Six Building Blocks The Path From Good to Great

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Six Building Blocks The Path From Good to Great

Curriculum Map Development
Unit Planning/ Development
Data Driven Instruction
Building a Learning Community
Safe School Environment
Culture of High Expectations
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Academic Index Increases2005-2008

• Subject 2005 2008 Increase
• Reading 92.6 102.2 10 pts.
• Math 79.4 99.5 20 pts.
• Science 76.0 98.0 22 pts.
• Social Studies 75.2 102.5 27 pts.
• A/H 74.9 92.6 18 pts.
• PL/Voc 66.3 91.2 25 pts.
• Writing 59.0 101.9 43 pts.

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Begin With the End In Mind

• Great
• Expectations!

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Get the Right People
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Pedagogical Skills
Compelling Nature
Deep Content Knowledge
Mike Rutherford
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How Important is the Teacher?
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• Student Achievement Differences Affected by
  Teachers
• Teacher Student Gain In One
  Year
• Least Effective 14 Percentage Points
• Most Effective 53 Percentage Points
•  Average gain is 34 percentile points per
  academic year
• Sanders, 1997
• Horn, 1997
• Marzano, 2003

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Building a Culture of High Expectations
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• Academic Code of Conduct
• No Zero Policy
• Posting Goals around school
• Make a big deal about doing well
• Promote Excellence (Media, Newsletters, Staff)
• Monitor what is happening in classrooms
• Keep Pushing everyone everyday
• Expect excellence from all people

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We Did All That Could Be Done
You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We
will preserve for our children this, the last
best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence
them to take the first step into a thousand years
of darkness. If we fail, at least let our
children and our childrens children say of us we
justified our brief moment here. We did all that
could be done. Ronald Reagan
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Creating a Safe School Environment
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• CHAMPS/Foundations
• Provide structure to non classroom areas such
  as halls, restrooms, cafeteria, safety drills,
  dismissal, etc..
• Traffic Patterns (Blue Stripes)
• Voice Levels

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Creating a Safe School Environment
2

• Guidelines for Success (PRIDE)H\Champs
• Teach and Monitor
• Apply consequences and rewards
• Patriot Award
• March Madness

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Building a Professional Learning Community
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• Mission and Vision
• Studying the Art and Science of Teaching
• Learning Walks
• Analysis of student work
• Reflecting
• Learning Clubs
• Teacher Spotlight
• PLAN Days

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Learning Clubs

• Types of Learning Clubs
• Interdisciplinary Team
• Learning Walks
• RTI
• Content areas
• Unit Reviews
• Assessment Reviews (Think Link, Scrimmage, post
  test)
• Speciality
• Sharing Research Based Instructional Strategies
• (Thoughtful Ed.)

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Why Should I Be Interested In Learning Clubs?

• Collaboration
• Reflective
• Adaptive
• Focused
• Thoughtful classrooms

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Success Breeds Success

• Teacher Spotlight
• Seek out teachers who are making it happen and
  have them share their work at the training
  sessions.

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Success Breeds Success

• Create opportunities for wins very quickly into
  the process.
• Begin with some tools that can be taken to the
  classroom tomorrow and be used successfully.

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Curriculum Mapping
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• Identify standards to be learned
• Decide on the sequence for teaching the standards
• Establish timelines for number of days spent on
  each standard
• Agree to agree on final document
• Update at least annually Sample

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Unit Planning and Development
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• Conduct a Learning Style Inventory on all
  students
• Distribute this information to all teachers

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Unit Planning and Development
5

• 60 of the students who receive failing grades in
  middle school and high school are directly
  related to a mismatch in the teachers teaching
  style and the students learning style

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Learning Styles

• Mastery (S T) Read the Lines
  Interpersonal (S F) React to the L
• T Remembering T Relate Personally
• E Clarity/Consistency E Cooperative/Conversat
  ion
• M Success M Relationships
• P Step by Step (End Product) P Friend by
  Friend
• O Correct Answers O Current and Connected
• T Logic/Reasoning(Compare) T
  Reorganizing
• E Critical Thinking (Challenge) E
  Colorful/Choice
• M Curiosity M Originality
• P Doubt by Doubt P Dream by Dream(Poss)
• O Explain/Prove O Creative Alternatives
• Understanding (N T) Read between Lines Self
  Expressive (N F) Beyond L
• 
  

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Unit Planning and Development
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Mastery Learners
Interpersonal Learners
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65
10
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Understanding Learners
Self-Expressive Learners
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Unit Planning and Development
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• James E. Bazzell Middle School Lesson Plan
  Template Social Studies
• Language Arts
• Math
• Science

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Unit Planning and Development
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• Plan instruction in the form of 2-3 week units
• Establish learning targets (Objectives) based on
  the curriculum standards
• Plan assessments (pre, post, formative)
• Identify critical content vocabulary

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Unit Planning and Development
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• Create an opening activity (Hook) to engage the
  learner and connect to previous knowledge
• Design high yield learning activities that
  address different learning styles (Thoughtful
  Education)

