Math Program in WCSU?

Maybe you have heard through the grapevine that we will be exploring the possibility of adopting a math program in Washington Central Supervisory Union.  I have heard some people express gratitude and others have voiced their concerns.

Whatever you’re feeling, I think it’s fair to say that all would appreciate some information about this so that we are all on the same page.

Jen Miller-Arsenault (our fearless Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment) and I collaborated on this blog post to provide our math community with the latest information addressing these questions:

• Why are we looking at math programs now?
• How would a program fit in with our common vision for excellent math instruction?
• What will the process be for making decisions about math programs in WCSU?

Genius Hour in Action: Planting the Seed (Part 1)

If you had one hour every week to work on exploring an area of interest to you, what would you do with it?  And how would you share what you've learned with others?

These are the questions at the heart of something called Genius Hour.  The basic idea is fairly simple and is based on the notion that choice is an essential component of engagement in learning.  Giving people time and support to work towards their own interests produces learning.

Last spring, I introduced the idea of Genius Hour to teachers at Berlin Elementary School using this presentation (click here if you can't see the Prezi):

I drew from my belief that choice is central to every powerful learning experience, and also from watching my own children navigate Crossett Brook Middle School's version of Genius Hour dubbed "Brainado" for several weeks last spring.

As I gave the presentation, Berlin Elementary teachers were facing a renovation that would have them off site for the last two days of school.  Their principal, Carol Amos, was open to providing teachers with time during those days to work on an area of interest to them.  In effect, they were getting "genius" time for teachers.

One team of Berlin teachers (Jane Boucher, Kim Knapp and Tyler Smith) decided to use their time to plan out their own version of Genius Hour that they would roll out with the fourth through sixth students on their team in fall 2017.

Recently, students created this video to share their experience with the school board:

Berlin's version of Genius Hour was inspired by others, but is entirely their own.  Rather than approaching it as a special event, the teachers wanted it threaded throughout the year, a part of their class culture and woven into the fabric of their students' school experience.

This will the first in a series of blog posts that I will use to highlight the amazing work of these teachers and students at Berlin Elementary School getting Genius Hour off the ground, shaping it to meet the needs of students and teachers, and also sustaining it throughout the year.  

I'm so excited to be able to share their story with you!  Next time, I will describe how the team got started.  If you have any specific questions you'd like me to address, please feel free to email me (edorsey@u32.org).  

For more general information about Genius Hour you can go to www.geniushour.com.

Sign Up for Spring Grade Alike Math Sessions in WCSU

Click here for more information on Semester 2 dates and offerings and to sign up for sessions.*

These sessions have been approved as recertification hours by our local standards board.

In case you're unfamiliar with the activities:

• Curriculum Topic Study involves: (1) Looking in depth at a topic of choice as a grade level cluster across schools; (2) Provides participants structure to address their needs and interests. See the video below for an example of the nerdy goodness we produced:

• Lesson Study involves: (1) Looking at student data and planning a lesson collaboratively using backwards design; (2) Observing the lesson and collecting data; and (3) Debriefing the lesson, looking at the data and deciding instructional next steps.  See the video below to see an example of an upper elementary lesson study:

 

• Benchmark Assessment Calibration involves: (1) bringing examples of student work on benchmark assessments, (2) using a calibration protocol for scoring; (3) tuning/revising tasks and instructions as needed.

The opportunities are designed to be modular and open to all teachers across the supervisory union who are interested in attending.  Teachers can opt to participate in half days or full days depending on availability and individual goals.  I am hoping that by providing this flexibility and the dates well in advance, I can make these opportunities accessible to all teachers.

I made a google form that teachers can use to sign up for sessions.  Please note:  The first one is April 3rd.

Click here for more information on Semester 2 dates and offerings and to sign up for sessions.*

Once you've signed up, please enter the dates into Aesop as soon as possible to give your building administrator and assistant the best chance to get you a sub.

