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Iowa ASCD Invites You to Join the Conversation on Professional Capital by Hargreaves/Fullan
Mark your calendar for September 19!
Join us in the discussion on our website around the book,  Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan strive to equip teachers and those who work with them with insights, ideas, and actions that will dramatically improve their effectiveness, which in turn will improve societies and generations to come.
Hargreaves and Fullan's latest book is "about a collective transformation of public education achieved by all teachers and leaders in every school. And it's about how to secure this through a new strategy that harnesses the commitments and capabilities of the many: the power of professional capital."
They share several "bad roads" to follow: 1) Assault on teachers' pensions and security; 2) the monetary road - paying teachers according to their individual performance, especially in relation to their students' test scores [Fullan and Hargreaves claim this is a political fix that will lead to professional folly]; 3) simpler approach - diminishing teachers' judgment and professionalism so "anyone can do it" [they remind us that if we dumb down teaching, we will dumb down learning].
Teaching "like a pro," according to Hargreaves and Fullan, requires a personal commitment to "rigorous training, continuous learning, collegial feedback, respect for evidence, responsiveness to parents, striving for excellence, and going far beyond the requirements of any written contract." Teaching like a pro day in and day out "cannot be sustained unless all your colleagues teach like pros, too." Teaching like a pro is a collective and transparent responsibility!
Join us as we "seize the moment, confront the core problems, present and develop clear alternatives, and turn those alternatives into an energizing reality."
We will be taking a close look at professional capital - the systematic development and integration of three kinds of capital - human, social, and decisional - into the teaching profession. This professional capital is about collective responsibility - not individual autonomy; it's about scientific evidence AND personal judgment; it's about being open to our clients rather than "standing on a pedestal above them. And, ultimately, it's about being tough on those colleagues who after every effort and encouragement, fall short of their professional mission and let their peers as well as their students down."
Join us as we learn how to develop professional capital, how to circulate it, and how to reinvest it so that we "create a dynamic new profession that will benefit every school."
Join us on the Iowa ASCD web site. The plan is to address questions around the following:
- September 19 - 25: Chapter 1, A Capital Idea
- September 26 - October 2: Chapter 2, Competing Views of Teaching
- October 3 - October 9: Chapter 3, Stereotypes of Teaching
- October 10 - October 16: Chapter 4, Investing in Capability and Commitment
- October 17 - October 23: Chapter 5, Professional Capital
- October 24 - October 30: Chapter 6, Professional Culture and Communities
- October 31 - November 6: Chapter 7, Enacting Change
Additional Information: You can view a 90-minute presentation by Andy Hargreaves at http://education.washington.edu/news/video/hargreaves-2012.html.
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Nine Ways the Common Core Will Change Classroom Practices - by Robert Rothman
In a recent survey, William Schmidt, a University Distinguished Professor of Education at Michigan State University, found some good news and bad news for supporters of the Common Core State Standards. The good news was that the vast majority of teachers have read the Standards and nearly all like them. The bad news was that about 80 percent of mathematics teachers said the Standards were "pretty much the same" as their current state standards.
Those teachers might want to take a closer look. While the Common Core State Standards share many features and concepts with existing standards, the new standards also represent a substantial departure from current practice in a number of respects. Here are nine important differences:
In Mathematics 1. Greater FocusThe Standards are notable not just for what they include but also for what they don't include. Unlike many state standards, which include long lists of topics (often too many for teachers to address in a single year), the Common Core Standards are intended to focus on fewer topics and address them in greater depth. This is particularly true in elementary school mathematics, where the standards concentrate more on arithmetic and less on geometry. Some popular topics (like time) are not included at all, and there are no standards for data and statistics until sixth grade-a controversial change. The reasoning is that teachers should concentrate on the most important topics, like number sense, in depth so that students develop a real understanding of them and are able to move on to more advanced topics.
2. CoherenceOne of the major criticisms of state standards is that they tend to include the same topics year after year. The Common Core Standards, by contrast, are designed to build on students' understanding by introducing new topics from grade to grade. Students are expected to learn content and skills and move to more advanced topics. The Standards simultaneously build coherence within grades-that is, they suggest relationships between Standards. For example, in seventh grade the Standards show that students' understanding of ratio and proportion-used in applications such as calculating interest-is related to their understanding of equations.
