The pathway to student success COACHES.EDUCATORS.STUDENTS.
When Students Become Unmotivated How can your instructional coach support you?
Student Inquiry QFT in Action How does inquiry impact student learning?
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 2021
A Note from Your Coaches We are so excited to be able to bring together all of our learning from throughout the year to you in one place. As coaches, we have developed this magazine with our students and teachers as the focus. Our hope is that this will serve as a way for you to recap the learning that we have done this year and explore what is taking place in classrooms around the district. The intent for this work is to share with you ways in which you can impact student learning. As we continue to grow as a district, we want to maintain a focus on student centered learning and highlight the great things that are going on around our district. We know that the best way to learn is from each other, so we hope that you are able to discover something new that you can integrate into your classroom to enhance your instruction and transform learning for your students. While this year has presented many challenges, there have been a vast amount of instructional changes that have been made to increase the intentionality of the work that we do. We invite you to explore this magazine at your own in pace in it's entirety or in bit size chunks, whatever works best for you! As we begin getting settled into the year, we want to leave you with this: "Education is the most powerful tool for changing the world" -Nelson Mandela Thank you for your dedication to ensuring success for all students and empowering them to own their learning. We can't wait to continue our work with you this year!
La Glecney n
D er ek H aney
IMPACT MAGAZINE | 1
ee Banyslley He
T iffan y N e ls o n
n
o Jesslock Sohvaerreign S Scur
We Younndgi
IMPACT
Photo courtesy of Baylee Hensley, Prosper ISD
CONTENTS 4 Instructional Spotlight 6 What are you reading? 4 Instructional Spotlight
8 Leader Series: When Students Become Unmotivated
Explore QFT and how students in Lacey Kuehn's class find purpose in their learning through inquiry and student led learning
Photo courtesy of Prosper ISD
10 Coaching by Design 12 Student Led Inquiry 14 Leader Series: Reflecting on Your Year 15 Hattie Check: Feedback
6 What are you reading? Get a glimpse into Trent Turner's library and learn how his reading supports the work that PISD is doing.
IMPACT MAGAZINE | 2
Instructional
teachers r u o , r e t e win During th to a new d e c u d o r were int FT. This Q , y g e t a nal str ep instructio simple, step-by-st sa uce, d o r p s t strategy i n elp stude h o t s s e how to c n o pro t c e l f nd re improve a stions to facilitate que nts to e d use their u t s s w It allo ergent, v learning. n o c , t n iverge practice d gnitive thinking. co and meta
Teachers at LFE generate questions about curiosity in the classroom. Photo
courte
sy of B aylee Hensle y
, Prosp
er ISD
Teachers all over our district ar e diving into student inquiry an d empowering their students to invest their learning in what piques their interest. o re t e h k Clic QFT in see ion. act
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE QFT INFOGRAPHIC
CALL TO ACTION
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
3
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING A COACH WORK WITH YOU ON HOW TO INTRODUCE QFT TO YOUR STUDENTS, REACH OUT TO THEM VIA EMAIL TO SET UP A ONE-ON-ONE COACHING SESSION!
Spotlight
Lacey Kuehn, a second grade teacher at Rucker Elementary, implemented student inquiry into her classroom using QFT when introducing types of energy. Before they begin generating questions, she reviews what it means to be a critical thinker and how to capture our critical thinking in the form of questions. Mrs. Kuehn shared a picture for her Q Focus and the students generated questions about heat energy in small groups.
Photos courtesy of Baylee Hensley, Prosper ISD
ents t stud ow a h w Here's say about h o ir have t mpacts the s QFT i and spark ng learni curiosity their
"QFT helps me learn about people in social studies, like Susan B. Anthony or Malala, and how they are special or important. I am able ask questions I am curious about. - Ariana
"QFT help s me ask different question s and find answ ers to th question e . It allow s me to learn mo re and be able to find new in everyday formation . learn abo I am able to ut things that want to le arn abou I t. - Casey
"With m ath social stu , science, and dies it he lps me understa nd mor because of the qu e estions that my cla By using ssmates ask. the of critica nine traits come up l thinking I with for our Q questions Focus th at make lea rning fun !" - Brooks
"It helps me de un rstand how to ask questions and how to keep asking questions. It allows me to keep asking questions that really get me to be curious." - Leny IMPACT
MAGAZINE |
4
What We're Reading Photo courtesy of Prosper ISD
Design In 5
Nicole Dimich Vagle
In Design in 5, you will discover how to create high-quality assessments using a five-phase design protocol. Explore types and traits of quality assessment, and learn how to develop assessments that are innovative, effective, and engaging. Evaluate whether your current assessments meet the design criteria, and discover how to use this process collaboratively with your team.
