Principals August 10, 2011

Principals’ Retreat

August 10-11, 2011

Culture and Collaboration: Focusing on Learning

"The school culture must push teachers to collaboratively address new ways of thinking and provide specific strategies for implementation within their local context, allowing them to turn possibilities into reality for each learner. In the spirit of collaboration, school leaders and teachers must promote new ways of thinking and acting."

G. Carter in "Learning and Teaching Still Matter"

Introductions and Overview: TLLT

Curriculum Assessment Instruction

Continuous Improvement to Align Our Work

• 8:30 – 11:30 Secondary• 1 – 4pm ElementaryAdministrivia

• 9:30 – 12:30 in clusters• Rotate sitesVertical

Collaborative Team• 8:30 – 11:30 Secondary• 1 – 4pm ElementaryHorizontal

Collaborative Team• 9:30 – 12:30 • ASC or Great RoomDistrict Alignment

Meetings focused on the “Right Work”

Site Visits, DLT work, and PD calendar aligned to support the work of principals and BLTs

Key Objectives for August 10-11

Develop our collaborative cultureRevisit the development of normsDeepen our understanding of the PLC focus questionsDeepen our understanding of the components of the

School Improvement Plan frameworkLink our understanding of continuous improvement to

PLCs, SIPS, and PD plansReflect on our learning (shared knowledge)

Meeting Procedures and Routines

High FiveLook for the “high five” as a signal to come back together—a signal to wrap up your final point during a discussion as a sign of transition

Meeting DocumentsGo to subfolder “Administrative Meetings” in shared folder for “Continuous Improvement” –look for meeting date to locate materials and processes and protocols

In Case of EmergenciesFor meetings at DEC, have administrative assistant contact Judy Sherin at ext. 6279. At ASC, contact Jan Larsen at ext. 2005

Meeting By MemoLook for a “meeting by memo” that communicates information, shares resources, and provides updates that don’t need to be addressed at our meetings

Words of Wisdom

• Individually read the quote at the top of the page and respond to the reflective prompts.

• When prompted, find your colleagues who have the same quote as you do, share one highlight from your summer, and then generate a collective response to the quote.

Quote #1

"The single most important factor for successful school restructuring and the first order of business for those interested in increasing the capacity of their schools is building a collaborative internal environment."

~Eastwood & Seashore Louis, 1992

Quote #2

"School leaders improve instruction by creating structures and opportunities for teachers to collaborate. Collaboration works best when focused on expectations for student achievement and school goals, while contributing to the professional learning of teachers."

~Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010

Quote #3

"Teacher collaboration in strong professional learning communities improves the quality and equity of student learning, promotes discussions that are grounded in evidence and analysis rather than opinion, and fosters collective responsibility for student success."

~McLaughlin & Talbert, 2006

Quote #4

"Collaborative practice is all about teachers and school leaders working together to develop effective instructional practices, studying what works well in classrooms, and doing so both with rigorous attention to detail and with a commitment to improving not only one's practice but that of others…This is the essence of collaborative practice: teachers jointly engaged in empirical, routine, and applied study of their own profession."

~Mourshed, Chijiole, & Barber, 2010

Quote #5

"When groups, rather than individuals, are seen as the main units for implementing curriculum, instruction, and assessment, they facilitate the development of shared purpose for student learning and collective responsibility to achieve it."

~ Newmann & Wehlage, 1995

Quote #6

"Collaborative inquiry helped teachers build an evidence-oriented professional community within the school. Specifically, the process raised teacher awareness of the particular needs of individual students and facilitated an evaluation of the effectiveness of an instructional response."

~Robinson, et al., 2010

Quote #7

"Collaboration and the ability to engage in collaborative action are becoming increasingly important to the survival of the public schools. Indeed, without the ability to collaborate with others, the prospect of truly improving schools is not likely."

~Schlechty, 2005

What Did We Learn?

• As a result of your processing the relevance of the quotes on collaboration, what did we learn that should guide and impact our work with one another?

The Role of Norm(s)

“Teams improve their ability to grapple with the critical questions when they clarify the norms that will guide their work. These collective commitments represent the ‘promises we make to ourselves and others, promises that underpin two critical aspects of teams—commitment and trust.’”

~Katzenbach & Smith, 1995

The Role of Norms

• What does the quote from Katzenbach and Smith mean for our work as a collaborative community of learners and leaders?

• Briefly discuss this at your table.

