I have been very fortunate lately to be learning lots of new things about teaching and coaching. In November, I was able to attend the VASCD (Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) conference in Williamsburg, VA for three days. While there I had the opportunity to attend Jim Knight's session on Instructional Coaching. I learned so much about learning, teaching and coaching during his session and I feel like his session prepared me to support teachers and get into a more active coaching role.
The question that Jim Knight posed was "How do we create schools in which every student receives excellent instruction in every class, every day?" This is a goal that we all have. We want to provide excellent instruction for ALL of our students. There is no other motive for teachers. We know it is not the salary we receive, the extra benefits or bonuses we receive, or the long lunches and relaxing days we spend in our classrooms. Our motive is to provide learning opportunities for our students.
With the common goal of providing excellent instruction in mind, we must reflect on our practice, or the how of our instruction. Jim Knight provided us with a 20-minute target survey based on "The Big Four" areas of instruction. These four key areas are classroom management, content planning, instruction, and assessment for learning. I encourage every teacher to reflect on these areas of their practice, to ensure that they are providing excellent instruction by intentionally focusing on "The Big Four". http://www.instructionalcoach.org/big4/
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Successful Collaboration Meetings
Meetings can be stressful for everyone. Often, we spend the time leading up to a meeting thinking of all of the other things we could be doing during that meeting time. And it is frustrating when we leave feeling as though we have not accomplished anything during the meeting time. So, I started researching tips and ways to make a meeting more productive for all members involved.
I found the following information from a website titled Center for Participatory Change. The address for the website is http://www.cpcwnc.org/resources/toolbox/how-run-good-meeting
Here are the tips from the site:
1. Make sure you need to have a meeting. Meetings are needed when a group of people must be involved in an action or a decision.
2. Set a goal for the meeting. Be very clear about why you’re having the meeting, and what needs to get done or be decided. Break that task into steps, or divide the discussion into sections—that’s the agenda for your meeting. At the start of the meeting say, this is our goal, and if we can get this done, the meeting will be a success. At the end of the meeting remind them that you achieved your goal. This lets everyone leave feeling successful, and they’ll be glad to come to your next meeting.
3. Put decisions to the group. The participants own the meeting. Let them set the agenda before the meeting, or at least add to it when you begin. If decisions need to be made about the process (whether to end a discussion that’s going too long, for example) then ask that question to the group.
4. Stay on schedule. Remember that every minute a person spends in your meeting, they could be doing other things. They’re with you because they’ve decided your meeting is important, so treat them like their time is important. Start on time and end on time!
5. Pay attention to what’s important. Set a certain amount of time for each item on the agenda, based on how important it is. If the group starts spending a lot of time on details, ask them “Is this what we want to spend our time talking about?” A lot of details can be worked out by individuals or committees—meetings are for the decisions that need to involve the whole group
6. Keep the meeting on track. Your agenda is the tool you use to make sure you’re on time and on the right topic. When side issues come up, help the group get back on track. If the issue sounds important, check with the group. “We’re talking about a new issue—is this something important that we should take time to discuss?”
7. Make sure people participate. People think a meeting is useful based on one simple thing: whether or not they talked. So everybody should have a chance to share their ideas. It’s okay to ask specific people what they think! You should also be prepared to gently remind people when they’re talking too much.
8. Have good facilitation. The facilitator is the person who runs the meeting and acts on all the steps listed above. It’s a big job, and it usually doesn’t fit well with participating in the discussion. So if you need to have your views heard, let someone else run the meeting! Good facilitation doesn’t just happen—it’s a skill that comes with training and practice.
I found the following information from a website titled Center for Participatory Change. The address for the website is http://www.cpcwnc.org/resources/toolbox/how-run-good-meeting
Here are the tips from the site:
1. Make sure you need to have a meeting. Meetings are needed when a group of people must be involved in an action or a decision.
2. Set a goal for the meeting. Be very clear about why you’re having the meeting, and what needs to get done or be decided. Break that task into steps, or divide the discussion into sections—that’s the agenda for your meeting. At the start of the meeting say, this is our goal, and if we can get this done, the meeting will be a success. At the end of the meeting remind them that you achieved your goal. This lets everyone leave feeling successful, and they’ll be glad to come to your next meeting.
