Lead Learners Update 9.3.12 - 9.14.12
The best employees of the future will excel at creative problem solving and different ways of thinking -- synthesizing seemingly diverse things together for better solutions, using metaphors to explain new ideas for which no context yet might exist.
Calendar of Events
9.3.12 Labor Day - No School
9.7.12 Digital Learning Trainers Planning Day for Sept. PL Day
9.10.12 Admin Learning 12:00 – 3:30
9.12.12 RTI Meeting K-12 Rep @ PHS 8:45 -11:45
9.17.12 PL Day - Digital Learning Session 1
9.21.12 New Teacher Workshop #1 @ PHS 7:45 - 3:45
Electronic Book Study (By Ying Ying Chen)
The C&I department would like to explore a different form of PL, using today’s social media tools. The purpose is to support teacher and administrative leadership development and to provide differentiated and personalized learning. The book study cycle consists four online interactions via google + and an end of cycle face-to-face meeting, a total of 5 sessions. The book will be provided to the participants.
Coaching Tips for New Teachers (By Ying Ying Chen)
Prior to our first new teacher workshop, the most important focus is to establish a strong set of procedures and routines for each class. One might think this is only for brand new teachers, when in fact, most master teachers will tell you how they continue to sharpen these skills, learn from colleagues and make new procedures as they develop new knowledge and skills.
Digital Literacy Updates -- Craig Barnum
The Microsoft Settlement accountability plan is still in place this year. We have one more year after this one before we are done. We will be submitting a $35,000 claim again this year to offset some our cost for Infinite Campus. Please follow the same procedures we did last year with teachers submitting monthly data. Building secretaries can add new staff on that site. Principals should send their monthly walk-through data to John O’Connell -- John.OConnell@iowa.gov Let me know if you have any questions.
Curriculum Matters -- Bill Poock
Learning Forward, the national organization formerly known as the National Staff Development Council, along with Learning Forward-Iowa will host a workshop called “Becoming a Skilled Facilitator in a Learning School” by senior consultant Linda Munger on October 11th in Ankeny. I would encourage you and any teacher leaders to attend this workshop to learn more about further developing the craft of facilitating collaborative teams. Read below for more information:
Becoming a Skilled Facilitator in a Learning School
Oct. 11, 2012, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
FFA Enrichment Center
1055 SW Prairie Trail Parkway
Ankeny
Presenter: Linda Munger, Ph.D., senior consultant, Learning Forward Center for Results
Participants will have an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and skills in becoming a skilled facilitator in a learning school (PLC). The focus will be on learning and practicing the essential skills needed to facilitate effective leadership and collaborative teams. Emphasis will be on building a foundation for effective teams, preparing and organizing teams, defining team expectations, conducting effective team meetings, and monitoring and assessing team progress. This is a perfect session for teachers who are asked to facilitate Learning Teams.
See the attached flyer for information and registration details.
Student Services-- Cheryl Kiburz
9.18.12 IEP Training for New Special Education Teachers to the district
9.21.12 LETRS Training (Co-hort I)
Significant Disproportionality
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 2004, the Code of Federal Regulations and Iowa’s Administrative Rules of Special Education the Iowa DOE is required to collect and examine data to determine if significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity is occurring in the State and LEAs with respect to the identification, placement, and discipline of student with disabilities. Data for FFY 2010 (2010-2011) along with FFY 2008 and FFY 2009 were examined to demonstrate a three year trend of disproportionality in Iowa’s LEA’s. Based on the analysis, it has been determined that College Community School DIstrict is significantly disproportionate for the identification of African American students with disabilities for FFY 2010. The district will need to submit a plan of Coordinated Early Intervention Services (CEIS) to address this trend. The CEIS plan should be K-12 with particular emphasis on K-3, who have NOT been identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in general education. The plan is due on October 1, and principals will be involved in the development of the plan.
