1. Methuen High School Commonwealth Compass School 2002-2003 For Further Information contact Ellen Parker, Principal One Ranger Road Methuen, MA 01844 enparker@methuen.k12.ma.us Telephone 978 681–1357, Fax 978 681–1397

2. Ongoing Teacher Training and Support for Changes in Instruction

3. Methuen High School A Community of Learners Presenters Ellen Parker, Principal Marianne Moran, Mathematics Department Chairperson Susan McGrath, Mathematics Teacher Jason Humphrey, English Teacher

4. Vision “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” Jonathan Swift Paradigm Shift Paradigm Shift Principal’s Role Principal’s Role Communicating the Vision Communicating the Vision The Result The Result A well-articulated vision can be the foundation for organizational growth.

5. Professional Development Why?

6. Professional Growth for Teachers A continuous, reflective process A continuous, reflective process Enhances subject knowledge Enhances subject knowledge Leads to more effective pedagogy Leads to more effective pedagogy Produces higher student achievement Produces higher student achievement

7. Methuen’s Basic Beliefs: Teaching is a highly skilled craft Teaching is a highly skilled craft All students are capable of learning at high levels with proper learning activities All students are capable of learning at high levels with proper learning activities Learning is a life-long activity Learning is a life-long activity

8. Methuen’s School Administrators: Understood and supported professional growth for teachers Understood and supported professional growth for teachers Provided meaningful courses addressing teaching strategies and assessment techniques immediately transferable to the classroom Provided meaningful courses addressing teaching strategies and assessment techniques immediately transferable to the classroom Encouraged staff participation and provided positive incentives Encouraged staff participation and provided positive incentives

9. Professional Development as an Evolutionary Process: From From a patchwork of non-connected courses through a Paradigm Shift To a systematic sequence of courses that ensures enhancement of academic knowledge and professional performance

10. Professional Development Creates a Professional Community of Learners

11. Professional Development Objectives Renew and Refine Instructional Strategies Renew and Refine Instructional Strategies Promote a Collegial Environment Promote a Collegial Environment Understand and Teach to the Various Learning Styles Understand and Teach to the Various Learning Styles

12. Continuing Education for our Professional Staff Skillful Teacher Skillful Teacher

13. Methuen High School THE SKILLFUL TEACHER’S MAP OF PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE Professional Development Courses: Understanding Teaching 1 and 2 Methuen Public Schools Supervision Program: Four-year cycle of teacher observation and evaluation using skills parameters from The Skillful Teacher

14. Continuing Education for our Professional Staff Skillful Teacher Skillful Teacher Learning Styles Learning Styles

15. ACTIVEEXPERIMENTATIONACTIVEEXPERIMENTATION Help students to create an image of the concept to be taught, connecting expert knowledge to what the students already know. Provide information about the concept. Using a clear sequence of information, show the parts of the concept and draw attention to its most important aspects. Have students share their reflections and analysis of the experience. Create an experience that engages the students in a personal way and builds on what they already know. 41 23 RR L RR L LL ABSTRACT CONCEPTUALIZATION (THINKING) CONCRETE EXPERIENCE (SENSING/FEELING) REFLECTIVE OBSERVATIONREFLECTIVE OBSERVATION Provide hands-on activities for practice and mastery of the concept. Address the necessary skills. Check for understanding. Through experimentation, let the students tinker with what they have learned. Allow them to apply their learning and see how it is used in the real world. Provide feedback that helps students to refine and evaluate their work. Encourage them to summarize the meaning, relevance, and originality of their personal applications of the concept. Support the students in sharing their learning with others. Display their products. Help them to identify new questions to extend their learning. 4-MAT NATURAL CYCLE OF LEARNING

16. Continuing Education for our Professional Staff Skillful Teacher Skillful Teacher Learning Styles Learning Styles Classroom Management Classroom Management

17. Continuing Education for our Professional Staff Skillful Teacher Skillful Teacher Learning Styles Learning Styles Classroom Management Classroom Management Summer Curriculum Development Teams Summer Curriculum Development Teams

18. How Professional Development Has Worked Strong Administrative Foundation Strong Administrative Foundation School-based Instruction School-based Instruction Sustained and Consistent Effort Sustained and Consistent Effort Salary Scale Movement Salary Scale Movement System-wide Vocabulary System-wide Vocabulary

19. Important Changes to our School Improved collegiality Improved collegiality Improved classroom management Improved classroom management The framework for consistent and sustained curriculum revision during the summer The framework for consistent and sustained curriculum revision during the summer

20. Methuen High School Curriculum Guide Mass Framework And Learning Standard Methuen High Expectation for Student Learning Student Outcomes “The Learner will…” Activities Reading and Literature Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the themes, structure, and elements of poetry and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. (14) read and listen critically and actively. (5) demonstrate the study skills of an effective self-directed learner. (7) use multiple strategies for problem solving. (8) in discussion and writing about poetry, use the following elements in order to discern the author’s meaning: structure—stanza, line structure—stanza, line figurative language— simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole figurative language— simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole sound devices—rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia. sound devices—rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia. After reading Roethke’s poem “The Meadow Mouse,” students analyze the key images in each stanza. Students identify how the diction in Bruchac’s “Ellis Island,” a poem about the immigrant experience, reveals a shift in tone and how the stanza divisions are used to organize the conflicting ideas in the poem.

21. Methuen High School Curriculum Guide Instructional Resources/ References Assessment Learning Environment/Instructional Techniques The students will read selected works of short fiction, drama, essays, and poetry from the following anthologies and other collections: Literature—Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes (Gold Edition) Adventures in Reading All students will read Shakespeare—Romeo and Juliet or As You Like It Additionally, the students will read a minimum of five of the following: Bach—Jonathan Livingston Seagull Students’ achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed in the following ways: Use of English Department rubrics to evaluate writing in response to literature, including essays and essay tests. Use of objective measures such as MCAS, publishers’ assessments, or teacher- generated multiple-choice, true- false, sentence completion, and matching items. To foster accomplishment of student outcomes in literature, instruction will be designed to address all learning styles. The learning environment will facilitate free and respectful exchange of ideas among students and teacher. The classroom will be physically organized to provide accessibility of materials, varied arrangements of furniture for small- and large-group activities, and displays of students’ work. Agendas for daily class and homework assignments will be clearly posted.

22. I = Introduction R = Reinforcement M = Mastery S = Synthesis Literature: Reading, Researching, and Viewing—Skill Development I = Introduction R = Reinforcement M = Mastery S= Synthesis Literature: Reading, Researching, and Viewing—Skill Development Students at this grade level will… Students at this grade level will… 9101112 Literary Context compare similar literary works across cultures to recognize universal themes recognize universal themes IRRR compare similar literary works across cultures to recognize the similarities of their own experiences to those of people from other cultures recognize the similarities of their own experiences to those of people from other cultures IRMS explore social issues through literature IRMS use primary sources to relate literature to history IRR explore how specific historical conflicts and movements have influenced themes in literature IR recognize major archetypes from oral and literary traditions IRR

23. Summer Curriculum Accomplishes Four Things Provides consistent standards based curriculum throughout the department Provides consistent standards based curriculum throughout the department Ensures consistent coverage of material throughout the department Ensures consistent coverage of material throughout the department Gives teachers the support to provide informed instruction Gives teachers the support to provide informed instruction Helps teachers develop and hone the direction of their creative talents Helps teachers develop and hone the direction of their creative talents