Don’t Conquer the Mountain Alone. . . Everyone’s an Expert!! Take a risk!

This month’s Leadership Academy session examined The Leadership Quality Standard from Alberta Education. We took each section and self-reflected on our own leadership capacity. Afterwards, we discussed these in small groups. This was a great way to examine strengths that we already possess on our leadership journey, as well as, discuss areas for continued growth and how we can put these into action in our professional lives. The self-reflection was an excellent guide for me to consider areas in which I want to continue to develop and explore.

As I read through each section, I was intrigued by the overall word choice in the document. Many sections used words such as facilitating, demonstrating, promoting, supporting, engaging, and creating. These words show that leadership is about guiding and assisting others in the school community including teachers, students, support staff, parents, and school councils.  Our role as leaders is to create a school culture where all others feel empowered to succeed and learn. I believe that teachers who are learning and growing promote those same skills in their students. The trickle-down effect is an important consideration in leadership.

Providing Instructional Leadership

The Providing Instructional Leadership standard really stood out for me. The goal set forth by this standard is to allow all students access to quality teaching and optimal learning. This in itself is a huge area for a leader to conquer. Can we as leaders truly ensure that every student in our care is having rich and meaningful experiences everyday? And if so how can that be judged? The answer to this lies in the fact that leadership is not an island, we must build up our teachers so that they can respond to learning needs in their own classroom. Again, this area had language that focused on leaders building capacity in others and assisting them in their growth as educators. Many articles that focus on leadership discuss the need to empower and allow teachers to be risk takers. For me this the true aim of this standard. When we support educators in our schools through professional learning that enhances curriculum and pedagogy, then they’re open to taking risks that allow for optimal student learning.

I also loved how this area addressed the individual learning needs of students and using data-driven practices. Often, teachers and leaders dread the word DATA!! It sounds like just one more task to check off our lists, but strong assessment practices for leaders and teachers guide our planning and practices. This standard really had all those important parts – assessment and evaluation, professional growth, student needs, and strong understanding of curriculum.

I have to say that my two favorite parts of this standard were facilitating technology use to support learning and facilitating access to experts and resources. Technology is ever-changing but offers so many ways to enhance student learning and assist students with needs. Leaders need to support teachers in choosing and utilizing technology. Again, that word facilitating!! Leaders are guides. I often tell my own students that we have a room full of experts, we are all an expert at something. Finding teacher experts, student experts, and community experts will enhance and optimize learning and empower risk taking. Don’t conquer the leadership mountain alone, take an expert as your guide!!

Principal Shadow Reflection: St. Catherine Catholic School

Hi everyone,

 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Please check out the link below to my VLOG that is about my experience at St. Catherine Catholic School. I hope you enjoy it!

Collin’s GPCSD Principal Shadow Reflection: St. Catherine

Collin

Observing Teaching Practice

Anxious, worried, rattled… these feelings still happen after 8 years in teaching when I’m being observed. However, I see the value of having another set of eyes watching my teaching practice. If the right conversations happen they can serve as a tool for professional growth. I still hear the concerns that administrators are looking to evaluate/ critique performance. When I visit classrooms I am looking to see what I can learn from the teacher. What does this person have to offer the school? If the person is open to suggestions and values collaborative conversations it can benefit both parties involved. Frequent observations make teaching public and open rather than closed and private. There are differences in what a principal looks for in a general observation compared to a formal evaluation – in general what are the key “ look for’s”
– What are the kids learning and do they know what they are learning
– Are the students engaged in the lesson
– Who is doing the talking
– Is there a consistent routine established

What do you look for or want someone to notice?

The best professional development is watching other teachers practice their craft. I always like walking into classrooms and finding something I can use for my class. I like to encourage teachers to find time to watch a colleague in the classroom.

Helpful article on Teacher observations
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin400_b.shtml

Placing Instructional Leadership on the Front Burner

Today’s school principals are asked to do a lot. I would contend that the following list includes, but is certainly not limited to, the vast array of responsibilities that compete for a principals time every day.

