National Urban Alliance & Redwood City School District Initiative

Video clips used in the trainings.

Roosevelt Amplifying Student Voice — short clip:

Full video of the above Roosevelt Amplifying Student Voice:

This post includes edited video clips from the March 2020 Zoom (video conference) professional development (PD) on The Pedagogical Flow Map facilitated by National Urban Alliance (NUA) with the Redwood City School District coaches and assistant superintendent. The NUA presenters included Stefanie Rome, Maria Sudduth and Robert Seth Price. The video clips may be viewed within the post below and/or on Vimeo. Click here to see the same video clips together on Vimeo.

I think this is very powerful…we just need to put it into practice. I might try it on a small group of teachers, based on the “self care” concept.

I love the idea.  I see it as a step in our own learning, and then it will be a useful tool for our teachers.  I also see it as a way for us to help mediate learning for each other — when we see each others’ videos, we can ask questions that will help us adjust.
—Read more participant reflections throughout the post and at the bottom of this post.

PDF downloads for the sessions include:

• Handouts to accompany Stefanie Rome’s presentation
• PowerPoint for Stefanie Rome’s presentation
• Redwood City Critical Thinking Guide by Robert Seth Price
• PowerPoint for Robert Seth Price’s presentation

The Pedagogical Flow Map
The Pedagogical Flow Map (PFM) is the structure that creates a framework for translating the Pedagogy of Confidence into lesson or unit designs. The PFM addresses the:

• what — the standards of the disciplines and content acquisition
• how – engagement and enhancement of reading expertise

The PFM ensures alignment with the High Operational Practices of the Pedagogy of Confidence. This means that instruction will be designed around the development of cognition that leads to high operational performance.

Professional Development Session
The online PD was divided into two segments:

1. The Pedagogical Flow Map presentation with Stefanie
2. Interactive Succinct Six Minute PD video demonstration and coaches creating Flow Maps for in district creation of mini PD videos with Robert

The first part on The Pedagogical Flow Map is divided into five video clips:

1. Introduction
2. Priming
3. Skill Development and Processing
4. On Mediation
5. Retaining for Understanding and Reflection

The second part on Succinct Six Minute PD Videos is divided into two videos:

1. The mini PD video created for the session and used by the participants
2. Coaches in pairs creating Flow Maps (storyboarding) for their video clips with a vision of using them for in district support for the coaches implementing NUA practices.

Part 1:  The Pedagogical Flow Map

#1. Introduction (15 minutes)

It’s great to see the “flow” of a unit/concept etc. This will be super helpful for all our teachers as they go deeper teaching a unit/concept! Mediation will be key to a successful assessment.

Aha is how this all fits together within the context of a unit. Many connections to our work with SEAL then extending that learning on how these same strategies are used for teaching, for learning and for assessment purposes.

#2. Stepping In and Priming (14 minutes)

Awesome to see how the stages/boxes in the PFM fit together. Our teachers would love to have this presentation. Mediation and reflection are crucial components.

Thank you for running us through an example. Feedback is one of the most critical pieces to help students move to mastery. I’m wondering if that can be made more specific in the flow map – i.e. part of mediate for Mastery. 

#3. Skill Development and Processing (21 minutes)

Mediation is critical! We can’t expect students to do well in the assessment if we leave it.  out. We use the same strategies during all the stages including the assessment so that students can be successful.

The use of the Bridge Map as an assessment/monitoring tool is intriguing. Thank you. It’s a good entry point for teachers wanting to elicit student feedback outside of a survey tool.

#4. On Mediation (6 minutes)

#5. Retaining for Understanding and Reflection (18 minutes)

I appreciate the opportunity to see everyone’s thinking process on the same topic. It can be very beneficial for teachers, too.

I love how everyone’s interpretations were different and how these changed the lesson goals while all being rigorous. Also thinking about balancing individual and collaborative processing and communication styles (writing on paper, Zoom, oral processing, processing through creating graphic organizers or drawings).

