Teachers want to solve any problem they have as long as they feel safe in the environment and with the cohorts with whom they are working. Any problem ranging from behavior to teaching strategies, to planning for a lesson to developing scaffolding or differentiated learning are all part of problems teachers want to solve. Teachers are continuiously solving problems that fall within a regular school day but when working within a Level III Collaboration Framework, true problem-solving can take place.
Deep, reflective collaboration is essential to teacher change and student learning. At the middle school level and probably at all levels of education we see Level 1: Superficial collaboration or Level 2: Segmented collaboration. However, for teachers to understand where, how, and why to change their classroom practices, reaching Level 3: Instructional collaboration is imperative.
I agree with Rosenholtz (1989) when stating that teachers develop shared meaning around goals and the organization of their work, they were more likely to try new ideas designed to improve student learning. School improvement results when teachers engage in deep conversation about how they teach, observe each other teaching, and collaborated on materials and lesson plans.
One of the goals of a middle school lay-out is for teams of 4 teachers, one per subject area, to plan together. This has gone by the wayside at most of our schools. Teachers use the time to plan for their lessons, grade their papers, etc. Very little if any collaboration is actually happening. Many teachers feel threatened or don't see the need for cross curricular collaboration.
Next year, I plan to work with subject area teachers as part of our professional development. I would like to work with grade level teams as well but I feel the most effective changes will occur if I work with the Science teachers, Social Studies teachers, etc. Just as we looked at reflection in one of our other courses, we must provide time for reflective collaboration. Hopefully, before and after the professional development sessions the teachers will reflect on the topic begin discussed.
Angela, I agree some teachers feel threatened when asked to work with other teachers. While reading chapter 4 I was quickly reminded of recent interactions with a group of teachers. What prompted the memory was the definition of collaboration given on page 54 which says, “cooperating with the enemy.”
Recently some middle and high school teachers were paired together to collaborate and teach together for a day in the middle school setting. Well, upon making initial contact with the teachers, I quickly learned that there is at least one teacher in our district who believes that collaborating is cooperating with the enemy. Through the entire planning process this teacher was rude and condescending to me and another teacher.
It is surprising how inflexible this teacher was during this process. Instead of embracing the opportunity, this teacher chose to first insist on explicit instructions on what she was expected to do. After being reminded that the plan of action was to be decided through some collaborative conversation she responded with a detailed email explaining exactly what she planned to do and further explained her demands on the rest of us involved.
Needless to say there was an awkwardness the day all teachers were put together to teach.
We've talked so many times about how many of our teachers feel that their job is to close the door and teach their content standards the best way they know how. Angela, you talked about how teachers have ended up using their plan time to plan their own lessons, grade papers, etc. and have skipped out on collaborative planning. I certainly agree that this has happened with many teams at my school too. As Norris Middle becomes an Integration Learning Environment next year, our teachers will be teaming and sharing responsibility of all content standards. It will be essential to plan together so that this transition will be as seamless as possible. Our public school teachers are facing many changes in the near future. My teachers are much like the middle school teachers that Kise talks about on p. 44. They want to know how to manage stress, how to successfully work as teams, and how to work with students who are "behavior problems" in their classrooms. At times, they have that feeling of “learned helplessness” or the “giving up reaction” because they believe that whatever they do doesn't matter. I want to help them. I plan to become directly involved in their reflective practices so that I can encourage them to overcome this helpless state of mind. As middle school coaches, we all hope to address some of these issues in PD next year. We want to help our teachers feel empowered to make the necessary changes to create a more productive learning environment.
My teachers, on the other hand, have no one at their grade level to collaborate with. Most say they feel uninformed as to what others are doing in the county. I've spoken with PB at Dutch Valley, and we want to plan some PD together next year. In Chapter 4, Kise lists several reasons it makes sense to work together. Share a big task, share resources, share with someone who has different skills. Teaming/sharing has ALWAYS come so naturally to me, but some teachers guard their lessons/ideas as if God reached down and gave them the ORIGINAL idea. If someone wants a copy of a lesson, I consider it a compliment! Don't we tweak someone else's idea for our individual group of students anyway? Level 111 collaboration requires an openness and vulnerability that rarely happens among colleagues. By working together we may be exposed to alternative teaching methods, "unearth patterns", and be made aware of a blind spot we have. This new awareness may help to improve student achievement, and isn't that what we're all about?
