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Overview

Where We Started:

Throughout 2020-21, we concentrated our efforts to five spaces that aimed at reimagining how we approach teaching, learning, and leadership in our school.

However, figuring out how to bring it all together, eluded us throughout the year.

Things got messy, but that's the only way to change, sometimes.

Equity Team

Instructional Leadership Team

How does all the work connect?

Leadership Team

Mastery-Based Learning Team

Where ILT Started

We started, the space without a clear purpose of our intended outcomes. (i.e. different interpretation of the word equity, examining bias, curriculum, and mindsets).

Lab Classroom

Equity Team

Instructional Leadership Team

- Expanded the Instructional Leadership Team to no longer have it serve as an exclusive space where formal teacher leaders (e.g. Peer Collaborative Teachers) meet with admin to discuss our work.

- During previous years (2017-20), we developed a culture and process of inter-visitation, and then built this into a structure of whole-staff learning grounded in teacher-led workshops that explored specific student discussion strategies and adapting to our classroom.

- We wanted to build a space wherein teachers from various disciplines, grade levels, backgrounds, and experience levels concentrate on developing professional learning around culturally-responsive practices, around teaching and learning.

- Started by responding to staff's immediate need for support concerning Zoom synchronous instruction (i.e. workshops in creating a welcoming environment, student voice in breakout rooms, and using Google Suite).

- However, we didn't have a clear sense of direction after addressing this immediate need, and with the increase of team members, we needed to build a sense of ownership in the process and product.

Feedback, Adjustments and Response:

Thru surveys, participation and feedback, developing connections from the previous session to drive future sessions allowed for productive use of time from participants.

Group of dedicated individuals working towards creating an inclusive environment to improve school community, instructional practices, and school culture

Activities include: conducting equity walks, examining diversity, inclusion and equity @ PPA, engaging in self reflection and research to improve school/student outcomes.

A group of nine teachers and three administrators who met weekly to 1) collaboratively construct an Instructional Focus from sustained participation in a problem of practice protocol, and 2) develop a model of professional learning for staff to engage in "Learning It" (through literature and discussion), "Seeing It" (through inter-visitations and lesson studies), and "Going for It" (through co-planning workshops, and 1:1 coaching support).

Where are we going?

Feedback, Adjustments,

and Response

TBD, Conversation with Leadership Team will drive next steps: Potential ideas include Equity Think Tank, developing a purpose/vision

- To build ownership of the Instructional Leadership Team, we engaged the team in a problem of practice protocol that we could then collectively fashion into an Instructional Focus (IF) for our school community. This took from October-January, yet led to a shift in what IFs could be for our school community, as it focused on larger instructional shifts, as opposed to strategies.

- Then came the task of developing a model of professional learning that builds on previous structures, engages staff, and is open enough for staff to move in and out of spaces so as to meet their own personal and professional goals.

Our Center of Gravity: Realizations on What Pulls It All Together

"Learning It"

(through literature and discussion)

"Seeing It"

(through intervisitations and lesson studies)

"Going for It"

(through planning workshop, and 1:1 coaching support).

Where are we going?

1) Find ways to embed the work within existing structures and, thereby, de-siloing efforts.

2) Connect spaces for staff whenever possible, speaking explicitly to why we are doing this and how it moves us toward our school-wide goals and student learning.

3) Importance of the lab classroom as a space for practical implementation, examining impact on student learning, and connecting spaces.

4) Meet people where they are

- Team wants to meet over the summer so as to continue the work in 1) revising the IF so as to provide clarity, look at practice, and hit the ground running come September, and 2) draft a Professional Learning Plan around said IF that systematically assesses the impact of such professional learning and practice on student learning.

-To guide and ground our work, we will read Cultivating Genius in order to develop a shared understanding of the four pursuits central to intentionally responding to students’ histories, identities, literacy, and liberation through having discussions and making connections across our personal and collective instructional vision and practice.

- Since nearly every grade- and content-team leader is already present in the ILT space, we plan to grow the ILT into a space that also serves as a means to align, tune, and support those spaces in embodying our IF and school-wide goals.

Where We Started:

  • The leadership team was the original ILT in years past.
  • Began as a space where teacher leaders updated admin on our work.
  • Shared updates around upcoming events.
  • Lacked a clear purpose to our work, as we were used to being the ILT.

Leadership Team

Mastery-Based Learning Team

Teacher Leaders and administrators met weekly to discuss leadership work and school-wide issues.

Where We Started:

  • Grounded our understanding of MBL as a more transparent, bias-resistant, student-centered way of teaching, learning and assessment through the use of texts, videos and discussions.

Questions we aimed to answer:

Pilot group of about 8 teachers representing all grades and most content areas, along with 3 administrators, who met twice a month to learn about, and share best practices around, Mastery-Based teaching, learning and assessment.

Feedback, Adjustments and Response:

  • Why mastery based learning?
  • How are our traditional grading practices inequitable? AND how might the practices show up and impact our classroom(s)?
  • How might MBL support my classroom?

Feedback, Adjustments and Response:

  • Recognized that we need to use our limited time together as a leadership team to collaborate, and not simply update.
  • Recognized the need to examine ourselves and the spaces we lead.
  • Recognized the need for us to identify our purpose, and have a larger vision that we are working towards.
  • Adjusted to problematize the spaces we lead (admin and TLs), and collaborate on how to address issues.
  • Shifted focus towards identifying our purpose.

Contact

After looking at the "why" of MBL, our group wanted to know what this looked like in our classrooms. As a group, we....

All emails @pelhamprepacademy.org

Brian Rivera - brivera@

Jeremiah Sieunarine - jsieunarine@

Kevin DeNunzio - kdenunzio@

Zachary Itzkowitz - zitzkowitz@

  • Reviewed MBL resources created by PPA Teachers
  • Collaborated to generate content-specific learning scales and assessments.
  • Evaluated existing school structures that would support or hinder MBL.

Where are we going?

Where are we going?

  • By the end of the year, we identified our purpose to be a team that ensures that the various teams and initiatives at the school are aligned to the overall vision of the school, and support people as needed.
  • Use our meetings next year to check in on, be more inclusive, and support all school teams/initiatives.
  • Create and implement the structures we wish to see in all teams at PPA (norms, equity of voice, use of protocols, etc.)
  • 2021-22 Mastery Team will continue to hone and refine practices, serving as lab classrooms for MBL.
  • Ground the school community's common knowledge of MBL through full-staff PDs.
  • Have content-teams identify 3-5 skills we want students to grow in and master.
  • Join a formal mastery community for support and collaboration.

Questions

- What questions do you have regarding anything that was just presented?

- Is there anything that you would like to hear more about?

- How does what we shared connect to the process/journey of teacher leadership work at your school?

- Based on your school-based TL work, what feedback do you have regarding our process and next steps to strengthen our TL work?

Process map of Teacher Leadership @ PPA

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