Norms v. RoutinesNorms are…agreed upon behaviors and expectations that guide our learning and work

Routines are…common practices for how we “do” things

Norms of Collaboration Inventory

• Using Garmston and Wellman’s “Norms of Collaboration Inventory” identify how your practices and behaviors align with statements for the categories that follow:– Pausing – Paraphrasing– Probing for Specificity– Putting Ideas on the Table and Pulling Them Off– Paying Attention to Self and Others– Presuming Positive Intent– Pursuing a Balance Between Advocacy and Inquiry

Redefining Norms

• Use your clicker to respond to each of the prompts that follow:– Click A for Rarely

– Click B for Occasionally

– Click C for Frequently

Pausing

1. Listens attentively to others’ ideas with mind and body

2. Allows time for thought after asking a question or making a response (3-5 seconds)

3. Waits until others have finished before entering the conversation

A=Rarely B=Occasionally C=Frequently

Paraphrasing

4. Uses paraphrases that acknowledge and clarify content and emotions: “So you’re concerned about…”

5. Uses paraphrases that summarize and organize: “We all seem to be concerned about…”

6. Uses paraphrases that shift a conversation to different levels of abstraction: “So a major goal here is to…”

7. Uses nonverbal communication in paraphrasing


Probing for Specificity

8. Seeks agreement on what words mean9. Asks questions to clarify facts, ideas, stories10.Asks questions to clarify expectations,

implications, consequences11.Asks questions to surface assumptions,

points of view, beliefs, values


Putting Ideas on the Table & Pulling Them Off

12. States intention of communication: “Here is an idea for consideration”

13. Reveals all relevant information14. Considers intended communication for relevance and

appropriateness before speaking15. Provides facts, inferences, ideas, opinions, suggestions16. Explains reasons behind statements, questions, actions: “This

is not an advocacy; I am just thinking out loud”17. Removes, or announces the modification of, own ideas,

opinions, points of view: “I think this idea is blocking us; let’s move on to other possibilities”


Paying Attention to Self and Others

18.Maintains awareness of own thoughts and feelings while having them

19.Maintains awareness of others’ voice patterns, nonverbal communications, use of physical space

20.Maintains awareness of group’s tasks, mood, relevance of own and others’ contributions


Presuming Positive Intent

21.Acts as if others mean well22.Restrains impulsivity triggered by own

emotional responses23.Use positive presuppositions when

responding to others’ inquiries: “I assume you might think differently. What are your ideas?”


Pursuing a Balance Between Advocacy & Inquiry

24. Advocates for own ideas and inquiries into the ideas of others: “Do you see any flaws in my reasoning?”

25. Acts to provide equitable opportunities for participation: “In what ways do you see it differently?”

26. Presents rationale for positions, including assumptions, facts, feelings: “This is the data I have. This is what I think it means.”

27. Disagrees respectfully and openly with ideas and offers rationale for disagreement: “I am seeing this from the point of view of…”

28. Inquires of others about their reasons for reaching and occupying a position: “Can you help me understand your thinking here?”


Glow and Grow

• Spend a couple of minutes reviewing the statements on the survey.– As you think about the

categories and/or statements on Garmston and Wellman’s survey, what is an area where you feel you “glow”?

– What is an area in which you want to “grow”?

Developing Norms

• Individually reflect on the following question:– Given our processing and the importance of our working

with and learning with one another, what are the behaviors we expect and will accept from one another?

• When prompted…– Join two other colleagues in your cluster– Share behaviors that you expect and will accept from one

another– Generate an agreed upon list– Join the other two triads from your cluster and record the

collective agreed upon list on the chart paper

Vertical (Cluster) Collaborative Teams

WEST CENTRAL EASTCherie BraspenikJon BonnevilleErin CopelandGary HamiltonDave HelkeDon LeakeRob NelsonJeremy Willey

Kristine BlackRenee BrandnerKay FeckeKari KomarJeff LeachSusan RisiusGene RoczniakElizabeth Vaught

Taber AkinChris BellmontLyle BomstaBill HeimSarah KloecklElaine MehdizadehBruce MorrissetteJanice PorterKelly Ronn

SUPU Reflection on Learning:Stand Up and Pair Up

• Join one of your colleagues across the room.

• Have one person respond to question 1 and the other person respond to question 2.

1. What did we learn about collaboration?

2. What did we learn about the renewing and sustaining norms?

PUPU Reflection on Learning:Pair Up and Pair Up

• Join two of your colleagues to form a group of four.

• Summarize your conversations about questions 1 and 2.

• As a group, discuss question 3 and be prepared to summarize your response to question 3 for the whole group.

1. What did we learn about collaboration?

2. What did we learn about the renewing and sustaining norms?

3. What can or will we do as a result of our learning?

Break

• Be back to continue our learning in 10 minutes!

Knowing Our Focus

1. What initiatives are guiding the efforts of your staff members and you?

2. When you examine the draft copies of your SIP and PD plans, how are resources (human, financial, time, etc.) being allocated? What is top priority with regard to time? With regarding funding? Where is your energy being spent?