3. Skills, Understanding, and Application.
The Standards end one of the fiercest debates in mathematics education-the question of which aspect of mathematics knowledge is most important-by concluding that they all are equally central. Students will need to know procedures fluently, develop a deep conceptual understanding, and be able to apply their knowledge to solve problems.
4. Emphasis on PracticesThe Standards have eight criteria for mathematical practices. These include making sense of problems and persevering to solve them, reasoning abstractly and quantitatively, using appropriate tools strategically, and constructing viable arguments and critiquing the reasoning of others. These practices are intended to be integrated with the standards for mathematical content. To provide students opportunities to demonstrate the standards of practice, then, teachers might allow students more time to work on problems rather than expect them to come up with solutions instantaneously. Or they might provide students with a variety of tools-rulers and calculators, for example-and ask them to choose the one that best fits the problem rather than requiring them to choose a tool in advance.
In English Language Arts 5. More NonfictionReflecting the fact that students will read primarily expository texts after high school, the Standards call for a much greater emphasis on nonfiction. The document proposes that about half the reading in elementary school and 75 percent in high school should be nonfiction. This would include informational texts in content areas as well as literary nonfiction in English language arts; publishing companies are likely to respond by revising their textbooks. Narrative fiction will become less prevalent. The Standards also expect students to write more expository prose. 6. Focus on Evidence
In reading, students will be expected to use evidence to demonstrate their comprehension of texts and to read closely in order to make evidence-based claims. To prepare them to do so, teachers will need to take time to read carefully with their students and in many cases reread texts several times. In writing, students are expected to cite evidence to justify statements rather than rely on opinions or personal feelings.
7. "Staircase" of Text Complexity
Students will be expected to read and comprehend increasingly complex texts in order to reach the level of complexity required for success in college courses and the workplace. The Standards document cites evidence that the complexity of texts used in schools has actually declined over the past forty years. To reverse this trend, teachers will have to choose materials that are appropriate for their grade level; states and organizations are now developing tools to help teachers evaluate complexity.
8. Speaking and Listening
The Standards expect students to be able to demonstrate that they can speak and listen effectively-two aspects of literacy rarely included in state standards. One of the consortia developing assessments to measure student performance against the Standards will create a speaking and listening assessment. Expect to see teachers asking students to engage in small-group and whole-class discussions and evaluating them on how well they understand the speakers' points.
9. Literacy in the Content Areas
The Standards include criteria for literacy in history/social science, science, and technical subjects. This reflects a recognition that understanding texts in each of these subject areas requires a unique set of skills and that instruction in understanding, say, a historical document is an integral part of teaching history. This means that history teachers will need to spend time making sure that students are able to glean information from a document and make judgments about its credibility. Science teachers will need to do the same for materials in that discipline.
To prepare teachers to make these shifts, states and private organizations are planning and implementing substantial professional development efforts. In Kentucky, for example, the state department of education is undertaking a massive campaign to inform teachers about the Standards and their implications for practice and is making available sample lessons and other materials on a website. But these efforts will only be successful if all teachers understand the Standards and how they differ from current practice.
(Harvard Education Press, 2011)
Harvard Graduate School of Education granted permission to reprint this article.
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Iowa ASCD's Fall Institute Features Rick Smith, National Expert on Teaching Strategies That Engage Students in Their Learning
Join Iowa ASCD for its annual Fall Institute at Drake University on October 12, 2012.We are all wanting our students to achieve "the core," whether in our regular classroom opportunities or in supplemental or intensive learning situations. Let Rick Smith help you with that learning.
