Simulation: Monday Morning Meeting

1
Simulation Monday Morning Meeting

• Whos here?
• Biology teachers
• Library/media coordinator
• Technology facilitator
• Special education teacher
• SMART Goal
• Increase the percentage of students who are at or
  above standard on the Biology EOC by 50 by
  spring 2005.

2
Schmokers Methodology

• How many students are succeeding in biology?
• Within biology, what are the areas of strength or
  weakness?
• How will we address areas of low performance?
• The real work of instructional improvement
• The collaborative effort to share, produce,
  test, and refine lessons and strategies targeted
  to areas of low performance, where more effective
  instruction can make the greatest difference for
  students." (Schmoker, 2003, p. 23)

3
Data sources

• Results from common end-of-unit test
• Results from biology end-of-course test
• Teacher observations
• Student survey and focus groups

4
What are our data telling us?

• 55 of all students (33 of African-American
  students) are at or above Level III of Biology
  EOC
• Weaknesses
• Goal 1 Scientific inquiry
• Goal 5 Ecological relationships
• Too much recitation, boring
• Strengths
• Goal 1 Cellular basis of life
• Real-world, hands-on, interactive, multimedia

5
7 Steps of Lesson Study

• Form a lesson study team
• Focus the lesson study
• Plan the study lesson
• Prepare for the observation
• Teach and observe the lesson
• Debrief the lesson
• Reflect and plan next steps

6
Form a lesson study team (1-2 meetings)

• Recruit members
• Set a schedule of meetings
• Agree on ground rules (norms)

7
Focus the lesson study

• Review Standard Course of Study
• What do we want students to know and be able to
  do when this lesson is concluded?
• 1.02 Design and conduct investigations
• 5.01 Investigate and analyze interrelationships
  among organisms, populations, communities, and
  ecosystems

8
Plan the study lesson

• Share and discuss existing lessons
• What worked?
• What could be improved?
• Search for new lessons, ideas, resources
• www.sasinschool.com/portal
• www.learnnc.org
• Identify what students will say and do to
  demonstrate mastery
• Anticipate student responses

9
Prepare for the Observation

• Identify observers and knowledgeable other
• Decide who will observe whom
• Review guidelines (handout)
• Review lesson plan, worksheets (handout)
• Arrange classroom

10
Teach and observe the lesson

• Observers
• Knowledgeable others
• Student Pairs
• Navigator/recorder
• Driver

11
Stream Ecology

• What are the effects of different pollutants on a
  stream and its inhabitants?
• How would you rank the following pollutants from
  most harmful to least harmful?
• Raw sewage
• Treated sewage
• Milk
• Animal waste

12
Vocabulary

• Abiotic versus biotic factors
• Carrying capacity
• Dissolved oxygen
• BOD

13
Debrief

• Review guidelines (handout)
• Teacher
• Planning team members
• Observers
• Knowledgeable others

14
Reflect and plan next steps

• What did we learn about the lesson?
• What did we learn about lesson study?
• How will we share what weve learned?
• How we will celebrate our work?

15
Resources

• Results Fieldbook Practical Strategies from
  Dramatically Improved Schools
• Lesson Study A Handbook for Teacher-Led
  Instructional Change
• Lesson Study Tools for Schools
• Lesson Study Group at Mills College
• Lesson Study Research Group at Teachers College