Using Blogging to Connect, Learn, and Magnify Teacher Voice

In the coming weeks and months, The Fund will feature blogs from teachers in the Next Generation Instructional Design network. They will share their journey, their ideas, and their collaborative work related to being in the network and with building units of study with LDC modules embedded. Today, we’ll hear from Renee Boss about why blogging is important for teachers and how it can be used to improve connections, learning, and practice.

By: Renee Boss

In today’s connected world, teachers no longer go all summer without connecting with each other, using social media (Twitter, Voxer, Blogs, Facebook). Rather, teachers learn from their personal learning networks (PLN) year-round. Even with frequent formal and informal connections, let’s consider specifically what we can learn from one another through blogging. Blogs are excellent resources for helping us connect, learn, grow, and magnify our voices. 

When our Marketing Communications Manager at The Fund asked me to write this post, I initially thought “no problem--I blog, I support bloggers, and I read blogs all the time--I’ll pull this post off in no time at all.” Wrong. What I found is that there are so many blogs I enjoy it was hard to pare it down into the size of one readable blog post about educators blogging. After days of considering my options, I determined that I would allow myself only four slots under three categories (learn, magnify voice, and connect). The blogs listed below are the ones I return to regularly, and there are many more I could have included. Do you have favorite educator blogs? Please share!

Blogs for learning

The New York Times Learning Network 

With the editor of this blog (Katherine Schulten) having a long experience in education and regular contributing bloggers being teachers, you can count on the NYT Learning Network blog for daily resources for teaching and learning. You will find lesson plans connected to reading the NYT (valuable for all subject areas), questions for writing and discussion and opportunities to join the conversations by commenting on posts. Personally, I have utilized The New York Times in my work with high school students and college students because the resources are free, the topics are timely, and it’s also a great resource for staying current on issues in our country and world.

CoolCat Teacher

For years now I have been following the work of Vicki Davis from Camilla, Georgia. As a leading educator in technology and blogging, you can count on Vicki’s blog for resources on a plethora of topics, especially technology. A few years ago I met her at an education conference and she shared the story of the title of her blog coming from students who thought she was a cool teacher and the school’s mascot were the cats, so her blog became CoolCat Teacher. She’s been all over the world speaking and inspiring fellow educators and she still teaches in South Georgia and shares her expertise with all of us.

Kevin’s Meandering Mind
Kevin Hodgson writes about technology, digital literacy, jazz, connected educators, and teaching middle schoolers. His posts are witty, informative, and innovative. Read his blog to learn new ideas for teaching students at any grade and be inspired by his level-headed approach to education.

Partnerships in Learning
A blog written by Tricia Shelton, a Kentucky teacher and connected educator, offers inspiration for learning and sharing through a lens of science for all students. Tricia engages other teachers as learners exploring the Next Generation Science Standards, and she believes science should be exciting and accessible for all students. 

Blogs for magnifying voices

Getting Smart

Another site I’ve followed for years is Getting Smart. Here you find innovative ideas for teaching and learning in blogs written by teachers and journalists alike. All positive ideas for reimagining learning and sharing the voices of teachers as leaders. Coincidentally, I re-connected with a fellow Piedmont College graduate through his blog on Getting Smart. Our liberal arts college Masters in Teaching program served us well because we both maintain forward thinking ideas for teaching/learning and education reform. Check out all the innovative blogs on Getting Smart and access John’s contributions here.

Teaching Channel 

Teaching Channel started with videos but I’m finding more and more blogs by teachers as another way for teachers to share their ideas about teaching and learning. Sometimes the blogs connect with the videos (another great resource for learning) and sometimes the blogs stand alone on topics relevant to the time of the school year or to issues in public education.

Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension

In this popular blog, teacher Pernille Ripp shares thoughts on teaching and student voice. I’ve always believed one of the major reasons teachers should be sharing their voice is because they are some of the best advocates for students. Ripp believes students have the right to raise a ruckus when education being given to them is not working. I couldn’t agree more, and I also believe teachers and parents have the same right. Let’s raise our voices & do so with the tips Ripp offers--with kindness, empathy and persistence. Together, we can make a difference in education.

Impatient Optimists: Education

The blog for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation frequently features teacher bloggers. My personal experiences working with the BMGF and with other teachers across the country working with them have been top notch. They listen. They learn. They support and encourage. They value teachers’ voices as experts in the field of education, and I couldn't agree more. Teachers know what students need to be successful in life.

Blogs for connecting

KYEdvolution

This teacher generated site hosts information for teachers in Kentucky wishing to connect with one another for optimal student learning. Visit to learn more about professional learning opportunities, to learn about Kentucky teacher blogs, and to add your voice to the change making happening in our state.

Literacy Design Collaborative Blog (LDC)

LDC provides tools for classroom teachers seeking to ensure students graduate college and career ready. The LDC instructional design system helps us think about the learning experiences we provide for students. LDC’s blog provides updates on information related to the tools and also shares educator perspectives on the usefulness of the tools for improved student learning. If you use the LDC tools or even if you don’t (yet), following the blog provides a great way to learn and stay connected.

Center for Teaching Quality

Established by a non-profit organization over a decade ago, CTQ created the collaboratory for teachers to blog and connect with one another around topics of interest. Not only do they have the larger collaboratory, they also have smaller groups (called labs). Lab topics range from advocacy to leadership to sharing professional expertise. One of my personal favorites is the lab on Teacher Powered Schools.

National Blogging Collaborative

Created by teachers for teachers, this service oriented blog offers various services to teachers, including free writing coaching by fellow educator bloggers. The NBC encourages more teachers to blog and share their perspective on issues in education. Check out the site and start your own blogging journey today!

