First of all, a small reflection on the CTEPS process so far since we are half way through the school year. Have you ever attended a really awesome professional development? Could've been an hour after school, a weekend conference, a three hour session...but one of those "totally worth it" sessions? Anytime I can make it through those I am usually filled with encouragement, excitement, and energy to try something new and try that something the very next day. I almost wish the time away from the PD (even though it's so amazing) because my brain is ready to process, plan, and dive in! CTEPS provides the same feeling...except the CTEPS is the awesome PD that never ends. I'm learning how to manage the ideas by taking time to reflect and process intermittently. After attending a webinar, small group meeting, or continuing the research I come to a "wall". This is when I feel like nothing makes sense anymore and there's no way to accomplish even a piece of what I want. This feeling is my cue to put everything away and walk away until the pieces start coming back together. I need time to just be with the information. My brain works that way. Eventually, usually soon (depending on the complexity of school demands at the time...holidays, IEPs, ARCs, etc.) all those good feelings come back to me and I can start talking to people about my ideas again and start putting plans back in place. Although exhausting at times (as all awesome PD sessions are), this system is something that I can see myself coming back to again and again year after year. Part of my struggle some days is to maintain focus on this one year and this one project instead of trying to begin a new project for future years (which I've learned to jot down ideas and walk completely away from them so I don't completely burn my poor brain). I simply cannot say enough about how this is making me a better teacher, coach, and person in my school.
OK. Now, a quick look at the research I've done. I didn't want to put full reports here because I think that's not my message. I did want to share the support in research and list some good resources that are helping with my specific project. First of all, have I mentioned how awesome my principal is?She has completely jumped on board and read everything I have read, reached out for more research for us, sat through webinars with me (for fun) and continues to share the excitement of this process by asking about what's going on and what we can do together next. Together we have focused on attention on the following books "One Child at a Time" by Pat Johnson, "What Struggling Readers Need" by Richard Allington, and "The Literacy Teacher's Playbook K-2, and 3-5" by Jennifer Serravallo. Serravallo has become our warrior in this project. We try to watch her webinars, follow ideas on Twitter, and share her ideas with staff. Basically everything she says matches our needs and anything we try that she says seems to work and simply make sense. We are beginning two of other other books (hopefully with some teachers) called "Reading Strategies" and "Conferring with Readers". We've also read "The Daily 5" by The Sisters and reach into books by Donalyn Miller on occasion, as well. Second, my small group. The meetings we have on Monday nights are full of intellect, experience, encouragement, assurance, and innovation. Without them, the "lost" feeling would last way longer.
Through these resources, research, and support we are making big (and effective) changes in our school. It's truly an exciting time!
AND NOW.....MY PROJECT PROGRESS
During one of our recent bird group meetings, we were discussing data (how to collect it and what types were most relevant to our project). As I was sharing my ideas and data process, our fearless leader asked me what my main goal was, "Where do you expect to see your project take off? Who will be affected?" My answer, "I think the whole school." We ALL laughed. Even to me, and I feel incredibly optimistic about this project, a "whole school" approach seems incredibly daunting. With my unique and awesome situation of working with a supportive principal, team teachers, energetic teachers, and district level support has made me feel like the goal of my project is completely do-able. Completely. Which is insane and such an awesomely exciting feeling in this sweet world of education. Just to clarify, even though we all laughed, my group completely made me feel worthy of keeping that goal and made me feel that they were all as excited as I am to complete these ideas. They supported my own ideas while also offering more of their own.
Using the forms provided by CTEPS, here's a look at The Plan (so far)....
With all that being said, here are some other things happening to support this project.
1. Winter benchmark data has been released and analyzed with all the teachers. Tweaks and suggestions were created by the teams alongside the principal. Tweaks and suggestions were innovative, and focused on the question "What is best for these kids, at this time, during this year?" There wasn't an exact answer, or template, or prescriptive technique. Teachers worked together to decide what is needed when they return in January.
2. Our district leadership has offered up a grant that we have written in effort to take advantage of the funds. The intent of the grant is to extend time in the school day. Their theory is that if there is great instruction happening during every minute of the school day, then a variable affecting growth could just simply by time. Our challenge was to think of something innovative that would encourage our students to want to spend more time at school while also remembering best practice. Here's what we came up with:
JCES Read and Ride
With our current academic structures, data indicates that our students are able to make a year's worth of growth during each school year. However, we are searching for new and innovative ways to promote 1 1/2 - 2 years worth of growth.
We have found a program that we feel will be motivating for our students and provide us with some extra time after school to work with our kids. The "Read and Ride" program would be an after school club for identified students to stay for an hour twice a week. During that hour, students will spend the entire time reading brand new books of their choice. They will alternate their time during that hour between reading while riding a stationary bike and reading in a comfy spot where a teacher can provide quick one on one conferences. We have found significant research connecting more exercise to improved academic performance. Our teachers will participate in professional development and planning sessions, led by our principal and instructional coach, prior to the beginning of this program, as an additional way to assure best practice instruction during the after school club. The teaching that we have during the day is beyond amazing, which leaves us to believe we only need more time with students to help give them the extra push needed for maximum growth. Students will compete on teams for the most miles and the most pages read. We will set incremental goals for individual students to meet and will celebrate all victories with our students at the close of the competition. Students will take their books home with them at the conclusion of the program.
We would like our program to occur during the months of February - May, and then continue during the school year next year.
An example afternoon in the “Read and Ride” program would follow the following typical schedule:
Time
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Team 1
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Team 2
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Team 3
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Team 4
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3:00-3:05
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STRETCH AND WATER
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3:05-3:25
STUDENTS
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Read on bike
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Read on bike
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Read in comfy spot
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Read in comfy spot
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3:00-3:25
TEACHERS
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Monitor and record time, mileage and pages read
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Confer with students one on one using strategies from professional learning. Record book logs and conference notes
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3:25-3:30
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STRETCH AND WATER
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3:30-3:50
STUDENTS
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Read in comfy spot
|
Read in comfy spot
|
Read on bike
|
Read on bike
|
3:30-3:50
TEACHERS
|
Confer with students one on one using strategies from professional learning. Record book logs and conference notes
|
Monitor and record time, mileage and pages read
| ||
3:50-4:00
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STRETCH, WATER, AND BOOK LOGS
| |||
Here is some interesting research about "Read and Ride"...
Through this initiative, we hope that the PD and experience the teachers and students have can create more teacher models throughout the building on best practice and challenge teachers to see how movement or a similar system could be incorporated into their own reading block.
Fingers crossed this project gets funded. Fingers double crossed that the data will support, as well.
3. On our Staff Development Day upon return from Winter Break, my principal and I will be presenting some information on best practice from our research.
4. My team of teachers have met twice a week the past month to individually...INDIVIDUALLY...plan for each student. Have I said how lucky I am to work with such awesome teachers?? We've created, thrown away, re-created, thrown away, created again new plans and structures and ideas for what we want for our kids. All with this question in mind, "What does THIS reader need to make growth?" You can imagine the type of intentional and intense (awesome and exhausting) conversations we've had. Four teachers all working toward one huge goal. creates some major energy.
OK...so I think you're all caught up now. Again, my goal is to blog more often. With the new year upon us this is one of my resolutions. My other is to maintain focus on reflection and growth, not perfection.
So, Happy New Year! Next CTEPS stop...ECET2!!
