Science Leadership Support Network November 14, 2008 Supported by PIMSER and Kentucky Department of Education Welcome! Help yourself to some refreshments and enjoy some networking!

Goals of SLSN Deepen understanding of a balanced assessment system and its role in motivating students to higher levels of achievement. Understand and incorporate skills and strategies for transforming planning and practice in order to ensure that all students understand key concepts from the Earth and the Universe big idea. Develop and act on a personal vision of leadership for sustainable improvement in their school or district.

Group Norms Stay on schedule; be on time Put cell phones on silent Be respectful of all comments Participate actively Exercise the rule of “two feet” Come prepared for the meeting It’s OK to have FUN!

Review of October Formative Assessment Teacher Leadership Grading and Reporting

Individually, jot down 5 words which bring back your experience of the last session. Share your items with your table group and choose 3. As a group, choose one word which captures the essence of the last session. Be ready to share your choice.

Today’s Road Map Grading and Reporting Working with Adults Earth Processes

Working with Adults Please complete the Teacher Impact Reflection Sheet

Working with Adults Learning Target: –I can use the characteristics of adult learners to plan and deliver various types of professional development in my school/district.

Role Play Beginning with the person whose birthday is closest to today and moving clockwise around the table, assign the following roles: 1 st year teacher, 26 ½ year veteran, principal, coach, school diva, new parent, extremely ill family member, just working for a paycheck, reflective practitioner, and conspiracy theorist (10 roles)

Role Play Write your role in the blank on the handout. Answer #1 individually (3 minutes), then beginning with the “1 st year teacher,” share your list with others at your table. When all the roles have shared, please identify the conclusions you are drawing about providing successful professional development to colleagues in your school/district Note and discuss your responses to question #2.

Some Conclusions In order to provide successful professional development, we must recognize that adults: –Have different needs and motivations. –Have different frames of reference. –May be preoccupied. –Have a range and wealth of life experiences from which to draw. –Have a variety of perspectives, which must be considered in order to effectively work with them. –May resist change for various reasons. –Require differentiated treatment.

The key elements in the art of working together are how to deal with change, how to deal with conflict, and how to reach our potential...the needs of the team are best met when we meet the needs of individual persons. –Max DePree

Technical vs Adaptive Challenges First, review the article, “When Leadership Spells Danger,” from our September meeting, especially pages 2, 3 and the last page concerning technical and adaptive challenges. Next, read the summary entitled, “Adaptive Challenges vs. Technical Problems,” from Cambridge Leadership Associates. Then, complete the comparison frame for technical challenges and adaptive challenges as a table group.

A and B are similar because they both ________________ A and B are different because A is __________, but B is ___________.

Technical vs Adaptive Challenges What distinguishes technical from adaptive challenges? How might considering the type of challenge you are addressing inform how you work with your colleagues or how you design your professional development?

Tips for Trainers

Engaging the Adult Learner Adults need to hear something 3 times before it is remembered. When the presenter does all the talking, 3-7% of the material is remembered. Every 20 minutes in a presentation, there needs to be movement. First hour after lunch is the hardest time for adults to learn. Adults who do not summarize new learning lose it within one hour. Follow the WIIFM principle: Why are we learning this and /or why are we doing this

Adults Learn Best When…..have input into the agenda..background experiences are capitalized on..presenter uses multiple modalities..they are working as colleagues on job related issues..time is set aside for reflection..there is follow up and support

Give One…Get One Using your impact reflection sheet and/or previous activities, think of strategies that worked for you when sharing information or providing professional development for adults. You will have five minutes to Give one..Get One (share a strategy, get a strategy) in order to get as many new strategies as you can.

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. –Andrew Carnegie

Working with Adults Learning Target: –I can use the characteristics of adult learners to plan and deliver various types of professional development in my school/district.

Why do I need to know about Earth Processes? Can nature be tamed? Who’s in control — nature or man? Take a quiz about Earth Processes. Why do students need to study earth processes?

Curriculum Topic Study Learning target: I can use the information from a curriculum topic study to improve instruction of that topic.

What is a Curriculum Topic Study? A systematic study of readings from a core set of professional science education resources. Helps improve content background. Helps improve understanding of pedagogical implications of particular content. Helps teachers translate formal course content into a context that is appropriate for students.

Going Through the Process There are 6 parts to the CTS Today we will do all parts You will need the following resources: –Science Curriculum Topic Study (SCTS) –Benchmarks for Science Literacy –National Science Education Standards –Science for All Americans –Science Matters –Atlas of Science Literacy Vol. 1 and 2 –Making Sense of Secondary Science –Graphic Organizer for note taking

Processes that Change the Surface of the Earth Using the guide on page pg. 183 of the SCTS book….. –Complete section I –Refer to page 37 for guiding questions –Please add the following pages: SFA—pp SM—pp –Record your notes, using the CTS organizer –Elementary—K-8 –MS and HS—6-12

Section I Debrief—Standing Meeting What information did you gain from this section? How can the information gained improve your instructional practice? How can the information gained improve understanding for your students? What are some pros and cons of this section? Create a chart synthesizing the information you read from Science for All Americans and Science Matters WHAT SHOULD ADULTS KNOW?

