Prepared for the Professional Learning Community Members of PORTERDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL by Dan Mulligan, Ed. D., flexiblecreativity.com, September 2015 Focus on Learning Build a Collaborative Culture Focus on Results Excellence for ALL Students H IGH E XPECTATIONS “Sometimes the questions are complex but the answers are simple.” ~Dr. Seuss

Porterdale Mission The mission of Porterdale Elementary School is to provide a quality, rigorous, and relevant education to all students so that all may have the opportunity to develop and succeed in a competitive and changing global society. The vision of Porterdale Elementary School is that all students become college and career ready individuals, critical thinkers, and productive citizens who continue to learn for life. Porterdale Vision

B EGIN WITH THE R IGOR H ELPING S TUDENTS D EVELOP U NDERSTANDING Assessing for Conceptual Understanding (These are…These are not) Suggestion from Research: Open (begin) with the rigor… …but rather than rigor…scaffold the experience for students to foster rigor with nurturing…

If you want a learner to truly understand and own essential knowledge, expand your exploration from ‘what it is’ to also ‘what it is NOT’. page 8

? ? ? ? How can you use the Where do I belong? structure to support your role as teacher/administrator? A = bh Opposite sides equal 1 right angle Right Triangle 4 sides 3 sides 4 right angles A = ½ bh Rectangle One side is the longest

O PEN T ASK AND C ONSTRUCTED R ESPONSE page 48

O PEN T ASK AND C ONSTRUCTED R ESPONSE

P ROFESSIONAL L EARNING C OMMUNITY Continuously Refining Our Craft The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked….why he continued to practice at age 90. “Sometimes the questions are complex but the answers are simple.” ~Dr. Seuss “Because I think I’m making progress, “ he replied.

Think Pad is a resource designed to: provide evidence of understanding and participation during student-to student dialogue facilitate student reflection on their thinking

Resources to Share page 2

1. Create an Environment for Learning – –Helping students know what is expected of them, providing students with opportunities for regular feedback on progress, assuring students they are capable of learning content and skills 2. Helping Students Develop Understanding – –Integrating prior knowledge with new knowledge – –Procedural knowledge: constructing a model of the steps required of the process and practicing its variations; using the process or skill fluently or without any conscious thought 3. Helping Students Extend and Apply Knowledge – –Moving beyond ‘right answer’ learning to an expanded understanding and use of concepts and skills in real-world contexts. McREL, 2012 Framework for Instructional Planning McREL, 2012

Work collaboratively (e.g., construct viable arguments, critique, agree) to identify key words that capture the essential elements of a functioning thriving Professional Learning Community with fidelity. Enjoy working with your new best friend. Attributes of a thriving PLC

A. C REATING AN E NVIRONMENT FOR L EARNING A. C REATING AN E NVIRONMENT FOR L EARNING ADDITIONAL SAMPLE RESOURCES pages

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Knowing the Target

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The Power of Our Questions

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Second Question ELA

Second Question MATH

Focus on the Essential (driving) Question

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What is Genius Hour? Genius hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school. It’s not easy to determine where the idea was originally created, but there are at least two events that have impacted genius hour. Pages

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Driving Question

Research on Imagery as Elaboration 6 37 percentile pts. higher than… …students who kept repeating definitions percentile pts. higher than… …students who were using the terms in a sentence. Students who used imagery to learn vocabulary, on average, performed # of studies

50 POINTS50 POINTS50 POINTS 100 POINTS 200 POINTS Thriving Professional Learning Community Continuous Improvement Research-Based Collaboration AccountabilityEvidence Formative Assessment