9.3.12 Labor Day - No School
9.7.12 Digital Learning Trainers Planning Day for Sept. PL Day
9.10.12 Admin Learning 12:00 – 3:30
9.12.12 RTI Meeting K-12 Rep @ PHS 8:45 -11:45
9.17.12 PL Day - Digital Learning Session 1
9.21.12 New Teacher Workshop #1 @ PHS 7:45 - 3:45
What do We Want Students to Know and be able to Do? (By John Speer)
A question has run through my mind a number of times over the past week. As we discuss SINA at multiple buildings, student scores, and student knowledge, I am drawn to the question—do we know what we want students to know? If the answer is yes, to what degree? If the answer is either no, or sort of, how do we transform in order to say yes? In my educational career, I have fundamentally believed that we can’t move forward until we have a firm grasp on key concepts we need students to know.
It is like driving to an unknown place without a map. That can be enjoyable when time is not a factor and simple exploration is the goal, but is more often than not frustrating when we need to be someplace at sometime and we approach the area with no real plan on how to arrive at our final destination. Obviously, because of the activities of the past two weeks, I am more concentrated and literacy and numeracy right now. I have asked the question of whether we know what we want our students to know many times—and am not sure with my limited knowledge, that I can answer that question. My sense is that the answer is sort of.
If we want students to learn and build the fundamental skills necessary for literacy and numeracy, our efforts probably start with an all out effort to determine or guarantee that we know what we want our students to know—or more importantly that our staff knows what we want our students to know. This simple question brings a multitude of others. For example, how do we support the buildings and system in a process to systematically define where we are done and where there is work, once we know the starting point, what is the end, and how do we support the process of defining student learning outcomes at the building level.
I know that there are many questions here, and few answers, but I think answering these questions will be critical as we continue to meet students at their individual level with learning.
A question has run through my mind a number of times over the past week. As we discuss SINA at multiple buildings, student scores, and student knowledge, I am drawn to the question—do we know what we want students to know? If the answer is yes, to what degree? If the answer is either no, or sort of, how do we transform in order to say yes? In my educational career, I have fundamentally believed that we can’t move forward until we have a firm grasp on key concepts we need students to know.
It is like driving to an unknown place without a map. That can be enjoyable when time is not a factor and simple exploration is the goal, but is more often than not frustrating when we need to be someplace at sometime and we approach the area with no real plan on how to arrive at our final destination. Obviously, because of the activities of the past two weeks, I am more concentrated and literacy and numeracy right now. I have asked the question of whether we know what we want our students to know many times—and am not sure with my limited knowledge, that I can answer that question. My sense is that the answer is sort of.
If we want students to learn and build the fundamental skills necessary for literacy and numeracy, our efforts probably start with an all out effort to determine or guarantee that we know what we want our students to know—or more importantly that our staff knows what we want our students to know. This simple question brings a multitude of others. For example, how do we support the buildings and system in a process to systematically define where we are done and where there is work, once we know the starting point, what is the end, and how do we support the process of defining student learning outcomes at the building level.
I know that there are many questions here, and few answers, but I think answering these questions will be critical as we continue to meet students at their individual level with learning.
Electronic Book Study (By Ying Ying Chen)
The C&I department would like to explore a different form of PL, using today’s social media tools. The purpose is to support teacher and administrative leadership development and to provide differentiated and personalized learning. The book study cycle consists four online interactions via google + and an end of cycle face-to-face meeting, a total of 5 sessions. The book will be provided to the participants.
Book Club #1
The Data Teams Experience - A Guide for Effective Meetings by Angela Peery
This book study will support teachers and administrators in developing leadership and facilitation strategies to promote high performing collaboration among teams. The book is easy to read, practical and makes total sense. It will answer just about any team collaboration questions you can think of and load you with tools and strategies for immediate applications.
Audience: Administrators, cadre members, team leaders, department chairpersons and any teacher who wants to improve team collaboration at the building or team level.
Author: Angela Peery Ed.D.
Time: ? for the first four on-line meetings (We will discuss on 9.10.12)
Time: 4:00 - 5:00 for the last meeting on 11/29 (face to face, Board Room)
Meeting Dates: 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/8, 11/29
Coaching Tips for New Teachers (By Ying Ying Chen)
Prior to our first new teacher workshop, the most important focus is to establish a strong set of procedures and routines for each class. One might think this is only for brand new teachers, when in fact, most master teachers will tell you how they continue to sharpen these skills, learn from colleagues and make new procedures as they develop new knowledge and skills.