I agree with you 100%, Sue. Teachers can be very guarded with their resources. All teachers take bits and pieces of other lessons and tweak them for themselves and then refuse to share them with others. We must encourage our teachers to be open and honest with each other which takes a large amount of trust on everyones part. This is where we as the coaches must help teachers look past their beliefs. We must build relationships with all the teachers before we can expect collaboration. The teachers must see that the problems in their own classrooms are similar to the problems all teachers experience.
In a Language Arts Professional Development session last month, two teachers battled out whether or not the book "The Shack" was appropriate for middle school students. Caleb was faced with keeping the discussion focused on student learning and not who was "correct" and "incorrect". The battle did not end their. Both teachers are very strong in their beliefs and neither was willing to focus on the student learning. They still disagree, which is okay, but I feel I need to read the book and help make a determination on the issue reminding myself the entire time that the focus must stay on the student learning.
RaeAnn, I had the same experience when a group of high school teachers were asked by their administrator to come and co-teach with our 8th grade teachers in math and language arts. Our teachers were very opened and excited to have the high school teachers join them. However, once they tried to collaborate with them something fell apart. I'm not sure where the disconnect happened but it seemed to me the high school teachers were not very willing to even discuss the possibilities that could be gained by this type of collaboration. As you know, we were in Arkansas on the day this happened but from what I can gather, the high school teachers came to the middle school and simply observed from the back of the room and did not even try to help. I was very disappointed in the way this whole thing played out. Maybe we will be more prepared to face that issue if it happens again. As you know, part of our job is the vertical alignment with the high school.
Middle School friends, I'd like to hear more about this attempt at vertical alignment that you tried by haviing HS teachers visit MS. You mentioned that the HS teachers just sat in the back and observed? What was the purpose of their visit? I'm just thinking that as an elementary teacher, I have very little first hand knowledge about how MS teachers teach reading/writing. If you wanted me to participate, I'd want to observe first before jumping in to help in some way.
Here we are, discussing how MS/HS align, when I have classroom teachers who aren't clear on how each grade aligns with the next. Dr. Dorn has a detailed checklist for each elementary grade level in Shaping Literate Minds that I have introduced to my teachers. Teachers really need to have a deep understanding of what their students have been exposed to/mastered, etc. the previous year in order to make the most of our teaching opportunities. On pg. 70 Kise discusses EMBRACING THE MISSION OF REACHING EVERY STUDENT. Without a better grasp of the learning continium from year to year, teachers may use whole-class instruction instead of differentiating for faster acceleration. As coach, I want to provide a common framework that will allow our staff to discuss where individual students fall on this continum. This is part of what we do for our struggling students during RTI mtgs., but how often do we look so carefully at our advanced kids? If we are to reach EVERY student and help to accelerate his/her learning a full year, every year, then we need to begin holding these hard conversations listed: Whole class VS differentiated instruction, Standardized curriculum VS culturally relevant curriculum, Basic VS constructivist learning, Direct instruction VS cooperative learning and Mastery of content standards VS processes. Kise suggests that we "think of treading as lightly as wise missionaries, aware that we are touching the core being of the teachers we work with."
Sue, vertical alignment is one of our main objectives as middle school coaches. We are supposed to work closely with the HS administration to make sure our students are fully prepared for what they will encounter in their HS careers. The day MS and HS teaches were asked to work together in the middle school classroom, only freshman teachers were sent for collaboration. MS teachers thought this was the perfect opportunity for the 8th grade students to meet a few of the HS teachers they may possibly have next year. While co-teaching a lesson, the MS and HS teachers could spend some time working and discussing expectations of freshman at the HS level. Even though we got off to a rocky start, I believe the day went OK at my MS, but we learned a lot that if given another chance to collaborate with HS teachers next year will make it even a bigger success.
Sue, I like the idea of mixing your school with another for PD next year. I know Cindy and Angela worked together to present the MAX PD to their teachers and it worked out really well.
I think something the ES and MS coaches should discuss is vertical alignment between the ES and MS. As we discussed before,I know the MS teachers could benefit from an awareness PD session on RR and Balanced Literacy.