• Leadership and Climate
• Programming
• School Organization and Staffing
• Professional Development
• Staff Supervision, Growth and Evaluation
• Student Safety and Supervision
• Student Evaluation and Reporting
• Communication and Public Relations
• Budgeting and Buying
• Health, Safety, Plant Supervision

And I’m sure you would agree that the work involved in providing effective leadership in each of these areas has become even more complex as the education landscape continues to change.

How then, does a school principal find the time to provide leadership and build their own capacity in what John Hattie calls the most important work they do – Instructional Leadership? After all, district leaders expect their principals to supervise instruction and provide teachers with feedback that will allow them to both reflect on and grow in their practice. This is echoed in dimension 4 of Alberta Education’s Principal Quality Practice Guide where principals are asked to “implement effective supervision and evaluation to ensure that all teachers consistently meet the Alberta Teacher Quality Standard.”  It seems to me that supporting our teachers in improving practice is far too important to be left up to individuals to decide the degree to which they implement a quality instructional supervision plan in their school. Some will do it, some will not. And of those who do supervise instruction, some will be better at it than others. This has left me reflecting on how to best approach teacher growth and supervision in my new role in district office. This responsibility is included in my human resources portfolio and I want to provide our principals with all the support needed to be successful in this very important work. So along with the more informal classroom visitations that have been going on in district classrooms for some time now, we have decided to make instructional supervision more formal and transparent. Heres an overview:

• Every teacher must receive at least 60 minutes of instructional supervision per month. This can be broken up in a way that works best at each school site.
• All administrators (principals and vice principals) must be involved in the supervision to some degree.
• All visitations must be followed up with a face-to-face professional conversation.
• Completed visitations must be recorded at a central location in each school to ensure everyone is staying on track.
• All principals must submit their instructional supervision plans by the end of October.
• Plans will be placed on our public Wiki so they can be shared with each other.
• The Wiki will also be a place to share resources, videos, articles, walkthrough tools, etc.
• Time will be set aside at monthly principals meetings to share best practices, receive professional development, bring up concerns, and grow our capacity as instructional leaders.
• Ultimately, we would like to see principals visiting each others schools and completing classroom visitations as a team.
• Assistant Superintendents will visit schools on a regular basis to visit classrooms and build their own capacity in providing quality feedback to teachers.

I’m not sure how this will play out as our principals try to find a balance between this and the many other important aspects of their job, but I do know that if we want to build the kind of learning communities needed to transform education for the 21st century, we will have no choice but to move instructional supervision to the front burner and turn it to high.

#Bethefilter

I missed the past session because I was busy ” snowboarding ” with my MT Snow club  (which to me it means sliding down a hill praying that I don’t fall ) . Nichole happened to miss it too . After hearing the positive responses from those attending we asked Todd if he’d come to MT and give us an overview of what he presented . Todd graciously met us after school and we had a great conversation about Instructional leadership , coaching and Dealing with Difficult people . Again Thank you Todd : )

The First thing he said was that we are not adequately prepared to have the tough conversations and most people are not comfortable having to do them . He mentioned that we should be formally trained to have professional conversations.

1. Now , Ideas – Where do we go for this Training ? 

Todd brought up a term ” Relational Bank ” and that we need to deposit positives and get a healthy amount in the bank that when we have to withdrawal with some negatives ( tough conversations ) it doesn’t  hurt as much because we spent time building the relationship. When its time, put all issues on the table and make it clear what is happening . Let the person know you are there to help and stress to teachers GROWTH is key. One of the best things about being in Admin is that you get to work with all members of a school community and have countless opportunities to build trust .

Being a new Principal I knew this would be an area to show growth and improve . I knew I’d have to make a transition from Teaching Colleague to School leader ; and how people will have different expectations of me . After the readings and Todd’s conversation with Nichole and I , I noted that one area that I needed to improve was being a filter to the staff. Every school will have the ” Negative Nancy/ Norm ” and these people will find others and unload their stresses and problems . I’ve tried to be a filter and “Protect ”  others from being bombarded . It’s a great analogy but has a harsh connotation, But negativity is like a cancer and can spread quickly  . However if treated properly its possible to remove it or slow it’s growth . 

