Milk, Cookies, and Stories: Best Practices

On Thursday, January 21st, the Peer Collaborators held an after school workshop called, “Milk, Cookies, and Stories. Our hope was that faculty from the Elementary and High School would take the opportunity to come and share ideas, insights, and best practices, in addition to connecting with fellow teachers. We sent an invitation to all, which included some pertinent questions that could lead to spirited discussion. The Peer Collaborators are excited to report that this workshop was a great success! Nearly 20 people actively participated in thoughtful, meaningful, and at times, emotional discussion surrounding our roles as teachers, and what led us to the path we have chosen. When our time together ended, the group agreed that we would like to meet again for ‘Milk, Cookies, and Stories Part II”!

Cambridge Wins NEA Greater Public School Grant to Elevate the Profession through Teacher Preparation

Check us out, Cambridge is leading the way!
Bennington Banner article

Peer Collaborating: CCS 2014-2015

                        Building Capacity

As Peer Collaborators we want to be available to facilitate collaboration among groups or between individuals. Peer Collaborators hope you will feel comfortable reaching out to us for reasons such as: 

• Brainstorming ideas for lesson planning or classroom management
• Observing individual student behaviors or group dynamics in the classroom
• Sharing ideas or best practices
• Informally reflecting on lessons and/or observations, 
• Lending a confidential ear to any issues or concerns that may arise

“As a peer reviewer I feel it is beneficial to both the person being observed and the observer. I have learned a great deal from observing and working with classroom teachers. It is a wonderful opportunity to observe your co-workers as well as their students. I have enjoyed seeing the routines and management styles of other rooms. I was able to get ideas and bring them back into my own classroom. In one classroom I co-taught a writing lesson. It was exciting to work with other students and rewarding to see their engagement. The teacher shared that she appreciated another set of hands, ideas and enthusiasm. Peer reviewing is a positive way to learn from one another.”                                             -Kristy Jeffords 

We are here for you! We want to help in any way we can!
Look for us in September 2015!
Mollie Bell, Hillory Hamilton, Kristy Jeffords and John Mooney

Falling in Love

Over the past seven months, Melissa Skellie and Kelly Toleman led a professional book club centered around Falling in Love With Close Reading by Christopher Lehman & Kate Roberts. Participants in this group included both High School and Elementary teachers which enabled a broad range of conversation focused around the strategy of close reading.

In these conversations, we started with a general summary of each chapter. Then, we narrowed our discussion down to a more specific conversation that included how each technique can be used in the various classes represented. This professional talk enhanced everyone’s understanding of how to successfully implement close reading strategies in the classroom.

A Really Great Tool: TurnItIn

On March 3rd, a Turnitin workshop was presented by our high school librarian, Terese Brennan, as part of a professional development faculty meeting.  

Turnitin, a software, CCS HS Library purchased, as a teaching tool to help students understand and avoid plagiarism, has the following three features: OriginalityCheck,  GradeCheck, and PeerMark.  The OriginalityCheck is the feature that checks a student’s paper against a database of sources to see how much of the paper is original and how much may be plagiarized.  The student is able to see a color-coded list of where his/her paper matches information from the sources in the Turnitin databases.  The student then has the opportunity to make correction to the paper and to re-submit it. The GradeCheck is the feature the teacher can use to make correction to the paper and then the student can view it and download the paper with a list of corrections that need to be made.  The student is able to read a definition of the editing suggestion a teacher makes to the paper. The PeerMark is the last features and enables students to peer review other students’ papers. Currently the first two features have been used, but as of yet, the third feature has not. Jason Sutliff participated in the presentation, as he was able to illustrate the practical classroom application of his students using this software.  Using his students papers, we were able to illustrate the first two features, so that our attendants could see Turnitin in action.

-authored by Terese Brennan

Shining the Light on Academic Optimism

View the full powerpoint here

On the afternoon of December 3rd, Terese Brennan, Mary Laedlein, and Audrey Brownell led a professional development workshop and discussion  on the topic of Academic Optimism. A lively discussion revolved around the following key attributes of Academic Optimism:

 

Academic Optimism of Schools is a collective set of beliefs held by the faculty as a whole that:

• The school faculty believes it can reach even the most difficult students-collective efficacy.
• The school faculty trusts students and parents-faculty trust.
• The School faculty emphasizes academics-academic emphasis.  

