I’ll admit it: I struggle with the notion of data teams, and I struggle with those who use the terms “data team” and “inquiry team” interchangeably. I think words matter here. This is how: First, using the term “data team” could conjure the vision of a group that dedicates itself solely to the analysis of quantitative or qualitative performance data. It might also imply that such teams are formed and function separately from other…
Happy Friday! Last week, I was beyond excited when Jan Burkis and Kim Yaris invited to guest post over at their place. I took the opportunity to start a conversation there about creating and managing cognitive dissonance. It’s one I plan to continue here next week, as my experiences implementing the Common Core Learning Standards and the six shifts that underpin them have surfaced some new and unexpected realizations about this particular topic. I’m…
On Sunday, I offered up this quick post about what I’ve learned from facilitating data dialogue in different schools over the years. Starr Sackstein caught wind of it on Twitter and connected my reflections to an earlier conversation that she began on her blog about the testing dilemma. As I chatted with her in the comments below her post, this thought emerged: “I tend to see trend data from standardized assessments like markers in a…
Over the last decade, I’ve had the opportunity to facilitate an awful lot of data dialogue inside of many different schools with many different kinds of teachers and leaders. These are some worthwhile reflections that are giving me pause as I continue moving the teams I’ve established forward: Some educators distinguish themselves as data-driven and others distinguish themselves as data-informed. Others don’t distinguish themselves in any particular way. Distinctions are critical. So is language. So…
When I first began learning how groups of teachers might use data to empower practice and serve kids better, most of the models I studied felt very linear and seemed to be driven by trends in standardized assessment data. A decade ago, I used to spend quite a bit of time helping teachers make meaning from this kind of data, and then we would design common formative assessments that were much like the tests…
Wellsville Middle and High School English teachers began inquiry work within collegial learning circles three years ago. What they accomplished for writers that year and what they’ve continued to accomplish as a result of their collegiality is nothing short of inspiring. These inquiry groups grew out of the staff’s desire to learn with and from one another. Like any staff, some have been more invested in this work than others, and like any investment, those…
When I began Common Core lesson studies with elementary teachers two years ago, they made the same surprising observation in each of the classrooms I taught in that spring: the background knowledge that many readers shared was often very interesting. Some was even compelling. And much of it was completely inaccurate. This didn’t surprise us, but what typically happened next did: when I invited readers to share their background knowledge through talk prior to reading,…
When last we spoke, I found myself positioned on a precipice, anxiously confronting the torrent that was Race to the Top. And as mandate after mandate continued to crash and swirl around me, threatening to pull everything and everyone I care about in this field into a hot mess of high emotion and utter chaos, I made an important and very deliberate decision: I put my head down and quietly got to work with all…
I know. I’ve been away a long time. Forgive me? I’ve been off listening more than I speak. Reading more than I write. Teaching in ways that I never have before, and learning more than I ever thought possible. It has been an amazing year, and I have so much to share. So, I’m back now, and I’ve even cleaned up the place a little. Well, Jason and Mike have. Come by for coffee…
I’m gearing up for a winter and spring filled with different instructional coaching experiences. I’m looking forward to this more than any other work I’ve been involved with so far this year because kids will finally be involved. In most of the schools that I am working in, we have spent more than a year wrapping our heads around Race to the Top, exploring the Common Core Learning Standards, and defining what the six shifts…