Individual Reflection

For the post observation we sat in Ms. M’s class. We were surrounded by student work, anchor charts, and a wall just for the students’ work.

We sat across from each other as I conducted the post-observation. During the conference Ms. M was very energetic, did not hem or haw and answered all my questions like a pro. I started by asking her what she thought went right or wrong with her lesson and if there was anything she would have changed. Her answer was nothing. She was working on her vocabulary lesson, “Bringing Words to Life”; a power point that illustrates the high frequency vocabulary words of the story to be used was all planned out and had a reinforcement activity back at their desks to work on. The students were energetic and had been taught well how to go back to their seats and work on the reinforcement page of their vocabulary words.


She explained to them what was expected of them.
We were very comfortable. It was evident working with her that she was very comfortable with herself. During her observation, she was very involved with the students and enjoyed what she was doing. She was well prepared and her instruction showed it. The students were also very engaged with the lesson.



One area that I thought could be improved is giving the students a little more time to answer her questions about the vocabulary words. I feel she could have used a timer and given them a specific amount of time to turn and talk about the vocabulary words. One area that I was really impressed with was the use of hand motions to show the students when to come back together after discussing. Another aspect that I was impressed with was the use of a bell to get the students to calm down and come back together.
I used the pre-observation conference focus sheet of the Charlotte Danielson Frame Work for Teachers. It gave me insight into her class.
I was constantly praising her for the way she went about the lesson and how she had control of her students. Talking with the teacher, I could see that she was very confident of the way she presented her lesson.
In conclusion, I was very impressed with Ms. M’s lesson and I would recommend that she continues the same way in the future. While I was doing the post-observation I felt that I was encouraging her at times to continue to teach the material the way she was. I did encourage her to give her students more time or set a time limit when the students turn and share their answers. There was a collaborative approach with Ms. M on how she can improve her lesson. I feel this is important because as a novice teacher, she can benefit from other ideas.

Room Arrangements

This past week I became more aware of different room arrangements in the school in which I teach. Unlike the common classroom arrangement which I experienced as a child where walls set classroom boundaries, my school is an open area school where we “build” our classrooms out of furniture. The following image of the entry way to our Area III illustrates how bookcases and blackboards serve to demarcate classroom boundaries. To the right and left of this entry way there are two Fifth Grade Special Needs classrooms and two Sixth Grade general education classrooms.



At my school we have a large Special Needs population. One Special Needs teacher chose to arrange desks in her room clustered in groups of five. The second teacher in this classroom placed her desk in the back of the room. The students’s desks were close to the front of the room. I found that this arrangment made it difficult for me to navigate around these clustered desks to get to the board. There was a round table where small group instruction was held. I would say that this classroom was arranged in a very traditinal way. In the Special Needs classroom, the computers were set along the far wall. They were easily accessible to the students; however, I found that because of the crowding of desks students did not have adequate room to work.



In a First Grade class, the teacher had set up her classroom with long tables in a traditional manner. As is illustrated in the image below, there is spaciousness in this classroom that makes student learning very comfortable. This classroom is easy to move around in for both students and teacher and allows students to work well collaboratively. In addition to the work areas, the teacher had an area where she did her group work.

Another classroom had an area set up for cooperative learning. I found this area very hard to navigate because of the proximity of furniture in the room. The seating arrangement was cramped making it difficult for students to concentrate on their own work. It would be difficult to supervise students at this reading center because of the lack of room. However, when I compared it to another classroom, I noted that the computers were easier to access and that the small group center was more conducive to student learning.

My own classroom is arranged in a U shape with an entrance for me to get to my work table. My desk located in the back of the room in the left hand corner.
I also have a long table in the back of the room which I use when working with small groups in reading and math. I find that this arrangement makes for a spaciousness that allows me to reach students easily and keeps students’ concentration on their own work at a maximum. I have used this classroom arrangement for the past two years. I am one of the few teachers in the building that is fortunate enough to have a window in my teaching space.