Sue, RaeAnn explained the vertical alignment between the HS and MS coaches, etc. I think it would be very valuable for a common idea between the elementary and middle school teachers. RaeAnn is right when she says all middle school teachers need to have a better understanding of RR and Balanced Literacy. There has been a break down in MS teachers' understanding of both programs.
RaeAnn, I've spoken with my 5th grade teacher about our concern with alignment. Maybe we can work out a visit to BES for your teachers. I would imagine there would be teachers at LCES that you actually KNOW who might appreciate some communication with 6th grade teachers. We 'live' so closely, it's a shame we don't communicate more. Our kids are worth the extra effort!
Since we were in Arkansas when the high school teachers worked with our middle school teachers, I don't know exactly how everything worked out at my school. When it was initially announced, I heard some of my teachers talking positively about the experience and some talking negatively. Many felt like it could have been a better experience if ALL teachers involved knew the purpose of the collaboration and had an opportunity to share in the planning.
However, the 8th grade math teachers in my building and the high school math teachers had a productive meeting to discuss the transition into high school math. The high school math team had a chance to make our 8th grade math teachers aware of what students need to know upon entering various classes in high school. I think they all felt like the discussions were enlightening and helpful. It was good to see this type of collaboration.
As Angela talked about earlier, our teachers need to understand the importance of changing their classrooms and how to go about making those necessary changes. Coaches must lead the teachers into a collaborative environment that fosters this type of Level III change. We need to be careful not to let our efforts turn into "artificial connections", as mentioned on p. 60, but instead we want to nuture higher levels of support so that our teachers develop truly meaningful relationships. These relationships require a great amount of trust and respect. Teachers have to be honest with each other and take ownership of their own learning. This is why the common framework is so important and why the goals of the group need to be discussed.
As I think about this type of collaboration with my teachers, I can picture many of the new teachers placing great value on this type of collaboraion. The biggest obstacle that we may face with seasoned teachers is convincing them of the need for change. True ... some of them have a difficult time sharing lessons and original ideas, but I believe the majority of our teachers want what's best for the entire school, so they will share. Convincing teachers of the need to change what they've done for years and making their collaboration efforts as effective and productive as possible must be the goal of the coach. I must admit that I feel inadequate at this point, but I want to have a positive outlook on this process. I want to understand more about the role of a coach, so that I can help teachers empower our students to be successful learners.
When I was reading these chapters about the teachers who stay in their classrooms and don't share with each other or reflect together I thought about my teachers. The teachers who stay in their rooms and don't collaborate are the teachers who have been teaching for a long time. The teachers in our building that are new to the profession are much more eager to work together and share ideas. I agree with Cindy that the more seasoned teachers don't see the need for change. They found something that worked in their classrooms years ago and they don't feel like they should change. Or I've heard them say, that the students should learn to adapt to their teaching strategies rather the them teacher finding a strategy that is best for the student. I also agree that I feel inadequate at getting these seasoned teachers to change. Especially when most of them were my teachers.
In chapter three the section about defining the problem through the teacher's eyes was a powerful section for me. I've been working with a teacher in my building and I feel like I'm making progress then she is missing the point of many of our coaching cycles. I've been focusing on the data from her students and in this section it recommends, "analysis of our beliefs, not just data, we not even bring many real presenting problems to the surface" I feel like her issues are deeper then just the ones I've been addressing. I have to figure out a way to get her to look at the deeper issues.
Sue you are so right, our kids are worth the little extra effort. We should contact Carolyn at LCES and try to work something out. Maybe we could get the principals to pay for subs for a ½ day so we can get the 5th and 6th grade teachers together. We could work together to gather some information from our teachers beforehand so we can spend our time that day on the most crucial concerns. I am excited about the possibilities!!
Sue, At Norris we've been talking about the need for a pacing guide and curriculm map for our teachers. When the coach came to our school earlier in the year to discuss our needs, she said we've got to start there. We talked to some of the people from central office and they felt like we needed to do it by school. Which I totally disagree with.
I agree with Cindy at the beginning of this blog that teachers want to solve problems they have. Most teachers do not feel effective if they aren't working to solve the issues they are facing whether they are regarding individual students, instructional problems or planning for lessons. However, I have noticed that sometimes teacher's have a hard time defining the problem that needs to be solved. For example, I sometimes feel they place "blame" on things that they can't control such as a students home life. What I try to get teachers to realize is that you can't fix everything and you can't always blame the problems your having with a student on outside factors. You just need to define what it is that you want to accomplish and go from there!
