Learning Through Sharing by Sheri Crandall

Sometimes some of the best professional development comes from collaborating with others.  HS strategist, Sheri Crandall has learned this first hand, in her first year as an instructional strategist.   Sheri had the opportunity to collaborate with other schools' teacher leaders and  found it very enlightening and helpful. 

Below Sheri documents her learning in her own words.  Thanks for sharing.

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“We keep joking as teacher leaders that we don’t know what we don’t know, but thanks to other strategists being willing to collaborate with me, I have grown a lot over the last year and feel that I have gained a lot of insight.”  

 A year ago, I found out that I would be an instructional strategist for LMHS, but what did that new job entail?  We started in June of 2014 by attending a symposium in Waukee, IA, where their instructional coaches shared their experiences over the last 6 years, as they implemented teacher leadership in their district.  It gave us a great place to start and our first introduction to our four major roles of consulting, collaboration, observation and coaching. 

   

After being in the classroom for 26 years, I was fairly confident that I was successful in that role, but in this new position, where every day looked different, was I being as effective as I could be?   Since some of my greatest strategies in teaching came from collaborating with my colleagues, I decided to try this same technique with my new role.  In November, I spent the day shadowing Waukee HS, Instructional Coach Mark Stallman.  Mark introduced me to edcamp, one of their Professional Development models, and discussed the role he played in Waukee’s PD time.  This was instrumental in leading to a revamping of our PD days here at LMHS.  I was also able to be a part of their Building Leadership Team Peer Review team meeting and hear about the risks their teachers were willing to take.  Their principal posed this question:  “Do we want our students to be lifelong learners and take risks?  If so, then how do we model the model?”  This question not only pushed his staff to take some risks, but I found myself reflecting on his words as well.

Another question I often wondered about was the ability to coach another HS teacher that taught a content different from my own.  Mark shared his experiences with me and said he felt he could be a better coach when he was outside his content area, sharing his belief that when you don’t know their content you ask more authentic questions – to make them think.    I too have found, that my questions are much more thought provoking when I’m outside of my content area.

When I asked Mark about his thoughts on collaboration, he said, “Taking risks and sharing our experiences with each other is invaluable in helping all teacher leaders improve.” 

In February, Melissa Hocking, Secondary Instructional Design Strategist Facilitator for the Cedar Rapids Community School district, helped me by facilitating a day of shadowing their teacher leaders, at Washington and Jefferson HS.  I spent part of my day with the strategists at Jefferson HS, where I attended their team meeting and we were able to share with each other our successes and struggles and share strategies that we found helpful. 

I spent part of the day with Sandra Metzger, strategist at Washington HS, where I was able to shadow her in an observation debriefing and Standards Based grading meeting with a Math teacher.  I was also able to spend time with Melissa and learn all about their teacher leadership program at Cedar Rapids, and how their program was set up and the nuts and bolts of their program.  I came away with great ideas on strategies and program ideas to bring back to LM with me.  One example, was the way CR schedules and utilizes their model teachers.    Sandra asked if I would be willing to reciprocate this experience and allow her to shadow me for a day.  

In March, she came to LM to spend the day with me and again we were able to share and compare programs and ideas and both walked away with a sense of how empowering our collaboration was and could continue to be.  When asked how she felt about our experience, Sandra said, “As a new instructional strategist, this year has been a challenge.  I stepped away from a role where I felt experienced, comfortable, and competent, only to find myself with challenges I had not fully anticipated.  Being in this role, however, has opened my eyes to see how incredibly valuable, and even vital, collaboration is to our profession.  I can become both comfortable and competent as an instructional strategist, but it will only happen through experiences of learning collaboratively.  I appreciate the opportunities I had to experience this kind of leaning with Sheri Crandall and other teacher leaders at Linn-Mar.  I know that this is the beginning  of a meaningful partnership that will help us support teachers and improve student learning.” 

Also, in March, Jill Versteeg, strategist at Johnston HS, came to visit us at LM and brought along 3 student support services teachers.  Her SSS teachers are working to make some changes to their program and wanted to collaborate with the SSS teachers here to see what our programs looked like.  During her time here, she and I were able to share how our programs worked and again different strategies.   We shared our professional development models with each other and I walked away with a great example of how they combine their professional development with observations of their model teachers in a model they call Demo Day.  Jill had this to say about our day together, “One thing I think I would say about the day is just how powerful the TLC grants are in terms of allowing for collaboration.  Not just collaboration within your own district, but between districts across the state!  Having the opportunity to talk with Sheri, Tina, and the special education teachers really enriched the conversation I then had with teachers in my district about things that are happening at Linn Mar that we may want to try.” 

As my first year as an instructional strategist is quickly coming to an end, and I reflect upon this year, I realize how so much of what we have accomplished at Linn-Mar has grown from seeds planted by other strategists that were willing to dialog and share with us.  How much more knowledgeable we become and how much more powerful a program can be, when others are willing to collaborate and share with us.   In a couple weeks, we will be hosting Pleasant Valley School district, who will begin their first year of their program next year.  I can only hope that we can be as much help to them as they begin their journey as others have been for us.  

