Navigating the New Teacher Experience

As part of Goochland’s evaluation process, teachers create a portfolio documenting, with authentic artifacts, their fulfillment of professional standards organized in 5 domains – Instruction, Assessment, Learning Environment, Communication/Community Relations, and Professionalism.

Today, our year 1 cohort will meet and provide feedback on portfolios through a peer review process.

Here are sample artifacts one might include in their portfolio.

Teachers may choose to organize paper portfolios with this Table of Contents template, or they can create portfolios through digital formats.

And lastly, this is the Portfolio Feedback Form we’ll use.

Today, our Year 2 cohort of teachers tackled the subject of Data Driven Decision Making or D3M with three of our experts.  Karren Streagle is our Division Director of Testing as well as a doctoral student at VCU.  Matt Covington is the Assistant Principal at Goochland High School and a doctoral student at Virginia Tech.  And Ellen Guidry is our Director of Elementary Education and a former employee of the Virginia Department of Education with specialization in testing and data use.

Teachers who attend, we’d love your feedback.  Please complete this brief evaluation.

I follow a great blog authored by a handful of new teachers called “Sup Teach?” and I just have to share what I read the first day back from winter break:

I tell ‘em…

I understand this is the first day after a long break, and on the first day after a long break, we gotta re-adjust. We’re not used to sitting in class for 6 hours a day listening to teachers, doing work, studying. We’re not used to waking up early. We forget how to enter class the right way or how to just raise your hand. But as your teacher, it’s my duty to remind you what we need to do. You know what I expect. So be patient with the process. We’ll get back in the routine before you know it.

I tell ‘em…

I also understand we can forget a lot over 2 weeks time. But, re-learning something is always easier than learning it the first time around. So, you might look at this problem and be angry with yourself b/c you know you know how to do it, but you forgot the steps. It’ll come back. Trust me. But you gotta put in the effort, you gotta put in the work, and you can’t get frustrated. So be patient with the process. It’ll all come back before you know it.

But really, I say these things more for myself than anyone else…

Welcome back, Teachers.

Here’s a link to the original post in case you’d like to read more.

Recently, a new teacher submitted to me a list of questions that still lingered in her mind regarding the development of her professional evaluation portfolio. With her permission, I’m sharing both the questions and my responses in hopes they help others wondering the very same things. Without further ado…

For Portfolio Guidelines, see the document on our wiki.

Q: Which format – electronic or paper or both?

A: This is truly a matter of preference and comfort-level.  For some paper will be easier to compile, and for others, electronic may display some technology proficiencies for when/if the portfolio is used in the future as an interviewing tool. I’ll quote from the Portfolio Guidelines document referenced above:

A teacher may choose to create a print portfolio (organized in a binder provided by the county) or a digital collection.  No one method is encouraged or discouraged, and teachers may decide which way would be best to showcase their artifacts.  A digital portfolio can take the form of a website, blog, Keynote/PowerPoint, iMovie – you name it.  This format has distinct advantages, some of which are listed below:

• Ease of editing
• Ease of copying and sharing
• Portability
• Ability to integrate mixed media (audio, video, graphics, hyperlinks, multiple file formats, etc.)
• Opportunity to build and demonstrate technological proficiency
• Connectivity between teaching and technology
• Example for students to emulate

Q: If I do go electronic, will the viewers have access to the software I use (i.e.-Inspire, iMovie, etc)?

A: Since there’s no guarantee that the viewers will have all the same softwares/versions, I would recommend saving files as PDFs (Portable Document Format) so that they’re unable to be changed by viewers – and so that they can be easily opened and viewed.  This can be accomplished by going to File > Export >PDF  or File > Print > Save as PDF.

Q: Can I include videos from items we acted out in class?

A: Absolutely!  What a great idea.  You can embed videos in a Keynote or PowerPoint – or if you want to sign up for a free blog (hosted somewhere other than our servers so you always have access to it – ie edublogs), you can embed video online as well.

Q: Should I included a taped video of class? I use these to help me evaluate my own teaching and management skills.

A: Video clips can be very powerful tools, but if the video is too long, you may risk losing the interest of the viewers.  I would recommend making each element as concise and powerful as possible – so the message is communicated clearly and briefly, and the viewer will still be interested in examining your next artifact.

Q: Is it okay to use examples of not so great work to support progression?

A: Absolutely – if that’s the case, include your notes or comments on the student work sample.  Ex. – “Johnny, be careful of confusing the terms ‘revolution and retribution.’”  or “Susie, be mindful ofsubject-verb agreement.”  This would logically fit under both Instruction and Assessment.

Q: Can I include student evaluations (this includes the harsh ones too)?

A: Absolutely – this would fit under both Professionalism and Assessment.  It demonstrates how you use data from a very powerful source (students) in driving your decision making.

Q: Should I include parent correspondence logs?

A: This would be an appropriate artifact under the domain of Communication and Community Relations.  Just remember that if you end up showing your portfolio to someone other than your administrators, that you should block out the names of parents and students in the name of confidentiality.

Q: How do I best include the extra curricular activities that my husband and I have attended to support the students work and athletic talents?

A: I would simply state that you’ve involved yourself in the community beyond the school day – and then list the events in which you’ve participated.  If you have programs from the play, ticket stubs, that’s fun, but certainly not required.  Stating your involvement would be adequate.

Q: What about an iMovie as my portfolio? If I showed the work and explained it as well. I am just thinking outside the box here. I see movie format as utilizing kinetic, visual and auditory learning styles and implementing technology.  Just an idea; think it would be acceptable?

