Professional Learning: Meaningful Strategic Process

Earlier in the year, I was apart of a professional conversation that was frustrating. There was not a good plan for the conversation or a good understanding of the team that was at the event. As I think of the questions I have related to good teaching and learning, I'm thinking about how to forward a worthy conversation with multiple individuals about learning--what would work?

Currently our math scope and sequence does not include many Boaler-like open-ended standards-based math explorations. I believe that the research points us in this direction as math educators, so I would hope to make this a topic of a worthy professional discussion.

I can imagine the following plan:

1. Preparation (one week including a weekend ahead): Consider the way you teach division with large numbers. As you consider this think about the practice you promote? Bring your best lessons, activities, problems, and models with you. Note that the overall year's professional learning will be to include more floor-to-ceiling engaging activities in the math classroom--activities that promote the Standards of Mathematical Practice.
2. Meeting One: 
1. Begin with a Boaler video/write-up explaining floor-to-ceiling math explorations. Hand out a plan for this kind of learning effort. 
2. Break educators into small groups of 3-4 educators. Have those educators design and/or find (YouCubed is a good resource) a division floor-to-ceiling exploration that meets the standards, engages all learners, related to their lives, and provides plenty of worthy practice. Give educators a template for this design.
3. Have educators share their explorations in 2-3 minutes with each other.
3. Follow-up and Implementation: Ask teams to finalize their write-ups and share with the whole group. Then ask each educator to implement one of the floor-to-ceiling explorations with their class. Have the teachers take pictures and reflect in writing on the experience.
4. Meeting Two: Have educators give a short presentation (2-3 minutes) on the floor-to-ceiling exploration. What worked? What didn't? Discuss the strengths, challenges, and details of this approach. Make a plan as to how we can include at least one of these explorations for each unit. 
5. Virtual Share: Set up a document for virtual share so that educators can share their work in this realm throughout the year. The document should have columns for links to activity, notes about activity, and results. 
6. Meeting Three: Did this approach make a significant difference in our math program? Why or why not? What does the data show? What do our observations show? Where should we take this approach as we think ahead about the program? 

How do you engage your team in meaningful, deep conversation and action related to professional learning and practice? How do you enlist support of colleagues in this regard? Why does this matter? 

I plan to think more on this in the days ahead. 

School Moments You Treasure: Math Debate

The moments a teacher treasures in school are not what many would think. For example, a few days ago a little girl was curled up in a pink umbrella chair with a good picture book. She was entranced with the book. I treasured that moment.

Another little girl led a group of kindergartners with joy and heart, another treasured moment.

A boy proudly rode his bike in circles at the end of the day on the playground--he was so proud of his strength and agility. Other children happily chased him. A joyful moment.

A typically rambunctious boy, calmly came up to me and asked his first serious question for clarification on an assignment--a first sign of self-advocacy! I was overjoyed.

Then yesterday two young girls came to me with a math problem. They had taken different approaches and solutions to the problem on the right. I sent them back to debate their solutions with one another to try to figure out whose solution was correct. They returned a while later saying that their answers were different and they couldn't figure out who was right and who was wrong.

I enlisted the support of a number of other mathematicians, and everyone puzzled over the problem. I couldn't give it my full attention as I was leading a large group of students on another task so I promised I would go home and figure it out, and we could talk the next day.

Last night, I played with the problem, and in the quiet of my home I figured out where the girls had gone right and wrong with the problem. Today, I'll make some time to talk with them about it. What made this a treasured moment was that the girls were excited enough about the problem that they wanted to talk to each other about it, and then they wanted to talk to me about it. The excitement caught on and several other children puzzled over the strategy and conclusion. I exclaimed, "This is fun!" and they agreed. It's what we hope for in the math classroom, and the challenge is to find more opportunities for exciting math problem solving and debate like this. Onward.

Where do you fit into this big world of teaching and learning?

There's nothing I like more than working with children in ways that truly make a difference. When that occurs, I'm happy.

So as I consider the question of where I fit into the big world of teaching and learning, I'd say it is to increasingly find ways to teach children well.

