Teacher Collaboration

QHSLS Chinese TeamDiana Luo; Cindy Wu; Shining

Yang

Our School--Queens High School for Language StudiesLocated in FlushingShared building with the other 2 schoolsThis is our third year

Student Population of Our School

Students are prepared for success in college and career through a rigorous, comprehensive curriculum that includes the intensive study of English and Mandarin.

By meeting the linguistic, academic, and emotional needs of all our students, we challenge and encourage our graduates to achieve their best potential, not just in one language but in two.

School Wide Goals 2015-2016Instruction:

Ensure assessment align with lesson and unit objectives, providing meaningful opportunities for self-assessment and for feedback, allowing both teachers and students to effectively and proactively monitor progress

Curriculum:

Align rigorous summative assessments with backwards-designed unit plans that sequence instruction in cycles of pre-assessment, formative, and summative assessment

School Culture:

Focused on student outcomes and the promotion of a safe, trusting environment where all constituents can take risks, with shared support and accountability, to further their own progress and the school’s development.

Bulletin Board

中文课程简介： Chinese as a New Language1.Who are learning Chinese as a NEW Language?Technically, half of our school’s should be learning Chinese as a New Language

中文课程简介： Chinese as a New LanguageAmong them:●Students who are learning Chinese as their 3rd language (about 50%:

Spanish, Tamil, Urdu, Filipino)● Heritage speakers (ABC)● Students who are learning Chinese as their 2nd language

中文课程简介： Chinese as a New Language2. Where do we want our students to be?At the end of 11th grade: NYS Chinese Regents

At the end of 12th grade: AP Chinese

中文课程简介： Chinese as a New Language3. What textbooks are we using?We are free-styling: 《欢迎》＋《 IC》＋ anything we can find

中文课程简介： Chinese Language Arts3. What textbooks are we using?

1. NO TEXTBOOKS!!!!2. Global history (contents)

Greek & Chinese Myths 神话 , Religions 宗教 ...etc.3. ESL & ELA (skills)

Theme-based, eg. Happiness

Inter-department Collaboration ---- Intervisitation Definition:

Intervisitation is a teacher-facilitated, non-evaluative classroom visit focused on the collaborative development of teachers’ instructional knowledge and skills.

Inter-department Collaboration ---- Intervisitation Teacher Roles: 1 presenting teacher and 3 observing teachers

Intervisitation Procedures : Pre-visit, Post-visit Debrief

Visit: Low-inference NotesIn schools where teachers and leaders embrace this practice, classroom visits cease to be a stressful experience.

How to take low-inference notes?Describe what is taking place without drawing conclusions or making judgments about what he or she observes.

Ask:

What do you see and hear the teacher and students doing?

What evidence can you gather of student learning?

What will students know and be able to do at the end of the lesson?

Common mistakes/ pitfalls to avoidDistinguish between low-inference statements and opinions

(Key words that give away subjectivity: I think; I feel.)

Replace vague quantifiers by capturing more specific evidence

( “A lot of students raised hands” vs.”17 of 20 students raised their hands.”)

Identify the actual questions the teacher asked

Where to find the data for student outcomes during an observation?You are encouraged to...

1)Sit with a table / group of students.Write down the questions asked and answers given by the students in that group.

2)Copy down what each student has written on their paper

3)Write down the time and circulate in the room.

Tips for low-inference note taking How do I capture as much evidence as possible?

1)Set up a coding system (T=teacher; S=student; HU=hands up)

2)Time transitions, each section of the lesson, work time, etc

3)Draw circles to represent groups of students or teacher interaction with students

Low-inference note samples: Weak vs. Strong

Intervisitation- Why we do it our way? Fun Facts:

1.Without any previous discussion, DOE’s peer intervisitation protocol happens to be the long-lost twin sister of our school’s intervisitation protocol

2.Soon DOE will come to our school and videotape how we do intervisitation. And they’ll put our video online for all 1,800 DOE schools to study and copy

Intervisitation: Why we do it our way?!Because We want to avoid this:So everything we do is trying to get us here:

Intervisitation: Why we do it our way?!PRE-VISIT PROTOCOL (25-35 minutes, adapted from Issaquah

Protocol)*1. Re-establish Norms (5 minutes)● Revisit the norms you set up as a team. Add or revise any before

the presenting teacher begins.2. Presentation (7 minutes): presenting teacher...● Discusses 2-4 areas of focus, using the language of components

1E and 3D ● Reviews the lesson for the day they’d like observing teachers to

see and what they’re hoping outcomes will be.3. Clarifying questions (7 minutes): observing teachers…● Ask clarifying questions to help them understand what the

presenting teacher would like feedback on and what they should focus their low inference notes around

● Ask clarifying questions to help observing teachers better understand the lesson plan and classroom context

4. Conclude (5 minutes): presenting teacher reviews dates and periods for the classroom observation and for the post visit debrief.