A: It’s a fantastic idea and with substantial planning and scripting ahead of time, I’m sure the product would be wonderful.  My only concern is the indexing/organizing of the video so a viewer could peruse the collection without having to invest 30 or so minutes to watch it linearly.  For this reason, I’d recommend embedding short video clips in either a Keynote/PowerPoint or a blog.  This will allow you to “speak” to your audience, but also show your artifacts in other media (PDFs, pictures, video, etc.).

Q: Does GCPS “own” the rights to the material in my portfolio?

A: This portfolio belongs to you, not GCPS.  This comes from the handbook I mentioned above:  ”It is an official document created and maintained by the teacher and reviewed periodically by the evaluator. It is the property of the teacher and follows the teacher when work assignments change.  The teacher has full responsibility for its contents, pacing, and development, and the document is to stay in the teacher’s possession except when being reviewed.”

The energy teachers spend on Classroom Management should be divided the following ways:

• 80% Prevention (good relationships with students and differentiated planning so kids are not bored or frustrated)
• 15% Intervention (consequences for behaviors, the teacher look, seating charts, etc.)
• 5% Strategic Intervention (strategies targeted for students who are not responding to prevention or intervention)

Last week, our Year 2 cohort met to focus on the 5% – strategic intervention. We are so grateful that Jennifer Waggener, School Psychologist at Randolph and Byrd Elementary Schools was available to serve as our expert facilitator.

If you want to brush up on Jen’s presentation or if you missed the opportunity, check out her Keynote.

Also, here are some of the handouts for a few of the strategies she referenced:

1. Strategic Intervention based on “symptoms” handout
2. Energize Bingo (directions and student  template)
3. Think Links (directions, 4 blank and 5 blank template)
4. LINCS Vocabulary Tables

If you attended, please take a moment and complete this brief survey - by clicking here - so that we can improve this presentation in the future.

For new teachers,  the phrase “fear of the unknown” often summarizes feelings about conducting parent conferences.  Our Year 1 cohort will meet today to frame our thinking and obtain resources for before, during and after the event.

Teachers who attend, we’d love your feedback.  Please click here to complete a brief survey.

If you’ve stumbled upon this blog post and want to know what we discussed, check out the “Parent Conference Resources” on the bottom of this page.

One of the great perks of my job is visiting classrooms and seeing new teachers in action, and I have to say, after my first 20 visits, all of my expectations have been exceeded!  I’ve seen hands-on activities, literature-rich experiences, dramatic re-enactments, use of graphic organizers, real world projects, web-based games on the Promethean boards…

I’m blown away and excited to embark on my next 30!  Kudos, all!

Christin Ciminelli and Johnette Burdette, administrators at Goochland Middle School, hosted our Year 1 Cohort for a Classroom Management Tune Up.

We’d love the feedback of participants – please click here.

I wanted to address some of the GREAT questions posed by our Year 1 teachers at the end of our grading discussion earlier this month and point to some additional resources.

1.) In terms of reassessing students, how often would you do this; how do you determine who to reassess?  only students who received an F, or any student that receives something less than 100%???

That depends.  I’d say if students are motivated to improve, let them.  I love the approach this teacher takes and how she frames opportunties for retakes.  It’s simple but it makes SO much sense.  Check out her 4 minute screencast and a checklist she uses to track and motivate students.  Also consider exploring this blog post from a secondary math teacher explaining his assessment plan.

2.) How can I convince teachers to work with me for grading if I’m a collaborative teacher?

Obviously start with a professional conversation with the teacher, explaining your rationale for wanting to be a partner in the process.  Hopefully that’ll be all it takes, but if not, perhaps have this conversation with your principal and get their feedback.

3.) What about the kids who are demotivated by other students getting lots of chances, or praised for bringing up grades while they had them all along?

Great great question, and it sounds like an opportunity for a teachable moment – remind them that with education, one size does not fit all – and perhaps bring up the concept that what is fair isn’t always equal.  I have some great demonstration ideas for this.  Ask me if it’s an issue with your students and I’ll share more.

4.) What kind of grading should I be keeping for kindergarten? Exactly how grading pertains to K-1. (How do I use it without the formal “letter grades”?)

I’ve spoken to a few primary teachers and they recommend checklists similar to the ones mentioned above. Have a page per child, list the objectives/skills and check off as they demonstrate mastery.  This can be shared with parents as well and help you focus your interventions on the skills/content they lack.

5.)  What are some tactics to help with forming assignments for effective grading?

Talk to your teammates, mentors, lead teachers/department chairs, and administrators.  General tips?  While summative assessments such as projects can be involved, try to keep your formative assessments simple and focused on objectives.  This way you can find out specifically what they know or don’t know.  I highly recommend developing assessments with other teachers who teach the same course – so you two can compare data on student achievement, instructional techniques, etc.  Collaboration is a great thing!

6.) Is it okay for me to change my grading methods now?? Is that too inconsistent?

ABSOLUTELY!  If it ain’t workin’ (forgive my grammar.  It’s just for impact), FIX IT!  Don’t carry on with a bad practice just for the same of continuity.  Pete Gretz, our Assistant Superintendent answered this question beautifully in a recent post on his blog. Check it out!

7.) How do you balance students who have the knowledge to move on with those that need instruction on the basics?

This is why differentiating your instruction is so critical.  Small group instruction based on specific learning needs will provide targeted intervention and guided enrichment.  I could talk about this for hours, so if this is a struggle for you, contact me and I’ll refer you to some great resources on flexible instructional grouping.

Today, year 2 teachers will  learn about and gain practice with differentiation with three of our many GCPS experts: Randolph principal Stacey Austin, Gifted and Enrichment Specialist Connie Foreman, and Literacy Specialist Sandy Kasch.  All three can be contacted by email if you have any follow up questions.

We’d love feedback from you.  If you attended this session, please complete this brief survey below.

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