Final Reflections from CBE Area III Learning Leaders May 2015

FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 1 CBE Area III final LL reflections regarding: What supports (e.g. structures, processes, learning) do you need in order to continue to lead this work in your school?

 Time to collaborate and learn with colleagues  Time to collaborate with school admin team  More clarity around the Learning Leader role  More professional learning for me as Learning Leader  More professional learning for colleagues  Access to materials & resources (especially Online resources)

What supports (e.g. structures, processes, learning) do you need in order to continue to lead this work in your school? Time to collaborate and learn withContinuing with planning time with a focus on the TEF and teacher growth colleagues and collaboration. More time to team plan so it is more consistent within across grade, and across the school Time. Planning time/Collaboration time and I would love to see the Galileo Sessions continue next year. Time - and the time we have for planning and collaborating to be valued. Opportunities for sharing and planning as a whole staff and/or within grade teams - Consistent PLC times with focussed work Continue to work alongside teachers in supporting the work. Celebrating the small successes and sharing our work. Provide embedded time within school day to plan/collaborate-so that people will be more comfortable with planning/delivering inquiries, more enthusiastic and willing. Time, planning, PLC, more ideas and sharing, more time to compare and discuss, having some separation in large teams (it is sometimes okay that kids have different experiences in the same grades in different classroom) Every child is unique so every classroom should be as well - TIme and resources Set time for sharing as a whole staff where we are at in the TEF and how to improve our practice, more structured PLCs and PD days, teacher collaboration in DIV groups not just grade groups. I need time to collaborate and plan with my colleagues. Our PLC time and PD days are filled with many things and we get next to no time to plan as a grade team. When we are together, tasks are provided for us. More time to effectively work with teachers in their planning Having dedicated time to work on worthwhile work. Making sure administration gives the time and have teachers understand that they need to focus on the work when the time is given. Planning with an appropriate size team. Some supports that would be beneficial would be the time aspect. Having the time to collaborate more with other teachers would be a big support in our school. Embedded time during the school day (ie friday afternoons for planning with our team) Having these sessions during the school day rather than after school. FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 2

Time to share what we have learned at these sessions. - Time to plan collaboratively - Scheduled PLC times To be asked/provided with an opportunity to do it! I have loved this work and coming to these meetings. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity! You are wonderful!!! More time and willingness on the part of my grade team partners to find time for collaboration. Regular team planning time within regular school hours would be much appreciated (i.e. Friday afternoons or common prep time) if admin would support this. Need to continue to be provided with designated PBL planning days built in to our timetable and time outside of the classroom to support teachers in this area. The opportunity to have sessions like this helps to further my practice and also know what other schools in my area are working on. My school has been able to give planning time, PD sessions and 1/2 day sub time to help facilitate this work. For next year, I would recommend the following to the administration of my school: -PLC work focused on the TEF. We design, collaborate, and share during those times. -have the learning leaders work in class and work with a team of teachers -provide time for teams to collaborate and watch others teach in the classroom [NOTE: no research to support this ‘watching’ as having impact on teaching practices]. -provide more PD in using Google Docs so teachers can plan without being face to face. I think trying to find time within the school day for planning and collaboration is the area that needs the most attention. This might mean some creative scheduling and doubling up of classes to provide opportunities for collaboration. Time! Planning time outside of individual grade groups. More time, which obviously takes the support of admin and some creative solutions. Just time to really have a deeper understanding and to implement the TEF as well as pass on knowledge to my team members to help them in understanding and implementation as well. Time :) I think as a PD team, we need to start with the self-assessment on the TEF and use that to guide our PD planning. I think time is the biggest need because it is difficult teaching full time (and worrying about all the responsibilities that go along with that) as well as being a mentor to another teacher in the school. Time-specific time to teach/collaborate and provide/receive feedback with the other staff and as a school Is useful to have the TEF out and ready to use when planning. Having a long period of time to do that quality planning with a team. Also having some teachers from a different grade team be a part of planning to get some fresh ideas or have a set of fresh eyes. Having a facilitator, be a ‘leader’ to help that group focus. We would love to do more sharing of the initial planning stage to get that feedback early on. Time - PLC and PD. More time during PLCs to collaborate with teachers using the task design format of planning. FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 3

