Changing the way one has taught for years can be frightening for teachers and school districts. Transforming a school and classroom from a twentieth century mindset to a twenty first century mindset can be daunting. However, by allowing the school to have a shared vision that includes the staff, teachers, and community this transition can become seamless. Only when a school and community are united will they be able to reach and meet their students needs. The first step in transitioning into a twenty first century school is to have a shared vision. When a school has a shared vision the community, teachers, administration, and students know what they are working towards. Chaltain (2010) discusses in his book: That process begins by developing …show more content…
Teachers need to work together and collaborate. When teachers have the ability to come to together to lesson plan, discuss student behaviors, and discuss student data their lessons become stronger and more engaging. Caine 's (2010) book on enriching professional communities discusses: Participants in a good learning community find that it helps to have colleagues with whom to talk things through, reflect, analyze, and discuss. In fact, when the right procedures are used, the community can end up being an oasis of safety in which high- level, in-depth learning takes place." (page 17) When colleagues have a chance to discuss they create high-level lessons for their students. They are not only able to discuss whether the teaching strategies they are using are working but if they are effective. In a time period in education that is run by standardize test it is important for teachers to dialogue about the results and their teaching strategies. Caine (2010) also discusses the …show more content…
My current district does not provide any time to collaborate with any other teachers, let alone teachers in my discipline. We have had one department meeting during the school year so far. I have found that my teaching has not been as strong, and I am not looking at student data as much as I was in my previous schools. Currently student mastery is not driving my instruction practices. When the whole department has a mindset of increasing student achievement by looking at frequent student data, our lessons and pedagogy is stronger. We understand where our students weaknesses are and if one teacher is using a better strategy than another. This is difficult to do in my current district where each mathematics teacher is the only one for that grade level. We have no one else to compare our data within our discipline. This I believe is the largest area for growth within our district. Yet, teachers and administration are not the only ones in a district influencing its success. Parents and community members also influence a schools
I had the pleasure of being able to shadow Superintendent Shirley Hall of the Maplewood School District. Ms. Hall took the reins of the district over in 2012 from a very popular superintendent who was credited with making great strides within the district. Although Ms. Hall had very large shoes to fill, she seems to be doing it with grace and enthusiasm. She credits the previous superintendent with making systemic changes and establishing the overall forward momentum of the district, but recognizes that she cannot rest on past success. Her goal is to take the district to the next level of educational excellence by focusing her and her administrative team's efforts on the P.E.L.P. coherence model from Harvard University. This model focuses the leadership's attention on the interdependence of the various aspects of their school district and how they reinforce one another to support the implementation of an improvement strategy. One of Ms. Hall's mantras was change, but not just for change sake, deep change for sustained improvement. Therefore, although Ms. Hall's predecessor was able to put the district on the right path, Ms. Hall has taken the baton and run with it; establishing her own style and path to excellence.
That broader conception of school allowed those schools to better support the students and address social issues that prevent students from accessing their full potential. This conceptual shift can only be spurred by a clear vision of “good education”—which then caused an improvement in their community’s education
In our time of uncertainty one of the most stable institutions is the school system for children. Thus, being a teacher and providing the most stable atmosphere along with providing the children with an education must be handled delicately. I believe a mixture of essentialism, progressivism, perennialism, behaviorism, and social reconstrctonism is essential in achieving those goals.
One aspect I believe all schools should have is the element of safety at school. A student cannot efficiently learn without first feeling safe. In Joan Lipsitz and Teri West’s What Makes a Good School? they say, “In high-performing schools, the adults work together to provide a web of emotional and social support for the students, not just in the services the school provides but in the attitudes and relationships the adults establish with students” (Lipsitz & West, 2006 p. 83). Schools should not only provide services such as counseling, or food to take home to support their mental and physical safety, but ensure that the teachers employed at the school are making meaningful relationships with the students so they feel safe within the classroom. Another common theme seemed to be the idea of teachers working together, which I think is a great idea as someone who is a future teacher. In the article Piece by Piece: How Schools Solved the Achievement Puzzle and Soared, Karin Chenoweth states, “The point of teacher collaboration is to improve instruction for students and to ensure that all students learn” (Chenoweth, 2009 p. 116). Other than all the schooling that teachers receive a major way of how they learn to teach is through their own experience. Sharing experiences with other teachers can help to modify lessons, or to share out ideas that will better prepare a teacher for their own class. Thus ensuring that students get an education that has been improved upon to become even more beneficial to
Establish workable relations with teachers either one-on-one, small group, or large group instruction or discussions.
