Dr. Tina Stancil attended the Data Wise Seminar at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I am so grateful that she has brought this back to our school.
Grade Level Teams involved in this Lesson Study have grown tremendously. My measure of success came when I had teams that may have once been resistant to growth or change or just at the mention of any new information who have now come full circle. Teachers who have been teaching far longer than I have and who have quite the repertoire of teaching tools in their toolbox already are showing enthusiasm about what they are taking away from this process. They were given an opportunity to identify their problem of practice. This was gleaned from their own observations of student work.
In previous blogs, I referenced Wynnebrook Elementary, a school that has a similar demographic. Wynnebrook was a failing school only 16 years ago. The principal, Mr. Pegg, worked to build capacity and made the grade for three consecutive years on student gains. The following years showed a raise in proficiency, which resulted in a Florida School Grade of A being assigned for the past 13 years. One of the ideas that Mr. Pegg attributes this growth to is PLC/Planning sessions with administrators being in attendance with each grade level each week.
This experience, of course, began our conversations in the 2016 school year as to HOW we could make this happen at Oneco. Dr. Stancil reworked our school schedule to back our "specials" rotation up to end every day at 2:05 p.m. This allowed a free space in the Specials Rotation for teachers to push into specific grade levels to free teachers up for a collaborative planning session each week. This was paramount, as time is such a precious commodity and human capital is non-existant.
This experience, of course, began our conversations in the 2016 school year as to HOW we could make this happen at Oneco. Dr. Stancil reworked our school schedule to back our "specials" rotation up to end every day at 2:05 p.m. This allowed a free space in the Specials Rotation for teachers to push into specific grade levels to free teachers up for a collaborative planning session each week. This was paramount, as time is such a precious commodity and human capital is non-existant.
The next question became what these sessions would include. Dr. Stancil was able to attend the Data Wise seminar at the Harvard School of Business (see link below for more information.)
We meet with each grade level on a 6 day rotation. We are able to work with each grade level for 90 minutes. It is during this time, we analyze data and create strategic plans to move grade levels forward. This time is carved out, so we have built in time to process and analyze data immediately. We don't have to create time for this. We can also embed relevant training specific to each grade level team. There is always a connection to the administrative/leadership team. Communication platforms are stronger than ever and we can see that grade level teams are moving toward a common direction.
http://datawise.gse.harvard.edu/
My personal growth ... I began the year only being an observer in this process. I was given the opportunity to become more heavily handed in this process. I have assumed the lead with 2nd, Kindergarten, and 3rd grade, and am slowly working on assuming a leadership role in 1st, 4th, and 5th grades. I have worked to implement the idea of Lesson Study. This has been an extra-ordinarily enriching process. The cycle of Lesson Study is as as follows:
Grade Level Teams involved in this Lesson Study have grown tremendously. My measure of success came when I had teams that may have once been resistant to growth or change or just at the mention of any new information who have now come full circle. Teachers who have been teaching far longer than I have and who have quite the repertoire of teaching tools in their toolbox already are showing enthusiasm about what they are taking away from this process. They were given an opportunity to identify their problem of practice. This was gleaned from their own observations of student work.
Our team was able to utilize the information from our Instructional Review to determine that student independent practice is an area of weakness. The teachers were used to the standard Gradual Release of Responsibility model that was originally ...
After listening to Max Thompson, he did explain to us that the GRR model had changed to a 4 tier system, which after hearing, makes perfect sense. Our teachers are tremendous at the explicit modeling. They also have good Guided Practice strategies, but when students move to independent practice, there is breakdown. As students move to independent practice, we recognize they have limited success. This is a problem school wide. This is the new GRR model that makes perfect sense is as follows:
you will notice a fourth tier that includes an emphasis on Cooperative Structures. Our Lesson Study process has taken this into consideration and the teams have taken this anecdotal information into consideration when planning their Lesson Study focus. Grades 2 and K are working on Cooperative Structures in their Lesson Study.
After listening to Max Thompson, he did explain to us that the GRR model had changed to a 4 tier system, which after hearing, makes perfect sense. Our teachers are tremendous at the explicit modeling. They also have good Guided Practice strategies, but when students move to independent practice, there is breakdown. As students move to independent practice, we recognize they have limited success. This is a problem school wide. This is the new GRR model that makes perfect sense is as follows: you will notice a fourth tier that includes an emphasis on Cooperative Structures. Our Lesson Study process has taken this into consideration and the teams have taken this anecdotal information into consideration when planning their Lesson Study focus. Grades 2 and K are working on Cooperative Structures in their Lesson Study.
UPDATE!!!!
I am super excited to announce that Dr. Stancil has worked to have our Leadership Team attend the Harvard School of Education this summer for an in depth look at the Data Wise process so we can see ALL the possibilities that exist. I will have an opportunity to not only attend this very in-depth training provided by Harvard, but also I will be included in a coaching cycle. Stay tuned for blog updates that will happen during our Harvard Institute this summer during the month of June of 2017.
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