Knowing Our FocusInitiatives Rank: Time Rank: Resources Rank: Energy

Knowing Our Focus

• Complete the initiative matrix by:– Documenting what initiatives are guiding

the efforts of your staff members and you– Ranking them with regard to the time

being allocated– Ranking them with regard to the resources

allocated to support each initiative– Ranking them according to the energy they

take to support

Knowing Our Focus

• Use the following stems to discuss your reflection…– I discovered…– I am excited by…– I feel challenged by…– I am concerned about…– I need…

Process OverviewConstructivist Listening Dyad

Clear ProtocolsFocus on ListeningProvide Stems/PromptsSummarization

Horizontal Collaborative TeamsSecondary Collaborative Teams Elementary Collaborative Teams

Chris BellmontCheri BraspenickRenee BrandnerErin Copeland Gary HamiltonDave HelkeKelly RonnJenne O’Neill-Mager

Taber AkinKristine BlackErin CopelandKay FeckeKari KomarRob NelsonElizabeth Vaught

Bill HeimSarah Kloeckl Kari KomarJeff LeachDon LeakeBruce MorrissetteJanice PorterGene Roczniak

Lyle BomstaJon BonnevilleSarah KloecklElaine MehdizadehSusan RisiusJackie Smith Jeremy Willey

Lunch Break

Be back and ready to continue our learning at…

“What Are We Waiting For?”

“Imagine if everyone in a school thought that what happened in every classroom, to every teacher and every student, was of tremendous significance and that quality learning was the most valued commodity. What would that mean for how time is used? What would it enable in teams of teachers’ interactions with others? What would principals, teachers, and community members believe in and expect? What would students be able to accomplish?”

Martin-Kneip, 2008

Step to the Line…

Step to the line…if you…

What’s Important?

• Review the list of initiatives that guides your work.

• As you do, rank them in order of importance (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) in relation to making the greatest difference for student learning.

Wordle: Elementary Schools

Wordle: Secondary Schools

Wordle: District

Aligning Our Efforts

• Open your initiatives sheet.

• Compare your importance rankings to the energy, time and resources rankings.– Are they in sync?– What’s discrepant?– What do you discover?

Identifying Priorities

Note the following passage from Doug Reeves:

“The Law of Initiative Fatigue states that when the number of initiatives increases while time, resources, and emotional energy are constant, then each new initiative—no matter how well conceived or well intentioned—will receive fewer minutes, dollars, and ounces of emotional energy than its predecessors.”

Zoom• What do the sequence

of pictures tell us about how we view data?

• What did you discover as each page “zoomed” out?

• How does the “zooming” relate to multiple measures?

SIP: Current Reality

• Read the highlighted sections from the article, “Multiple Measures.”

• Record a summary of the details on the “Details—Main Idea” sheet.

Process Overview


• With your completed “Details—Main Idea” handout, form two lines (facing each other) at the back of the room.

• When prompted, take turns sharing the details you recorded.

Bite-Sized Reading…Efficient Identifies key concepts to be “covered”Serves as scaffold

Details—Main Idea…Formative assessmentDevelops analysis and synthesis skillsEncourages summarization

Learning Line Up…MovementMultiple perspectivesCollaborative meaning makingEfficient

Getting Clearer: Multiple Measures


• To deepen our collective understanding of data sources, each horizontal collaborative team will work collaboratively on a Google doc

• http://tinyurl.com/4ydcwsj

Data Sources:– Student Achievement– Demographics– Perception– School Processes

(Program)

http://tinyurl.com/4ydcwsj


• What does the data source describe?• Why would this data source be important for

guiding our improvement practices?• What information and/or resources do we

need to effectively use and understand the data source?

• How does our understanding of this data source impact our data analysis?

Break—Be Back in 5!

Exploring SIP Components

• Focus Areas– Core Instruction

– Systems of Intervention

– Climate and Culture

– Community Engagement


• With your horizontal collaborative team, document the following for your assigned component…– What does your assigned component describe?– Why would your assigned component be important for

guiding your improvement practices?– What information and/or resources do we need to

effectively use and understand your assigned component?– How we will know our improvement efforts will make a

difference (criteria for improvement)?• Use the chart paper and marker provided to document your

team’s thinking

Process Overview


• Decide which two team members will stay with chart.– Stayers—explain thinking, engage

discussion

• Use assigned color to add questions, additional perspectives to the thinking of other components• Strayers—deepen thinking, add

to emerging understanding

One Stay, The Rest Stray…Blends emerging understanding with dialogueAdds multiple perspectivesMovementEfficient

Charting a Colorful Course…Allows for questions, additions from all groupsHelps monitor which group made additions, updatesUse as formative assessmentMovementEfficient

Norm Check

• How effectively did we follow our emerging norms?

Key Messages

• What were the key messages that we learned today that will guide our work and learning with one another?

Think about… Creating collaborative

cultureDeveloping normsKnowing and aligning

initiativesUnderstanding multiple

measures Understanding SIP

components

Principals August 10, 2011

Education

Transcript of Principals August 10, 2011