This lively interactive workshop by Rick Smith provides K-12 teachers with practical strategies based on current research on the brain that help boost student involvement, motivation, and retention. Teachers will walk away with strategies that help their students achieve the Iowa Core. Participants will explore how the brain learns, with focus on the MEANS for making a difference: Memory - key ways to increase your students' retention
Emotion - its critical role in student learning
Attention - how to get it and maintain it
New Meaning - how to "wire it" into long-term memory
Strategies - Dozens that are brain-compatible Participants will leave with: - "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lecture" - how to break up a lecture and provide multiple opportunities for active student engagement
- Nine strategies for increasing student participation in class discussions
- Two dozen ways to increase student attention and retention, especially for your reluctant learners
- Classroom Management Strategies that are geared primarily for the at-risk student
- Lesson Plan Ideas That Work
 Rick Smith is an international education consultant and presenter. He has shared practical teaching strategies to tens of thousands of teachers and teacher-trainers worldwide, including two years training American Peace Corps Volunteer Teachers in Ghana, West Africa. Rick will be heading to Singapore when he leaves us. Rick was a classroom teacher for over fourteen years, focusing primarily on students-at-risk. He's been a mentor/support provider and mentor coordinator for many years, and has taught in both Elementary and Secondary Credential programs in northern California.
Rick has conducted hundreds of workshops and keynotes on classroom management and instructional strategies that are consistently praised for both their motivational and practical value. His reviews at the ASCD conference last March topped the chart. Register now "on line" with a credit card or contact Bridget Arrasmith with your purchase order number and list of participants. |
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Advocacy and Influence - Iowa Reading and Research Center
Because of statewide concerns with student literacy, the 2012 Iowa Legislature established an Iowa Reading Research Center. SF 2284, Section 32 clearly establishes the purpose for the Center:
"The purpose of the center shall be to apply current research on literacy to provide for the development and dissemination of all of the following:
a) Instructional strategies for prekindergarten through grade twelve to achieve literacy proficiency that includes reading, reading comprehension, and writing for all students.
b) Strategies for identifying and providing evidence-based interventions for students, beginning in kindergarten, who are at risk of not achieving literacy proficiency.
c) Models for effective school and community partnerships to improve student literacy.
d) Reading assessments.
e) Professional development strategies and materials to support teacher effectiveness in student literacy development.
f) Data reports on attendance center, school district, and statewide progress toward literacy proficiency in the context of student, attendance center, and school district demographic characteristics.
g) An intensive summer literacy program. The center shall establish program criteria and guidelines for implementation of the program by school districts, under rules adopted by the state board...."
The legislation also identifies that the Center's first focus should be kindergarten through grade three.
Reading Research Committee
In order to gather input from a variety of stakeholders, the Iowa Department of Education (IDE) convened a Reading Research Committee. The committee was charged with creating a detailed description and recommendations, based on SF2284, of the specific functions and structures necessary to establish the Iowa Reading Research Center. The committee's report was due to the Iowa Department of Education by August 15, 2012.
The Reading Research Committee met on July 20th and August 6, 2012. The organizations represented at the two meetings included AEAs, Iowa ASCD, Iowa Department of Education, Iowa School Districts, Iowa Family and Child Policy Center, Iowa Reading Association, ISEA, and higher education. Dr. David Tilly, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Iowa Department of Education and Sharon Kurns, Regional Director, Heartland AEA facilitated the two meetings. Dr. Susan Pecinovsky and Executive Director Lou Howell represented Iowa ASCD at the two meetings respectively.
The Focus
The initial meeting held on July 20th included a review of the task for the Reading Research Committee and the principles that would guide this work. The principles included recommendations that we set the bar high for expectations, ensured alignment to the instructional core, proposed evidenced-based solutions and any recommendation must be scalable. The agenda for the day provided an opportunity for the committee members to respond to the following questions.
- How has education moved from research to practice in Iowa?
- What projects, initiatives or other efforts are currently being implemented to increase reading achievement in Iowa?
- What suggestions would we make for prioritized areas of need?
- What structures would be necessary to create a Reading Research Center that would improve student learning in the area of early literacy?
On August 6th, the Reading Research Committee reconvened. Lou Howell represented Iowa ASCD. On that day, the committee reviewed and reflected upon the work from the July 20th meeting. Participants shared summaries of conversations they had with individuals "back home" and reviewed the initial draft of the proposal. The committee considered the following areas.
- The introduction
- The work of the Reading Research Center
- The prioritized work of the Reading Research Center for 2012-2013
- The recommendations for next steps and the conclusion
Iowa ASCD appreciated the opportunity to contribute to this statewide partnership, and we will continue to provide our membership information on the Reading Research Center as it becomes available.