A Common Pit Fall - Teachers think about teaching procedures and routines in teacher terms. In other words, some teachers think about procedures and routines as what they will do rather than what students will do. So the procedures they come up with might look like the following:
- I would write down to-do-list on the whiteboard
- I would ask students to write down notes in the notebook
- I would make sure students know where to retrieve and return materials
The issue with this type of thinking is that teachers will most likely be rule reinforcers rather than team builders. The coaching tip is to ask good questions:
So, you would like students to engage in meaningful work from the first minute and become very organized. Tell me what you would want them to do specifically (not what teachers will do) as they enter the room. What does it look like in student behavior? What might be the potential issues with this expectation? (Not reading what is on the board, not knowing how to organize the notebook, etc.)
The Answers Are Within Teachers
It usually takes no more than 5 minutes of coaching to help teachers clarify their thinking. The results of coaching could be very much like the following:
- Read the whiteboard (right hand upper corner), as you enter the room
- Engage in answering the review questions on the whiteboard (which will help you learn today’s lesson)
- Record your thoughts in your notebook under the tab of “Daily Review”
- Be ready to share one thought with your class when I open the class in five minutes
Notice that these statements all start with a strong verb – what students will do.
Why Should We Construct Procedures This Way?
When teachers think in student terms, they will begin to think about how to “teach, rehearse, reteach and reflect” WITH students. Procedures and routines are all ABOUT HOW WE FUNCTION AS A TEAM SO WE CAN LEARN WELL, not about what rules students will FOLLOW.
Digital Literacy Updates -- Craig Barnum
The Microsoft Settlement accountability plan is still in place this year. We have one more year after this one before we are done. We will be submitting a $35,000 claim again this year to offset some our cost for Infinite Campus. Please follow the same procedures we did last year with teachers submitting monthly data. Building secretaries can add new staff on that site. Principals should send their monthly walk-through data to John O’Connell -- John.OConnell@iowa.gov Let me know if you have any questions.
Curriculum Matters -- Bill Poock
Learning Forward, the national organization formerly known as the National Staff Development Council, along with Learning Forward-Iowa will host a workshop called “Becoming a Skilled Facilitator in a Learning School” by senior consultant Linda Munger on October 11th in Ankeny. I would encourage you and any teacher leaders to attend this workshop to learn more about further developing the craft of facilitating collaborative teams. Read below for more information:
Becoming a Skilled Facilitator in a Learning School
Oct. 11, 2012, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
FFA Enrichment Center
1055 SW Prairie Trail Parkway
Ankeny
Presenter: Linda Munger, Ph.D., senior consultant, Learning Forward Center for Results
Participants will have an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and skills in becoming a skilled facilitator in a learning school (PLC). The focus will be on learning and practicing the essential skills needed to facilitate effective leadership and collaborative teams. Emphasis will be on building a foundation for effective teams, preparing and organizing teams, defining team expectations, conducting effective team meetings, and monitoring and assessing team progress. This is a perfect session for teachers who are asked to facilitate Learning Teams.
See the attached flyer for information and registration details.
Student Services-- Cheryl Kiburz
9.18.12 IEP Training for New Special Education Teachers to the district
9.21.12 LETRS Training (Co-hort I)
Significant Disproportionality
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 2004, the Code of Federal Regulations and Iowa’s Administrative Rules of Special Education the Iowa DOE is required to collect and examine data to determine if significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity is occurring in the State and LEAs with respect to the identification, placement, and discipline of student with disabilities. Data for FFY 2010 (2010-2011) along with FFY 2008 and FFY 2009 were examined to demonstrate a three year trend of disproportionality in Iowa’s LEA’s. Based on the analysis, it has been determined that College Community School DIstrict is significantly disproportionate for the identification of African American students with disabilities for FFY 2010. The district will need to submit a plan of Coordinated Early Intervention Services (CEIS) to address this trend. The CEIS plan should be K-12 with particular emphasis on K-3, who have NOT been identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in general education. The plan is due on October 1, and principals will be involved in the development of the plan.
No comments:
Post a Comment