Hi! I’m Katie Scotti and am excited to moderate on this topic. I teach 4th grade ELA and Social Studies at Thomas Johnson Elementary Middle in Baltimore City! Welcome! #BmoreEdchat
A1: My former campus had weekly PLC meetings and collaborative planning docs to align instruction...on a cool note we have Collaboration Days here at the ESC too! #BmoreEdchat
Q1: in my last school (a high school) we had time built in for 45 minutes of collaborative planning each week. All teachers of a given subject were expected to attend. #BmoreEdchat
A1: We currently work in content teams across a wide level of grade bands. (I am on the 3-6 ELA team.) We meet once a week. We use data cycles but have a new curriculum so have been focusing a lot of attention in teams on that #BmoreEdchat
A1: We have collaborative planning meetings once a month, but during planning periods there are 5 persons I need to plan with. (Virtual, Rolling Agendas, In-person) #bmoreedchat
A1: We have collaborative planning by content teams in middle school and grade levels in elementary. I am super excited this year to work with a humanities team in 6th grade! #BmoreEdchat
A1: We currently work in content teams across a wide level of grade bands. (I am on the 3-6 ELA team.) We meet once a week. We use data cycles but have a new curriculum so have been focusing a lot of attention in teams on that #BmoreEdchat
This is my first one, but here at the ESC (educational service center) it means that we discuss our projects and determine how we can help ea other serve clients best. #BmoreEdchat
A1: We don't have dedicated planning periods, but the whole department shares an office and most of us teach at least one class with someone else. We are constantly bouncing ideas off each other #BmoreEdchat
Yes. Mostly my department members but b/c of the way I teach, I get some other department members coming in during class time to watch and ask questions. #BMoreEdchat
A2: teaching is hard! We need each other to work through new curriculum, think about how we can address the needs of all students, and come up with creative ways to push our practice. #BmoreEdchat
A2: Academic planning time is crucial to identify what kids are learning and what misconceptions need corrective action plans so that EVERY kid grows. #BmoreEdchat
A2: Teaching Ss isn’t meant to be done in isolation...our kids get the best of us when we have more brains to think with...hash things out with...bounce ideas off of #BmoreEdchat
A2: teaching is hard! We need each other to work through new curriculum, think about how we can address the needs of all students, and come up with creative ways to push our practice. #BmoreEdchat
A2: No one has it all figured out and you can always learn form your department, in high school setting with same course/different teachers its unfair to the students for teachers to not give similar assessments and assignments #BmoreEdchat
A2: To ensure our instruction is meeting student needs. Also, we are all in this together. I can’t imagine doing this work without the support and guidance from colleagues. We motivate and inspire each other #BmoreEdchat
I think we also help to check each other. Sometimes we need help knowing which battles to fight and/or how to fight them in a way that is good for both kids and for us. #BMoreEdchat
Never co-teach / different section of kids. This is mostly true with the mandatory freshman-junior history classes lots of sections pretty much all of us get one of them #BmoreEdchat
A2: we have students needing various levels of support accordingly IEPs, but potentially similar needs. Sharing the process helps create more resources for all #BmoreEdchat
A2 Collabirative planning is important for so many reasons, but I mostly think about how we all bring different areas of expertise to the table. And with more perspectives, we also get a better view of the whole student. #BmoreEdchat
@bmoreedchat A1: Pre-k to 2nd in grade bands. 3-6 grade bands and content. Middle school together. We meet weekly and share heading the meetings. #bmoreedchat
Midterms and Finals need to have 90ish percent commonality in a course so doing something radically different with content / going to fast or slow can get real tough at term end, #BmoreEdchat
A2 Collaborative planning is important for so many reasons, but I mostly think about how we all bring different areas of expertise to the table. And with more perspectives, we also get a better view of the whole student: their strengths, interests, etc #BmoreEdchat
A3: Chiming back and forth with professional dialogue, walking through the actual steps, teaching one another, teamwork, content driven, student driven #BmoreEdchat
A2: I think it also helps us to levenset in terms of expectations. Sometimes as teachers we can be all over the place. The conversation around “what does proficient look like?” Is a powerful one. #BmoreEdchat
