On Tuesday, November 2, 2010, high school teachers participated in a Professional Learning Community activity led by the principal. The two hour block consisted of a discussion and strategy session on the Common Core State Standards. We viewed the website http://www.corestandards.org/ to learn about the standards. We began the session by watching a video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeeT1_P1hAI of NYSED Commissioner David Steiner. We discussed the importance of the "Triangle" which consists of standards, curriculum, and assessment.
Our teachers next analyzed student achievement data from regents exams over the past eleven years. We worked in groups to list teaching methods that differ today in comparison to the late 1990's. We followed this discussion by brainstorming what we can do differently today and in the future. Both discussions were thought provoking and worthwhile.
Our closing activity consisted of two steps. First, we grouped by department to create department goals for the current school year. This led to great dialogue in each group. The second step was for each teacher to create a set of individual goals for this school year. Our teachers worked individually on this task and will keep a written copy in a safe place. We will use the individual goals for self-reflection throughout the school year. All of the other lists generated including department goals, will listed on our common drive. The day went well and I was impressed by our teachers' level of engagement.
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