How This CEO Thinks About Teachers

By: Barbara Bellissimo

I hated school. I was smart, didn’t have to study, and was easily bored. I did not appreciate most of my teachers. Part of the reason I got into this work was to help transform the system to keep every student engaged and excited about learning.

During this Teacher Appreciation Week, I looked back on my own journey through the public education system. Here are the teachers that made an impact--positively and negatively--on me:

• In first grade, Mrs. Fox used to smack our hands with rulers when we misbehaved.
• In fifth grade, Miss Barre had the most deadly aim I’ve ever seen with an eraser.
• In ninth grade, Mrs. Sullivan told me that she thought I could handle calculus in senior year, but I’d have to take geometry over the summer (I did).
• In tenth grade, Mrs. Yandle encouraged us to direct plays in Spanish (among tons of other fun stuff).
• In twelfth grade, Mr. Baldwin (father of Alec) told me that I shouldn’t tolerate Cosmopolitan magazine covers because they objectified women.

I also look around at my work now, I see way more Mrs. Yandles and Mr. Baldwins than I do Miss Barres. It’s my honor to support so many teachers across Kentucky who realize the impact they can have on every child. In my short time here, two years this August, I have had the honor of working with so many terrific teachers. Here are just a few:

• Elizabeth Lovett, an elementary music teacher in Knox County, who is developing a program to get more retired educators involved as mentors for 2nd-4th year teachers in public schools.
• Eddie Mullins, a high school English teacher in Fayette County, who’s working with a group of KY teachers across the state to develop common units of study with a similar group of teachers in Colorado.
• MeMe Ratliff, a physical education teacher in Jefferson County, who has inspired and empowered hundreds of teachers across the state to come together to elevate and celebrate each others’ work.
• Natalie McCutchen, a middle school Math teacher in Simpson County, who’s stepping out of her comfort zone exploring standards based teaching.
• Jennifer Montgomery, a high school teacher at Eminence Independent Schools, who asked me to come in and teach her students how to raise money for a trip to Nicaragua to help fellow students there. They had a great trip.

I’m sure that you know some pretty great teachers, too. Please click here and tell us about them. We’d like to make sure the rest of the state knows about them too!

Leadership through Educational Technology

By: Taylor Clements

The recent jumps in accessibility and affordability of amazing technological devices has made its way to the Kentucky education system. However, as with most large shifts in organizational environments, adapting to these changes has been sluggish or non-existent, especially in large, decentralized organizations. As educational leaders begin to move in the right direction, they are relying on classroom teachers to help determine the vision for the tech-friendly learning environment.

As part of this movement, many teacher-leaders across Kentucky are working to ensure the effective use of technology in classrooms. I have been doing this primarily at Atherton High School in Jefferson County Public Schools. This includes working with other teachers on integrating a large amount of resources as tools to increase pedagogy and collaboration between teachers. There are great resources that allow teachers to raise rigor, engagement, and collaboration at a structural level in schools. I try to provide teachers with a working knowledge of the technological resources so that they can use them effectively in their own content classes. These efforts have not been limited to my district.

In February, I represented my school at a national conference in San Francisco, CA (the College Preparatory Mathematics National Conference) to continue leading teachers in integrating technology at the classroom level. Following this national conference, I worked with another JCPS educator to lead workshops at the Kentucky Society for Technology in Education (KYSTE) spring conference in Louisville. Our sessions discussed not only the effective use of collaborative media in the classroom, but on how district leaders should approach 1:1 learning initiatives. Both sessions were well-received and connected us to other teachers around the state.

There are many other educators in Kentucky who have found their niche in leading educational technology in schools. Especially with many generations of teachers in our schools, the need for professional development on using these devices is paramount. As more educators become familiar with the effective use of the latest classroom technology, we can begin taking our schools to more innovative and amazing places.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Engaging Students and Improving Instruction Using One Tool

By: Leslie Bartow

For eight years, I taught 8th grade Social Studies and served as 8th grade team leader in middle school. For four years, I was an Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) Council member who had the privilege of interviewing and hiring two principals. I have served on various school committees; culture, discipline, data, PLC’s, and teaming. As 8th grade Social Studies teacher, I worked in a PLC with the social studies departments at both middle schools. As part of our PLC, we dove into analyzing data to drive our instruction. A huge part of that was the implementation of gradecam, an online multiple choice grading system. Because gradecam immediately grades multiple choice questions, feedback for teachers and students was immediate. Therefore, students did not have to wait for days to receive feedback from their teachers. Teachers could use feedback to make instructional changes on the spot and have intentional conversations with students about their progress. Also, it made the sharing of data with other teachers of the same content quick and easy, which created a culture of using data for instructional purpose, focused on improvement, not a just a wasted planning period of talking but no doing.

For the past school year, I have moved into a new role, curriculum specialist at a K-5 elementary school. My role includes various responsibilities, from co-teaching and modeling lessons in classrooms, to analyzing data to help make needed instructional changes, to mentoring teachers. Soon after my arrival, we integrated using gradecam with our 2-5 grade levels. This has allowed us to really use data in our instruction with students. Teachers are able to quickly grade assessments so that more time can be used for instruction because results and feedback is immediate. For students, it allows for conversation about progressing and really understanding the content, rather than getting a letter grade.

Students get excited about knowing and seeing their progress. They also now discuss their grades and their progress by looking at the item analysis and overall class percentages. It creates a positive classroom environment because the students are engaging with the teacher about what instructional changes need to be made. Gradecam is an excellent resource to allow for improved instruction and student engagement. 