Why did you choose to read this book? I chose to read Design in Five in order to get a better grasp on planning quality assessments. The book talks through forming assessment plans, characteristics of quality assessments, and the feedback portion of the assessment cycle.
What did you like about this book? I like that the book gets down to very practical assessment design principles. There are lots of examples of assessments tied to standards in order to illustrate how they can look in various formats, such as multiple choice, short answer, and open response / performance based assessments.
Was any part of the book so impactful for you that you re-read it? Yes. The introduction is a great overview of the book that covers the entire philosophical framework for assessment practice.
How does this book support the work that we are doing? I think in order to get better at teaching for learning and ensuring high achievement for all learners, we have got to have quality data to inform our work. The book provides philosophical and practical frameworks to support the design of quality assessment plans, multi-modal assessments, and feedback methods for working with students. If every teacher read this book and incorporated principles from it, we would better be able to serve the needs of the students in our classrooms district-wide.
Did you race to the end of the book or was it a slow read for you? This book is definitely a slow read. I would recommend reading it and applying principles from each section to the design of assessments within a unit of study.
Which part of the book has stuck with you the most? I liked the two-question test for assessment validity: 1. Can a student that has mastered the standard(s) do poorly on this assessment? 2. Can a student that has not mastered the standard(s) be successful on this assessment? If either question can be answered with yes, the assessment requires some tweaking. Photos courtesy of Solution Tree
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
5
"CURIOSITY LEADS TO OPEN-MINDEDNESS AND CRITICAL THINKING, QUALITIES EVERY EDUCATOR SHOULD WANT STUDENTS TO POSSESS AND DEVELOP" -VAGLE, 2014
t essm en use ass "Ea sy to rocess design p g . Lookin ic book with is Fa nta st h t g o readin t rd a a forw use it as y as we lt u c fa g my esignin te for d ased b templa s rd a e sta nd iv t c e ff e ents." assessm
es k Practic Feedbac
Content precedes desig n. Design in the absence of content is not design. It's decoration.
t Review your curren these assessments with ities three design qual
ASSESSMEN BELIEFS SURVEY
T
"There is a tim e and place for multiple choice if used with balan ce and intention. Th ey are best used to understand stu dents' ability to recall, identify, and, in some ca ses, evaluate and analy ze. When designe d well, they can help us underst and student misconc eptions, generat e dialogue, and inf orm instruction." -Wiliam, 2011
Photos courtes
y of Nicole Di mich's Persona l Twitter Accoun t
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
6
When Students When we notice that our students are beginning to show that they are unmotivated, it is our job to think through why this might be. There are four focus areas that we can think critically about in order to help us increase engagement and stimulate student learning.
Emotions: How do students feel about being here?
be the engine of hope for your students
Things to consider: Use effective pacing Incorporate physical movement Demonstrate intensity and enthusiasm Use humor Build positive student/teacher relationships
Importance: Is what we are learning important? Things to Consider: Connect to students’ lives and ambitions Encourage application of knowledge
Interest: How do they feel about being here? Things to Consider: Use games Initiate friendly conversation Present unusual information questions to increase response rates (We give interest surveys..how are we using them?)
Perception of Efficacy: Can they do this? Self-Efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to perform a task (Greatest factor to motivate a student) Things to Consider: Track and study progress Use effective verbal feedback Provide examples of selfefficacy
THREE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT INCREASE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT QFT GRAFFITTI PLACEMAT
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
7
Become Unmotivated As we are planning, we can think through the lens of student motivation when designing engaging lessons and being thoughtful about the ways in which we are asking our students to learn. Below are four ways to ensure you and your team are considering student engagement as you are planning.
What are our students' motives? What do they care about? When are they most engaged?
What do our students need to know and be able to do? How can our standards be both clear and compelling?
How can we make this task "safe"?
What is the work?
What will they be concerned about?
What are the students actually doing? If you were the student, what would you be producing?
Start where they are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
CHECK OUT THIS FREE SOLUTION TREE GLOBAL PD HTTPS://BIT.LY/3G5RM84 IMPACT MAGAZINE |
8
COACHING New Teacher Support
New to teaching or new to Prosper? We are here to support you with whatever you may need, We can partner with you in instruction, facilitate connections across PISD, and help you master our curriculum documents.
Instructional Series
Are you wanting to focus on your instructional practices? Sign up for our Instructional series and be provided with resources and strategies that will focus on student centered learning and authentic assessment.