I believe we, as a group, outlined some great thoughts about supports for the upcoming year. Primarily, the administration needs to be on board with clear direction as to how the TEF is to be used for the duration of the year. We need time during school startup to work with the TEF and establish expectations for the use of it. We need it to guide our PLC work and we need clear, non-negotiable times to meet, discuss, and work through problems of practice in relation to the TEF. TIME - it would be great to have the opportunity to work in the classroom with other teachers and to provide more support with planning Leaning leaders that are active participants in task creation. Time to meet with my grade group where we can create meaningful tasks that follow the teacher's effectiveness framework. Time and support from the school to share ideas and insights more formally. -time for teacher collaboration -time for feedback from colleagues on each other's work Honestly, I think the one thing we really do need is time. Maybe allotted time set aside each month to just focus on the TEF. I really like the idea of connecting our PLC, SDP and TPGP to the TEF. This one change would be a way for us to gain more time in focusing on the TEF. It would be nice to be given more opportunities as a whole staff, or in small targeted groups to share the TEF and how it looks in everyones classroom. As well as being given the time to follow up, and provide feedback loops to each other, as teachers. Having it be a whole school focus! -Time to meet with other learning leads -Time to meet with admin -Time, time time!!! Even though I'm a Learning Leader, I am also a full time grade 2 teacher. Time!!! -being able to use PLC time to work with the TEF Framework. -time to observe inquiry in action in other classrooms and/or schools *We are given time to meet with the teachers we are working with to plan. Time for planning and collaboration Time for visiting other schools/classrooms (exemplars) Time to share learning with other staff Less time spent on non-instructional tasks, such as supervision etc. More time spent on collaborating with colleagues. This time needs to be in large chunks in order to really create large performance tasks, small chunks of time are not enough to really flesh out an idea and reflect on it. Time to work with colleagues in your discipline and cross-discipline to plan things that are best for students Teachers teaching their specialties because redesigning tasks requires an in depth understanding of the curriculum as well as the PCK of the discipline. The richest tasks come from a group of teachers who are specialists all working together. Colleagues willingness to move away from using textbooks/worksheets on a daily basis Formal time for collaborative work that is not ear-marked for some other task. Basic supports from the Admin team, structures for meeting, being able to present in front of our staff to show how our role is important. Time to meet with and lead colleagues. Using the Tuning Model, which follows a specific process that makes effective use of allotted time, is very helpful in propelling practice forward. FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 4

The support of admin and time to share/plan our work is the greatest need any school can need (we have both at my school) to complete this work. -Time: common preps, Friday afternoon designed time -Common focus and by-in from staff -Willingness to team and work together Our school has laid a terrific foundation for work to continue with TEF. Teachers have become more open to the process. More consistent time to work through specific contextual issues is the biggest area of need. MORE TIME Continued practice with the TEF to become more efficient with its use. I need common prep time. Organizing time to meet with other teachers in our day is really difficult. Collaboration takes WAY longer than doing something yourself. As a result, the product is usually better and well thought out, but organizing multiple people's after-school schedules to accommodate that time is pretty near impossible. On top of that, longer chunks of time to really dig in to assignment design and philosophy. I think our PLCs can offer some of this. To continue having the time for meaningful collaboration. We have lots of support from administration. As long as there is continued support and time allocated for this, I will be able to help lead this work in our school. Same time prep with your team teachers Structured and dedicated time to work with team members and others in the school.

Time to collaborate with school Admin team to let staff know what our roles are - no one seems to know admin team & focus from admin Time to meet with staff to discuss what we have learned Admin to be open to some of our ideas as to what to share with staff To not have my position cut :( To have more in depth conversations with my AP and Principal (I do understand that my principal was learning the ropes this year). I would like to have a dedicated section in staff meetings to share what we are learning/discussing in our sessions here - even just 10 min. Having PLC and inquiry linked together and have the teachers who attend the sessions be resources would be great PD that is specific to Galileo. Our staff needs what we have done. Instead of just us doing it and sharing through PLC. Time for us to teach each other and perhaps a Galileo staff coming in. NID days that are surrounding TEF. Practical step by step now that we have assessed our practice we can see where we need to grow. I would love to see the Galileo sessions continue into the next school year. I would also like to work closely with administration and other teachers attending these sessions on a PLC structure and PD arc for the school year that would help build a collaborative learning community and move this work forward at the school level. In class support and teaching opportunities. Administration support in setting expectations and opportunities for learning. - A focused, school wide through-line (with new leadership, this is coming) - Admin support in creating staff investment (with new leadership, this is coming) PLC leadership strategies - how to truly capitalize on this important opportunity to move learning forward FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 5

Our administration to create uninterrupted PLC time showing staff that the work there is valuable and can not be postponed or cancelled.

