Author: Shawn McGirr

The Detroit News reports today (10/13) that the Michigan State Board of Education and Superintendent Flanagan are working on reforming teacher training programs.  Some of the changes being reported:

1. Align teacher preparation programs with the needs of the teacher workforce and global economy.
2. All teacher preparation programs be nationally accredited to ensure quality (and save Michigan money on state oversight).
3. The teacher certification process will include a demonstration of actual teaching skills.
4. Integrating a performance assessment into the teacher certification system.

I imagine that a portfolio system is in the works.  The National Middle School Association has a series of standards based on knowledge, performance, and disposition that are very close to the NCATE standards.

In the upcoming episode of Middle School Matters we mention part of Senge‘s 5 Disciplines which can be found here.  The 5 Disciplines are:

1. Systems Thinking – Integrating disciplines, creating a body of knowledge and tools that help understand patterns and how to change them and take into consideration the Law of Unintended Consequences when changing systems.
2. Personal Mastery – The “chain is only strong as the weakest link” idea.  A school’s strength in learning is only as strong as the weakest teacher-learner.
3. Mental Models – What assumptions about learning do I have?  Since teachers focus on the experiences that reinforce their own beliefs and observations about how learning happens, creating a space for dialog and reflection among teachers is a beginning to changing the culture in a school and creating a Professional Learning Community.
4. Shared Vision – Remember World War II movies in the Pacific?  The submarine trying to sneak into an enemy base and sink the fleet without being caught?  The captain was the only one who got to look through the periscope and see what was going on.  In order for the crew to know what was going on, the captain had to relay information to the various parts of the boat.  (I always thought passing the message down the boat from one end to the other was a little humorous.)  The crew saw the surface through the captains eyes and made adjustments to the boat with quick and relevant information.
5. Team Learning – Teams of teachers use their areas of strength and interest to raise the level of learning in their team.  The team focus is centered on two parts:  1.  Interdisciplinary Learning and 2.  data that allows changes and implementation quickly and easily.

Whether developing a PLC is an active goal in your school or you find it being practiced informally in your learning community, what kinds of things do you see colleagues doing to create a PLC in the school?

This week on the broadcast we mentioned some homework solutions. We’re going to do a podcast on homework and common assessment in a future podcast. Homework seems to be the primary issue in the “Zero Tolerance Policy.” Finding ways to get homework in or mitigate the experience. Barbara De Santis has a creative solution that engages student responsibility. She gives her students a “pink slip” on which they write their name, assignment, and date. They also have a place to write down their “excuse” or check off the standard ones. (Didn’t see “Dog ate it” though.) Here’s the link to “The Pink Slip“. If you’d like to see the layout you can click here. I like Harry Wong’s statement at the bottom of the page, “Call it sharing; call it stealing; call it research; call it collaboration, call it collegial learning. Our ears, eyes, and mind must always be alert for what others are doing and how it is working for them.” In that spirit, share with us what you’re doing in your classroom.

We’re now on Podcast Alley!