-Wayne K Hoy

Reflecting on STLE 1

Over the last two years, our small, rural district has begun to structure opportunities and utilize the expertise of teacher leaders.  We were awarded a NYSED Strengthening Teacher and Leader Effectiveness grant which allowed us to really think about our gaps.  Where did we need help?  Where could teachers' help provide the most impact on student achievement?  We set to work.  We developed a protocol to nominate, apply, and score applications that lent a sense of legitimacy to the selections.  We established partnerships with outside agencies, like the Capital Area School Development Association, and Institutions of Higher Education, like the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, to plan and develop targeted Professional Development.  So with our first eight teacher leaders, called Professional Support Providers we got busy assessing both the perceived and real needs of the district.   We formed a team, training our building level leaders and our new teacher leaders in important foundational areas like Cognitive Coaching, Understanding by Design, the CCLS Literacy Shifts, Evidence Based Observation, and Data Driven Instruction.  We met, we planned, we brainstormed.  

We opened doorways of communication with each other and those outside the building, our partners.  We collaborated.  And our work, worked.

We met some obstacles but many, many more successes-and, not to be cliche but, even our obstacles became opportunities for discussion, articulating our professional decision making, and growth.  Our PSPs have offered a multitude of professional development opportunities to all faculty, posting their created resources for those who could not attend.  This commitment to owning our own learning and facilitating that in our colleagues has been well received and appreciated.  But we didn't stop there.  We worked with our partner, SUNY Plattsburgh, to craft a 16 week single placement student teaching experience that brought these candidates the time, mentoring, and feedback they needed to successfully approach the NYS Teaching Standards, navigate the nuances of the culture in the building, and build long lasting and meaningful professional relationships with staff.  As we close out STLE 1 and head into the second year of STLE 2; we wanted to share the team's reflections.  

You can view our short video here.  

We hope you get a few minutes to watch it and enjoy our thoughts, maybe even tap your feet, but most importantly get excited!  Get excited about the work that is happening, and the work yet to come.  Get excited about the meaningful contributions this type of professional dialogue fosters.  

And, ultimately, get excited for your part in elevating our profession!

Questioning Techniques: Another Amazing Workshop

This afternoon Terese Brennan and Mary Laedlein led a professional development workshop on the topic of Questioning Techniques.  You can view the full power point here.

This is your brain.....(Superintendent's Conference Day March 21, 2014)

At today's workshop, Dr. Danna presented a wealth of information about learning and the brain.  

Unfortunately due to the time constraint many aspects of today's presentation where reduced or streamlined but if you would like more information we are able to post the complete powerpoint here.  

Thank you for completing your survey, and you can view the collective results here.

Another Great Workshop: Problem-Attic

This week PSP Megan Lozier presented a workshop on Problem-Attic, a fantastic resource for developing Common Core aligned materials and building assessments.  If you weren't able to attend, check out the presentation here and stay tuned as she will be announcing another date soon.

Bringing Vocabulary to Tiers!

The workshop yesterday (2/11/2014) explored the different levels of vocabulary and how to introduce students to more challenging words.  Here is the PowerPoint and a great collection of resources provided by Melissa Skellie on Pinterest.  There is also the Paint Chip activity which can be seen here:  http://mrsskellysklass.blogspot.com/2012/09/giveaways-sales-and-fall-oh-my.html

PowerPoint:  Bringing Vocabulary to Tiers

Overdrive E-books at Your Fingertips

Just a reminder that the library has a nifty little resource called Overdrive! Overdrive is a library of ebooks and audiobooks that you can download for free! I’ve also purchased Overdrive Advantage, so that I can purchase ebooks and audiobooks that are available only to CCS students and staff. You might not know it, but most of you already have a username and password. Send me an email if you’re interested, and I’ll send you your login information. Using Overdrive is simple. You can search for titles in a number of ways: 1. You can search the library’s catalog for a title and if it’s in Overdrive the call number will reflect this.

2. You can also put Overdrive in the search box and it will list all our Overdrive titles. 3. You can go directly into the Overdrive catalog and search, but you will need your Overdrive account information to do this. Lending Policy: The lending procedure for a book from the Overdrive catalog works just like borrowing a book from the library. If the book is available you can download it to your device or your computer. If a book is checked out, from the Overdrive catalog, you can reserve the book and an email will be sent to you when the books is available. The book icon/headphone icon is grayed out if the book is checked out. The loan period is for 21 days, but you can return an item early. If you finish the book early please return it, because someone else might be waiting for it.

Follet Shelf: We also have some Follet E-books, that you can find in the library’s catalog or in the Follet Shelf catalog. At this point you don’t have login information for these titles, but I can easily create one for you. You can access Follett Shelf on the Library’s website or via the library’s catalog.