RaeAnn, I can't believe the comment you made about one teacher thinking collaboration is working with the enemy. In my eyes collaboration is the best way to reach a goal! It is also the most useful and benefical way for all parties. So many times, however, I see collaboartion among teachers of the same grade. But it collaboration for common academic goals usually don't go across grades unless a particular subject in brought up in a venue like a staff meeting. I would love to see collaboartion take place across grade levels and even with the middle school, however, I don't know how to move past the boundaries of things like planning times that are not common or inservices that are preplanned.
Wow! What a great way of supporting our kids by allowing/encouraging teachers to collaborate across grade levels, subject areas, and even, into the Middle School. Don't we need to know what the previous teacher taught, what the standards are for our grade level, and where we can stretch our advanced students? This CAN be done using the standards, curriculum maps, but the face-to-face discussions could be so beneficial! This would definitely be a 'no brainer' for content areas. What would be the reasoning for not supporting this type of collaboration?
I love the quote from Gusky (2002)on pg. 52 that talks about the fact that it is not really the professional development that matters, but the fact that teachers have the experience of seeing successful implementation which changes their attitudes and beliefs. They believe it works b/c they have seen it work. I think this may be a key factor in looking at the collaboration across grade levels that you ladies have talked about above. The chapters talked about a "buy-in" and what better way to get teachers to work together than to see results that work. Sue, you and RaeAnn may be the starting point for all of us in the county. Angela, I would love for us to think about this since we are so close together!!!
Refereing to teachers having "buy-in" by seeing results that work, I think Anderson County Teachers would benefit from seeing or learning about successful collaboration within our own county, not just reading about them in a book. So many times we read about things that have happened in other schools, states and settings by we don't truly believe the results are real or we make statements like "that would never happen here because..." I love the idea of branching out to the middle school professionals and trying to plan some collaboration sessions. I think we in Elementary school could better prepare students for what's expected of them in middle school if we could just talk to and plan with each other!
Stephanie, I agree totally that it should be a more personal experience for our teachers. I loved the professional development that I received from the RPDC the year I coached with a first grade teacher all year. The teacher and I went together to observe in the first grade classes and attended professional development that related directly to that grade presented by the teachers that we went to observe. It was very open and risk free---the teacher and I both learned soooooo much!!! It would be nice to see that collaboration occur between our 5th grade and middle school teachers.
Sue, you are too funny....saying that teachers may think God himself gave them the original lesson plan!! I agree with all of you that some teachers guard their plans. It almost seems like they believe their lesson is the best and they don't want anyone to copy it because it might help that teacher improve. I'm happy to report on this blog that we will begin doing county wide grade level meetings in a few weeks!! Sue, it will help your teachers especially because they will be able to collaborate with other teachers of their grade level.
Jessie, you and your school were exactly right about the pacing guides. ACS is in the works for making those also. I have to say that looking back on the comments made prior to this new school year we have had some major accomplishments come about. We are doing the pacing guides for the county, and grade level county wide meetings are beginning! How exciting for our county to finally start getting on the same ship!
As many of you have said here and in the vans on the drive to and from Arkansas, collaboration is a huge part of teaching. Without sharing ideas and thoughts, or giving opinions to each other, we have no way to grow. Of course, every teacher needs time to plan their own lessons but they should always take time to work together and collaborate ideas.
Oh Jessie, it sounds like you are describing the teachers in the upper grades of my elementary school. The teachers in fourth and fifth don't want to collaborate or share with any other grade. They even have the nerve to say publicly that the other grades aren't teaching anything and they have to do it all when the kids get to them. The teachers within the grades will share with each other, but only because they all have been teaching together for sooooo long. When new teachers come around they are almost made to feel like outcasts. And just like the seasoned teachers at NES, the teachers here at FES have made similar comments that the students need to adapt to their way of teaching rather than them adapting to how the students learn. It makes no sense to me. Thankfully, these teachers were not my elementary teachers so I'm not in the same boat with you there, but I also feel inadequate in helping direct these teachers to change as well.
