Teacher TEAMs Team Dynamics Together Everyone Achieves More

Teacher TEAMs & Team Dynamics Together Everyone Achieves More Tom Van Hulle and Matt Wernsdorfer June 25, 2012 Adapted from Maxine Wood August 2011 Presentation

Talent Development Secondary (TDS) Focusing on Teacher TEAMs and Team Dynamics Goals At the conclusion of this session, School Transformation Facilitators will be able to: 1. Identify the purpose and role of teacher teams are within Talent Development Secondary and Diplomas Now 2. Develop effective teacher teams within Talent Development Secondary and Diplomas Now 2

The Four Pillars of Talent Development

Focus on TDS Pillar I Teacher TEAMs and Small 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. 4

A Brief Overview Activity Teacher Teaming 1 -Pager 5

Why have Teacher TEAMs? § § § Facilitates job-embedded collaboration Builds a strong climate of caring and support for students and staff Shares information and resources that provides collegial support Coordinates instruction and curriculum across curriculum Gives teachers time to work together so as to enable instructional flexibility § Provides students with a constructive and united front on attendance, behavior, and course performance § Promotes students’ social attachment to school by providing a team identity of adults that look out for them and gives guidance § Communicate and improve best instructional practices 6

What do Teacher TEAMs do? § Identify and address student challenges and needs § Analyze data to set common instructional goals § Work together to personalize and individualize the learning environment for each student § Meet regularly at scheduled times § Conference with students and/or their families § Organize instructional day § Provide the coordination of special activities or instructional rationale 7

STF and Teacher TEAMs in the School Transformation Plan “Planning the Work, Working the Plan. ” 8

Pillar I § Distributed Leadership § Collaborative Work Times § Shared Cohort of Manageable Number of Students § Access to Real-Time Data About Shared Students

Pillar I Teacher TEAMs and Small Learning Communities TDS/DN Essential Component Current Status Action Initiated (include timelines) Evidence of Initiation Or 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- • Identify a teacher in sheet, monthly events Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) leader by Principal 2. Collaborative Work Times • 2 nd period common preparation for core teachers • 3 rd period for elective teachers • 2 nd semester planning to develop • Agendas, minutes, sign- • Brainstorm thematic units cross-curricular assignments/projects by in sheet, quarterly with teacher TEAM by 3/5/12 project due dates and District ELA Coach presentations 3. Shared cohort of • Cohort #1 = 26 students Manageable Number of • Cohort #2 = 25 students Students • Cohort #3 = 25 students • Recruit 2 nd semester students by 3/15/12 • Increased enrollment 4. Access to Real Time Data About Students they Share EWI/Academic • Effective use of District Student Information System data/EWI documents/Google documents in teacher team meetings by 3/5/12 • Teacher team decisions • Provide Google access to informed and justified teacher TEAM leader by STF with data as reflected in agenda items, minutes, sign-in sheets, and Tiered 10 supports • District Student Information System data updates Microsoft Access (MS Access) program for Early Warning Indicator (EWI) meetings (printed and shares with all teachers) • Identify target Recruitment Open House dates by Recruitment Officer

Tiered Supports and Teacher TEAMs Activity Good Team Jigsaw Activity

School Transformation Facilitator’s Responsibility to Scheduling r e t f A h c n u L 12

Scheduling “Schedules can do anything except everything. ” -- Ken Lerner

The Big Picture 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 Devil’s in the Details We want (must have’s are underlined) § § § § Extended learning time Common Planning time Accelerated Courses for those who need it Interdisciplinary TEAMs Shared Cohorts of Students 4 X 4 Fewer Class Changes Manageable number of students with small team (34 teachers with 75 -90 students) § Mutations § 4 X 4+1 is most common § Larger teams (two of each)

What You Will Hear § 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?

The “Doing” Activity § Each group has a copy of: § Basic 4 X 4 § 4 X 4+1 § Two others § Each groups should § Identify which is the 4 X 4, the 4 X 4+1, and which are the “others” § How do these schedules reflect the elements that support the “must have’s”?

Teacher TEAMs and the School Transformation Facilitator Roles, Responsibilities, And Resources Adapted from: Team to Teach, National Staff Development Council, www. nsdc. org 18

Collaboration Teams function most successfully when members have shared goals and purposes that promote collaboration. 19

? w Ho Collaboration Structural conditions and needs: § Time and opportunity to meet § Location, organization and logistics § Access to data, materials, resources, etc. 20

? w Ho Collaboration Critical elements: § Reflective dialogue § Collective focus on student learning § Shared norms and values 21

? w Ho Collaboration Guiding factors: § Commitment to student improvement § Mutual trust, respect, commitment, and accountability § Supportive leadership and support from leadership § Clarity of roles, relationships, responsibilities § Agreed upon norms, goals, procedures § Capable, competent, and contributing members 22

TEAM Dynamics Activity Modeling Roles and Results 23

Five Stages of TEAM Activity Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning (Tuckman, 1965) 24

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 1. Explain the Teacher Team Initiative to administrators and/or faculty. Common Question “Why should we do this? ” Possible Responses • Research analysis • Draw upon past experiences of successes and failures (know the school’s history) • Provide examples of other successful teams 25

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 2. Introduce or review the team process. Common Question Possible Responses • Review team characteristics (from this presentation) • Show other successful team meetings • Model proper meeting protocols “How do we do this? ” 26

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 3. Assist in planning and organizing for team work. Common Question “What am I supposed to do? ” Possible Responses • Schedule consistent meeting times and location • Establish and assign meeting roles • Procure resources (copies, computer, projector, overhead, screen, etc. ) 27

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 4. Help teams get off to a good start. Common Question Possible Responses • Create agendas • Develop meeting norms • Facilitate beginning meetings with the expressed intent of eventual distributive leadership “How do we begin? ” 28

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 5. Help members select and set team goals. Common Question “What do we do now? ” Possible Responses • Brainstorm specific school concerns and prioritize them so as to create team goals • Note staff conversations in meetings to potentially add to future agenda items • Use TD materials (e. g. Pillars) to suggest possible goals 29

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 6. Help teams develop a plan for action and accomplishment based on goals. Common Question “How does this contribute to our goal? ” Possible Responses • At the end of meetings, identify: task, champion, date, who will check or needs information for next task • Copy and distribute action plan • Send action plan reminders 30

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 7. Assist/enable teams to conduct successful meetings. Possible Responses • Share information • Provide feedback • Keep agendas and notes Common Question “How can we be sure things are getting done? ” 31

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 8. Maintain momentum. Common Question “How do we effectively address our challenges? ” Possible Responses • Highlight or promote successes and note challenges for future team goals • Be available and visible so as to provide informal opportunities for brainstorming • Assist in the process—seek opportunities to serve 32

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 9. Assist in assessing team progress. Common Question “How do we know if what we’re doing is working? ” Possible Responses • Evaluate staff strengths and weaknesses and place “the right person in the right seat” • Provide staff individual feedback • Encourage best practices with celebrations (with notes, e-mails, handshakes, smiles, private and public praise, share individual and team successes 33

Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Essential Activity 10. Facilitate effectively. Common Question Possible Responses • Communicate with your FM, RD, S 4, IF, and fellow STF’s • Read and share germane TD/DN correspondence • Encourage with information (opinions differ, data don’t) “Might there be a better way of doing this? ” OR “Are we just reinventing the wheel? ” 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 Council 34

Go Team! -- Bob Balfanz 35