Ross Cooper

How Do You Define Sticky Systemic?

In the last post we explored the importance of professional development leading to change that is sticky systemic:

When a topic is the primary focus of professional development, the goal should be for change that is sticky systemic. That is, the change should be (1) sustainable and (2) prevalent across the district/school(s).

Since the post was published, there’s been a lot of love for sticky systemic, which is a term I coined when planning for this upcoming year’s professional development in the Salisbury Township School District.

That being said, let’s dive a bit deeper into the meaning of the term.

4 Ways to Make Professional Development Sticky Systemic

By Ross Cooper 5 Comments

4 Ways to Make Professional Development Sticky Systemic

This past year at the elementary level we spent the entire year familiarizing ourselves with Writing Workshop, with the idea all teachers will hit the ground running with this framework in 2016-2017. Formal professional development included: three three-hour sessions, a six-hour consultant workshop, an all-day site visit to a school in New Jersey, optional planning time, and an optional book study…That being said, it would be a shame (and nonsensical) if all of this time and effort didn’t result in noticeable, pedagogical shifts in regards to the way our students engage in writing.

Nonetheless, from what I have experienced…Far too often, professional development involves throwing a bunch of loosely related ideas at a wall, crossing our fingers, and hoping something will stick and the necessary instructional shifts will be made.

When a topic is the primary focus of professional development, the goal should be for change that is sticky systemic. That is, the change should be (1) sustainable and (2) prevalent across the district/school(s).

With these thoughts in mind, here are four ways to make professional development sticky systemic.

#ModelSchools Was Awesome! Here’s Why…

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

#ModelSchools Was Awesome! Here's Why...

Currently I’m sitting at the Orlando International Airport, about three hours away from boarding one of my two flights home from the Model Schools Conference. Originally I had planned to instead attend ISTE in Denver, but this past February I was presented with the opportunity to go to and present at Model Schools. So, I decided to make the switch and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

Here’s a look at some of the presentations/keynotes I attended, as well as overall conference highlights.

Stop Posting Essential Questions for Every Lesson

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Essential Questions, by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins, p. 15

My Thoughts on the Excerpt

1. Learning Targets for Lessons, Essential Questions for Units

If students are able to thoroughly investigate an essential question within a given class period, the odds are it’s not an essential question. As stated, it could instead possibly be a leading question or guiding question…On the other hand, students can benefit from a learning target being posted for every lesson.

3 Reasons to Rethink Your Basal Reader

By Ross Cooper 4 Comments

Currently in my district at the elementary level, we are in the process of strategically moving away from our basal reading program. We’ve already “cut out” its writing component, as next year we’ll be hitting the ground running with Writing Workshop and the Units of Study. Also, we’ve begun the process of designing our own reading comprehension instruction with the assistance of Reading with Meaning, Strategies That Work, and Notice & Note (both fiction and non-fiction).

Now, while it may be “cool” and trendy to hate on textbooks, for the benefit of all parties involved – students, parents, teachers, administrators, etc. – I believe it’s important to be able to articulate why we are choosing to deemphasize the program.

With these thoughts in mind, here are three reasons to rethink your basal reader.

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Should practitioners ignore researchers?

By Ross Cooper 4 Comments

Since the start of my career in 2007, I have witnessed some form of educational debate take place on almost a daily basis. And, with the rise of social media – in particular, Facebook and Twitter – these types of conversations are now that much easier to create, engage in, and/or find.

The Problem

Overall, the majority of this communication does ultimately benefit our students, but at the same time I believe we owe it to our profession to not just interact when we’re “in the know,” but also when there is a lot to be learned…And, furthermore, we should be willing to admit to ourselves and others that we just might not know everything.

Over the past month I have witnessed a few arguments unfold on Twitter in which a couple of educators from other districts were justifying their actions by declaring, “Those ideas [proposed by others in the district] wouldn’t work with my students,” and at the same time they discounted the work of highly respected researchers because “They aren’t in the classroom!” In general, these situations were your typical resistance to change.

Reimagining Classroom Walkthroughs

By Ross Cooper 3 Comments

This post was originally published on Edutopia.

In a recent post for Education Week, Peter DeWitt details some of the problems with classroom observations. This got me thinking about the ways in which a school’s or district’s walkthrough tool could be reimagined from the ground up for the benefit of all parties involved.

Asking the Right Question

At their worst, walkthroughs are viewed as compliance checks with administrators strutting around schools and classrooms to enforce top-down initiatives. There’s not much progress when teachers generally wonder, “How can I avoid getting in trouble?” rather than, “How can I collaborate with my administrators to improve things for students?” At their best, walkthroughs are viewed as a part of an ongoing formative assessment process that finds teachers and administrators engaged in a system of reciprocal accountability. They work together to improve students’ results, their own professional development, and each other as people.

The Only Way to Evaluate Professional Development

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

This year at the elementary level, the majority of our professional development efforts have focused on Writing Workshop, with the idea that next school year all teachers (and students) will be able hit the ground running with this method of instruction.

With these thoughts in mind, I regularly ask myself, “How will we know if this year’s Writing Workshop professional development has been successful?” (keeping in mind the learning will continue throughout the upcoming years)

Summer Reading List: 5 Books on Professional Development

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

This post was originally published on Edutopia.

The summer is almost here. If you are like most educators, this is when you find the time to read your “teacher books” and learn about all those exciting strategies and resources that will give your classroom a fresh look in the fall.

Here are five books that are worth a look.