McElroy 11
Instructional Leadership – High Performing Leaders promote a positive learning culture, provide an effective instructional program, and apply best practices to student learning, especially in the area of reading and other foundational skills.
Sample Key Indicators:
· Sets annual learning gains, school improvement goals and other targets for instructional improvement
· Uses data as a component of planning for instructional improvement
· Includes provisions in the instructional program for students with special needs
· Engages staff in ongoing study of current best practices
· Reads research, applied theory, and informed practice related to the curriculum
· Works to create high expectations and standards among the staff, teachers, and community members
· Relates content and instruction to the achievement of established standards by students
· Provides instructional leadership
· Is aware of research on instructional effectiveness and will use it as needed
· Demonstrates knowledge of student performance evaluation
· Has identified skills necessary for the planning and implementation of improvements of student learning
· Assesses the curriculum needs in a particular setting
· Works to relate state standards, the needs of the students, the community and the school’s goals
· Understands the effect that a positive school culture has on student learning
· Recognizes differences in the staff’s desire and willingness to focus energy on achieving educational excellence
· Identifies teaching and learning needs among the staff and teachers
· Communicates the instructional program to the community, the staff, and district personnel
· Models professionalism, collaboration and continuous learning
· Understands and recognizes the benefits for students in:
• balanced reading instruction
• curriculum integration
• active teaching and learning strategies
• standards-based instructional programs
• the use of technology for instructional purposes
• aligning classroom assessments to standards
Instructional leadership is my calling. I find this aspect of school administration to be truly rewarding. The establishment of a positive learning culture within a school is a difficult task. Administrators must penetrate all aspects of the organization’s culture to achieve the desired positive learning culture. Douglas McGregor depicted the phenomenal power that human motivation, aspiration, beliefs, and values play in determining the effectiveness of efforts to lead and develop organizations through the Western Electric research of the 1920s (Owens & Valesky, 2007, p. 178). School leaders must recognize all aspects of the school culture including the norms, values, and beliefs of the organization, thus focusing all members toward the same mission. Collins terms this concept “getting the right people on the bus then you can determine where the organization is going” (2001). Through this awareness, school leaders must also pay tribute to the heroes and heroines of the school through various traditions and rituals. Without this respect for the past, the school culture will not as easily adapt to the future. A true understanding of where the school has been, where the school is currently, and where the school is going can launch a school onto the path of a positive learning culture which principals desire within their school.
Instruction is the responsibility of the entire school community. Schools are in the business of creating citizens who will flourish in our democratic society. “Key to leadership is the concept of social contract” (Ornstein, Pajak, & Ornstein, 2007, p. 300). Social contract is the concept outlined by Heifetz that all citizens have a moral obligation to do what is right. We are all leaders through instruction. Teachers have a responsibility to instruct students in the classroom but students also share this responsibility. Through such methods as cooperative learning, students assume leadership roles and instruct. Parents continue instruction at home when they assist students with homework. This sharing of responsibility by teachers, administrators, and parents will lead to powerful instruction. I have witnessed this process in my classroom and in parent night presentations. I organized an informational third grade parent night which demonstrated the necessary sharing of responsibility. I prepared a PowerPoint presentation to share tips for parents on helping their children (artifact 10).
I am passionate about innovative curriculum planning and implementation. Through my studies of curriculum development, I found methods such as Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI), Understanding By Design (UBD), and Curriculum Mapping to meet the needs of students learning. The Understanding by Design (UBD) model is the most pertinent to me since Charlotte County Public Schools embraces this model. Not only does that make it extremely relevant but this model makes the most sense to me. The UBD process embodies what I believe will enable student success. “Student Success” is our simply stated district mission. If we hope to achieve this mission we must, as Stephen Covey says, “Begin with the end in mind” (1989). By identifying the desired results, determining acceptable evidence, and planning learning experiences, I believe we can achieve our mission of student success.
Stage one of the UBD model involves identifying the concepts that will be the enduring understandings for students. Teachers can get caught up in state mandated tests. Using the identified tested standards as the “big ideas” for curriculum development will ensure they are taught for enduring value beyond the classroom as well as for mastery on the test. There are six facets of understanding represented in this model which resemble qualities of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Many of us already incorporate Bloom’s Taxonomy into our lessons to make sure we are reaching all learners. This makes the UBD model a natural fit.
Stage two is the process teachers utilize to get the answers from students on essential questions. We determine what questions need to be asked in order to accomplish the enduring understandings we hoped to create. Student portfolios are an excellent tool for teachers to enable them to think like assessors. Learning is an experience it does not occur with one activity, it actually occurs over several experiences and with culminating effects. Educators want students to be life long learners for our future world. This requires teaching them to be critical thinkers and using prior knowledge to build new knowledge. Collecting evidence of student learning enables teachers to critique their teaching as well as analyze student learning gains and deficiencies. This evidence can be quizzes and tests on information involved in the learning process. We must complete this analysis before final assessment of enduring understanding can occur. Final assessments should be performance based tasks and projects. These tasks are more time consuming for teachers however after experience with these types of activities they will realize the value they hold.
Stage three encompasses planning the instruction and learning experiences for students. This is the area of expertise of teachers. We became teachers to create activities of merit and meaning for students. Teachers do not like being told how to teach. This makes this model ideal. Teachers get the freedom to create learning experiences of enduring understanding. Many times we get caught up in teaching to the test or simply by opening the teacher’s manual and hoping for the best. Teaching for meaningful understanding requires some preparation. It needs constant reflection back to the established goals.
