19 Nov 12

Discovery Education Transforming Classrooms

Discovery Education is transforming the way Thompson educators are teaching in the classroom. The Thompson School District is focusing on optimizing 21st century learning in each classroom. Discovery Education is a tool for students and teachers to use to enhance their knowledge base about science, health, math, social studies, and other content areas while using 21st century learning techniques. Discovery Education offers interactive digital textbooks, engaging standards-aligned content, comprehensive professional development, assessment services, virtual experiences, learning communities and much more. These resources can be accessed using the iPads that were funded in the recent secondary science instructional materials adoption.

In order to fully understand all that Discovery Education has to offer, Thompson School District employees had an opportunity to attend a series of trainings dedicated to all the tools they offer. Integrating Discovery Education Streaming, Maximizing Student Engagement, Take a Bite Out of the Common Core, and Digital Storytelling were the first four trainings offered to the Thompson educators. Each training introduced a different facet of the digital content offered by Discovery Education.

Discovery Education will help captivate students in a whole new way. Unlimited access to possibilities on their iPad, while using Discovery Education as a learning tool, student achievement will be accelerated in each classroom. This is going to impact the way students learn and break down barriers, moving beyond textbooks that so quickly go out-of-date. Science is ever-changing thing that textbooks cannot keep up with. Using Discovery Education will give students the opportunity to access all of the most recent discoveries and concepts.

Technology is changing the way educators teach. Discovery Education is a perfect example of the many benefits to optimize 21st century learning in the classroom.

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5 Nov 12

High School Health Classes Get iPads

Thompson School District is transforming the health education in the secondary schools and moving towards the 21st century classrooms. Beginning this year, the health classes at all the high schools will be integrating the use of 20 iPads per school so they can empower students to learn, challenge them to achieve, and inspire them to excel.

Much like the benefits to having iPads in the science classrooms, iPads in the health classrooms will allow the students and teachers to access current health information. New discoveries and medicines are found daily, so being able to stay current with health is challenging. iPads will enable students to be knowledgeable about the most up-to-date health information.

 

Kathleen Schlepp, Wellness Coordinator, helped the Thompson School District win a grant that is funding the iPad training for our high school health teachers. This training allows health teachers to understand the tools and applications available on the iPad that will enhance student learning in the classroom. The Thompson School District is in search for funds to extend this project and purchase iPads for the middle school health teachers next year.

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5 Nov 12

Moving Science into the 21st Century

In June of 2012, the Board of Education approved buying a classroom set of 15 iPads for all 6th grade science classes and high school science classes. This is the first phase in transforming our science education into the 21st century .

Using iPads in the classroom will allow students to have unlimited access to information. Diane Lauer, Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the Thompson School District, said, “ iPads will allow students to analyze, interpret and manipulate science data, along with accessing current research and scientific claims.” Science is always changing. New methods and theories are advancing every day. Being able to stay current with the most up-to-date information will help students stay current with their science knowledge base and skills.

In order to support the 21st Century transition,  Thompson School District secondary science teachers gathered for the first of a four day training.  The Day 1 training was an initial boot camp for these teachers. A roomful of boxes filled with iPads were unloaded and given to the science teachers at each secondary school. The teachers were taught iPad basics in order to support use in their classrooms.

Next they will be attending training facilitated by Discovery Education for Days 2-4. Discovery Education professional developers will teacher science teachers to access digital content on the internet as well as through our Discovery subscription content.  Both will help students learn content through text, videos, simulations, situational games and models.

Phase one of moving science into the 21st century has begun. Next year phase two will begin when 7th and 8th grade science classes receive a classroom set of 15 iPads and all the teachers receive ongoing training and support.

 

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3 Oct 12

“Always Learning” SIOP Training Proves Invaluable to Thompson Staff

 

All students in the classroom should be “always learning”. In order for students to be always learning, the teachers need to create ways to make sure every different kind of student in their classroom is learning. The SIOP Model gives students with learning barriers, access to learning.

The SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Model offers a validated approach to teaching that helps prepare all students to become college and career ready.

Charlotte Daniel facilitated the three-day training that involved over 200 Thompson educators. When asked what the most important thing to take from this training was, Charlotte instantly answered, without hesitation, “ I found that using the SIOP Model to develop my lesson plans was the best organizational tool to tie everything together.” Planning for English Language Learners can sometimes seem daunting, but with the guidance of the SIOP Model, teachers will be able to create lesson plans in all content areas that are clear and comprehensible to everyone. Another thing Charlotte thought was most important about the SIOP Model training was how essential the after training support is.  Between ELA Administrator Karen Hanford and ELA TOSA Clint Richards, Charlotte feels very confident the teachers will get the support they need to really implement the SIOP Model into their teaching strategies.

