A Flashlight and Compass: a Collection of Tools to Promote Instructional Coherence

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A Flashlight and Compass: a Collection of Tools to Promote Instructional Coherence DOCUMENT RESUME ED 442 778 SP 039 307 AUTHOR Copeland, Glenda; Finley, Sandra; Ferguson, Chris; Aldarette, Karen TITLE A Flashlight and Compass: A Collection of Tools To Promote Instructional Coherence. INSTITUTION Southwest Educational Development Lab., Austin, TX. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE 2000-05-00 NOTE 226p. CONTRACT RJ9600681 AVAILABLE FROM Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 211 East Seventh Street, Austin, TX 78728; Tel: 512-476-6861; Web site: http://www.sedl.org. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Coherence; Educational Improvement; Educational Quality; Elementary Secondary Education; *Faculty Development; Reflective Teaching; *Teacher Collaboration; *Teacher Improvement ABSTRACT This publication presents a collection of tools that promote instructional coherence. It focuses on the importance of teachers collaborating to develop a deeper understanding of how children learn and exploring relationships between teaching and learning. Coherence leads to improved educational experiences for learners as teachers make their instructional decisions by using both information collected in the classroom about what and how their students are learning and information from external sources about what is important for students to learn. The collection of tools falls into five categories:(1) coherence (understanding the rationale),(2) learning (placing learning at the center of practice), (3) dialogue (establishing a dialogue),(4) reflection (developing reflective practice), and (5) improving student learning (taking action). This publication presents tools and activities for each of the five areas. An appendix offers tools and strategies for facilitation, a bibliography of material to develop understanding about issues of coherence, and masters for cards used in designated activities. (Contains 20 resources.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. N00 4-1 A Flashlight & Compass: A Collection of Tools to Promote Instructional Coherence U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. developed by Glenda Copeland Sandra Finley Chris Ferguson Karen Aldarette N Southwest Educational Development Laboratory 3is t`a 211 East 7th Street Austin, Texas, 78701BEST COPYAVAILABLE 2 A Flashlight and Compass: A Collection of Tools toPromote Instructional Coherence SEDL Southwest Educational Development Laboratory 211 East Seventh Street Austin, Texas 78728 (512) 476-6861 www.sedl.org c May 2000 Southwest Educational Development Laboratory This publication was produced wholly, or in part, withfunds from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Departmentof Education, under contract #RJ9600681. The content hereindoes not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Education, any other agency of theU.S. Government, or any other source. A Flashlight and Compass: A Collection of Tools toPromote Instructional Coherence is a product of the Promoting InstructionalCoherence Project in the Program for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning. As aresult of our work with teachers in our five-state region, the projectproduced reports and products to assist other educators in constructing acomprehensive approach to teaching and learning. This collection of activities, tools, andstrategies provides useful resources for facilitating groupsof teacher in becoming more reflective about their practice, making instructional decisions based onstudent learning, and creating more coherent learning experiences forstudents. To contact the Promoting Instructional Coherence Project, please call us at1- 800 -- 476 --6861 or write to us at SEDL, 211 East Seventh Street, Austin,TX 78701. You may also send e-mail to Stephen Marble, Program Manager,[email protected]. SEDL is an Equal Employment EmploymentOpportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to affording equal employmentopportunities for all individuals in all employment matters. SEDL, 2000 A Flashlight and Compass: A Collection of Tools to Promote Instructional Coherence Overview of the Design and ExtSlariatiOn of Coherence' Reform has confounded the decision-making process for teachers. Teachers are making decisions in a context that includes new policies, new ideas about learning, curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and a multitude of programs that claim to reflect these ideas. We believe that when teachers collaborate to develop a deeper understanding of how children learn and to explore the relationships between teaching and learning, they are in a better position to make instructional and curricular decisions that lead to coherent teaching practice and improved student learning. "Instructional coherence" describes the relationship among the components of the systemcurriculum, instruction,assessment,externalmandates, and community contextthat teachers create and communicate totheir students. In creating a coherent practice, the teacher intentionally brings the components together with a focus on student learning. Coherence leads to improved educational experiences for learners as teachers make their instructional decisions by using both information collected in the classroom about what and how their students are learning and information from external sourcesabout what is important for students to learn. To develop this conception, we examined the research. The policyliterature stresses systemic reform and the alignment of policy instruments as a meansof improving teaching and learning. Studies about teachers' understanding of and response to reform initiatives suggest thatthe implementation of reform ideas into practice is more difficult than generally expected. We concludedthat policy alignment is a good and necessary beginning, but itis not enough. The important issue for coherence in classroom teaching and learning is how the teacher makes sense of his or her work. The recent professional development literaturefocusesoncollaborationanddevelopmentofprofessional communities, suggesting that job-embedded learning (collegial groups engaged in dialogue, reflection, and inquiry) helps teachers make sense of and implement new ideas about teaching and learning. Our Research Study We used a collaborative research approach to learn about problemsfaced by typical practicing teachers as they mediate the various reform messages and mandates. We worked with groups of teachers at five diverse school and district sites. The 12-18 teachers at each site met regularly with a facilitator.They Introduction to the Collection A Page 1 SEDL, 2000 of 5 pages engaged in reflective dialogues about teaching and learning, wrote injournals, participated in activities, tried out new ideas in their classrooms, and visitedtheir colleagues' classrooms. We learned about the importance of context, about the processesinvolved as groups of teachers engage in dialogue,and about issues of coherence. From these learnings, we developed a collection of tools and strategies thathelped groups of teachers create more coherenteducational experiences for their students. The Process We believe that teaching and learning can be improved as teachers shift their focus from what they teach to what students learn engage in dialogue with colleagues abouteducational issues and ideas reflect and be thoughtful as they make choices in their practice There are multiple paths that might be taken in achieving greater coherence,and teachers may enter the process from various points or perspectivesalong a continuum of thoughtful practice. Any examination of teachingpractice necessitates consideration of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. However, there is not a specific sequence or identical path that must befollowed by everyone. Striving for coherence is ajourney of continual improvement and sense making by the teachernot a destinationsignaling completion or arrival. Individuals continually receive new input and make accommodations or reject it based on their frame of reference or values. Therefore, the process can neverbe static, fixed, or prescribed. We have arranged the collection of tools in an order thatreflects our understanding of the study group process, but we do not mean to conveythat this is a linear process. The following outline provides an overviewof the collection. I. Coherence: Understanding the Rationale Teachers explore the rationale for considering participation in a study group as professional development and forfocusing the initial study group work on an examination of learning.Activitiesinthissection open the conversation about teaching and the role of learning in the professionallife of educators. II.Learning: Placing Learning at the Center of Practice Teachers learn to put their students' learning needs at the center of their decision making about classroom practices by reflecting on and refining their understanding of how children learn and consideringhow this understanding informs their teaching. Activities engage participants in collaborative learning experiences that provide a basis for further analysis and dialogue about the learning process. Introduction to the Collection 5
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