Medicine Hat School District 76 Developing tomorrow’s citizens through improved learning, living and relationships Building Capacity Presentation to the Board January 2013

Capacity Individuals and groups are in high capacity if they possess and continue to develop knowledge and skills, if they use time, expertise and resources wisely, and if they are committed to putting in the energy to get important things done collectively and continuously (ever learning). Michael Fullan “The Six Secrets of Change”

5 Principles of Capacity Building Culture of Collaborative Learning Common Focus Language Build on Past Learning Culture of Collaborative Learning Embedded ongoing PD Community Engagement Building Capacity = Sustainability

District Focus = Building Capacity Goal: Enhanced instruction = improved learning. Common language Instructional Intelligence Tribes Cooperative Learning – Kagan Developing school and district culture – evident in practice. Concentration of resources and energy. Maintain focus over long term – not a project but a commitment. Moving forward – build on learning.

Cooperative Learning Common Focus/Language Research and Engagement Common Language and Focus Cooperative Learning Common Focus/Language Research and Engagement Tribes Building Community Adaptive Schools Past/Current Learning Kagan Instructional Strategies Instructional Intelligence Past Learning

Culture of Collaborative Learning Collaborative Learning Culture Embedded PD – Instructional capacity District/School PLC’s Professional Development Capacity Building Board & Administrators – Leadership Capacity AISI Steering Committee – Leadership Capacity District PD Committee – Leadership Capacity Engagement – shared decision making capacity District Staff Students Parents Community

Instructional Capacity Tribes District teachers Trainers EA’s Parents Bus Drivers Cooperative Learning - Kagan Adaptive Schools Cognitive Coaching Instructional Intelligence 7 Habits Inclusion Learning Coaches Multi-disciplinary PD EA ongoing PD Instructional technology School based initiatives. Personal PD PD in Leadership

Building Capacity - Mentorship New Teachers: Orientation Focus on instruction and learning. Instructional Intelligence Tribes Beginning Teachers Conference District – ATA co-sponsors. Mentorship Program Partner with ATA - 4 sessions in first year. How to be and effective mentor. Parents as partners. Classroom management. Reflective practice. Ongoing collaborative release time for mentors and protégés to meet. Instructional Intelligence/Tribes 4 sessions with Terry Freeman.

Mentorship – Future Capacity Student Teachers: Career Fairs Orientation meetings. District vision – focus Interviewing and hiring practices. Classroom visits. Meetings with U of A cohort. II/Tribes sessions with student teachers.

Research Capacity How Far Have We Come? – measuring our success. Formal data: Self-reflection surveys. School based data. Anted octal notes. Tell Them From Me surveys – student engagement. Standardized examination results. Yearly School Plans - Reports Accountability Pillar data. Informal indicators: School visits. Collaborative sharing. Growing instructional leadership. Self-organizing learning teams. Growing common language and focus. Board presentations – growing sophistication – connecting various strategies – connected to principles of enhance instruction and improve learning.