Mar+13,+2012

=March 13, 2012= //**TTT Follow-up Meeting**// **April 17th - next meeting**


 * Agenda**


 * TTT Debrief and TTT Survey report Data
 * Deemed a huge success
 * Reviewed survey; questions whether to empower or enable regarding locations & registration.


 * Karen's Survey Report Summary
 * Follow-up is urgent
 * What did you implement
 * What worked/didn't
 * What would you change?
 * Disaggregation of data is important for preparations
 * Do random, face-to-face interviewing (//Dr. Voss//, is this your forte?)
 * //Responses://
 * //Question: What if we asked people to set their own PD agenda for the year?//
 * //What about a celebration of learning following the holidays?//
 * //Establish a committee to bring "snacks"//
 * //Keep groups smaller and divisional//
 * //Can the standards connect this and give us a framework//


 * Learning Forward Benchmarks:
 * Out of time to look at it; team agreed t study sections & report out **April 17th**
 * Learning Communities: Patty & Sharon
 * Learning Designs - Alicia & Karen
 * Leadership - Erin
 * Resources - Janet
 * Data - Scott, Sharon
 * Implementation - Pat
 * Outcomes - Alicia & Kris
 * Dinner with Gail - logistics confirmations: In her absence Janet & Sharon suggested a retreat, idea supported by committee

//**TTT Survey data (to be) - download zipped folder for full report**//


 * //From Karen//**
 * __BULLET POINT RECOMMENDATIONS__ (between teacher and student): After reading books by Thomas Guskey and David Pink, the process, the purpose, and the evaluation of any procedure are critical. Documentation is critical in order to discuss to what degree something is or was learned. The conclusions I drew below attest to what these men have suggested for students and teachers both benefiting from a teacher’s having greater autonomy, but also in documenting the teacher.**
 * 1) Teachers should have some more autonomy, with greater built-in-time to be creative. This time could be solitary on a Wednesday, through collaboration on, or on professional development days.
 * 2) Teachers should have some free time with the understanding that they will, within a designated time, provide a creative approach to either a lesson or lessons.
 * 3) This new approach could be or should be shared within the same discipline and possibly could be discussed school-wide during a faculty meeting day, a TTT day, or PD day.
 * 4) Proof of success must be in the documentation after sharing with students (Guskey). The best evaluation would be discussed anonymously, with the findings transcribed for the those most concerned, although multiple choice is fastest and a chance to write a few comments would add more depth to the response.
 * 5) Success may mean deconstructing how the lesson was carried out, where a teacher states the purpose/objective of the lesson and procedure, in written form. The teacher would then teach the lesson to the students, or have students work through the lesson. After which, students might fill out a brief evaluation form, stating the connections they understood to be with this lesson to their discipline.


 * __BULLET POINT RECOMMENDATIONS__ (Regarding Professional Development or PD): This information comes from not only reading Thomas Guskey and David Pink, it comes from having two surveys given to both the high school faculty and to the PD Committee, before and after a PD day.**
 * 1) Information should always be disaggregated, not only between campuses, but possibly between high, middle, and elementary schools. One might also make sure to separate according to discipline. Even age may become quite important and also lead to interesting discussions.
 * 2) During March, there was much less participation in my three question, post TTT, survey. This may indicate a possible lack of understanding of the question, a certain lethargy not having had a break in a while, and possibly teachers not wanting to respond due to negative comments (in two private conversations, teachers did not either see the need for the types of PD offered, or did not get much out of their sessions, and did not wish to comment in the survey).
 * 3) On the whole, most teachers appreciate PD, but when asked if they would seek out PD if given greater incentive, which may only mean greater time within the school day, almost all said yes, that this would be super or wonderful.
 * 4) There must be some way to motivate teachers though, and David Pink would say that one’s intrinsic desire(s) to be creative can be and must be stimulated, but that offering the typical “carrot and stick” approach is not going to foster one’s intrinsic drive, at least not once teachers believe they are being paid well enough. Even with greater pay, a teacher then will work to complete the exercise faster in order to get the money more quickly and will also want to move onto the next task, and expect another reward here as well.
 * 5) If administration needs teachers to work or develop material beyond their saturation point, teachers must buy into the exercise and this may be done by offering them greater free time to create alone or with others. Also, separate recognition, not en masse, works wonders.
 * 6) The proof of the success, again, lies in its overall benefit to students, who will test out the idea(s) and this then must be evaluated for overall strength and weaknesses.