3. Put decisions to the group. The participants own the meeting. Let them set the agenda before the meeting, or at least add to it when you begin. If decisions need to be made about the process (whether to end a discussion that’s going too long, for example) then ask that question to the group.
4. Stay on schedule. Remember that every minute a person spends in your meeting, they could be doing other things. They’re with you because they’ve decided your meeting is important, so treat them like their time is important. Start on time and end on time!
5. Pay attention to what’s important. Set a certain amount of time for each item on the agenda, based on how important it is. If the group starts spending a lot of time on details, ask them “Is this what we want to spend our time talking about?” A lot of details can be worked out by individuals or committees—meetings are for the decisions that need to involve the whole group
6. Keep the meeting on track. Your agenda is the tool you use to make sure you’re on time and on the right topic. When side issues come up, help the group get back on track. If the issue sounds important, check with the group. “We’re talking about a new issue—is this something important that we should take time to discuss?”
7. Make sure people participate. People think a meeting is useful based on one simple thing: whether or not they talked. So everybody should have a chance to share their ideas. It’s okay to ask specific people what they think! You should also be prepared to gently remind people when they’re talking too much.
8. Have good facilitation. The facilitator is the person who runs the meeting and acts on all the steps listed above. It’s a big job, and it usually doesn’t fit well with participating in the discussion. So if you need to have your views heard, let someone else run the meeting! Good facilitation doesn’t just happen—it’s a skill that comes with training and practice.
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Mathematics of Change
October is always an interesting time in the school year. Routines have been established, the excitement of a new year has faded some and now the real work begins. Each day is a challenge. A challenge for a teacher to see the work in the classroom, define his or her role and guide the students to grow and change. That word is so important...change. It is a word that can cause many things to happen, the last of which is success for our students and school. But it is so hard.
In this 2011-2012 school year, we are embracing lots of changes. It can feel as though new changes are happening every day. It is overwhelming, and exhausting to be a classroom teacher. But more than just overwhelming and exhausting, it is incredibly important. Teachers are often the adults that spend the most significant amount of time each day with the children. The average child spends approximately eight hours at school, from 8:00-4:00. That leaves only four-five hours of awake time at home with their parents, siblings and family members. How much of that home time is spent engaged in quality educational opportunities at home? If you subtract an hour for dinner and/or bath time, home time is 3-4 hours? Where is the most change and growth happening for the child? It is here, at school.
We are presented with the gift of time every day at school. We have 7 hours of quality educational time with our students. It is time to teach, shape, enrich our students' lives. It is time to identify where a student is struggling, and help that child find a way to succeed. It is time to apply what research shows us is best for our kids, in 2011-2012. The research may show us a different path than how we were taught, or how we have taught in the past. It is hard to re-shape your own thinking to impart change on your students. It is hard to trust in ideas that we have never embraced before. Quite simply....change is hard. But I challenge you to consider this quote:
It is every teacher's goal to see progress for our students. So if you want to help your kids make progress and succeed, ask yourself these questions about your own mind:
1. What do I want for my students?
2. Can I change my mind to embrace what research is telling me?
3. Can I learn, be brave, and take the risk that new changes bring?
4. Can I help others to embrace the changes, on behalf of the students?
The mathematics of change are as follows:
Our Harrisonburg City school day is 8:35-3:25= approximately 7 hours
Our Harrisonburg City School Year= 180 days
180 days x 7 hours/day= 1,260 hours
You have the resources, the determination, the support, and 1,260 hours. Each day is the gift of time, how will you use it?
Monday, September 12, 2011
Happy 2011-2012 School Year!
My name is Tanya Butler and I am very excited to be the Instructional Coach at Waterman Elementary School. In this position, I get to help all of the students and teachers here at Waterman. I am enjoying getting to know all of the students, and seeing the wonderful things that happen in the classrooms at Waterman Elementary School.
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