Promoting Reflective Practice Local District 6 February 18, 2005

1
Promoting Reflective PracticeLocal District
6February 18, 2005

• Ideas for Today and Tomorrow

2
Sustaining Instructional Improvement Through
Nested Learning Communities

• Teachers should be working together to design or
  study research-based curriculum that reflects the
  best thinking in each subject area
• Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker in
• Professional Learning Communities at Work

3
The Grade Level, Interdisciplinary Team, or
Content Team Meeting is the Context for the work

• Linked to specific curriculum
• Close to the classroom
• May involve model or concept lessons
• Focuses on needs of EL students
• Data driven with urgency for students below and
  far below basic
• Aligned to MCD outcomes for students with
  disabilities

4
Homework from last time focused on observations
in classrooms

• Secondary use of EL scaffolds in classrooms
• Elementary observation of a second grade
  classrooms

5
How Do We Promote Reflective Practice?

• Feedback to teachers that includes reflective
  questioning
• Team learning community meetings that engages
  teachers in reflective dialogue about challenges,
  assessment data, model lessons, and student work

6
How do we as administrators help with reflective
practice?

• Every classroom visit is an opportunity
• In a 5 minute visit, what do we see that is
  working and what can we ask that will deepen the
  teachers thinking about how to scaffold all
  students to the proficiency of standards?

7
Building Learning Communities

• Foster collective inquiry by
• Posing questions that focuses attention on
  students and building skills and knowledge needed
  to demonstrate proficiency on standards
• Training staff in collective inquiry, team
  building and trying out new practice

8
Practice with Video Clip

• What is working in this lesson and classroom?
• What can we ask that will cause this teacher to
  reflect on current practice and consider new ways
  of engaging students?

9
Stems for the Reflective Question

• I noticed that..What additional strategies or
  activities might you consider in order to assure
  that.. Please consider and get back to me by
• Some students..How might you be able to enhance
  this activity or lesson so that these
  students.. See me in a week with your ideas.

10
Video Clip of a Lesson

• Identify features of the lesson that are positive
• Formulate one reflective question designed to
  engage the teacher in thinking more deeply about
  her practice

11
Balanced Collaborative and Reflective Leaders

• Hold themselves out as learners
• Focus on teaching practices in their classroom
  visits
• Debrief in a constructive manner with
  conversation that established a cycle of
  continuous learning (reflective questioning)
• Opens possibilities for teachers trying out new
  practices in a safe environment

12
Goals for Today

• Model strategies for engaging teachers in
  reflective practice in order to enhance
  development of nested learning communities
• Provide opportunities for level alike
  administrators to continue their work as
  communities of practice in LD 6