TOWN HALL MEETINGS
“BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS” HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHING MODEL SUE PEARSON, ASSOCIATE SUSANPITI@AOL.COM
COME ONE! COME ALL!
• Intro • Agenda • Goal
• Power Tools • Reflections • Standards • Resources
• HET Principles/Elements • TH-Origin • Purpose • Setting Up
What Do I Need? Reflect on one personal goal you have for this session. Use this as a focus point during the Webinar. Revisit it at the end for final reflection and future planning.
COME TO ORDER!
KEYPOINT ONE Intelligence Is A Function Of Experience
We are not born intelligent—only with a capacity to be so.
Š2008 The Center for Effective Learning; Susan Kovalik & Associates, Inc.
KEYPOINT TWO Learning is an inseparable partnership between the body and the brain: Emotion is the gatekeeper to learning and performance Š2008 The Center for Effective Learning; Susan Kovalik & Associates, Inc.
KEYPOINT THREE
There are multiple intelligenc es. Š2008 The Center for Effective Learning; Susan Kovalik & Associates, Inc.
KEYPOINT FOUR Learning is a two-step process of pattern detection and program building.
Š2008 The Center for Effective Learning; Susan Kovalik & Associates, Inc.
Absence of Threat/ Nurturing Reflecting Thinking Mastery/Applicatio n
Adequate Time
Immediate Feedback
Enriched Environment
Bodybrain Compatible Elements
Movement
Sensory-Rich Being There Experiences
Meaningfu l Content
Choices
Collaboration Š Susan Kovalik & Associates, 2010
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
“The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight.� Theodore Roosevelt 26th US President (1858-1919)
ORIGIN: TOWN HALL MEETINGS Inspired by ancient democracy in
Athens-every citizen should have a say Roots in colonial America Everybody meets, everybody talks, everybody votes-meant to involve everyone Emphasized problem-solving as a group effort
BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS Creating community occurs in 3 stages in HET: 1.Developing a Sense of Belonging 2.Creating Common Ground 3.Taking Action
TOWN HALL MEETINGS ď‚— Develop feelings: dynamic information not
just about what people feel, but about why people feel the way they do about a particular subject or idea. Opportunities to develop emotional intelligence (empathy, caring)-strategy to prevent bullying ď‚— 21st Century Skills: critical thinking,
collaboration, communication, creativity, problem-solving)
Today’s Organizing Concept: Community A community consists of a group or set that exists and interacts in the same area. If one thing (or part) changes or ceases to exist it can affect the rest of the community, possibly even changing the way the community functions. Rationale: Responsible citizens make wise choices that strengthen the entire community.
A community consists of a body, group or set that exists and interacts in the same area. If one thing (or part) changes or ceases to exist it can affect the rest of the community, possibly even changing the way the community functions.
Purposes of Town Hall Meetings • Conflict resolution • Reflections • Discuss feelings • Review procedures • Review content • Ice breakers • Direct instruction • Daily agendas • Lifelong Guidelines &
• Problem solving • KWL • Appreciations • Goal setting • Review of day • Study trip reflections • Energizers • Introduce new content • Plan Social/Political Action LIFESKILLS discussions • Inclusion of new students
Setting Up Town Hall Procedure-going/returning Agreements
PASS
Location (can vary) Physical symbol Talking tool/Microphone Appreciation Box/Bag-notes Ceremonials
Town Hall Procedure Push in your chair. Walk quietly to the circle. Sit in listening shape. Use Active Listening.
Town Hall Meeting Procedure At the assigned time, bring materials to
the meeting place. Check with a partner to make sure you have everything you need. Set a personal goal. Choose one action to move closer toward this goal. Greet those sitting near you. Listen for the starting gavel. Be prepared to communicate your thoughts.
