WhenI work with coaches, we often refer to the act of watchingfor and commenting on the positive things others do as“being a witness to the good.”
One of my teammates is SO GOOD at this! Whenever we are chatting at lunch as she talks about having a hard day with a certain class, she generally brings it back to, "Tomorrow I'm going to do my best to only notice the positive things and call them out."
Often theirresponse is more anindication of wherethey stand emotionallywithin themselves andnotso much about meResilience is requiredthen to keep makingthose emotional bidsfor personal connectioneven when theresponses are not whatyou hoped for
This is absolutely something I have to work on. I have a feeling this could also just have to do with some people's communication styles. Am I reading something as a turn against that they actually intended as a turn toward?
Often the distractions involved tech-nology, work, or simply the thoughts going through theirminds.
This immediately makes me think of my two year old. How often does he "bid" but I'm distracted with other things? I often overreact when someone turns away from my bid and it makes me clam up and feel slighted. I will have to keep this in mind when it comes to my TCs and my students.
A]n estimated forty percent of all questions thatpeople utter are really statements in disguise.Another forty percent are really judgments in dis-guise:
I'm really going to pay attention to this going forward, and more than anything else so far this makes me want to record myself in a meeting to see what kinds of questions I'm asking. Fascinating!
Questions(2011),DanRothsteinand LuzSantanawritethat“open-ended.questionsstartwithWhyandHow?Close-endedquestionsstartwithIs?Do? and Can
I appreciate how practical this is as a starting point for creating great questions. I know I'll be thinking about this when I talk with my pre-service teachers.
Usingthestandardstoidentifylearningoutcomesforunitsandlessons;¢Developingunitsandlessonstoachievelearningoutcomes;¢Writingbenchmarkstomeasureprogresstowardthestandard;
A lot of this work has fallen to us as teachers in the past. We're given a curriculum map with when to teach what text... but we're missing critical pieces about standard benchmarks. It's fascinating work and so helpful in considering exactly what students should be learning how to do, but it is so time consuming.
First,itminimizesvarianceinthequalityofinstruc-tionacrossclassroomsandthusgivesstudentsequitableopportunitiestolearn.Asecondbenefitofteamplanningist
Having our teaching partner/coach help us learn how to team plan has been one of the biggest gamechangers of the past couple of years for my PLC. Not only have we seen all of these benefits, we also find that we have more time for the non-planning work of teaching AND we're designing better lessons than we could when we were doing everything on our own.
When adults praisestudents' intelligence after a student performs well, they send a fixed mind-set message:you're intelligent and that's what I value in you. When adults praise effort (or strategies),however, they send a growth mind-set message: you can build your abilities througheffort
I have had a co-teacher who literally wouldn't allow students to call themselves or others smart or intelligent because she said that wasn't what mattered. I do on some level want all of my students to believe that they are smart... but I fully understand how important it is to praise strategies and effort instead of inherent skills.
Some teachers believed that students had fixedintelligence and that they, as educators, had no influence on theñstudents' basicintellectual capabilities.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this, but I am! Why would you become a teacher if you thought you had no impact on student success??
With all the external push from various sectors, ultimately teachers are the ones that can cut through all of the cross-purposed mandates and transform their own process and practices to ensure the best educational experiences for their students.
It's so easy to feel powerless in the fact of district and school mandates, and I find myself oscillating between feeling prepared to do what I believe the research tells me I should and thinking maybe I should just be going along with what I'm told even if I truly don't think it's what's best for my kids. This is an empowering reminder that I am a professional with a voice and I need to use it (and teach my TCs to use it too!)
In a dialogue, all partici-Be: actively involved in creating meaning andg together.
This makes me think of my team. We have worked together for going on three years, and I have seen increased examples of this as time has gone on. I hope I can continue to grow as a leader so that they are more common. Initially I thought I was fostering dialogue, but in reality my team was looking to me as the leader to say what we should do and then either going along with it or pretending to go along with it while changing things to suit them better. I'm glad there is more trust there now!
Dialoguereallyhelped meliveouttherespectthatIhavetowardthiswomaninatangible way
I love the way this is phrased. Using these practices helped her show the respect that she already had, it didn't create a false front that allowed her to correct the experienced teacher.
thelearning strengthsofindividual teachers
I've never had a supervisor in education that has considered my learning styles (at least not that I could tell!). It's interesting how often we don't practice what we preach when it comes to teaching teachers.