The way teachers arrange their classrooms should be a personal choice. However, teachers should know what works for other teachers and be flexible enough to change classroom arrangements if they do not seem to working in the way intended. Whatever choice a teacher makes, the classroom should have an inviting climate to encourage student learning. It is imperative to avoid crowding. There should be ample space between students’ desks, special work areas, and computer stations, providing for an easy movement from one area to another. Colleagues told me that within the different classroom arrangements, they provide special seating for students who need to be closer to the board for reasons of hearing or seeing, and for those students who need closer proximity to the teacher’s desk because of behavioral problems.
Last year our school received 2.1 million dollars from the State of Maryland for classroom renovations which included putting up walls to separate classes. Although it has been decided to go ahead with these renovations, to this date there has been no action taken. The putting of walls would change in a dramatic way our teaching styles. Principal and teachers are waiting eagerly for this change to come about and replace the open space.

Change

Change: Based on your understanding of the Marzano reading, which of the 21 responsibilities and day-to-day management of a school are most necessary for second-order change? How does the complexity of second order change demand a very thoughtful and flexible administrator?

In chapter five, Two Types of change, Marzano lays out seven steps to be successful in second order change:
1. Knowledge of Curriculum, instruction, and Assessment-The principal has to be aware of what the curriculum is asking for, know what the instructional and assessment practices are of then innovation and provide guidance where necessary.
2. Optimizer-The principal has to be able to force behind the innovation and believe that his/her staff will follow.
3. Intellectual Stimulation-Being able teach the staff what he or she knows about the innovation.
4. Change Agent-The principal is able to challenge the status quo.
5. Monitoring/Evaluating-He/she is constantly watching and checking for the work being done.
6. Flexibility-Being able to put his/her input into the discussion when needed
7. Ideals and beliefs-That the innovation is based on their beliefs.

I feel that these seven second order changes are important because no principal can be successful if they have to use all twenty one of the first order.
It is interesting to look back at the week two Balanced Report that I took. When I got my results, I was surprised that I fell into second order. It was an interesting exercise and it showed me how hard it is to run a school day after day. One area that I scored low on was flexibility. I have to learn how listen to staff and be able to listen to other ideas.
An administrator in my opinion has to be able to listen to his/her staff and take their ideas to be successful. Running a day to day operation is not easy and to borrow a nautical term it “takes all hands on deck” to be successful. Marzano states that “When involved in the day-to-day first-order changes and corrections that face a school faces, the school leader must attend to all 21 responsibilities as regular of managing the school. When involved in second-order change initiatives that are dramatic departures from the past, the leader must emphasize 7 responsibilities.” (Marzano 2005) It is the dramatic departure from the norm that makes it difficult.

Culture

Culture: What impact does the creation of a positive school culture have on school reform?

“A school culture influences the ways people think, feel, and act.” (Peterson n.d.) School culture is very important in many ways. One way is making the school an inviting and welcoming place. Without a positive school culture, school reform would be very hard. The students, teachers and administration have to work together to make a school an interesting place to grow and learn. My school is divided into different areas. My area is Area III where there are two sixth grade content area teachers, and two students with disabilities teachers. When I walked into the area, the color on the bulletin boards and the teachers rooms makes me smile, I was happy to be there. I feel, just Area III, we have a positive culture for the kids to learn in.
I feel school culture and school reform go hand in hand. In the SEDAL Voices from the Field: Success in School Reform , the narrator states, “An environment of trust is vital for the risk taking that is not only inherent, but also encouraged in successful school reform programs. School leaders are often the most important people in setting the proper atmosphere for learning. They are called upon to listen and pay attention to what is happening at every level inside the school. Dr. Hord goes on to say, “Leaders are highly important in the establishment of a context for change. While they do not do all the work by themselves, what they do is to engage the staff with them in sharing a vision of where they want to go and how they're going to get there so that they learn together."
I feel you cannot have one without the other. In Marzano’s Doing the Right Work he quotes Elmore. Elmore states “that the school reform effort in the United States is plagued by falsehoods, one of which is that schools fail because teachers and administrators don’t work hard enough.” (Elmore 2003) This is where I feel a positive school culture comes in. Staff has to work together to be successful.
"Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed; the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day."Frances Hesselbein
The Key to Cultural Transformation, Leader to Leader (Spring 1999)