Teachers want to solve any problem they have as long as they feel safe in the environment and with the cohorts with whom they are working. Any problem ranging from behavior to teaching strategies, to planning for a lesson to developing scaffolding or differentiated learning are all part of problems teachers want to solve. Teachers are continuiously solving problems that fall within a regular school day but when working within a Level III Collaboration Framework, true problem-solving can take place.
ReplyDeleteDeep, reflective collaboration is essential to teacher change and student learning. At the middle school level and probably at all levels of education we see Level 1: Superficial collaboration or Level 2: Segmented collaboration. However, for teachers to understand where, how, and why to change their classroom practices, reaching Level 3: Instructional collaboration is imperative.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rosenholtz (1989) when stating that teachers develop shared meaning around goals and the organization of their work, they were more likely to try new ideas designed to improve student learning. School improvement results when teachers engage in deep conversation about how they teach, observe each other teaching, and collaborated on materials and lesson plans.
One of the goals of a middle school lay-out is for teams of 4 teachers, one per subject area, to plan together. This has gone by the wayside at most of our schools. Teachers use the time to plan for their lessons, grade their papers, etc. Very little if any collaboration is actually happening. Many teachers feel threatened or don't see the need for cross curricular collaboration.
Next year, I plan to work with subject area teachers as part of our professional development. I would like to work with grade level teams as well but I feel the most effective changes will occur if I work with the Science teachers, Social Studies teachers, etc. Just as we looked at reflection in one of our other courses, we must provide time for reflective collaboration. Hopefully, before and after the professional development sessions the teachers will reflect on the topic begin discussed.
Angela, I agree some teachers feel threatened when asked to work with other teachers. While reading chapter 4 I was quickly reminded of recent interactions with a group of teachers. What prompted the memory was the definition of collaboration given on page 54 which says, “cooperating with the enemy.”
ReplyDeleteRecently some middle and high school teachers were paired together to collaborate and teach together for a day in the middle school setting. Well, upon making initial contact with the teachers, I quickly learned that there is at least one teacher in our district who believes that collaborating is cooperating with the enemy. Through the entire planning process this teacher was rude and condescending to me and another teacher.
It is surprising how inflexible this teacher was during this process. Instead of embracing the opportunity, this teacher chose to first insist on explicit instructions on what she was expected to do. After being reminded that the plan of action was to be decided through some collaborative conversation she responded with a detailed email explaining exactly what she planned to do and further explained her demands on the rest of us involved.
Needless to say there was an awkwardness the day all teachers were put together to teach.
We've talked so many times about how many of our teachers feel that their job is to close the door and teach their content standards the best way they know how. Angela, you talked about how teachers have ended up using their plan time to plan their own lessons, grade papers, etc. and have skipped out on collaborative planning. I certainly agree that this has happened with many teams at my school too. As Norris Middle becomes an Integration Learning Environment next year, our teachers will be teaming and sharing responsibility of all content standards. It will be essential to plan together so that this transition will be as seamless as possible.
ReplyDeleteOur public school teachers are facing many changes in the near future. My teachers are much like the middle school teachers that Kise talks about on p. 44. They want to know how to manage stress, how to successfully work as teams, and how to work with students who are "behavior problems" in their classrooms. At times, they have that feeling of “learned helplessness” or the “giving up reaction” because they believe that whatever they do doesn't matter. I want to help them. I plan to become directly involved in their reflective practices so that I can encourage them to overcome this helpless state of mind. As middle school coaches, we all hope to address some of these issues in PD next year. We want to help our teachers feel empowered to make the necessary changes to create a more productive learning environment.
My teachers, on the other hand, have no one at their grade level to collaborate with. Most say they feel uninformed as to what others are doing in the county. I've spoken with PB at Dutch Valley, and we want to plan some PD together next year.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 4, Kise lists several reasons it makes sense to work together. Share a big task, share resources, share with someone who has different skills. Teaming/sharing has ALWAYS come so naturally to me, but some teachers guard their lessons/ideas as if God reached down and gave them the ORIGINAL idea. If someone wants a copy of a lesson, I consider it a compliment! Don't we tweak someone else's idea for our individual group of students anyway?
Level 111 collaboration requires an openness and vulnerability that rarely happens among colleagues. By working together we may be exposed to alternative teaching methods, "unearth patterns", and be made aware of a blind spot we have. This new awareness may help to improve student achievement, and isn't that what we're all about?