Administration to understand that they may not get 100% buy in but need to continue to move the staff forward so the majority that has bought in can stay engaged and excited instead of them becoming detached waiting for us to sway the nay Sayers. To maintain the continued support of the administration who clearly see the value of individual's time and how they build in planning and collaborating sessions into the PD schedule. I think continued focus on inquiry work using the TEF. PD days focused on specific areas of the TEF identified as a school would be great support. I think polling the staff to find out where the majority of us want to focus on would be most helpful. Scheduled time to share what I have learned here. Time to talk to the other teacher that attended Galileo. Meeting with principal/AP to see where to go with this work next year. Access to the Galileo website. (Note from Galileo: The Galileo website is freely available to everyone www.galileo.org and all resources and materials used in the sessions are posted on the professional learning website created for CBE Area III Learning Leaders http://galileo.org/pl- cbe/cbe3/ell/ for elementary and http://galileo.org/pl-cbe/cbe3/sll/ for secondary.

Consistent staff at the school who have a similar mindset and want to continue the practice. Administrative support. Administration needs to use the TEF framework in their approach with the teachers. Administration may wish to use TEF as a structure the PLCs follow throughout the year. Administration must recognize the TEF leaders in the school and offer the choice of mentorship to those in need of professional growth in this area. I need to invite administration to join in team PLC meetings so that individuals do not opt out of these meetings. - continued guidance from admin and LLs We have time but not used effectively. Need a clear PD focus that reflects student need, established plan to meet this need, effective communication and support from all levels of school, and commitment to follow through. Continued support from admin and teachers. -Clear vision from admin., effectively communicated from day 1 -Structured goals -Clearly stated rationale of goals ("why are we doing, why does this need to be done) -Structured expectations -Collaborative planning time -Less time wasting (effective use of meeting times) While not totally in anyone's control, stability in staffing allows for a continued, longitudinal evolution of teacher practice. I mentioned in the last session about the need for effective operational decisions. Many of the demands for 'more time' could be alleviated with thoughtful and clear structures around timetabling, staffing and predictable collaborative time. FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 6

More Clarity around LL role Admin team to let staff know what our roles are - no one seems to know Time to meet with staff to discuss what we have learned Admin to be open to some of our ideas as to what to share with staff For there to be a greater understanding of exactly what I do and why it is important to my school. Continue to build a culture of trust. I feel we have staff who do not feel comfortable in making the leap towards inquiry. They view it as 'extra work' or just another new fad. Having the common understanding that we are growing together and that the learning leaders/lead teachers are not just spewing out expertise will help. permission, often times I think we feel discouraged as teachers to step out from the rest of the pack in the best interest of students. An all or none philosophy reduces opportunities for growth. With that said, structures and protocols that are proscriptive (what cannot be done) vs. prescriptive (what must be done) would be a welcome step. A clearly defined LL role, and specific ways to elicit teacher growth. I realize that each building and role needs to look different, however it is difficult to lead teachers in this way, especially without a classroom of my own!

Thanks for all you have done!! More teacher buy-in among the staff as well as acknowledgment that as a teacher leader (not a LL), I am still able to contribute, share and lead. Some standardized expectations for schools on what is expected to be brought back to the schools would be beneficial. The work done at these sessions is very valuable, however, the opportunity to share (formally) is not always there. a specific focus or expectation, clear communication between teacher leader/ admin/ and teachers... Having a learning leader with a clear role. - A specific learning leader role description -Chances to be in the classroom and teach to keep my practice fresh and apply things that I've learned. Continuing work with administration, other learning coaches, PLC time, grade team collaboration time. I would like a clear outline of what my role is as a Learning Leader who is not in the classroom. In my opinion there is a distinction between what a Teacher Leader is able to do and what I can do because I am not part of any one team, or involved in the day to day of the classroom. I would like to be assigned to a specific team perhaps and have the parameters of what I can bring to the table clearly outlined for both myself and my colleagues. That way I know what is clearly expected of me and feel like I'm still an integral part of the teaching team. It will be much easier if there's no principal change! More structures set in place for when and how we are supporting the ongoing work of the teachers. Again, as a beginning teacher, I need the opportunity to share with others and receive feedback, support, and resources. I need the support of my administration to advocate for me and trust my philosophy and experience. I also need my peers to value my opinions and listen to the ideas I have coming right out of teacher training. I need the support of the school board and it's branches (such as Early Learning Network and area strategists) to FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 7

