Frequently asked Questions
How do you deal with poor assessments or ones not aligned to state tests?
build supplemental assessments and give to students at same time as district tests
adults rarely retain what they hear; powerpoint is outdated
Teaching by talking; Lecture
leading participants to the right conclusions with minimal redirecting
airtight activities
When someone asks a question that could be answered later, the presenter should ask the questioner to?
Hold the question
What is: be yourself; willing to adjust agenda to match their style?
being authentic
What do you focus on?
the teacher analysis of specific assessment questions
learning is increased compared to lecture; implicit message that participants don't have much to offer on topic
I do; we do; you do
this serves more than one purpose: solving a problem; learning from failure; identifying best practices in success
Case studies
Participants can tell when a presenter is faking...you should instead of faking...
Admit you don't know the answer
what is: more someone hears that something works; the more they believe it?
stories of success
How do you guide teachers when they choose different strategies?
Let results do the talking. Allow the teachers to use the different strategies and share what works.
Difficult to manage due to struggle of when to allow conversation to continue and when to cut if off
Struggling to structure large-group sharing
Keep each statement brief; text as bullets; more visuals than words; powerpoint as guided practice
Framing
With large-group sharing comes lots of talk..if you let the talk go on you are risking...
sacrificing the core objective
share similar aspirations, mention family and background; stories are better than speeches: helps...
make personal connections
How do you go from good to great?
look outside of the building for greater results; borrow ideas from schools that are performing better
smaller groups are easier to manage with transitions and instructions about activities; larger groups can waste time
poorly planning transitions and time management
start from end goal; word questions to guide participants; give questions before activity; nudge; volleyball--not ping-pong
large-group sharing
Don't slow down the workshop, participants will ask questions and they might be off topic or specific to their situation...they should...
write it down and wait till end
keep notes on what worked in order to...
learn from mistakes
map out an interim assessment cycle that takes students on an accelerated path to grade-level proficiency
must emphasize the specific, concrete skills needed versus focusing primarily on the perspective of classroom teachers
not specifically targeting leaders
puts theory into practice; needs detailed instructions; explicit roles for everyone; and properly structured feedback
Role plays, games, simulations and modeling
Presenters need to know what to cut if you run over, have minute by minute agendas and do what?
Keep an eye on the clock
a model of workshop in which participants are actively reaching conclusions on their own produces what?
Increased investment and excitement