Teacher TEAMs & Team Dynamics - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Teacher TEAMs & Team Dynamics

TogetherEveryoneAchievesMore

Adapted from Maxine Wood August 2011 Presentation

Tom Van Hulle

and

Matt

Wernsdorfer

June 25, 2012Slide2

Talent Development Secondary (TDS)Focusing on Teacher TEAMs and Team Dynamics

GoalsAt the conclusion of this session, School Transformation Facilitators will be able to:Identify the purpose and role of teacher teams are within Talent Development Secondary and Diplomas Now

Develop effective teacher teams within Talent Development Secondary and Diplomas Now2Slide3

The Four Pillars of Talent DevelopmentSlide4

Focus on TDS Pillar I

Teacher TEAMs andSmall Learning Communities Teams of teachers working with a common and manageable set of students, with time built into their schedule for collaborative work and facilitation to initially guide their efforts.

4Slide5

A Brief Overview Activity

5Teacher Teaming 1-Pager Slide6

Why have Teacher TEAMs?

Facilitates job-embedded collaborationBuilds a strong climate of caring and support for students and staffShares information and resources that provides collegial supportCoordinates instruction and curriculum across curriculum

Gives teachers time to work together so as to enable instructional flexibilityProvides students with a constructive and united front on attendance, behavior, and course performancePromotes students’ social attachment to school by providing a team identity of adults that look out for them and gives guidanceCommunicate and improve best instructional practices6Slide7

What do Teacher TEAMs do?

Identify and address student challenges and needsAnalyze data to set common instructional goalsWork together to personalize and individualize the learning environment for each studentMeet regularly at scheduled times

Conference with students and/or their familiesOrganize instructional dayProvide the coordination of special activities or instructional rationale7Slide8

8STF and Teacher TEAMsin the School Transformation Plan“Planning the Work,

Working the Plan.”Slide9

Distributed Leadership

Collaborative Work Times

Shared Cohort of Manageable Number of StudentsAccess to Real-Time Data About Shared StudentsPillar ISlide10

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TDS/DN Essential Component

Current StatusAction Initiated(include timelines)Evidence of InitiationOr Impacts

Next Action Determined **

1. Distributed Leadership

(specific Decision Making Abilities with Names & Positions)

• Diplomas Now (DN) Leadership meets every Monday @ 8:30 a.m.

• Teacher Teams meet every Monday @ 2:00 p.m.

• Teacher staff meet every Wednesday @ 3:30 p.m.

• Develop teacher TEAM agenda items (below) by 2/6/12

• Agendas, minutes, sign-in sheet, monthly events

• Identify a teacher Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) leader by Principal

2. Collaborative Work Times

• 2nd period common preparation for core teachers

• 3rd period for elective teachers

• 2nd semester planning to develop cross-curricular assignments/projects by 3/5/12

• Agendas, minutes, sign-in sheet, quarterly project due dates and presentations

• Brainstorm thematic units with teacher TEAM by District ELA Coach

3. Shared cohort of Manageable Number of Students

• Cohort #1 = 26 students

• Cohort #2 = 25 students

• Cohort #3 = 25 students

• Recruit 2nd semester students by 3/15/12

• Increased enrollment

• Identify target Recruitment Open House dates by Recruitment Officer

4. Access to Real Time Data About Students they Share EWI/Academic

• District Student Information System data updates Microsoft Access (MS Access) program for Early Warning Indicator (EWI) meetings (printed and shares with all teachers)

• Effective use of District Student Information System data/EWI documents/Google documents in teacher team meetings by 3/5/12

• Teacher team decisions informed and justified with data as reflected in agenda items, minutes, sign-in sheets, and Tiered supports• Provide Google access to teacher TEAM leader by STF

Pillar I

Teacher TEAMs

and Small Learning

CommunitiesSlide11

Tiered Supports and Teacher TEAMs Activity

Good Team Jigsaw ActivitySlide12

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School Transformation Facilitator’sResponsibility to Scheduling

After LunchSlide13

“Schedules can do anything except everything.”

-- Ken LernerSchedulingSlide14

Scheduling is one of the most important decision making points in a school, and the power is carefully guarded.

This is where almost all decisions are written in stone for the year. If it ain’t in the schedule, it ain’t real yet.Often, part of our job in reform is to open this process up to more voices.Play nice with schedulers!It is how a school articulates what people will do all day and is therefore informed by:

What courses a school will teach? How is that learning measured (credits, minutes, work time)?Who will work with whom? (certification, skill sets, track records)The Big PictureSlide15

We want (must have’s are underlined)

Extended learning timeCommon Planning timeAccelerated Courses for those who need itInterdisciplinary TEAMsShared Cohorts of Students

4X4Fewer Class ChangesManageable number of students with small team (3-4 teachers with 75-90 students)Mutations4X4+1 is most commonLarger teams (two of each)The Devil’s in the DetailsSlide16

Double blocks are too long. My teachers and students can’t handle it.