References:

Peterson.K.D. Positve or Negative. JSD Summer 2002 National Staff Development Council 15

Marzano R. Two Types of Change. School leadership that Works from Research to Results;
McREL 2005 Denver Colorado

SEDAL Voices from the Field

Week 3-Post 2

•How has what you have learned so far in this course shaped your concept of an effective leader?
•Based on what you have learned so far, what are the top 3-5 characteristics you believe a successful principal must possess?

As I was rereading this week, I thought to myself how much I have learned this past three weeks, becoming a leader is not easy. From all the readings, I realized a lot of the leadership qualities theorists were talking about, how much I already do. Covey stands out for me because a lot of his habits hit home. I can relate to Habit 2. This is the ability to control one's environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. Self determination, choice, and the power to decide response to stimulus, conditions and circumstances. In my school, which is an open space school, I cannot let what goes on in other classes bother me. I have to focus on what is going on in my room. Habit 6 - synergize®
Covey says, "this is the habit of creative co-operation - the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which implicitly lays down the challenge to see the good and potential in the other person's contribution." Everyone is working together to succed at a certain goal.
I keep 0n going back to the reading we did by Murphy, and the quote that he saw on the door when he got his new job, "Notice
The objective of all dedicated department employees should be to thoroughly analyze all situations, anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence, have answers for these problems, and move swiftly to solve these problems when called upon. However...When you are up to your ass in alligators it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp." (Murphy 2007) This quote shows me how I need to wear different hats in order to be successful as a leader.

In a article recently published by Education week examining effective school principals it found that "high student achievement is linked to collective leadership": the combined influence of educators, parents, and others on school decisions." (Education Week 2010) Leadership has to a combined effort because teachers and administrators have to work together to get results. This goes back in what I stated that there has to be synergy
among the staff.

As I finish week three, the big picture is coming into focus. I can see that being a leader is not an easy job. As I state on the voice thread, there is going to be failure in many places. I feel you cannot just put someone in a situation everything is not going to go smoothly at first. One quality I feel that a successful principal must have is the ability to overcome failure. Another quality that i think is very important is communication. A principal has to be able to communicate with her/his staff, the community around them and the district office administrators. Another trait that is very important is the ability to ask questions. Murphy states " Administrators need to recognize and acknowledge their ignorance and then take action." (Murphy 2007) And the most important trait that a authentic leader has to have a vi son which has to be carried out by the rest of the teachers. Murphy writes, "A leaders vision is the grain of sand in the oyster, not the pearl." (Heifetz and Sinder, 1987, pp. 194, 197) I have come to realize that I possess a few of these characteristics but I have more work to do.

In conclusion I ask myself if I have answered Evans three questions for being an effective leader:

1. How do I define my role as a leader?



2. What inspires the best in staff?



3. What are my strengths?

I have just begun to answer those questions and by the end of this course I hope to have them answered.
References:

Evans, R. (2007). The authentic leader. The Jossey-Bass Reader on
Educational Leadership, 135-156, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Steven Covey, Author of 7 Habits of Highly Successful People – (The Transformational Leadership Report, 2007)

Study: Effective Principals Embrace Collective Leadership. (2010,July). Education Week (Vol 29, Issue 37). Education Week.

Murphy, J. T. (2007). The UHEROIC SIDE OF LEADERSHIP-NOTES FROM THE SWAMP. The Josey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership, 51-62 San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

To view the article click here:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/07/23/37principal.h29.html?tkn=TPSFHsBZuH0HBDh9RLJDV9CKGg%2Fwv9g%2BGhCo&cmp=clp-edweek

Week 3 Reflection-Post 1

How do the results of the balanced leadership profile inventory compare with your own self-assessment of the 21 Responsibilities of a School Leader? Consider your top seven strengths and top seven areas of improvement from your self-assessment. How do they correlate with student achievement (Fig 4.2, p. 63 of Marzano text)?