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Innovation Competition Winner Creates New School Model

By: Abby Terranova

Parents of elementary students in Louisville, Kentucky, will have a new choice in education this fall thanks to teacher leaders Abby Terranova, Jessica Forst, Adrianne Moore, and Jennifer Nelson. This team of young teachers created a plan for a new school that was the winning entry in the Jefferson County Public Schools District of Innovation Competition.

On schedule to be operational for the 2015-2016 academic year, Maupin Elementary: A Catalpa Model School will strive to meet the academic needs of each unique child through a balance of art, music, drama, movement, and experiences in nature. Teachers will follow an alternative curriculum timeline, and instructional work will come when children are developmentally prepared to achieve specific academic goals. The Catalpa Model seeks to bring warmth and joy to education, building a community to support each student as a whole person, and meeting them where their needs are.

Maupin Elementary: A Catalpa Model School will blend Waldorf tradition with the Kentucky Core Academic Standards, building each child’s capacity to think creatively and critically, understand and manage emotion, and work in a focused and willing manner. The daily rhythm will include an arts and movement infused, standards-based main lesson. Each afternoon, students will work to develop practical skills in classes such as gardening, foreign language, folk dancing, or handwork. Parent education and community outreach will expand the Catalpa program far beyond the walls of the school and into the Parkland neighborhood. Teachers will be given very clear instruction in the restorative justice approach to behavior management, seeking to heal relationships and increase tolerance and reciprocity within the community. Children and families will be encouraged to treat the school facility as a community center, and welcomed to participate in a wide variety of extra programs and services.

The school is now a member of the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education, a national organization that works to promote and support the development of high quality public Waldorf education. The Alliance’s focus is the strengthening of the Waldorf community by enlivening the movement and making the development-based education model accessible for all. The Waldorf method is one that has long been employed by public school teachers in Louisville, largely supported by Kentahten Teacher Training, who will also be offering The Catalpa Model’s professional development.

The Jefferson County Public Schools District of Innovation Competition began in 2013 with an open application, originally receiving nearly 80 ideas for implementation. Through three rounds of competition, and a series of presentations to community representatives and education experts, The Catalpa Model was selected by the Jefferson County Board of Education as a winner in August, 2014.

After the rigorous competition, the Catalpa team has continued to work with the Jefferson County Public Schools Cabinet and Jefferson County Teachers Association to an unprecedented degree.

For more information, please email: maupin.innovation@jefferson.kyschools.us

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Alone we can do so Little, Together we can do so Much

By: Leah Turner

I am no stranger to education. I grew up the daughter of an assistant superintendent and high school guidance counselor, and the granddaughter of an elementary teacher. I have spent 23 1/2 years in education, first as an aide and then spending the last 22 years in the classroom. I hold several leadership certificates, including a K-12 principalship. I am currently serving as a seventh grade writing teacher.

My style of leadership lends itself to the phrase "it takes a village". One person can have a great idea but if your staff doesn't buy in, then it is just an idea. Education is a collaborative effort among all members in a school. In order for everyone to be successful within a school, all have to contribute. My home school has done just that this past year. We have pioneered an RTI program complete with monitored data to support our efforts to bring our students to proficiency.

Our students begin their preschool years behind students in urban areas. This deficiency is not easily overcome. We are providing every student in our building with an extra 25 focussed minutes in reading and math each day. The fall and winter MAP scores reflected that our efforts are making a difference. Every teacher in our building has become a leader this year to facilitate this change.

The idea of teaching two more classes met with some opposition at the beginning of the year, but teachers soon found that the students’ needs were great and the teacher spirit kicked in to help our students. Our job is to make a better way for our students and to that end, we set our course. Even though the Enrichment and Tier 1 classes tend to be large, the teachers for those groups find ways to challenge their students. Tier 2 and Tier 3 teachers have found ways to make each child feel valued and accepted, and those students reciprocate by giving their best in class, and on assessments.

Our school purchased grade level materials at the beginning of the year for us to use, but when your students aren’t on grade level, you must find or develop resources. Those of us who teach Tier 2 and Tier 3 have sought out resources to help our students be successful. It has been quite rewarding to see students’ scores improving from fall to winter. We hope to see that trend continue with the spring scores and students’ attitudes toward their learning continue to shine.

I hope that I always remember that education never pivots around one person but around our colleagues and most of all our students. This experience reminds me of a meaningful statement from Helen Keller: "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Bread Loaf Teacher Network

By: Christopher McCurry

The Bread Loaf Teacher Network (BLTN) is a community of teachers, students, and administrators affiliated with the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. Supported during the academic year by Bread Loaf staff and faculty, its primary goal is to encourage year-round collaboration among Bread Loaf teachers, faculty, and their students on innovative projects designed to promote culturally sensitive and transformative literacies. 

Kentucky BLTN, plans, organizes, and hosts bi-annual meetings that connect students and high school teachers with an international community of educators and peers, as well as showcases the collaborative projects designed by BLTN teachers and students. These projects are the heart of the network and the focus of the partnership between the C.E. & S. foundation, which provides generous fellowships to Kentucky teachers each year to attend the Bread Loaf School of English.

We are proud to say that several of our collaborations have received local, state, and national attention as innovative ways to teach standards and assess students. Brent Peters and Paul Barnwell of Fern Creek collaborated with their colleagues and the Navajo Nation to explore food literacy. Their ongoing partnership culminated in the creation of the Navajo Kentuckians. Other projects have included, student constructed community performances, and an online journal seeking to connect students through the idea of home.