Onereasonforthesefailuresmaybethatsupervisors havenothelpedteacherstointegratethesnnovationswiththeirpastexperiencesOradapttheinnovationstotheircurrent
This really hits home for me! We are so often told that the way we were doing things is bad and that this new thing will make our students grow... and then two years later we're told that the way we were doing things failed and that this NEW new thing will make our students grow instead. We aren't properly trained and not given the time to see whether something will actually pan out before being thrown onto the next idea.
cametoacknowledgethatdifferencesbetweenadultsandchildrenaslearnersmaybeamatterofdegreeandsituationratherthanarigiddichotomy.Nevertheless,thetheoryofandragogyisstillacc
Even with the caveats, this feels incredibly important to consider when teaching adults! (again, maybe also when teaching teenagers). I really resonate with these points, and it feels as though many who create PD that I've attended should refamiliarize themselves with them :)
henwe Look Aheadtodemonstrate d thethy,we consider our own thoughts and feelings a
At this point in the reading I am thinking a lot about how I can be more empathetic toward my TCs in the future. How well do I remember what it felt like to be in their shoes? How can I imagine things have changed since then? What can I do to make sure they are affirmed while guiding them along the path of becoming an empathetic teacher themselves?
I really need to notot = re : me sayin oer and instead just thin
Ooh this is huge for me! I am really guilty of the cognitive distortion of mindreading, and I absolutely create needless barriers between myself and others because of it.
The way to fight for equality, |0 see all people as fully human, not | |/reducing themtoastereotype.Anddemonstrating empathy.;humanize themby»“AYtodothatisby
And it is sooo easy to turn our students into stereotypes, either just as students at our school or into more specific groups. "Our kids won't do that..." "That won't work for our kids..." "Our kids are AMAZING at that..."
“movealmostnever.Andneverisexhausting.
Moving is so important for our brains! But students have also been trained by the time I get them to sit all day and often complain when I make them move (though I also complain at PDs when the same thing happens, so I totally get it!).
s’ eyes andfeel theworldfeelings
This is such a lovely definition of empathy! I've previously struggled to explain the difference between sympathy and empathy to my students beyond sympathy being "I'm so sorry, that must suck" and empathy being "I feel you, I'm here."
ome people tell me they want tospeak up, but they don’t know how. Astrategy that I share is called “thethree F method,” which stands for“felt,” “found,” “feel.”
What a great way to feel capable of showing up in these challenging moments!
All of this is happening inthe presence of white teacherswho have no personal historywith that type of identityexploration, nor have theygiven much thought to theirown identities, even in midlife.
This can even be true to the point where we as white folks don't think we have a culture because we've so deeply absorbed the false idea that we are the norm. I remember starting out as an English teacher wanting my students to explore their identities at the start of the year but struggling with my own. It even felt scary to write that I was white for some reason. I'm glad I've had a lot of chances to grow and learn since then, but it's a constant.
eople know these conver-sations are important, but they don’tknow how to have them.
SO Fascinating to see this almost 20 years later and to consider how far we've come AND how little things have changed.
equity is about ensuring the fair and balanced distribution of resources so that each human being can reach his or her maximum potential.
Framing equity around resources makes a lot of sense to me. It reminds me of the shift from the "achievement gap" language to "opportunity gap" language.
e&vnmunicatingthatyouaenetntInmyexperience,themostimportantweyoewtistoeforwardrespectfullyandwithconfidencosconsantlcallattentiontowhatwedo
As far as growth areas, I actually think competence might be my number one spot. Even though deep down I know I am a very capable teacher (and this has been reflected in observations and evaluations) I tend to struggle to present that way. I want to make sure that my pre-service teachers recognize that I am competent and do know what I'm doing, that my experience has afforded me knowledge and understanding that will help them. Imposter syndrome makes it easy for me to put on a guise of "I'm not sure, but maybe..." After the reading I see how that can actually limit the amount of trust that they feel in me.
Beingnonjudgmentalmeans,erLe_ MargaretWheatleywedon’t shareourperceptionsinawaythatdiminishes(2009,P. 47)others.
The ubiquitous Ted Lasso quote: Be curious, not judgmental. I've also found that this helps me not take things students and other staff do personally.
“Atwork,domyopinionscennthatfineimproves whoareengagedbytheirworkreont-ybelievethatwhattheyhavetosayisiFeirorganizations
I remember a school I student taught at, the teachers said that the principal would SAY that she wanted teacher feedback.. but her response was always to do what she had planned on anyway. "I hear you but no." People felt really frustrated and disempowered.
Howcouldhetat suchadamagingconversatiooYmakethingsbetter
The lack of empathy is so shocking. Would that really work for them if the roles were reversed? Or who was that conversation actually for?
| can take advantage of the resulting educational opportunities.
Practicing these moments with trusted colleagues helps so much!
symptoms of systemic social conditions.
As Ibram X. Kendi's adorable picture book Antiracist Baby says: point to policies as the problem, not people!
| can learn to
This is so important! I make sure that I never say a student's name before I hear them say it. It was a huge shift for me after my first few years of stumbling through roll call on the first few days. It's just not necssary AND skips a great moment of connection. Beyond that though it is JUST as crucial to learn to pronounce our fellow staff members' (and teacher candidates') names correctly. It also has become important to me to make sure that I (lovingly) correct other people when I hear them mispronounce someone ELSE's name. It gets exhausting to constantly tell someone they're saying your name wrong (and it can be scary when you're a student and they're a teacher).
ut teachers a oa fountively when they have that same information.
