Professionalism and School Culture

1. Professionalism and School Culture Pre-Service Teacher Training August 13, 2012 Kimberly A. Beck

2. A week of learning together • Professionalism and school culture • What to expect – An insider’s view • Certification • Confidentiality and mandated reporting • School policies, rules, and regulations • Today’s classroom as a community of diverse learners • Taking over – substitute teaching • Integrating art and music • Support from within – advisement and supervisors

3. In the beginning… • My path and how it influences my work • Your path and how it will influence your work

4. What does school look like? Think about it: When was the last time you were in an elementary, middle, or high school? What did teaching and learning look like when you were 7th grade? What are you expecting to see students doing now? What are you expecting to see teachers doing now? What words come to mind when you think about school now?

5. Words to live by…

6. We are in a time like no other • Diversity in our classrooms • The impact of technology • The “Global Achievement Gap” • Professional accountability • Common Core State Standards • Saturated job market • The new skill sets (teachers and students)

7. Get ready! This is likely the most challenging and exciting time in the history of American education and YOU are going to be part of it!

8. Let’s get started What does it REALLY mean to work in a school? KEY IDEAS (the practical ones): Looking the part Playing the role Year-long+ interview and what truly matters Implications on your life

9. XTRANORMAL Do NOT underestimate the importance of LOOKING the PART!

10. Playing the role • Know your lines – a.k.a. your role • It’s WHAT you say, HOW you say it, WHO you say it to, and WHERE you say it • Know your entire audience • Remember: You are always in character and NO ONE is going to cue you!

11. The interview that NEVER ends Don’t make the MISTAKE of: •letting your guard down •waiting for opportunity to come to you •assuming you will have a job

12. The BIG ideas! What does it REALLY mean to be a teacher in the 21st Century? Prepare yourselves…this is BIG.

13. What do you think of when you hear the word DIVERSITY?

14. The first BIG idea: Diversity in the Classroom We are obligated to meet ALL of the needs of the students sitting in our classrooms. In order to do that we must teach responsively. While in your school experience, watch and learn.

15. One part of meeting the diverse needs of students - the federally MANDATED one:Response to Intervention (RtI)Scientifically Research Based Instruction (SRBI) • RtI is a regulareducation, comprehensive and systematic approach to assessing and instructing students such that all students experience continuous growth (preK-12) • It is also a focus on students whose progress indicates a need for proactive steps and/or early intervention - academic & behavioral - before students fall behind

16. Key Components of RtI Instruction Assessment STUDENT LEARNING Collaborative Decision-making

17. Reauthorization of IDEA (2004) • “when determining whether a child has a specific learning disability ... a local educational agency shall not be required to take into consideration whether a child has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability" ... a school "may use a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as part of the evaluation procedures ..." (Section 1414(b)(6)) “Traditional Identification Model”

18. Average Classroom Academic Performance Level Target Student Discrepancy 1: Skill Gap (Current Performance Level) Discrepancy 2: Gap in Rate of Learning (‘Slope of Improvement’) ‘Dual-Discrepancy’: RTI Model of Learning Disability(Fuchs 2003)

19. Collect & Chart Data • Evaluate Learning Progress and Instruction • Analyze Strengths & Obstacles The RtI Process • Results Indicators • Establish Goals & Desired Outcomes • Select Instructional/ Intervention Strategies

20. You and RtI During your school experience… • Watch and learn • Ask questions and learn about tiered instruction • Involve yourself – take initiative • Do your own research and independent learning: GREAT resources: www.rti4success.org Parents Guide to RtI:http://issuu.com/ncld/docs/parents_guide_rti?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml CT Frameowork for RtI (August 2008)

21. The Moral Imperative What should we REALLY be teaching our children? What should they know and be able to do in the 21st Century?

22. Sir Ken Robinson Changing Education Paradigms (Animate available on YouTube and TED Talks) What ideas stand out for you personally? What ideas stand out for you professionally? If you could take ONE idea from this and make it IMPACT the “the powers that be,” what would it be and why?

23. BIG idea #2: WHAT we should be teaching and the “Global Achievement Gap” YOU will need to EXHIBIT and TEACH TO the 7 Survival Skills of the 21st Century: 1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving 2. Collaboration Across Networks and Leading by Influence 3. Agility and Adaptability 4. Initiative and Entrepreneurship 5. Effective Oral and Written Communication 6. Accessing and Analyzing Information 7. Curiosity and Imagination From “The Global Achievement Gap” by Tony Wagner

24. Did you notice? There was NO mention of technology use in the Seven Survival Skills of the 21st Century Skills. WHY?

25. The BIG idea of Accountability - YOU will be held accountable… Most importantly, by your STUDENTS and their families However, the “game is changing.” • State Model Teacher Evaluation Program Guidelines By July 1, 2013 and in consultation with the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (see below), SBE must develop new model teacher evaluation program guidelines for using multiple indicators of student academic growth in evaluations • Evaluation Data Also by July 1, 2013, the State Department of Education (SDE) must expand the state's public school information system to collect additional data on students and teachers. Local districts must use the data to evaluate students' and teachers' educational performance growth.

26. BIG ideas combined into the Common Core State Standards The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a big deal. Adopted by forty-five states* so far, the standards represent the most sweeping reform of the K-12 curriculum has ever occurred in this country. It is safe to say that across the entire history of American education, no single document will have played a more influential role over what is taught in our schools. * All but Texas, Virginia, Alaska, Nebraska and Minnesota adoptied at a state level From Pathways to the Common Core By Calkins, Ehrenworth, and Lehman

27. YOU don’t have a choice! The standards are already affecting what is published, mandated, and tested in schools – and also what is marginalized and neglected. Any educator who wants to play a role in shaping what happens in schools, therefore, needs a deep understanding of these standards. The understanding is necessary for anyone wanting to be a co-constructor of the future of instruction and curriculum and, indeed, of public education across America. From Pathways to the Common Core By Calkins, Ehrenworth, and Lehman

28. Practicality and the BIG Ideas Think about your upcoming role: What comes to mind? How do you feel right now, really feel? What are you excited about? What are nervous about? What will you do to prepare for the start of the school year?

29. The BIG question: How will you HONOR the culture and expertise in the school while simultaneously playing your part, responding to the diverse needs of students, and attempting to meet the demands of the BIG ideas?

30. This is likely the most challenging and exciting time in the history of American education and YOU are going to be part of it!

31. 20 Years Later… Educating children is not a job; it is a lifestyle. It is a luxury to spend time in the presence of young thinkers. I have indeed been fortunate to spend twenty years in the company of greatness. Whether teaching a classroom of students, devising a professional development plan with a colleague, or conducting a workshop for fellow educators, every moment has left a lasting impression on me. I choose to educate. I am passionate about the lives we touch in this profession. My vision for the future insists upon excellence. Children deserve nothing less than the best we can offer as they seek to discover what is finest within themselves. Humbly shared by K. beck

32. Resources • http://educ-503.wikispaces.com/ (request membership) • kimberly_beck@greenwich.k12.ct.us(request August 13th PowerPoint)