1. Footnote: Thanks Nichole for the Edits and Suggestions : ) 

Be consistent and Show Professional Fairness 

 

Instructional Coaching

My Beliefs that Affect my Coaching Practice:

• Relationships come first.  We need to build a culture of respect, a culture of reflection, and a culture of learning; just like in a classroom.  Learners need to be comfortable taking risks and making mistakes.  I try to approach coaching as collaboration and learning together.  Teaching shouldn’t be done alone in a bubble.
• All learners require and deserve feedback: beginning teachers, veteran teachers, high-achieving teachers; all learners!  All learners need to grow because learning never stops.  All learners need to know where they are, know where they need to go, and know how to get there.
• There is no room for judgment in coaching.  I do not tell a teacher if they are good or bad.  I am there to be honest, to be inspiring, and to help them grow and improve.  Praise should not rank or sort teachers; praise should acknowledge a specific improvement and effort.  “You are a good teacher” is not part of a coaching conversation.  “I noticed you stopped your lesson to check for understanding, I saw that you increased your wait time after questions, I liked how you moved around the classroom and used proximity as a management strategy” are examples of effective praise.
• Coaching conversations are not necessarily difficult conversations. We don’t worry about telling a basketball player that he needs to work on his lay-ups, we don’t worry about telling a piano player to practice her scales.  Coaching is about developing, learning, and practicing.  We should be able to have these coaching conversation to support teacher growth.

 

Coaching Conversations (in 3 Parts):

• Observations: It is difficult for teachers to see themselves as they are teaching.  It is also difficult to see all of their students.  Somebody else in the room provides another set of eyes and ears.  Sometimes sharing an observation is all that is needed to start a conversation.  For example, “I noticed that the kids in the back didn’t volunteer any answers during the lesson”.  I believe that having another person in the classroom also helps the teacher to see their own teaching differently.  It’s a window into their practice.  “Why did I ask that question?, Why did I pick that activity?  How do I know students are learning?”.
• Reflective Questions:  I always include reflective questions in my feedback for teachers.  They are usually “BIG” and open-ended.  For example: “How do you check for understanding during your lesson?  How do you group your students?  How do you instill a love of reading in your classroom?  How do you engage the students who seem disengaged?  How do you ask questions in your classroom?  How do you pick who gets to answer the questions?  How do you make sure that everybody gets the chance to think, to work, to discuss, to learn?”.  I ask these questions verbally or by email and I ask for a response.
• Demo Lessons:  I think the demo lesson is powerful to show what students can do and what teachers can do.  Sometimes teachers just don’t know what a “thinking classroom” (for example) looks like.  Maybe they have never seen “teaching through problem solving” or “guided reading”.  Maybe it would help if they saw someone model some “classroom management” strategies.  Team-teaching is also beneficial in some cases.  Furthermore, visits to other classrooms to see what other teachers are doing can encourage reflection and start conversations.  Coaches need to model good teaching, good reflection, good risk-taking, good mistake-making, and a growth mindset.

 

Coaches need to seek help, use other peoples’ talents, and collaborate, because WE ARE ALL LEARNERS!

Leaders and coaching conversations

I unfortunately will be unable to participate in the Twitter chat on Valentine’s Day so I have chosen to do a blog post of the topics that will be discussed.

When I think of an effective leader in our district many people come to mind who range from classroom teachers, coaches, association leaders and administrators. What qualities do these people have in common?  For me they are all people who I see as optimistic with a positive energy that lifts up those around them.  These are people who see the positive in others and truly believe in the people they work with. Honesty and empathy are also qualities that these great leaders share. They also have integrity treating staff and students fairly and stand up for what they believe in.

These effective leaders are the ones most skilled in having coaching conversations. When learning a skill or a concept the person that learns the most is the one doing it. The purpose of a coaching conversation in the context of teachers in my opinion is to reflect on one’s teaching. No meaningful reflection can occur if all you say is good job or everything went well see you next time.  I would say the one who is doing most of the talking is the one that is doing the most reflecting.  If the coach is doing most of the talking isn’t he/she doing more of the reflecting. By asking those probing questions the “coach” can also get more insight into the thinking behind the different strategies the teacher is using.  Having this back and forth of ideas can be enlightening for both sides.