Actually internalizing the importance of a strong learning objective/success criteria pair was an absolute game changes for me as a teacher. When I was a pre-service teacher and in my first few years I viewed this as an annoying box to check off. Now it helps me actually teach what I'm intending to teach and not get off track. I love it.
llrestimates, esearchersagreattheimpactofdecisions madebindividualStudiesof large samplesofschools yieldrchers isfargreater than tne 5°?teachersisfatpoleact ofal,
Through the lens of this course, I immediately feel the weight of this sentence. If I am working with a pre-service teacher, the impact that I can have is exponential... in good ways and in bad.
eflection-for-sanalyzinganexperience,formingnsorgeneralizationsthatcanbeeventanactioniconclusiodrawnfromtheexperience; and then usingthesel
I feel lucky to be a secondary teacher who more or less teaches the same prep five times a day because I can feel myself improving as the day goes on. We as teachers have the opportunity to reflect and then immediately apply changes and see how it varies the results. Love it.
Learning without applying ismeaningless. Learning with the intent tochange is a hallmark of a learner.
Incredibly applicable at all levels: student, pre-service teacher, teacher, coach, admin.
Ithighlightsthatcoachingisastrategyforstrengtheningteaching and student learning andforbuild-ingacultureofcollaboration and transpar-eney withinaschoolthat hasavarietyofPositiveeffects forteachersandstudents.
That culture of collaboration and transparency--I haven't ever put words to it but that is exactly what helps me feel like I'm in a supportive work environment. You contribute where you can and you know what's going on behind the scenes. So applicable for working with our preservice teachers.
irstrecognizethaindividuals havedifferenttypesofconcealand require different typesofsupportsaddressthoseconcerns.
Applying this specifically to being a mentor teacher is helpful. Pre-service teachers are all in such unique positions with different levels of experience and perspectives. It's important to avoid a one size fits all vision for being a clinical teacher.
considerhowinitiativesrelateorclash,maintainafocusonstudentlearning,andbeacriticalfriendtotheprincipal.
It is so crucial to have people whose job it is to take the broad view, especially in large schools. We can get really myopic and fractured.
e y are usually very surprised to see that how they. —— from how they thought they acted.
Why we tend to be so afraid to record ourselves teaching :)
but what is asked for here isa culture in * see dang in vache more time together pre-planning and critiquing this FEE eed aa groups to interpret the evidence about their effect on students.
I have been lucky to be in a PLT that has excelled at this practice, and we make sure that whenever we have a pre-service teacher on our team that they are a part of this process as well.
llaboration, confidence, and commitment to evaluating our effect on students. School leaders and systems must take the lead in this evaluation process, and create a safe and rewarding environment in which the evaluation process can occut.
This feels important to me because many veteran teachers are almost numb to change. At this point they/we just tell each other to wait it out until the next thing comes along. Actually shifting mindsets would be much more impactful than just throwing another new system at a school.
The focus is not “Was it taught?” and ‘How was it taught?’, but ‘Did students acquire essential knowledge and skills?’, ‘How do we know?’, and ‘How can we use that evidence of student learning to improve instruction?’
Outcomes vs. intentions, perhaps.
he authors concluded that the reason for these enhanced effects is that transformational leaders are more focused on the relationship between leaders and teachers, and that the quality of these relationships is not predictive of the quality of student outcomes. In contrast, instructional leaders are more focused on the quality and impact of teaching in the school, and on building appropriate trust and a safe climate in which teachers can seek and discuss this evidence of impact.
This is interesting to me because anecdotally teachers and communities feel more excited about transformational leaders but probably feel more contentment/satisfaction under instructional leaders.
Students are never d’ by a teacher, but by the school.
"All students are our students" has been a staple norm of my PLC for the past few years.
they do not change by mandate, but by specific displacement of existing norms, structures, and processes by others
I like this. We often see a lot of hypocrisy from both school leaders and teachers when it comes to trying to make changes through mandate. If we/they are able to show up and do the work they're hoping for, that makes a huge difference.
This would be wonderful, but a major role of schooling is to help students to acquire these habits;
I find that keeping this as my mindset as I teach ninth graders is hugely helpful. It's easy to get bogged down with what we think our students should be able to do, but if we shift our mindset to remember that we are teachers and we're here to teach more than reading/math etc, it really helps.
They ultimately conclude that school choice (presumably in the form of vouchers) is the only viable way to implement the findings from the research.
I find this to be a bit of a shocking statement, though I suppose I see how it's realistic. It's challenging for me to not view vouchers and school choice as methods that are essentially communicating that we're okay that some kids are going to fail. But I suppose the point of this article isn't equity as much as it's that having effective schools truly matter to student performance. It would just be great if we could include ALL learners in that.
My basic position is quite simple: Schools can have a tremendous impact on student if they follow the direction pro- vided by the research.
It is the "if" of this that makes being a public school teacher feel so hopeless at times. It seems like we see over and over again that individual teachers, school leaders, and school boards for some reason aren't interested in following the research. Often it seems like they cater more to trying to make education match what they imagine it looked like when they were in schools.