TOWN HALL AGREEMENTS NO PUT DOWNS
COMPLIMENTS
RIGHT TO PASS
ACTIVE LISTENING
PERSONAL SPACE
I appreciate it when you used the LG/LS of ____________ by________________________________________ ______________ Signed: ___________________Date: ____________ This is a compliment for ___________________________________ who used the LG/LS of ______________________________ when he/she _________________________________________________ Thank you from _____________________________________
________________ used the LG/LS of ___________. He/She____________________________________ _________________________________________ From Fellow Citizen: __________________________
TOWN HALL CEREMONIALS Agenda Specific song Pledge of Allegiance Class-Created Citizens’ Pledge Quotation of Week Class Constitution
CREATING CLASSROOM CONSTITUTION OBJECTIVE~Students will: Create a "working" Classroom Constitution that governs the classroom and supports school rules, policies, and procedures. Develop a maximum of six positively stated rules or Classroom Standards. Help edit and revise the final draft of the Classroom Constitution. http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonpl
an.jsp?id=187
Conflict Resolution/Problem Solving Primary: We had some pushing and shoving in line today. Let’s talk about why that happened and how we can stand in line like a community. Intermediate: I heard some put-downs being used on students today. We need to review the No Put Down Tchart. Middle/High School There was a fight in the hallway after 3rd period. Let’s discuss the cause and brainstorm other ways to settle differences.
Lifelong Guidelines Trustworthiness: To act in a manner that makes one worthy of confidence Truthfulness: To act with personal responsibility and mental accountability Active Listening: To listen with attention and intention No Put-Downs: To never use words, actions and/or body language that degrade, humiliate, or dishonor others Personal Best: To do one’s best given the circumstances and available resources Š Exceeding Expectations by Susan Kovalik & Karen D. Olsen, p. 9.1
LIFESKILLS CARING COMMON SENSE COOPERATION COURAGE CREATIVITY CURIOSITY EFFORT
FLEXIBILITY FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE
INTEGRITY ORGANIZATION
PATIENCE PERSEVERANCE
PRIDE PROBLEM SOLVING RESOURCEFULNES
S RESPONSIBILITY SENSE OF HUMOR
Inclusion Activity~TRIBES Primary: “Citizens need to help one another. That is easier if we know each other’s names and some interests that we share. Today we’ll go around the circle and share a special day we remember.” Intermediate: “Earlier this week you each shared a hobby or sport that is a favorite of yours. What was the closest match you could find among your classmates? A similar interest or activity?”
BEING THERE REFLECTION “Let’s watch a short clip of our site-just to remind you of your experience.: How would you evaluate this site in relation to the concept (________) we are studying? Share some examples that made the connection for you. Would you, or would you not, recommend this site to other classes. Why or why not? Compare and contrast this site to the last site we visited. Can you make some differentiations between them?
Goal Setting “We are leaning about some special ways to be good citizens-people who work together and help one another. Our special LIFESKILL for the week is FRIENDSHIP. Today we are starting a T-Chart to help us understand what friendship looks like, sounds like, and feels like.” FRIENDSHIP Looks Like Sounds Like Feels Like
Introduce New Student Teacher: “I’d like to introduce Dijonne Brady. He just moved here from Virginia. Who is our student greeter this week? Please remember to introduce Dijonne to all the your other teachers and to take him around the building. Let’s have you introduce your selves to Dijonne and share one thing he should know about you. Student: “My name is Corinne Jones. I am in the drama club because I like to act, dance and sing.”
LET’S VOTE!
STATE/CORE STANDARDS
THE “HAVE-TO” TEACH
CCSS: ELA Speaking & Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration 1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, 3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric. CCSS=Common Core State Standards
CCSS: ELA Speaking & Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. 6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. CCSS=Common Core State Standards
NY State S.S. Standards ELEMENTARY: know the meaning of key terms and concepts related to government, including democracy, power, citizenship, nation-state, and justice • consider the nature and evolution of constitutional democracies INTERMEDIATE: describe the basic purposes of government and the importance of civic life COMMENCEMENT: compare various political systems with that of the United States in terms of ideology, structure, function, institutions, decisionmaking processes, citizenship roles, and political culture
Theme Songs We’re All In This Together (High School Musical) What Kind of World Do You Want? (Five for Fighting) I Can See Clearly Now (Jimmy Cliff) Lean On Me (Michael Bolton) We Are Family (Sister Sledge) What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) The Center for Effective Learning-S.E.E. (C) 2008
TOWN HALL RESOURCES HERE ARE SOME MATERIALS THAT SUPPORT THE PROCESS OF, AND TEACHING ABOUT, TOWN HALL. PLEASE SELECT THOSE THAT ARE AGE-APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR STUDENTS.
