1. Watchung Hills Regional High School Warren, New Jersey Representatives: Georgia Fisanick Michelle Madigan Mike Kutch

2. Plan for your audience!

3. (not just your content…)

4. Plan for your audience! (not just your content…) Teachers are busy, stressed, maybe frazzled New ideas must be presented in this context New ideas must apply to a teachers particular situation, they must help them solve a problem

5. Success #1 De-privatized Practice We are all parts of: Teams (sometimes more than one) Share Student Work Share Materials Discuss content in 2-D (horizontally and vertically)

6. Success #2 The language of Connect-Ed Teachers: Recognize Speak of And Use Connect-Ed Terminology: Big Ideas Inquiry Mindfulness

7. Success #2 The language of Connect-Ed Teachers: Recognize Speak of And Use Connect-Ed Terminology: Big Ideas Inquiry Mindfulness It’s okay for teachers to be at different levels of fluency – We are a learning community!

8. Tangible Accomplishments Created library of science and science education texts

9. Tangible Accomplishments Created library of science and science education texts Purchased and distributed iPevo cameras to facilitate sharing student work and inquiry based activities

10. Tangible Accomplishments Created library of science and science education texts Purchased and distributed iPevo cameras to facilitate sharing student work and inquiry based activities Developed inquiry-based chem and biology labs & associated rubrics

11. Tangible Accomplishments Created library of science and science education texts Purchased and distributed iPevo cameras to facilitate sharing student work and inquiry based activities Developed inquiry-based chem and biology labs & associated rubrics In the process of developing ecology/marine bio concept inventories (to be completed this summer)

12. Tangible Accomplishments Created library of science and science education texts Purchased and distributed iPevo cameras to facilitate sharing student work and inquiry based activities Developed inquiry-based chem and biology labs & associated rubrics In the process of developing ecology/marine bio concept inventories (to be completed this summer) In the process of realigning the chem curriculum to new course levels (to be completed this summer)

13. If we could do it again… Establish norms… really do it! Norms are to PLCs what classroom rules and procedures are to Classroom Management An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

14. Obstacles Time management: we got pulled away to deal with departmental crises: Chemical storage and safety clean-up. Finding common prep time the contractual issues regarding using guaranteed prep time for professional development Navigating the business end of dealing with grant paperwork.

15. What Worked A willingness to be flexible Changing in midstream when an approach stalled out A tolerance of ambiguity Recognition that this was a learning process for everyone involved There were no right and wrong answers, just more effective and less effective PLC’s developed collaborative professional individual development plans

16. What Didn’t Work Lack of buy-in of UbD before district implementation Many competing initiatives New mandated teacher websites updated weekly New parent access to grade book New format for lesson plans on Atlas Rubicon curriculum maps

17. Imprint The Science department now speaks the language of CONNECT-Ed We all teach in terms of Big Idea Thinking Connections across units are being emphasized in curricula We are beginning work on going across discipline boundaries We have begun examining student work in the department mini PLCs

18. Imprint School-wide initiatives BILD trainers are moving into school wide training melding CONNECT-Ed and UbD content CONNECT-Ed trained teachers participate in the Professional Development Committee Curriculum Committee Professional development school wide is organized around PLCs and in the coming year most will focus on examination of student work Exemplary rating from County

19. Impacts On development of essential questions On redesign of labs into a more inquiry-based format On deprivatization of practice What is “good” student work? On more sharing of educational strategies within the department Laboratory notebooks/interactive notebooks Alternate project-based final Problem-based course assessments

20. Envisioning the Future Curriculum Realignment National Standards Lab Notebooks Common Language

21. Curriculum Realignment Current Courses CPKJH Current Description Math Light College Prep Course College Prep Course Accelerated Course College Level Text New Courses College PrepAcceleratedHonors New Description Basic Grade Level Math Incorporation Accelerated courseCollege Level Text