We have how-to guides available in the library and on the library’s website: http://www.cambridgecsd.org/webpages/tbrennan/overdrive.cfm If you have any question, email or stop by the library.

Professional Development on Close Reading

This PowerPoint was presented at the Close Reading workshop on December 10th.  It is available for anyone who is interested but was unable to attend. 
PSP Workshop Close Reading

Building Vocabulary

At yesterday's high school faculty meeting, we did a great exercise to underscore the importance of vocabulary development.  Here is a pdf file of some PowerPoint slides that you can use.  I showed them to my students this fall to emphasize the need to broaden our vocabulary.  It really helped them understand and make the connection.

Building Vocabulary

Connecting the Dots: Scaffolding for Struggling Readers

Yesterday, Professional Support Providers Audrey Brownell and Daryl Leadbetter kicked off an after school work shop series designed to offer teachers strategies around the new demands of the CCLS and classroom.  If you are interested in the topic but were unable to attend, their offering, Scaffolding for Struggling Readers, is available here.

Using the skill of DETERMINING IMPORTANCE in math word problems:

I have had the opportunity to observe several  teachers use a great strategy with word problems in math that is directly linked to a skill that proficient readers use:  DETERMINING IMPORTANCE in a text.  I call it CODING THE QUESTION but I'm sure others call it something else; at any rate it is a useful strategy that is sure to help students understand what they need to do to solve word problems.  This strategy is useful for any grade level but it is a good idea to start them young so they are proficient when the going gets tough!

This simple strategy is as follows:

Before tackling a word problem, students circle the numbers or number words that they will need to solve,
THEN underline the question or key words in the word problem.  Once they've determined and identified  the important info, they can move on the solving the problem!

Examples of Supplementary Aids and Services

Physical Accommodation Ideas

• Providing preferential seating
• Providing quiet corner
• Adapting writing utensils
• Providing space for movement or breaks
• Altering physical arrangement of classroom

Instructional Modification Ideas

• Teaching to learning style
• Varying method of instruction
• Varying content of lesson
• Providing alternate assignments
• Providing extra visual and verbal cues and prompts
• Providing books on tape
• Allowing use of computer and calculator
• Providing textbooks for at home use
• Modifying time demands
• Allowing answers to be dictated
• Providing a word bank
• Providing highlighted activities
• Giving no penalty for spelling errors
• Following  routine or schedule
• Assign specific tasks of project due at specific dates

Social/Behavioral Support Ideas

• Allowing rest breaks
• Providing immediate feedback
• Conducting functional behavioral analysis
• Implementing behavioral intervention strategies
• Providing peer buddies
• Providing counseling
• Providing verbal and visual cues regarding directions or staying on task
• Giving notice, warning before change in activities

Staff Support Ideas

• Enhanced staffing
• Providing one on one aide
• Instituting Co-teaching arrangement
• Providing small group instruction
• Providing staff development

Testing Accommodation Ideas

• Allowing answers to be dictated
• Allowing frequent rest breaks
• Allowing additional time
• Allowing oral testing
• Giving choice of test(multiple-choice, essay, true-false)
• Accepting short answers
• Allowing open book or open note tests
• Shortening test
• Reading test to student
• Providing study guide prior to test
• Highlighting key directions
• Giving test in alternate site
• Allowing calculator, work processor

folders

Over the course of the past year, I have had the opportunity to visit many classrooms.  I have seen many unique and practical strategies that teachers use everyday to help their classrooms function smoothly.  I wanted to share an idea I saw in Hillory Hamilton’s room. 

Hillory’s room has a tough layout for testing.  Students are seated in groups of 4 and share a common table.  For testing, Hillory supplies each student with manila file folders.  The students stand the up and make mini study carrels. As students finish their tests, they slide the test into one of the folders, keeping it out of sight of their neighbors.  Brilliant, yet simple, solution! 

Absent Students

I've come up with a simple way to deal with absences.  When a student is absent they go to the "Absent Bin."  In high school, I organize my bin by periods, in Elementary you could do it alphabetically.  They go to the period they are in and get there absent sheet.  I've attached a picture.  Next, I have a bin of extra papers set up.  I write down the assignments they missed and make a note if they need to stay after school.  I also write the date down that everything needs to be completed.  Also, the extras bin provides a place for students to find papers that the need another copy of.

Sign

Absent bin sign

Absent sheet

Absent folders 

Extra papers bin

Resources

Here's a video a colleague shared with me, so I'm playing it forward. Professional Resources: You do need a follet username and password which is available in my shared folder: brochure1213