BLTN is open to all teachers and students of literacy, no matter the subject or grade level. Educators interested in joining will find energetic, hardworking, student-centered network. Yearly projects are planned in the summer and implemented throughout the school year. The next Kentucky Bread Loaf Teacher Network meeting will be May 16th. If you’d like to attend contact Christopher McCurry: christopher.mccurry@fayette.kyschools.us.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Engaging Students To Emerge Successful

By Jeff Sorce

ESTES Leaders, A new college and career readiness program is being implemented at Estes Elementary School in Owensboro, KY. The purpose of ESTES (Engaging Students To Emerge Successful) Leaders is to expose students to different industries and lead them to college and career paths based on their experiences.

Students will be exposed to the following industry areas: public health, education, agriculture, media relations, public safety, tourism, entrepreneurship, advanced manufacturing and trades, and STEM. By traveling to and participating in hands-on activities in these industries, students will be enlightened on what each arena has to offer.

Funded through a special Innovation Grant through the Kentucky Board of Education, this is an innovative way to discuss career paths with the students. They will experience real life situations and present those situations to others. It is our belief that elementary students need to think about how they will become college and career ready by the time they graduate from high school. By introducing them to these various areas, students will start to develop their own career path and show others, including peers and community members, what steps they will take to achieve those goals.

Our students need to have these experiences and and learn these skills to level the playing field, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty. Our students need to see the possibilities and what they can start doing now, at the elementary level, to become successful in those areas. In a recent 2013 survey of parents at Estes Elementary, only 17% graduated high school, and only 6 out of 387 respondents (.01%) had some college experience. This program is designed to allow students to learn how to begin with the end in mind so they can be first generation college graduates.

All teachers in the fourth grade level will be collaborating to meet project needs. In the beginning there will be 24 students participating in this program. These students will be creating Problem-Based Learning projects for all students in fourth grade to eventually participate. Additionally, every teacher and student in the school will be impacted because these 24 student leaders will present their experiences and planned college/career paths to the entire student/teacher body.

The culmination of this project will be a community wide job fair that will be held, where the 24 students will present their findings and experiences. At this fair, adult members of the community will have an opportunity to interview and receive job placements with our community partners working with our program.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Connect: A Food Literacy Program that Supports Struggling Readers & Writers

By: Ashley Lamb-Sinclair, NBCT

Students who struggle with reading and writing have an especially difficult time in high school because there is little research about adolescent literacy. In my experience, schools turn to tired, ineffective programs that primarily target the literacy needs of much younger children. As a result, teenagers who already feel disengaged from school feel even more disengaged and frustrated because they are forced through endless hours of futile assessments and humiliating progress monitoring.

My school, which hosts primarily successful students, has also neglected to meet the needs of a small group of struggling readers and writers. Now we are motivated to remedy this issue and address the needs of those students without relying on old measures that have been proven ineffective.

Last summer I met a talented educator, Brent Peters, from Fern Creek High School in Louisville, KY who created a Food Literacy course that engages students through high-interest thematic units based around gardening, cooking, and food culture. A colleague, an administrator, and I went to observe his program and walked away with ideas for creating a model that worked for our school. Now we are developing a combination of collaborative courses to teach reading and writing to struggling learners in ways that engage, rather than frustrate and stifle them.

Our program is called Connect and currently focuses primarily on one sophomore English course modeled after the Food Literacy course at Fern Creek. The class mission is to reconnect struggling students with the school community using the principles of true learning—creativity, critical thinking, engagement, curiosity, community, empathy, purpose, passion, and play—and to guide students in building confidence to take responsibility for their own learning. In addition, we will use backwards design to create a curriculum focused on ACT literacy skills—both literal and inferential questioning, and analyzing an author’s approach, supporting details, sequential, comparative, or cause and effect relationships, meanings of words, and generalizations and conclusions. Because research regarding adolescent literacy has noted that many struggling learners have little experience with complex texts, our classroom materials will be those of literary merit, and we will scaffold our lessons to make these texts more approachable for students. Most importantly, our classroom model will employ thematic units guided by student interest and need, that engage through hands-on and project-based learning. We will build a garden together and plan classroom community meals, then use the garden and meals to create questions together that guide our units, our reading materials, and our writing tasks.

The timeline for building the program begins this spring by identifying students, interviewing and observing them, creating interdisciplinary summer literacy initiatives and meeting with parents. We will also build the garden and assign students a summer schedule for caring for the garden. This summer, we will conduct home visits in order to learn as much as we can about who our students are as individuals, rather than simply their scores on paper. We will also launch a jumpstart camp at the beginning of the school year in order to build community and work in the garden together, so that we can hit the ground running on the first day of school.

In the future, we will expand our program to include both a freshman and junior English class and other classes in various disciplines as well. Ideally, we would love to see our program grow to include other schools in our district and state as well.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Leading from Beside: What I’ve Learned from Lauren Hill

By: Angela Gunter

Teaching is my passion, and I am one of those people who want to be involved in shaping the profession I love so much. Consequently, I am frequently surrounded by other passionate educators who share my drive. I have had incredible opportunities and been blessed to work with many talented, passionate teacher leaders. None, however, have had such a professional influence on me than Lauren Hill, teacherpreneur and AP English teacher at Western Hills High School in Frankfort, Kentucky. Knowing Lauren as I do, she would be shocked to know what an impact she’s had on my career.