This means that I have to dig deep in myself to reflect, find the energy, and learn how to teach well, continually developing my craft.

This also means that I have to work with others to advocate for the structure, schedules, routines, and support that help us to teach well. Teaching well depends on the individual and it also depends on the infrastructure that surrounds that individual.

Further it means culling life's time, commitment, and energy so that I have the time to do the work that brings me happiness and feels worthwhile.

Where do you fit into this big world of teaching and learning? What do you need to do to meet that call with strength and purpose?

Calm, Cool, Collected Day

Yesterday's challenge with the field study led the team to rethink end-of-year focus and protocols. We had a good talk as a student-teacher team yesterday, reset the protocols and revisited goals. Then this morning we reviewed the focus and protocols once again, and I noticed a calm, cool, and collected atmosphere in the room. Clearly this was needed and yesterday's events opened the door to this positive update.

Educators and students are pushed in many directions by all kinds of influences, and we have to continually seek balance and purpose amongst all that influence. Questions such as what are our goals, what matters most, and how can we do this well support positive effort in this regard. I feel so fortunate to work with a dynamic grade-level team of classroom teachers, teaching assistants, and specialists in light of this--it's our collaboration that leads to better work and good decisions.

I feel fortunate that we're at the other side of a few calls to recalibrate the year. It's good to move to this bright, gentler and celebratory part of the school year.

School Priorities

There are a number of structures, routines, and efforts that matter a lot in school. As I think of developing my craft and ordering materials, I want to be cognizant of these elements.

Realistic, Supportive Routine
Setting a good routine and schedule at the start of the school year helps you to meet the priority teaching/learning goals.

Priority Teaching/Learning Goals
For the most part, the teaching/learning goals that matter most to system leadership are meeting the State standards and SEL/community building goals and efforts. So as we set the schedule, we'll look for ways to make time for SEL and standards-based teaching/learning.

Positive Protocols and Procedures
I will make the time to work with students to create positive protocols and procedures for teaching/learning community success and happiness.

Teamwork
Positive teamwork will be a continuous thread throughout the school year--a thread that we'll support throughout the curriculum efforts.

Showcase Portfolios, Reflection, and Metacognitive Skill
The showcase portfolios serve as a vehicle for reflection and metacognition. These portfolios also serve as a centerpiece of parent/student conferences and goal setting. I want to think about this process more with colleagues as I'd like to develop this practice in the years ahead. At the end of the year, the showcase portfolios serve as a storybook of the fifth grade year.

Math Materials and Teaching
My main focus is to teach math well. I have a nice collection of math materials, and hundreds of good math lessons and resources to support that. The focus will be to organize those resources as I prepare for the math teaching years ahead. I will also look for good opportunities to develop my math teaching repertoire.

STEAM Teaching
As our team focuses on this area of teaching in the days ahead, we'll think together about the best ways to incorporate and develop this practice.

Field Studies, Cultural Proficiency, and Special Events
This summer we'll focus our efforts on thinking about ways that we can continue to review and build our efforts in this area.

Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences
I want to think about the role of these conferences and how they might support children's learning well.

Materials and Supplies
As a team we've been thinking about the ways that we can make needed materials and supplies available to all students. As I clean up the classroom this spring, I may put together extra supply packets for students who may not be able to access the supplies they need for learning. Our team has found a way to provide tech to students who are not able to access that, and we'll use that strategy in the coming year. Further we'll order a few extra supplies as well to support student learning.

Teamwork, Collegiality, and Idea Share
There are many initiatives int he works that relate to classroom teaching and learning. I'll keep abreast of those initiatives by watching school committee meetings, attending faculty meetings, reading newsletters, and joining committees that support good teaching/learning. I'll seek to align my efforts to work and efforts that invite teacher voice and choice, and steer clear of areas that don't respect or welcome educator ideas and efforts.

Home-School Balance
As always I'll strive for a positive home-school balance which is often a challenge for teachers since both areas of life hold limitless opportunity and possibility.