In providing feedback it is always great to provide praise however if it comes to a point of over-praise I feel it then can invalidate the praise being given. It can come across as condescending or you could also run the risk of appearing to put an individual on a pedestal which could rub others the wrong way.  We all appreciate praise however in my case the last thing I want is someone making a huge deal over what I’m doing.  So for me over-praising becomes an uncomfortable negative experience.

In any conversation open ended questions are preferred otherwise the “conversation” simply becomes one sided. No meaningful conversation can happen when only one person is talking. Open ended questions lead to meaningful dialogue where true learning can happen at both ends of the conversation.

Avoidance: Strategy or not?  I’ll go out on limb here and disagree slightly with Mr. Whitaker. I do believe “avoid” is a strategy. The problem is that it is a horribly ineffectual strategy and one that has no place in our profession. In any instance, using avoidance can only lead to making matters worse or at the very least not making things any better. Those who choose to avoid a difficult circumstance with a parent, for example, soon learn that all that they have done is delayed the discomfort and quite possibly exasperated the issue.  This is also the case with colleagues, avoiding will never solve the problem.  The best approach is to face it and deal with it. In many cases it is beneficial to take some time for reflection prior to dealing with certain situations but avoiding can never be accepted. So in my disagreeing with Mr. Whitaker I end up agreeing with him that there is no place for using avoidance as a strategy.  Serves me right for trying to disagree with someone much smarter than me.

A Coaching Conversation

Upon first glance the idea of having a “coaching conversation” seems easy.  How difficult could it be to coach someone in conversation? Looking at the principles of an effective coaching conversation I realized it might be a little harder than it first appeared.  For many of us our natural inclination, when we are engaged in conversation, is to give our opinion, offer advice, or share a story.  We shift our focus from listening as quickly as we can and we begin to do all the talking.  Most of us, and I am as guilty as anyone, do not realize that an effective coaching conversation begins with committed listening. “Committed listening connects you powerfully with others because you intentionally focus on the other person”.  When you give someone your full attention you value them and you are showing them that what they are saying is important to you. As a committed listener you must also be cognizant of verbal and nonverbal skills. The nonverbal cues can be just as important as what the person is saying. As the committed listener you need to give your colleague your undivided attention and become a purposeful listener.

If you can buy into the idea that a coaching conversation requires committed listening you’re on the right track, and you’re moving towards paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is the idea that the “coach” summarizes what the person says. It brings clarity to the conversation and reflects the feeling that you care and understand the other person’s perspective. This is generally easier than listening for most of us. We get to do what most of us enjoy…we get to talk!  However, paraphrasing means to summarize the conversation it does not mean you get to give advice, state your opinion, share a story, or pass judgement. Simply put, by paraphrasing you are letting your colleague know you have listened to them and they are valued.

The third step involved in a coaching conversation is presuming positive intent about the other person no matter who they are or what the topic of conversation. There is a lot to be said of the old adage “you get more bees with honey”.  Who doesn’t appreciate being approached with genuine kindness and caring?  At the same time you approach the conversation with a positive attitude, you begin to ask powerful questions.  These are open-ended questions that will require your colleague reflect and hopefully begin to challenge their thinking.

Finally, giving reflective feedback is the fourth component of an effective coaching conversation. We all need feedback to grow, and sometimes it is difficult to hear. It’s human nature to want to hear all the wonderful things we do, but realistically there are always areas we need to improve upon.  The idea behind reflective feedback is giving truthful comments while maintaining relationships. Without reflective feedback it is difficult to make the changes necessary to grow as a professional or as a human being for that matter. Some of the best and toughest conversations I have ever had required me to deeply reflect and then change my thinking, my attitude and my behaviour. Reflective feedback is the key to change, but it requires the “coach” to clarify for understanding, express the value of an idea or behaviour, and pose a reflective question or possibility. By developing coaching conversations one can motivate and challenge others to move forward in their thinking and ultimately affect change in the classroom, among staff, and within the school.