I met Lauren years ago at an AP English Summer Institute and noted how she had incredible questions, ones that we were all contemplating but did not have the nerve (or insight) to ask. She later shared with me that she was afraid she was being a nuisance, but she needed to know the answers. In the next few years, I was with Lauren at various trainings and was always struck with how friendly, inclusive, and reflective she was. She conducted an AP student study session at my school for students and was questioning herself, concerned whether she’d done a good enough job. A couple of years later, she conducted a Laying the Foundation training I attended, and, once again, she confided in me that she was worried about how participants were receiving her lessons. She was incredibly engaging and knowledgeable—I couldn’t believe she had such concerns. I realized then that one of Lauren’s strengths was her worry, her conscientious nature. She always wanted to be better, to improve, to not let her participants down. Basically, she CARED!

She encouraged me to become a trainer for LTF, and I did. Now I am invited to teach students and teachers across the nation. Lauren also asked me to join a group called the Center for Teaching Quality, and I did. She invited me to a CTQ conference in North Carolina. Lauren works with many talented teachers, and for her to recognize me, to see me as a teacher leader, was empowering. As a result of my work with CTQ, I have worked with teachers from across the state and across the nation on teacher leadership projects. She also hosted a webinar to help teachers craft proposals for the Teach to Lead conference recently held in Kentucky, and her input helped me turn my idea into a plan. Lauren’s newest project is working with a group of National Board Certified teachers from across the state, and because of her inspiration, I am conducting a similar project next year. When I asked her for suggestions, I was not surprised when she offered her time, resources, and once again, her enthusiastic encouragement.

Lauren Hill leads from beside. She recognizes potential in others and includes them in her journey. We are lucky in Kentucky that dedicated educators are able to pursue leadership opportunities while remaining in the classroom. Lauren and a handful of other teacherprenuers are reshaping and redefining our profession so we can follow in their footsteps and lead while not giving up the most important part of our jobs—our kids. I am confident that her work will represent what teacher leaders can accomplish when given such authority.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Data Notebooks in the Classroom offer Student Voice Avenue

By: Elizabeth Lovett

As an itinerant teacher, I am able to see teacher leadership in six elementary schools. One positive example of teacher leadership is found at my home school which is the only school in my district that scored proficient for this year’s cycle. This school year, the Leader in Me program was implemented, which promotes awareness of leadership potential in all students.

Two teachers, second grade teacher Lea Ann Hammons, and fourth grade teacher Beverly Hensley, used a data notebook tool prior to the “Leader in Me” implementation. Now all faculty members are using these data notebooks as part of the Leader in Me program.. There are three sections in the notebook. One section is for data (test scores), the second is a "brag" section where the student places the work they have chosen, and the third section is where their goals are located. The students and parents are able to track progress and set goals, and it gives an awareness of their status. The data notebook enables the students and parents to talk about ways to improve or enhance their learning.

Lea Ann Hammons designed the data page for the notebook. MAP scores of each content area are given a data page that is broken into Fall, Winter, and Spring sections. The student’s score is placed on this page and the student then writes their reflection on what they would like to improve or work on to raise their score. With the intermediate grades, there is a section for the student to self-reflect on what content areas they feel they are the strongest in and in what content areas they need to improve. These are reflected upon and edited every 9 weeks.

In the intermediate grades (3-6), the students conference with parents using the data notebooks. The teacher’s role in the conference is to be there as a resource while the student leads the conference in explaining the data notebook to their parents. In the lower elementary grades (K-2) the teachers lead the conference with the student's input on their data notebook.

I believe that data notebooks can be implemented into any classroom as a way to promote student voice through self-reflection and development of their leadership skills.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Teacher Voice through Focus Notes

By: Jan Horn & Travis Marcum

Every teacher has a voice but having that voice heard is sometimes a challenge in our busy educational lives. Teachers have a multitude of ideas and concerns, and other than speaking to our close colleagues, those thoughts stay swirling in our minds without ever reaching the outside corridors in order to spark positive change. Having an avenue to share Teacher Voice with all stakeholders is crucial in implementing a coherent work environment that is conducive to learning for all students and staff.

With that charge being given, Travis Marcum and I decided to call a meeting with our superintendent, building principal, and district technology staff in order to brainstorm avenues for possible teacher voice platforms. Travis and I both knew that the platform must be easily accessed and easily navigated in order for teachers to not feel overwhelmed by one more thing to do. We also mulled over ideas on how to set norms for the voice topics so ideas posted would bring about positive change and not a gripe session of issues out of our control. Then, with a stroke of good luck, the Fayette County Kentucky Learning Center faculty was in the building that same day conducting a walk-through to address any issues we were having with a current system we were already piloting. This eOS system is called “Transformations” and is a software used to record students’ employable skills throughout the school day. The creators of this unique system were invited to sit in our meeting and the discussion exploded!

The room of stakeholders quickly realized that we already had a system that would serve our purposes successfully. The Transformations software could be used to create "focus notes" for teachers to collaborate regularly and conveniently. Travis and I were eager to move forward with this idea as every teacher in our building was already using the system and were comfortable with it, thus meeting two of our concerns for sharing teacher voice. The superintendent wanted to learn more and was eager to have himself and other district support staff added to the unique feature the system calls focus notes.

Since this meeting, we have added content groups within the focus notes, a way to organize comments so that teachers can easily access a note to their content areas to share their voices. Through this system, teachers are also able to store conversations as well as check off the common core standards for PGES that meet the confines of the discussion, the things that were accomplished or resolved.

Even though we found a great avenue for teacher voice through focus notes, there is still much work to be accomplished. The system is constantly updating which gives teachers some anxiety. Furthermore, teachers feel overwhelmed with the many focus notes that come through daily, both from teachers and students. Therefore, our next steps to improve are to encourage teachers in our building to share the many awesome things going on in their classrooms so that the rest of the school and all stakeholders can celebrate and borrow their fantastic ideas.

