Highland Community School District Instructional Rounds October 15, 2009

Theory of Action If students are engaged in higher order tasks, and if students are doing most of the thinking, and if students are applying knowledge and skills in real world tasks, then students will transfer knowledge and skills across subjects and grade levels.

Problem of Practice Students do not transfer knowledge and skills across content areas and grade levels e.g. students study measurement in math class, but cannot apply the same measurement skill in science class; students spell correctly on spelling tests but not in their writing.

Questions 1. What tasks students are asked to do? 2. Who is doing most of the work/thinking? 3. What opportunities do students have to apply knowledge/skills, and how do they respond?

TEACHER STUDENT CONTENT THE INSTRUCTIONAL CORE Points of entry for improvement of instruction The culture is present in the academic tasks that students are asked to do If you can’t see it in the core, it’s not there Academic tasks define the real accountability system in your school

Transfer depends on A threshold of initial learning Building on student strengths, prior knowledge Variety of contexts  Practice  Motivation -- challenge  Understanding vs. memorizing  Understanding how to use and apply knowledge

Arteries and Veins Facts or Understand and Transfer

If students are engaged in higher order tasks, and if students are doing most of the thinking, and if students are applying knowledge and skills in real world tasks, then students will transfer knowledge and skills across subjects and grade levels. What tasks students are asked to do? Who is doing most of the work/thinking? What opportunities do students have to apply knowledge/skills, and how do they respond?

Sources of evidence 1. What tasks are students asked to do? pid=916

2. Who is doing most of the work/thinking?

3.What opportunities do students have to apply knowledge/skills, and how do they respond?

Debrief Roles Chris listens Liz and Richard coach Network members Stay in descriptive voice Stick to the evidence “Everyone speaks once before anyone speaks twice”

Individually (10 minutes) Read through your notes Star observations that are relevant to POP Select 5-10 pieces of data and record on individual sticky-notes Categorize by 3 questions

Small Group (30 minutes) Set up a chart Share observations of each classroom Post evidence for each of the 3 questions Identify patterns and record What are the tasks students are asked to do? Who is doing the thinking? What opportunities do students have to apply…? Evidence Patterns Evidence Patterns Evidence Patterns

Partner Group (45 minutes) Group 1 & Group 2 Group 3 & Group 4 Group 5 & Group 6 Group 7 & Group 8 Designate a facilitator, recorder, and reporter ( make charts ) Compare charts Record evidence, patterns for the 3 ??? Summarize and Predict on Chart 4

Create a chart for each question What are tasks students are asked to do? Evidence Patterns What questions do these data raise for you?

Reporter – share Chart 4 What patterns did you see across 3 questions? Prediction: If you were a student at these schools, and you did everything you were expected to do, what would you know and be able to do? What does this tell us about the likelihood students will transfer knowledge and skills to other environments?

Sharing Out Each group shares Chart 4 Describe patterns and predictions 4

Next Level of Work Highland context & plans for sharing with staff Remember Focus on teaching and learning (Core) Aim for clarity about good instructional practice, leadership, and organizational practice Ideas for administrator and teacher leaders Grain size Tie back to collected evidence related to the 3 questions and predictions

NLOW Form new groups – # List what school leaders need to attend to Leadership Organizational practices Instructional practices 1 Highest Leverage 1 “Where would you start?” Be prepared to share

Share key recommendations with Highland Leadership Team Round robin – each group shares Chart 4 High Leverage Where to start Highland Leadership Team - What additional questions did this work generate about the POP?

Wrap Up Thank you Highland leadership team and staff! Evaluate the day

End of day coaching Plus Great process for debriefing Role modeled well Step by step analysis of info Made sense of 3 questions Preparation (Ask it worth the time) Introduction on transfer Opportunity to think about what evidence would look like Delta Confusion with the two observation templates (Allow for possible templates or personal organizer)

Plus Recognizing the emphasis on complexity of this work Helpful to see 2 schools This group has come so far Liked the opportunities to be in dual role – participant and as facilitator Learning in multiple roles Delta Leadership team would have liked to have read materials Only saw 2 classrooms at Ainsworth v. 6, need more observations to see patterns

Questions Elementary Talking to children- harder to stay out of the teacher role and be observer.

Letters to a Young Poet Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day. Rainer Maria Rilke 27