Full Description
The transformative professional learning design that advances equity in your school!
How do we make educational equity a reality, lesson by lesson? This compelling book is a call to action, focused on observation-based professional learning to elevate teaching practice.
Learn how to bring team observation into the classroom to test, refine and transform instruction so that students of all backgrounds achieve. Ideal for classroom teachers, grade-level team facilitators, department chairs, and all education leaders, this guide shows how to:
Create a culture of deep collaboration that closes opportunity gaps among students
Effectively redesign instruction to reach culturally and linguistically diverse learners, using observation data and shared best practices
Center instructional conversations on developing students' skills for college and career success, including hard-to-assess skills
Including video clips of actual teams, Tonya Ward Singer's powerful and practical book promises to become a catalyst that will inspire educators as leaders of positive change.
"This exceptionally valuable book provides a clear process I can use to engage with my colleagues around learning. I appreciated the ideas and practical information that will ensure that my professional learning group focuses on student learning as evidenced in real lessons. The tools that Tonya Singer provides are useful and relevant, not to mention tried and true."
—Douglas Fisher, Professor
San Diego State University, CA
"I recommend this book without hesitation. . . Gone are the days for teachers to be working 'behind closed doors' . . . Go forth and TEACH like the world works--collaboratively with teams!"
—Harriet Gould, Adjunct Professor
Concordia University, Lincoln, NE
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter 1 A Call to Action
Reaching Every Child in 21st-Century Schools
A Rationale for Observing Together
Professional Learning for Equity
Beyond the Elephant
Chapter 2 Observation Inquiry
Observation Inquiry Overview
Collaborative Inquiry in Classrooms Together
Multiple Cycles to Plan-Teach-Observe-Reflect-Plan
Protocols to Foster Deep Collaboration
Getting Started
Chapter 3 Opening Doors: Building Buy-In and Trust
Inspire Action
Honor Fears
Establish Safety
Foster a Growth Mindset
Address Individual Needs
Chapter 4 Asking Questions That Matter
Identifying a Problem to Solve
Aligning With Local Initiatives
Writing a Problem of Practice
Asking Questions to Drive Inquiry
Facilitation Challenges and Solutions
Chapter 5 Planning for Inquiry
Goals for Student Learning
Assessment and Success Criteria
Planning Instruction
Facilitation Tips for Efficient, Effective Team Planning
Chapter 6 Observing Together
Focusing the Observation: The Prelesson Meeting
Taking Notes in a Lesson
Formative Evidence Examples
Using Video
Chapter 7 Describing and Analyzing What We Observed
Step 1: Describe Without Judgment
Step 2: Organize Data
Step 3: Make Generalizations
Teach and Practice the Protocol
Chapter 8 From Observation to Action
Step 4: Link Cause and Effect
Step 5: Apply Learning to Plan
Step 6: Set Individual and Team Goals
Chapter 9 Deepening Learning Across Multiple Lessons
Building From Lesson to Lesson
Kindergarten: Advancing Collaborative Conversations About Texts
Second Grade: Deepening Insights About Language
Middle School: Elevating Thinking Across the Content Areas
Strategies for Facilitating Deep Learning
Chapter 10 Evaluating and Expanding Our Impact
What Have Students Learned?
What Have Teachers Learned?
How Do We Expand Learning Beyond the Team?
How Do We Sustain Continuous Learning?
Appendices
Appendix A Launching Observation Inquiry
Appendix B Easy Protocol Reference
References
Index