Teacher voice and leadership are the changes that must take place to nurture and ensure student achievement and teacher morale in this new day of public education. Let the change begin.

For more information, contact Jan Horn or Travis Marcum.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

A Modern Definition of Teacher Leader

By: Pennye Rogers, NBCT and Hope Street Fellow

The term ‘teacher leader’ elicits the connotation of an experienced educator who has left the classroom to accomplish ‘bigger and better’ things. Such a teacher leader might testify before congress concerning education reform, become a consultant to schools and districts in need of improvement, or even write textbooks better suited for student learning. The position of teacher leader is often understood to be above that of a regular teacher and exists outside of the classroom. That may have been the old stereotype but the modern teacher leader is actually much different.

A teacher leader is a dedicated, accomplished teacher, one who cares first and foremost about students. This teacher goes out of their way to help all students gain the skill set needed for success not just in the classroom but in college, career, and life. This teacher also is a mentor to other teachers; sharing their own expertise to help others to become more effective educators. Therefore, all who associate with this accomplished teacher leader benefit as do all of their students. A teacher leader is involved in many things outside of their normal teaching job that affect education policy or decisions. Some teacher leaders work only part time in the classroom and take on what is called a hybrid role. However, all teacher leaders still maintain focus on what is good for students. These teachers serve on committees at the local, state, or even national level to support teaching and learning. They give of their free time to promote education reform that will benefit all students. As busy as these teachers are, they are available to students and colleagues to assist them as needed. Daily, a teacher leader’s contributions to the school, district and state most often go unrecognized. Teacher leaders are not in it for the glory, and certainly not the pay, but to make the world a better place - one student at a time. I am proud to know and work with such a teacher leader.

Jeff Stamps, a Social Studies teacher at Todd County Central High School, is a 27-year veteran teacher. To Jeff, there is no job more important than providing the best education possible for his students. He has taken on curriculum reform in the social studies area and works closely with his department to make certain that all students are taught the appropriate curriculum to master the standards. He frequently travels to Frankfort to meet with state legislators and has met with national leaders in Washington, DC to promote positive education reform. He calls himself an ‘education voter’ and maintains focus on what is best for students and not a particular party. Yet, he is always available to work with his students, offering tutoring sessions before and after school nearly every day. Jeff is a mentor to other teachers as well as to his students. Through his dedication and leadership, our school has risen in their state testing from low in the ranks to the top 9% in the state. Even though he teaches in a small school in a rural community, Jeff has made the name of our school known across the state. Jeff is the epitome of a modern teacher leader in KY.


This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Collaborative Learning for Students and Teachers

​By: Tyler Murphy

“Collaborative learning” is growing ever more popular in the pedagogical lexicon and educators are often eager to incorporate it in their lessons and classrooms. But, like most concepts we hurriedly use with our students, teachers would do well to reflect on applying collaborative learning to ourselves—in our professional  community and in the learning environment of which we are all a part.

Teachers can benefit immensely from collaborative learning—substantive collaboration that extends beyond mandatory participation in PLC or team meetings. While we are quick to look for outside help and resources to enhance teaching and strengthen learning in our classrooms, we often ignore that our most valuable assets are the women and men with whom we work every day.

At Woodford County Middle School, some teachers have worked to capitalize on the knowledge, skill, and experience of our colleagues. To create a truly collaborative environment, it is important that we understand what is going on inside of each other’s classroom, both from a curriculum standpoint and from a pedagogical perspective.

First is the emphasis on curricular collaboration. Teachers can encourage critical thinking and hone transferable skills by demonstrating to students the concepts they discuss throughout multiple classes are integrally connected. The content we examine in Social Studies, for example, can readily link to concepts and skills addressed in Language Arts. To capitalize on this connection, a Language Arts teacher and I partnered on a cross-curricular unit in which the students designed their own country, creating population data, a constitution and form of government, and regional characteristics. In so doing, they applied their knowledge of population, government, and geography to demonstrate their learning of the Social Studies content. But we didn’t stop there: the students also designed a flag, national anthem, and speech to present their country to the world, emphasizing the Language Arts concepts of imagery, argumentative appeals, and the use of symbols. Finally, the capstone of the project was a simulated United Nations, in which the students came together (i.e., “collaborative learning”) as ambassadors of their self-designed countries to solve global crises in their fictional world, writing and voting on resolutions.

The project covered a wide realm of Social Studies and Language Arts content and it was something the students (not to mention their teachers!) truly enjoyed. As we were planning to repeat the project this year, we realized that there is no reason the project should be isolated to Social Studies and Language Arts. Collaboration with the Science teachers revealed that the students’ countries would be perfect to use during a weather unit, in which students have to determine weather patterns for a specific latitude and longitude (coordinates they had already established as part of their project in Social Studies). Now, we had students creating weather forecasts for their countries. Additionally, the Math teachers recognized the value of the population statistics and data students had to create for their countries and incorporated these in their lessons on graphs and linear formulas.

What started as a two-class activity became a multi-disciplinary activity that demonstrated to students the relevance of, and the connections among, the content they explore in each of their classes. Isn’t that how the “real world” works, anyway? And by working together and aligning our content, the teachers modeled to students what collaboration looks like and how it is beneficial.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

TwitterChats for Education

By Tiffany Engels

Social Media tools have made it easier for parents and teachers to connect. Many teachers and administrators have been using Twitter to increase parent and community involvement. Geniene Delahunty, an ESL teacher In Northern Kentucky, and her colleagues have been implementing TwitterChats in the Boone County School District. Geniene is one of the moderators of Parent Teacher Chat (#PTchat) that occur every Wednesday night. She recognized that Twitter could be an alternative way for parents and teachers to collaborate and share resources. It helps all involved to better assist in educating children.