This summary was provided by Iowa ASCD Director, Dr. Susan Pecinovsky of Marshalltown Community School District.
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Iowa ASCD seeks to keep you informed abut webinars for your learning and the learning of those with whom you work. Check out the following as you prepare for a great start of the 2012-2013 school year.
- Title: Flipped-Mastery Learning Model: Students in Charge of Learning, Part II
- Presenters: Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, co-authors of Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day
- Provider: ASCD
- Date: September 12, 2012, 2:00 P.M. CDT
- Register Free
- Title: 5 Myths about Learning: What Neuroscience Tells Us
- Presenter: Sam Wang, Associate Professor at Princeton University, Neuroscientist and Author
- Provider: edWeb.net
- Date: September 12, 2012, 5:00 P.M. CDT
- Register Free
- Title: The Teacher Evaluation Conundrum: Value-Added or Devalued Teaching?
- Presenter: Heidi Hayes Jacob
- Provider: ASCD
- Date: September 25, 2012, 2:00 P.M. CDT
- Register Free
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Retaining Beginning Teachers Is a Matter of Principal
by Iowa ASCD Member and Hoyt Middle School Principal Laura Kacer
Iowa ASCD Member and Principal of Hoyt Middle School Laura Kacer shares these important reminders for the principal working with beginning teachers. This was originally published in ASCD Express May 10, 2012.
Creating effective schools and increasing student achievement necessitates that instructional leaders support new educators. For all new teachers beginning their careers, the ways in which they are welcomed and supported is pivotal. Having experienced a higher-than-average teacher turnover rate in my first four years as a middle school principal, I was faced with the fact that I was going to have to change our current reality and help provide a sense of belonging that our new teachers so desperately needed.
I realized that these mentoring efforts had to extend beyond simply partnering a new teacher with an experienced colleague and hoping for the best. I needed to invest in a holistic approach to mentoring.
Here are a few of the important lessons that I learned:
- Never let new teachers feel like they are alone.It's important to create a sense of belonging right away. Move beyond the basics of where to find the staplers and how to use the copier and help to orient teachers to the community. At our school, this was accomplished by taking beginning teachers on a bus tour of the neighborhood. We thoughtfully partner new teachers with veteran teachers. Ideally, mentor/mentee partnerships would be with teachers that share similar subject areas and grade levels. But it's not enough to just assign a new teacher a mentor; the two should also have adequate time to meet and discuss successes and challenges along the way. As the instructional leader, being purposeful about making the time to meet personally with new teachers, both one-on-one and in a group, helps to cultivate a positive climate and encourages two-way dialogue. You can also communicate that you are there for the new teachers by being visible and having continuous interactions with the new staff members. At our school, we instituted monthly get-togethers after school to provide space for the mentors and mentees to get to know one another socially and to actively promote relationships between colleagues.
- Set them up for success.Conducting early informal observations and providing personalized feedback shows teachers you are familiar with their work and that you are available as a resource. Just as with students, providing feedback to beginning teachers can help them adjust their work and improve their craft. Identifying concerns through needs assessments and regular observations prior to the formal evaluation allows for the honest sharing of concerns without the stress of a formal evaluation. It is necessary for the principal to get to know new teachers and see that their needs are being met. For a new teacher, who might also be new to the community, inquiring about housing, daycare, and other basic needs can feel overwhelming. We use a needs assessment tool to determine the level of supports necessary for each new teacher. As the principal, I find that I can play a major role in helping limit additional commitments for new staff and keep the workload as manageable as possible. Also, I don't let the lack of necessary equipment or bookshelves create a barrier to new teachers' success. Offering a minimal classroom start-up budget is a small investment that can pay off tremendously in the long haul. More importantly, I continue to remind new teachers why they got into this profession in the first place: to fulfill the dream of connecting with and supporting young people.
