Learning Labs at Scottsboro Junior High

“It is virtually impossible to create and sustain over time conditions for productive learning for students when they do not exist for teachers” (pg. 145). Seymour Sarason (1990) from The Predictable Failure of Educational Reform.

This year, Scottsboro Junior High (SJH) has taken on a new positive challenge—Learning Labs. They are using Learning Labs and Lesson Studies to make informed decisions concerning student learning. This in-house professional development model incorporates “learning by doing,” student evidence, and teacher collaboration among the participants.

Their first round with the labs were hosted by two math teachers with a focus on outcome mastery as well as student engagement. The learning lab committee consisted of various content specific teachers (history, ELA, science) and a special education teacher. The student evidence collected was very eye opening. It was also amazing how every teacher involved took something back no matter their content area. This “productive learning” opportunity is proving to be very impactful on our ultimate goal—student achievement.

Here are some guiding principles and pictures of our work:

Guiding Principles for Student-Centered Collaboration

• It’s about student learning.

• Student evidence always informs instructional planning.

• Norms are set and participants are held accountable to the norms.

• Protocols provide a clear structure for the meeting time.

• Ownership is shared among group members.

Think before you test. Are you testing to test? Students have the right to learn, not just to get a grade. Are you using the data for learning and for changing instructional practices?
Love these Student Bill of Assessment Rights!! Your thoughts?

Learning Doesn't Happen Because Something is Taught

"If we are simply covering the curriculum, or letting textbooks or vendor products divine our practice, how do we really know that students have learned what we intended for them to learn?"
-- Michael Fisher

"Something is not taught, until it is learned." 
-- Dr. Katherine Mitchell

It's that time again!  Feverishly working in classrooms, trips to school supply stores, eraser crumbs on our calendars, and of course regular trips to the Keurig.  However, no matter the time of day, our thoughts are on what matters most...the students that are now sitting in our classrooms.  With this in mind, we shift our attention to a critical question.  How do we begin planning for instruction?  It goes without saying that we begin with data and the support of our peers in that analysis.  Then it gets messy.  We are then faced with what often times is a very tumultuous ordeal, navigating our curriculum.  Michael Fisher (author, educational consultant and instructional coach) offers some valuable insight into the common trap of "covering" the curriculum vs. "uncovering" the curriculum.  He shares some background connected to his field experience in New York state along with 6 conclusions that will hopefully provide some new thinking as we begin the planning process in our schools.

Covering the Curriculum

      

Ala. Reading Intervention Stands Test of Time

                                              

CHAT (Live)

How Alabama Coaches Up 

Early-Grades Reading Instruction

Sponsored by:

Tuesday, May 26, 2015, 2 to 3 p.m. ET

http://www.edweek.org/ew/events/chats/2015/05/26/chat-how-alabama-coaches-up-early-grades-reading.html
Panelists for today's chat:
Building Coaches: Christy Mathews and Daphne McClendon
Alabama Reading Initiative's Regional Coach, Tim Cobb   

Article    By Stephen Sawchuk 

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/05/13/ala-reading-intervention-stands-test-of-time.html 

Kindergartners Jaylen Rivers, Jalisha Lee, and KenmaJ Shell, left to right, practice literacy skills with their teacher, Diane Daniel, at Southside Primary School in Selma, Ala. Educators credit teacher professional development for the state’s reading gains. —Julie Bennett for Education Week

"Alabama has made a huge commitment to literacy, and we feel that we've gotten a return on our investment," said Judy Stone, an Alabama education department official who serves as the state's ARI coordinator.

“So what should we say when children complete a task—say, math problems—quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, “Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s do something you can really learn from!”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Having a 2-year-old is not only fun, but mind-blowing at the same time.  I find myself thinking about what lies ahead for him; the obstacles he faces, the successes he will feel in all parts of his life, friendships that will come and go, etc.  It's at these times that I also reflect on my experiences from the classroom and wonder whether I truly motivated my students to learn or if I rather gave them false hope without even knowing.  I now find myself searching for a balance between being a father and being an educator.  In my son's life, I want to do whatever it takes to motivate and challenge his cognitive growth in the years to come.  The following article delves into four essential qualities connected to student motivation (autonomy, competence, relatedness, and relevance).  I hope that you find it as informative and compelling as I did.  Without question, I now have a broader view of what to consider moving forward as a father and an educator! 

 

Strategies for Helping Students Motivate Themselves

The Role of Automaticity in Reading and Test Taking

The discussion of fluency instruction is nothing new in the elementary world, but lately middle and high school teachers are beginning to see the benefit of a fluency awareness at this level as well!

In a webinar by Dr. Timothy Rasinski, a well-known expert in this field, he begins to lay out the importance of focusing not just on the idea of fluent reading, but more importantly on automaticity.  He stated that:

• ·      67% of students who perform poorly on state mandated high stakes reading comprehension test exhibit difficulty in reading fluency (specifically word recognition which equals automaticity).
• ·      25% of the variance in silent reading comprehension on a state assessment given through sixth grade attributed to fluency (word recognition/automaticity).
• ·      25% of young adults lack basic literacy skills required to get a job.

Could a lot of this be prevented from a more focused instruction in word recognition and automaticity? Dr. Rasinski suggests providing students with “guided wide reading” as well as “guided deep reading”. To best develop automaticity a student must experience “intensive, wide and deep, guided and targeted instruction and practice.” Students at all levels must be able to read text in a reasonable amount of time and fully understand what they have read. This impacts a student’s development as a reader as well as their ability to complete high stakes assessments in the mandated time frame. To learn more about this follow the link to the free webinar and article.

Free webinar at http://www.scilearn.com/blog/tim-rasinski-reading-fluency

Wiesen, N. (2013, April 23). Why Dr. Timothy Rasinski Thinks Reading Fluency Should Be "HOT!" Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.scilearn.com/blog/tim-rasinski-reading-fluency

Review: Concepts & Tools to Develop a Collegial, Credible, Student-Centered Coaching Cycle

 Reviewed by Janet Kaylor

Professional reading has always been the investment I make in myself to stay on top of my practice as a reading specialist, instructional coach, team member, and leader. Fortunately, my spouse merely smiles when I hand him my personal work expenditures (the professional book bill) at tax season. And since it is an investment in my work with districts, leaders, teachers and students, I want to get the most out of any book I read professionally.

Student-Centered Coaching: A Guide to K-8 Coaches and Principals (2011) by Diane Sweeney was an impulse purchase. The draw for me was strictly the title, “student-centered.” (Read Sweeney's introduction.) As always, I made sure to read this informational text with these three questions foremost:

1. What will I learn and be able to do after reading this book?

2. What logistical considerations in this book will help me apply new learning to my practice?

3. What potential does this book have for impacting the longevity of my work?

With these questions in mind, I want to share some highlights from my learning.

Do you want to read more?  The full review can be found on the Alabama Best Practices Center Blog.
http://www.bestpracticescenter.org/blog/review-concepts-tools-to-develop-a-collegial-credible-student-centered-coaching-cycle/