If you have any questions/concerns or need any clarifications.  Please don't hesitate to let me know...  Looking forward to it!

Confessions and the Coach I Hope to Become

Recently, I read a blog post by fellow Vermont educator, Lori Lisai titled Confessions of a first year teacher (20 years later).  In it she bravely reflects on the wisdom she's gained, bemoans the follies of her initial inexperience, and apologizes to her former students:

To those students, I want to say I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry. 

When I read Lori's piece, I could relate completely.  To looking like a kid - 5'2" in clogs with a pixie-like face.  To feeling like an imposter in a bun acting the way I thought a teacher should and working ridiculously hard.  Even more so, I could relate to wishing that I had been better at teaching right away for the sake of my former students.  All that I can hope now is that my good intentions shine more brightly than my mistakes.

At this point, I'm four years in as an instructional coach.  I suppose it's inevitable that I should feel some remorse and regret for my early coaching efforts.  I acted the way I thought a coach should act, but I was making it up myself everyday.  Again, working ridiculously hard, but I needed time and experience to understand what's important and what the job really is.  To the teachers I worked with, I want to say I'm sorry.

Two years ago, I shifted the focus of my research at University of Vermont from math integration to professional learning for teachers.  I began reading every relevant piece of literature I could get my hands on to better understand how to develop and support teachers.  As a byproduct, I have learned more about how to develop myself.  I became familiar with the work of Jim Knight, who runs the Kansas Coaching Project out of the University of Kansas and is one of the most cited researchers on instructional coaching (and as it turns out, a heck of a nice guy, too).  Jim's work helped me figure out what kind of coach I need to develop myself into.

Last month, I had an opportunity to spend a week at an Intensive Instructional Coaching Institute working with Jim Knight and 25 other coaches from across the country.  The training was wonderful, and gave me the chance to be a part of a coaching community while I work on developing myself.

Coaching must be a partnership of equals. Every interaction must uphold the status of the teacher honoring choice and voice. Every conversation must empower and energize teachers. I must listen more than I talk. Question more than I tell. Hold myself back from offering advice. Let the solutions bubble up organically from the teachers with whom I'm working.

This is incredibly difficult for me because I am a doer, and at times I have a bad habit of doing things for people rather that with them. I have all sorts of reasons to justify this. I want to ease their burden. I want to respect their time. I want them to know they can count on me. However, I know from teaching that the person answering the questions is the one who is learning. So I'm working on it daily, while trying to have a sense of humor about it. It helps to remember that respecting the status of my colleagues means that I let them do their own thinking.

Day one of the coaching institute, Jim shared with us this quote:

This is not who I am yet, but it's who I'm trying to become.

This stuck with me.  I'm not the coach I want to be yet.  Come to think of it, I was never the teacher I wanted to be either.  I'm not yet the parent I want to be...  Heck, I'm not yet the person I want to be, but I have goals for myself.

I'll have to get comfortable in this stance, crouched, trying to get ever closer to who I'm trying to become.  And I feel incredibly lucky to be getting closer to it with the amazing people in my life.  If you're reading this, that probably includes you.  So, thank you.  And I'm so sorry, too.

If you're interested, the Prezi below describes the training.  Additionally, here is a link to a one pager for teachers that summarizes the approach.

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It's Evolution, Baby!: Changes to WCSU Math Scales

Change is the steady state in education.  I think that's one of the major reasons why I love this field so much.  Those of us with restless feet and a sense of adventure can be assured that the ground will be shifting beneath us taking us to new places, requiring new skills.  Those of us who thrive on being centered and stable, can be assured that although the ground may shift, it's unlikely to crack wide open.  Most changes build slowly from the ground up.

For the upcoming school year (2018-2019), we will be shifting how we define proficiency somewhat in mathematics in WCSU.  Not a seismic shift, just a minor one... In this blogpost, I will:

• Provide some history and context for the change.
• Explain the changes to our proficiency scales.
• Outline next steps in making the change.