behaviors which includes ; defining and communicating shared goals, monitor and provide feedback on the teaching and learning process, and promote school-inclusive professional development. Communicating shared goals encompass activities that emphasis attention to the methodological core of schools. Locke and Latham, (1990) lamented that these goals increase the effort exerted by school members, increase perseverance, and increase the development of schemes which will in turn
...her ups, and then once their ideas of education update, so can school systems, then teachers themselves. Maiers “Keys to Student Engagement” shows the raw potential that school systems already have. It also shows that students need the drive and ambition to succeed. Tristan’s article on edutopia provides ideas that are already in motion. His ideas and tips have already started to work in public high school in his community. With the guidance and vision of these three authors public school issues could cease to exist. Even though there’s a lot involved getting administrators (and some teachers) on board, it is possible, and in the near future, a reality.
Organizations need to understand the ten principles presented by Hall and Hord (2001): Change Principle 1: “Change is learning- It is as simple and complicated as that” (p. 6). Moreover, the name change implies a learning process for each and every participant. Sometimes knowledge can be fun and easy for some individuals, but at times, it might be a problem for others. In the process of transformation, the people need to be permissive for new ideas to flow in order to learn and understand the changes that are going to take place in the organization. Change Principle 2: “Change is a process, not an event” (p.8). This principle guides the leaders to make sure that the staff understands that implementing a change is not something that is just going to happen in one occurrence, but rather it is a process that is going to take time. Leaders or staff will not be able to determine the extent of the change they are trying to adopt. Change Principle 3: “The school is the primary unit for change” (p. 9). The staff has to be aware that their individual actions wi...
Traditionally, teacher development typically occurs through trial and error in the isolated confinements of each teacher’s classroom with some periodic whole-group professional development (Goddard & Goddard, 2007). Within the past few decades, many schools and districts, including ours, have considered and experimented with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as an alternative framework in guiding a more efficient development program for their teachers. PLCs are focused on enhancing student learning through developing teacher practices. The concept of PLC relies on using structured collaborative sessions amongst teachers within the school to build internal capacity. Through PLCs, teachers critically reflect on current practices, brainstorm solutions, and obtain help and advice from others in a supportive growth-oriented environment over an extended period of time (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008; Nelson, 2009; Scher & O'Reilly, 2009; Bolam, McMahon, Stoll, Thomas, & Wallace, 2005). The theory of change guiding PLCs holds that by providing teachers with targeted support from within the school community, as oppose to hiring additional outside experts, professional developments can become for efficient. Implementation of effective PLCs requires intentional effort, school-wide and possibly district-wide restructuring of teacher schedules, and additional resources. For schools considering implementing PLCs, it is important to understand the logic of action and the benefits of PLCs as it relates to teacher improvement and increased student achievement.
Zuckerman, M. B. (2005, October 10). Classroom Revolution. U.S. News & World Report. p. 68. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
A teacher today needs to have an ability to relate to and create partnerships not with their students, but also families, administrators and other professionals. This ensures that all persons involved with the education of the student are on the same page. All involved then work in harmony and help each other achieve the common goal of educating the student in the best possible way for the best possible result. (Wesley, 1998, p 80)
Teachers, administrators, and parents should work together to strategize different techniques of teaching and relating to the students.... ... middle of paper ... ... In my first years of teaching, I plan to get a better understanding of my school community and the surrounding community, so I know where and how to get support for my students.
We spoke about the children in the classroom who have personalities and learning styles that are unique to them. Building a relationship with each child, gives her the opportunity to gain the necessary knowledge to create lesson plans that are relatable to their personalities and learning styles. Her association with the children impacts their feelings of safety and security which relates to their ability to interact and learn in the classroom. Another advantage my cooperating teacher spoke about is the fact she has known many of the children since they were babies. She has witnessed them grow, develop personalities, and learning
My main vision encompassed providing administrators, teachers, students and parents with the resources necessary to achieve high levels of learning and academic performance. As one of the school leaders for a school with alternative setting, I believe that our over-aged and under-credited students can achieve and become prepared to enter in a post –secondary educational program
With the proper guidance and support, teachers can achieve academic excellence in the classroom. They follow their principal’s vision and share their goals. Teachers also serve as leaders in their classroom. They share their vision and goals with their students promoting positive attitudes in the classroom. Just like it is important for principals to respect and understand what their teachers need, students also need the support, understanding, respect and empathy from their teachers. When teachers demonstrate commitment in the classroom and set high expectations they raise the level of learning in the classroom. Teachers that work with the students and their parents to understand and meet their needs will achieve positive academic outcomes. Students engage in learning with positive attitudes and strive for high achievements. Teachers work together with their leaders to improve their teaching