Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud

Encouraging Teachers to Teach More by Micro-Managing Less

Miriam Plotinsky, the author of "Teach More Hover Less: How to Stop Micromanaging Your Secondary Classroom," identifies that students need to be empowered to take ownership of their learning in order to be fully engaged.  She breaks hover-free teaching down into four sequential stages: mindset, deeper relationships, planning for engagement, and choice-based instruction.

Read "Teach More Hover Less" here.

Read "Lead Like a Teacher" here.

Find Miriam’s articles here. 

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Responsibility for Improving Student Outcomes: From the Boardroom to the Classroom

AJ Crabill, the director of governance for the Council of Great City Schools and the conservator for Desoto ISD in Texas, explores the need for district alignment on continuous improvement in student learning outcomes. These statements from AJ spark the conversation: "The sole reason that schools exist is to improve student outcomes” and “Student outcomes don’t change until adult behaviors change."

Visit AJ's website here. 

Find AJ's book, "Great on Their Behalf" here.

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Taking Learning Deep and Broad

“Students are not like Lego sets; collecting small bits of knowledge and eventually building a bigger picture understanding.” Dr. Stephanie Sisk-Hilton describes the reasons for engaging students in learning activities that include deep and broad systems understanding. Her examples encourage educators to increase these opportunities by building from current learning activities.

Email Stephanie: stephsh@sfsu.edu
Read "A New Program Will Train Teachers to Teach Climate Change, Without the ‘Doom and Gloom’" here. 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

Coaching the Process of Learning Rather Than the “Right” Answer or Performance

Dr. Maleka Donaldson shares how school leaders can either encourage or discourage teachers from taking new risks and learning from mistakes. What coaching conversations should occur to uncover teachers’ beliefs, habits, and notions around mistakes? How does a coach personalize coaching with that understanding? What is the “error climate” in your school?

Visit Dr. Donaldson's website here. 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

Students Leading Professional Development

Hear the experiences and insights that led to having a PD session for staff with the themes of equity and social justice being led by middle and high school students. Nili Bartley, digital learning and innovation coach, shared this observation: ”The mutual respect in the room for what students and staff members were asking each other to offer, sparked potential for relationships between them to grow and for opportunities like this to only continue.” Gain some suggestions for exploring the possibilities.

Read Nili’s blog, "Students Leading PD, a Powerful Shift in Learning" here.

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

A Highly Experienced Teacher’s Thoughts on Classroom Management

Tim Seller, an educator with five decades of experience, shares his current practices as a middle school math teacher. Tim has a curriculum for his classroom management as well as for his math standards. Tim shares how he learns who his students are and creates a classroom environment of student ownership. A great quote from Tim, "I don’t pass out books until they want them."

Connect with Tim Seller on Linkedin. 

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

Increasing Teacher and Student Success With Goals

Cory Camp, the director of professional development for Sibme, joins Steve in exploring how instructional coaches can use goal setting to guide teachers’ continuous improvement. They explore how evidence and data gathered by the coach can support the teacher’s reflection and persistence. Cory describes a focus on progress rather than perfection.

Contact Cory: https://sibme.com/about-us

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

Future Focused Leadership

How does being forward focused differ from future focused? What is the difference in plans for improvement and plans for change? When should we be exploring, "How do we get a little better than last year?"  When should we be asking, "Where do we need to go and how can we get there?" Maria Hoover, Director of Educational Services for the Capital Area Intermediate Unit in PA shares insights from exploring these questions with 24 diverse school districts.

Find Maria on LinkedIn.  
Email Maria: mhoover@caiu.org

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

 

Motivating Learners with Future Focus

Studies identify that interventions that influence students’ beliefs about the relevance of school to themselves, their lives, and their society, can impact student academic tenacity and increase student success. Without a future focus, students act according to short-term rewards and costs. A future focus that builds academic tenacity prepares students to set more challenging goals and persevere through challenges and setbacks.

"Academic Tenacity: Mindsets and Skills that Promote Long-Term Learning"
"The Most Powerful Mindfulness Is Future-Focused: Use mental time travel to navigate your destiny."

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!

 

We Are All Leaders

How would you describe a great leader? How would you describe a not so great leader? Heather Lyon, an author, central office administrator, and graduate instructor for pre-service administrators, explores these questions. The conversation extends to explore, “how similar are the characteristics of a quality teacher leader in the classroom to a quality educational leader in a school or across a district?”

Find Heather’s article here.

Find Heather on Twitter: @LyonsLetters

E-mail Heather: lyonsletters@outlook.com

Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new episodes!