LAW & DEMOCRACY ď‚— The Center for Education in Law
and Democracy is a non-profit educational organization offering programs for teachers and students through grants and contracts with national and state government and non-governmental organizations. ď‚— http://www.lawanddemocracy.org/
CITIZENSHIP QUIZ Test your knowledge about U.S. government, history and civics. ď ąQuiz 1 (short and you are timed) and ď ąQuiz 2 (longer and you are not timed)
You and your students can take these citizenship quizzes at: http://tinyurl.com/2vjnalh
Town Hall Simulations ď‚— From Creating a Pioneer
Community to Living in the Wilderness, find teacher-approved pioneer town hall lesson plans that inspire student learning. ttp://tinyurl.com/32jsvgw
DIRECT DEMOCRACY TOWN HALL LESSON PLANS From “How Does School Work?” to
“Just the Facts, Sir!”, find teacherapproved direct democracy, town hall lesson plans that inspire student learning. http://tinyurl.com/2vx2e3f
THE EXCHANGE Download packets for past Exchange topics
for use in your classroom today. Each packet includes a Town Hall Wall poster, lesson plan and student handouts for a 45-minute lesson. Also, download Town Hall Posters http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Past_Topics .aspx
LITERACY RESOURCES
David Catrow
http://www.twice.cc/WeTheKids/index.html
Jean Fritz
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/classmags/we_the_kids.htm
Town Mouse and Country Mouse A short booklet on Vermont Town Meetings This booklet was designed to teach students
(grades 3-5) about Vermont’s Town Meeting Day, its history and how it works today. In addition to the text some fun puzzles are included to help teachers assess student learning. In the teacher’s guide find discussion questions and classroom activities to supplement the reading materials and help children learn the value of participatory democracy and experience the concepts addressed in the booklet. http://tinyurl.com/yhewt4c
National Geographic Expeditions In this lesson, students will make
decisions about buildings, businesses, services, and housing areas to include in the development of a new town. After discussing essential elements of a self-sustaining community, the students will prepare a map and give oral presentations on different aspects of the new town. http://tinyurl.com/3xkjbtp
Young Yorkers Young Yorkers Leaflets Young Yorkers Leaflets are information
and activity sheets on a variety of local history topics. Published between 1985 and 1999, the leaflets were written in both student and teacher versions. They were based on the concepts and skills of the New York State social studies program. http://yorkers.org/leaflet.htm
WEBQUESTS ď‚— CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY: Celebrate
Citizenship Day (also known as Constitution Day) on September 28th. Preparation work for your class to visit and take part in a local citizenship ceremony, welcoming new citizens and celebrating your students view of citizenship. http://tinyurl.com/dj9xqo
ď‚— School Council Constitution: 4 Tasks to
develop a student council representative body http://tinyurl.com/dj9xqo
Curriculum Connection What issues exist in your local
community that also connect to your benchmarks and state standards? Brainstorm several problems. How can your students become involved in problem-solving in regard to these issues?
MEETING ADJOURNED!
POWER TOOLS Parliamentary Procedure
Problem Solving
Active Listening
Decision making
Sharing a passion/point of
Voting process
view/surveys Develop Emotional Intelligence & Empathy Community Building Critical Thinking
Defending one’s ideas Collaborative process Trust Building Public speaking Technology skills
Develop Your Own Action Plan After this webinar has ended, begin to
brainstorm/plan/create your plans/ideas for holding class Town Hall Meetings. Allow your students to brainstorm their own ideas and see where the two merge. Hold TH Meetings on a regular basis and also as needed.
