Tapping into Our Teachers’ Talents for PD

One of the things that concerned me coming into my role as Curriculum Director two years ago was knowing which professional development opportunities were worth sending our folks to and which were a waste of the teachers’ time.  Not surprisingly, I have been bombarded with advertisements for “essential PD” from all over the country.  There is no way to know everything about all the PD, so it was natural to ask questions of the “experts” surrounding me including: teachers,  instructional coaches, and other curriculum directors.  The more I spoke with people, the more I was reassured that the folks that we work with everyday are some of the most beneficial resources for professional development we have.

We have been a “Professional Learning Community (PLC) District” for over a decade, but are just really starting to enjoy the power of that continuously embedded professional development because we are making the shift in many of our PLCs from discussing “what” we are teaching  to “how” to teach a concept and “why” that particular pedagogical approach would be best.  A shift in the conversations have allowed our teachers to really lean on each other’s expertise as they share best practices during these discussions.  One of the key pieces to making this shift was being sure to have common planning time, as much as possible, within the teachers’ work day and to be sure to have scheduled weekly PLC..  By providing this embedded time, with the expectation the conversations focus on the “how” and “why”, we have given the teachers a chance to collaborate and it has helped to raise the collective teacher efficacy, one of Hattie’s larger effect sizes,  within our PLC teams.  This continuous and embedded professional development that is generated from high functioning PLC teams is key to tapping into the talents of our staff, however we have found a second way to take advantage of our staff’s strengths as well.

Each semester, I am in charge of organizing a Professional Development (PD) Day for our staff.  As a teacher, I can remember one of my colleagues commenting that he “hopes that when he dies he passes during a PD Day, because the transition will be so seamless he will never know what hit him”.  I didn’t want that sense of disconnect from a PD Day I was in charge of developing, so I leaned on my own 15 years in the classroom to think about what I found valuable.  As a classroom teacher, I was always impressed with many of the student’s thinking and ability to make connections when I didn’t tell them what connections to make.  In fact, if I stayed out of their way, they often made deeper connections to a topic than I would have considered.  I wish I had done that more while in the classroom, but I did try to carry that idea over as a building principal.  

As a principal, I kept those classroom experiences in mind when trying to lead continuous school improvement and I really bought into Rick DuFour & Michael Fullan’s observation,  “If there is one consistent lesson that emerges from studies of the change process, it is that no one leader has all the energy and expertise to reform...a district, improve a school, or meet the needs of students in the classroom each day” (DuFour & Fullan, 2013, p. 24).  Change, and the ability to sustain it, can’t come from one person, but must be brought about through nurturing the ideas of the teachers throughout the district.  In the spirit of supporting schools as a greenhouse, we brought teachers together to discuss the importance of not losing our focus on student learning under the pressure of the current testing accountability system.  What we came up with was a group that focused on nurturing the “roots” of our students such as problem solving, creativity, perseverance, and collaboration.  This group of teachers became our “Roots Committee.”  The Roots Committee is a forum for teachers to bring ideas that nurture our students.  When an idea was brought to the group, a discussion ensued about how it could potentially impact our students, and volunteers created an “off-shoot” committee to dive deeper into investigating the potential of the idea. The following are three examples of impactful shifts in our school culture that were brought about from the Roots Committee:  The elimination of class rank, the initiation of the independent learning experience, and the creation of our service learning class.

So, leaning on what I observed as a classroom teacher and what I gained as a building principal, a new PD format arose in our district.  We decided that we needed to tap into our teachers’ talents as much as possible during these days and provide as much choice in the process because the teachers are the best at determining what they want and need.  What we came up with was a day that allowed our teachers to work and learn together through PLC time during half the day and the other half of the day they would have the opportunities to dive deeper into something new.  We took lead from the teachers’ needs by collecting ideas for potential PD sessions and, most importantly, asked if the teachers would be willing to facilitate those sessions.  We also knew, that no matter what we “provided”, we could not meet everyone’s needs, so we thought “why not offer an ‘Independent Learning Experience’ during our PD days?”.  I love this option because this allows individual teachers or PLC teams to develop their own PD and dive deeper into a topic of their choice.  All they needed to do is share what they plan to research and how what they hope to learn will impact their teaching.  

This is the third year of running our PD Day in this format and each year, I believe, the value of tapping into our teachers’ talents becomes more evident.  As an example in this Fall’s November PD Sessions, there are 28 different opportunities to learn and 26 of those are being facilitated by our own staff.  We also have over 40 different Independent Learning proposals submitted which are providing those teachers the opportunity to meet their own needs beyond what is offered by the district.  The point I am making here is that I could have NEVER come up with as valuable and relevant of PD Day as what is taking place under this format if I brought in a “speaker” or “decided what our district needed” on my own.  By tapping into our teachers’ talents and getting out of the way, I believe we have created opportunities for all of us to use this time to grow as professionals and truly make the time a “Professional Development Day”.  I would also encourage you to consider how your district is tapping into the teachers’ talents, as it has made a difference for us.  

References

DuFour, R. & Fullan, M. (2013).  Cultures built to last: Systemic PLCs at work.

    Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Hire a Math Coach to Raise Your ELA Scores

This week I had the opportunity to attend one day of  the two day  Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) 67th Annual Conference in Columbus.  I know, right now you are probably thinking the same thing I was thinking when I first heard about the conference.  (Insert your own math joke here)  HOWEVER, besides being energized by the passion and depth of understanding of mathematics by those who presented and attended, I was also impressed with the great pedagogy being discussed.  This shouldn’t be a surprise, because good teaching is good teaching no matter the subject area, but I found it refreshing that in a conference that seemed so esoteric at first, common themes emerged that all teachers can and should be addressing in their own classrooms.

Two of those recurring themes include the importance of teacher collective-efficacy and the value of providing students with voice and choice.  I have touched upon efficacy in the past (Using Standards & Collective Efficacy to Get on Common Ground and  Supporting Teacher Collective Efficacy) and have also mentioned the value of student voice & choice (What is Your One Wish for the School Year and  If THEY Build it Learning Will Come) which are also two of George Couros often referenced eight signs of an innovative classroom.  The emphasis I wanted to make in mentioning these two is that any of us can be and should be utilizing the power of these themes in our classrooms.  

At the conference Linda Gojak discussed how John Hattie’s work ties nicely into the mathematics classrooms, but they really apply to all classrooms.  As an example, she opened up talking about how “every student needs a great teacher, not by chance, but by design” which made me immediately go to The Red Queen Effect and teacher collective efficacy.  That is where Linda went with it as well.  She pointed out that when you look at the 8 Effective Mathematical Teaching Practices as endorsed by the National Council Mathematics Teaching (NCTM) they align with many of the practices that Hattie’s research found were impactful for all classrooms.  

• Teacher Clarity (effect size = .75...remember, according to Hattie, anything above 0.4 is impactful in the classroom) is no more than being sure students understand the purpose of the lesson and what connections can be made  and being sure students can provide  evidence of their thinking which is something that can take place in every classroom.
• Classroom Discussion/Discourse (effect size = .82) touches upon the importance of giving student voice leading to them making their own connections over telling students what connections they should be making.  This includes avoiding the use of univocal questioning to funnel kids to an answer WE want them to get.  Again, something that can take place in every classroom.
• Piagetian Programs (effect size of 1.28) is giving the students opportunity to build off of or construct meaning of new material on the foundation of past understanding.  In math it could take place by allowing students to make connections from seeing patterns that could eventually lead to an algorithm used by the student.  It is not telling or showing them the algorithm to use (the trick) prior to them having a conceptual understanding of the concept.  In ELA it would be having students talk about what they are reading and help them to make the connection that the recurring messages they keep mentioning in the story is the theme versus giving them the definition of theme, telling them to read a given paragraph in isolation, and requiring them to identify the theme.  
• Feedback (effect size = .70), especially timely feedback such as formative feedback is valuable  Those take place in the conversations we are having with our students every day.  Conversations can not take place if the teacher is the center of the classroom.  That is more of a lecture which includes asking students “funneling” type questions.  Putting students in a group worthy task which promotes productive struggle provides ideal opportunities to provide feedback.  Once again, this can take place in any classroom as long as the students are able to provide evidence of what they are thinking (make their thinking visible) and the teacher provides opportunity for dialog (timely feedback).

This is just one example of how this math conference was really more about teaching than it was mathematics.  I am  resisting the urge to talk about each of the sessions I attended in this post, but I do feel I need to at least mention one other session because the message about student voice and choice was so strong.

