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Question:

1.  Will there be support for individual teachers? More details on   Walkthroughs. How much training and preparation is enough before evaluating? How long after will Walkthroughs be performed?

Answer:

 


   There were several questions pertaining to support for teachers, Walkthroughs, and evaluations. On-going support from administrators and colleagues is an important part of the supervision continuum and comes before monitoring and evaluating.

  The first step for your school to implement is scheduled time for collaborative planning and reflection. Use morning meetings or common planning periods to share content maps and key vocabulary. Share teaching strategies and activators that are working well with the students.

  The next step is to conduct Walkthroughs. In Walkthroughs a small group observes several classes for 5 to 10 minutes each. The group then discusses what they observed in a reflective conference. One of the most useful Walkthrough Teams would consist of two or three teachers led by the administrator. In this way, teachers can observe what their colleagues are doing and can reflect on what is working and what is not. Teachers can help each other by modeling and mentoring and by supporting each other's efforts.

  After opportunities for team planning, group reflection, observing and modeling, administrators will begin school-wide monitoring. Administrators will systematically gather data on school-wide implementation of the LFS model. Administrators will use a rubric to rate implementation of the following OIEP goals for the 2005-06 school year:

  • Essential Question is posted in a way that is readable and useful to students. Essential Question guides instruction.
  • Lesson begins with an Activating Activity. Teacher does not correct students during the Activator, but makes a mental note to address mistakes in the Teaching phase.
  • Lesson includes Teaching Strategies such as: Graphic Organizers, Collaborative Pairs, Distributed Summarizing, Distributed Guided Practice. Students are engaged and actively participating.
  • Lesson ends with a Summarizing Activity in which the STUDENTS summarize what they learned. Students should answer the Essential Question in the Summarizer. Students should use writing skills and key vocabulary in the Summarizer. Research shows that summarization is the second most effective strategy in increasing student learning.
  • Key vocabulary from content maps is posted in a way that is readable and useful to the students. For example: large enough for students to read from their desks, organized in a way that students can use as a reference.

  If monitoring indicates that some teachers are having difficulty with implementation, additional support, training, and opportunities to observe colleagues will be provided to those individuals.

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