I’m looking forward to my 2nd year, and continued collaboration with strategists and coaches throughout the state of Iowa, as I continue to grow into my new roll. 

Building a Bridge

The transition from middle school to high school can be difficult to navigate, especially when it comes to completing your very first high school schedule. "What classes do I take? What is the difference between English 9 and English I? How many credits do I need? What is a Skinny and what is a Block?" are all questions students have when they are faced with their first scheduling experience. In order to make the process easier for students, High School Prep teacher Kim Sleezer came up with the idea to involve the Teacher Leaders at Linn-Mar High School, Excelsior, and Oak Ridge.

Not only does Kim teach at Excelsior Middle School, she is also one of twenty model teachers in our district this year.  If you have not had time to visit her classroom, I highly recommend you add it to your bucket list for the remainder of this school year.

Below Kim has written in her own words her perspective on how working with other teacher leaders in our district has impacted what she has been able to accomplish within her program.

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Instructional strategists Steven Starkey, Tina Oberbroeckling, and Nicole Redington were instrumental in helping to facilitate discussions between the Middle Schools and High School regarding specification of 9th grade course selection choices.  For the past several years in High School Prep, we have been trying to provide a consistent and specific set of questions for 8th grade students to use as they prepared for 9th grade registration.  The difference between 9th grade courses in English, science, and social studies were challenging and often confusing for students to understand.  We were finding that many students and parents simply wanted a more specific set of parameters regarding these course choices.  In the spring of 2014, the English Departments at the High School and Middle School were first to devise such a "course selection grid," and the implementation of the grid proved to be extremely beneficial to both students and families. 

Using this success as a model for what other departments could do together, Middle and High School Instructional Strategists asked questions of all parties involved and then helped to facilitate the creation of a uniform and specific "course selection grid" for both social studies and science content areas.  In January of 2015, the grids were used to guide every 8th grade student in the Linn-Mar District as they prepared to choose courses for their 9th grade year at the High School.

Were it not for the involvement of the Instructional Strategists, the collaboration between building staffs and the creation and implementation of the course selection grids would not have happened in such a timely manner.  What would have taken Professional Development time to accomplish in the past; staff members were able to complete in discussions and emails with involved parties.  The Instructional Strategists facilitated these communications. 

The creation of the 9th grade course selection grids is just one example of how Instructional Strategists can help to facilitate building-to-building communication that has always been desired, but often impossible to accomplish because of varying building and staff responsibilities and duties.  We all want more time to collaborate, but when we are provided the time and talent of our Instructional Strategists, the challenge of having to find the time to collaborate is made much easier. 

I view the Instructional Strategists as the "puzzle masters" on our collaboration journey.  Instructional Strategists have knowledge of the bigger picture because of the number of teachers and building staff they see on any given day or week.  The collaboration puzzle pieces, which used to seem impossible to put together are easily placed in their perspective spots because the Instructional Strategists have the time and tools to put the pieces together.

In facilitating the development and implementation of the 9th grade course selection grids, the Instructional Strategists have helped to directly impact every 8th grade student and family within the Linn-Mar School District.  This impact will be sustained and improved from year to year as each group of 8th grade students works to choose from and schedule for 9th grade courses.

~Kim Bell Sleezer

8th Grade High School Prep and Reading Teacher

Excelsior Middle School

Who Doesn't Like Field Trips?

Anytime we take a step out of the ordinary and learn something new, or look at something in a new light, amazing things can happen. 

Teachers have recognized how beneficial field trips are for students for years.  Yet, as adults, we rarely seize the opportunity.  

This year leadership opportunities have allowed teachers the chance to take a field trip to see other colleagues in action.  Visits to model teachers and other teachers have been happening all year.

One example of this adult learning through field trips is credited to The Instructional Strategist and the Kindergarten Team at Indian Creek Elementary.   Kara Felber, Kate Frank, Tammy Franck, and Michelle Haugse, enjoyed a day of visits to some of the model teachers in Linn-Mar.  

They were accompanied by Sara Hofer, Instructional Strategist.  The idea for this trip originated during a PLC meeting. The team was looking for some new approaches to teaching different skills, primarily looking for new ideas in literacy.  Having been able to watch the model teachers, Sara Hofer contacted each of them to see if the Indian Creek Kindergarten team could view some of their work that centered around literacy skills development.  The work they purposefully went to see included Whole Brain Teaching methods and writing.  Additionally, they felt it was important to see the work that students in the blended program and first grade were encountering to get a frame of reference for the experiences kids encounter in Kindergarten.  On the field trip day, they all hopped in one car and had conversations before, during, and after.  The synergy was incredible and a laundry list of ideas was generated quickly.  This team has continued the conversations at school and again during PLC meetings.  

If you have yet to schedule an observation of one of Linn-Mar's Model teachers, contact a teacher leader in your building today and we'll be happy to help you find a day, time, and a teacher match for you.