It was very interesting doing the self-assessment and to compare it to the balanced leader survey. I did a comparison chart between the two. It made me think like a principal and the things I found out about myself were very enlightening. In the self-assessment I gave myself a 3 in communication. In the leadership profile it averaged my score to 3.67. This was a surprise for me because I always thought of myself as a great communicator. This illustrates to me that I need to communicate my ideas better. In figure 4.2, p.63 of Marzano text, the correlation with student Academic in communication is.23. These numbers show that I do not communicate with our students the way I should. Another weak area that I gave myself a low score is Involvement with Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment (CIA). On the leader profile it was I was given a score of 4.75. For student achievement is .25. I feel that this means that more work has to be done studying the curriculum in order for our students to be successful. It was interesting to find out that one of my weaknesses is Situational awareness. In the self assessment I gave myself a three as if I was a principal. The balanced survey was along the same lines, it scored me on a 3.6o. Once again, it made me aware that as an effective principle I have to be aware of what is going on in my building. Compared to Marzano, this is an area which is very high with student achievement. Situational awareness allows the student problems to be put to rest before they erupt into bigger problems. Flexibility is another area in which I need to improve. I am not comfortable at times with other people’s ideas after I think I have come up with a good one. However, I have become better in allowing change in my work by others and again that is very important in becoming a strong leader. please see my chart using this link:

https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1GEIwbMCTwPh7Slj_PWsmae5sHboZeTKn70Y_Ja1GFo8&hl=en&authkey=CIm04Fk#

Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). School leadership that work From research to results. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Reflection #1-Transformational Leadership Week 2

"The goal of transformational leadership is to “transform” people and organizations in a literal sense – to change them in mind and heart; enlarge vision, insight, and understanding; clarify purposes; make behavior congruent with beliefs, principles, or values; and bring about changes that are permanent, self-perpetuating, and momentum building."
- Steven Covey, Author of 7 Habits of Highly Successful People – (The Transformational Leadership Report, 2007)

I feel that Steven Covey defines transformational leadership very well. To me transformational leadership means that as administrators or teachers we hold each other to a higher standard by injecting enthusiasm in a certain task. It is important that as an administrator I keep in mind how my feelings and thoughts affect my actions be it with a student, other administrators in my own building or even at the district level. Forming a vision is very important in transformational leadership. This vision usually is put forth by the leader, but it can also come about by others through energetic dialogue and through no fault conversations. In an article from Changing Minds .org “Transformational Leaders are often charismatic, but not as narcissistic as pure Charismatic Leaders, who succeed through a belief in themselves rather than a belief in others.” (Tranformational Leadership, 2010) A transformational leader has to be energetic to lead others. In my school, I believe my principal is a transformational leader. She has a passion and a vision, to make the school successful. She has also made us followers of that vision, because we want to be successful as welll. In our monthly meetings we always start with a round robin. During that time each teacher has a chance to bring up something that went particularly well. “One of the methods the Transformational Leader uses to sustain motivation is in the use of ceremonies, rituals, and other cultural symbolism. Small changes get big hurrahs, pumping up their significant as indicators or real progress.” (Tranformational Leadership, 2010) I see this all the time as we celebrate good things that happen during the school year.

I feel a leader has to energetic and enthusiastic. All transformational approaches to leadership emphasize emotions and values and share in common the fundamental aim of fostering capacity development and higher levels of personal commitment to organizational goals on the part of leaders’ colleagues.” (Leithwood, 2007 ) I feel this because it is hard to get all teachers and even administrators on the same page. “The transformational leaders serve as a role model for followers. Because followers trust and respect the leader, they emulate the leader and internalize his or her ideals.” (Cherry, 2010) I see this at my school. Most of the teachers are energetic and have “bought” into her vision. I feel as an administrator I can be a successful transformational leader. I am an energetic person and I want everyone to be successful. I want my building to have energy, which at times seems to lack. “When organizational participants are empowered to act as effective leaders and followers based on core values and a unifying purpose, the potential for unprecedented advances and exceptional outcomes are greatly enhanced.” (The Transformational Leadership Report, 2007)

