Always, Sometimes, and Never
I ended our faculty meeting on Wednesday with an exit ticket. I asked my staff to put their thoughts on engaging classrooms on sticky notes under the headings -- Always, Sometimes, and Never. (Thanks, Alex!)
What should a highly engaging classroom always have? What should a highly engaging classroom sometimes have? What should a highly engaging classroom never have?
Our academic focus this year has been on classroom engagement and overall feedback. As a campus, if we prepare engaging lessons in our PLC and provide feedback through learning targets and success criteria, we will see high levels of learning in every classroom. More importantly, this will help us reach ALL students.
Here is a peek into what our staff believes.
A highly effective learning environment should always have --
Our staff believes a highly engaging classroom should always have learning targets, clear intentions, opportunities for students to discuss learning, and student and teacher safety in mind.
A highly effective learning environment should sometimes have --
Our outstanding teachers believe that highly effective classrooms should sometimes have direct instruction, devices for student learning, SEL activities, and student-led learning.
A highly effective classroom should never have --
Overwhelmingly, our staff believes that students should never be able to sleep in class, opt out of learning, and be allowed to watch TikTok videos.
What else would you add to our list?
Here is where I need your help. What would be a follow-up activity that you would do at our next faculty meeting with this information? I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.
A good friend of mine came out to visit me last week. He shared the Coffee Bean story with me. While I had heard of it, I didn’t know what it meant. I knew I liked coffee, and that was about it. He could tell that I had taken a lot this week and reminded me that the power was on the inside of me. He shared that when a carrot is in boiling water, it turns mush. When an egg is in boiling water, it hardens. But when a coffee bean is in hot water, it turns to coffee. Thus, the power is within. I needed that reminder.
It is human nature to let things affect you. But as a leader of a campus, team, or division, we must also ensure that we are modeling how to face and handle criticism and adversity for those who follow us.
Everyone needs a coach. Let me help you navigate the administrative overwhelm.