Avoiding Reform Fatigue 2013 Regional Workshops
Dr. Duane Baker used 14 years of education reform research to tie the many current educational initiatives together with the goal of preparing educators to begin the school year with a clear vision, personal inspiration, and a readiness to implement change.
The workshops were broken up into four sections, with each building upon the previous, ultimately resulting in all the information being brought together in a way that allowed educators to apply their knowledge in their schools this year. Each section included a presentation on the topic and plenty of time for colleagues to discuss and apply the information in the context of their own schools.
The workshops were broken up into four sections, with each building upon the previous, ultimately resulting in all the information being brought together in a way that allowed educators to apply their knowledge in their schools this year. Each section included a presentation on the topic and plenty of time for colleagues to discuss and apply the information in the context of their own schools.
IntroductionThe introduction reviewed why educators are feeling overwhelmed and what has been the cause of all the change (college and career readiness and the new focus on teaching and learning, rather than just the historic focus on curriculum and assessment).
How to Make Sense of it AllThis section introduced the importance of clarifying terms around instruction (for example, "instructional strategies," "instructional models," "instructional frameworks," and "professional practices frameworks") and where they fit into a teacher's work.
How to Keep it SimpleMost training on the evaluation system has focused on the details of the frameworks. This section focused on the need for starting with a focus on the big ideas behind the State Evaluation Criteria and then working into the evaluation model details by operationally defining the criteria and focusing on three core instructional habits.
How to Apply What We LearnedLastly, attendees practiced focusing on one of the three instructional habits by watching a classroom clip and following the STAR Process.
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"Pulling everything together made sense after a year of meetings that only heightened confusion and anxiety."
"This workshop brought [the reforms] home for the team. It was all about making connections." "It was a valuable workshop that gave me time with my colleagues to make sense of the wide variety of reforms." |
Race to the Top, NCLB Flexibility Waiver, Digital Curriculum Adoption, Student Growth Measures, Evaluation Frameworks, TPEP, Common Core, Smarter Balanced... How to make sense of it all, by keeping it simple!