Kim Sutton is a nationally known mathematics teacher whose time in the classroom includes AP Calculus to elementary mathematics.  However, her heart is in the elementary classroom because of the importance of establishing a strong foundation.  Kim pointed out that mathematical foundation was not established by making sure the kids drilled their facts, but was instead based on allowing students opportunities to make connections and talk about those connections (voice & choice) versus telling that what connections they should be making.  She continued to emphasize the importance of allowing kids to make connections by seeing patterns and relationships for themselves, but  before going into all of the “good stuff” she shared, some of which can be found here, she said something which resonated with me.   She stated, that when she saw her kids struggling she knew “she had to change, not the kids” and I thought that was an important point that we all need continue to remember as teachers no matter our subject area, grade, or zip code.  

Our Math Specialist/Coach in our district, Mike Lipnos, often jokes that “if you want to raise your test scores in ELA you should hire a math coach” alluding to the importance of kids being able to see patterns, make those connections, and form relationships between concepts that promote understanding and ultimately learning no matter the content area..  After attending this conference, I am starting to make the connection.  :)

Nine Questions that Promote Thinking

I keep finding myself revisiting this idea of how important it is for our students to be able to ask questions.  In an earlier blog I asked “How are You Celebrating Question Week?” and just last week “Which is Best for Kids: Answers or Questions?”, so it should be no surprise that this week I could not get my mind off of wondering if there are questions out there that we could all look to as starting points to help trigger student thinking.  In my mind, these questions need to be simple enough for us to remember to ask and therefore apply to our lessons on the fly.  At the same time, these questions should be accessible to the students, so that they can start to pick-up and use as they come across roadblocks to their own understanding.  I started listing questions that I think fit that criteria, some of which I have heard being asked in our district as well as others that I have come across in my own reading or in other activities.

What makes you say that?

I love this question as it is simple and accessible, yet it will give a window into where the student’s understanding is at in that particular moment.  Ron Ritchhart in “Making Thinking Visible” points out that this question “helps students identify the basis of their thinking by asking them to elaborate on the thinking that lies behind their perspective” (Ritchhart, Church, & Morrison, 2011, p.165). One caution I would point out is to be careful of which word you emphasize when asking the question.  “What makes you say that?” is more inviting than “What makes you say that?”

What surprised you?

This is a great question to use in any content area and any grade level because all students will have some sort of background knowledge that they can compare to the new information coming in and so, this questions helps the students to connect the two.  

What do you notice?

This question actually helps the students to get used to the idea of asking questions.  Describing what you notice allows students to “safely” engage in the activity because there is no “wrong” answer to what you personally notice as long as you can support your statement with evidence from the activity.

What do you think you know about the topic?

This question is related to those K-W-L charts you see where the “K” is “What do you know about…?”.  I like this question better because it is more inviting.  Students who are not sure if they know something about a topic will not volunteer to share ideas, but by asking it this way you open the discussion to their own ideas.

What do you wonder?

A question such as this is a question generator and helps kids to get more comfortable with sharing their thinking.  Graham Fletcher is someone I follow and his “Three-Act Lesson” videos are a great resource related to this question.  They are focused on K-5 Math, but the concept of the video could be applied K-12 cross-curricular.

What did the author think I already knew?

Kylene Beers & Robert Probst  in their book “Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note”point out that this question is powerful because it takes the responsibility of the student not knowing something about a topic and puts it on the shoulders of the author of the article.  It makes it safer for kids and helps them begin to see the shared information from the author’s perspective.  Another great thing about this question is it can be used in any content area.

What else could it be?

Acknowledges the student's thinking while at the same time opens up the question or problem to another interpretation from the same student or from another student.

Did anyone have a different way of getting to that same spot?

A question like this emphasizes that there is more than one way to get to the same answer or understanding.  Some are more efficient (Math) while others bring in another perspective (ELA), but none the less are legitimate ways to look at a question.

Is there a way we could open or close that question?

This questions introduces students to the idea that the same question can look for different things with a slight modification.  Open questions, “how” or “why”, help students to nurture a more creative approach while closed questions, “What is..” or “Yes/No” questions  which have a more specific answer help a student to refocus the purpose of the question.  The ability to make a closed ended question open or an open ended question closed is evidence of more flexible thinking which will lead to the ability to ask better questions.

