Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud

Administrators and Teacher Leaders Teaming Up to Mentor New Teachers

By pairing an administrator with a systems-level view and access to resources with a teacher leader deep in classroom expertise and credibility, a school-based mentor program added support to teachers new to teaching or new to the school. Their partnership sent a message that mentoring isn’t something done to teachers—it’s something we do together.

"The most meaningful growth happens when learning is collective and public, not private or evaluative."

Read Tim's article,"How Administrators and Veteran Educators Can Team Up to Mentor New Teachers" here.

Email Tim: tmontalvo5119@bcsdny.org  

Visit Tim's LinkedIn.

Email Amanda: adeserio3738@bcsdny.org

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Observing Classrooms With The Wonder of Learning

Paul Magnuson shares what his feedback to teachers sounds like after he quit trying to point out weaknesses and trying to show that he knew what those weaknesses are; after he quit sitting across from younger teachers telling them what to do. Hear what he can share by picturing himself standing side-by-side with teachers, staring out across an education horizon that is messy, multi-faceted and fabulously intriguing. Experience how teachers find appreciation from his observation.

Find Paul on LinkedIn here. 

Visit Paul’s website here.

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

Creating a Culture of Open Classroom Doors and Informal Collegial Feedback

Many educators know that some of the best, most relevant professional development can happen when teachers observe other teachers instructing their students. But in many schools, there’s rarely time set aside for peer observation. Erika Kersey, the principal of Greenville Elementary School in Virginia and two teachers share how they created structured, low-stakes opportunities for teachers to learn from each other.

Read Erika's Edutopia article, "How to Create a Thriving Drop-In Culture" here. 

Email Erika: ekersey@fcps1.org

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

 

Powerful Learning Through Entrepreneurial Opportunities

I have been a long-time promoter of engaging students in real-life (project-based) opportunities. That’s driven from my own experiences as a 4-H participant in my elementary and high school years and having observed teachers and students tackling powerful learning through doing live event projects. Those experiences generated my interest to learn more when I was introduced to The Society of Childhood Entrepreneurs. Leah Ellis shares how even young elementary students can learn important life skills as entrepreneurs.

Visit The Society of Childhood Entrepreneurs website here. 

Find Leah's book, "Sparks to Stars: The Story of Astra & Zeke" here. 

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

 

Educators Thriving is Key to Students Thriving

The authors of, "High Five to Thrive: 5 Proven Practices to Unleash Your Passion for Teaching" share their strategies to assist teachers to experience thriving in teaching. Their strategies tackle these issues:

• A loss of purpose - Is the passion that once fueled you fading?
• A feeling of hopelessness -Have you ever felt like no matter what you do, it’s not enough?
• Unhelpful mindset patterns - Do you ever notice that your automatic thoughts negatively shape your view of yourself, your students, and your classroom environment?
•  Neglecting the mind-body connection - the essential link between your thoughts, emotions, and physical well-being.
• A feeling of being disconnected - from work, students, and colleagues

Consider the importance of these areas for your own thriving as well as those educators you support.

Find the book, "High Five to Thrive: 5 Proven Practices to Unleash Your Passion for Teaching" here.

Visit authors' website here or find them on LinkedIn here. 

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

 

Knowing Students Builds Connections

Tim Smyth, a high school teacher, shares his strategies for regularly surveying his students to build valuable connections. Hear some of the questions and approaches that tap information about his students. Tim has experienced knowing students better, having students know him, and at times knowing students who need emotional help. Instructional coaches can use Tim’s voice to spark teachers’ thinking about the possibilities. Tim started this process as a professional growth plan -  that might be a great option for other teachers.

Read Tim’s article here.

Find the blog on the 4S’s interview here.

Visit Tim’s site here.

Email Tim: historycomicsguy@gmail.com

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

 

Building Student Learning Perseverance

Have you witnessed this in your classroom or had teachers share it as a coaching request? "When the cognitive load rises, many students default to learned- helplessness or passive habits. I see it in the quick, 'I don’t get it' before they have engaged with the problem, in the immediate search for confirmation rather than justification, and in the quiet waiting for me to circulate rather than making an initial attempt.” Science teacher-leader, Colin Simpson, shares his observations and strategies implemented to build student learning approaches.

Connect with Colin here. 

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

 

Coaching Facilitation Skills for PLC Leaders

With effective facilitation, individual PLC members come together combining each one’s unique strengths to promote optimal team performance. Without effective facilitation PLC conversations often stray without a focus and disappoint PLC members concerning the payoffs for their invested time. Angela Buckingham and Elena Sammon share strategies for building PLC leaders facilitation skills and model coaching conferences with PLC leaders.

Contact Angela & Elena: coachingcollectivepower@gmail.com

Find Angela & Elena's workshop resources here.

Read Steve’s Blog, "Super Facilitation: Maximizing PLC Benefits" here. 

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

 

Observing and Coaching with a Focus on Student Learning Production Behaviors

When a teacher is planning a learning activity, what’s the movie that’s running in their mind? Are they mostly seeing what they are doing as a teacher or what their learners are doing? When teachers, like athletic and performing arts coaches, focus on the student learning actions they modify instructional moves as soon as recognizing that the needed learning behaviors are missing. Coaches can observe and build coaching conferences around student learning production behaviors.

Listen to Becca Silver’s Podcast here.

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

 

Building the Culture We Want and the One That Students Need

The authors of "Intentional Influence: Harnessing Cultural Mapping to Build Commitment," share their insights that enable leaders to reflect, explore step-by-step processes, and take concrete actions to impact culture and learning across their "spheres of influence.” By employing Cultural Mapping, leaders can create a personnel map of influence and thus support hidden flow of influence, and apply a strategic approach to increase commitment to organizational goals and scale initiative implementation. Their process is applicable for leaders at all levels.

Email Bobby Dodd: robertdodd43783@gmail.com

Email Ben Johnson: ben.johnson80@gmail.com

Visit the Cascading Solutions website here. 

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