We did that- it didn’t work.This is just like middle school.We need to schedule for the IB kids first.We can’t offer credits for those accelerated courses.We will have more fights if the kids are together all day.“What about…”

The geniuses?The kids who never come to school?Art?Foreign language?AP courses?Gym?Science?College level curriculum?Calming influence of older students?Internships?Music?SAT prep?Survey courses?Homeless students?ELL students?

What You Will HearSlide17

Each group has a copy of:

Basic 4X44X4+1Two othersEach groups should Identify which is the 4X4, the 4X4+1, and which are the “others”How do these schedules reflect the elements that support the “must have’s”?

The “Doing” ActivitySlide18

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Adapted from:

Team to Teach, National Staff Development Council,www.nsdc.org Teacher TEAMs andthe School Transformation Facilitator

Roles, Responsibilities, And ResourcesSlide19

Teams function most successfully when members have

shared goals and purposes that promote collaboration.19CollaborationSlide20

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CollaborationHow?

Structural conditions and needs:Time and opportunity to meet

Location, organization and logistics

Access to data, materials, resources, etc.Slide21

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Critical elements:

Reflective dialogueCollective focus on student learningShared norms and valuesCollaboration

How?Slide22

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Guiding factors:

Commitment to student improvement Mutual trust, respect, commitment, and accountabilitySupportive leadership and support from leadershipClarity of roles, relationships, responsibilities

Agreed upon norms, goals,

procedures

Capable, competent, and contributing members

Collaboration

How?Slide23

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TEAM Dynamics ActivityModeling Roles and ResultsSlide24

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Five Stages of TEAM ActivityForming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning(Tuckman, 1965)Slide25

1. Explain the Teacher Team Initiative to administrators and/or faculty

.“Why should we do this?”Possible Responses25

Research analysisDraw upon past experiences of successes andfailures (know the school’s history)Provide examples of other successful teamsEssential ActivityCommon QuestionRoles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide26

2. Introduce or review the team process.

“How do we do this?”Possible Responses26

Review team characteristics (from this presentation)Show other successful team meetingsModel proper meeting protocolsEssential ActivityCommon QuestionRoles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide27

3. Assist in planning and organizing for team work.

“What am I supposed to do?”Possible Responses27

Schedule consistent meeting times and locationEstablish and assign meeting rolesProcure resources (copies, computer, projector, overhead, screen, etc.)Essential ActivityCommon QuestionRoles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide28

4. Help teams get off to a good start.

“How do we begin?”Possible Responses28

Create agendasDevelop meeting normsFacilitate beginning meetings with the expressed intent of eventual distributive leadershipEssential ActivityCommon QuestionRoles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide29

5. Help members select and set team goals.

“What do we do now?”Possible Responses29

Brainstorm specific school concerns and prioritize them so as to create team goalsNote staff conversations in meetings to potentially add to future agenda itemsUse TD materials (e.g. Pillars) to suggest possible goalsEssential ActivityCommon QuestionRoles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide30

6. Help teams develop a plan for action and accomplishment based on goals.

“How does this contribute to our goal?”

Possible Responses30At the end of meetings, identify: task, champion, date, who will check or needs information for next taskCopy and distribute action planSend action plan remindersEssential ActivityCommon Question

Roles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide31

7. Assist/enable teams to conduct successful meetings.

“How can we be sure things are getting done?”Possible Responses

31Share informationProvide feedbackKeep agendas and notesEssential ActivityCommon Question

Roles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide32

8. Maintain momentum.

“How do we effectively address our challenges?”Possible Responses32

Highlight or promote successes and note challenges for future team goalsBe available and visible so as to provide informal opportunities for brainstormingAssist in the process—seek opportunities to serveEssential ActivityCommon QuestionRoles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide33

9. Assist in assessing team progress.

“How do we know if what we’re doing is working?”Possible Responses33

Evaluate staff strengths and weaknesses and place “the right person in the right seat”Provide staff individual feedbackEncourage best practices with celebrations (with notes, e-mails, handshakes, smiles, private and public praise, share individual and team successesEssential ActivityCommon QuestionRoles, Responsibilities, and ResourcesSlide34

10. Facilitate effectively.

“Might there be a better way of doing this?” OR “Are we just reinventing the wheel?”Possible Responses34

Communicate with your FM, RD, S4, IF, and fellow STF’sRead and share germane TD/DN correspondenceEncourage with information (opinions differ, data don’t)Essential ActivityCommon QuestionRoles, Responsibilities, and Resources

Essential Activities 1-10 were adopted from:

Jolly

, A. (2008). Team to teach: A facilitator's guide to professional learning teams. Oxford, OH: National Staff Development CouncilSlide35

Go Team!

-- Bob Balfanz35