TwitterChats for education are occurring every day and can be extremely beneficial and informative. But how do you take part in a TwitterChat? First, you have to find a chat that you’re interested in and the hashtag (#) it is associated with. According to The Journal in 2013 some popular chats that every educator should check out are #edchat, #edtechchat, #tlap, #ptchat, #flipclass, and more. In Kentucky, you can get involved by following the #kyedchat. It is held on Thursdays from 8-9pm. Next, determine the time the chat takes place. For example, the #PTchat conversation is on Wednesday nights at 9PM. Third, type the hashtag into the Twitter search bar. And last, join in!

The Fund for Transforming Education in Kentucky’s Innovative Teacher Leader Cohort defined a teacher leader as lifelong learners leading the way to student and teacher achievement through diverse strategies, innovation, collaboration, and advocacy. Innovation was defined as an ongoing process of implementing positive change to creatively engage all stakeholders. Boone County teacher Geniene Delahunty exemplifies our definition of innovation in teacher leadership. She uses diverse strategies in the form of social media for parent communication to increase her learning and to implement positive change creatively. She has also inspired me to begin to use Twitter professionally to increase my learning and collaboration with colleagues in a new way.

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This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

How Peer Observation Has Improved My Experience

By: Joseph Harris

Peer observation is one of the most beneficial aspects of the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES) and peer observation has impacted me as a professional. I am proud to report that recently, a piece about my experience with peer observation was featured in Kentucky Teacher.

Throughout the past several years, I have participated in several peer observations. These experiences have pushed me to grow as a teacher and I truly believe that if teachers across Kentucky are willing to open their classroom doors and allow others to learn by watching them teach and vice versa, then a powerful movement can be created. This is exactly what Ms. Connie Huff, a Biomedical teacher, did for me this school year.

Ms. Huff allowed me, an English teacher, to step inside the world of Biomedical Science and learn from a 22 year teaching veteran. Not only did I observe students analyzing a mock crime scene and designing their own experiments, I was able to participate in the different stations around the room. Ms. Huff was acting as a facilitator and I noticed that in each station, students were owning their own learning and were deeply engaged.

When I entered Ms. Huff’s classroom that day, I was looking for formative assessment ideas and classroom management techniques. I walked away with ideas for these, but I also walked away with the encouragement to find ways for my students to own their learning in my English classroom. I’ve been working on this concept since that peer observation. I stepped out of my content for a class period to observe another content area and I highly encourage others to do the same. It made a difference in the way I approach lesson planning.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Paving Pathways for World Language Instruction

By: Angie Keaton, NBCT

The mere mention of including World Language into Program Reviews and accountability can strike fear in the minds of teachers and administrators. Multiple questions arise. For example: How will we fund it? Who will teach it? How can we find the time to incorporate it into our schedules? The short answer to all of these questions is innovation.

As a Nationally Board Certified fourth grade reading/language arts teacher in my elementary school, I have already begun the process of finding ways to incorporate project based learning and world language into my instruction. At the beginning of this school year, I set out on a mission to find ways to bring the world to my eastern Kentucky students who are often isolated from exposure to other cultures.

Our E-Pal Project includes teachers in Germany, Italy, and Spain who are also enthusiastic about engaging their students with other cultures and languages. Through this project our students have had opportunities to exchange email and letters, record and exchange videos, and share information about their culture and celebrations. Students are now eager to begin an international book study/literature circle project that will culminate with Skype sessions in the coming weeks.

This is just one way to innovate with World Language instruction. As innovative educators, we must continue striving to find solutions that will help prepare our students to be college and career ready, and give them the skills necessary to be productive members of a global community.

This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

PLAN-DO-STUDY-ACT: A systems approach to PLC Meetings

By: Joanna Stevens

Our administration has made common planning time a priority at our school. All sub-PLCs are required to meet weekly. For example: All Algebra 2 teachers meet during fourth period every Tuesday. Sub-PLCs are teacher-led. While administrators and content leads are sometimes present, teachers create the agenda and guide the discussion. Unfortunately, our conversations during these meetings were not always focused on improving student learning. It was easy for our conversations to get off task and turn into gripe sessions.

One of the school’s Educational Recovery Specialists invited me to attend a “Jim Shipley Continuous Classroom Improvement” training during the summer of 2013. As a result of the meeting, I developed a modified version of Shipley’s system approach, PLAN-DO-STUDY-ACT, to strengthen our professional dialogue. 

 

To ensure congruence among all teachers and improve instruction for all students, teachers PLAN together by using the same curriculum and assessments. Teachers identify clear, high standards that will be addressed during the learning time. They identify common assessments that will measure student success with the standard. Teachers spend time discussing the curriculum framework including the unit plan, pacing guide, and essential questions.

Teachers identify what they are going to DO to accomplish their plan. They create instructional activities to engage all learners and use cross-curricular activities when beneficial. Teachers focus on high-yield effective instructional strategies that will ensure learning of the standards. Teachers identify any materials they need to ensure quality instruction.

All teachers STUDY by examining their data with their colleagues. The data varies with formative assessments, learn checks, unit exams, standardized tests, and student voice surveys. Teachers self-examine their own teaching and share things that went well and areas needing improvement in their classroom. Root causes are identified for improvement or lack of improvement. Teachers create a plus-delta concerning this learning cycle.

After analyzing our data, teachers ACT to modify our teaching practices to meet the needs evident after our data discussion. Some of the actions need to be implemented immediately, while others are used to strengthen our unit plans for the next school year.