advocate for me and my students and provide resources and support. We need to take all of the work from today's session and use the solutions to reframe our school leadership agenda. We will make the TEF more visible from the get go next year and start designing tasks through the discipline approach brought forth at the last meeting. We be more committed to bring the work forward within the walls of our school to encourage those that are hesitant. We will continue to build relationships of trust with other staff members by looking at the inquiry process in smaller chunks. It can be overwhelming without the right support. I really liked the point about having feedback loops with colleagues as it would help clear up some of the current issues we face as LLs. A lot more structured support from administration to "enforce" common goals, and an understanding that it is not an instantaneous change from the teaching staff. This will allow realistic expectations to be established, and ease more resistant teachers to buy in. Continued support from admin will be crucial. This takes the form of accountability for all teachers in all departments regarding planning time, expectations for meaningful planning, goal-setting and task/assessment design. Increased communication and clarification as to what is expected.

More PL for me as a LL To continue to be in a learning leader position so I can continue to grow and contribute to my school. We need support from admin for time and professional and true PD on inquiry. Modelling from professionals to keep an open-mind about how to approach a topic I would hope that something like these sessions would continue next year. Anytime we bring teachers together to discuss practice in a structured format, we grow as learners. We do not have enough personnel at the system level to attend to this unless we choose to let go of other responsibilities (which maybe we should do). I would really like some more classes on Galileo and how to teach inquiry based learning. I feel I struggle with this and would love feedback and help on how to teach a better inquiry based activity. I am very much a hands on learner and I feel that I need more sessions to feel like I am a little bit of an expert on inquiry based learning and inquiry based activities. - Ability to continue to work with Galileo experts to continue our scholastic growth - Continued work around the Teacher Effectiveness Framework, but with a more focussed intention (one thing at a time) I would also like to use some PD time to go through some of the work we have done here I think that over all, we have been provided with ample time to share our Area III learning. I think the biggest need for me is to continue developing my own practice so that I can become a better lead learner. It would be nice to have a network where you can discuss with other Leads hiccups that may occur in the process. Increased leadership skill development. -Professional development around leadership My favourite session this year was the one in April that looked at the planning process around the discipline of the conservation biologist - this FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 8

has taken my understanding of inquiry and pulled all the pieces together in one venue for planning/thinking/collaborating. Looking at each element with the idea of what the students are doing, what the teacher is doing and what the assessment is at each step of the process - BRILLIANT! So in the future I will need to continue working with this model to help my staff with their own planning. Time - time to continue to work through and in this way, I need to continue to learn as a professional and continue to delve into this process and continue to grow in it. Continued time to plan with grade groups I need to learn how to communicate in other ways with adults Learning about different approaches to bring to the staff to begin this work (like planning an inquiry project by taking off the teacher hat and looking at it through the eyes of a discipline) To continue with these sessions and to be in my current role next year! I would like to continue to evolve as a champion and leader for this type of work. In order to do this, I will require PD that challenges the way I am doing things now. The fundamentals and skeleton are in place, I want to take it to the next level and change. I need help developing assessment techniques that back up my work, this proof can further champion it legitimacy in our practice. (see above for explanation) Access to workshops would be beneficial or sessions with a Galileo leader. These sessions have been a HUGE support system for me. It has been so valuable to listen to the experiences and ideas of others, to collaborate with colleagues and to ask questions of them to help improve practice. I would like to continue this next year, to look at task design as well as problem solving challenges that arise as a result of this work. Not to get rid of these models (TEF and Task Design) but to perfect them and adapt them as change happens. Continued school focus on TEF and PLC work that mirrors this work. It would help to have more mentorship or chances to see more examples (of successes and failures). - continue support from galileo and these sessions - more support in understanding my role as lead teacher and have that more accepted within school -continuation with work on the discipline based rubric and how to use that with designing Opportunities to share with colleagues outside of my grade team and planning documents that were given to us at these sessions I would like to further my knowledge in working to entwine many different subjects and curriculum points into different tasks new ways to further assess these tasks. Continued practice and focus on designing tasks using the TEF framework I am still working to fully incorporate the literacy needs of our students with our inquiry work in meaningful ways. More learning in questioning and leadership, chances to observe other teachers and classes to further my own experiences (visit different classrooms within my school and maybe arrange to see another teacher during teaching time with their class and a task their class is engaged in....this would be an AMAZING learning chance for me to see other schools, kids, teachers in action and reflect on what I could bring back to improve my practice and the practice of my peers). I would like to work more with the formative assessment cycle so that I can implement it better thereby creating better learning outcomes for my FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 9