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Unit Planning and Development
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• Thoughtful Education
• Vocabulary CODE
• Reading for Meaning
• New American Lecture
• Note-making
• Task Rotation
• Questioning

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Data Driven Instruction Diagnostics to
Interventions
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• Development of Common assessments
• Pre and Post testing
• Think Link Testing
• Scrimmage Testing
• GRADE and G-MADE testing
• Formative Assessment

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House to House Strategy
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House to House Strategy

• Diagnosing the Learner
• Scrimmage Testing (Learning Checks)
• Completed at the end of each nine weeks to
  assess progress on concepts
• GRADE and G-MADE
• Given at the beginning and end of school to
  measure specific skills in math and reading

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House to House Strategy
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• Diagnosing the Learner
• Pre Testing and Post Testing
• Teachers pre-test each unit of study in order to
  
• diagnose where students strengths and weaknesses
  lie.
• Think Link Assessment
• Given three times per year to assess progress on
  concepts

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House to House Strategy
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• Diagnosing the Learner
• Formative Assessment
• Establish the Learning Targets for the Unit
• Create learning opportunities for each target
• Assess the targets no grade
• Establish Flexible Groups
• Post-Test
• Further study and re-takes

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House to House Strategy

• Diagnosing the Learners
• Creation of a comprehensive assessment results
  matrix for all students starting with their 4th
  grade CATS scores and including CTBS, all GRADE
  and G-MADE, Think Link, and CATS through 8th
  grade

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House to House Strategy
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• Treating the Diagnosis
• Using the data, student weaknesses are identified
  and these students are receiving Math and Reading
  Conferencing during ESS, FLEX and Study Period
  time
• Teachers use intervention strategies during
  content classes
• Flexible grouping and post-test retakes allow
  growth opportunities for both low and high
  achievers

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Data Driven Instruction Interventions
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• Establish an Intervention Schedule
• H\Intervention

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Next Steps

• Model School for Literacy (GRREC Region)
• Literacy (Thinking Strategies)
• Student centered classrooms
• Teacher as Coach, students do the thinking
• Gradual Release
• Workshop Model

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Professional Learning Communities

• Developing
• Learning Clubs
• That Work

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Why Should I Be Interested In Learning Clubs?

• Collaboration
• Reduces teacher isolation.
• Establishes a Professional Learning community
  in your school.

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Why Should I Be Interested In Learning Clubs?

• Reflective
• Improved teaching through
• Self reflection
• Analyzing of student work
• Comparing Instructional practices

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Why Should I Be Interested In Learning Clubs?

• Adaptive
• Provides a vehicle that allows for the
  examination and implementation of best
  practices in the classroom.

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Why Should I Be Interested In Learning Clubs?

• Focus
• Supercharge your school into a high efficacy
  working environment!

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Why Should I Be Interested In Learning Clubs?

• Thoughtful Classroom
• Develops strategic thinking in the process of
  planning, delivering, and assessing teaching and
  learning in order to maximize the effects on
  student achievement.

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First Things First

• Create a need for change
• Test score data
• Student complacency
• Poor Student performance in class
• activities
• Learning style information

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First Things First

• Select A Lead Teacher Who
• Is interested in teaching and learning
• Possesses leadership skills
• Is comfortable teaching adults/peers
• Is highly respected by colleagues

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Power of the Lead Teacher

• The lead teacher must
• Try all activities before they are presented.
• Teach strategies so that they can be used this
  week. (Model)
• Be available
• Be able to show the strategies can be used in all
  content areas.

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Build A Guiding Coalition

• Select five to ten teachers who
• Want to perfect the art and science of their
  teaching.
• Have the courage to try new ideas.
• Have the power to persuade others.
• Display enthusiasm in the school.
• You can count on to be supportive.

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Train the Trainers

• Build knowledge and confidence into the minds of
  your team.
• Teach them some classroom tools.
• Let them practice.
• Meet as a group and reflect.
• Develop deep understanding of the
• concept of Thoughtful Education.
• Expect them to spread the news!

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There Is No I In Team

• Create the learning team.
• Assign trainer to each learning team.
• Assign each faculty member to the teams.
• You select based on staff characteristics
• Establish ground rules

Team
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Establishing Ground Rules

• Establishing Ground Rules
• Identify when trainings will occur.
• Establish expectations of team leader.
• Establish expectations of all members.
• Identify the protocol of each meeting.

Team
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Protocol

• Each training session should
• Begin with a sharing of strategies used along
  with student work.
• Present a new strategy/Take next step
• Allow teachers to participate in activity.
• Establish work for next time.

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What Gets Monitored Gets Done

• Hold all members accountable.
• Establish a goal that defines the work to be
  done.
• Develop a system to monitor progress.
• Unit Plans Read it, see it, believe it

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If You Would Like Some More!

• Contact
• Rick Fisher
• James E. Bazzell Middle School
• Scottsville, Kentucky
• 270-622-7140
• ricky.fisher_at_allen.kyschools.us