Difficult Conversations!

Having difficult conservations is an everyday part of the job of the leader in a school system. Difficult conversations happen with colleagues, staff members, students, parents and all other important stakeholders. The conversations never go away, but the process does become more comfortable.

Giving feedback to others or talking about a difficult topic is never easy. There is always the ‘elephant in the room’ until the conversation happens. The worst thing you can do is let the elephant grow. Over the course of my time in admin and teaching in general, I have learned that difficult conversations are necessary. They are important for growth, for progression of our educational system and for student success. We owe it to the other person to be honest with them so that they can reflect and make changes. I always reflect back to what Karl German said several times (this is paraphrased): when he sees potential in a person he pushes and asks hard questions so that we continue to grow. I use this each day. When I don’t have difficult conservations I don’t give people a chance to grow and show their potential.

So how do we as leaders have difficult conversations:

1. Be clear about the issue
2. Know your objective
3. Adopt a mindset of inquiry
4. Manage the emotions
5. Be comfortable with silence
6. Preserve the relationship
7. Be consistent
8. Develop your conflict resolution skills
9. Watch your reaction
10. Pick the best place for the conversation
11. Know how to begin
    (Martinuzzi, Bruna)

If we look at difficult conversations through a coaching and growth approach we will all do better! Because we all have room to grow regardless of who we are.

Seeing through the whereas’ and lists of the Ministerial Order.

I find that I have had a really hard time trying to organise my thoughts on the Ministerial Order. Sometimes I find that I get so passionate – or some might say worked up – about something that I need to take a step back in order to truly understand and clarify my ideas.

I have decided that this document full of whereas’ and lists could really be summerized in one – albeit broad – statement:

The Ministerial Order for Student Learning asks teachers to

teach every child through curriculum.

Every: All. Each. Not as part of a collective but as individuals. Every body in the class should leave having been educated.

This is where differentiation instruction, which our district has focused on in the last years, come into play. Differentiation allows us to teach to every child, to adapt, to modify, to accelerate, to allow time for group work, for individual tasks, for exploration, for “traditional” instruction. Differentiation has taught us that there are many ways to teach and many ways in which we can assess our students to allow for maximum participation and understanding.  

Our district also values technology in the classroom, which makes teaching every student a great deal easier. Allowing students to search for and build knowledge online, type or speak instead of write, be creative in the presentation of their understanding and work collaboratively even when away, just to name a few.

I feel very fortunate to work in an environment where we are encouraged and taught how to reach every single person in our class. Those who know me know that I am not a fan of “traditional teaching”; meaning lecturing, taking notes and exams. I encourage discussion and self evaluation, looking for the answers instead of being told, story telling and projects, role playing and games. My classroom looks and probably feels very chaotic to a passer by, but I know that each and every one of my students is engaged and learning. I know that this way of teaching is not suited for everyone, it is outside many teachers zone of comfort but I wish they could see the benefits that reaching every student has on class management, atmosphere and confidence.  

 

Through: Past. Beyond. Not limited to the specific content. Using the content to help build life skills that will be useful beyond the classroom.

Projects, group work, discussions, etc. encouraged skills of communication, critical thinking, compromise, creativity, problem solving and conflict resolution, skills which are required in most -if not all- workplaces and life situations. By using the effects of the War of 1812 or the regenerative properties of plants students can develop more than just -what they call- random knowledge but skills to become active citizens and valued members of the work force.

It is my belief that this can only happen, or at least happens best, in a non traditional setting. When students are taught the curriculum but not taught through the curriculum most will lose a passion for learning, will be disengaged and will learn no valuable life skills. When teachers are teaching through the curriculum they are challenging all students including those with natural abilities and those with learning disabilities.
Thinking, discussing, creating, problem solving, etc. are things that must be taught and practiced in order to become good at them, just like with a sport. The M.O. values these things and it is our job to ensure that we use our program of studies to guide every student to becoming an engaged and active member in our society.