students. I would also be in a better position to share this with staff. Of course time is the biggie but I would love to have more training and practice at designing an inquiry task and planning it. As well, the opportunity to share the learning with my staff. I think as we get so busy once we are back to school it's easy to forget the work we have put in with Galileo. I'd like recommendations of readings or the like to keep fresh on the work we've done. I really enjoy talking with other leaders who are in my same position. It is encouraging to be able to share the great ideas and some of the difficulties that we may collectively be experiencing , along with being able to grab a stack of new and fresh solutions. I would like to continue to be able to meet with other schools and attend workshops like Galileo. As well as not losing the support of my administration. I would love to have more assigned time to work with my department so we can collaborate more and create more. It always helps having different modes of delivering current research and goals of cbe. For instance the documents we use and resources given and how it is delivered! Thanks! I will need to continue meeting with specialists in order to build my expertise in this area. Continuation of sessions will help with continual development in this area. I would like to be able to attend these sessions next year. Teachers who attend these meetings from my school are always given opportunities during staff meetings to share what we have learned with our other staff members. Continued work as a whole school in the TEF, at the very least monthly. Further examples of work done by others and time to ponder on its inclusion to my practice. I would like to advocate for more colleagues to attend these sessions so that our capacity continues to grow. I would also like to attend the next IDEAS conference. Dedicated time to do the preparation (reading, developing tasks, summarizing information for staff, etc.) that is needed to engage in this process effectively. Clarity on what the end goal is and no new initiatives to start on when we're just getting a handle on this one. To give feedback to admin prior to new area and system goals are set. I feel like I need to linger with the ideas for a bit and continue working with individual teachers and teams and then have a place to meet about how that work is going. Coming to these sessions helps me hear about ideas but I would like to hear about the work with staff members.

PL for others Different teachers to attend Galileo/other workshops. Providing teachers who have not had the opportunity to attend these sessions (next year) would be valuable as well. Continued networking and sharing time with teachers from other schools is so valuable - I believe everyone should have this opportunity every year, perhaps less frequently, but on an ongoing basis, not a one-off event. Constructive, meaningful PD. I think it would benefit to have further PD sessions offered to other staff to help them with task design. This could be in the form of teachers at these sessions sharing their learning in staff meetings - or having someone from Galileo present to staff. FINAL REFLECTIONS FROM CBE AREA III LEARNING LEADERS MAY 2015 10

-Focused/Consistent PLC and PD time. -Using the TEF as a school wide focus for PLC's from the beginning of the year. It would be great to have a school wide PLC focus on the TEF so that everyone is speaking about student work using the TEF as a lens. I think it's important to use the TEF on a consistent basis with the staff. I believe that the TEF can be used to guide PLC groups, team planning, and be an important part of a school's vision. I hope to continue to support teachers and our school with helping them understand the purpose and value of using the TEF. Ensure that every teacher is on board either by open communication, or joining the sessions next year. Ongoing updates, being aware of changes, ideas Extend the knowledge of the assessments we are using already, try new ones and continue to embed all areas of curriculum into what we are teaching, not just as individual subjects. - More staff buy-in Flexibility in developing future PD opportunities around this work to give teachers time to develop and assess their own practice. Also, having an opportunity to collaborate with other schools would be quite beneficial. It would be great to see the impact of TEF on teacher practice and student achievement in other schools. This would allow us an opportunity to critically look at our own methods and make the necessary adjustments. I would like to advocate for more colleagues to attend these sessions so that our capacity continues to grow. I would also like to attend the next IDEAS conference.

Materials & resources We need more direction to where we can seek resources. Every week we Online resources see great projects/tasks but are never directed on how they found access to these resources. We also need a template to help staff that are struggling have a starting point. This way they can use this template/guideline and as they get more and more comfortable, they can slowly let go of this. Note from Galileo: Focus on Inquiry website is available in beta form More materials - you have an amazing idea but lack the materials and/or http://inquiry.galileo.org technology to put it into place I would also love some sort of website where all the stuff we have discussed in these sessions is able to be seen and I can explore more. -More exposure to ideal planning templates/professional resources I would like to develop a toolkit of resources around formative assessment ideas, or task-design. -Templates for different ways of planning rich tasks would be helpful to be able to present to teachers. -If the resources from these sessions could be emailed to us? {NOTE: they are all available online] - Resources on Galileo website to guide my practice and leadership within the school. We need the proper guidelines to use our time effectively and maybe instead of just giving us PLC time we need to have more accountability or description of what that time looks like. Access to the Galileo website + session slides for reference.