11/03/2017

Making Learning Visible during the month of November






Visible Instruction and Visible Learning throughout Konocti as we look to ensure 1+ years of growth, or more by.......
1.) Teacher clarity (that causes student clarity and depth of learning)
2.) Know thy impact (by regularly assessing student progress, formally and informally).

                                                                                                                         


                                                         
                                                 
As we know, the teacher is one of the most influential factors on student's education. Students learn when the class and school culture is a peaceful and harmonious place. John Hattie calls this the inspirational and passionate teacher pillar (Hattie, 2009).

While we are focusing on high levels of learning, the positive school and class culture is an ever-present necessary and crucial factor. In talking with students, students mostly know they can count on their teacher as that consistent kind human being in their daily lives. Students know they can make a mistake in the process of learning. Students know they are cared for on an emotional and physical level.


Click on the links below to hear students talk about the power of teacher clarity and student clarity:
https://youtu.be/pIIUaIkmrwU
https://youtu.be/TF0Ge9eyKP0

Click on the link below to see an example of a classroom demonstrating visible instruction and visible learning right here in Konocti:  https://youtu.be/0crXnxitPwU

Here are some highlights regarding visible instruction and visible learning as I continue to travel and visit the school sites.

90% of the rooms visited had learning intentions and success criteria visible.
Here is a high school example:
*Define  key vocabulary terms like photosynthesis
*Relate the inputs of photosynthesis
*Relate the outputs of photosynthesis
* Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy and chemical energy

Here is an elementary example:
* Practice writing numbers in the proper place value
* Learn different ways to multiply two digit numbers
*Solve multiplication problems using method of choice
* Use multiplication to solve a real life problem


In about 50% of the rooms visited so far, students were clear on their learning and what was expected of them in their learning, as evidenced in their responses and in the production of their learning. Here is an example:
What are you learning? Wrote a narrative essay
How are doing/going in your learning? Good. They showed me their rubric and their score on each section of the success criteria.In this discussion, they demonstrated where they were at in the learning and where they were headed next.
Where to next? They are revising the sections that needed fixing on their narrative essay. For example, the student knew she needed to elaborate by further describing the main character and to describe the main character by using all 5 of the character traits.

District response/support: Continue to communicate, to provide professional development, to collaborate, and to give feedback especially around the students clarity in their learning (especially in what, how they are doing, where at, and where to next), and the depth of the students' learning.

District response/support: Continue to gather evidence of success in ourselves, as the adults, and in our students. Continue to gather evidence of progress in teacher clarity and in student clarity around their learning as well as in the dept of the students' learning.

District-wide Collaboration on October 26th

Staff continues to monitor and know one's impact as we routinely bring a piece of evidence around student learning.

Staff share specific high-leverage strategies causing the student academic growth and student achievement.         
* Articulate the success criteria
* Show a model of what success looks like
*Involve the students in setting their reading goals

Staff then communicate the dilemmas - students that seem apathetic.....students that are struggling academically.

Staff, then, share possible high-leverage strategies/ideas to motivate and cause substantial learning.
*Re state the success criteria
* Ensure the class is a very safe place for students to try, make mistakes, get help, talk with a fellow class mate. (get to know the students, their name, an interest,and  a bit about their life outside of school).
*Create that classroom culture where learning is popular by leveraging student progress and achievement
*Work the room to check for understanding more frequently
*Provide very specific feedback to students
 

The above example demonstrates some serious high-impact collaborative conversations that looks to further develop staff and then student well-being and student academic learning! Well done



November 1st All Day Staff Development Day:








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