“Expectations must be specific so they are clear to the students and so there is no room for debate. For example, what does it mean for students to work in groups? Are they expected to produce one product from each group or will each student produce a product? When is working together collaboration and when is it cheating? Does “work quietly” mean in absolute silence or keep it to a dull roar?”
-Dan Berrett
We’ve finally had our first full week of instruction this school year and it’s been a treat to see the many exceptionally artifacts of student learning popping up on our bulletin boards. From student-generated math problems around paranormal activities (“One day I saw 3 ghosts. Then I saw 2 more ghosts. How many ghosts in all?” -Ms. Khatibi’s class) to thinking maps that push and guide students to develop higher order thinking skills (“How do different farms compare and contrast?” -Ms. Yeznach’s class), students are demonstrating successful learning through authentic and purposeful assignments and activities.
The two assignments mentioned above are wholly different in subject area, grade, and theme (unless the ghost is of the bovine variety), but they share a crucial ingredient in effective instruction: clear and explicit expectations for all intended learning outcomes. Using rubrics with student-friendly and objective language to establish criteria for learning in several sub-skills, Ms. Yeznach and Ms. Khatibi provided students with not only maps to the learning “destination” but also the turn-by-turn directions to get there. By deconstructing learning into actionable and measurable steps, these teachers also afford themselves the opportunity to more accurately assess student mastery.
A Note on Classroom Observations:
Likewise, it is important that school administrators set expectations for teaching just as clearly as we ask teachers to do so for student learning. A powerful tool for this work is the Danielson framework for instruction that provides teachers and administrators a common vernacular for instruction. The DF rubric demystifies the “art” of highly-effective teaching into a series of actionable (and observable) practices, and communicates in explicit detail what our school expects from teachers in every classroom. Supervisors will determine ratings solely by matching observed teacher practices to the rubric in each applicable component, and as such all ratings will be supported by objective data. By adhering to the rubric with fidelity, we are better able to provide fair ratings and perhaps even more importantly, offer actionable next steps that can rapidly improve student learning. If you have yet to do so, you should review the rubric to understand for each component the differentiating factors between each rating. For example, in 3D, Using Assessment in Instruction:
Developing: The teacher…monitors student learning for the class as a whole.
Effective: For groups of students…questions and assessments are regularly used to diagnose evidence of learning.
Highly-Effective: Questions and assessments are regularly used to diagnose evidence of learning by individual students.
We will engage in continual learning in the DF throughout the year. If you are interested in facilitating these sessions for a specific component, please reach out to me or any members of the Professional Learning Committee.
Weekly Highlights:
Thank you to Ms. Jessica Beltran to stepping up and providing teachers with individualized data and a crash-course in data-analysis. Your efforts allow teachers to better identify areas for celebration and for growth, and will surely be the catalyst for the adjustments every teacher can now make to significantly impact student learning. Thank you.
Mr. Weiss’s students continue to benefit from his passion for learning, and we hope that 102 will be approved for the City’s STEM Budding Scientist Program. Mr. Weiss proposes that our students engage in an action research project involving how plants around our building can better support an ecosystem of both animal and plant life, a learning project that is both rigorous and relevant. Thank you Mr. Weiss for your efforts in bringing the Common Core, not mosquitoes, to life.
Things You Need to Know:
-RtI is set to begin next Monday. Ms. Falesto, Ms. Delivecchio, and Ms. Beltran will be provide targeted instruction to address learning gaps in some of our neediest students. They will reach out to all cooperating teachers and you should discuss with them to learn more about their work.
-Our Professional Learning Committee has been formed and here are the members:
-Ms. Delvecchio, Ms. Falesto, Ms. Beltran, Ms. Duke, Ms. Jenal, Ms. Pera. Ms. Budarf, Ms. Arlequin, Mr. Summo, Ms. Green, and Ms. Zecca. We will have our first meeting Wednesday and we’re expecting great things from such a formidable team. Stay tuned.
-We will meet next Monday in the Cafeteria at 3:00PM. Greater Ridgewood will no longer be in the Cafeteria after 2:55PM on Mondays and will instead be moved into classrooms in the following locations: 203, 205, 207, 209, 327, 403, 405, 407, and 411.
-And finally, I will be engaging in learning walks with our two literacy coaches starting next week. These walks are intended for my development as a principal, and collected evidence during these short classroom visits (~5 mins.) will not be used for evaluative purposes. Please let me know if you have any concerns or would like to invite us for a brief visit.
Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!
mrkobot.com 