Demonstration Lessons

Children aren't the only ones that spend their time in study.

On any given day when you enter the Administrative Conference Room at CCE , you will most likely find a group of teachers having collegial dialogue, unpacking the grade level standards in a content area, building units of study, and/or creating assessment aligned with standards and instruction. CCE teachers are not under the false impression that the learning stopped as they held their college diplomas or after just five years in the classroom as research indicates. Rather, teachers know that spending time in study together, as they so often do, reaps benefits that impact their classroom instruction and student performance ten fold.

As a cornerstone of the work we do during these TDE days, the first component of the day is normally a Demonstration Lesson that focuses on the topic at hand. With newly adopted state math standards and curriculum tools, the First Grade team decided to spend a day together talking about their math implementation. Together, Cheryl Dillard, First Grade Math Lead Teacher, and I created an agenda. We decided on the work that could be done in advance to expedite some of the processes and spent a day together before hand organizing learning and preparing for the session.

To start the day, we asked the fourteen member team to join us for a math demonstration lesson in Cheryl and Maria's classroom. The team, with pen and paper in hand, gathered to watch an Interactive Math Skills Block and a Math Workshop Lesson. Beginning the day in this manner gives teachers the opportunity to see, first hand, what is happening in a colleague's classroom. The learning that takes place in this short time together is so much more productive than just having a conversation, because they can learn the nuances of their peer's work. They see and feel the spirit of the classroom; They watch students at work in a live classroom; They observe the rituals and routines that pace the math learning; They note the level of questioning that occurs; They remember the artifacts that support student learning; They keenly ask questions that support student achievement; They reflect on their own practice; They borrow ideas; They note changes they will make in their own classrooms. Then, they gather back back in the conference room to have collegial conversation about the observation.

Most of the time, this takes less than an hour and frames the learning that will occur in their day of study together. On this particular day, after the lesson, the team took a closer look at the demonstration lesson and asked questions about the planning that occurred. Next, we prepared the teachers to look at the global picture. We had them look at the math standards that would be covered in the year and gave them an alignment guide that we had created ahead of time. The guide gave them each unit of study aligned with the standards, as well as examples and remarks given for that particular standard. The standards that weren't part of the document, because they weren't explicitly taught in the MI unit, were included on an Interactive Skills Block overview for the year. In addition, we gave them a Concepts and Skills Overview that our states RtI committee had created. In all, they had the global picture and weekly picture so they could quickly move in their own planning to creating a daily plan. After this, the teachers split into pairs and divided the units to begin writing assessments.

This on the clock professional development, supported by the principal's hiring of substitutes, is one of the single most important things we do. Teachers roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. They are in study together. We'll have many more days like this, and though I don't get a chance to write about all of them, the flow of the day remains much the same.

So, stay tuned for our progress...

Shared Reading

Last week, I hosted our second Vertical Content Conversation from 10-2, and our topic was shared reading. A group of ten teachers signed up to participate and our principal hired substitutes to cover their classes. Our day consisted of three demonstrations lessons, debriefs, conversation over lunch, and a text study from a chapter in Fountas and Pinnell's text, Comprehending and Fluency.

The day was very productive and teachers appreciated watching Shared Reading lessons in Kindergarten, First Grade, and Fourth Grade. (To read more about the lessons, please visit Timmons Times) They discovered many similarities and discussed the differences across grade levels, they pilfered implementation ideas, and grappled with how best to implement shared reading more often in their classrooms. They talked about shared reading ideas for Skills Block and Readers' Workshop, and in other content areas. They laughed together, questioned, and perhaps most importantly, bottom floor and top floor colleagues built relationships with one another-not an easy task with such a large faculty.

While teachers observed the lessons, they jotted notes on a recording template which asked them to think about what shared reading is, what shared reading is not, artifacts to support shared reading, and implementation ideas I have for my own classroom. We debriefed their observations and their conversation confirmed that these types of vertical learning experiences are valued by our staff.

To make the text study meaningful and connected, as stated earlier, I selected a chapter from Comprehending and Fluency. I grappled with whether to have teachers read this chapter in advance, or to integrate the reading into our day. I ended up deciding they should see shared reading first and then they would get more out of their reading. I knew we wouldn't have enough time or patience to sit and read the whole chapter, so I took ten questions from the chapter, color coded via highlighter each question, and assigned each participant with a question. I gave the participants the colored highlighter that went with their question, asked them to highlight the answer, and be prepared to share. The conversation was focused, shared from many speakers, and the momentum seemed appropriate. I also like the fact that these teachers can walk away with a resource usable for reflection and lesson building in the future.

