Writing for National Board Workshop

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Writing for National BoardWorkshop 4

• CERRA National Board Candidate Support Workshop
  Toolkit

WS4 February 2007
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Expectations.

• Why Im here today?
• What Im expecting to learn?

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Essential Questions

• How will I know what to write?
• What types of writing are used in the National
  Board process?
• How can someone help me think more purposely and
  strategically about the work I have done in the
  classroom?

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Activity 1
Writing about Teaching Say Something
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Say Something

• Work with a partner.
• Both read the designated material, one paragraph
  at a time
• Partners Say Something
• Question
• Brief summary
• Key point
• Interesting idea
• A new connection

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Activity 2
Clear, Consistent,
Convincing Writing for National Board
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Activity 3
Unpacking the Prompts
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Unpacking the Prompts

• All entries are based on the same logical, but
  not linear path.
• Begin with descriptions of the class, students
  featured, the unit being taught.
• Move through planning and teaching stages
  analyzing the choices you and your students make.
• End with reflection on the content, the students
  and yourself.

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Part OneInstructional Context

• A discussion of what you knew BEFORE you planned
  and taught your lesson/unit. (and on which you
  based all the subsequent instructional choices)
• Curriculum
• Students
• Setting
• Instructional context should be different for
  each entry.

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Part TwoPlanning for Instruction

• Describe the planning process you used when
  designing the highlighted unit of instruction.
• Describe methods, materials and activities you
  hope to include.
• Justify each choice based on the information you
  presented in the instructional context.
• Key Words
• For these students at this time
• that influenced your(planning, choice of
  materials, etc)for THIS instruction

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Part TwoPlanning for Instruction

• The reader should feel that your choices are
  logical and academically grounded.
• The assessor should be
• convinced that you know your students well.
• convinced that you know what content to present.
• convinced that you know the best way to present
  the content.

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Part ThreeAnalysis of InstructionStudent work,
Videotape, Assessment

• Analyze your teaching
• Write about how your activities furthered student
  learning (or not).
• How did you probe students thinking?
• How did you address misunderstandings?
• Explain why what you did may actually be
  different from what you planned to do.
• Explain how well the students understood the
  lesson, and how you know.

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Part ThreeAnalysis of InstructionStudent work,
Videotape, Assessment

• You will be asked to analyze
• student work,
• evidence of student learning,
• your practice as shown on videotape, and
• one or more particular teaching strategies you
  chose to use.

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Part Four Reflection

• What did you learn about the students, the
  curriculum, yourself?
• How will that new knowledge be used?
• What parts of your instruction worked well?
• What evidence supports your conclusions?
• Identify parts of your instruction that could
  have been done differently.
• How might you change in the future?
• What results would you expect?

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Your Story Is Told

• Clearly,
• Consistently and
• Convincingly!
• Your portfolio entries lead the reader through
  your decision making processes so carefully that
  he or she is not surprised by a decision,
  recommendation or conclusion you make about your
  students, your curriculum or yourself.

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Understanding the Questions

• Questions are written in italics followed by
  clarifying questions.
• You must pay attention to, and answer, BOTH!
• The non-italicized portion will be very helpful
  to you as you seek to include analysis in your
  portfolio.

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A Closer Look

• What are the central features of the three
  segments selected for the videotape? Explain how
  the three segments support different aspects of
  inquiry.

From AYA Science 2002-2003
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A Closer Look
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Lets Practice
From EA Math 2002-2003
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Unpacking the PromptsExample
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Lets Practice

• Take a look at one of your student work entries.
• Spend a few minutes reading the prompts.
• Work on the Unpacking the Prompts handout
  (WS4.A3.H1)
• What are you noticing and understanding?

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Activity 4
Coaching Conversations
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Coaching Supports Candidates

• Coaching pushes candidates analytical thinking
• Coaching helps candidates become more resourceful
• Coaching increases the value of NB as a
  professional growth experience

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Coaching Conversation

• Brett is beginning to work on Entry 4..
• Use NB Coaching Conversation
• WS4.A4.H1

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Coaching Model

• What did you notice about the conversation?
• What did you notice about the roles of
• The facilitator?
• The candidate?
• How is it like or different from ways you have
  worked with candidates?

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Feedback

• Constructive Feedback IS
• Coaching
• Data
• Mediational questions

• Constructive Feedback IS NOT
• Evaluation
• Judgment
• Personal observation
• Inference

Center for Cognitive Coaching, Highlands Ranch,
CO www.cognitivecoaching.com
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Paraphrasing

• Sends important messages
• I am listening
• I care
• I understand

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Paraphrasing

• Acknowledge Clarify
• You were concerned that your students.
• One activity you planned
• Summarize Organize
• So, there are three areas that you ..
• First you did.
• Shifting conceptual focus
• A goal for you is.
• A belief you hold is

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Mediating ThinkingWith Questions

• Inquiry ? Broaden Thinking
• Probing ? Focus Thinking

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Characteristics of Inquiry Questions

• Approachable voice
• Plural forms
• What strategies did you.?
• Exploratory/tentative language
• What might be your thoughts about?
• Positive presuppositions
• What might be indicators that your plan was
  successful?

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Characteristics of Probing Questions

• Probing questions clarify
• Generalizations all, everyone, never, forever
• Rule Words should, must, cant have to
• Vague verbs make, think, do, feel, know
• Vague nouns pronouns students, they, people
• Comparisons better, more interesting, larger

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Effective Questioning

• Pushes candidates to deepen reflection on their
  teaching practice
• Facilitates deeper thinking
• Helps candidates reach aha moments by
  themselves
• Supports candidate in doing his or her own
  thinking
• Always remember
• You do not have the magic answer!

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Cognitive Coaching SM

• Paraphrasing and questioning strategies are
  foundational to Cognitive CoachingSM
• More information can be found at
• www.cerra.org
• www.cognitivecoaching.com

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Paraphrasing Question Practice

• Try your hand at paraphrasing and forming
  probing or inquiry questions with the following
  mock NB entry
• The concept of angle measurement is
  quite abstract and new to my students. I use
  hands-on tools so that students can develop a
  better understanding of this concept. By using
  this approach, I expect my students to be able to
  accurately identify, measure, and describe
  different angles. I also expect students to find
  types of angles in pictures, describe and measure
  them.

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• Prior to measuring and describing angles the
  class worked with the basic geometric principles
  of point, line, line segment and rays. The
  students also learned to recognize or create
  different kinds of lines. This led to the lesson
  on angles. In working with types of lines,
  students used oak tag paper strips to create
  models on their desks, or to hold up models of
  different lines.

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• After students demonstrated proficiency they
  put their paper strips together to create their
  angle tools. The video shows students using the
  angle tools.
• Following our study of angles, students
  explored different two-dimensional shapes and
  triangles. From there we began to explore
  measuring the perimeter and area of rectangles
  and squares.

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Workshop Evaluation

• Please take a minute to complete the
  workshop evaluation form. This will help us
  revise each workshop to meet the needs of
  National Board candidates.

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More Information