All math sub-PLCs have utilized the PDSA template for two school years. Beginning this semester, all departments are now required to implement the PDSA process in their weekly meetings. We are currently piloting an updated version of PDSA that focuses on intentional lesson study. As a result of the PDSA process, our meetings and discussion are more collaborative and everyone contributes. The meetings are intentional and focused on improving student learning. We are reacting to our data and using more high-yield strategies to engage our students. Throughout this process, I have increased my effectiveness as a teacher leader. I have learned to motivate teachers, developed stronger communication skills, and discovered how to delegate responsibilities to others. My own instruction has improved as a result of our intentional data analysis and collaborative planning time.
 
This is a guest blog written by one of the teachers in our Innovative Teacher Leader cohort to share about an innovative teacher or practice from their area of the state. To learn more about the work happening in the Commonwealth from these Innovative Teacher Leaders, who are working to redefine teacher leadership in Kentucky, check back throughout the month of March. We’ll be sharing guest blogs all month long.

Teacher Leadership in and through ECET2KY

By: Scott Diamond

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Louisville to attend my second statewide ECET2 convening. The commute was longer, but much safer than it was last year – highways and traffic congestion beat snowdrifts and whiteout conditions any time!

I am a second-career teacher and new to teacher leadership. Last year’s statewide ECET2 convening was my first introduction to teacher leadership – so this visit was an anniversary of sorts for me.

You might be wondering what impressed me most about the convening. Many things, in fact, were impressive. The keynote speakers were inspirational, making the visit well worthwhile, even without all the other wonderful experiences. The camaraderie at meals reconnected me to the many teacher leaders who have held me up and supported me as a leader, and which reminded me of why I love teachers and am driven to teach. The content provided by the breakout sessions was incredibly useful. And lastly the advice offered by new friends in the colleague circles was supportive and sagely.

Yes, all of these experiences impressed me at the ECET2 convening. However, there is something that I have not yet mentioned that continues to impress me, which was what originally drove me to join the teacher-leader movement after last year’s ECET2 convening in Kentucky, and what fills me with hope for our future as teachers and leaders. That is seeing the Fund for Transforming Education enable MeMe Ratliff and her fellow organizers to model teacher leadership through the convening itself. The organizers of the ECET2 convening utilized new and veteran teacher leaders to lead and facilitate breakout sessions, and to create and conduct colleague circles.

The content about teacher leadership at the ECET2 Kentucky convening was great, but the examples of teacher leadership portrayed through the ECET2 convening were greater.

This is a guest post written by Dr. Scott Diamond, who currently serves as science teacher and Dean of the College of Inquiry for the Learning Center at Linlee, Fayette County Public School’s alternative program for students at risk of dropping out. K-12 education is his second career; prior to becoming a teacher seven years ago; Scott was a biomedical research faculty member at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and then at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. 

Interested in writing a guest blog post? Contact Amanda Riley.

Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching: ECET2

The second annual Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers conference, hosted by The Fund for Transforming Education, took place in Louisville on January 30-31. The invitation-only event honored Kentucky’s best and brightest teachers. 

ECET2 was born out of a desire of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to provide a forum where exceptional teachers can learn from each other and celebrate the teaching profession. The national conference had two primary goals: To inspire and celebrate teachers; and to help teachers become effective leaders inside and outside their schools, specifically around the kinds of instructional shifts that are needed to achieve the Common Core State Standards. 

We are taking the opportunity to showcase the staff of Daviess County Public Schools (DPCS) who were in attendance at the #ECET2KY convening and shared their weekly newsletter with us.

DCPS educators attended a ECET2KY conference in Louisville on Jan. 30-31. The statewide Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teaching and Teachers conference was hosted by The Fund for Transforming Education. Pictured from left are Heidi Givens, itinerant teacher of the deaf and hard-of-hearing; Jana Bryant, district math staff developer; Angela Gunter, DCHS; Lisa Garner, AHS; keynote speaker Jack Andraka; Michelle Ruckdeschel, BCHS; Sara Appleby, DCMS; Olga Payne, DCMS; and David Ruckdeschel, DCMS. Diana Roberts, CHES, also attended, but is not pictured.

"Heidi Givens, DCPS itinerant teacher of the deaf and hard- of-hearing; and Michelle Ruckdeschel, math teacher at Beacon Central High School, served on the state planning committee. 

"Jana Bryant, district math staff developer; Angela Gunter, dean of liberal arts at Daviess County High School; Heidi and Michelle served as Colleague Circle Table Leaders. Colleague Circles are a small group of teachers who come together to collaborate and learn from one another. These groups share a trust with each other as they nurture, grow and engage together around topics of interest in their profession. These groups are teachers leading teachers, owning and defining their work, and transforming education. 

"Jana and Michelle also presented a session sharing their journey on becoming core advocates with Student Achievement Partners (SAP). Two key priorities of SAP are to provide excellent math and English/language arts/literacy resources to teachers and to support teachers within their instructional practices. Participants in their session learned about the tools and resources that are available to successfully implement the Common Core State Standards. 

"Heidi co-presented a session with five other Kentucky educators on the topic “What’s Next: Harnessing the Power of ECET2 at Home.” Her session shared ideas for how teachers can work together through hosting regional convenings, connecting through social media and in person, and establishing Colleague Circles at their own schools.

"Since its inception, more than 900 teachers have attended a national ECET2 convening; and nearly 10,000 teachers across the United States have attended a state or regional convening. Plans are being developed for three regional ECET2 convenings in Kentucky for the fall of 2015."