Oakland Schools

Episode 1: Creating a Culture

Gallery Walk... What did we notice?

After observing artwork from a structured and unstructured learning group, we worked to discuss not only our emotions but key themes we noticed throughout the process. Some topics we discussed were:

The tension between providing too much or too little instruction: What is the perfect balance?
Scaffolded instruction allows some guidance, while encouraging increased independence
The "Color by Number" felt relaxing to some, but boring to others; participants felt pressure to "be perfect" and complete the coloring page exactly like the model picture. This might be how students feel in classrooms that expect all students to reach the same answer in the same way.
The "Free-Sketch" area caused some anxiety (without directions), but also provided a sense of freedom for some; allowed all individuals to participate (regardless of their skill level). This might be how students feel in a classroom where independence and innovation are encouraged.

"What would it look and sound like in the average classroom if we wanted to make 'being wrong' less threatening?"
-Deborah Meier

Austin's Butterfly

All ideas are valued; constructing ideas as a group
Norms are developed to create a positive culture
All members of the class environment actively listen to one another; adding on to another individual's idea is encouraged
Feedback is provided in a respectful and constructive way
Individuals are not afraid to change their ideas based on evidence and reasoning
Students are working together to help another classmate = can call a classmate for help

Exploring the Toolkit: Let's Play!

Many of our colleagues mentioned that "playing the game" was their favorite part of Episode 1. We had the chance to experience what it might be like as a student when playing Enbrighten in the classroom for the first time. We read excerpts from The 39 Clues and played two rounds. In the first round, we used individual pages. In the next, we worked together on large sheets of paper to construct ideas. We also explored some common issues that may occur and started to work on troubleshooting those ideas. Some of the ideas we explored were:

Supporting students with attention deficits by letting them stand to do their job, work as point-keeper, or use clay as a "Crafter" to create a scene or symbol from the text.
Encouraging a student who is stumped or uncomfortable (acting out, defiant) to call a classmate for their opinion on an answer
Repeating student responses (So what I heard you say was...) ensuring the whole class could hear while providing another opportunity for students with receptive language difficulties to hear the response again
Asking a student, "What makes you say that?" to prompt them to reference the text or explain their reasoning (Making Thinking Visible)
Asking a student to repeat their response using a sentence starter to help students with expressive language difficulties structure their response using a complete sentence

Documentation & Differentiation

The last part of our session explored documentation of student growth. We explored the Basic Rubric while playing Partner Puzzle Challenge and discussed that this rubric is a "starting off point" that we can build upon/differentiate as a group in the future. Grade level groups met to brainstorm implementation ideas ranging from early elementary to high school. We concluded the session keeping these ideas in mind:

We would like to explore documentation/monitoring in greater depth during future sessions
Documentation can be subjective
Student responses may look different at different levels

Episode 2: Getting Comfortable

Welcome to our little world. We hope you like it here.

Developing Classroom Norms...

Enbrighten in our classroom...

Student Work Samples

Reflections

We noticed...

Next time...

Ideas from the group...

Facilitation: How can we use intentional questions?

The Right Question Institute

"I contend that what stays with us from our education are patterns: patterns of behavior, patterns of thinking, patterns of interaction."
-Ron Ritchhart, Intellectual Character

Which questions did we decide were worth further exploration?

What made us choose those questions?

Learning Forward...

"Well when you say it like that, it makes perfect sense."

Documentation: A Tale of Two Lenses

Collaboration: Speech & Language & IEP Goals

Documentation: Visible Thinking & Formative Assessment

Next time... Needs? Suggestions?

Please feel free to visit the Compass Points tab for specific feedback or join us in a collaborative discussion by clicking on the Pool of Ideas tab above.