Why pre-visit ?Presenting Teacher: I’m not sure I have 100% engagement during group work. If you guys can be my eyes and ears during group work, it’d be great.

Observing teacher 1: So do you want us to write down what Ss were doing and saying during group work?Observing teacher 2: At what time of the lesson is the turn and talk, after I do, you do? And what’s the purpose of your group work?Observing teacher 3: Do you mean we can look at Danielson Rubric 3c

Presenting Teacher: is empowered

Observing Teacher: is clear about what to expect and focus on

Intervisitation: Why we do it our way?!Why Debrief:

DEBRIEF PROTOCOL (~35 minutes, adapted from Consultancy Protocol)*5. Re-establish Norms (2 minutes), facilitation leader reviews norms from the pre-visit protocol6. Clarifying questions (6 minutes): observing teachers...● Take turns asking the presenting teacher non-judgmental questions to help them

understand the context of the observed lesson better (“What happened the day before? I noticed you xxx, could say a little more about this?”)

7. Discussion (12 minutes):● Presenting teacher is completely silent, taking only notes● Observing teachers discuss the observed lesson, using their coded low-inference notes.

Observing teachers should refer to the language within the components, celebrating areas of strength and providing constructive feedback, using sentence stems like: “I wonder why,” “ I’m curious if…,” “I’d be interested in…”

8. Think-time (2 minutes): Presenting teacher has two minutes to gather his/her thoughts9. Response (5 minutes): Presenting teacher responds to what s/he heard in the discussion.10. Debrief (5 minutes): ● All teachers take turns commenting on the protocol and their feelings/thoughts around

the intervisitation cycle, making recommendations for the next cycle.11. Record-keeping (3 minutes): Teachers fill out the feedback form.

Observing teacher 1: I see Joey was using a handout with many words on it, does every kid have it? What are they using it for?Presenting teacher: That’s the word bank they can refer to.

Observing teacher 2: I heard Monica telling Chandler that she can’t tell if his sentence is a statement not a question, that he’s forgetting something to make it a question, which seems to be what Danielson 3c is saying

In short:

Protocol + low inference notes + Danielson Rubric = Presenting teacher comes up with a conclusion by him/herself

All concrete facts (evidence)

Intervisitation: Why we do it our way?!Danielson Rubric:Where I’m at?What do I do next?

If a presenting teacher realizes that what s/he heard from observing teachers mostly falls into this category

“The teacher circulates during small-group or independent work, offering suggestions to students.”

By using Danielson, the presenting teacher knows what s/he needs to do to get highly effective

“The teacher circulates providing specific feedback to individual students.

Cross-Department Collaboration1.Intervisitation (Same periods of break)

2.Mentorship

3.Summer PDs

4.Google-based

Cross-Department Meetings2014-2015

Social Studies, ESL, Chinese Departments

2015-2016

ESL, English Language Arts, Chinese Departments

How Does Cross-Department Meeting Work?1.Time: 1.5-2 hours on the PD (Professional Development) days (1-2

times a month)

2.Aims:a) Looking into/ doing the Regent questions and understanding students’ challengesb) Tentatively grading students’ work based on the Regent’s grading rubrics and setting up expectations for students with different levelsc) Sharing teaching materials and ideasd) Analyzing students’ work and planning for next step

Take-Aways from the Cross-Department Meetings?1.Curriculum planning: Goals for each year/ different Marking Periods

2.Lesson planning: Structuring

3.Difficulties/ Differences: Social Studies vs. English Language Arts

4.School-wide goals: Students can understand and use the common standards/ language across different subjects

Intra-Department Collaboration Before we start ……

1)Set Norms" Norms are behavioral guidelines that signify ways of being together and learning from one another." --The power of Teacher Teams

Norm can cover the following aspects:

a. Communication (Stay focused and avoid tangents; Limit distractions; )

b. Relationship (Assume good intentions; embrace mistakes as opportunities; )

c. Teaming (Make sure roles are meaningful; distribute responsibility with awareness; ).

Intra-Department Collaboration Before we start ……

2) Assign roles each time we have Common Planning TimeLearn to break down the work and assign roles in your team so everyone can have an balanced load of work. (Facilitator;note-taker; timekeeper + norm checker. )

Try to include a debrief into your team meeting routine, a debrief discussion that includes an evaluation of how we did during the meeting or during class. Were we productive? This ritual gives team members an opportunity to say what did and didn't work well and how they can improve.

Intra-Department Collaboration What have we accomplished together within department?

1.Regents Test Study

Topics divide and conquer

Intra-Department Collaboration What have we accomplished together within department?

2. Student Data/ Test Analysis: Grade Cam (http://inside.gradecam.com)

Intra-Department Collaboration What have we accomplished together within department?

3. NLA Argumentative Writing- Compare similarities and differences between English/ Chinese

writing- Inspect positive/ negative samples of persuasive essays in Chinese- Establish the common ground of requirements for Chinese

persuasive essays

ConclusionPros & Cons

Thank you for your time!