- Focus on continual improvement. Each new teacher will present unique opportunities for building leaders. Some beginning teachers will take off quickly, while others will struggle with day-to-day tasks. Differentiating professional development to support their unique needs will help ensure success for all. The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong and Why Didn't I Learn This in College? by Paula Rutherford are great resources that can help teachers at differing levels of mastery. And while a book resource might be just what is needed for some teachers, actually rolling up your sleeves and helping reorganize and optimize the space of a classroom for the struggling teacher may be required by others.
A principal must be willing to do whatever it takes to ensure success for every teacher.
Supporting Beginning Teachers, May 10, 2012 | Volume 7 | Issue 16
Reprinted with permission. Learn more about ASCD at www.ascd.org.
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Technology Tip: Knowmia - Create, Share, and Watch Video Lessons
If you're thinking about trying some "flipped" lessons this year, take a look at Knowmia and the Knowmia iPad app. And if you're not using the flipped model, Knowmia has promise as a good place to find educational videos that your students can use to review or get "on demand" help when they cannot connect with you.
Knowmia is a website and an iPad app for creating, sharing, and viewing video lessons. The website portion of Knowmia is a collection of videos made by teachers for high school students. There are roughly 7,000 videos in the Knowmia collection right now. Many of the videos are pulled from YouTube while others are hosted on Knowmia. The videos are arranged by subject and topic. Registered teachers can upload and tag their own videos.
The Knowmia iPad app is a new free lesson planning and recording tool for teachers. It helps you create short video lessons on any subject and publish them on knowmia.com so your students and the public can find them. Knowmia Teach makes it easy to bring in visual aids from multiple sources, organize them in steps (like slides in a presentation) and use your own voice and fingers to bring your lesson to life. You can design each step in the lesson, record illustrations as you draw them, and create sophisticated animation sequences with a simple stroke of a finger. You have the ability to describe your lesson with details that make it simple for any student who is interested in the subject to find it.
Main features include:
+ Build your lesson out of smaller steps (like slides) so it's easy to manage and organize your lesson
+ Create each step of your lesson on a separate whiteboard so you can seamlessly introduce new concepts
+ Record everything that you do on the whiteboard as well as your voice to create the lesson step-by-step
+ Use the shape tool to quickly draw common shapes
+ Type text with any font/size directly on the whiteboard
+ Import graphics from the iPad's media library and built-in camera - or paste in any image of your own
+ Draw freely with multiple pen widths and a highlighter mode
+ Use the pointer tool to attract attention to anything on the whiteboard while recording it
+ Publish the complete lesson to Knowmia.com with a touch of a button
Note that Knowmia Teach is a free tool for teachers who choose to participate in the Knowmia community. You cannot export the lessons to other platforms or websites.
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You Ought to Know That . . .
- There is help for you for completing your C-Plan. Iowa ASCD Director Marcia Tweeten created a Help Chart that is available on our Iowa ASCD web site. It's in the upper right-hand corner of the front page as well as under Especially for You - with directions.
- Educational Technology and Mobile Learning offers 35 guides for teachers from how to use Skype in the classroom to the role of blogs as well as Bloom's Taxonomy on the iPad.
- ASCD has released EduCore - a new, free digital tool designed to help educators implement both the English/language arts and math Common Core State Standards. The EduCore tool is a repository of evidence-base strategies, videos, and supporting documents that facilitate educators' transition to the new standards. Check it out! It's free!
- A STEMworks database has been established to identify programs that deepen young people's learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The programs in this database have to clear a high bar. WestEd, an independent non-profit research, development, and service organization, rigorously reviews all of them against Change the Equation's Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy and an accompanying Rubric. Only programs that perform well against the principles are admitted.
- There are five major considerations to address as you develop a school/district policy for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).
- MindShift shares a summary of best practices for deploying iPads. Check it out as there are ideas that apply even "after the fact."
- You can access the absentee ballot form for the November election on our web site as well as the address of the county auditor.
- Teachers new to the profession may join Iowa ASCD for only $15. This is a great way for you to mentor their learning and practices.
- Iowa ASCD really appreciates your membership. Let us know how we can best serve you!
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English Language Learners - And the Answer Is . . .
