As Kristin mentioned, the intro does it's job! :) The rest of the book will be about keeping a focus on a common curriculum, sound lessons, and authentic literacy. Chapter 1 discusses the importance of keeping these things simple, clear, and a priority.
After having read this book once and seeing the implementation we have made, I think it truly comes down to motivation and the "'will and persistence' to implement what we already know...applied with fierce devotion..." (p. 9). We all must admit that there are times throughout the year where our focus gets blurred and priorities get muddled, but I think with the leadership team we have now we can forge through this even when things become tough. We have to hold each other accountable.
So, we need to start off with all teachers applying curriculum, lessons, and literacy consistently and reasonably well. Schmoker mentions that we may keep practicing this, but they should all three be monitored and assessed by our teams. They should be our most urgent need - "the ongoing focus of every team meeting, every PD session...every monitoring and reporting effort" (p. 11).
What we teach: The curriculum he refers to means about half of the standards - these should be "power" or the most essential of the standards. Our district has already defined these for us, so this is a good thing.
How we teach: This is our lesson design - already in place - CHECK! So, the hardest part for us here is HOW and WHEN we release to the next part of the lesson. ALL students have to be ready to move on, and if they are not, something else or a plan must be in place. I think this is where we need work. I think of how hard this is for science and social studies now that they have less time, but I also think we can be creative with how this is used in WIN.
Authentic Literacy: It's the "spine" that holds it all together! We have a nice start on this, but I think the new reading teachers need to really get a handle on how to use their materials to differentiate and the content areas will always need help making this work for them, not being more work for them. We can make it happen - we have the materials, it is just about how we use them and manage them best.
Another thought I have after reading this a second time is about how we can let everyone know "what is essential" but also clarify and reinforce our priorities in help the other newer teachers "ignore the rest" that they are being bombarded with. (This is in reference to mid-page 15.) There are still things and ways that teachers think they must do or teach, even if it isn't priority. We have to ensure them that it is okay not to.
For this team, I think it is important to look at page 18 where Schmoker talks about leaders. We must be on the same page, be clear and have the same focus. If we do not, we do not look like a cohesive team. We also must monitor what we want to be done - how and what we teach as well as literacy.
Something I noted this time that I didn't last time we read this book is on p. 22. It talks about the prinicpal meeting quarterly with teachers to discuss their evidence of student performance. MC did something similar to this when we MAP tested the second time and we noticed students declining. Adding a quarterly visit from MC, then following up with observing and meeting with a teacher that excels could be a way to improve instruction in some teachers' rooms.
ReplyDeleteReading this chapter for the second time – some new things stood out to me as well. On page 22 Schmoker states “But priorities are fragile and high-maintenance”. I think that’s the lesson we learned this year. With so many other changes – our focus was not as clear as it could have been. We need to keep this in mind when looking at our professional development and DRT meetings for next year. I think the implementation of authentic literacy will be easier with our restructuring of WIN. Now literacy will be a non-negotiable in every core class. I agree with Rachel that all of the pieces in FOCUS are implemented somewhat – but we need to make them stronger. Also – on page 11 Schmoker states that implementing the three elements will prepare students for “college, career, and citizenship”. This goes hand in hand with AVID!
ReplyDeleteI agree that we have been pretty clear with how we teach and what we teach. We need to place more emphasis on authentic literacy. A quote that stuck out to me was on p. 16. "For an organization to maintain a focus on its highest priorities, it must simplify and repeatedly clarify them so that everyone in the organization knows implicitly what to do and what not to do." An idea is to start every meeting with our priorities-maybe having small group discussions on how we used the 3 elements (what we teach, how we teach, and authentic literacy) that previous week. Maybe we could tie this in to the teacher observations we have to do each quarter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone so far, I think that one of our strengths is that everyone knows the focus, and I think we are great as a staff (that has only worked together for a year) at making sure lessons follow the gradual release model. As Jen said, I think Schmoker makes a great point when saying that even the best ideas need a constant reminder so we don’t slide back into what might be easier or not the best practice. We have seen this with all of the "high maintenance priorities" that have come and gone as well as with the inner wealth initiative this past year. I am looking forward to how data teams will connect across content areas this year, not just focused on one class. This will narrow the focus on non-fiction reading and writing to where it was last year, and we all saw how much the students benefitted from that.
ReplyDeleteTo add on to Rachel's statement about How We Teach: I think the section on Simplicity, Clarity, and Priority in the Classroom (pgs. 20-21) gives great insight into lesson delivery with emphasis on the 3 priorities and multiple cycles of guided practice and checks for understanding. It might be helpful for teachers to review this small section in an early staff meeting. I think it would also be helpful to let teachers know what authentic literacy looks like. Schmoker defines it as "purposeful and usually argumentative reading, writing, AND talking".
ReplyDeleteAs we continue to keep our Focus on literacy we need to get much more specific on what our 120 minutes of reading/language and 60 minute WIN looks like. The effective lesson plan is a good start as a leadership team we need to define specific "look fors" so that all staff can be held accountable....the green book gets more specific, but fits well with this chapter!
ReplyDeleteMarianne
I love the simple focused mindset. It is extremely important that all students are given a strong and accurate foundation in phonics and sound/letter relationships. Student success can not depend on the teacher "they get" for literacy instruction. I love the authors point on clear, simple, common and focused instruction. I think that often we forget how much repeat practice is needed for a skill to become automatic. I am very excited about JB's adoption of the advance when ready model. This allows all students to truly master the early literacy skills they need to build a strong foundation in reading. Casey
ReplyDeleteFocus. Chapter 2
ReplyDeleteWhat we teach.... A guaranteed and viable curriculum for all students. Curriculum may be the single largest factor within a school that determines how many students learn within a school. The author emphasizes that it is our job to ensure that ALL students are equally ready to pursue a college degree if they so choose. We must provide all students with authentic literacy opportunities, ideally beginning in preschool. We must develop students content knowledge while providing them with multiple opportunities to develop critical thinking skills. In addition it is very important to foster verbal competence, which is often overlooked. We need to agree on basic standards given to all students and we need to deliver said standards with fidelity and purpose. Casey
I like Schmoker's narrow focus on authentic literacy, thinking skills, and essential concepts. As we read the Ketchup book, I compare Schmoker's focus to the simple formula to "catch up", or the TAG strategy. Targeted Accelerated Growth. It's simple and specific without overthinking everything. Schmoker stated that the reason we haven't stuck to the known entities in education is because we basically lack the "...will and persistence," to carry through. When implementing the strategies in the Ketchup book, we will need both will and persistence. I agree with Casey that verbal competence is of huge importance. I like how our non-fiction writing and literacy focus fit into this. I also think the Shared
DeleteInquiry hits on this with our highest level students.
Finally, I like the discussion on simplifying standards. In the highest achieving countries, less is more. We need to keep this in mind as we narrow the focus in these areas for our staff.
Dave