I agree with you 100%, Sue. Teachers can be very guarded with their resources. All teachers take bits and pieces of other lessons and tweak them for themselves and then refuse to share them with others. We must encourage our teachers to be open and honest with each other which takes a large amount of trust on everyones part. This is where we as the coaches must help teachers look past their beliefs. We must build relationships with all the teachers before we can expect collaboration. The teachers must see that the problems in their own classrooms are similar to the problems all teachers experience.
ReplyDeleteIn a Language Arts Professional Development session last month, two teachers battled out whether or not the book "The Shack" was appropriate for middle school students. Caleb was faced with keeping the discussion focused on student learning and not who was "correct" and "incorrect". The battle did not end their. Both teachers are very strong in their beliefs and neither was willing to focus on the student learning. They still disagree, which is okay, but I feel I need to read the book and help make a determination on the issue reminding myself the entire time that the focus must stay on the student learning.
RaeAnn, I had the same experience when a group of high school teachers were asked by their administrator to come and co-teach with our 8th grade teachers in math and language arts. Our teachers were very opened and excited to have the high school teachers join them. However, once they tried to collaborate with them something fell apart. I'm not sure where the disconnect happened but it seemed to me the high school teachers were not very willing to even discuss the possibilities that could be gained by this type of collaboration. As you know, we were in Arkansas on the day this happened but from what I can gather, the high school teachers came to the middle school and simply observed from the back of the room and did not even try to help. I was very disappointed in the way this whole thing played out. Maybe we will be more prepared to face that issue if it happens again. As you know, part of our job is the vertical alignment with the high school.
Middle School friends, I'd like to hear more about this attempt at vertical alignment that you tried by haviing HS teachers visit MS. You mentioned that the HS teachers just sat in the back and observed? What was the purpose of their visit? I'm just thinking that as an elementary teacher, I have very little first hand knowledge about how MS teachers teach reading/writing. If you wanted me to participate, I'd want to observe first before jumping in to help in some way.
ReplyDeleteHere we are, discussing how MS/HS align, when I have classroom teachers who aren't clear on how each grade aligns with the next. Dr. Dorn has a detailed checklist for each elementary grade level in Shaping Literate Minds that I have introduced to my teachers. Teachers really need to have a deep understanding of what their students have been exposed to/mastered, etc. the previous year in order to make the most of our teaching opportunities. On pg. 70 Kise discusses EMBRACING THE MISSION OF REACHING EVERY STUDENT. Without a better grasp of the learning continium from year to year, teachers may use whole-class instruction instead of differentiating for faster acceleration. As coach, I want to provide a common framework that will allow our staff to discuss where individual students fall on this continum. This is part of what we do for our struggling students during RTI mtgs., but how often do we look so carefully at our advanced kids? If we are to reach EVERY student and help to accelerate his/her learning a full year, every year, then we need to begin holding these hard conversations listed: Whole class VS differentiated instruction, Standardized curriculum VS culturally relevant curriculum, Basic VS constructivist learning, Direct instruction VS cooperative learning and Mastery of content standards VS processes. Kise suggests that we "think of treading as lightly as wise missionaries, aware that we are touching the core being of the teachers we work with."
Sue, vertical alignment is one of our main objectives as middle school coaches. We are supposed to work closely with the HS administration to make sure our students are fully prepared for what they will encounter in their HS careers. The day MS and HS teaches were asked to work together in the middle school classroom, only freshman teachers were sent for collaboration. MS teachers thought this was the perfect opportunity for the 8th grade students to meet a few of the HS teachers they may possibly have next year. While co-teaching a lesson, the MS and HS teachers could spend some time working and discussing expectations of freshman at the HS level. Even though we got off to a rocky start, I believe the day went OK at my MS, but we learned a lot that if given another chance to collaborate with HS teachers next year will make it even a bigger success.
ReplyDeleteSue, I like the idea of mixing your school with another for PD next year. I know Cindy and Angela worked together to present the MAX PD to their teachers and it worked out really well.
I think something the ES and MS coaches should discuss is vertical alignment between the ES and MS. As we discussed before,I know the MS teachers could benefit from an awareness PD session on RR and Balanced Literacy.
