students to learn?
- How will we know if they learned it?
- How will we respond if they don't learn it?
- How will we respond if they did learn (or already knew it)?
Let us not get caught up and say we DO PLC just because we have the time each Tuesday. The real work happens when our culture believes our work together should be pervasive and ongoing throughout the school day with a RADICAL desire to improve the learning of all students.
NO One should plan in isolation. The best lessons and instruction come from a team who is committed to planning and learning together. Yes, it takes time to plan with others, however when teachers work together and dig deep to understand key concepts and ideas - then learning is improved for all students.
EVERY CHILD By NAME and By NEED
The Rigor and Relevance Framework
Intentional Lesson Design Matters!
International Center for Leadership in Education - a great site for resources
The Frame Work
Quad B - Determined by how well the lesson moves across multiple contents and the relevance it has to authentic engagement.
Quad C - Determined around the rigor of the TEK and the lesson being learned by students.
Quad D - Moments in Quad D are the ultimate goal, but no classroom can live there at all times.
Being intentional in your planning can help you find small moments throughout the lesson to increase rigor and or relevance. Start small and build!
Instructional Workshop Model Structure
Being deliberate in your planning of workshop, based on the strengths and weakness of your students in both Math and ELA allows for differentiated instruction while meeting the various needs of all students.