1. A305: Week 9 Deeper Learning at the System Level

2. Goals for Today (+ Section) Understand/analyze/explore: Explore different visions of how we might spread DL across the sector Learn theory of action Synthesize/create: Analyze own project ideas in terms of necessary conditions and theory of action for DL

3. Plan: Three Parts Part I: Questions Answered (1:10 – 1:40) Part II: Building a DL Sector – Four Approaches (1:45 – 3:10) Part III: Theory of Action and Your Projects (3:10 – 4:00)

4. Break

5. Theory of Action: The Basics (“What”) If..., then... statements Falsifiable: we should be able to prove whether they are true or not through observation Connects the general (improvement strategy) with the specific (problem of practice) Identifies where to focus energy and effort Storyline TEACHER STUDENT CONTENT TASK

6. Theory of Action--Why? A common language for what we’re trying to accomplish A way of connecting action to results Diagnosing critical or weak links in your improvement strategy Cutting through the clutter

7. Example If we build a warm and trusting classroom community and if we pose challenging tasks and if those tasks are personally meaningful, then students in A305 will experience deeper learning.

8. Current theory of Action of American ed. sector with respect to DL Theory of action: If we have teachers who have experienced little deeper learning, have little training in DL, and have few incentives to pursue DL, then students will mostly be taught in rote ways except for occasional rare individual teachers who depart from the norm.

9. Reflections from the group How, if at all, have you used theory of action thus far in your work? How do you think you might use it?

10. Four Approaches to Spreading Deeper Learning 1. The Professional Model (with a particular focus on entry) Longer training Teaching hospital-style induction Tighter standards at entry or at tenure Hopes Increase status and prestige of teaching Create consistent quality across schools Follow law, medicine, and Singapore

11. Four Approaches to Spreading Deeper Learning 2. Professionalize practice Instructional rounds Peer assistance and review PD: Ongoing and job-embedded rather than one off Hopes Get the system to focus on the instructional core Potentially could be tied to common core If linked to the first, could create a professional career ladder for teaching (novice to intermediate to expert)

12. Four Approaches to Spreading Deeper Learning 3. The Viral Strategy Grow schools that are steeped in deeper learning Develop those schools into networks of schools Use those schools as sites to train teachers, convince policymakers, inspire the next generation Hopes Develop new models of how to do DL schooling Create places where people could be steeped in DL Grow towards the middle from the edges with existence proofs

13. Four Approaches to Spreading Deeper Learning 4. The Badging Strategy Develop 200-300 competencies of good teaching Examples: Socratic seminar, design thinking, project-based learning, etc. Badge people who demonstrate competency in each of these competencies Hopes Incentivize practicing teachers to acquire new skills Create dynamic, fluid, market-based system which can adapt to new skills and ideas as they emerge

14. What Do We Think of These Approaches?  In groups of 5:  Each approach is a station  Will rotate through the 4 approaches (15 mins each)  For each idea, create 4 buckets and write thoughts on the chart paper: 1.Theory of action 2.Reasons to believe 3.Reasons to doubt 4.Questions  If you are not the first to a station:  Write in a different color  Can write new answers or build on existing answers  Ask questions about each other’s questions, reasons to believe, reasons to doubt

15. Drafting your own theory of action Working in project groups, write your theory of action Review and refine Implicates you? Storyline? Missing links? Black boxes? “Miracle happens”? Problematic connections? What can you do to anticipate and respond to them?

16. 16 Feedback on TOA 2 min – Group 1 shares theory of action. 3 min – Colleagues offer warm feedback. Group 1 listens and may take notes. 3 min – Colleagues offer cool feedback. Group 1 listens and may take notes. 2 min – Group1 reflects, responds, asks questions. (~10 min./round) Switch roles. Repeat the protocol until each group has shared theory of action. For more information, see Power of Protocols and nsrfharmony.org. Theory of Action  If... then... statements (causal)  Connects to the instructional core  Implicates you  Storyline  Missing links? Black boxes? “Miracle happens”?  Problematic connections? What can you do to anticipate and respond to them?