Enhancing Professional Practice

As Wisconsin gears up for the new Educator Effectiveness framework in 2014, our North leadership team continues to grow ahead of the curve. We just finished the book, Enhancing Professional Practice- A Framework for Teaching, that outlines Danielson's domains of: Planning and Preparation, The Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities.

As Principal of Waukesha North, I was able to pilot the new framework with three teachers this school year. It has been most rewarding to focus our improvement efforts on shared definitions and understandings of student learning and student outcomes. After all, our primary mission is to enhance student learning.

In the framework for teaching, PURPOSE is central to engaging students in learning important content and creating situations for them to put this learning into action!  A teacher's role is not so much to teach as it is to arrange for learning. The teacher is in charge of organizing the environment, managing the learning process, and establishing the framework for critical thinking and creative exploration.

If one component of the framework for teaching can claim to be the most important, it is student engagement. The quality of student engagement is the direct result of careful planning of learning experiences. Hands-on activity is not enough; it must also be "minds-on".

Schools with a culture for learning are purposeful and exciting places. Is the Purple Palace that exciting place? Do you feel high levels of intellectual energy?
What is your role to get us there?

Cognitive Dissonance

According to Wikipedia, the definition of cognitive dissonance is the feeling of discomfort when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting cognitions: ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions. The world of education seems to be straddling the fence right now. The traditional institution of a comprehensive high school is being put to the test. How do I know this? I am a High School Principal, at Waukesha North HS, in a district that is the seventh largest in the state of Wisconsin.

To live out our mission of achieving excellence and equity in education, we are faced with classrooms of our past, and the vision of our future...which some cannot conceptualize. The legacy of our classrooms, textbooks, desks, papers, and bells served all us successfully. At least that is what they tell us. Not that I remember anything about my high school except practices and games in volleyball, basketball, and softball that happened after the three o'clock bell.

iPads, MacBook Airs, Google Apps for education...personalizing education for each of our unique learners. Is it possible? Is it possible to design learning spaces differently? Is it possible to empower students to be metacognitive thinkers instead of compliant doers?

The feeling of cognitive dissonance can sometimes be overwhelming. My challenge for you is to take a look at our students, and listen to what they are telling us. Listen, learn, and lead your students to a learning environment that will help them become successful in life beyond our institutional walls.