This document summarizes the agenda and activities for the first Teacher CONNECT session. The session focused on: 1. Introductions and name tag activity to get to know participants. 2. Overview of the daily schedule, norms, and goals of the Teacher CONNECT program to provide support for new teachers. 3. Activities in groups to discuss topics like assessment, classroom management, differentiation and building relationships with students and parents. 4. Presentations and discussions around establishing effective learning communities, assessment for learning, developing student profiles and differentiated instructional strategies.

1. Session 1 Teacher Connect

2. Teacher CONNECT Session 1- Minds On! Design a name tag from cardstock. Please include the following: Your name in the middle Teaching assignment in the top left corner School name in top right corner Best advice about teaching you’ve received across the bottom of your name tag What you hope to get from Teacher CONNECT on the back of your name tag

3. Housekeeping Daily Schedule Phone Use Water Cooler Breaks/Lunch Washroom location

4. Sociograms Group your self according to… Your favourite season How you drink your coffee Your pets Your shoes Your family Your style of learning What you do after work hours Your sleeping habits

5. Teacher CONNECT C – Creating O – Opportunities and N – New N – Networks for E – Experiencing C – Collaboration and T - Teaching

6. Question Board

7. How will this program help me? Provide support and professional development through your first year of teaching Board and school orientation Mentoring from an experienced teacher

8. What is My Role? Being open to new ideas and to the exchange of information Reflecting on practice and being willing to take risks and learn from others Being aware of and identifying your own professional needs Working respectfully with your mentor and colleagues

9. Today…. Building our Community Getting to Know our Learners Assessment and Learning Building Classroom Communities Developing the Learner Profile Links to Learning Strategies/Tools/Inspiration

10. Classroom CONNECT ions Activating prior knowledge, time on task, link to previous learning, formative assessment Minds on! Use in Classroom Teaching Strategy

11. Teacher CONNECT Norms Effective Learning Community Behaviours In groups of 5, think about our adult learning community. What does this look like, sound like and feel like? Record your thoughts on chart paper. Feel like Sound like Look like

12. Group Norms

13. Learning Community Behaviours How would you develop an effective learning community in your classroom? What are some of the considerations you need to think about as you develop learning community norms with your class?

15. Core Beliefs Graffiti Graffiti graffiti graffiti Graffiti

16. Daily Physical Activity Healthy Body…Healthy Mind…Healthy Students Background and Overview of DPA

17. Benefits of Daily Physical Activity “ . . . studies generally support the suggestion from cross-sectional data that academic performance is maintained or even enhanced by an increase in a student’s level of habitual physical activity, despite a reduction in curricular or free time for the study of academic material .” Roy J. Shephard,“Curricular Physical Activity and Academic Performance”, Pediatric Exercise Science 9 (1997), p. 119.

18. Resources: Ministry Documents

19. Resource: DPA Cards Located in First Class under Daily Physical Activity Divided into divisions Divided into venues within divisions This year: print copies to all teachers

20. DPA: Primary Active Walk and Talk

21. Break

22. Assessment vs. Evaluation Purpose: to improve student learning Identify strengths and learning needs Monitor progress Provide feedback Inform instruction Provide data for evaluation Purpose: to assign a value to student achievement Recording performance for tracking of achievement Identifying student placement on a continuum of learning Making decisions

23. Types of Assessments Diagnostic Formative Summative

24. Approaches to Assessment

25. Assessment for Learning: Where are you? Starting Points for Assessment and Evaluation A Diagnostic Assessment using CPS

26. Emphasis on Assessment

27. Is there evidence that improving assessment for learning improves student achievement?

28. … an unequivocal YES …

29. Assessment for Learning: Feedback

30. Numerical score; Right/wrong; Anecdotal feedback; No grade necessary for formative tasks Assessment for Learning: Feedback

31. Students who are given comments only – rather than marks or marks and comments – make more gains in achievement and feel more positive about the experience (Butler, 1998).

32. Quality Feedback to Improve Learning Specific (based on criteria) Timely (on-going) Descriptive, focused Multiple opportunities for practice and quality feedback

33. General (“need more practice”) Identify what is done well, what needs improvement, and how to get there Specific, Focused Assessment for Learning: Feedback

34. Task: You have been hired to write a speech defending a position on a significant, current social issue.

35. Some of your paragraphs should be more logically organized. For example, in paragraph 2… You have a very good understanding of the facts surrounding your issue. Identify what is done well Identify what needs improvement

36. Review the components of a paragraph (e.g. topic sentence, supporting ideas, concluding sentence) and use them consistently throughout the speech. Tell them how…

37. It informs teachers about their instructional approach and next steps. Six of my students struggled with effective paragraphs. They need a mini-lesson on paragraph structure…

38. “ Research indicates that oral feedback is more effective than written feedback, particularly for low-achieving, at-risk students.” (James, McCormick, & William,(n.d.). Leading Math Success , p 50 )

39. Little or no follow-up Opportunities for students to respond to comments Assessment for Learning: Feedback

40. Effective feedback: is anecdotal is specific and focused includes opportunities for improvement and follow-up Assessment for Learning: Feedback

41. Feedback Activity Identify what is done well State in non-evaluative terms what needs improvement State in concrete terms how to improve.