ReplyDeleteSue, RaeAnn explained the vertical alignment between the HS and MS coaches, etc. I think it would be very valuable for a common idea between the elementary and middle school teachers. RaeAnn is right when she says all middle school teachers need to have a better understanding of RR and Balanced Literacy. There has been a break down in MS teachers' understanding of both programs.
ReplyDeleteRaeAnn, I've spoken with my 5th grade teacher about our concern with alignment. Maybe we can work out a visit to BES for your teachers. I would imagine there would be teachers at LCES that you actually KNOW who might appreciate some communication with 6th grade teachers. We 'live' so closely, it's a shame we don't communicate more. Our kids are worth the extra effort!
ReplyDeleteSince we were in Arkansas when the high school teachers worked with our middle school teachers, I don't know exactly how everything worked out at my school. When it was initially announced, I heard some of my teachers talking positively about the experience and some talking negatively. Many felt like it could have been a better experience if ALL teachers involved knew the purpose of the collaboration and had an opportunity to share in the planning.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the 8th grade math teachers in my building and the high school math teachers had a productive meeting to discuss the transition into high school math. The high school math team had a chance to make our 8th grade math teachers aware of what students need to know upon entering various classes in high school. I think they all felt like the discussions were enlightening and helpful. It was good to see this type of collaboration.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs Angela talked about earlier, our teachers
ReplyDeleteneed to understand the importance of changing their classrooms and how to go about making those necessary changes. Coaches must lead the teachers into a collaborative environment that fosters this type of Level III change. We need to be careful not to let our efforts turn into "artificial connections", as mentioned on p. 60, but instead we want to nuture higher levels of support so that our teachers develop truly meaningful relationships. These relationships require a great amount of trust and respect. Teachers have to be honest with each other and take ownership of their own learning. This is why the common framework is so important and why the goals of the group need to be discussed.
As I think about this type of collaboration with my teachers, I can picture many of the new teachers placing great value on this type of collaboraion. The biggest obstacle that we may face with seasoned teachers is convincing them of the need for change. True ... some of them have a difficult time sharing lessons and original ideas, but I believe the majority of our teachers want what's best for the entire school, so they will share. Convincing teachers of the need to change what they've done for years and making their collaboration efforts as effective and productive as possible must be the goal of the coach. I must admit that I feel inadequate at this point, but I want to have a positive outlook on this process. I want to understand more about the role of a coach, so that I can help teachers empower our students to be successful learners.
When I was reading these chapters about the teachers who stay in their classrooms and don't share with each other or reflect together I thought about my teachers. The teachers who stay in their rooms and don't collaborate are the teachers who have been teaching for a long time. The teachers in our building that are new to the profession are much more eager to work together and share ideas. I agree with Cindy that the more seasoned teachers don't see the need for change. They found something that worked in their classrooms years ago and they don't feel like they should change. Or I've heard them say, that the students should learn to adapt to their teaching strategies rather the them teacher finding a strategy that is best for the student. I also agree that I feel inadequate at getting these seasoned teachers to change. Especially when most of them were my teachers.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter three the section about defining the problem through the teacher's eyes was a powerful section for me. I've been working with a teacher in my building and I feel like I'm making progress then she is missing the point of many of our coaching cycles. I've been focusing on the data from her students and in this section it recommends, "analysis of our beliefs, not just data, we not even bring many real presenting problems to the surface" I feel like her issues are deeper then just the ones I've been addressing. I have to figure out a way to get her to look at the deeper issues.
ReplyDeleteSue you are so right, our kids are worth the little extra effort. We should contact Carolyn at LCES and try to work something out. Maybe we could get the principals to pay for subs for a ½ day so we can get the 5th and 6th grade teachers together. We could work together to gather some information from our teachers beforehand so we can spend our time that day on the most crucial concerns. I am excited about the possibilities!!
ReplyDeleteSue,
ReplyDeleteAt Norris we've been talking about the need for a pacing guide and curriculm map for our teachers. When the coach came to our school earlier in the year to discuss our needs, she said we've got to start there. We talked to some of the people from central office and they felt like we needed to do it by school. Which I totally disagree with.
I agree with Cindy at the beginning of this blog that teachers want to solve problems they have. Most teachers do not feel effective if they aren't working to solve the issues they are facing whether they are regarding individual students, instructional problems or planning for lessons. However, I have noticed that sometimes teacher's have a hard time defining the problem that needs to be solved. For example, I sometimes feel they place "blame" on things that they can't control such as a students home life. What I try to get teachers to realize is that you can't fix everything and you can't always blame the problems your having with a student on outside factors. You just need to define what it is that you want to accomplish and go from there!
