Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud

MIDDLE SCHOOL PLCs

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:48:00 PDT

This week I worked with middle school PLCs that have meeting time built into their school schedule weekly. The teachers work as a grade level team and belong to a house made up of a 6th, 7th, and 8th...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

A LOOK AT COACHES' WORK

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:00:47 PDT

Below is a diagram I use to talk about the work of teachers and coaches. Teachers need to study student learning and student work. So major teacher behaviors are thinking, observing, creating, and...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

COACHES TAKING GRIPES TO GOALS

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:15:20 PST

I was recently working in Southern Georgia with Academic Coaches and their Principals examining how the implementation of coaching can impact student achievement. One of the topics they requested was...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

BUILDING TEAMS TO MAXIMIZE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 12:24:06 PST

I just returned from a trip to Muscat, Oman where I provided two days of peer coaching training for the teachers and administrators at ABA, a World International Baccalaureate School (pre K- 12). The...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

COACHING TEACHERS FOR EXPERTISE

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:06:07 PST

I’ve been reading with great interest an article in ASCD’s (February 2010) Educational Leadership, “The Strive of It” where Kathleen Cushman explores “What conditions inspire teens to practice toward...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

COACHING CO-TEACHING TEAMS

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:03:28 PST

I recently provided coaching to co-teaching teams at an inner city middle school. Some teams were content and special education teachers, some were content and Title I or special education support...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

REFLECTION AND COACHING

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:47:43 PST

I recently provided a faculty professional development session at Edgewood High School in the Buckeye Local School District , Ashtabula, Ohio. I have been working with the Learning Improvement Team...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

FEEDBACK ON INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS (IPDP)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:08:12 PST

In the last blog I responded to reading Advancing Formative Assessment In Every Classroom by Moss and Brookhart and noted the issue of teachers and students flying blind and working in the dark...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

COACHING AND ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:40:00 PST

After observing a high school science class this week for the purpose of modeling a coaching conference, I was wrestling with an approach to my post conference that would have the teacher reflect on...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

OBSERVING LEARNERS

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 06:43:36 PST

I have lead several school faculties through classroom observations where teachers visit each other’s classrooms and spend time observing student learners. The purpose of the observations is to...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

TRUST AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:15:57 PST

I have several projects during the first weeks of the year that deal with Professional Learning Communities examining student data and generating ACTION from those conversations that will lead to...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

COACHING AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:07:05 PST

In the December(09)/January(10) issue of Kappan, Jon Saphier and Lucy West describe, "How Coaches Can Maximize Student Learning". Beyond the title catching my attention as it matches much of the...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

'TWAS THE TIME BEFORE COACHING

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:11:35 PST

This week’s blog celebrates coaches and teachers. It comes to you compliments of Carla Cushman, a Supervisor of Coaches in Sumner County TN. Thank you Carla! Happy New Year to All (Photo of Santa...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

LEADER'S RESPONSE TO "OVERWHELMED"

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:47:33 PST

In the last few months I’ve heard coaches or principals say that their teachers are overwhelmed. I’ve been in PLC meetings where teachers share with teammates that they are just overwhelmed by...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

WHAT ENVIRONMENTS ENCOURAGE LEARNING?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:42:51 PST

Betty Steinberg wrote a commentary, Schools Need a Culture Shift; Bringing Passion, Fun, and Collaboration Back to the Classroom, in the Nov 18, 2009 Education Week where she suggested too many...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

REVISITING WOW!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:16:14 PST

During my recent participation at the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), I did a presentation on Wow! Adding Pizzazz to Teaching and Learning and decided I should pass on some of the...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

RIGOR

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:55:36 PST

As I have spent a substantial number of days recently observing in K12 classrooms, I’ve looked to identify examples of students engaged in rigorous learning. Oregon’s Small School Initiative website...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

QUESTIONS FOR LIFE AND BLOOM'S TAXONOMY

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:21:01 PST

When presenting PLS’s work Questions For Life (QFL) (featured in my new book) , I am often asked how QFL compares to Bloom’s Taxonomy. My usual response is that I’ll explain QFL and then let you tell...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

LEARNING STYLES AND COACHING

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:03:34 PST

I recently conducted a workshop session for instructional coaches looking at how their personal learning styles influenced their coaching approach. Everyone began by completing the Kaleidoscope...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

PLATOONING

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:14:16 PST

How do coaches’ and principals’ work with elementary teachers using departmentalized structures? The November/December edition of the Harvard Education Letter titled “Platooning” Instruction:...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

PLCs EXPLORING ASSESSMENT

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:34:00 PDT

As I continue to work with faculties implementing Professional Learning Communities, I have found that giving PLCs some guiding questions can deepen the quality of their early conversations and speed...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

DRIVING EFFORT WITH PICTURES OF THE FUTURE

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:04:09 PDT

I am always looking for examples of stories that illustrate the formula that I presented in Tapping Student Effort…Increasing Student Achievement: Effort X Ability focused on a Manageable Task =...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

DOING...LEARNING...DOING

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:22:37 PDT

I have recently spent several days doing observations in teachers’ classrooms in several states. In every instance the observations, often done with other teachers and principals, were focused on...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

TEACHING TEAMS AS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:55:04 PDT

I was recently asked to assist a middle school faculty that is using common times to meet as grade level teams and as vertical teams. Students are divided into three grade 6-8 houses and will remain...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.

MOVING COACHING FROM LIGHT TO HEAVY

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen G. Barkley) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:17:33 PDT

A recent blog by Kim Cofino, a 21st Century Literacy Specialist at the International School in Bangkok, whom I’ve met through Twitter and online, triggered this week’s post. Kim, learning with a...

Visit Steve's blog site for more information! We welcome you to participate in discussions by leaving your comments.