One of the instructional coaches at Lincoln Elementary, Jeannie Sponheim, took this three-day training, to support her learning as a teacher of teachers. Jeannie found new ways to teach and connect with every student because of the SIOP Model. For example, she is now using non-linguistic approaches in the classroom; she reveals the objective of a lesson before it begins; using rubrics really help motivate her students to achieve better scores, and she always gives examples of what she is trying to teach. Jeannie explained, “When the students know what they need to learn, it reduces their anxiety.” Reducing the students’ anxiety will help them concentrate just on the content, not on wondering what they are supposed to learn. It’s very clear from the beginning of the lesson what they are going to learn, why they are going to learn it and how they are going to learn.

Jill Date, another instructional coach in the district, also attended this training.  She explained that lesson plans at Sarah Milner Elementary now include meaningful activities that integrate lesson concepts with language practice opportunities for each student involving reading, writing, listening and speaking. Because Jeannie took this training this summer, she is just now starting to implement the SIOP Model into the classroom.  Jill said, “The other components of SIOP that teachers will focus on refining this year are: building background, comprehensible input, strategies, interaction, practice and application, lesson delivery, and review and assessment.” Focusing on these very important components of the SIOP Model will advance student achievement.

 

The title of the SIOP Model book states it all, Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners- The SIOP Model. It’s just that. Being able to make all learning content more comprehensible for all students, especially English learners. As a framework for organizing instruction, the SIOP Model supports teachers in planning and delivering high-quality instruction for all students with eight interrelated components to follow.

 

 

The Eight Components:

1)   Lesson Preparation

2)   Building Background

3)   Comprehensive Input

4)   Strategies

5)   Interaction

6)   Practice and Application

7)   Lesson Delivery

8)   Review and Assessment

 

 

Training the Thompson School District staff on the SIOP Model is intended to produce increased levels of student learning, lead to higher test scores, stronger results in the classroom and a better understanding of content all together for all types of students.

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27 Aug 12

Literacy Design Collaborative Newsletter

 

To read the entire LDC Letter please click below:

LDC Letter Issue 4.August 2012 2

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22 Aug 12

A Quality Teacher in Every Classroom


Teacher quality matters. In fact, research shows that it is the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement.

In 2010, our Colorado Legislature championed landmark legislation that changed how we evaluate teachers and principals to include standardized quality criteria and measures of student academic progress. Over the past two years, the Colorado Legacy Foundation has worked with the State Board of Education, Colorado Department of Education, and many practitioners to develop and implement a framework to develop new comprehensive evaluation systems that include multiple measures of student academic progress.

“Increased student achievement requires effective leaders in every school, effective educators in every classroom, and healthy and engaging environments that ignite a passion for learning in every student.” The Colorado Legacy Foundation

Thompson Leads the Way

Last year when our district was identified as one of the 5 Colorado Integration Districts across the state poised to be the first in the state to implement this new system, we jumped into that national forefront of education innovation.  This is the year that Colorado Integration Project will take full effect switch over to a more comprehensive teacher evaluation system that couples very high expectations for educator effectiveness and very high expectation for principal and district support.

On August 7, the Colorado Department of Education organized and facilitated a training for trainers, evaluators, peer coaches and teachers. Over 200 Thompson School District employees, from teachers to administrators, took part in this day-long training.

Student Performance Counts

Educator Effectiveness implementation has many aspects, one of them being a new evaluation process for teachers and administrators. Under the new law, all Thompson educators will be observed annually with multiple, specified intersection points for principal/teacher feedback and direction. These new evaluations will also use the six new Quality Standards as set into law by our state, the largest includes student performance.

  1. Teachers demonstrate expertise in the content they teach.
  2. Teachers establish a safe, inclusive and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students.
  3. Teachers plan and deliver effective instruction and create an environment that facilitates learning for their students.
  4. Teachers reflect on their practice.
  5. Teachers demonstrate leadership.
  6. Teachers take responsibility for student academic growth

These standards form the framework for new teacher evaluations. What is notable is that 50% of the teacher evaluations are based primarily on Teacher Quality Standard #6. Student growth will be the most important factor with these new evaluations. The other 50% of the teacher evaluation is based on the 5 other Teacher Quality Standards.

Throughout the year we will be sharing information about our Educator Effectiveness to illuminate the transformation of education in our district and how it helps us reach our mission of empowering students to learn, challenging them to achieve, and inspiring them to excel.

In the school year of 2013-2014, all districts across Colorado will be expected to implement this new educator evaluation system. Thompson School District and the other 5 Colorado Integration Districts will share their learnings as leaders in this change process.

