Standard 8 - Present Professional Practice to Colleagues

Teacher leaders will present professional practice for the review of colleagues.

As I reflect on my time in the Teacher Leadership program, I am reminded of where I began and where I have ended up. Prior to this program, I was not at all comfortable presenting information to my peers, especially things related to educational practice. I felt as though I did not have enough knowledge and experience to deserve the attention of my peers. As I have progressed through this program, I have grown in my confidence and knowledge and am now able to present information to peers and not feel out of my element.

Through classes like Accomplished Teaching and Survey of Instructional Strategies, we constantly and consistently researched various teaching practices that would work well in various classroom settings. In Accomplished Teaching, we looked at various teaching strategies that culminated in our Synthesizing Elements of Accomplished Teaching final paper. My focus at that time, as has been throughout this program, is figuring out how to differentiate well. Looking at differentiation as a means to open access to my content, math, has been a goal I have pursued for a while now. This goal is also something that most, if not all, teachers in my building are working toward as well. This is a pursuit I can help lead with the tools I have learned in this program.

Some of the differentiation tools I was introduced to through the Survey of Instructional Strategies class. The differentiation skills we learned dealt with what Hattie (2012) dubs, “Multiple Ways of Knowing” (emphasis in original, p. 113). There are many points of information in this particular section of the text, but the one that I find myself drawn to time and again is, “Materials presented in verbal, visual, and multimedia form provide richer representations than can a single medium” (p. 113). Utilizing multiple representations is something that I have worked on with my instructional coaches. During this program, I had the opportunity to work on implementing a Nonlinguistic Lesson Plan where student utilize a visual representation of functions that outline what they are and how to figure it out.

Another element dealing with differentiation we looked at deals with cooperative learning. Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, and Stone (2012) state, “cooperative learning provides opportunities for students to interact in ways that enhance and deepen their learning” (p. 37). In creating a lesson for cooperative learning, I had to work with fellow math teachers to utilize their knowledge of groupings. This shift to group learning was not easy for me and is not something I have done regularly. The utilization of nonlinguistic and cooperative learning are things that I could bring back to my school and help to engage teachers in shifting their focus and practice. This shift actually started in my work with my fellow math teacher on the collaborative inquiry project. We worked on helping our students to increase their confidence and persistence. Through the differentiation strategies mentioned above, we were able to begin helping students elevate their understanding and confidence.

In relation to helping others to improve their practice, I also had several opportunities to present information to our peers in class. Sharing our practice and things to look out for was beneficial for both the individuals presenting and those observing. This practice of presenting to our classmates was great practice for presenting to people at my school. It also helped drive home the difference in teaching students versus teaching adults. I have not had a ton of experience with teaching adults, so all the practice I have had through various presentations has been great for understanding that for adult teachers, learning occurs best when they can work collaboratively. When we worked together with people from different content specialties or different age levels, we were provided a view into the professional duties and practices of those we do not often see. As Zepeda (2013) states, “learning communities must be ready to confront the fragmented way in which schools are organized (e.g., departments, grade levels, and specialty groups such as gifted and talented), and they must be committed to working alongside each other as a collective to provide support” (p. 84). We must all work toward improving our schools. To do this, my role as a teacher leader must be to bring teachers together to tackle an issue within our school and to help others raise their level of practice together. It is always easier to work on a difficult situation or fix a long-standing issue with the help and support of our peers.

Dean, C., Hubbell, E., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for incrasing student achievement. Colorado: McREL.

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York: Routledge.

Zepeda, S.J. (2013). Professional development: What works. New York, NY: Routledge.

Standard 10 - Understand Research-Based Instructional Practices

Standard 10 - Teacher leaders understand effective use of research based instructional practices.

Prior to entering the teacher leadership program, my previous experiences with instructional strategies have been limited to interactions with instructional coaches, undergraduate education and any research or instruction I have taken part in independently or in PLC's. Survey of Instructional Strategies was the key class dealing with utilizing research based practices. Initially, I did not think the course would be as interactive as it has been. Throughout several lesson plans, videoing, reflection on lessons, and the reading and additional research we completed, I have found the course to be a very “hands on” experience. During the course I also gained a lot of information from my peers through their presentations, lesson reflections and reading and research reflections.

The quarter started out with our partner presentation concerning Cooperative Learning Groups, I found the information to be pertinent and attainable for my practice almost immediately. I have not used group roles and structures in the past, but found my lesson, Cooperative Learning Group Lesson Plan, utilizing these to be very easy to implement. This introductory period also led to our learning about Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers. I found this to be a great way to aid in my students' understanding of various mathematics theories. In my lesson, Advanced Organizer Lesson Plan, I had my students complete an entry task that required them to look at the difference between a linear situation and an exponential situation. I have performed these types of comparisons before in my classes, but using a situation where students have some type of context was a shift in my practice. Both practices were a part of the Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone (2012) text and were great resources for helping both myself in my lesson planning and my group for our expert strategy presentation. The example of Mr. Washington's class (p. 39-41) was a great guide to how a teacher may use the cooperative learning groups strategy. I found further help in our additional research where an article by Scheuerell (2010) outlined a class's use of cooperative group learning where students did research to find out about the history of their city. Another article I found spoke to the use of both cooperative group learning and advanced organizers (Box & Little, 2003). Box and Little found that the use of both cooperative group learning and advanced organizers improved the self-concept of students. These findings are of high interest to me as this is a portion of what I based my collaborative inquiry project on, improving student independence and confidence.

As we progressed through the quarter I was struck by how many instructional strategies I have either not used, or not used with regularity, even though they are easily applicable to my practice. The presentations we saw demonstrating various strategies are ones that I feel I have not utilized enough in my practice. Both the note taking strategies and the nonlinguistic presentations showed me a method for providing access and differentiation that I need to be utilizing on a regular basis. The two lesson plans I provided with this section of the class both included the use of a nonlinguistic representation. The first used a picture of a “function robot” that provided a visual to my students about what we are really doing when we solve a function (Nonlinguistic Representation Lesson Plan). In the second of these lessons I used a graphic organizer, a flow chart, that showed different circumstances where a relation is a function (Choice (Nonlinguistic) Lesson Plan). Both of these lessons used the information we saw and read about in chapter 5 of Dean, et al., and they required me opening up my practice to include visuals (visual representations are not what I usually desire, so this is not something that has occurred naturally in my lessons). While these representations are not the only nonlinguistic representations, and I admittedly did not employ them in the best way possible, they did represent a stretch for me instructionally. They are also methods of access that I plan to use in the future with my students both during the remainder of this year and in future years. I furthered my understanding of nonlinguistic practice in my research for this session through the article by Singleton & Filce (2015). In this article, the practice of using graphic organizers is discussed, specifically as it pertains to increasing understanding for students with disabilities. This article helped me in that although it is specific for students with disabilities, the practice and benefit can be applied to students who are currently struggling as well.

In addition to the numerous instructional strategies we saw in class and through reading Dean, et al., I feel as though the Hattie reading, and class instruction and discussion related to this, was enlightening. I found chapter 4 in Hattie (2012, p. 41) to be particularly intriguing and relevant to my current practice and the students I have right now. The lead up to the lesson is one of, if not the, most important pieces of the lesson and planning and there are so many things to consider, especially when it comes to the way my students are coming into my class or a lesson. As I was looking through the self attributes described starting on page 44 of Hattie, I found that so many of my students are in the “low” section when it comes to these issues of self. This is part of the reason that throughout this class, I have been so interested in ways that I can increase the confidence of my students and their independence. Moving forward, I will be researching ways in which my colleagues and I can work to improve the confidence and independence of our students.

Additionally, the mind frames that Hattie presents in chapter 9 (p. 182) I found to be both inspiring and a bit overwhelming. To be effective both in the classroom and as a leader of change there is so much that needs to go into my practice. The focus on learning rather than teaching is what helps ease the workload in my mind. The idea that the learning of students comes first and foremost, regardless of teaching style or preference or whatever, can be an important motivating factor for all teachers. The quote on page 185 I found to be particularly striking, "I have almost reached a point at which I lose interest in discussions about teaching - not because it is not important, but because it often prevents important discussions about learning" (Hattie, 2012). I like this because it is so easy to get wrapped up in a discussion or debate about how something is taught when what students are learning, or not learning, needs to take precedent. As a math teacher, the article I found by Bruster (2015) drove home the need to place learning first. In the article, Bruster found that with the interventions she use, the five students she was working with became enthralled with reading and writing poetry, even though they all "hated" reading coming in. In placing the learning first, she was able to have students read and write the pieces that they wanted to and still see remarkable improvement in these students. I have to find ways in which I can place the learning of mathematics, a subject many, if not most, loathe, above all else and make adjustments to my practice for my students to learn as much as possible.

Finally, I believe that I have grown in both my instructional ability, and my comfort and ability to coach or lead my peers in a community shift in practice, as evidenced in my leading of the collaborative instructional inquiry project. My colleague and I worked on strategies to increase student confidence and persistence. Leading this work helped me to see the growth I have made through this course and program. All of these readings, presentations, research, and (often) difficult tasks we completed throughout this program, have greatly influenced the way I now think about teaching and my place as a teacher leader. I know that I have much to learn and I hope I always feel that way. I also know that I have some influence over those around me and that if I can find my way through implementing and normalizing some, if not all, of the strategies we learned throughout this program, I will be able to be a leader in helping my school to a place of renewed energy and of higher learning.

Bolkan, S., Goodboy, A. K., & Kelsey, D. M. (2016). Instructor Clarity and Student Motivation: Academic Performance as A Product of Students’ Ability and Motivation to Process Instructional Material. Communication Education, 65(2), 129-148. doi:10.1080/03634523.2015.1079329

Box, J. A., & Little, D. C. (2003). Cooperative Small-Group Instruction Combined with Advanced Organizers and Their Relationship to Self-Concept and Social Studies Achievement of Elementary School Students. Journal Of Instructional Psychology, 30(4), 285-287. http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eft&AN=507867547&site=ehost-live

Bruster, D. B. (2015). Poetry and Writing: Improving Fluency and Motivation for Students with Developmental Dyslexic Traits. Reading Improvement, 52(3), 93-99.

Dean, C., Hubbell, E., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Colorado: McREL.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York: Routledge.

Scheuerell, S. s. (2010). Virtual Warrensburg: Using Cooperative Learning and the Internet in the Social Studies Classroom. Social Studies, 101(5), 194-199. http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eft&AN=53004482&site=ehost-live

Singleton, S. S., & Filce, H. G. (2015). Graphic Organizers for Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(2), 110-117. http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eft&AN=110716471&site=ehost-live

Standard 4 - Analysis of Practices

Standard 4 - Teacher leaders engage in analysis of teaching and collaborative practices.

Looking back through this program, I realize I had little experience in analyzing the practice of others or working with others in a collaborative way. Right away, we began looking at reflection and analysis of practices with our peers. In one of our first classes, Accomplished Teaching, we had the opportunity to work with a partner to get feedback on our teaching practice (video). This, in conjunction with our lesson plan, was the first time I had really ever opened up my practice to someone outside of those with which I work closely. This brief glimpse into collaborative analysis was helpful and set the tone for the remainder of the program.

Moving forward, we looked at some elements of collaboration within a class of my peers. For Survey of Instructional Strategies, we had the opportunity to develop several lesson plans utilizing various pedagogical strategies we learned about from our peer presentations. This allowed us to use several research-based practices with our classes and reflect with each other as a group (see lesson plan one, two, three, or four). This practice with various instructional strategies allowed me to work on various teaching practices throughout my participation in this program. During this class, I also worked collaboratively with other teachers at my school to work on improving engagement and confidence. This project was a great way to work with my colleagues to get to the bottom of an issue in our school.

More recently, I took part in an action research project where I combined technology with formative assessment to discover how my AP Statistics class would fare with this new approach. This research allowed me to figure out whether my approach to formative assessment and technology would be effective and would allow me to quickly assess student understanding. Although there were mixed results, I believe that the practice can be valuable given the correct approach (something I am still interested in determining).

The goal and purpose of all of this work is to create a community of learning within my school. This will require me to continue bringing the practices and strategies that I have learned in this program and will learn in my continued research to my staff. I hope that we, as a staff, can work to bring high quality, equitable education to our students. “Educational equity is not simply about equal access and inputs, but ensuring that a student’s educational path, curriculum, instruction, and schedule be personalized to meet [the student’s] unique needs” (Hanover Research, 2012, p. 7). This quote summarizes the approach that we will need to take to help all of our students succeed. As I have seen, repeatedly, throughout this program, working to engage and reach all students is paramount when analyzing practices to increase student learning.

In my own practice, I am hoping that my ability to engage, individually and with others, in the act of reflection on teaching practices continues to improve. As York-Barr, Sommers, Ghere and Montie state, being "a reflective educator is a commitment to your own growth and demonstrates a high level of professional responsibility and personal leadership for continuous development of your practice" (2006, p. 103). This level of reflection and work to improve practices is essential to guide teachers into new and innovative strategies. In fact, this seems extraordinarily important when dealing with mathematics. As Vigdor (2012) states, "America’s perpetual concern with youth math performance has spawned numerous initiatives that have, cumulatively, exacerbated rather than solved the problem" (p. 4). 

Being a teacher leader will allow me to help effect change throughout my school building. For students, the practices that I have learned and developed with allow me to better engage students in mathematics. For teachers, the work I will engage in is going to help them become their best selves and, in turn, help students gain all they can while students at our school. Overall, I want to help my school become a better place to be and learn. Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, and Stone (2012) liken a teacher (and by extension a teacher leader) to an orchestra conductor, "An orchestra sounds best when the composer selects the most appropriate instruments and the conductor blends those instruments in just the right way to create the desired sound" (p. 152). In my classroom, and in my school community, I hope to be the composer and conductor guiding my school to bigger and better things.

Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. J., (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement (2nd ed.). Denver, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.

Hanover Research. (October 2012). Best practices in personalized learning environments. Washington, D.C.

Vigdor, J.L. (August 2012). Solving America’s mathematics education problem.

York-Barr, J., Sommers, W., Ghere, G., and Montie, J., (2006). Reflective practice to improve schools: An action guide for educators. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.