Two Teachers’ Oasis

In our teaching oasis, implementation would make sense. This week’s blog topic is implementation of school/district initiatives.  No Child Left Behind has created more accountability for what we do (understandably).  We know that for initiatives to be successful you have to be accountable for what you’re doing in the classroom.  However, we feel like we’re not moving forward in our work.  We are stuck in first phase of everything we implement.  Hall & Hord (2006) labeled the stages of implementation of an initiative, “The Levels of Use.” (see attached…we’re still learning how to blog!).To illustrate a district’s level of use with a strategy consider the following. Let’s use comprehension strategy instruction as an example.  District A decides to implement Keene and Zimmermann’s (1997) comprehension strategies.  Teachers are trained, materials are purchased, some modeling and demonstrating takes place, and guidelines for implementation are set.  Of course, teachers should be held accountable to teach comprehension strategies…so…a form is created to simplify teachers’ reporting to their administrators in the attempt to reflect their level of use of the strategies.  Long story short….six years later District A’s teachers are still filling out the same form and even worse, the levels of use are still at the beginning stages of comprehension instruction.  Everything is at the mechanical stage. We need to move on.  In future blogs we’ll discuss what we can do about this but this week, please share with us your thoughts and experiences.  To help you reflect, here are three questions:

1.  What is your district’s initiative?

2.  How are you being held accountable for doing it?

3.  Using the adaptation of Hall & Hord’s Levels of Use, what level are you at with your initiative and how long has it taken you? 

In conclusion, it’s smart to build in data pieces such as implementation paperwork but the heart is lost when data collections aren’t used in ways to help us move forward in our levels of use!  Teachers become frustrated because they are asked to do the same things over and over again and don’t understand why. 

This week’s blog topic is about the language we use. The way we word things in our schools sends a certain vibe. Simple shifts in wording can turn a well-intended point into a negative message. I am intrigued by wording on school signs, conference report cards, and just plain how we speak to one another. What kind of vibe are our schools projecting? Consider the following sign on the front of a school that states, “Parents wait for your children outside” vs.  “Thank you for visiting us! Please introduce yourself/check-in at the office.” How about the teachers’ lounge? This space is often shared by community groups after school and on weekends. What does it speak about the culture and climate of the school when there is a giant neon sign above the sink that says “Please wash your own dishes. I am not your mother.” A simple shift in language makes a difference, “please clean your dishes after using them. Thank you.” So, again, the topic of this week’s blog is the language we use and what it says about us. What’s your school’s vibe?

I look forward to your thoughts and examples. -Amy

What if you had unlimited resources to support what you do? What’s important to you? Welcome to Two Teachers’ Oasis. My neighbor and teaching colleague runs with me just about every morning. We have some interesting conversations about “what ifs” in education. We’re both teachers, and like you, we have a lot to say and dream about in education. Think about the workplace and learning environments we can create if we think big and discuss our “what-ifs.” Let’s start today…we look forward to reading about your “what ifs” on our Teaching Oasis…a place to dream, share thoughts, and imagine the possiblities for our students. -Amy & Kasey