1. Oldham County Learning Institute Building a Thinking and Learning Community October 7-9, 2008 February 10-12, 2009 September 22-24,2009 November 3-5, 2009

2. In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. ~ Eric Hoffer

3. Oldham County Learning Institute “Building a Thinking and Learning Community” “Building a Thinking and Learning Community” What did it look like?

4. Three days devoted to the study of research based instructional strategies:  Thinking Strategies  Gradual Release of Responsibility  Building Community

5. Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it. ~ Henry Ford

6. Thinking Strategies  Monitoring for meaning  Building and activating background knowledge  Asking questions  Drawing inferences  importance  Determining importance  Creating sensory images  Synthesizing information

7. Gradual Release ofResponsibility

8. Learning is not a spectator sport. - D. Blocher

9. The Gradual Release of Responsibility model of instruction suggests that “the cognitive load should shift slowly and purposefully from the teacher-as- model, to joint responsibility, to independent practice and application by the learner.” (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983)

10. TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY Focus Lesson Guided Instruction “I do it” “We do it” “You do it together” Collaborative Independent “You do it alone” Gradual Release of Responsibility Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Better learning through structured teaching: A framework for the gradual release of responsibility. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

11. Classroom Community

12. Classroom community can be built by intentionally designing the classroom to include… RoutinesRoutines RitualsRituals RelationshipsRelationships

13. Routines are the procedures the teacher uses in the classroom that make the day run smoothly.

14. Rituals are the symbolic acts that tie a group together.

15. Relationships can be built in any classroom. They make students feel valued and important.

16. Oldham County Learning Institute “Building a Thinking and Learning Community” “Building a Thinking and Learning Community” A look at the three days…

17. Day 1 – Oldham County Schools Arts Center  In depth study of the instructional strategies Large group Large group Small group Small group Individual Individual

21. Day 2 – AM - East Oldham Middle School  Pre-briefing, observations and post briefing

25. Day 2 – AM - East Oldham Middle School  Pre-briefing, observations and post briefing PM – Oldham County Schools Arts Center  Continued study of strategies

28. Day 3 East Oldham Middle School AM  Pre-briefings, observations and post briefings

30. Day 3 - East Oldham Middle School PM  Create an individual plan and a school wide plan for implementation of strategies

31. Creating a Guide to Take Us Home  Destination - Where do we want to go?  First Steps - What is our starting point?  Challenges - What are some of the detours and roadblocks we might encounter?  Discussions: What are the difficult dialogues that we’ll need to have as we travel?  Changes - What revisions will need to be made in the context and content of our instruction?

32. OCLI Follow-up  In-house observations  Lab host preparation  Pre-briefing  Post-briefing  OCLI Connection – Phase 2  February & March 2010  Review OCLI strands  Sharing time w/same content  Sharing time w/school

33. Impact  Change in teachers’ instructional strategies  Rigorous student engagement  Improvement in students’ communication skills

34. On the final day of the institute the teachers were asked this question:

35. What will you take away from this institute that will better help you meet the needs of your students What will you take away from this institute that will better help you meet the needs of your students?

36. “There is nothing more powerful than a classroom climate of discovery, grounded in the thinking strategies led by an enthusiastic teacher facilitator.”

37. “I hope that I can now be more intentional and purposeful in my teaching; give my students a chance to recognize their own thinking skills, to help them realize they have these skills and they can use them.”

38. “ Seeing the thinking strategies in action in the classroom is so powerful! It makes me realize the potential I possess to make this happen in my classroom. I think sharing this experience with other teachers from my school and other schools makes it easier to make changes. Observing the class is much more meaningful than just hearing a lecture or reading about it.”

39. Oldham County Learning Institute Building a Thinking and Learning Community October 7-9, 2008 February 10-12, 2009 September 22-24,2009 November 3-5, 2009