I enjoy these days, because of the observation, dialogue, and reflection. And, the fact that it is a captive audience. The invitation is extended to all teachers advertising the topic so each learning leader in attendance has a desire to learn more, essential to the day's success. I look forward to more days filled with Vertical Content Conversation.

(On a side note, if you are going to watch the shared reading lessons, I encourage you to watch them all. Each of the teachers had great ideas that can be implemented regardless of the grade level you teach.)

Kindergarten Shared Reading

K - Shared Reading - Mallon Dillard 10-09 from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

First Grade Shared Reading

1st Shared Reading McLeod 10-09 from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

Fourth Grade Shared Reading

4th Shared Reading - Nash 11-09 from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

A Day of Learning

One of the things I admire most about our school is the focused attention taken on learning from others. We are a school community who embraces the culture of making teaching transparent and learning visible. We are not afraid of observing others, or inviting them to observe us. We welcome the opportunity to get and give honest feedback, and reflect on our classroom practice. Because of this unmistakable culture of observation, dialogue, and reflection, we move instruction and student learning forward each year.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend a day of learning with the Second Grade Math & Science Team. The agenda focused on Math in the morning and Science in the afternoon, and the greatest portion of our day was set aside to observe in classrooms and then meet to debrief and have conversation about what we observed. We asked questions, compared what we saw to our own practice, and then brainstormed as a team how to move the instruction forward.

We began with a 15 minute observation of EveryDay Counts Calendar Math in Karen Morris' classroom, and then stayed for her 60 minute Math Workshop. Teachers observed Karen going about her regular classroom instruction and jotted notes as they observed. They saw how impeccable Karen's rituals and routines were established, how flawlessly her students transitioned, and they commented on her incredible wait time. They also remarked, in debrief, about how Karen never was satisfied with an answer, but always asked why, and how strategically she pulled students during Work Period for small group instruction.

Interestingly, some of the teachers had already taught the lesson they were observing and others had not. This made for interesting conversation in debrief, not only about the content of the lesson, but also about the little nuisances of teaching, like the fact that Karen had cut out the geometric shapes and had them on the board making it easy for the shapes to move as she explained the game rather than having to introduce the lesson from her document camera.

The 2nd Grade teachers were very interested in watching Karen, in particular, because Mrs. Morris' is a math teacher with experience in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade at Chets, and her insight as a 2nd grade teacher related to preparing kids for future years, is of great interest to this group of teachers.

After Mrs. Morris' lesson and debrief, we went out to lunch. We had conversation about our families, our interests, and about school. We strengthened our relationships and spent quality time in fellowship.

In the afternoon, we dedicated our time to learning in Science. The team decided to observe in Patricia Wallace's classroom because last year Patricia was a Grade 5 Science teacher, and once again, the Second Grade teachers are intrigued by the similarities and differences across grade levels. We observed Mrs. Wallace teach the first two E's of the 5 E model, Engage and Explore using a Sink or Float Science lab. Teachers noted how well her students transitioned from the lesson to lab stations, the organization on the part of the teacher to have everything prepared in advance for the lab, how independently students moved through the lab sheet, and how well the student's teams worked together. They commented about Mrs. Wallace's facilitation of the lesson during Work Period and her depth of questioning without giving away the answers. In debriefing, the team inquired about Mrs. Wallace's process for planning for this lesson and others, and asked whether she would change anything the next time she did this lab.

I observed teachers jotting notes, asking for a copy of the lab sheet, and discussing how they were going to tweak the lab to meet the needs of their students. The watched, reflected on their practice, and pilfered new ideas for to improve their own instruction.

The rest of the day was spent on Science content learning in the Administrative Conference Room.

No matter how many of these days I participate in, and it has been too many to count, I always leave thinking that the day was productive and the learning taken away valuable. I also know that practice changes exactly where it needs to in order to move student learning forward--in the classroom at the instructional level.

Science Demonstration Lessons

Last year, teachers filled out a professional development survey, and we discovered that the professional development sessions they found most helpful were related to differentiated technology. Teachers liked having the option to select their session and meet in small groups. So, we knew we had to continue that practice and find a way to offer more.

It didn't take long for visionary dayle timmons to come up with an idea. She thought we could choose a topic and invite teachers on a voluntary basis to participate in a day of lesson observation and debrief. Principal Susan Phillips agreed to secure substitutes and give it a try.

Per our School Improvement Plan and based on data, science is an area of focus for us this school year. So to begin with the differentiated offering, we found it fitting to focus on the 5 E model, and two of our Science Council members agreed to invite observers into their classrooms. Last Wednesday from 10 am to 2 pm, we offered our first session and ten teachers joined us for observation lessons and debriefs.

