TEACHER LEADER TEAM Amory School District

District Mission The overarching mission of the Amory School District is to create opportunities for ALL students to achieve at the highest level possible.

5 THINGS EVERY TEACHER SHOULD BE DOING Designing lesson plans that require students to use Higher Order Thinking (HOT) skills Create opportunities to actively engage all students in each lesson Make good decisions about texts used in class, stressing thematic connections and text complexity Use effective questioning to create discussions WITH and BETWEEN students Teach the concept of argument in all content areas.

TLT You have been hand-picked by your principals because of your expertise and leadership abilities.

THE NEED FOR TEACHER LEADERSHIP It is a concept whose time has come The best districts are districts in which teachers take initiative to help improve school and district-wide policies and programs, teaching and learning, and communication.

WHY DO WE NEED TEACHER LEADERSHIP Teaching is a flat profession Teachers often stay at a school longer than administrators Demands on today’s principals are practically impossible to meet Administrators have limited expertise in specific courses

THE TWO TYPES OF TEACHER LEADER ROLES Formal Department chairs Master teachers Instructional coaches Duties- Manage curriculum projects Facilitate teacher data analysis groups Conduct teacher training sessions

THE TWO TYPES OF TEACHER LEADER ROLES Informal Emerge spontaneously from teacher ranks Take initiative wherever help is needed No positional authority Influence comes from the respect they get because of their expertise and practice Call others to action and guide them in the accomplishment of the determined goal

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHERS LEADERS Willingness to collaborate with others Get colleagues to support vision and goals Build consensus among diverse group members Convince others of the importance and need for the goal Understand process of gathering and using data

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES Be open-minded and respectful of others’ opinions and ideas Enthusiastic and optimistic Persistence, don’t allow setbacks to derail reaching the goal Flexible Able to keep discussions on track Make decisions and monitor progress

THREE AREAS OF INFLUENCE OF TEACHER LEADERS Within a department or specific team Across the school Beyond the school You are doing more than teaching your students, you are also influencing the educational environment in your community and, possibly, the state and nation

CONDITIONS THAT PROMOTE TEACHER LEADERSHIP Safe environment for risk-taking Administrators who encourage teacher leaders Absence of the “Tall Poppy” syndrome Create opportunities for the development of teacher leadership

PURPOSE OF THIS TEAM Gain Common Core expertise Spread Common Core expertise throughout the district Common Core implementation Increase Student Achievement

TEAM NORMS Be at meetings and be on time. Plan to stay for the entire meeting. Appointments should be scheduled around meetings whenever possible. Prepare for meetings. Review materials given and be ready for next meeting so that we don’t waste time Collaborate!! Take knowledge gained back to schools and help others put it into practice Be a team player, even if it means agreeing to disagree at times

BINDERS Give out binders and discuss material to be covered at next meeting. Briefly discuss CCSS Anchor Standards, Math Practices, and appendices Set next meeting date and time