The Role of Teacher Teams in Creating Student Identity & Success Erica M. Nelson

“Learning is about constructing relationships in which students connect with teachers or subjects. Small learning communities foster the personalization strategies to support those relationships.” Tom VanderArk Do Now: When I was a (K-12) student I would say that I was ____________________. When I was a (K-12) student I thought my school/teachers were ____________________.

What some students have to SAY… “I want to say thank you to my teachers for teaching me everything that I needed to know and more about what I wanted to learn” 9 th grader (CTDHS) “ I want to be apart of the leader program so that I can help impact my school and my peers for life after Gage Park” ~ 11 th grader (College Summit Peer Leader Applicant)

“ My teachers worked together and recognized how I felt about my grades. I learned to prioritize my goals and #1 was achieving all A’s” -10th grader

Objectives PWBAT (Participants Will Be Able To)  Reflect on their school experience and identify the need for building successful teacher teams.  Review effective strategies for creating student identity and school success.  Identify and map strong Tier 1 strategies to help invest their students into their teacher or academy team.

Steps to Creating A Teacher Team That Drives Student Identity and Success 1.Create a STRONG teacher team 2.Push for STUDENT EXCELLENCE 3.Brand Yourself 4.BUILD the FUN in 5.LISTEN to your students and team members

Activity Part 1: Stop. Think. Jot (5 mins) On the sheet provided, choose one of the questions below to reflect and respond to. What is the most meaningful team that you have been apart of and what made that team meaningful? Or Think back to when you were on a team and you were made to feel like you were a true part of the team. When was that? How did the leader and/or members help you to feel like you belonged?

Activity Part 2 (15 minutes) 1. Now with your group members, take turns to share your response. 2. Using the poster paper, with your group list the common ideas of how one can be made to feel apart of a team and how to make a team meaningful?

Let’s Review the BASICS… What is the role of teacher teams?

What does your team look like? Who should be at the table? Example of roles…  Team Leader  Data Collector  Special Events Coordinator  Recognition Coordinator  Community Outreach Coordinator Team Team Leader English Teacher (s) Guidance Counselor Social Studies Teacher(s) Science Teachers ) Elective Teacher(s) Special Education Teacher (s) Math Teacher (s)

1. CREATE a STRONG Teacher Team Before you even start… Recognize everyone has something to offer and so everyone has a part (role) to play  Establish a uniform mission and set of goals  Be academy and whole school TRANSPARENT  Be Consistent …Start Strong, Stay Strong, End Strong! " Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success” Henry Ford

2. Push for student EXCELLENCE  Improve Student Achievement  Data-based Strategies and Interventions to Assist Students  Attendance! Attendance! Attendance!  Rewards and Incentives  Collection and Analysis of Attendance Data  Maintain Positive School Climate  Positive Reinforcement/High Expectations  Increased Parental Interactions * The key is that both students and adults are both AWARE!

Mid Point Check-Up From the eyes of a student how would they respond to the following regarding your current school/ grade level team? 1)How does your school look? Is it welcoming? 2)My academy/small learning community is located in its own part of the school building? 3) The teacher and administrators I pass in the halls of my academy/small learning community know me by name?

3. BRAND yourself!  Have a set space of the school building (house, school wing or floor)  Decorate your space (Hint… Make it a student or class project)  Dress Code If your school has a dress code work with administration to configure a variation such as color-specific shirts for your academy/team or pick a day for once a week or month that students are encouraged to wear their color or team logo (i.e. Academy Friday’s)  Illustrate your mission/vision statement, expected behaviors, student virtues

4. BUILD the FUN in! Start of the Year Activities  Welcome/ Wisdom Message Board  Class of “….” T-shirt creation and giveaway for students.  Pep Rally (starting strong theme… attendance)  Sign Your/Declare Your Future: Name Cap & Gown Activity  Themed Assemblies ( Oscar Awards, March Math MADNESS )  Academic Boot camp

Staying Strong /We’ve Hit a Bump Middle of Year Activities  Open Gym  Holiday Potluck  Event Timeline Poster  Door/Cohort Decorating Contest  Affirmation Recycle (remind students of their promises from RCC)  I AM… Student Art/Poetry Display  Rising Stars Appreciation  Quarterly VIP Lunch Celebrations  Themed Family Engagement Events (i.e Video Game Night, Hunger Games, Clue)  Shoe/Mp3 Raffle  Movie day

Finish Strong Activities  Check In/Check Out staff mentoring program  Bridge Ceremonies  Field Day  Talent Show  School/ Off-site scavenger hunt  Service Learning Project  Skating Party  EXPLORE/PLAN (standardized test) gains contest  Out of Uniform, College T-shirt day  Student/Cohort Video Contest

5. LISTEN to your students and your team members Have regular and purposeful check-ins with your students and adult staff… For students have …  Town halls  Suggestion Boxes  Event/Academy Timeline poster For the adults …  Sacred meeting time portioned for concerns and also celebrations (WINS/WISHES)  Breakfast/Lunch Rotation  Round Robin/Daily Circle Check-in or Check-out  Try something off-site Most importantly

“You know how they have all the freshmen together and the same teachers? They didn’t have that back then when I was a freshmen. I think if they did, I would’ve done better and stayed on track.” 11 th grade student at current DN school

Comments, Questions, and Contact Info: Erica M. Nelson at “ The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.” Rensis Likert