Leadership for Deeper Learning Project

Meeting Agenda, Tuesday, Dec. 16th

8am-10am
Objectives:
1. Engage in a visible thinking routine in order to respond to the proposition to use MTV as our anchor
2. Consider and respond to a proposition about the importance of symmetry in our work moving forward
3. Brainstorm possibilities for how to use MTV with teachers moving forward
Agenda:
1. Framing and warm-up (8:05 8:10)
a. Meeting goals
b. Survey results:
i. Clear majority vote for Making Thinking Visible on all three counts
ii. Overwhelming desire to continue working coherently across campuses rather than jigsaw
2. Compass Points routine to consider the proposition to use MTV as our shared anchor (8:10-8:45)
a. The routine itself: write your E/W/N/S compass points on stickies & post them; gallery walk; discuss
E = excitements. What excites your about this proposition? Why?
W = worries. What do you find worrisome about this proposition? Why?
N = needs. What else do you want to know about this proposition?
S = steps. Assuming we move forward with this proposition, what should our next steps be?
b. Quick debrief of the routine: In what ways is it or is it not compatible with our shared definitions of
constructivism/student-centeredness? How might we imagine supporting teachers in trying it out?
***5 minute break***
3. Considering & responding to a proposition about symmetry (8:50-9:25)
a. Sarah presents the proposition
b. Turn-and-talk: groups discuss
c. Whole group share-out
4. Blue sky brainstorming in campus-alike groups (9:25-10:00)
a. Keeping our previous conversation in mind, brainstorm as large as possible a range of ways that you
might use MTV in your work with teachers moving forward.
i. Dont think too hard right now about logistical constraints!
ii. Make sure one person takes notes & sends them or gives them to Sarah.
5. Ticket to go: what do you most want to remember to keep in mind as we get deeper and deeper into the nitty
gritty of action planning and implementation?

Constructivist Leadership

Both

Teacher-Centered Leadership

At its essence, constructivist leadership is about treating

teachers as active sense-makers by focusing on the process
by which they develop new knowledge and understandings.

At its essence, teacher-centered leadership is

about engaging teachers actively in work that
reflects their interests, identities, and choices.

Leading in a constructivist way necessarily means

Leading in a teacher-centered way necessarily

means

Thinking of oneself as a guide or facilitator, rather than

as a dispenser of knowledge.
Structuring tasks in a way that encourages teachers to
construct key ideas/concepts themselves.
Surfacing and attending to teachers prior knowledge.
Continually asking teachers to articulate their thinking,
and to respond constructively to the thinking of others.

The locus of the learning

is shifted to the teachers:
Teacher as worker, leader
as coach.
The leader still determines
the skills, knowledge, and
understandings that
teachers are working to
build.

Making sure that teachers are doing

something active with their brains and/or
bodies, rather than sitting passively.
Choosing content that reflects a deep
understanding of what teachers know, who
teachers are, and what teachers care about.

Embracing uncertainty, confusion, and messiness as

part of the learning process.
Helping teachers to notice changes in their thinking.
Leading in a constructivist way might sometimes mean

Leading in a teacher-centered way might sometimes

mean

Using inquiry structures rather than lectures.

Providing foundational knowledge through periodic
use of direct instruction.

Involving teachers in the process of deciding

what they learn (e.g. the topics/content).
Involving teachers in the process of deciding
how they will pursue a predetermined set of
goals (e.g. the modality).