Rubrics for Evaluation: Meetings/Collaborative Skills Rubricsthy Schrock’s Guide for Educators
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess .html#rubrics Rubistar: Create rubrics project-based learning
activities http://www.rubistar.com
The Center for Effective Learning-S.E.E. (C) 2010
Final Step: Reflection QUICK SHARE: "I Learned..." Statement: At the end of Town Hall
invite your students to share either verbal or written reflections. “ I learned…" or “I feel. . . “and then complete the sentence. Teachers can use these written reflections to assess whether students have a firm grasp on the Town Hall Process EXTENDED REFLECTOPN: There are several variations on this approach, but try posing a “Town Hall Question of the Week" with the class. Throughout the week, students should be given time to record or share their thoughts about the question. Encourage students to show their thinking through writing, charts, diagrams, or drawings. At the last THM for that week, provide time for a Gallery Walk/Share.
Final Step: Reflection Talk About It: Students give self-feedback, meaning that
students can talk themselves through a problem or a question. (Think of watching a golfer talk to himself as he lines up a shot.)
Pyramid Discussions: This variation on a class discussion opens up
opportunities to maximize student participation. The teacher poses a question to smaller groups that become gradually bigger as students exchange ideas with various partners before bringing the full class together for a large group discussion.
Jigsaw Learning: Students are broken into a number of groups—
each group focusing on a particular element that ultimately everyone will need to learn.
The Center for Effective Learning-S.E.E. (C) 2010
REVISIT YOUR WEBINAR GOALS
Final Step: Your Reflection Revisit the agenda. Do you have
additional questions? Check your goal. Are you closer than you were at the start of the webinar? Note any new goals that you may have. The Center for Effective Learning-S.E.E. (C) 2010
“No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth, severs its lifeline.� ~ Koffi Annan ~ 2001 Nobel Peace Prize
• Intro • Agenda • Goal
• Power Tools • Reflections • Standards • Resources
• HET Principles • TH Origin • Purpose • Setting Up
RESOURCES B A R B A R A A. L E W I S
The Center for Effective Learning-S.E.E. (C) 2010
B O O K S 4 E D U C . C O M
G R E E N T E A C H E R . C O M
Schools Exceeding Expectations “From Ordinary to Extraordinary” Excellence in Education April 27-30, 2010 Site: Columbia, SC On-Site District: Richland School District Two Classroom visitations demonstrating Highly Effective Teaching (HET) in action
• •
HET, Common Coreand State Bullying Standards, andBrain National Tests the
Breakout sessions and focus strands with HET master associates Interactive presentations on instructional practices and leadership approaches • Networking opportunities with other schools and districts • Developing Effective First Teaching curriculum and instruction
Visit: http://www.thecenter4learning.com/html/events/2011/see.htm
SUMMER INSTITUTE Granlibakken Conference Center Tahoe, CA July 6-9, 2011 Accommodates ALL levels of HET implementation The Center for Effective Learning-S.E.E. (C) 2008
TOWN HALL MEETINGS Can’t be a community unless you act
like one Place to teach/practice/use LG/LIFESKILLS Vehicle for group development Led by teacher at first but gradually release leadership to students (dep. on age)
Intelligence as a Function of Experience Provide LARGE amounts of sensory
input from experiences in the real world that transfer to the classroom Design curriculum and instructional strategies that encourage practice and mastery in real-world situations; application greatly increases development and maintenance of neural connections Participation in the democratic process at this level models future problem-solving skills
Body-Brain Partnership: Emotion and Movement “Emotion drives attention which drives
learning, memory, problem-solving, and just about everything else.” Dr. Robert Sylwester Movement is crucial to every brain function including planning end executing plans, memory, emotion, language and learning. Many Town Hall Meetings lead to Social/Political action projects which REQUIRE movement. Participation engages the emotions and action – the spirit of “doing something” . Students’ passions shine through!
Multiple Intelligences “Intelligence is a problemsolving and/or product producing capability (preference).� ~Howard Gardner~
PUT DOWNS
NO PUT DOWNS Susan Kovalik & Associates
PERSONAL SPACE Susan Kovalik & Associates
EYES EARS
YOU
HEART UNDIVIDED ATTENTION
ACTIVE LISTENING Susan Kovalik & Associates
PASS Susan Kovalik & Associates
COMPLIMENTS
Susan Kovalik & Associates