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Taking Center Stage - Act II (TCSII). Getting Everyone Into the ACT! To Ensure Success and Close the Achievement Gap for All of California’s Middle Grades Students. Presented by Middle and High School Improvement Office California Department of Education February/March 2008.
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Taking Center Stage - Act II (TCSII) Getting Everyone Into the ACT!To Ensure Success and Close the Achievement Gap for All of California’s Middle Grades Students Presented by Middle and High School Improvement Office California Department of Education February/March 2008
Taking Center Stage - Act II These professional development activities were designed and developed for TCSII and adapted for today’s presentation. Michael Donhost Principal, Lake Bluff Middle School Lake Bluff School District 65 Lake Bluff, IL mdonhost@lbsd.lfc.edu Rob Hoover Principal, Deer Creek Middle School Jefferson County School District Littleton, CO rhoover@jeffco.k12.co.ush Special thanks to the ACSA Middle Grades Council for making the connection!
Purpose of today’s session • In this interactive session, you will “Get into the Act” through “constructivist” activities that build consensus for change.
Constructivism • Constructivism allows the learner to create meaning based on exploration, interaction, and discovery. • From experience, we know that humans understand things better when they have the opportunity to explore and construct their own understanding. • “Others can give us information, we can find information in books, and we can get information from the media, but as important as information is . . receiving it, getting it, and hearing it does not necessarily equal learning.” --Marlow and Page, Creating and Sustaining the Constructivist Classroom
Taking Center Stage—Act II • Closing the Achievement Gaprequires consensus for change based on research and best practices.
Taking Center Stage—Act II • In the first activity, we are going to design our ideal middle grades school. • Form into table groups of 6-8 people. • Select a recorder and a timekeeper.
Constructing Change – A School Design Game • Each table should have a set of game cards and a tally sheet. • There are three (3) color/pattern game cards (descriptors) per topic. • There are twelve (12) topics – 36 game cards to each table group. • One tally sheet for each table group.
Constructing Change – A School Design Game • Discuss the three (3) descriptors for each topic. • Choose the description that would best fit your Ideal School.
Constructing Change – A School Design Game • On your table-group Tally sheet, the recorder indicates which descriptor your group agrees on as the best for each topic. • You will have 15 minutes for the entire activity.
Groups report on their consensus for each topic • Group discussion • Leader toggles to Excel “Graph of Group Data Results”
Outcomes of the School Design Game • Generates discussion around issues • Establishes a common vocabulary • Focuses on What Should Be rather than What Is
Uses for the School Design Game Tally • Shows current views within the group around these topics • Shows level of consensus across group • Highlights areas for further study • Topics with high disagreement • Topics with undesirable strong agreement • Focuses staff development needs • Directs school improvement efforts
Taking Center Stage—Act II • The dynamic Web portal contains: • Hyperlinked research-based content • Vignettes of school practices • Connections to middle grades organizations • Related links and more
BINGO! BINGO Research Game! • Your table group is your team. • In your envelope you will find: • A BINGO card • Red and green playing chips • One red folder and one green folder
BINGO Research Game! BINGO! • A statement will be displayed on the screen • Each group has 30 seconds to decide whether the statement is: • TRUE – supported by a body of research • FALSE – contrary to research
BINGO Research Game! BINGO! • At the signal, each group holds up the colored sheet of paper that represents their decision: TRUE FALSE • A correct answer wins a game chip on the BINGO board in the indicated space • The first group to get BINGO wins!
BINGO! • READY??? • You have your group BINGO card… • You have a person to hold up a RED card when the answer is FALSE… • You have a person to hold up a GREEN card when the answer is true…GO!
BINGO! • And the winner is . . .
Other Uses… • Parent Education • Increase understanding of best practice, educational philosophy, or instructional strategies • Build support for change • New Teacher Induction • Orientation with existing programs & practices • Identify and develop goals for professional growth • Team Building • Encourage the sharing of philosophies & practices • Identify areas of agreement/disagreement • Develop and prioritize team goals
Getting All Stakeholders into the Act • Your table group will act as your school’s leadership team • You will be developing a plan to introduce stakeholders (teachers, parents, school board members, business partners, community partners, etc.) to Taking Center Stage - Act II
Getting All Stakeholders into the Act • In your packet, you have one planning sheet and a set of descriptors of potential presentations and activities • From these descriptors, select two (2) hours of presentations that you would use to introduce TCSII to stakeholders • Explain why you selected the activities and for which stakeholder group • Indicate your choices on the planning sheet
Getting All Stakeholders into the Act • What is your plan? • How will you get everyone into the Act?
Getting All Stakeholders into the Act • Would the order of presentations matter? • Did you select different presentations and activities for certain stakeholder groups?
Getting All Stakeholders into the Act Introductory Activities • Guest Lecturer • Training Video • Group Reading • TCSII Jigsaw • Book Study KWL
Getting All Stakeholders into the Act • Building understanding through interaction • TCSII IntroQuest • TCSII Inventory • TCSII Gallery
Getting All Stakeholders into the Act • Constructing change through consensus • Provocative Prompts • TCSII Case Studies • TCSII Bingo • School Design Game
Getting All Stakeholders into the Act • CD Road Show Training: • The professional learning modules include: • Sneak Peek Presentation • Module #1 – Setting the Stage • Module #2 – Backstage Pass • Module #3 – Meet the Recommendations • Module #4 – Dress Rehearsal: Explore the Possibilities
Quotes on Change • "Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.“ • Anon. • "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.“ • Henry Ford • “The world will not change until we do.” • Jim Wallace
Quotes on Change • "Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.“ • Abraham Lincoln • "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.“ • Albert Einstein • “There can be change without progress, but not progress without change.” • Anon
Taking Center Stage—Act II • Visit the TCSII Portal and explore the possibilities . . . • http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/TCSII/