Leader Series
Are you a team leader or interested in leadership? Sign up for our leader series and be provided with resources on leadership topics such as crucial conversations, healthy conflict, and building capacity.
Impact Cycle
The Impact Cycle is a research-based, job embedded form of professional learning. Get 1:1 coaching on a goal you'd like to work on with your own teaching, or use our pathways as a guide.
Lesson Study
How often do you get the chance to co-teach with your teammates? The lesson study cycle includes planning a lesson with your team, co-teaching, and reflecting on teaching moves.
REACH OUT ANYTIME FOR: IMPACT MAGAZINE |
9
Hattie Check Did You Know? John Hattie, to g in rd o c Ac f Visible the author o dback, Learning Fee lds an effect ie y k c a b d e fe size of 0.75.
According to Hattie's research, feedback is "one of the most powerful influences on learning performance," (Hattie, 81) yielding an effect size of 0.75. As we know, any effect size greater than 0.4 is considered to be a high yielding factor related to student achievement. Knowing this, we can clearly see that feedback is a highly effective strategy. While feedback can be powerful, it can be harmful. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the way in which we deliver feedback. It is worth noting that there are three levels of feedback and it is important that there is a healthy balance of all three present. Hattie mentions that the most powerful feedback is given at or just above the level that the student is currently working at.
The Task
The Process
Self-Regulation
Is the work correct?
What are the strategies that are needed to perform the task?
How do students monitor, direct, and regulate actions towards the learning goal?
Photos courtesy of Teaching Learning Leading K-12
If you are interested in learning more about Visible Learning in the classroom, check out John Hattie's book Visible Learning Feedback.
Photos courtesy of Visible Learning
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
10
!p
isL
n e t U
Podcast: Cult of Pedagogy
Five
Goal Setting for Teachers
TO FOLLOW
*Photos courtesy of authors' personal Twitter accounts.
@NicoleDimich @JSerravallo Nicole Dimich
Jennifer Serravallo
@jaymctighe @AdamSaenzPhD Jay McTighe
Adam Saenz
@cultofpedagogy
t s u r o f t n u o c c ra S h a r e a T w it t e fo llo w .
ELENA AGUILAR
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
11
Jennifer Gonzalez
o
As we have taken a deep dive into student inquiry this year, the one thing that we keep hearing is, "How can I move from structured inquiry to free inquiry?" We know that we cannot just move from structured to free without a gradual release. As we move to a more student-led inquiry, it is important for our students to be able to see the transition. In Inquiry Mindset, Trevor Mackenzie states that "The Types of Student Inquiry help equip our students to feel confident in their inquiry journey. They ensure students are connected to their learning, certain of how to explore their passions, interest, and curiosities, and comfortable with their role." Check out the graphic below that shows the levels of inquiry progression and what this can look like in your classroom.
MacKenzie, T., & Batburst-Hunt, R. (2019). Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the Dreams, Wonders, and Curiosities of Our Youngest Learners. Elevate Books Edu.
Structured
Controlled Teacher chooses the topic and provides several resources that give meaning to essential question.
Teacher guides the inquiry and controls the essential question.
Free
Guided
Students create their own essential question, research a wide array of resources, customize their evidence, and design their own performance task.
Teacher further empowers student agency by providing the essential question, and learner selects where and how they will search for information. Photo courtesy of Amazon.com
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
12
We look back so the view looking forward is clear. The positive effects of doing this kind of reflection will be maximized if you and a few other teachers do the exercise, then share your results. We work too often in isolation, but we all have the same struggles. Opening up to other teachers is one of the best ways to grow as a teacher and love what you do.
Check it Out!
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
13
As educators, we tend to reflect back on the work that we do regularly by thinking through what worked, what would I have done differently, and how can I change that next time to make it better. While this is important in the work that we do, we know that the end of the year is when we take time to reflect holistically on the accomplishments and set backs that we experienced throughout the year. It is during this time that it is important to be intentional about learning as much as possible from this reflection and, as stated by Jennifer Gonzalez, "let your gut talk." Through our research we established five common areas for reflection that will be impactful when thinking back about this year and establishing clear goals for next year. For each area, there are questions that you can ask yourself to help you dig deep as you embark on this gut-level reflection.
Additional resources to support teacher reflection and goal setting.
Follow Jennifer Gonzalez @cultofpedagogy
Goal Setting for Teachers: 8 Paths to Self Improvement The Importance of Teacher Reflection 20 End of the Year Teacher Reflection Questions
Five focus areas Focus area 3: Students
Think about your students-1. What structures did you put into place that were successful for your students? 2. How were you able to support students who needed additional support with behavior? 3. What changes would you make next year with classroom management to better support your students?
