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Get the Boxes Checked
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28 thoughts on “Get the Boxes Checked”
Somehow, Ben, your second and third paragraphs reminded me of the Eye of Sauron. All of the people in his service thought that the Eye was all-seeing, and Sauron worked to re-enforce that perception. However, time and again the Eye passed over the Ring-bearer who would ultimately destroy him.
Make your own connections.
I’ve been thinking lately that administrators have so many profound problems to deal with in core subjects, the histories, the maths, the sciences, etc., that “electives” fall out of their collective attention by necessity.
What does this canned lesson look like? I totally agree that we need this, but what will it look like? This is a good time to set up a template for us to do when an admin comes in. Ben, you like templates. I do also. I think that this is how teaching should be rather than a tool box full of unitaskers.
Anyone have thoughts on this canned lesson?
The irony here is overwhelming: that corporate-style observation and the checking-off of boxes which indicate supposedly research-based observable practices is what is driving much of the “innovation” movements in education. It is just another attempt at using standardization to solve a problem that exists in large part because of standardization–something that is by definition failed before it starts. We are trying to be human with our students, and we have to be less human when being observed, in order for the right boxes to be checked. Add to that the unique nature of FL acquisition, and even a so-called “experienced master teacher” can come away from a CI classroom with some very inaccurate observations about effectiveness. If the standards are getting more and more rigid, we just have to learn to be more flexible, and contort ourselves like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix when the bullet comes at him, so we can snap right back to doing what is best for our students.
A lot of the templates and PLC Gold and Blue Chip ideas I think look very good to administrators if classroom discipline is there.
So is this the new model for being observed, as opposed to giving the admin our CI checklist, and attempting to educate them as to what we do and what they observe? Or is this only for certain types of observations/observers?
My district is using an evaluation system called Project COACH, in which administrators make 6-8 10-minute unannounced observations to each classroom, and then must conference with you afterwards. I’ve never liked the idea of having a dog-and-pony show just for observation purposes, and this eval system doesn’t really allow for it anyway. But I think that the things we do in a typical CI classroom DO align with their checkboxes; we just need to point it out to them.
Things that my admins have looooved:
– The Interpersonal Communication Rubric, posted on a large wall chart. They loved my explanation of how it tied to the standards, and how I had students self-evaluate.
– Reading. While they only saw a small chunk of my beginning students creating their own stories based on vocabulary from the “Felipe y Maria” stories from Realidades, in the post-observation conference my admins were very impressed by how much my students are reading, and I even got to put a bug in their ear about classroom sets of novels for next year. The way we read and discuss texts in CI classrooms very much aligns with Common Core standards, and novels would allow for an excellent source of quality input.
– Scaffolding. We do this as a matter of course in our typical round of circling lines of text, starting with the low-hanging fruit and working our way up to more difficult Whys and Hows. We do this when we do embedded readings and Textivate. If your administrator sees this, make sure to point out how beneficial it is for diverse learners. They will eat it up.
You guys are gonna be shocked…I was evaluated once, 14 yrs ago. Not since. We are supposed to get evaluated every 5 years but that never happens unless you are a clear fark-up. Pretty much standard in BC. And we produce– according to OECD stats– among the most successful kids (school-wise) in the world.
I asked my (totally brilliant) principal about this. She said they would have to eval 20 teachers/year– at 5 class visits plus post-obs conferences each– so that is about 120 hours per year for Obz. So 40 hours for each VP. She said “it’s a total waste of time. I would rather my team coach a sports team or help develop curriculum or whatever. And people are not motivated to excellence by being checked on.”
Perhaps THAT is something you guys could bring up at your evals…I mean, do Headz and Adminz really have nothing better to do than run Checkz for Boxez on Listsz?
My principal is into brain research and I talk with him about it whenever I get the chance. He was observing me and I did a brain break – stand up and toss around my blow up globe. Everyone gets a touch. He was impressed.
I say we give them our administrator’s checklist. Susan’s is somewhere on this site. That’s a strong offensive move to start the game. Then what I do is off the cuff, no plan, I just know what they want to see and I give it to them.
But I agree that a template for us to follow when the badge walks in would be a good thing, Jeff. Let’s do it that way. First, maybe people can suggest in the comment fields below what they think a box might be. We have to define some boxes. Then we’ll make a template.
For example, they will be looking for pair share/grouping. I’m sure that is a box even though it is about as useful as a screen door in a submarine in terms of actual CI value.
So let’s make our list of what we think the boxes are and then make a template. I suppose we could get the one from the CO LEAP initiative but those are about 500 boxes worth. Let’s just make our own below.
So… what are they looking for?
We will be going to the Danielson model and if I’m not mistaken, only a few days ago someone posted something about the adaptation of the model to tprs. I believe it’s Laurie’s work but I’m not certain.
Jennifer,
It is indeed Laurie who rewrote the Danielson s framework to fit the CI mold and I know she got an OK from Danielson ( Laurie please correct me if I am wrong) .
Laurie sent me her adapted for CI version back in November ( when I had my 1st eval ) at my request b/c in my school they use the Danielson Framework .
I can tell you from my personal experience ( I have been observed three times this year with this ) that although it looks very CI unfriendly, and since administrators are clueless , especially if you stay in TL FOR 90% of your class time or longer, you will be fine. I had great results all three times in every single category.
If you have specific questions let me know and I ‘ll be happy to help you out.
Jennifer,
I forgot to mention that I was evaluated using the original Danielson’s framework and not Laurie’s. They would never accept it in my district, since everything has to be OK’d by Head Office. We are a huge bureaucratic machine with over 25,000 teachers. But if I was in a small district I would have for sure tried to ask them to at least look at it.
I have one more observation this year and I think it will be this week. I don’t really care, it is all so stupid. I’ve asked my kids to judge me, grade me and tell me what I can do better and THAT to me is more important than any evaluation made by a bunch of clueless adult, even if their name is Susan Gross (that is the AP who s been assigned to observe me!). Bless her heart though b/c she is been so generous in her comments to me, but she is clueless nonetheless.
Where can we find Laure’s CI friendly Danielson framework? Sabrina, I am in Illinois as well, and as you know, that is the hoop we have to jump through currently…until they change it to the next flavor . . .
Ardythe,
If you see this message, where are you in Illinois?
Sabrina,
I’m “downstate” in a rural school district outside of Bloomington.
Ardythe,
It’s right here: http://blog.heartsforteaching.com/2012/11/10/danielson-framework-adaptation-for-citprs.aspx It needs to be tweaked I think though, I need to sit down with it again and improve several pieces…but for now…there it is!
with love,
Laurie
and yes….the Danielson people gave permission!
with love,
Laurie
Laurie,
Thanks so much for having shared it with us. It’s great that the Danielson people OKd it.
Thanks for this. I’m in the first class for a state certification course, and I’m reading my homework in Charlotte Danielson’s “Framework for Teaching” book. I will want to share your adaptation with my instructor, if that is okay, Laurie.
This is sweet. We are switching to the Danielson framework as well. I will definitely share this with my administration. I was evaluated by my AP a few weeks ago and I did fine, although he only watched for about 5 minutes. I know what they’re looking for so I make sure I have the learning targets on all of my handouts and on the board (along with the other teachers learning targets-it’s for administration not for students-what a waste of board space.)
…I know what they’re looking for…
It sounds like we all do, so no rubric (Jeff and I were thinking of making one) needed. And in fact it is simplest to just mine the wealth of the PROCESS that we all know covers any possible boxes/modalities/targets that an evaluative instrument would contain.
No canned lesson – just the opposite. The DNA is in the Three Steps. When observed I always make sure that I establish meaning for one or two structures, move to light banter with the structures (PQA) and then move into reading and writing.
If I need/have time to put in a tech piece I can pop something that we have organically created during the class being observed into Textivate of IMTranslator. If I have time I can give a dictee.
Anything we do as a mirror of everything we do in the Three Steps (contained in various forms in the weekly schedules categories here) and will cover the necessary bases without us having to think what the bases/boxes are during the observed lesson, which I think is important.
I do wonder if newer people want a template. I do want to beef up the hard links across the top here for them, but as long as we all agree in this thread that we all can handle an observation, that’s all I care about, Danielson or otherwise.
At our salaries, none of us should ever have to experience that momentary freakout when a badge walks in and we feel handcuffed. That is just so sad bc these people truly are not qualified to evaluate what we in CI instruction are doing.
Hell, other teachers who don’t get Krashen are not qualified, let alone observors who think we should be doing group work when all we need to be doing is CI.
Carol Gaab said something last week that was a real “I coulda had a V8” moment. She said always have a reading reading if the story or PQA is going south or nowhere. I have plenty of books handy, but something to just put up on the projector…
This really is a helpful reminder, especially in the Springtime when PQA is more likely to go South.
Or just do R and D and forget the stories. Why work so hard unless the kids are going to go with you? Seriously. It’s been a long year for us as well as them. R and D is like taking the fast train to the end of the period.
I think a lot of observation success comes from how you carry yourself. Two main issues an administrator is likely looking for:
1) Is there order and discipline?
and
2) Is the teacher natural and confident, and do the teacher and students LOOK LIKE they are being observed?
Can’t make a template for those. That’s all stuff that the teacher has to earn in the trenches of TCI all year.
should be “OR do the teacher and students look like they are being observed?” That’s a bad thing. Doesn’t inspire confidence.
Wow , this thread is right on time !
My AP ( Susan Gross ) walked in my classroom during my 2nd period today and told me she’d come with a visitor from the network to show him my class during 4th period ( she was being observed by him ) . She told me to not worry b/c he wasn’t oberving me but her. Wow ! everyone is watching everyone. TALK ABOUT BIG BROTHER.
Anyway ,talk about flexiblility here ! I knew she wanted to come this week as she had told me last week but had no idea she would give me an hour’s notice.
Well, I was nervous b/c I had to throw off my plans and think of the story I was going to use and get mentally prepared, all in 50 minutes.
So I picked a story from Anne (bad habit) and I winged it ( Anne merci 555,555,555 fois!) . And it turned out great. I told the kids when they first walked in to be themselves and give cute answers and asked two of them to volunteer for the story.
The best things in life happen when they are unplanned and spontaneous, I believe. As long as we have a process in place and that we have solid emotional connections with the kids and that we follow our instinct and think positive, good things will happen, it just happened to me .
That is what I did, I focused on the kids and their cute answers .
Talk about cute . Barthe ( the boy) has a girlfriend Marthe who is pretty but mean and has bad habits. She constantly hits him with a garbage can. So he can’t take it anymore and breaks up with her. She laughs about it. Then he finds another girlfriend, Michele who is not so pretty but kind. She also has bad habits as well , she eats all the time and eats anything, all kinds of foods and things, cars, paper etc… So he can’t take it anymore and breaks up with her. Her reaction . She eats him!!! I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect ending. And Susie ate the story up , she told me so….
We have to trust the method and the kids! It works, Danielson or not.