Teacher Collaborative Routines Resources
How Teachers Can Use Reflection to Elevate Achievement
Summary
Teachers who make it a routine to reflect on their lessons, in turn, have a positive impact on teaching and learning for their students. Reflecting on lessons is the metacognitive side of instruction, and it supports teachers in becoming stronger decision-makers. This article provides recommendations and resources for how to reflect on a lesson using Elevated Achievement’s Learning Model.
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The purpose of a set of reflection questions is to support the teacher in assessing the success of a lesson and their own decision-making. This helps the teacher answer, “What did you decide to do?” and, more importantly, “How did you decide that?” This article and supporting resources might be used by individual and/or groups of teachers during collaboration time in order to reflect on and potentially adjust their instruction to meet the needs of their students.
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Facilitation Guide: Reflective Data Analysis
Template: What were Students Demonstrating?
Template: What were Students’ Successes and Challenges?
Template: How did Format Impact Student Demonstration of Learning?
Template: Lesson Design and Delivery
Template: Replicating Lesson Design and Delivery
Template: Revising Lesson Design and Delivery
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Kennedy, J. (n.d.). How teachers can use reflection to elevate achievement. Elevated Achievement Group.
The Power of Collective Efficacy
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The article can be used by building leaders to ground staff discussions around collective efficacy, school culture, and the impact that educator beliefs have on student outcomes. It could also be used by central office leaders with building leaders to center discussions around the impact of leaders on the school culture and collective efficacy.
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Summary
The concept of collective efficacy has been studied since the 1970s and has recently been reexamined by Jenni Donohoo, John Hattie, and Rachel Eels in their article The Power of Collective Efficacy. The article summarizes the early research and outlines how school leaders play a large role in building collective teacher efficacy.
Donohoo, J., Hattie, J., & Eells, R. (2018). The power of collective efficacy. Educational Leadership, 75(6), 40-44.
School Reform Initiative (n.d.) Protocols. https://www.schoolreforminitiative.org/protocols/
Collaborative Team Feedback
Summary
The four resources provide different options for collaborative teams to use to gather feedback on their use of collaboration time. Two of the options are surveys of their own perception on their use of collaboration. The other two resources are intended as feedback forms to be used by a building leader after visiting a collaborative team meeting. Gathering and analyzing team perception data and data from an outside observer help collaborative teams to monitor the progress of team effectiveness.
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These resources can help a team stay focused on how they are functioning over a period of time. The intent is for teams to collect and analyze different types of data to better inform adjustments that may be needed. The team might set up a schedule for when and how they are going to collect feedback to reflect and make decisions about future team collaboration.
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TCR Readiness and Planning Actions : Logistics and Protocols
General Protocols
Summary
School Reform Initiative and the National School Reform Faculty website include hundreds of protocols that offer structured processes to support focused and productive conversations, build collective understanding, and drive school improvement. Thoughtful use of these protocols is an integral part of building resilient professional learning communities.
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Protocols are intentional structures that promote collaborative work. Protocols enable group members to have meaningful, sustained conversations about teaching and learning. They are structured to allow equity of voice and meaningful dialogue. Using a protocol reminds you to embrace a growth mindset and maintain a culture of learning and collective responsibility. Protocols also keep a focused lens on the purpose of looking at the data without getting bogged down by minute details.
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Teacher Collaborative Routines Readiness and Planning Actions: Protocols
The use of protocols compliments each practice found within Teacher Collaborative Routines
National School Reform Faculty (n.d.). Protocols. https://nsrfharmony.org/protocols/
School Reform Initiative. (n.d.). Protocols. https://www.schoolreforminitiative.org/protocols/
Collaborative Inquiry Action Research Protocol & Template
Summary
“Collaborative inquiry provides a systematic approach for educators to identify professional dilemmas and determine resolutions through shared inquiry, problem solving, and reflection” (Donohoo, 2017). This resource, adapted from the research of Jenni Donohoo, provides practitioners with both a protocol and a template for conducting collaborative inquiry.
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Teacher collaborative teams might choose to use the protocol and template in order to productively engage in the collaborative teacher inquiry process. Teams might want to first watch the 4-minute video featuring Dr. Donohoo who provides an introduction to collaborative inquiry. As stated by Donohoo, “The most effective collaborative inquiry teacher teams keep in mind that their end goal is to increase learning and achieve greater success for all students”. Additionally, teams might find it helpful to visit the misystemsupport.com website and engage with Module 4 of the Collaborative Learning Cycle On-Demand Learning to find out more about effective data conversations using Lipton and Wellman’s Collaborative Learning Cycle framework.
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The use of this protocol compliments each practice found within Teacher Collaborative Routines
Donohoo, J. (2017). Collective efficacy: How educators' beliefs impact student learning. Corwin Press.
MISA London. (2015, April 10). Introduction to collaborative inquiry [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brBce5STwWA&t=68s
Student Work Context Protocol
Summary
This protocol asks for a brief description of the student work sample, the assignment or unit of study, and whatever additional teacher guides, assessments, and/or rubrics accompany the work. The teacher shares their question(s) of concern and why they are bringing this work sample to the group.