Part 2: Succinct Six Minute PD Videos

#1. Succinct Six Minute PD Videos example (5 minutes)

I think this is very powerful…we just need to put it into practice. I might try it on a small group of teachers, based on the “self care” concept.

I love the idea. I see it as a step in our own learning, and then it will be a useful tool for our teachers.I also see it as a way for us to help mediate learning for each other — when we see each others’ videos, we can ask questions that will help us adjust.

#2. Coaches creating Flow Maps for Succinct Six Minute PD Videos

Participant Reflections Shared During the Zoom Professional Development

I think if we were to assign a strategy to pairs to create videos, we could create that bank. I think many of us included many strategies for this exercise which is great, but we don’t have a simple bank/library yet. i.e. a PD video on read, draw, talk, write.

I am thankful for the opportunity to hear all the various ways of interacting and am excited about having videos to refer to.

Once we have a few videos, we will want to think carefully about an organization structure so that the bank is useful without being overwhelming.

I think videos for teachers will be powerful in creating a library for them to pick from. I also think that by creating these videos we can create tutorials that can be shared by a teacher to their students teaching the application for students to use in creating videos documenting their understanding and learning (as an assessment).

I think the process of seeing these mini-lessons one the same topic is helpful. It shows there are many ways to take a topic and extend or adapt to various grade levels. I noticed the sophistication of the lesson depending on our grade level. Also, the idea of creating the videos for the lessons and maybe taking the video from the planning phase as teachers, to the implementation phase and the reflection phase as we are doing now would be powerful.

I absolutely need a bank to refer to but I like having an ideal situation for an entire unit because I like the “big picture”—not thrilled about small chunks at a time.

I think we should have both!Some examples of the whole process, but also some shorter videos that demonstrate each strategy in action.

Absolutely, we’re all different learners.

Cathy has previously brought up the idea of 5 minute video based PD – Pushing these out in phases would support aspects of lesson development and connect teachers.

Different flow maps about the same concept show the different ways to teach a concept. This collaboration will benefit teacher and students.

I’m excited by the possibilities of “virtual lesson flows.” I don’t want to focus too much on the technical piece, but I’m thinking of how to add in the tech skills we’d need students to learn and practice. Kind of like priming by practicing a strategy with a familiar context. We may need to add in teachers, and then students, practicing the tech tools with a familiar context. And maybe being conservative with which tech tools we choose so we end up accomplishing our goal of student collaboration with HOPS.

Sojourner Truth is the topic for a lesson that includes on Video #1 priming and processing setting up for Video #2 retaining for understanding. This eight minute video includes use of Powerful Questions, modeling of Collaborative Questions, Academic Vocabulary and Key Word Prediction modeled, and Pair Share for Content.

PDF download:  Redwood City Critical Thinking Guide by Robert Seth Price

Bridge Maps for K-12 are the topic for this eight minute video. Clear examples are modeled to consider for use with students. In addition to the Bridge Map, the Frame of Reference for details or evidences is modeled.

PDF download:  Redwood City Critical Thinking Guide by Robert Seth Price

The focus on this post is Critical Thinking Environments and how the teacher can impact student engagement with a focus on intentional considerations with room proximity. The teacher’s choreography can greatly increase student engagement as well as support student in their performance and projection abilities with an audience.

PDF download:  Redwood City Critical Thinking Guide by Robert Seth Price

A group of students representative of the student body at Roosevelt School participated in Amplifying Student Voice. The first session included:

‘It was a really good idea to do this, because it benefits the students, and the teachers.’
student

‘It was a good idea to do this to show they focus better when they have positive energy around them.’
student

Community Building

• ‘Hello’ in a circle, like commonalities, where two participants cross the circle to greet in an authentic manner;
• Commonalities — students were debriefed on purpose and where they could use.

