Elementary Powerful Conversations Network January 19, 2011

1. Enhancing Formative Assessment, Increasing Student Responsibility: Focus on Collaborative Learning Elementary Powerful Conversations Network January 19, 2011

2. Activity #1: Give One-Get One Welcome back to your PCN community! Use this time to meet or reconnect with colleagues through participation in “Give One-Get One.” First, take a few minutes to individually reflect and jot down 1-2 responses to each prompt on your template. Then, stand up and connect with colleagues not from your school. Exchange one idea, writing down what you hear from your partner. As we begin our session at 9:30, we’ll afford time for school team members to share what they learned.

3. Partners with the Alabama State Department of Education Initiatives

4. Guiding Questions • How can the gradual release of responsibility framework be used to better design, deliver and assess instruction that ensures all students are well-prepared for the next level? • In what ways can we enhance the collaborative learning component of the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework? • How can we integrate formative assessment into collaborative learning so as to improve learning for all students?

5. Guiding Questions, cont’d • How can we take our work in collaborative school leadership teams to the next level as we transfer learnings to our school setting? • What is my responsibility to: (a) transfer my learning to my own classroom or school; (b) work with my team to enhance our collective practice; and (c) share learning from PCN with our faculty-at-large? How can we best monitor our progress and measure the effectiveness of our implementation?

6. Norms • Collective Responsibility • Collaboration • Each of us is responsible for all of our students. • Participation • Monitor your talk. • Encourage and support others. • Respect • Put cell phones on vibrate. • No side-bar conversations. • Time • Begin and end on time. • Take care of your own creature comforts.

7. Activity #2: Sharing Designs for Guided Instruction WHAT? Individual reflection followed by sharing with colleagues related to the guided instruction lesson you designed and taught WHY? To learn with and from one another HOW? Individual teachers will present their focus lessons to two other colleagues who will pose questions to take the presenting teachers deeper into reflection about their lesson; two or three rounds of sharing to ensure that all present and reflect (pp. 4-5) (Administrators will use reflection form received earlier and follow the same protocol.)

8. Activity #2: Begin with Individual Reflection • Turn to page 4 in your Activity Packet. • Use the template on this page to consolidate your thinking and reflection about the focus lesson you designed. • You will use this reflection template and your lesson design itself as you talk with colleagues.

9. Activity #2: Administrators and Coaches • Principals and Assistant Principals use Activity Sheet #2 designed for administrators. • Coaches may choose whether to work in a teacher group or with an administrators’ group. Choose the appropriate reflection sheet.

10. Move to Grade-Alike Groups • K-1-(2) • 3-4-(5) • 5-6 (as appropriate)

11. Activity #2: Create triads • Move to area designated for your grade level. Administrators should meet at the back of the room. • Create a triad, ensuring that at least 2 members of triad have brought a focus lesson to share. • Find a comfortable spot to sit for the next 50 minutes or so of sharing.

12. Activity #2: Protocol for Sharing • Decide who will be the first speaker/reflector. • The two other members of triad will serve as interviewers, being intentional in asking questions to clarify and/or to cause speaker to go deeper in his/her reflection. • There will be 3 rounds of sharing. Each round will be 10 minutes in length.

13. Return to Your School Team • Take 10 minutes to share what you learned during this activity with members of your school team. • How can you apply these learnings yourself? How can you share these ideas with members of your faculty who are not attending PCN?

14. Gradual Release of Responsibility Framework for Student Learning “The gradual release of responsibility model of instruction suggests that the cognitive load should shift slowly and purposefully from teachers-as-model, to joint responsibility, to independent practice and application by the learner (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983).”—p. 2, 2nd paragraph, 1st sentence, Better Learning Through Structured Teaching

15. Gradual Release of Responsibility 4 Phases Focus Lessons Guided Instruction Collaborative Learning Independent Tasks

16. A structure for successful instruction, p. 4 Better Learning Through Structured Teaching Teacher Responsibility “I do it” “We do it” Collaborative Learning “You do it together” “You do it alone” Independent Student Responsibility

17. Targets for Today’s Investigation of Collaborative Learning To understand that all group work is not collaborative learning; to understand what collaborative learning is—and what it is not To deepen knowledge about key features of effective collaborative learning To engage in and share strategies and protocols that can be used for collaborative learning

18. Collaborative Learning “. . . It is during this phase of instruction that students consolidate their thinking and understanding. Negotiating with peers, discussing ideas and information, or engaging in inquiry with others causes students to use what they learned during focus lessons and guided instruction (p. 7).”