Cult of Pedagogy
Focus area 1: Your Classroom Think about your classroom-1. What changes could you make to the layout to help the flow? 2. Is there a "hot spot' that needs your attention? 3. Is there an area of your room that could be better set up for student success?
Click here for an editable copy of the reflection template.
Think about your team planning-1. What are some of the strengths of your team planning? 2. Are there any areas of planning that you would like to shore up? 3. Is there something that you need from your team in planning to feel better prepared?
Focus area 4: Colleagues
Think about your colleagues-1. How have you gone about building relationships with the teachers on your team/campus? 2. What would you change about the interactions you have had with your colleagues this year? 3. What have you and your team done this year to build community amongst your team?
Focus area 2: Planning
Focus area 5: Professional Practice
Think about your pedagogy-1. What are some of the professional topics that came up this year for you that you felt overwhelmed by? 2. What is an area that you have dipped your toes in, but you want to know more about? 3. What is something you have seen/heard another teacher talk about that peaked your interest?
How can I use this reflection moving forward? Meet with you team, share similarities and difference. Use this reflection to drive your team collective commitments.
Reflection Template Adapted from Jennifer Gonzalez (Cult of Pedagogy).
Set TTESS goals to support your personal growth.
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
14
For More Information (2021, May 13). Adam L. Saenz. [Twitter Moment]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/AdamSaenzPhD (2021, May 13). Jennifer Gonzalez. [Twitter Moment]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/cultofpedagogy [2021, May 13). Jennifer Serravallo. [Twitter Moment]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/JSerravallo [2021, May 13). Jay McTighe. [Twitter Moment]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/jaymctighe Aguilar, E. (2021, March 25). Feel Better: How am I feeling? [audio blog]. https://brightmorningteam.com/category/podcasts/page/3/?__ hstc=51647990.eb1f3b82b39d50144fa4fc90fe90efd5.1619441688836.1620307383477.162 0307383477.1620915727867.3&__hssc=51647990.1.1620915727867&__hsfp=4007019233. Global PD. (2021). Global PD: What to do when students disengage. https://mkt.solutiontree.com/l/77002/2021-02-11/618ky4? utm_source=ST&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=12STEC&utm_content=img#video. Gonzalez, J. (2014, June 7). The Gut-Level Teacher Reflection [audio blog]. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/gut-level-reflection-questions/. Gonzalez, J. (2015, May 27). Goal-Setting for Teachers: 8 Paths to Self-Improvement [audio blog]. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/goal-setting-for-teachers/. Hattie, J. (2019). Visible Learning: Feedback. Routledge. Kelly, M. (2020, March 19). When Teachers Reflect Is More Important Than How Teachers Reflect. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/importance-of-teacher-reflection-8322. Lynette, R., Bauer, M., Watson, A., Eldridge, M., & L, R. (2020, July 7). 20 Teacher End of the Year Reflection Questions. Minds in Bloom. https://minds-in-bloom.com/20-teacher-end-ofyear-reflection/. MacKenzie, T., & Batburst-Hunt, R. (2019). Inquiry Mindset: Nurturing the Dreams, Wonders, and Curiosities of Our Youngest Learners. Elevate Books Edu. Stokes, J. (2020). John Hattie. Teaching-Learning-Leading K-12. https://teachinglearningleadingk12.podbean.com/e/john-hattie-visible-learning-theimpact-of-what-we-do-10-mindframes-for-leaders-and-the-distance-learning-playbookseries-k-12-332/. Vagle, N. (2014). Design in 5: Essential Phases to Create Engaging Assessment Practices. Solution Tree Press.
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
15
Your Curriculum & Instruction Team Science Coordinators
Math Coordinators
Trent Turner Erin McWilliams
Kim Burch
Brooke Morphew
tmturner@prosper-isd.net
lemcwilliams@prosper-isd.net
kaburch@prosper-isd.net
bmmorphew@prosper-isd.net
@ProsperTMTurner
@leerinmcwilliams
@kaburch1981
@BrookeMorphew17
ELAR Coordinators
Jennifer Morris
Tricia Myrie
jamorris@prosper-isd.net
pamyrie@prosper-isd.net
@Jenfa78Morris
@TriciaMyrie
Social Studies Coordinator
Lindsey Leeper lbleeper@prosper-isd.net
Elementary C&I Website Elementary Coaching Site
@leeper_lindsey
IMPACT MAGAZINE |
16
In Prosper ISD, we believe that
everybody deserves a coach.
Prosper Independent School District 605 E. Seventh Street Prosper, TX 75078 469-219-2000 | www.prosper-isd.net