Powerful Questions/Collaborative Questions
The students began with defining ‘social’ and ‘justice’. the students then did collaborative questions with only questions about ‘social justice’. The modeling process (while in a circle):

1. Teacher—Student,
2. Student-Student,
3. All in pairs.

We shared whole group with students selecting one another with eye contact (as we did in commonalities).

Circle Map
Following the same scaffolding as with Collaborative Questions the teacher models a Circle Map with a student (first Teacher-Student, then Student-Student, then all in pairs) with questions on ‘social justice’. I modeled writing at the same time with a student which is how virtually all pairs were then doing.

Categorizing Inductively
The students were modeled with two pairs combined into a quartet (like above in a ‘fishbowl’) where we tore/cut the questions separately. They were modeled with the quartet deciding one question at a time to sort/categorize the questions with similarities — and to have consensus in the group. All groups paired up into quartets — they also added the top subcategories which was shared on a gallery walk.
Download PDF on Categorizing Inductively

Social Justice Installations
Next we then discussed what was important to the students in regards to ‘social justice’ in their school community. The students were modeled one idea (e.g. nutrition / food quality) how and where we could do an ‘installation’ at the school using only a pad of yellow sticky notes + a writing utensil (pen and/or markers). They then had 10-15 minutes in their groups of four to develop their social justice interest, have a consensus on a location to install and then install their ‘sticky note’ message. The students installed their messages throughout the school. The students all returned and we then went as a whole group to view each of the installations. At each installation: the quartet that created the installation explained their social justice message followed by the other students responding with the protocol of positive observations and questions (same protocol used for educators with peer to peer coaching).

Student Reflections
We closed with what each student learned/took away from the Amplifying Student Voice experience.

• Download section on Amplifying Student Voice
• Download the NUA/Redwood City School District Critical Thinking Guide

Peer to Peer Coaching Across Grade Levels and Content
Two teachers, one new and the other experienced at Roosevelt Elementary, share their experience peer coaching and co-teaching as part of growing their individual pedagogy and building the greater school community.

“I was reflecting how what I was doing and how the students are engaged”

“We are becoming one cohesive unit…pull from each other’s resources”

The Peer to Peer Coaching model focuses on teachers regularly observing each other to learn, understand, and improve their pedagogy (teaching methods with the how of teaching). This model works best in small groups with a minimum of three – one teacher demonstrating a lesson while two other teachers observe. The observed lessons are generally in the 15-30 minute range to provide a focus on particular teaching methods. The model includes a briefing, lesson and debriefing. It is recommended to group teachers from different grade levels and subject areas so they are focused on the teaching methods and not only content. 

This model is a multi-directional process: everyone has gifts and skills to share and learn from one another. This differentiated process allows everyone to progress at a rate consistent with their skills. The model is an ongoing process for both new and experienced teachers. 

Ongoing Development: Teachers regularly participant with the Peer to Peer Coaching model throughout the school year. Weekly or every other week would be recommended. 

This model is equally effective with administrators coaching administrators; facilitators coaching facilitators, staff coaching staff and so forth. 

“It was a very positive and very welcoming experience”
“I feel blessed. I will have a better relationship with the students”

• Download the PDF file on Peer to Peer Coaching (including the above graphic)
• Download the NUA/Redwood City School District Critical Thinking Guide

Whitney Eakin, the District Coach at Roosevelt School and Garfield Community School shares here NUA experience via her NUA Understanding Journal. Watch the video above to hear Whitney reflect on the use of her journal for herself and as a coach. Below is a slideshow as a video with more of the contents.

‘NUA is taking any student no matter where they come from… every child… giving them the chance to be highly academic, the chance to succeed. With NUA has motivated me to believe and set that standard.’ Jael Testa

Jael Testa shares on this six minute video on how NUA is transforming her teaching with succinct reflections and concrete examples. 

NUA focuses on who the students are, social emotional learning, encompassing community building, bringing everything in… my classroom a whole rounded classroom… being amazing citizens of society.’