A3: Chiming back and forth with professional dialogue, walking through the actual steps, teaching one another, teamwork, content driven, student driven —working with @jolenesouth#BmoreEdchat
I wish it was more like an edcamp but it’s usually small group based on what courses we teach. It is fairly productive but we need more time because it’s fractured. #BmoreEdChat
A3: its really whatever makes the week or time between meetings helpful. Thats what I think is meaningful. When what was discussed/talked about agreed ipon etc. comes into play and works. #BmoreEdchat
A3: this is a hard one. It helps to have norms and everyone must have a voice. It is also successful if all leave with an idea, a nugget, or a strategy. Besides that, i think we have to be flexible...just as we are with classrooms. #BmoreEdchat
A3: Patience, prep (come prepared w/data and planning tools) & possibilities...an open mind is one of the greatest tools we often leave behind. Love this article from @Schoology abt collaborative planning. #BmoreEdchathttps://t.co/5aQ6Cgtxk9
@bmoreedchat A2: CP is important because it helps teams unite under a common goal. It also allows different perspectives of the team to strengthen personal reflection. #bmoreedchat
A3: In Australia they have a tradition of “Moderation Days” where teachers from a district would join with student work samples, to compare and learn. Ostensibly it was meant to standardize assessment but it turned into very robust and useful collaboration #BmoreEdchat
A3: when collaborative planning is meaningful it’s much like a good classroom. Goals are clear, we stay on topic, we focus on results, we reflect and adjust. There’s also meaningful conversation and debates in which respect each other’s viewpoints! #BmoreEdchat
Yes, flexible. I have planned w/ those who have different talents and challenged me to try new things. It takes one out of their comfort zone to meet the needs of kids! #BmoreEdchat
A3: having the time to work through the goals set for each session. Too often we need to stop when real progress is being made. Set goals (in writing) are also important to limit trivial tangents #BmoreEdchat
It’s an informal conference run by teachers. There are only a few core presentations and the rest are supplied day of in a strategy session by attendees. Go to what interests you, stay at the session or leave part way through. (Only one I have experienced) #BmoreEdChat
A3: In Australia they have a tradition of “Moderation Days” where teachers from a district would join with student work samples, to compare and learn. Ostensibly it was meant to standardize assessment but it turned into very robust and useful collaboration #BmoreEdchat
A4: you don’t dread going into work and these meetings. It feels positive and not like another time wasting step towards a paycheck. Been there in a previous profession and its not fun! #BmoreEdchat
A4: as peers we are coming together around a common goal. CP can thrive when relationships exist and can build those relationships with new teachers and those new to the grade level. #BmoreEdchat
A3: 3. meeting and sharing making sure teaching is aligning to curriculum shared assessments and projects, this is normally done informally but consistently. I share many free periods with my team #BmoreEdchat
A4: Work is better when you like the person you plan with...professional relationships with colleagues important to emotional wl being of employee #truestory#BmoreEdchat
A4) A positive relationship helps build mutual respect. When you respect your peers it’s easier to listen to their ideas and trust their opinions. #BmoreEdchat
A4: Positive relationships allow you to see the strengths in others so that you can effectively delegate roles when planning as well as celebrate that person's strength. #BMoreEdChat
A4: Relationships are key because strong collaborative planning requires trust in the team...I have to let go of my ego and know that this is abt more than just me #BmoreEdchat
A4: again, just like in the classroom, relationships can make or break the work. We need to trust the process and each other. We have to be flexible and open to other ideas. We also have to honor that adults also have various learning styles. #BmoreEdchat
Q3: A diverse group (gen ed, sped, ESOL, admin) sharing passionately and respectfully about teaching and learning. It feels empowering and supportive. #BmoreEdchat
A5: We are working to make sure we are consistent. Meet weekly with specific goals. We also want to make sure we are regularly looking at student work and data to reflect and adjust. Having a clear cycle is important. #BmoreEdchat
A4: positive relationships are important. It’s also important to value positive professional relationships with people you don’t have personal friendships with. #BmoreEdchat