Technology is all around us. I get very excited when I learn something new and can take it back to the others in my building. Being part of ISTE has shown me how technology can help in all aspects of teaching. A transformational leader has to get excited about technology. This enthusiasm has to be spread among the followers. In my school, we want to become more technologically savvy but we have to get our leader excited about it. By making the leader excited, the staff will get excited. Some students are visual learners. In my classroom, I constantly use technology to help with my lesson. Some of these programs are Discovery Streaming, Safari Montage, math websites and reading websites such as myskills tutor. All this technology helps with learning and for a transformational leader the excitement is contagious.

I think a transformational leader is very important in today’s school systems. From administrators to teachers, motivating children is very important. As the word indicates transform means to change into something and in this case you are transforming a crop of teachers to follow a vision.

Refrences:
Cherry, K. (2010). Tranformational Leadershp. Retrieved July Saturday, 2010, from About.com: http://pyschology.about.com/od/leadership/a/transforamtional.htm?p=1
Leithwood, K. A. (2007 ). Tranformation of School Leadership in a Transactional Policy Worlds. The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership , 191.
The Transformational Leadership Report. (2007). Retrieved July 2010, from Developing Tomorrow's Transformational Leaders today: www.transformationalleadership.net
Tranformational Leadership. (2010). Retrieved July 2010 Saturday July 24, 2010, 2010, from Changing Minds.org: http://changing minds.org/disciples/leadership/styles/transformational_leadership.htm

Cherry, K. (2010). Tranformational Leadershp. Retrieved July Saturday, 2010, from About.com: http://pyschology.about.com/od/leadership/a/transforamtional.htm?p=1
The Transformational Leadership Report. (2007). Retrieved July 2010, from Developing Tomorrow's Transformational Leaders today: www.transformationalleadership.net
Tranformational Leadership. (2010). Retrieved July 2010 from Changing Minds.org: http://changing minds.org/disciples/leadership/styles/transformational_leadership.htm

Reflections on Denver

What a wonderful time. It is nice to digest everything and then go back and read it all. I just wanted to share some of my pictures from Denver. These photos were taken during the time between sessions. Before I became a teacher, I was a freelance photographer.

I hope you enjoy them and we get together soon.

Day Two

All the new information we received at the convention was at first overwhelming. I slowly overcame this feeling by going to several vendors I knew: Pearson, Adobe, and several others. I went sight seeing, took a long walk and had lunch at Pints Pub.

I enjoyed the evening talking with former cohorts.

Initial Thoughts

Going into yesterdays session I did not know what to expect. I learned a lot form the ISTE speakers to the other JHU speakers. It was a long and absorbing day, but if we work diligently, we should get this done. I am looking forward to working with you guys and keep up the good work. See you on Tuesday or earlier.It might be a challenge but I liked the way we all worked together.
Matthew LaGamma

Post #1

•What are your expectations for this program? What do you hope to accomplish?

One of the expectations I hope to gain is the meeting and working with other professionals. This will create a great network community which will help in the future, which will allow me to bounce ideas off of others. I hope to become a better teacher and leader through this course. I feel I have a strong background because I am the sixth grade chair at my school. I hope to accomplish several things in this course. One is becoming a better leader, teacher, and working better with others.

•Now that you have a good sense of the types of online activities and the rhythms of an active participant, what steps will you take to be successful in this program?

The main thing is to keep up with the lessons. I have a tendency to put things off, but I feel this online course will help me stay on track. I figured I would have to be more disciplined for this course.

•Where do you still need additional support to be successful?

I think the technolgy aspect of it. This is still all new to me. In these two weeks, I have already learned a ton.

Brief intro to myself:

My name is Matthew LaGamma, and I teach 6th Grade at Oxon Hill Elementary School. I'm married and have two sons who are 8 and almost 4. I'm new at all this, and I'm trying not to get frustrated at the learning curve.