Develop Your Staff
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Professional development activities that have proven effective will be included in Develop Your Staff. Your contributions are welcome. Send them to principal@osu.edu. Please indicate if we may use your name in the “contributor” credits.
Carving Out Time for Professional Learning Communities
Time is a precious commodity in schools. We found that the time kids spent standing around on the playground awaiting the bell to ring upon arrival at school in the mornings was a waste of time. It was not only a waste of time for the kids, but it eroded the instructional time once the bell rang. Teachers spent precious time going to the playground to pick up their lines, then students had to remove and hang their coats. They had to sharpen pencils, get out materials, and get settled. We concluded that at least 20 minutes were wasted in these initial activities.
After several detailed discussions and planning sessions, we decided that the students would be allowed to come directly to their rooms upon arrival and get prepared for the day. Teachers planned brain teasers or some other thoughtful, engaging activity for the students to do, sometimes garnering small prizes or extra points. Students were to have their pencils sharpened, coats hung up, and be prepared to get to work as soon as the bell rang and their teacher appeared. Some teachers had such engaging routines that they worked in their rooms while students entered quietly. Other teachers made themselves available for extra help during this time when not in team meetings.
Teacher teams made a rotating supervisory schedule with the assistance of aids similar to an “inside recess” schedule. Students responded well, and the building tone was set for work and productivity.
This was one way to carve out important team meeting time. We restructured the time we had to work smarter!
