UAI POD Share 30NOV15
Our first share-out of our first POD cycle happened on Monday 30NOV15. The topics, posters, and powerpoints are shared below. Also, you can peruse teacher feedback and potential topics for the next cycle below.
POD Cycle 1 topics
(I didn't catch all of the group members, so please do let me know what I missed!) |
| Formative Assessment - How to use it to support student choice (Mike, Christina, & Phillan) |
Using transitions to build self-management (Paula, Rebecca, & Tom)
Using transitions to build self-management (Marsha, Steven, and Sarah)
Questioning and Student Agency (Michael, Wendy, and Meredith)
How to get students to work with intention (Alison, Marianna, and Anna)
Using Conferences to Inform Instruction (Danielle, Joanna, and Natalie)
Teacher Feedback
(If your feedback wasn't included, it's only because I couldn't decipher your handwriting! Sorry!)[1] What did you learn about today that you will definitely implement in your teacher practice?
- Intentionality. Intentionality sheets for students. Strategies around intentionality, using some of the strategies in upcoming units (x2) AND Questioning and agency! Being intentional so my students will be intentional. Student responsibility to prepare before taking diagnostic exams (x3).
- Resource Maps. Simplifying resource maps and labeling each more specifically. I will definitely use a resource map and a scaffolded resource map (based on Danielle's presentation) (x3)
- Exit Tickets. I am definitely going to implement (or at least TRY) systematic participation and exit tickets
- IWT Menus. Find a way to keep a menu of options up during IWT for longer period of time (x5)
- Timers. Back to timers for all formats - not just transitions; visual timers is something I need to implement to demonstrate to the girls the intentionality and fidelity to formats
- Other Ideas
- Remember that students may need to build stamina for independent activities like silent work time
- Daily participation grade (x2)
- I'm going to implement positive emails/phone calls home (Brodie suggested)
- Positive/constructive feedback to deter/stop negative behavior
- Rethinking diagnostic exams. Double entry diagnostic tests (students take notes and write questions) (x2)
- Guided notes
- Pair on-task kids with off-task kids
- Leveraging UR groups during lesson to get students to understand the importance of listening and not interrupting
- Grassroots lessons from conferences to address student skill deficiencies
[2] From this POD cycle, what worked best for you?
- Travelers and Tellers. Travelers and Tellers to see what other groups were seeing (x2);Today was the best part of Pod cycle. We were able to get best practices for so many topics!; Today was most helpful (x2)
- Feedback/Debriefs and Discussion. It was interesting watching our research question change and develop as each observation and feedback was given; Quick, informal debriefs and flexible scheduling; Debriefing/talking about best practices & trying new strategies learned from each other (x5); Getting quick, direct feedback; Receiving feedback on how I can improve students' intention; I found debriefing and planning my next steps with my pod to be most effective; My group had productive conversations around the issues we faced on a daily basis
- Observing Others' Classrooms. Visiting pod members' classrooms was really insightful and gave me lots of ideas for my own practice (x2); Choice in when to have more visitors and with whom; Getting to see high school classroom and expectations!; Having people come into my room; Observing other teachers and how they interact with students (esp in Middle School)
- Other things that worked about Pods:
- Being able to find common patterns
- How do we help students with intrinsic intention?
- The low-inference notes worked well
- I felt that our mutual collegiality and flexibility worked well. Nobody was "mad rigid" about observations. We got them done, without stressing over them.
- I enjoyed the people in my pod
[3] From this POD cycle, what would you change?
- Scheduling Classroom Visits: Not necessary to visit during the same period on the same day; Unclear when observations were over; Classroom visits were sometimes inconsistent or challenging to schedule; More times per week to visit one another; Teacher commitment and not forgetting to show up for Pod observation; Plan full observation calendar in advance and have dates posted on UAI school calendar (e.g "Pod debrief #1" etc.); I wish that pods and grade teams met on different days; No accountability!!! Was never even observed by my pod. Scheduling MS/HS is difficult. I think it should be separate since we are doing different things; Scheduling and mixing things up with middle school teachers. Seeing something once with my schedule was tough
- The Pod Cycle Protocol: Less time for debriefing and more grade team time (x2); Pod protocol. Share less - more feedback- should be less formal (x3); Less time spent - 2 months was too much (x3) ; Sharing out what Pods learned mid-way through the process AND at the end; Feedback cycle - if we could, as a pod, agree upon our own protocol, it would help us feel more engaged; it's too short to debrief without any other time to study/talk about what we are inquiring
- Other things we should consider changing
- A refresh on using google docs and a refresher on how to incorporate theories
- Make observations more individually focused, eg. "I want you guys to look at "x" and give me feedback in that."
[4] For the next POD cycle, what would you like to study?
- Data and Assessment. How to implement formative assessment; Using data to create differentiated resources; How do students know when they learn; Using data/assessments in learning cultures and to drive instruction (x3)
- Intentionality. I'm interested in "intention." I'm curious about choice and "urgency."
- Social Emotional Learning. How do we build SEL goals into our daily academics; Building relationships with students during class time; Decrease Anger; Helping students see the importance and the connection between SEL and academic learning
- Curriculum Planning. Curriculum Planning to help student buy-in (x2); Rigor- how are we supporting our higher achieving students; How to create a curriculum as well as activities that enhance motivation and excitement; Rigor in reading - pushing students who are on and above grade level - planning lesson plans for reading; The most effective way to plan units and lessons; Creating rigor in the English upper grade classes; Subject Area Inquiry - curriculum building and resource creation to better meet CCSS standards for ELA; How to make the most of 10 minute lessons (what to include/what to leave out)
- Conferences. Conferences- How to make them more effective for students; Using Conferences to inform instruction;
- Independent Work time. Managing the multiple projects that students can do and making them equitable; Redirecting/refocusing students during IWT; Making IWT productive
- Other Topics Proposed for the next Pod Cycle
- Technology use/UDL/teaching to different learning styles "best practices"
- Free form? Debriefing on issues as they arise, things we notice during observations (most or of the time what my group came to observe did not happen) or SEL in class
- How can we increase buy-in to learning.
- How do we better teach study habits?
- Creating Responsibility teams and small group instruction that work with artifacts of learning in the context of the unit contract but facilitate Regents Prep.
- Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Transformative Bonds)
- Expectations
- Minilessons
- Classroom Management
[5] What feedback would you like to give to today's presenters
- Michelle, Alison, and Marsha were all really clear and succinct
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