Day Two of the HSNF conference and we continue with our discussions about changing our high schools. I continue to reflect on the ideas of deep change, de-privatization of our classrooms, and focusing on our students. DJ’s words keep enchoing for me, “If students feel they own the school, they’ll protect it.” That means we have to share control.
Collaboration. Collectively we know we’re better than individually. Use of technology to engage and change the way things have always been. Melissa Evingham and I are helping to facilitate the needs of our national presenters and that allows us to sort of “sit on the side” of the session at the same time that we participate. As I watch the 50+ adult learners in the classroom, I see them highly engaged when the learning includes activities, movement, group work, and individual engagement. When the learning shifts away from movement and activity, the participants drift a bit. More parallels to our classrooms.
I’m very excited about Tony’s bit he’s doing today on lesson studies. I read about this many years ago, a Japanese model of collaborating where teachers visit one another’s classroom but I’ve never made it happen in my building. I’ve made suggestions to teachers. For example, if I visit a teacher’s classroom and realize he’s struggling to use groups effectively and I know that his colleague across the hall nails it, I’ll suggest that he go and visit her classroom. Seldom does anyone ever take me up on this offer. Maybe I should have mandated it, but that hardly seems like the way to encourage an atmosphere of sharing.
So what about this idea? What if every teacher were given the opportunity to plan a day of sharing in our own district? All it would cost us is the price of a sub for a day and the teacher could visit at least six other classrooms in one school day. Across content and across buildings. All the teacher would have to present to me is a schedule of the six classes he plans to attend and then a brief email summary afterwards focusing ONLY ON THE POSITIVE and could be with or without the names of the teachers observed. If I were a teacher, I would send out an email, district wide and ask who is doing something with the constructivist theory or has a great idea to increase literacy skills in my classroom. Would you take me up on the offer? Would you invite others into your classroom?
Kim,
We’re trying this at our high school this year. Our principal has asked that each teacher visit a class four times during the semester.
They can pick the time, the teacher they visit, etc.
She’s emphasized that this isn’t about being a “gotcha”, that she won’t want to hear what you observed “that was wrong” in a classroom, and that it is really just about teachers observing other teachers-so she has tried to set an invitational climate for this.
I think teachers are actually enjoying it.
On our program, the paperwork is kept to a minimum–I can get the form for you if you are interested!
I’d like to know more about the “lesson studies” idea.