Post on 01-Jan-2016
Prepared for the Learning Leadership PLC of
NEWTON COUNTY SCHOOLS by Dan Mulligan, Ed. D., flexiblecreativity.com
July 2015
A Lazer-Like Focus on Deeper Learning:PROVIDING STAFF WITH CONSTRUCTIVE
FEEDBACK
EssentialVocabulary
EssentialSkills
EssentialKnowledge
LEARNING TARGET
“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”
~Dr. Suess
Resources
to share…
Newton County SchoolsVision
The Newton County School System envisions students, who through a
rigorous and relevant education, will be able to think critically in order to
produce, perform, create, and communicate their knowledge
competitively to a hyper-connected, global audience.
page 3
Components of a Focused Learning Program
LearningDifferentiated based on the needs of the
student
Student Focused Assessing 4
Learning Program
RigorWith Nurturing
(STEAM)
Engaging Spiraling
Teaching for Mastery Reteach & Reassess as necessary (CLT-driven*)
Identifies the nonnegotiable vocabulary
necessary to decode the content
CurriculumTargeting the
Essential Knowledge and Essential Skills
Staff DevelopmentOngoing to include
feedback on success of implementation
AssessmentDriven by Essential
Knowledge and Essential Skills
VariedDiagnostic
ModelingData Driven
Ongoing
Provides College & Career Ready
Skills
Pacing reflects Data Analysis & Georgia
Blueprints
page 4
4 – second partner
Find a new friend in the room (a mix of specialties is the best). Introduce
yourself and share what you will be ‘doing’. Find 2 comfortable seats and relax.
*Please bring your handout and a pen(cil)!
Work collaboratively (e.g., construct viable arguments,
critique, agree) to identify key words that capture the essential indicators of quality learning
with fidelity.
Indicators of quality learningCREATING AN
ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING
SETTING OBJECTIVES AND
PROVIDING FEEDBACK
Unpacking the Standard
Page7
Indicator Alert:
Did the students unpack the standard? Can students explain what they are learning and why they are engaged in their current task? How does it fit?
1. Create an Environment for Learning– Helping students know what is expected of them, providing
students with opportunities for regular feedback on progress, assuring students they are capable of learning content and skills
2. Helping Students Develop Understanding– Integrating prior knowledge with new knowledge– Procedural knowledge: constructing a model of the steps
required of the process and practicing its variations; using the process or skill fluently or without any conscious thought
3. Helping Students Extend and Apply Knowledge– Moving beyond ‘right answer’ learning to an expanded
understanding and use of concepts and skills in real-world contexts.
Framework for
Instructional Planning McREL, 2012
page6
Research
Based
Instructional
Strategies
Indicator Alert:
Is each student experiencing research based learning strategies?
A. CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNINGADDITIONAL SAMPLE RESOURCES
pages 8 - 10
CommitmentIf you don’t make a total commitment to
whatever you’re doing, then you start looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking. It’s tough enough getting that boat to shore with everybody rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts putting his life jacket on.
Lou Holtz
WHY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY?aka Why Build Background Knowledge?
Briefly share what you know about:
photosynthesis
Tell a chain story about the process of
photosynthesis…
…without using words that begin with:
P, L, T
Research on Imagery as Elaboration
637 percentile pts. higher
than… …students who kept repeating definitions.
421 percentile pts. higher
than… …students who were using the terms in a sentence.
Students who used imagery to learn vocabulary, on average, performed
# of studies
50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS
100 POINTS 100 POINTS
200 POINTS
Principal
Organizing Theme:
Things someone would say…
Student
TeacherSuperintendent
Parent
Cafeteria Worker
EDUCATIONALSTAKEHOLDER
EDITION
page23
50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS
100 POINTS 100 POINTS
200 POINTS
Science
Experiment
Hypothesis
Energy
Electron
DissolveAtmosphere
50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS
100 POINTS 100 POINTS
200 POINTS
Data Driven
Organizing Theme:
Essential Elements of an Inclusive
Learning Program
Vertical Articulation
Staff Development
Essential Vocabulary
Rigor with Nurturing
Formative Assessment
Indicator Alert:
Is the learning environment dynamically vocabulary
rich?
Kinds of Evidence – Continuum of EvidenceInformal Check for Understanding
Name a noun. Form a sentence.
Name a verb. Name an adjective
Page31
by Maribeth Boelts and Noah Z. Jones
page11
Indicator Alert:
Are there any ‘banished’ students? Is participation safe?
Instructional Strategies that Facilitate Successful Inclusion Must …
Supply students with STRUCTURE and ORGANIZATION
Encourage student COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION
Provide students with VISUAL and HANDS-ON learning experiences
B. HELPING STUDENTS DEVELOP UNDERSTANDING Integrating prior knowledge with new knowledge Procedural knowledge: constructing a model of the steps required of the
process and practicing its variations; using the process or skill fluently or without any conscious thought
RESEARCH-BASEDSTRATEGY:
SUMMARIZING
AND
NOTE-TAKING
pages 13 - 17
RESEARCH-BASEDSTRATEGY:
SUMMARIZING
AND
NOTE-TAKING
page 12
My Notebook Rubric
“A positive attitude may not solve all of your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth it.”
-Maya Angelou
The
What
page18
pages19 - 22
The Newton County School System envisions students, who through a rigorous and relevant education, will be able to think critically in order to produce, perform, create, and communicate their knowledge competitively to a hyper-connected, global audience.
Pages23 - 25
Helping Students Extend and Apply Knowledge
Pages23 - 25
Helping Students Extend and Apply KnowledgeAdditional Resources
Possible
Alignment
Pages30 - 34
Thank you for your commitment to children!
"It's your attitude, not just your aptitude that determines your ultimate altitude."
--Zig Ziglar
Dan