Oldham County Learning Institute Building a Thinking and Learning Community October 7-9, 2008 February 10-12, 2009 September 22-24,2009 November 3-5, 2009.

Oldham County Learning Institute

Building a Thinking and Learning Community

October 7-9, 2008February 10-12, 2009

September 22-24,2009November 3-5, 2009

In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

~ Eric Hoffer

Oldham County Learning Institute

“Building a Thinking and Learning Community”

What did it look like?

Three days devoted to the study of research based instructional strategies:

Thinking StrategiesGradual Release of

ResponsibilityBuilding Community

Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it.

~ Henry Ford

Thinking Strategies

Monitoring for meaning Building and activating background

knowledge Asking questions Drawing inferences Determining importance Creating sensory images Synthesizing information

Gradual Release of

Responsibility

Learning is not a spectator sport.

- D. Blocher

The Gradual Release of Responsibility model of instruction suggests that “the cognitive load should shift slowly and purposefully from the teacher-as-model, to joint responsibility, to independent practice and application by the learner.”

(Pearson & Gallagher, 1983)

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Focus Lesson

Guided Instruction

“I do it”

“We do it”

“You do it together”Collaborative

Independent “You do it alone”

Gradual Release of ResponsibilityFisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Better learning through structured teaching: A framework for the gradual release of responsibility. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Classroom Community

Classroom community can be built by intentionally designing the classroom to include…

•Routines•Rituals•Relationships

Routines are the procedures the teacher uses in the classroom that make the day run smoothly.

Rituals are the symbolic acts that tie a group together.

Relationships can be built in any classroom.

They make students feel valued and important.

Oldham County Learning Institute

“Building a Thinking and Learning Community”

A look at the three days…

Day 1 – Oldham County Schools Arts Center

In depth study of the instructional strategiesLarge groupSmall groupIndividual

Day 2 –

AM - East Oldham Middle SchoolPre-briefing, observations and

post briefing

Day 2 –

AM - East Oldham Middle SchoolPre-briefing, observations and

post briefing

PM – Oldham County Schools Arts Center

Continued study of strategies

Day 3

East Oldham Middle School

AMPre-briefings, observations and

post briefings

Day 3 - East Oldham Middle School

PMCreate an individual plan and a

school wide plan for implementation of strategies

Creating a Guide to Take Us Home

Destination - Where do we want to go? First Steps - What is our starting point? Challenges - What are some of the detours

and roadblocks we might encounter? Discussions: What are the difficult dialogues

that we’ll need to have as we travel? Changes - What revisions will need to be

made in the context and content of our instruction?

OCLI Follow-up

In-house observations Lab host preparation Pre-briefing Post-briefing

OCLI Connection – Phase 2 February & March 2010 Review OCLI strands Sharing time w/same content Sharing time w/school

Impact

Change in teachers’ instructional strategies

Rigorous student engagement

Improvement in students’ communication skills

On the final day of the institute the teachers were asked this question:

What will you take away from this institute that will better help you meet the needs of your students?

“There is nothing more powerful than a classroom climate of discovery, grounded in the thinking strategies led by an enthusiastic teacher facilitator.”

“I hope that I can now be more intentional and purposeful in my teaching; give my students a chance to recognize their own thinking skills, to help them realize they have these skills and they can use them.”

“Seeing the thinking strategies in action in the classroom is so powerful! It makes me realize the potential I possess to make this happen in my classroom. I think sharing this experience with other teachers from my school and other schools makes it easier to make changes. Observing the class is much more meaningful than just hearing a lecture or reading about it.”

Oldham County Learning Institute

Building a Thinking and Learning Community

October 7-9, 2008February 10-12, 2009

September 22-24,2009November 3-5, 2009