I think wed do a lot better if we were more intentional about it. Specific meetings to make sure we are all on the same page and sharing our ideas. Not the same via email or hallway chat #BmoreEdchat
Q5: i would like to support different teachers to facilitate the group planning to share the load and to build capacity across the team. Some might need more support and I think we might empower them if we support them. #BmoreEdchat
A5: listen, help, learn, bring something to the table (ideas, lessons, cookies) and invite others like a outside content person for a different perspective every once in a while. #BmoreEdchat
A5: Drilling down past classroom data and items to individual kids. We are collaborating to assess whether kids learned it, not whether we taught it. When the team mindset is around individual kids, planning becomes more meaningful. #BmoreEdchat
I think this is something important. We can get so focused on planning especially with new curriculum. We have to pit stop and look at student work regularly. #BMoreEdchat
A5: listen, help, learn, bring something to the table (ideas, lessons, cookies) and invite others like a outside content person for a different perspective every once in a while. #BmoreEdchat
Q5: we’ve requested i have some of the prework happen through group emails before a meeting in order to have the time for the most valuable part (we brainstormed potential data points for something virtually so we could finalize together) #BmoreEdchat
A4. In some schools there are pervasive feelings of jealousy and blaming which kneecap collaboration. Positive environments leave space for professional dialogue. The solution isn’t staff parties and cupcakes, it is truly about restoring professional respect #BMoreEdchat
A5) At my school the topics for our designated collaborative planning time are pre-set. To make them more meaningful or me I’d like to create more time after the planning to meet with my team to follow up or review student work. #BMoreEdchat
A6: Like any good lesson plan make sure you have an objective or goal before you walk into the room. However too much order can stifle creativity its all about that balance #BmoreEdchat
A6cont: Also data protocols, norms, and a team vision limits bias and pushes the team to truly analyze what is happening instead of making excuses. #BmoreEdchat
Q6: think it is important for both protocols and agendas to be collaboratively developed by the team so CP is something done with me rather than to me. #BmoreEdchat
Absolutely. So often school administrators violate the care of this resource for their educators, especially as the leadership becomes less proximal #BMoreEdchat
A6) We start our meetings with norms and a quick community circle. It’s a great way to start on a positive note and get the “temperature” of my peers. #BMoreEdchat
Yes! can very easily become a discussion about fantasy football or Donald Trump. Especially, true if its not dedicated planning time like at my school #BmoreEdchat
A6. Important to establish at the beginning of the collab meeting: What decisions need to be made today while we are all here? Then be sure to circle back to that #BmoreEdChat
A6: Protocols provide structure and order to not overlook points that you want to address. They also assist in using time meaningfully. HERE is one that a created with a combination of resources.. https://t.co/9fpcqFGSly#BMoreEdChat
A6. Establishing norms for collaborative planning is essential. When teachers gather they have a tendency to begin teaching (ie: lecturing each other) One norm I have used is “don’t speak twice on a topic until everyone has had a chance to speak once.” #BmoreEdchat
Q7: in our agreements, we can commit to each other and...as a way to circle back...start the next week’s session with a sharing of how that new strategy (or whatever) went. If all have a voice in decisions all tend to follow up. #BmoreEdchat
A7: Celebrate success. So many times we make action plans that are successful and we never celebrate the student growth! No wonder we don't continue to apply our collaboration! #BmoreEdchat
A7: Gotta hold yourselves accountable make sure to discuss student performance. Totally meaningless if your not giving similar assessments and assignments. how can you know what working or not if your not talking to each other?#BmoreEdChat
A7: Trust your colleagues and practice what you are preaching. Since its impossible to always go to someone’s class and observe, trust is key. Also, just asking how did it go?#BmoreEdchat
A7) Time is precious. I feel as though if I leave collaborative planning without something I can use in my classroom then the planning time was wasted and we should look closely at how we are using our time. #BMoreEdchat
Q7: Engaging in full data cycles. This necessitates that teaches are exploring new strategies, implementing, reviewing student work, and reflecting. #BmoreEdchat