….to the earth, a hundred years is nothing. A million years is nothing. This planet lives and breathes on a much vaster scale. We can’t imagine its slow and powerful rhythms, and we haven’t got the humility to try. We’ve been residents here for the blink of an eye. If we’re gone tomorrow, the earth will not miss us……..Let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet - or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves. -Michael Crichton, Jurassic ParkMichael Crichton

Using the guide on page 183 of the SCTS book….. –Complete section II –Refer to page 37 for guiding questions –Please add the following pages: Benchmarks—pp –Record your notes, using the CTS organizer Processes that Change the Surface of the Earth

Section II Debrief—Standing Meeting What information did you gain from this section? How can the information gained improve your instructional practice? How can the information gained improve understanding for your students? What are some pros and cons of this section? Create a chart synthesizing the information you read from this section WHAT ARE THE INSTRUCTIONAL IMPLICATIONS?

Critical thinking based on scientific concepts and understanding is the primary goal for science education. –Benchmarks for Science Literacy, pg. 71

Using the guide on page 183 of the SCTS book….. –Complete section III Refer to page 37 for guiding questions –Please add the following pages: Benchmarks—pp. 248 –Record your notes, using the CTS organizer Processes that Change the Surface of the Earth

Section III Debrief—Standing Meeting What information did you gain from this section? How can the information gained improve your instructional practice? How can the information gained improve understanding for your students? What are some pros and cons of this section? Create a chart synthesizing the information you read from this section WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC CONCEPTS AND IDEAS?

Let’s Share Out! From your grade level groups, the person who was born the farthest distance from Lexington, will be the presenter. Share your findings with the whole group for your specific grade level band: K-5, 6-8, 9-12.

Using the guide on page 183 of the SCTS book….. –Complete section IV Refer to page 37 for guiding questions –Please add the following pages: Making Sense—pp. 112 –Record your notes, using the CTS organizer Processes that Change the Surface of the Earth

Table Meetings At your table, share out your findings about misconceptions around this topic. We will chart these misconceptions whole group.

Putting it all Together Using the information from section V, examine coherency and articulation of the topic. Now look at our state standards as directed in section VI. What similarities do you notice? What differences?

How can the CTS impact….. Curriculum? Instruction? Assessment?

Curriculum Topic Study Learning target: I can use the information from a curriculum topic study to improve instruction of that topic.

Grading and Reporting

Learning targets: I can articulate and justify my purpose for assigning grades. I can explain the relationship between grading and reporting systems and student motivation. I can critically examine alternative grading and reporting systems for: –Accuracy in reporting achievement of learning goals –Effect on student motivation –Effect on student accountability

Chain Notes Respond to the question printed at the top of the paper in your table groups. Each participant should respond to the question with one or two sentences related to the question and then pass the paper on to the next participant. Upon receiving the previous “chain of responses,” add a new thought or build on a prior statement.

Chain Notes Discuss the various statements from the entire table group and related ideas in the article, “Seven Reasons for Standards- based Grading.” Determine a consensus statement representative of the entire table and prepare a justification for it. Share with the whole group.

“Too often, educational tests, grades, and report cards are treated by teachers as autopsies when they should be viewed as physicals.” –Douglas Reeves

Grades and Student Motivation On a “think pad” (aka post-it note) jot down 3-4 factors that you feel can affect student motivation and can be controlled by the teacher. Skim the article, “Increasing Student Engagement and Motivation,” especially pages 4-6 as well as the article, “Seven Reasons for Standards-based Grading.” Add any factors from the articles to your “think pad” that you didn’t initially have.

Grades and Student Motivation Using your notes on your “think pad” to assist you, highlight grading practices that directly relate to student motivation on the handout entitled, “Grading Practices That Inhibit Learning.” What conclusions can you draw from this comparison? Are grading practices in your classroom/school/district counterproductive to motivating students to learn? What suggestions did the teacher have in “Seven Reasons for Standards-based Grading” that might help bridge the gap between grading and motivating students?

“Many common grading practices…make it difficult for many youngsters to feel successful in school.” –Canady and Hotchkiss, 1989 “Schools have come to be about the grades rather than the learning.” –Conklin, 2001

Reading for January Pre-reading reflections: What factors do we need to consider when designing grading and reporting systems that meet our stated purpose and would motivate students to keep on trying? For January, read chapters 1 and 2 in Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work. During reading: annotate the text as you read: –* = important information –! = strong reaction to –? = questions about or disagree with –Record 3 key ideas from each chapter After reading: Re-read your pre-reading reflections and add to these ideas any new ones that you gained from chapters 1 and 2. Identify possible dimensions for the measurement topic, Earth Processes.

Grading and Reporting Learning targets: I can articulate and justify my purpose for assigning grades. I can explain the relationship between grading and reporting systems and student motivation. I can critically examine alternative grading and reporting systems for: –Accuracy in reporting achievement of learning goals –Effect on student motivation –Effect on student accountability

Today’s Road Map Grading and Reporting Working with Adults Earth Processes

For Next Time Next meeting, Jan 9 th Read chapters 1 and 2 in Classroom Assessment and Grading That Work Complete the before, during and after reading components and questions. Have a wonderful holiday season!