borton primary magnet school a tool for school learning teams to document effective teaming...

Borton Primary Magnet School

A tool for school learning teams to document effective teaming strategies and results

Section I: 21st Century Learning Teams


Part I: About the team

School name

Location

Grades

Team members and roles

How and when team was

formed


Tucson, Arizona

K - 2

Sheri Marlin, Staff DeveloperGinger Snider, LibrarianRenee Olson, Classroom Teacher

Beginning in fall of 2005, the Tucson Unified School District, committed to a job-embedded staff development program, placed an instructional coach in every school. This position is filled by a certified teacher, who helps the staff develop teaching practices compatible with the school’s philosophy, collaboratively assess student work, and integrate technology to best meet the needs of individual students. The collaboration that occurs between Sheri, Ginger and Renee is typical of the informal teams that come together for the purpose of designing a unit of study or to answer a particular question regarding student achievement.


Part II: Goals and team time (page 1 of 3)

Team goals

Common norms, agreements and learning beliefs

1. To develop authentic ways to assess the complexity of children’s thinking, monitor progress, and modify instruction to accelerate their progress.2. To increase the use of systems thinking tools1 in all content areas.3. To develop strategies that support children in conducting inquiry-based research. 4. To increase the use of technology in the publication of research findings.5.To use stock flow diagrams in a study of the rain forest leading to students’ ability to use STELLA software (produced by ISEE systems) to create a simple model.

Our school is committed to helping young children learn to construct their own meaning by using an instructional philosophy focused on developmentally appropriate practice and inquiry-based methods of instruction.

Borton teachers regularly form study groups for the purpose of engaging in an in-depth study of a topic or piece of professional literature together.

(Continued)

1 www.watersfoundation.org



Common norms, agreements and learning beliefs

(continued)

We believe that paper-pencil methods alone are insufficient to accurately assess and monitor a child’s learning strengths and weaknesses and academic progress. Therefore, collaborative assessment, development of criteria, use of rubrics, and discussion of standards for student learning are essential to producing quality results with our students.

Borton is a Water’s Foundation System Thinking Project School. Our active participation in the project has nurtured a more mindful use of the Habits of a Systems Thinker in our daily operation and in our student instruction, to support more complex thinking in students. For additional information about Systems Thinking Project Schools, visit the Water’s Foundation web site at www.watersfoundation.org.

Team meeting time, duration, and frequency

Two hours of weekly staff development time, one day each week, is provided by the school district via an early dismissal schedule. This is used for team planning, assessment of student work, discussion about the effectiveness of instruction and dialogue about critical issues related to students’ overall achievement. In addition, the school’s master schedule has been revised so that grade level teams have three hours more per month of grade-level planning time.

Writing is collectively assessed a minimum of four times a year for each student.



Use of email, close physical proximity and scheduled times within the work day all facilitate team communication; more importantly, a climate of professionalism, a willingness to take risks, and a sense of trust are key to dialogue that improves student learning.

Team communication

tools and strategies

How does the team organize its

work to stay focused on

student achievement?

Incorporation of systems thinking (as presented by the Water’s Foundation) is central to the work of our learning team. Systems thinking tools are used to support children’s learning by making their thinking visible, allowing us to better assess students because we can see their reasoning, understand their ideas and misconceptions, and alter instruction based on immediate information. Additionally, we have found that the use of systems thinking tools consistently keeps instruction focused at the conceptual level, increasing the level of student thought, and allowing teachers to clarify and extend student thinking. As students become more capable Systems Thinkers, the use of computer modeling supplements this method of instruction.Student data is systematically gathered in an Excel document to allow for immediate access to information about student progress. The spreadsheets are also used to plan individualized instruction based on student need. Systems thinking tools allow teachers to analyze student achievement data over time to better understand the effects of various types of instruction.


Part III: Teamwork in action (page 1 of 6)

Professional development for our staff occurs through group workshops and training. The discipline of team learning increases our awareness of the need to collaboratively work and plan together. In May 2003, the entire staff participated in a workshop led by Sylvia Chard, an expert on project study for young children. Chard facilitated staff working in teams to study inquiry-based methodology, which allowed for greater collaboration and facilitated conversations among staff about how to best assess project work with students. Required trainings, such as Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) and Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), are taught on site in order to build shared understanding of state and national requirements. Further, in this setting teachers are able to dialogue about the implications of new learning for our particular student population. In summers 2005 and 2006 our teaching staff participated in training on the topic of Systems Thinking and Dynamic Modeling, based in part on the work of Peter Senge, in The Fifth Discipline (1990) and Schools that Learn (2000). Borton is actively seeking to increase the use of Systems Thinking tools throughout our curriculum.