19. Activity #3: What Collaborative Learning Is—and Is Not!—Four-Square Share WHAT? Develop a shared understanding of the purpose and role of collaborative learning within the GRR framework WHY? Collaborative learning is the most omitted phase of instruction; its value and contributions to student learning are not clearly understood HOW? Read pp. 62-65 in Better Learning Through Structured Teaching, and use 4-Square Share Protocol for conversation. See p. 6 in your Activity Packet.

20. Debriefing of 4-Square Share • What did it accomplish? • Have you used this format for conversation with your students? If so, how did it go? • Think together about how you might use this protocol with students. What management problems would you need to address?

21. Activity #4: Key Features of Collaborative Learning—Reciprocal Teaching WHAT? Using Reciprocal Teaching to think deeply about the key requirements of effective collaborative learning WHY? To ensure understanding of the research-based elements that are prerequisite to effective collaborative learning HOW? Intentionally activate the four comprehension strategies embedded in Reciprocal Teaching to deepen individual and collective understanding of the key features of collaborative learning. See pp. 7-8 of Activity Packet.

22. Reciprocal Teaching—4 Key Comprehension Strategies • Summary • Questions • Clarification • Predictions

23. Debriefing of Reciprocal Teaching • How did this work? Did the strategy seem to accomplish intended purposes? • What experiences, if any, have you had in using this in your classrooms? • If you have not used this strategy, would you? • How can you best orient students to the roles/responsibilities associated with this strategy?

24. Activity #5: Sharing Instructional Strategies for Collaborative Learning—Table Rounds WHAT? Conversations with colleagues designed to share strategies and understandings related to collaborative learning WHY? To learn with and from one another and thereby deepen understanding of collaborative learning HOW? Use Table Rounds protocol, pp. 9-10 in Activity Packet.

25. Procedural Points to Keep in Mind • Participate in conversations related to each of the three topics over the next 45 minutes or so. • Do NOT move as a table group. Try to seat yourself with different colleagues during each of three rounds. • Name a new table host for each new round. • Previous hosts stay behind to provide a one-minute summary of their groups’ conversation—then join a different group.

26. Norms for Table Rounds • Use prompts to activate thinking and conversation. Don’t’ feel that you need to answer the questions posed in a compliant manner. • Listen actively. • Respect diverse perspectives; question to get behind colleague’s thinking. • Encourage balanced participation. • Jot notes (or sketch illustrations) that depict key ideas emerging from your group’s dialogue.

27. Debriefing of Table Rounds • What were the benefits of this protocol? What did it accomplish? • How might you modify this protocol to make it appropriate and effective for collaborative learning with your students? (Remember the requirements for collaborative learning as you think about need to modify this strategy.)

28. Model Lesson for Guided Instruction Presented by Georgina Nelson, Director of Professional Learning, Alabama Best Practices Center

29. Activity #6: Individual Reflection WHAT? Individually and silently think back on the day WHY? To consolidate our learnings and think about how we will transfer to our classroom HOW? Silent reflection and writing using prompts on Activity Sheet #6, pp. 11-12.

30. Activity #7: School Team Reflection and Planning WHAT? Sharing individual reflections with school team members and beginning to plan for transfer of learnings back home WHY? To be intentional in our plans to share learnings and resources with colleagues who are not in attendance at PCN HOW? Team dialogue using the team planning template found on page 13 of Activity Packet

31. Final Reflection and Feedback • Please complete the Final Reflection and Feedback form prior to departing. • Leave your completed form in the center of the table. • Safe travels back home!