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20 Aug 12

Design Collaborative Celebration

Save the Date-Design Collaborative Celebration

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16 Aug 12

The Data Leader Training Event

 

The analysis of student data is paramount in determining what leadership and instructional practices are directly linked to improved student achievement. On August 10th, a group of Thompson principals and Learning Services administrators came together to deepen their capacity for data leadership and learning. Dr. Lisle Gates, from The Leadership and Learning Center facilitated the training. As a member of the Colorado Integration Project, monies from the Colorado Legacy Foundation funded this training.  This district leader training is a prelude to a teacher leader Data Team training that will take place in the fall.

Through the work of Data Teams, school districts can continuously improve, discover patterns and significant trends happening in specific grade levels or schools. According to Stephen White, “Data Teams adhere to continuous improvement cycles, examine patterns and trends, and establish specific timelines, roles, and responsibilities to facilitate analysis that results in action.” Data teams are the single best way to help educators and administrators move from “drowning in data” to using information to make better instructional decisions.

Effective Data Teams can help educators and administrators make better instructional decisions, which will result in increased student achievement. A clear process outlining the continuous improvement cycle was shared:

  1. Inquiry and Treasure Hunt
  2. Analyze to Prioritize
  3. Set SMART Goals
  4. Select Strategies
  5. Determine Result Indicators
  6. Monitor and Evaluate Results

 

  • Data Teams strive to work efficiently for maximum student improvement. Most improvement plans have too many goals and strategies, which spreads the efforts of the staff to thin. This creates poor results. Districts need to make sure their goals are clear and concise, so their Data Teams can be most efficient.

 

 

In summary, training participants learned that in order to obtain sustainable progress, there must be effective leadership at every level. This starts with effective Data Teams. Individual schools may make progress, but that progress won’t sustain if there isn’t support at the district level. Every school and building in the district needs to be on the same page, when it comes to benefiting from Data Teams. Data helps find problems and helps generate constructive solutions.

 

You can find more information about the importance of Data Teams at www.leadandlearn.com.

 

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7 Aug 12

Literacy Design Collaborative- An Invaluable Training for Thompson Educators

 

The Literacy Design Collaborative is designed to help teachers reinvent the way they are teaching their students. With the tools and instruction given by the LDC, Thompson educators are taking learning to a whole new level.

 

In early August, a large group of Thompson educators gathered together for training on the Literacy Design Collaborative. Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 split the 3-day training event. Cohort 1 consists of the Thompson educators who have been using the Literacy Design Collaborative since last school year. Cohort 2 consists of the Thompson educators who are just starting the program and will be implementing the strategies into their classrooms this coming school year for the first time.

 

Literacy Design Collaborative

Teaching Teachers New Ways to Teach:

 

The Literacy Design Collaborative was created by and for teachers. Five New England educators decided it was time for a change in the classroom and created this framework to support the teaching of literacy skills in all content areas. The LDC model allows teachers to make creative, customized, and engaging lesson plans to ensure everyone is learning and, even better, to ensure everyone is curious about learning more.

MORE is the key.

The LDC has teachers prepare MORE with mini tasks and regular tasks, which allow teachers to expect MORE from their students, which in turn leads to a lot MORE student learning.

 

 

Literacy Design Collaborative

Supporting the Next Wave of LDC Teachers

Cohort 1 arrived a day before the new LDC teachers in order to discuss everything they had experienced in their classrooms over the past few months using the LDC Module Creator.  The positive feedback was inspiring. Beginning the implementation of the LDC module in January of last year, it was difficult to adjust the timing of the modules. Cohort 1 will now be able to begin the year fresh, with the learning gained from the previous semester. They will also be on hand to support the next wave of teachers in Cohort 2.

 

 

 

On the second day, it was time for Cohort 2 educators to come to training.  For the remaining 2 days, the agenda was filled with training exercises, authentic examples from Cohort 1 on how the LDC module works (image below) and presentations all about the benefits to using LDC.  Experts, creators and key figured from the Colorado Integration Project made presentations about their role in implementing LDC to the Thompson School District and a few others districts in Colorado.

 Literacy Design Collaborative

 

The Literacy Design Collaborative is part of a national strategy to support the integration of the Common Core literacy standards, thereby increasing our students’ ability to compete in the global workplace.

With strategic funding from the Colorado Legacy Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, more and more teachers will be trained, so that eventually all teachers will be able to shift their thinking and create tasks for their students to meet the new higher and more rigorous literacy standard. A better understanding of literacy, will allow students to thrive in college and in life.

 

Learn more about the Literacy Design Collaborative by visiting their website: http://www.literacydesigncollaborative.org

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25 Jul 12

Discussing the Aurora Tragedy with Students

Please read this article about how to address talking about the shooting with students.

Addressing the Colorado Shootings with Students

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