Rachel Bridges and Heather Correia co-taught a first grade lesson for their colleagues. We observed Day 2 of a 4 day lesson sequence. The four day lesson focus was for students to know that a push or a pull can change the motion of an object and for students to demonstrate using pushes and pulls to change the motion of 4 different objects. In addition, students needed to be able to record the motion of each object in their science journals using the words "push" or "pull."

On Day 2, observation day, Rachel and Heather's colleagues were able to watch the Explore portion of the lesson sequence. Students observed four objects and recorded in their science journal their predictions for how the objects would move. Then, during Work Period, students worked in pairs to explore how their objects moved and record their data in their science journals. To close, students returned to the floor to share their explorations as a whole class. Some students used the words push and pull, as well as fast and slow. Day 3 of the lesson will take the learning into the Explain portion of the 5 E model.

After the lesson, Rachel joined the group in the conference room for a debrief. The group was thoroughly impressed with the classroom learning environment, the young students use of science journals, and the teacher's implementation of the science word wall to aid student learning. They applauded the teachers for introducing journaling and a 5th grade teacher shared her connection with student's journaling in Grade 5. The observers asked questions, shared their ah ha moments, and immediately selected ideas they wanted to implement in their own classroom.

After the group enjoyed lunch together, we headed to Lynn Patterson's Fourth Grade classroom or another lesson. The students were trying to answer the question, How does the movement of the Earth affect the position of the Sun? Observers were able to watch classroom instruction on the first two E's, Engage & Explore. The Engage began with the teacher showing students photographs she had taken of a sunrise and a sunset with captions. They discussed what could be causing a change in the position of the sun and students recorded their hypothesis. Next, they quickly reviewed their materials and a procedure lab sheet before students set off to conduct a lab to explore the guiding question.

Students, in the lab, used models of the Earth and a flashlight to set up the scenario of a sunset and sunrise with the emphasis on the correct tilt and positions of the continents. Students worked in pairs to generate conclusions and record their findings. The lab sheet then provided guiding questions related to geography and required students to study maps in their Social Studies books to answer additional questions. Students gathered for Closing Session afterward and most students concluded that the sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west each day due to the counterclockwise rotation of the Earth on its tilted axis. Students also shared their learning related to the other questions.

After the lesson, the observers debriefed the lesson in the conference room. They all agreed that the students had adequate guidance to get started on the lab, but that the majority of the session required students to be independent learners. The teacher facilitated instruction as she visited pairs around the room, but the students were expected to read and follow the procedures to work their way through the lab. All students were on task and recording their findings. The observers were also impressed with the teacher's purposeful integration of geography, and having the conclusion in cloze form to get the students to think more deeply about their conclusions.

The teachers who participated appreciated the opportunity, raved about their colleagues classrooms, and each had ideas they wanted to implement into their own teaching. As a coach, I took note of those teachers who seemed eager to share and asked for further opportunities, as well as those that remained more timid. I think that one of the most important learning opportunities came when there were ah ha moments from intermediate teachers visiting the primary classroom, and primary teachers in the intermediate classroom were priceless. An element of the day that I hope we continue. I plan on follow up discussion with these teachers individually to find out which new ideas grew for them out of this experience and which ones they've successfully implemented in their own instruction.

Opening our Doors, Sharing our Practice

Working at The Creek is exhilarating! One of my job roles includes hosting visitor groups who come from all corners of our globe to learn about standards-based education. Chets is a Cohort 2 America's Choice School, meaning only one cohort of schools entered the school reform before we did. We went through some intensive whole school design changes in a three year roll out and became an America's Choice Demonstration Model School. Now, through word of mouth, school leaders call from near and far to schedule observations.

The visitor groups usually spend the day with me, the School Standards Coach, observing workshop lessons, focus walking classrooms, analyzing student work on bulletin boards and in student portfolios, asking countless questions about our culture, our traditions, our professional development, our unprecedented results. They come to see our work in action, to get the big picture in one day. Or, for a few, who have begged their way into my heart, they return multiple times to collect all the minute details that make us tick.

Last week was a busy one. We hosted visitors from China and New Mexico, and visitors from within our district. Our teachers graciously opened their classroom doors, as they always do, to provide the opportunity for other educators to learn about their instruction, their assessment, their student work, their classroom artifacts. I'm sure at times our CCE teachers may duck when they see me coming, it is not uncommon that one of them has 20 educators standing in the perimeter of their rooms hanging on their every word! But, you wouldn't know it because on visitor days, it is always business as usual.

Though these days are difficult to build into an already jam packed schedule, they are also some of my favorite. I get to observe classroom instruction from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade; I get to go in all teacher's classrooms on focus walks; I get to analyze student work from throughout the building; I get to share our vision, mission, and learner expectations. It doesn't get any better than that!