Teacher -To -Teacher Professional Development How Learning Looks: A New Perspective on Professional Development T 3 PD

CLASS/TIFF Career Path Professional Development exploration It was right in front of us... Question: What did all our district classrooms have to offer? Answer: We were learning in every classroom we visited, and we loved doing it!

How to “Learning Walk” Learning Walk Teacher Leader position was born Dove-tailed with 2011 district wide goals Learning Walk leaders collaborated and trained with Peter Pappas

The Sign-up: How It Works Teacher Leaders each select 6 days over 7 months to lead walks (cross-checked with master calendar, building events, etc) Teachers voluntarily sign up on days the walks are available (up to 144 teachers) Buildings prepare to welcome walkers; classrooms can opt-out on a walk day in their building Teachers select their best days and time of year to go on walks Teachers are booked in random pairs, and go to any education level with teachers from other levels

In the Classroom: What it looks like Remain flexible; read the climate and activity Leader checks in with teacher (unless it is disruptive) Learning walk clients (teachers) follow the students’ learning activity 5-8 minutes Remain as unobtrusive as possible Visit from 8-10 classrooms in 2-3 hrs

The Classroom as a Learning Lab Teachers get to see students learning The professional development really happens in the hallway –Discrete facilitated discussion led with questions after each classroom Consider the level of Bloom’s Taxonomy taking place Is learning student-centered? –Emphasis is always on the learning — not on the teacher

Teacher to Teacher Discussion as Professional Development “From lecture to lab” Guiding questions probe characteristics of learning Questions move analysis from literal to theoretical Analysis of task and desired learning goals

How Administrators Support This Model Recognize that classroom visits aren’t evaluative Teachers are encouraged to feel confident that the visits are not an assessment of them Do ask “Did you have some good discussions?” Don’t ask “Did you see some good lessons?” ~ from Peter Pappas’ blog

What the teachers gain “... fresh insight into the ways students think.” “... honing our reflective skills.” “... inspires me to be a better teacher.” “... a snapshot of learning.” “... transforms the notion of what happens when someone visits a classroom.”

Professional Development Creation Aligned with 2020 Vision –Teach to the Top Staff Survey Spring 2011 Included Focus on 21 st Century Skills Identified four key areas of P.D. –Instructional Rigor--Questioning Strategies -- Differentiation--Lesson Design

Time Line For Implementation Time FrameFocus August – November 2011Instructional Rigor January – May 2011Questioning Strategies August – November 2012Differentiation January – May 2013Lesson Design

Level of Task Level 1: Find a fact in a text in response to a question. Level 2: Remember something someone else has told you and repeat it. Level 3: Remember a procedure that someone else has taught you and apply it accurately and fluently. Level 4: Choose a procedure from among a number of procedures you have learned, apply it accurately and fluently, explain why you chose it, and why it might be better than another procedure. Level 5: Using a body of evidence, make an argument about what you think the evidence means, anticipate and respond to counter arguments. Level 6: Teach something you think you know to someone else.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised Creating Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things, designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing Evaluating Justifying a decision or course of action, checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging Analyzing Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships, comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding Applying Using information in another familiar situation, implementing, carrying out, using, executing Understanding Explaining ideas or concepts, interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining Remembering Recalling information, recognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding

Reflective Journal Current Practices New Learning Future Plans

Professional Development Opportunities REV Mentor Program District-Wide Early Release and State- Wide In-Service Learning Walks Portfolio Project College Courses

PG&A 4.0: A New Focus... Meaningful Feedback –2 Formal Observations (scheduled) for every teacher (with written feedback & a conversation) –Pre-Observation “Think Sheet” –Summative Evaluation for every A-L teacher –Goal Setting around the standards for everyone (after Summative or 2nd Observation)

Moving from Observation to Evaluation Learning Target/object of lesson is identified Data is collected (eCOVE, paper/pencil, other tools) Data is analyzed Decision is made Data/Decision is discussed & processed

Performance Targets Easily identifiable. Some can only be observed/demonstrated while teaching. Others can only be observed/demonstrated via dialog, interviews, and artifacts. Proficient is “default” or starting point. Decision of basic or lower must be based upon evidence (not opinion).