Question from a Building Principal: When is a pull-out model of ESL services appropriate? We like using it, but we have so many students that I am afraid we cannot keep it up!Answer: The Pull-out Model (in which the ESL teacher "pulls the student out" of the grade-level or content classroom) can be a very useful model, especially for newcomers at the earliest stages of language development when oral language and pre-reading capabilities (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, rhyming, segmentation), must be intentionally addressed to lay a foundation for reading and writing. At the earliest stages of English development, Levels 1 and 2 according to the I-ELDA (Iowa English Language Development Assessment) student performance descriptors, students are not yet generally able to derive meaning from grade-level text in English. In addition to the pull-out model, a variety of other service models, including collaboration and co-teaching (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2010) can be effectively implemented. Due to rapid growth in the number of ELLs in many Iowa districts, administrators are increasingly exploring ways to expand capacity of instructional staff. One way to ensure that ELLs are included in Core instruction is to provide differentiated instruction in the grade-level classroom. With the ESL teacher as a collaborator and/or co-teacher, partnering with the grade-level teacher who is also a collaborator and co-teacher, the two teachers will each provide valuable expertise and insights for appropriate instruction that advances both content knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as the development of academic English language. We recommend the collaboration/co-teaching model as it supports the philosophy that all teachers are teachers of academic language. Collaboration/Co-teaching also promotes Core content as the vehicle for academic language development for all students. Good luck in exploring new ways of delivering effective services for ELLs! For further support and professional development for teachers and administrative teams in collaboration/co-teaching for ELLs, be sure to register for the Dove and Honigsfeld full-day pre-conference on Nov. 10, 2012, at the Iowa Culture and Language Conference (ICLC).
Iowa ASCD members Stephaney Jones-Vo (Heartland AEA 11) and Shelley Fairbairn (Drake University) will answer your questions related to English Language Learners (ELLs): instruction, assessment, programming. Submit your question to Iowa ASCD
and watch for the answer in future editions of The Source.
Be sure to check out the special edition of ELL published on August 31 that was co-authored by Fairbairn and Jones-Vo.
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Iowa ASCD - Twitter!
Stay current with learning! Follow Iowa ASCD on Twitter! http://twitter.com/#!/IowaASCD |
 Iowa ASCD is the source for developing instructional leadership and translating research into daily practice. Serving more than 850 educators - teachers, principals, superintendents, directors of curriculum, technology specialists, college professors, AEA staff - Iowa ASCD strives to develop the collaborative capacity to impact the learning of each and every student in Iowa. |
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Iowa ASCD Contacts President Jason Ellingson Past-President Leslie Moore President-Elect Allan Eckelman Membership Information Bridget Arrasmith Secretary Marcia Tweeten Treasurer Julie Davies Members-at-Large Julie Grotewold Ottie Maxey Becky Martin Kevin Vidergar DE Liaison Tina Ross Higher Education Jan Beatty-Westerman Elaine Smith-Bright Advocacy and Influence Pam Armstrong-Vogel Susan Pecinovsky Curriculum Leadership Academy Sue Wood Fall Institute Kelly Adams Summer Institutes and Grade-Level Conferences Kym Stein Planning Chair Cindy Swanson Technology Chris Welch Membership Relations and E-Learning Amy Wichman Executive Director Lou Howell |
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with Iowa ASCD
- October 12, 2012
- Fall Institute
- Presenter: Rick Smith, international expert on engagement of students through brain-based learning
- 8:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
- Drake University
- $90 for members; $135 for non-members
- Focus: increase teachers' knowledge and practices with the Iowa Core through strategies that "wire" the learning of their students in their long-term memory.
- Register Now!
- February 5-6, 2013
- "Advocating for Students and Their Learning"
- Presenter: ASCD Director of Public Policy David Griffith
- February 5: 5:30 - 7:30 P.M., Savory Hotel
- February 6: 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M., Historical Building and the Capitol
- Focus: training on advocacy "on the hill" as well as update on national and state agendas and tips for influencing your legislators
- April 10 - 11, 2013
- Iowa ASCD Leadership Academy
- 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. daily
- Hilton Garden Inn, Urbandale/Johnston
- $250 for members; $295 for non-members
- Focus: strategies and best practices around Iowa Core and RTI for curriculum leads
- Get The Source the first and third Friday of each month.
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