Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud

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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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Some Strategies for Facilitating PLCs

Professional Learning Communities don’t automatically produce collaboration or impact. They often require skilled facilitation to keep the focus on high quality learning for all students and teachers. A facilitator provides the structure, prompts, and emotional conditions that help members engage deeply, share openly, and turn reflection into meaningful next steps. How can facilitators plan for the beginning, middle, and end of PLC sessions?

Listen to the podcast on PLCs at Work with Mike Mattos and Anthony Muhammed here.

Read Jamil Zaki's article, "Every Team needs a Super Facilitator" here. 

Read Elizabeth Doty's article, "End your meeting with clear decisions and shared commitment" here.

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Replacing a Punishment with a Connection

What payoffs are possible if students, who were assigned to serve detention, had the option to take a two -hour hike in the woods with a guidance counselor instead? High school counselor, Leslie Trundy, shares her experiences with the” hike as detention” plan. Trundy, guides the hikes including a stop with a view, a snack, and a short poem focused on starting anew. Consider what you want students to learn from your management and discipline programs.

Read the NPR article, "At this school, kids given detention can choose a hike instead" here.      

Email Leslie: ltrundy@rsu1.org

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

Encouraging Teacher Participation in PLC’s

What are the compelling "whys" for teachers to invest their time and vulnerability in professional learning communities?  How do professional learning communities differ from professional working communities? When are teachers meeting as a franchise vs meeting as a team with shared accountability? Shared goals and accountability for success are keys to effective PLCs.

Read "Professional learning vs. PD: The distinction matters" here.

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

“Leader-Full” Classrooms and Schools

What would be the benefits of ALL students being taught and coached to develop leadership skills?Maureen Chapman and James Simons, authors of, "Leaders of the Class," share the needs, benefits, and processes for students to leverage motivation, perseverance, communication, and collaboration. Consider how to build stronger, healthier relationships with students as they discover their potential as purposeful, impactful leaders.

Educators grow their own leadership skills as they develop other’s leadership.

Visit Maureen and James' website here.    

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Finding Awe While Learning

I heard about a great experience illustrating awe in learning that was shared by a group of middle school students and their teacher in Grand Island, New York. They joined me on this podcast sharing their reflections and insights. As you hear their story consider where these elements of Awe appeared:

• Awe occurs when we experience something much larger than ourselves
• Awe leads to the need to reframe one’s understanding of the world.
• Awe often brings forth emotions of humility, gratitude, and compassion.
• Awe is linked to prosocial behavior: people are more likely to help others after experiencing awe.

Connect with the teacher, Lora Randles: lorarandles@gicsd.org

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Coaches Words That Empower

How do the words teachers hear from school leaders, instructional coaches and peers provide an uplift and motivation? Are there time that the words teachers hear create a subtle source of stress, confusion, or disengagement? Our language can be a vehicle through which expectations, emotions, and commitments are transmitted.  What we say—and just as importantly, what we don’t say—can directly influence teacher growth, agency, and energy. Consider how your intentional language can empower your coachees, team members and staff, fostering a culture where trust, clarity and motivation thrive.

Read "Empowering Others Through Words," from Phoenix Perform here.

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