ReplyDeleteRaeAnn, I can't believe the comment you made about one teacher thinking collaboration is working with the enemy. In my eyes collaboration is the best way to reach a goal! It is also the most useful and benefical way for all parties. So many times, however, I see collaboartion among teachers of the same grade. But it collaboration for common academic goals usually don't go across grades unless a particular subject in brought up in a venue like a staff meeting. I would love to see collaboartion take place across grade levels and even with the middle school, however, I don't know how to move past the boundaries of things like planning times that are not common or inservices that are preplanned.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a great way of supporting our kids by allowing/encouraging teachers to collaborate across grade levels, subject areas, and even, into the Middle School. Don't we need to know what the previous teacher taught, what the standards are for our grade level, and where we can stretch our advanced students? This CAN be done using the standards, curriculum maps, but the face-to-face discussions could be so beneficial! This would definitely be a 'no brainer' for content areas. What would be the reasoning for not supporting this type of collaboration?
ReplyDeleteI love the quote from Gusky (2002)on pg. 52 that talks about the fact that it is not really the professional development that matters, but the fact that teachers have the experience of seeing successful implementation which changes their attitudes and beliefs. They believe it works b/c they have seen it work. I think this may be a key factor in looking at the collaboration across grade levels that you ladies have talked about above. The chapters talked about a "buy-in" and what better way to get teachers to work together than to see results that work. Sue, you and RaeAnn may be the starting point for all of us in the county. Angela, I would love for us to think about this since we are so close together!!!
ReplyDeleteRefereing to teachers having "buy-in" by seeing results that work, I think Anderson County Teachers would benefit from seeing or learning about successful collaboration within our own county, not just reading about them in a book. So many times we read about things that have happened in other schools, states and settings by we don't truly believe the results are real or we make statements like "that would never happen here because..." I love the idea of branching out to the middle school professionals and trying to plan some collaboration sessions. I think we in Elementary school could better prepare students for what's expected of them in middle school if we could just talk to and plan with each other!
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
ReplyDeleteI agree totally that it should be a more personal experience for our teachers. I loved the professional development that I received from the RPDC the year I coached with a first grade teacher all year. The teacher and I went together to observe in the first grade classes and attended professional development that related directly to that grade presented by the teachers that we went to observe. It was very open and risk free---the teacher and I both learned soooooo much!!! It would be nice to see that collaboration occur between our 5th grade and middle school teachers.
Sue, you are too funny....saying that teachers may think God himself gave them the original lesson plan!! I agree with all of you that some teachers guard their plans. It almost seems like they believe their lesson is the best and they don't want anyone to copy it because it might help that teacher improve. I'm happy to report on this blog that we will begin doing county wide grade level meetings in a few weeks!! Sue, it will help your teachers especially because they will be able to collaborate with other teachers of their grade level.
ReplyDeleteJessie, you and your school were exactly right about the pacing guides. ACS is in the works for making those also. I have to say that looking back on the comments made prior to this new school year we have had some major accomplishments come about. We are doing the pacing guides for the county, and grade level county wide meetings are beginning! How exciting for our county to finally start getting on the same ship!
As many of you have said here and in the vans on the drive to and from Arkansas, collaboration is a huge part of teaching. Without sharing ideas and thoughts, or giving opinions to each other, we have no way to grow. Of course, every teacher needs time to plan their own lessons but they should always take time to work together and collaborate ideas.
Oh Jessie, it sounds like you are describing the teachers in the upper grades of my elementary school. The teachers in fourth and fifth don't want to collaborate or share with any other grade. They even have the nerve to say publicly that the other grades aren't teaching anything and they have to do it all when the kids get to them. The teachers within the grades will share with each other, but only because they all have been teaching together for sooooo long. When new teachers come around they are almost made to feel like outcasts. And just like the seasoned teachers at NES, the teachers here at FES have made similar comments that the students need to adapt to their way of teaching rather than them adapting to how the students learn. It makes no sense to me. Thankfully, these teachers were not my elementary teachers so I'm not in the same boat with you there, but I also feel inadequate in helping direct these teachers to change as well.
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