At first glance, this model seems lengthy, yet upon careful evaluation I found that it actually creates less work. If the UBD model can be implemented at a district level, teachers are left with the part they enjoy - the planning of the learning experiences. This model can allow freedom to teach state mandated material yet teach the way we want to teach. Teaching the way that has merit and meaning similar to the way we anticipated teaching in college. Utilization of Understanding By Design can be the forefront for other methods such as Curriculum Mapping which also has huge positive applications for student success. If our district starts with UBD and establishes teacher buy-in for Curriculum Mapping then we will be making huge strides toward that district mission of Student Success. During my graduate level studies, I participated in a group to develop a curriculum for Good Elementary School that met the desires of the faculty. My portion of the group project was to prepare a PowerPoint presentation of our new curriculum (artifact 12). As a future administrator, this is the path on which I hope to lead my school. I want to make the greatest impact possible on student achievement. The path to accomplish that mission is through innovative methods such as Understanding By Design and Curriculum Mapping.
School leaders must stay abreast of current research and methodologies. Reading literature and peer-reviewed journals is one way to achieve that awareness. My mentor and principal encouraged me to read Classroom Instruction that Works by Robert Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock. The authors offer this book as a guide for classroom teachers explaining research-based teaching strategies. The reciprocal relationship between curriculum and instruction is delineated in this book. The curriculum is often the “what” is being taught and instruction is the “how” it is being taught. This book is organized into sections. The first section is an analysis of the research outlining the processes employed, the data collected, and limitations. This section provides a meta-analysis of research on effective instructional strategies (the how). The authors make critical reference to the fact that each effective strategy is only effective with the appropriate curriculum. This meta-analysis is part of a movement from teaching as an art to teaching as a science. Interestingly enough, when I received my Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Central Florida in 2000, it was a Bachelors of Science. This movement is relatively recent and is having a tremendous effect on education. As with other sciences, the authors realize a need for outlining effective strategies from a research base. These strategies are tools for classroom practice that will maximize student achievement in our society of high stakes testing.
The second section contains the pertinent information for educators. The authors discuss in detail the nine categories of instructional strategies that yield the highest student achievement. They are identifying similarities and differences; summarizing and note taking; reinforcing effort and providing recognition; homework and practice; nonlinguistic representations; cooperative learning; setting objectives and providing feedback; generating and testing hypotheses; and cues, questions, and advance organizers. The authors discuss the research pertaining to each strategy within that chapter. The part I found particularly interesting and helpful were the anecdotal stories relating to each strategy. This portrayal made the strategy real taking it from the abstract to the concrete level. This is an imperative strategy for the authors to employ given their audience. Educators are busy and need quick synopsis of what they can do to help their students. The authors do an excellent job in meeting that need.
The final section relates to specific applications of the strategies. It delineates when and where research has proven each to be effective as well as additional planning information. The authors organize subject matter into five broad categories: vocabulary, details, ideas, skills, and processes. During this process, they correlate strategies to appropriate broad subject areas. This information is important for the planning process of teaching. When teachers organize units according to a model like Understanding by Design, it is critical for increasing student achievement to employ appropriate strategies. The most practical order for an educator wanting to improve is to make sure all the strategies are tools in their teaching tool belt then proceed to the curriculum planning stage.
Throughout my practicum, I had the opportunity to discuss Classroom Instruction that Works in an in depth manner as part of a professional learning community (artifact 13). As one of the facilitator, I provided refreshments, encouraged participation, and modeled best practices. We met every two weeks which all participants voted to do. Through this book study, I re-energized our staff’s instructional techniques. At each meeting I demonstrated a new way of grouping students, provided different supplies for projects, and encouraged movements. My mentor and principal inspired a group of us to undertake this staff development. We followed Georgea Sparks Model for a Staff Development Program (Rebore, 2007, p. 182). Our School District Goals and Objectives are outlined through our School Improvement Plan. We conducted our needs assessment through analyzing test data such as DIBELS and FCAT. Through this analysis, we established our staff development goal which coincided with Marzano’s research based book. We wanted to increase student achievement through research based instructional techniques. Our principal really wanted a learning community to serve as a model. It was strictly a voluntary community consisting of only willing participants. We all wanted to be there; consequently the four major focuses of a professional learning community were easy to produce: learning rather than teaching, collaboration, viewing all members of the community as learners, and self-accountability (Rebore, 2007, p. 177). At the close of the school year, enthusiasm was still high and we had not completed the book yet; therefore we will continue the professional learning community will continue into the next school year. Our program evaluation will take place at that time.
During my practicum experience at Summer Reading Academy, I facilitated the Voyager curriculum for the second and third grade participants (artifact 14). I attended a half day training to familiarize myself with the curriculum so I would serve as a source of help for teachers during the Summer Reading Academy. This curriculum piece was difficult due to the sequence. My role as administrator was steward, guarding and protecting the purpose and structure of the Summer Reading Academy as defined by Thomas Sergiovanni (Ornstein, 2007, p. 300). Students who attended Summer Reading Academy were there due to their deficiencies in reading. It was essential for teachers to meet the needs of the students. One manner in which I safeguarded this need was through curriculum. I was the direct link between teachers and the curriculum developer. Due to the shortness of Summer Reading Academy, any question needed to be answered immediately. I was able to handle most questions regarding implementation. Towards the end, I did need to consult our curriculum representative to answer a question regarding generating parent reports. The success of the program is outlined in the pre and post test reports generated by the Voyager curriculum (artifact 15).