I purposely stopped at nine questions because it is literally an odd number and because it naturally makes you feel as if the list is incomplete, which it is.  So, if you have other questions you use, or have seen others use, which promote students’ thinking and their ability to ask questions please add them to this list in the comment section.  Constantly sharing, reflecting, and asking our own questions is the only way to continue to grow (think Red Queen Effect) as learners. How else could we get better at asking questions?

References

Beers, Kylene & Probst, Robert. (2016).  Reading Nonfiction:  Notice & Note Stances, Signposts

and Strategies.  Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.

Ritchhart, Ron, Church, Mark, & Morrison, Karin (2011). Making Thinking Visible. San

Francisco, CA: A Wiley Imprint.

Which is Best for Kids: Answers or Questions?

I recently re-watched a TED Talk from Regina Dugan that proposes the question “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”.  The talk is quite inspiring and starts to get your mind going, but I believe her question does even more.  It reminded me that asking questions can be powerful, especially so in education.  Ironically, in education we tend to be more about getting answers than asking questions.  When I look back at my own classroom, I am as guilty as anyone and I am currently trying hard to break out from that cultural expectation of schools while at the same time immersing myself in “the system”.  It is a system that is not broken in that it gives us the product it was designed to produce.  Students who are, for the most part, compliant and able to follow directions.  However, I am not sure that is the best approach for our children’s future and so I would ask the question, “What do kids need most  that we, as educators, are uniquely able to provide?”and as a follow up “How can we provide that service to all kids?”.  

If I had the answer, I suspect I would be sitting on my own private beach somewhere in the Caribbean instead of my living room couch.  However, that is what is so great about asking questions.  I don’t have to know the answer in order to ask the question.  That seems like an obvious statement, but not so much in schools.  How many times do we as educators ask a question to our students that we already know the answer?  How many times do students expect us to know the answer because we are the teacher?  When you live in an answer driven environment, you only ask questions you know the answers to and you only answer questions for which you know how to respond to the question .  Very little risk of failure on either side takes place and as a result learning or growth is stunted.  Asking a question to which you don’t know the answer can be complex and messy.

In his book, “A More Beautiful Question”, Warren Berger points out “Part of being able to tackle complex and difficult questions is accepting that there is nothing wrong with not knowing” (Berger, 2014, p.186).  He also points out there are four reasons people tend to avoid asking questions.

• Questioning is seen as counterproductive; it’s the answers that most people are focused on finding.
• The right time to ask fundamental questions never presents itself (too early or too late).
• Knowing the right question to ask is difficult (better not to ask).
• What if we find we have no good answers to the important questions we raise?

Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is not easy to do when you are in a class of 25-30 students, but I wonder if that is a window into what schools could uniquely provide to kids?  

I have seen this happen in pockets as I travel in and out of classrooms in my school district.  Teachers in an ELA class  conferencing with students and asking questions like, “How has the main character changed over time in your story?” even though the teacher has never read the student’s book before is one example.  In a different class I have observed students in a math class being shown a picture of two Dominios with the teacher asking, “What do you notice?” or “What do you wonder?”.  There is no way to know where that conversation is going to go for sure.  However, a teacher who puts himself in situations that allow kids to get comfortable with observing and developing their own questions helps kids to become more mathematical in their thinking.  These questions combined with the teacher being comfortable enough, and knowing the content enough, to recognize where the students’ mathematical understanding is at and then ask the next best question for students to build their understanding is a great way to pull kids into math.  Both of these examples are complex and messy, but effective and impactful. The great thing about either of these examples is that the conversations, and therefore the learning, is not limited to what the teacher knows.  Each situation will be unique to the group of students who are asked the questions.  The other piece to remember here is the only way get to better at having “uncomfortable” conversations with kids is to put yourself in more of these situations.  

Questioning may be seen as slowing the “learning” process (coverage of material actually) because it takes time, particularly by those who believe that what the students need are answers.  However, it is precisely the process, not the product, that helps students learn.  When a classroom culture is inquisitive, the questioning becomes more natural and the learning and sharing between students is only limited by the teacher’s intolerance to ambiguity.  I know, this is probably only the start to an answer.  Remember, I said I didn’t know the answer when I asked the question.  However, I do feel we have to start asking the questions to shift our culture in education to valuing questions over answers. I realize it is messy, complex, and not easy but a more scary question to me is, “What if we do nothing?”.

References

Berger, Warren (2014). A More Beautiful Question.  New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing.