Appendix A ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION REFLECTION TOOL About This Tool This tool can be used by teachers for self-reflection and by school leaders and instructional coaches to identify areas of implementation and professional learning support. The Elements of Effective Implementation Reflection Tool is organized into three parts. Part 1: Lesson Implementation outlines the three predictable parts of each Being a Writer lesson. Part 2: Classroom Environment outlines ways in which the teacher can build the writing community in his classroom; and Part 3: Effective Use of Program Components outlines ways in which a teacher might integrate instruction and/or assessment information from additional components of the Being a Writer program into his daily lessons. Protocols for Use The protocols below offer ways to consider using this tool at your school site. Additional protocols for the use of this tool in Professional Learning Communities or grade-level meetings can be found in the Being a Writer Planning Tool (located in the General Resources section of the CCC Learning Hub). INDIVIDUAL TEACHER SELF-REFLECTION PROTOCOL The teacher self-reflection protocol outlined below is intended to be used at grade-level team meetings. Prior to meeting, ask teachers to bring their Teacher s Manual for their most recent unit of instruction in Being a Writer. You might also consider asking them to bring additional program components (e.g., Assessment Resource Book, Skill Practice Teaching Guide, etc.). Let teachers know that this is a self-reflection tool that can be used to provide common language around what instruction we might see during Being a Writer lessons. Invite teachers to spend a few minutes reviewing the past week of instruction in their Teacher s Manuals. If they have been teaching lessons from the other Being a Writer components (e.g., Skill Practice Teaching Guide, Writing Performance Task Preparation Guide, etc.), they can review the instruction in those components as well. Encourage teachers to think about what they noticed during these lessons. Ask rhetorical questions to support teachers as they reflect, such as: Q How did your students respond to this instruction? Q What evidence did you have that the lesson goals were met? Q Which supports from the Teacher s Manual, such as Teacher Notes, Facilitation Tips, or professional development media, were helpful for you as you were planning for these lessons? Center for the Collaborative Classroom Appendix A 139
Allow time for teachers to share their thinking with a partner. Distribute copies of the Elements of Effective Implementation Reflection Tool (see pages 31 37) to each teacher and allow time for teachers to review it. Invite teachers to identify areas where they feel confident/strong. They might mark these with a plus (+) sign. Also ask teachers to identify areas where they would like to develop/grow, and encourage them to mark these with a delta ( ) sign. Let them know that it is not necessary to put a symbol on every line, and in fact research suggests that it is most helpful for them to only pick a few areas that they would like to focus on at this time. Ask teachers, What are the implications of your reflections today for your planning and teaching? Allow time for teachers to discuss and ask questions that they may have about the program. Let teachers know that they can continue to use this tool both individually and as a team as they reflect upon their instruction. WALKTHROUGHS/INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDS PROTOCOL FOR LEADERS AND COACHES Prior to observing in classrooms, use calendars to see what units of instruction will be observed during the walkthroughs. If pacing guides or teacher lesson plans do not indicate what instruction will be observed, the sample calendars in Appendix E of this guide may provide some support as to which unit of instruction the teachers and students might be working on. (Note that in grades 3 6, after teaching Unit 2, teachers can select the order in which they teach the genre units, so it will be necessary to check with teachers to see which unit of instruction they are working on.) It will be helpful to know if you are observing a typical day of instruction from the program or one of the optional activities/additional program components (e.g., Skill Practice Teaching Guide lesson, Extension activity, or Writing About Reading activity), as this will change the lens that you use to observe the lesson using this tool. Access the Digital Teacher s Sets on the CCC Learning Hub (ccclearninghub.org) for the grade levels you will be observing. Then locate the lessons or activities you will observe for each grade level. When you begin observing the instruction, identify where in the lesson the teacher and students are working. Consider where on the tool you will begin making notes (for example, if the students are already writing, you will not want to make any observations in the Getting Ready to Write section, as this part of the lesson has already passed). You might indicate the amount of time a teacher spends on an aspect of the lesson or whether you observed a certain descriptor in the Observed column. In addition, make note of any observations or wonderings that you may have in the Notes section. 140 Being a Writer Facilitator s Guide Center for the Collaborative Classroom
ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION REFLECTION TOOL Name of Teacher: Date: Lesson (Unit, Week, Day or Program Component Lesson): Part 1: Lesson Implementation The teacher implements the three parts of the Being a Writer lesson. During Getting Ready to Write, the teacher: Gathers the students closely for explicit instruction Observed Notes Reviews the previous lesson and connects it to today Introduces the purpose of the lesson Explains how the lesson will help the students improve their writing Uses charts to document ideas and guide student writing Models what the students will be expected to do Discusses attributes of different genres Uses mentor texts as models and for inspiration Prepares the students for partner work Teaches a lesson on grammar, skills, or writing conventions Paces the lesson to maintain student interest (continues) Center for the Collaborative Classroom Appendix A 141
(continued) During Getting Ready to Write, the teacher: Observed Notes Uses open-ended questions Asks follow-up questions Uses wait-time Avoids repeating or paraphrasing what the students say so they learn to listen to one another Uses cooperative structures (such as Turn to Your Partner ) Spends no more than 10 20 minutes on this part of the lesson During Writing Time, the teacher: Observed Notes Writes for a few minutes with the students Encourages the students to gradually increase their writing stamina, from 5 10 minutes at the beginning of the year to 20 30 minutes later in the year (depending on the grade level) Confers with the students, either at a table or walking around the room Records notes during conferences with individual students Makes notes about his/her observations of the whole class as well as individual students Encourages the students to engage in a wide variety of writing and drawing tasks depending on their level and interest Supports the students in organizing their writer s notebooks (e.g., reminds students to skip lines and/or leave pages to continue working on drafts) Encourages the students to use self-stick notes to aid in revision 142 Being a Writer Facilitator s Guide Center for the Collaborative Classroom
During Sharing and Reflecting, the teacher: Observed Notes Discusses partner work and writing Encourages the students to use prompts to talk about one another s writing Works with the students to address any challenges they may have in their writing community Center for the Collaborative Classroom Appendix A 143
Part 2: Classroom Environment Teacher effectively creates an environment in the classroom that builds community and fosters intrinsic motivation to write. The teacher: Observed Notes Celebrates successful writing experiences Maintains student partnerships for the duration of a unit to support students in building community Supports students in solving their own problems Posts writing artifacts around the room Invites the students to gather closely for whole-group instruction Creates an atmosphere conducive to writing that includes procedures for handling common interruptions Establishes procedures that allow the students to work together successfully Encourages diverse opinions Helps the students take responsibility for their own learning and behavior 144 Being a Writer Facilitator s Guide Center for the Collaborative Classroom
Part 3: Effective Use of Program Components The teacher integrates instruction and/or assessment information from additional components of the Being a Writer program effectively. The teacher: Observed Notes Uses program features (e.g., Teacher Notes, Teacher Conference and Class Assessment Notes, ELL Notes) to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of individual students and the class Understands that skills and conventions are taught when students have a need for them and in the revision and editing phase of the writing process Recognizes the importance of intrinsically motivating students to write Uses the assessments provided to inform instruction and monitor student progress Teaches the units in the recommended order Uses resources from the CCC Learning Hub to support instruction Uses the Skill Practice Teaching Guide (grades 1 6) as a resource for supporting the development of skills and conventions Uses the Writing Performance Task Preparation Guide (grades 3 6) as a resource for preparing students for standards-based end-of-year writing assessments Considers both the academic and social purposes of each lesson to plan and guide instruction Enhances learning for English Language Learners and students who struggle or have special needs using supports found in the materials (e.g., ELL Notes, Teacher Notes, Special Considerations section in the Introduction of the Teacher s Manual) Center for the Collaborative Classroom Appendix A 145