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The Toolbox contains a collection of articles with practical advice for school and classroom management.
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Between Workshops: Assess and Reflect for Focused Participation
South-Western Schools values collaborative learning at all levels. And as the Principal’s Office has said many times, it’s great when we read on our own. But that won't always expand our thinking. We need to talk and listen.
To make the most of school leader workshops, South-Western lays the foundation with communication tools like the two included here. Both are from Systems for Change in Literacy Education > .
First, an assessment of each school’s adult learning culture:
Systems for Change, pp. 7-8
Rate each criterion on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the lowest level and 5 the highest.
Critical Characteristics for Collaborative Work |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trust |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Diverse leadershp |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Partnerships with parents |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Shared responsibility & credit for success |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Time to engage in the collaborative process |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
A language for communication |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Respect for diversity |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
A focus on student data |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Problem-solving skills |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
A vision of what is possible |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Systems for Change, Chapters 1-4
To focus workshop discussions, each school leader should write reflectively on questions from the reading. Examine your own beliefs about the learning process:
What impact do these beliefs have on your thinking about professional development and your work with teachers?
How do you view your role in a professional development session?
Does your view of learning influence how you organize, manage, and implement professional development?
How do you learn best?
- reading and studying alone
- reading and discussing materials with others
- experimenting with teaching
- practices and discussing the results
- other