42. Feedback Placemat Choose a writing sample (P/J/I) Review the learning activity. Examine the student response and the teacher notes. Divide the chart paper into as many sections as there are people. Individually, record feedback suggestions on the placemat. Include the 3 part feedback: What was done well, what needs improvement and how to improve it. Share Choose a quality feedback statement and write in the centre of your page.

43. LUNCH

44. Thinking Map On the chart paper provided, represent an ideal classroom using words, pictures, charts, symbols, etc….

45. Key Idea The teacher is responsible for organizing a well-managed classroom where students are engaged in learning…

46. Characteristics of a Well-Managed Classroom Students are deeply involved with their work, especially with academic, teacher-led instruction. Students know what is expected of them and are generally successful. There is relatively little wasted time, confusion or disruption. The climate of the classroom is work-oriented but relaxed and pleasant.

47. Building Classroom Community The classroom environment should: Foster mutual respect Promote independence Have established routines, procedures, and celebrations to foster a community of learners Have student-generated materials posted Promote shared decision-making and problem-solving

48. Physical Environment Floor space Work area Student area Storage Teacher Area Wall space

49. What do you notice?

50. What’s on the Walls? Word walls (accessible to students) Anchor charts, exemplars Student work Graphic organizers Strategies Inspirational pieces

51. Non-exemplary word wall

52. Exemplary word wall

53. Break

54. Home-School Connection Think-Pair-Share How will you establish and maintain communication with parents? What form will this take? How often will you communicate with parents?

55. Initial Contact with Parents Introduce yourself Say something positive about the child Discuss the classroom standards Ask about any special needs of the child Briefly describe the highlights of the curriculum Emphasize that you and the parent are partners in their child’s learning

56. What’s My Number?

57. Adapt for Learning Preferences Read the Learning Preferences Matrix. Highlight the squares that best describe you as a learner. When everyone in your group has finished highlighting, take turns sharing your learning preference. Any surprises?

58. Guiding Questions What did you learn about yourself by completing this survey? What could you learn about your students by having them complete a similar survey? How would these survey results impact your instructional strategies? Your assessment strategies? How does a teacher’s own learning preference impact on instructional choices for process and product?

59. “ In differentiated classrooms, teachers begin [teaching] where students are, not at the front of a curriculum guide.” Teachers in differentiated classrooms are students of their students. Tomlinson , The Differentiated Classroom, 2000

60. Differentiated Instruction Means Recognizing Differences There are no two students who learn at the same pace. There are no two students who solve problems in exactly the same way. There are no two students who have the same interests. There are no two students who have learned the same skills.

61. Knowing the Whole Child – Other Kinds of Data… Family Data Student Self-Assessment Preferred Learning Styles Data Multiple Intelligences Socio-Affective data

62. Diagnostic Assessments DRA CASI DIBELS/Marie Clay Alpha Jeunes

63. Student Profile Reading Record Data Writing Samples Interest Inventory Learning Preferences Profile Classroom Observations

64. Learning Styles Try one out Multiple Intelligences Learning modalities Sternberg Discuss Guiding Questions Jigsaw

65. Guiding Questions What did you learn about yourself by completing this survey? What could you learn about your students by having them complete a similar survey? How would these survey results impact your instructional strategies? Your assessment strategies? How does a teacher’s own learning preference impact on instructional choices for process and product?

66. Planning with Profile Information What would the most powerful teaching points be for this student? What does the the child need to learn next? (Context) How will this child learn this content best? (e.g., group size, instructional strategy, text choices) How will the child demonstrate learning? (e.g., reading record, reading response)

67. Resources and Supports Teacher CONNECT link on board website Binder – ISF, Classroom CONNECTions Books – Jones, Wong Mentors – formal, informal LNSTs, Teacher Consultants First Class Conference – CONNECT 2008 Thumbnail Sketches Wiki

68. Links to Learning Using our Teacher CONNECT wiki to access resources, share ideas, etc….. http://gecdsbconnect.wikispaces.com

69. Question Board

70. For next time…. Choose at least one student profile tool and use it with your class Bring a sample of a home school connection – newsletter, calendar, webpage, agenda, phone call record sheet, etc to the October session Read a section of your choice from Jones OR Wong and be prepared to share your reflections Check out our Wiki!

71. Ten Top Things They Didn’t Teach in Teacher’s College