Cycle #2 - action (part I) & more data

For my initial Cycle #2 action, I decided to see if I could teach my team about the reasons why collaborating around student work is important and what positive effects this practice can have. The reason that I made this decision was based on my data (the lack of reflective responses I received from the Cycle #1 email) as well as on relevant literature. Reeves (2007) found that in order to be an effective instructional coach, the teachers being coached must agree that change is useful or necessary. Since the teachers hadn't responded to my initial attempt at looking at student work and reflecting on its implications for practice, I hoped that with this Cycle #2 action I could bring about some collaborative agreement.

I chose an article for us to read (Garrison, 2006) that focused on why teachers should look at student work collaboratively (to impact and improve practice), how this can be accomplished (through the use of meeting protocols) and on what questions or topics these meetings might focus (performance standards overall or the needs of a particular student).

I posted the article as well as the Final Word protocol (McDonald et al, 2007) for our meeting on a web-based discussion board. When the teachers arrived in the computer lab, they logged on and we discussed the guidelines of the protocol. Our meeting began a little late due to two teachers being tardy; two teachers were absent entirely due to their recent temporary re-assignment into the Math department to help prepare students for the upcoming state Math exam.

We took ten minutes to independently read the article. Some teachers finished early and began to talk amongst themselves about unrelated topics; one teacher responded to the talking by stating that we could go ahead without her because she wasn't finished reading. I gave her an extra couple of minutes because I wanted her to be able to take part in the discussion.

After everyone had finished reading, I invited the teachers to volunteer to read a passage that they found especially meaningful or important. Ms. Mxxx was the first to speak up. She read a passage containing a quote from author James Baldwin: "American author James Baldwin is quoted as saying, 'Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.' This idea is applicable to many life situations, but its relevance to the education change process is paramount. It is easy to become mired in procedure and lose sight of what we can control and change," (Garrison, 2006). She discussed how this passage related to her own experience as a teacher in that she feels caught up in dealing with the daily breakdown of school structureand culture and doesn't focus on actually improving instruction. Mr. Txxxxxx agreed and stated that he feels the same way, 'stuck' in dealing with day-to-day procedures and top-down mandates and unable to reflect on his practice.

Mr. Bxxxxxx was next to present. He chose to share the following passage (Garrison, 2006): "We must listen to what our colleagues are saying and reflect on our teaching practice. The willingness to grow, to be self-evaluative, and to adjust where necessary is not only professional, it is what we expect of our students. This is a life skill." The group then discussed how they feel that they rarely get the time to discuss instructional practices, but more importantly, as new teachers they felt they needed a leader to guide these structured conversations about student work or ways of teaching. They reiterated one thing I already knew from my original survey - that they have rarely spent Common Planning time in collaboration; instead, most CP time was devoted to administrative meetings or top-down information disbursement. The teachers also concurred with one another that they feel a bond of friendship with each other, but they realized that they never really get to hear each other's professional thoughts. I mentioned the distinction between congenial relationships, like the one that they share, and collegial relationships, like what we are trying to create through our collaboration, as described by Barth (2006).

After our meeting, the teachers returned to the discussion board to post their reflections. Below you will see the original post and the reflective responses.

ORIGINAL POST
Written Reflection (5 minutes)
by Jennifer Whitney - Tuesday, 4 March 2008, 05:56 PM

Final_Word_Protocol.pdf
Examples of things you might reflect on: What did you learn from the Final Word rounds today? How will today's experience impact your practice?
Link to Garrison (2006) article
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TEACHER RESPONSES
Re: Written Reflection (5 minutes)
by XXXXX - Wednesday, 5 March 2008, 10:29 AM

The reading today touched on many things which I found applicable to my teaching practice. In order to improve as a teacher, I need to reflect on how I get my studetns to produce work, and in turn how I evaluate the work.
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Re: Written Reflection (5 minutes)
by XXXXX - Wednesday, 5 March 2008, 10:29 AM

It was nice to hear what other people were thinking. I believe that we have been shortchanged by missing out on our colleague's point of view and the fact that we are all going through similiar problems yet we don't have time to discuss classroom opportunities.
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Re: Written Reflection (5 minutes)
by XXXXX - Wednesday, 5 March 2008, 10:29 AM

I think as a group the most important thing we can do for one another is to give suggestions and ask questions of eachother. We have ideas to share, but we just need someone to ask so that we will recognize the things we have picked up along the way and the things that have worked for us. I will make an effort to ask for more help from my colleagues because I appreciate their different styles and strengths.
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Re: Written Reflection (5 minutes)
by XXXXX - Wednesday, 5 March 2008, 10:30 AM

The potential for teamworkremainsapotential until itcan be workedin toschedules wearelosingout, weareredoingthe samework,studentsarelosing . One thingI noticed in the articlewas that working together gives us a chancetoknowthat we aremeasning the same thingswhen we talk about standards andexpectattions. Tha5t students don't getgradedon different scalesforsimilar work...
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Re: Written Reflection (5 minutes)
by XXXXX - Wednesday, 5 March 2008, 10:32 AM

Dear English Educators,
I really enjoyed our CP today. I feel as if this PD was more like a therapy session. It was nice to have an opportunity to reflect on our professional status, or lack thereof. I am intrigued by the thought that we are "missing a slice" in our ELA pie! I am happy that we have the solid foundation of friendship that we discussed. I am excited to think about the wonderful professional ideas that we can share with each other. I value each and every one of you as people, and respect you as educators. The truth is that we are all wonderfully creative beings, and I cannot imagine how great it would be to combine our passions, talents, and intelligence. I love you guys.
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