How does the team use best-

practice strategies to foster

professional growth and


Teamwork strategy 1: Teambuilding and goal setting

Teamwork strategy 2: Instructional planning

While adhering to district pacing calendars, teachers are given the freedom to design projects and assessments that match the needs and interests of their students. Frequently teachers choose to(Continued)



Our team is committed to documenting student learning and progress, and to use information gained from this documentation to continually improve instruction. Meaningful, embedded assessments are used throughout the school day to inform instruction and ensure that each student at Borton is making progress towards his/her learning goals. We use observation, anecdotal notes, standardized assessments, rubrics, and portfolios to monitor children’s progress. In addition, children self-assess, writing reflections and evaluations of their own class work. For example, when considering phases of the writing process, a child determines how difficult or how easy each step was for him. Then, using a behavior over time graph, the student graphs the level of difficulty. When the graph is redone later in the school year, the student is able to reflect on where change has occurred in the difficulty of the task. This type of self evaluation is introduced using physical tasks such as jumping rope or throwing a ball and is then applied to academic content areas.

Teamwork strategy 3: Examining student work





enlist colleagues in the planning and implementation of these projects. For example, two second grade teachers designed a project to teach critical math skills and then created a common assessment to determine students’ level of performance. Mixed age classrooms facilitate cross grade level sharing. The involvement of the librarian and instructional coach in instruction supports the expectation of collegial planning.


Example of Student Self Assessment

In this behavior over time graph a student determines the level of difficulty at various stages of the research process for her.



Here the student writes a reflection about her graph.

Example of Student Self Assessment




The physical structure of our school helps facilitate planning and collaboration. Six of our classrooms are paired with adjacent classrooms so teachers have regular opportunities to team. The remaining classrooms each open onto a central courtyard. Teachers determine the parameters of teaming, pairing classrooms or groups of students based on student needs. Sometimes grade levels will partner to provide additional instruction or intervention. Two classrooms have recently been remodeled, allowing two teachers to share a common learning space. Paired teachers often plan instruction together.

Teamwork strategy 4: Co-teaching and sharing new instructional strategies

Teamwork strategy 5: Developing student support strategies

Students use tools to sequence important events in books and identify or compare elements of change. The tools help kindergartners understand and explain basic concepts of addition and subtraction. Further, second graders compare multiple variables in a science lesson. These authentic assessment opportunities support an in-depth look at the understanding level of each student, so instruction can be adjusted on an ongoing basis to meet the needs of individual students.






Events are used to represent time along the x-axis when creating a behavior over time graph about a piece of literature. A student asked, “What is an event?” This was an opportunity for the teacher to clarify the concept of plot.

Behavior over time graph for the story Big Al, by Andrew Clements


Developing Student Support Strategies


Part IV: Team success (page 1 of 7)

Collaboration among the three of us has allowed us to document students’ performance academically, and in other areas such as self-awareness and motor skills. We use this information to make strategic adjustments to instruction for individual students. In addition, we are able to meld this information into extended narratives which provide us with valuable tools to communicate with parents. Although test score data is limited for primary-aged students, district assessment results for 2004-05, school year indicate that students at Borton outperformed the district average in three academic areas (reading, writing and mathematics) by 6%, 10.3% and 2.6% respectively. In addition, student achievement increased from the prior year by 4.3%, 12% and 9.9% in these three areas.

How has the team directly

contributed to improved student

achievement?

The best evidence of progress our team has made through our collaborative effort to incorporate systems thinking into our work with students, and to document student learning in a meaningful way, can be summed up in the words of one our students:

“This year I learned how to learn.”

What has been the most

significant team learning thus far?



How has the team impacted

the school structure and

culture?

The success of systems thinking tools on student learning has been infectious throughout our staff. Professional development has been augmented by teachers forming study groups to learn more about these ideas. Teachers stay well beyond the school day to share ideas, plan lessons, and analyze student work. The use of Microsoft Photo Story has been discovered as a method for the assessment of young children that could potentially change the way teachers view student learning.

What are other indicators of

team success?

• General interest and numerous inquiries are coming from feeder schools, district administrators, and librarians about our work with system thinking.• Teachers from within the district and out of state are visiting classrooms to collaborate on lessons.• Parents are promoting our collaborative efforts to prospective parents.• An invitation has been extended to Borton to participate in a teacher exchange with teachers from the Netherlands.• Additional technology is being piloted at Borton to determine more about the capability of young children to learn abstract concepts.• The Educational Enrichment Foundation has funded the purchase of additional technology to support our publication of student work using Microsoft Photo Story and other programs.



Our team is certified to teach all subject areas at the elementary level, with endorsements in Early Childhood and K-12 specialties. All members are highly qualified as defined in No Child Left Behind. In addition, among our three members we have endorsements for Library-Media Specialist, English as a Second Language, and Administration.

How does the team

demonstrate 21st Century

Skills?

The project described in Section II was embedded in a unit of study on the rain forest. As students became increasingly aware of the condition of the modern rain forest, they gained an understanding of global issues related to its delicate balance. They used systems thinking tools to make connections to current conditions and their effect on endangered species. As students made additional connections, they began to discuss deforestation and its direct effect on themselves as individuals.

1: Core subjects

2: 21st Century content

Teaming challenges &

solutions

The operating system on our classroom computers does not allow for the use of Microsoft Photo Story. Currently, network access is not available in the locations where teachers meet to team. Access to technology is limiting our opportunities to extend this work. Grant proposals and careful budgeting are being used to address this challenge.

Review the skills onlinewww.21stcenturyskills.org



How does the team


Skills?

21st Century Learning and Thinking Skills are a primary focus of our collaborative work. Our inquiry methods of instruction provide students with multiple opportunities to use these skills.In order to create maximum opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills, our team is continually mindful of those skills during the planning phase of any project. We also seek to provide multiple occasions for children to choose their own way of presenting information in order to maximize creativity. Finally, the inclusion of the teaching librarian during planning keeps information and media literacy skills at the forefront of our curricular study. For example, after completing a simulation of the gorilla population and graphing the effect of varying birth and death rates, students used stock flow diagrams as a tool to analyze various factors that contribute to their declining population.

3: Learning and thinking skills




Example of a Stock Flow Diagram



The team feels strongly that young children need information literacy skills in order to have the necessary tools to access and evaluate information. Further, we know that young children do best when their research is based on authentic questions. Hence, the information card project introduces students to the research process synthesized in the research diagram.This process allows students to formulate questions based on information needs, develops successful strategies for locating information, and connects students to technology.

How does the team


Skills?

4: Information and communications technology literacy



5: Life skills

A number of life skills have been enhanced in our team as a result of participation in the project:•We have honed our communication skills through the presentation of our work at conferences.•Teachers are taking risks, bring ideas to the table to seek feedback in order to better develop those ideas.•Teachers initiate the sharing of their work outside of our school.

Learning has become a reciprocal process that has opened the door to innovative teaching and learning between students, between students and teachers, and with teachers together. We look forward to where this collaboration will lead us.

How does the team demonstrate

21st Century Skills?




A tool for learning teams to document effective student project designs and results

Section II: 21st Century Projects


Part I: Project overview

School & location

Grade & subject(s)

Team Members’ Names & roles

Project duration

Borton Primary Magnet School, Tucson Arizona

Second grade; Study of the rain forest

The unit was completed during the first semester. The information card project typically takes 5 class periods.

Overview The ability to access information is critical to the attainment of literacy in modern society. While technology has made information more readily accessible to all of us, care must be taken to assist young children in using this technology. Central to our school’s constructivist approach is the need to incorporate required skills and competencies while allowing children to make choices about the content and process of their projects. Following an in depth exploration of the rain forest through children’s literature, hands-on investigations and field trips, second graders at our school were ready to begin research on this topic.

Project title Applying Systems Thinking Tools to the Study of the Rain Forest

Sheri Marlin, Staff DeveloperGinger Snider, LibrarianRenee Olson, Classroom Teacher


Part II: Project development (page 1 of 3)

Idea source & design steps

This unit of study was collaboratively planned by the classroom teacher, school librarian, and instructional coach. The team planned an inquiry-based research project that included Ladder of Inference analysis, information cards, behavior over time graphs, and stock flow diagrams as tools to explore the rain forest.

Concepts/themes Through individual inquiry and group activities students developed an understanding of the dynamic relationships found in the rain forest.

Essential questions •What do children believe about the rain forest?•What is happening to the rain forest today?•What is the effect upon the rain forest and its relationship to the rest of the world?

Core subject area integration

This project addresses and integrates content from the Reading/Language Arts and Science core subjects identified in the 21st Century Learning Framework.



21st Century content

Standards

This project begins to provide a knowledge about the rain forest to young students that will support their understanding in later years as they are exposed to 21st Century Content areas such as global awareness and civic literacy.

Information Literacy Standard 1. The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively. Learning objectives: formulates questions based on information needs, identifies a variety of potential sources of information, develops and uses successful strategies for locating information. (from Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, ALA)

Reading Strand 3: Comprehending Informational TextIdentifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of the purpose, structures, and elements of expository text. Learning objectives: locate facts in response to questions, locate specific information by using organizational features (e.g., title, table of contents, headings, captions, bold print, glossary, indices) in expository text. (Arizona Academic K-12 standards)




Learning & thinking skills

The Ladder of Inference is a systems thinking tool used to master 21st Century learning and thinking skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, contextual learning and information/media literacy. The Ladder of Inference stimulates activation of students’ prior knowledge. After exploring their observations and initial beliefs about the rain forest, students locate and read from a variety of print and online sources. At this point they have a foundation to formulate questions they want to research.In the analysis and synthesis phase of the project students are taught how to paraphrase what they read and how to incorporate new knowledge in the format of an information card. The information cards are designed and published using Microsoft Publisher, online clip art and Google Images. This last phase of the project helps them master the 21st Century learning and thinking skills of creativity/innovation and collaboration.

Life skills This project helped students develop life skills such as accountability, self-direction and personal productivity in that their work was self-directed to a great extent for this age group. Students practice personal ethics through the appropriate use of copyrighted material.



Part III: Project implementation (page 1 of 2)

An important resource for this project was the training our staff received from the Water’s Foundation in systems thinking. We also could not have created this project without the planning time provided for our team by the school.

Required resources

(human & material)

Information and communication

technology

Students had access to computers and the Internet, and used Microsoft Publisher, online clip art and Google Images to create their information cards. As the project has expanded students are now using Windows Media Player and Microsoft PowerPoint to publish related projects. In addition, we are working on methods of helping students build simple computer models of systems, using STELLA software (produced by ISEE Systems). Some students used Microsoft Photo Story to describe the research process applied to their information cards, Ladder of Inference, and stock flow diagram.



Part III: Project implementation (page 2 of 2)

1.The Ladder of Inference tool was used to explore students’ initial beliefs about the rain forest.2.Students had a hands-on experience with artifacts, objects and photos from the rain forest, resulting in a list of words relevant to the unit of study.3.Students searched the library for resources and browsed those sources to build background knowledge and vocabulary.4.Students generated questions.5.After an introduction to access features in informational text, students used multiple sources to find answers to those questions.6.In the analysis and synthesis phase of the project, students were taught how to paraphrase what they read and how to incorporate new knowledge to create information cards.7.Students applied the postcard/invitation template in Microsoft Publisher to format and create their information cards.8.Published cards were shared with other students to further extend student knowledge of the rain forest.9.Behavior over time graphs were created based on The Waterhole, by Graeme Base.10.The concept of a stock flow diagram was demonstrated using a faucet style apparatus.11.Students simulated gorilla populations, births and deaths, and graphed their results.12. Students created stock flow diagrams to analyze the potential variables on gorilla populations.

Implementation steps


Part IV: Project results

Systems thinking tools are used to support children’s learning by making their thinking visible, allowing us to better assess students because we can see their thinking, understand their ideas and misconceptions and alter instruction based on this information. Additionally, we have found that the use of systems thinking tools consistently keeps instruction focused at the conceptual level, increasing the level of student thought and allowing teachers to clarify and extend student thinking.

Assessment strategies

Students created information cards about the rain forest. Please see the last slide of this presentation for examples.

Students’ most significant

learning

“I believe that if the rain forest people keep using the animals to make things there will not be a lot of animals left.” “I found if the people keep cutting down the tress, the gorillas will not have safe places for their homes. Also, if the hunters and poachers keep doing what they are doing, the gorillas will be extinct.”

Student products/

performances

Implementation tips

The information card is a great medium for publishing the work of primary students. It allows development of a final product while keeping the content short enough for young children to write and revise with a great deal of independence.


Part V: Project artifacts

Student work samples

Project descriptors &

rubrics

.

Project Rubrics

Ladder of Inference

Information Card

Stock Flow Diagram

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