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This protocol might be used by teacher collaborative teams as they collaborate to understand the learning of each student in order to modify and adjust instruction, examine different ways that students solve/approach subject-specific learning tasks, and analyze academic data to make informed decisions
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School Reform Initiative. (n.d.). Protocols. https://www.schoolreforminitiative.org/protocols/
Using Data to Support Teacher and Student Growth
Summary
This 4:14 video demonstrates how by tracking progress and building on it, a culture of improvement is created for the entire school.
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Building leadership and teacher teams might choose to first complete the pre-viewing worksheet and then read the transcript and view the video for examples of how data can be used to support teacher and student growth. The video showcases different examples of collecting data. After watching the video, teams might choose to engage in dialogue around the questions posed on the post-viewing worksheet in order to reflect on what is currently in place and determine next steps for using data to support teacher and student growth.
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Edutopia. (2019, May 10). Using data to support teacher and student growth [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhMkqjbiSaA&list=WL&index=6
60-Second Strategies
Summary
This is a series of short videos that break down effective classroom practices in literally one minute. As of January 17, 2023 there are 32 videos in this playlist.
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These one-minute videos might be used by teacher collaborative teams to examine and identify potential high-leverage instructional practices.
Another potential use is for instructional leaders and/or coaches to examine and identify what high-leverage instructional practices look like. This may be helpful for calibration of instruction with the district observation tool.
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Edutopia. (2022, May 3). 60-Second Strategies [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL10g2YT_ln2hGQkIsIJxXMLY7wv6kFIUF
Collaborative Planning: Empowering Teachers
Summary
Imagine Schools’ teachers participate in collaborative planning within their grade levels – and across grades – to create a common, coherent, viable curriculum centered on rigorous content. They make informed decisions to acquire the best tools and resources for each student. Teachers plan learning experiences that lead to comprehensive student understanding.
Unit planning that makes cross-curricular connections is an essential collaborative planning step for the team for schools that might have departmentalized grade levels. For teams where teachers teach all subjects, it is important to delegate a leader for each subject area so that distribution of work and development of expertise improves the effectiveness and efficiency of the team.
In this video, teachers in a third-grade team are led by a facilitator who poses guiding questions, holds the group accountable for their decisions by recording plans, keeps the activities grounded in grade-level standards, and provides avenues for teachers to continue their professional learning.
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This video can be used by building leaders and teacher leaders to demonstrate how collaboration can occur within grade levels and across grades. Teacher collaboration is the means by which teachers engage in practices around instructional design and delivery, using data to deepen student learning, and reflective practice.
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Imagine Schools. (2018, October 17). Collaborative planning: Empowering teachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Pn4zd-1cc
Feelings Count: Emotions and Learning
Summary
This video and additional resources introduce viewers to ways in which teachers can create an emotionally safe classroom to foster learning, and ways in which they can deal with emotions and conflicts that can be an obstacle to learning. Fifth grade teacher Kristin Bijur at San Francisco Community School, San Francisco, California, is featured, as well as eighth grade band teacher, Nancy Flanagan at Hartland Middle School, Hartland, Michigan. Daniel B. Goleman, Ph.D., author of the book Emotional Intelligence, and Yale University Professor James P. Comer offer expert commentary on the subject.
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Building level and teacher collaborative teams might choose to view the video and peruse the accompanying resources to discover ways in which teachers can create an emotionally safe classroom to foster learning, and ways in which teachers can deal with emotions and conflicts that can be an obstacle to learning.
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Annenberg Foundation. (2023). The Learning Classroom: Theory into Practice. Feelings Count: Emotions and Learning. https://www.learner.org/series/the-learning-classroom-theory-into-practice/feelings-count-emotions-and-learning/
The Peril of Teacher Collaboration
Summary
This video demonstrates what can happen when teachers have collaboration time without the knowledge, skills, and clear expectations for how to use the time productively to impact the learning in the classroom.
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This video could be used by a building leader to illustrate what might happen if expectations are not set for the use of collaborative time. The building leader could use the provided prompt for teachers to individually respond and then discuss as a whole group. This could be used as a precursor to the building leader setting expectations for collaborative time in their building.
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Distance Learning Up Close:
Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting
Summary
The authors of The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12: Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting, present strategies for teachers to use in their online classroom to engage their students. John Hattie says, “We have to remember it's not the medium that matters. It's the methods we use that matter. Distance is just a means to an end.”
Presented by: John Hattie, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey [56:57]
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This webinar could be used by teacher teams to learn more about student engagement strategies that can be used in their classrooms. Building leaders may want to use the webinar in order to provide a professional learning opportunity for teachers around student engagement strategies. In the area of Instructional Design and Delivery within Teacher Collaborative Routines research-based practices, teachers collaborate to design instruction aligned to the district’s defined essential learning to best meet their students’ needs. This webinar showcases several strategies that can be used to engage students both within the classroom and virtually. The presenters of the webinar also spend time discussing the importance of addressing the social-emotional learning needs of students.
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Hattie, J., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2020, July 23). Distance learning up close: Teaching for engagement and impact in any setting [Webinar]. Corwin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzHTAfjjlU0