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At Region 8 ESC…Thinking Systemically

At Region 8 ESC…Thinking Systemically. “A belief is not an idea held by the mind; it is an idea that holds the mind.”. What anchors our teachers’ minds in the region?. Teachers’ Beliefs In Our Districts…. Meaningful teaching-learning has a profound lifelong impact.

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At Region 8 ESC…Thinking Systemically

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  1. At Region 8 ESC…Thinking Systemically

  2. “A belief is not an idea held by the mind; it is an idea that holds the mind.” What anchors our teachers’ minds in the region?

  3. Teachers’ Beliefs In Our Districts… • Meaningful teaching-learning has a profound lifelong impact. • Alexander Barut, Jefferson HS

  4. Teachers’ Beliefs In Our Districts… • Students’ circumstances are just inconveniences, not problems, and can be overcome. • Amanda Lamb, Simms MS.

  5. Teachers’ Beliefs In Our Districts… • If I remain committed and focused, I am my students’ greatest asset in the classroom. • Laura Rankin, Redwater HS.

  6. Teachers’ Beliefs In Our Districts… • If I’m not having a good day, I’ll fake it…They WILL know I care about them. • Rhonda Stone, DeKalb MS.

  7. Strategic versus Systemic The “WHAT?” versus the “HOW?”

  8. TAKS In your district... • Think of an area in which your district demonstrated progress over last year's performance... • Got it...? • Now describe what you would attribute that increase in performance to?

  9. What did you describe? • TAKS Blitz? • TAKS tutorials? • Benchmarking? • Remediation? • Pull out programs? Did you describe events or processes? Strategic versus Systemic!

  10. Systemic asks, “How...?” Systemic is process driven. Systemic is delivery driven. Systemic is global Systemic is proactive too (driven by beliefs and values). Strategic versus Systemic • Strategic asks, “What...?” • Strategic is event driven. • Strategic is content based. • Strategic is local. • Strategic is reactive (driven by data).

  11. The “WHAT?” and the “HOW?” • For teachers: • content versus instructional delivery. • For districts: • Strategies versus processes. Hypothesis: “While some problems can be fixed strategically, some remain chronic because they are systemic in nature.”

  12. Bucket Activity • The bucket represents your district’s educational system. • Representatives from each grade band are responsible for filling each grade level or course with appropriate knowledge and skills. • Volunteers?

  13. The Factory Model and Education “American Public Schools were originally organized according to the concepts and principals of the factory model.” * Characteristics of the Factory Model in education • Centralized decision making • Top down management with strict supervision • Assembly line mentality; assemble knowledge content by content, grade level by grade level • Teachers working in isolation of each other *DuFour, Richard and Eaker, Robert (1998) Professional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement, ASCD, Alexandria, VA.

  14. The Factory Model and Education “…the factory model may have indeed served schools well when they were not intended to educate large numbers of students to a high level.” * • Interesting findings • In 1893, less than 3% of American students actually graduating from high school. • 1950, majority of students dropped out before graduating. • With current standards of accountability, the factory model is woefully outdated. • *DuFour, Richard and Eaker, Robert (1998) Profesional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement, ASCD, Alexandria, VA.

  15. Bucket Activity Revisited • What do the holes in the bucket represent? • What does the escaping water represent? • What type of curricular issue is this? • How did the leakage affect the lower grade band? Why might this be sobering news for primary campuses? • Describe the cumulative effect of the leakage from grade level to grade level? Who ends up holding the bag? • What type of problem is this...strategic or systemic? Why?

  16. My District's Bucket? • Where are the holes? • How do we find them? • What specifically are they? • What do we do about them? • How are we operating? • Factory Model (Strategic)? • PLCs (Systemic)?

  17. Reconciling Instruction to Stop Leaks Reconciling discrepancies so that instructional delivery meets the specificity of the IFDs and prepares students to meet or exceed the student performance indicators. • What might discrepancies look like? • Missing Content-Something in the specificity that is not being taught. • Underdeveloped Content-Something in the specificity that is not being covered in depth and rigor. • Extraneous Content-Something that is being taught that is not in the specificity

  18. Our Tools and Processes The IRD-Instructional Reconciliation Document Examples in use from Math Teacher Mentors

  19. EXAMPLE 1 from Math Teacher Mentor

  20. EXAMPLE 2 from Math Teacher Mentor

  21. Confront the Brutal Facts! The two previous teacher examples represent the instructional “leaks” in one six week grading period. • How many more “leaks” are there if the entire district (system) were to be examined over the entire year? • What processes are being coached in my district to prevent “leaks”? • Who is responsible? • How is it sustainable?

  22. Our Tools and Processes The PLC Leadership Rubric • Teachers self assess • Administrators assess staff to determine needs • What professional activities will allow my teachers/campus to function at a level 5?

  23. Suggested PLC Activities for Curriculum Implementation • TEKS studies as state standards are continually revised. • Vertical Alignment Documents studies by grade band and content to reconcile the “big picture”. • Once prior to beginning the instructional year. • Once at the end of the school year as state assessment data is received. • Year at A Glance reconciliation to district calendar. • Once prior to beginning the instructional year. • Revisit at the end of semester 1 to make adjustments. • Instructional Focus Document studies by grade level or course teams to reconcile instruction and resources. • Each six weeks prior to instruction.

  24. Suggested PLC Activities Related to Instructional Delivery • Model Lesson Study by grade level or course team. • Teams discuss lessons prior to implementation. • Teams debrief results and findings after implementation. • 5E Lesson Design by grade level or course team. • Teams collaboratively design lesson that meets or exceeds the specificity and performance indicators of the IFD. • Student Artifact Review by grade level or course teams. • Teams assemble a wide range of student artifacts to discuss student attainment of Performance Indicators. • Common Assessment Review by grade level or course teams. • Teams design common assessments. • Teams review data from common assessments.

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