Sustaining System and School Improvement

72. Case Management Meetings (CMMs) are ‘terrific Professional Development (PD) for all teachers’

Secondary Science Teacher, Josh Dennis, says it all: Case Management Meetings (CMMs) are ‘terrific Professional Development (PD) for all teachers’. When Data Walls lead to CMMs everyone learns – to express ideas, share instructional strategies, and gather the ‘just right resources’ needed. There must be time during the school day for teachers and leaders to come together at CMMs – and the results are in: students grow and achieve when all teachers know how to teach all students!

71. Lyn interviewing Geoff McManus

In this interview, Principal Geoff McManus talks about the success of the CLARITY Learning Suite which has helped his staff in their ongoing professional development.

70. The Clarity Learning Suite

Conversation with Jim Coutts about The Clarity Learning Suite. A web-based Professional Learning resource for teachers, leaders and support staff in systems, schools and classrooms who want to learn how to focus on ALL FACES of our learners to increase their growth and achievement. Register your interest: www.claritylearningsuite.com

69. Classrooms as Canvases of Learning’

Lyn is speaking with Principal Frank Dame , Macs – Eastern Region, Victoria - who reflects on ‘what has changed’ since he and his staff began the CLARITY journey some years ago. Listen in while Frank gives a detailed account of what classrooms have become and how Learning Walks and Talks for teachers, leaders and parents have made ‘classrooms as canvases of learning’ a reality. Graphics related to this conversation can be found at my Instagram site. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CTE1PXqnx6c/

68. Principal Learning Teams

All ‘Learning Teams’ work when they are organic and begin with co-constructed Operating Norms and Protocols that point to the commitment of the members. In this FF session, Karilyn Gumley, Consultant with MACS, Victoria, Australia discusses Principal Learning Teams with me (CLARITY, 2019, Chapter 9, pp 323-329).All ‘Learning Teams’ of teachers and leaders are powerful and dynamic when they have clear, purposeful visions and explicit support for each member’s Collaborative Inquiry questions.

67. Everyone is an Instructional leader!

Everyone is an Instructional leader! We must all know the ‘look-fors’ of quality teaching and learning – and see them in every classroom, K-12. When everyone is a leader, they know the importance of using the CLARITY Tools to be consistent, persistent and insistent that quality assessment practices inform differentiated instruction in every classroom. Have a listen as Consultant Kerry Bratby, from Melbourne Archdiocese – Eastern Region, asks me about Instructional Leadership.

66. Lyn explores daily Learning Walks and Talks

In an Interview with Carol Grinsted, MACS, Victoria, Lyn explores daily Learning Walks and Talks (LWTs) as an instructional leadership tool for both leaders and teachers to use to move from ‘pockets of excellent practice’ to ‘school-wide excellence in classroom practice’.LWTs are powerful when used as a non-evaluative tool to grow practice in every school and system. The 5 questions are useful in collecting data on how well students are taking ownership of their learning. They also inform leaders’ and teachers’ next steps in staff members’ Professional Learning.

65. What is the difference between growth and evaluation?

Lyn explores a frequently-asked interview question: ‘What is the difference between growth and evaluation?’ Without getting too technical or scientific, Lyn explains how both are valuable when evaluation informs growth and the next steps for instruction.

64. CLARITY Research of Alma Harris

Lyn has been inspired by the CLARITY work that is happening in Secondary Schools right across Wales. Researching alongside this work is Dr. Alma Harris and her team from Swansea University. Alma shares the initial findings from this research. Lyn is looking forward to continuing this CLARITY work.

63. St. Joseph’s Wauchope

Leaders and teachers at St. Joseph’s Wauchope, Lismore, NSW, AU share the way they most appreciate giving and getting Descriptive Feedback. For them, Learning Walks and Talks (CLARITY, 2019, pp. 327-335) have become their positive ‘Data Collection Tool’ to receive Descriptive Feedback at ‘Lunch & Learn’ sessions and to take action to become even more precise in their practice – because they know the impactful relationship between the 5 Questions and Assessment Literacy.