Ray Leone

PTR Cohort A
2018-2019
3/3/19

Personal Mastery: ​IF I HAD A LEARNING CLASSROOM. Imagine you are teaching in a
classroom that you would design if you had complete freedom and control, including control
over the curriculum and all forms of assessment. The idea is to help you create an image of a
"classroom that learns."

● What are your students doing on a typical day?

Within a science classroom I believe that students should be doing various things depending on
where we are with the content and how they are energetically and emotionally. I have found that
I can keep my students engaged when I present a lesson that is dynamic and flexible.
On a day when we are learning new content, students are sharing their prior knowledge,
expressing curiosities, and exploring the concepts as they apply to real life. Meanwhile, the
students are forming questions, noting observations, creating connections, and working
together. When we are working on a project, lab, or presentation students will be working
cooperatively. Within their groups they are filling rolls, discussing the content, and challenging
each other. In general, I want to see my students get excited about what we are learning and
communicating their enthusiasm that is genuine to them. This may not be quiet and
“conventional”, but I do not want them to feel like they are being forced into a mold.

Projects should be interactive and engaging. Students should be making predictions and
comparing those predictions to what they observe while doing a project. Connecting students to
the scientific process will give them the tools to problem solve and answer questions.

In addition, I would like to see students taking charge of their learning as much as possible.
When they connect concepts to their lives, ask questions that get them excited, and
communicate what they have learned to their peers, the students will be able to help guide the
classroom and the instruction.

● What structures, practices or behaviors (on your part and on your school's part) help
students thrive and succeed?

When I think of structures, I think of the procedures that we follow everyday in the classroom. As
we have learned in some of our middle years methods classes, middle-schoolers live in chaos
and do better when there is routine and predictability. I would like to make sure that I have set
up expectations on the first day of class, including the voices of the students in that discussion.

I would like to make sure that there is an opening and closing activity for each class, ones that
help the students warm up for science, check their knowledge, and allow me to gauge their
understanding. When doing projects or transitioning from one part of the lesson to another, I
would like students to know exactly what they have to do in order to move efficiently. These
procedures can be established at the beginning of the year or periodically as groups and roles
change.

Behaviors that I will expect from myself and other staff within the school would include a focus
on inquiry, care, and de-escalation. Listening to students non-judgmentally, refusing to bad
mouth students with other teachers, allowing for students to start over, and assuming good
intentions are important to me. It is obvious when teachers assume the worst from students and
it is a high hurdle for students to ever overcome.

One practice that I would like to incorporate and see a school incorporate include having regular
time for staff to debrief and plan. There should be time for teachers to share best-practices and
new skills. As we have talked about the biases that teachers bring to their practices, it would
feel important to see teachers regularly work together to confront their biases and educate
themselves about how their biases may be affecting students.

Finally, having time outside of class for students to come get help from a teacher, or do makeup
work feels important. It is difficult in a large classroom for a teacher to spend one-on-one time
with students and it is equally difficult for a student to admit in front of their classmates that they
are struggling or don’t have time at home to do work. Some of the most effective time that I
have spent with kids is during recess or lunchtime when we have sufficient space to work
through what is difficult for them.

● How are your instructional activities--lessons, assignments, conversations--organized?

My lessons would be set up in a predictable structure that students can rely on. Each class
would start with a warm up activity, reviewing material from the day before or checking for prior
knowledge about the content we will be learning about that day. We would then move into the
content with an engaging activity to help get them excited. Lesson will include reading from the
textbook, watching videos, and/or doing demonstrations to get hands-on experience. Along the
way, students will be asked to discuss with the students around them what they think is going
on and why. Discussions may happen with one other student and then shared out. Small groups
may be asked to have discussion and then compare what they came up with to another group.

Assignments can vary. Projects and labs will be given one to three periods to complete.
Students will break into groups, either of their own choosing or mine. Roles will be delegated
and materials will be acquired. Students will be give clear instructions and amount of time for
which to do the project. If the project is two or more days long, I will collect the labs and go over
them, making sure that students are on the right track. I will make sure to give them notes to
assist them.
For smaller classwork or homework assignments student will be given time in class. They may
work with other students but must hand in their own work. Any work that is not completed will
become homework. This is to encourage focus during class periods.

Who makes decisions around student learning goals and performance expectations, and what
kinds of decisions are being made?

Ideally, the decisions about student learning goals and performance expectations are made
collaboratively. Clearly, I would have a say in what and how the students will learn based on
what the curriculum states, as well as what I know about my students. I would also want
students to make goals and expectations for themselves both individually and as a group.
Decision that students could make might include what content they want to learn more about,
how they want to set up group projects, and what goals they want to set for themselves in the
short-term and long-term.

A small learning community of teachers within a grade-band should also work together to set
goals and expectations for the students they are working with. Uniform expectations coming
from different teachers can help students with consistency and predictability. If a small learning
community has shared learning goals for the students, then everyone in the grade-band is
working with similar objectives and intentions, thus strengthening the team environment.
Learning goals could include how many students are proficient or advanced on the next
standardized test, how much improvement teachers would like to see in their classes or with
individual students, and what are the expectations/consequences of students for homework and
project due dates? One example of this type of collaboration might be teachers supporting each
other's learning objectives by creating interdisciplinary instruction.

And finally, I would expect the principal and other administration to have a say in what is
happening in our classrooms. They are given expectations and goals that are communicated to
the teachers in each grade. Adapting those expectations and goals so that they suit the unique
class that I am apart of is important.

● How do students interact with one another in class? (eg PBL; how are different types of
interaction promoted)? How do your students interact with you?

Within the classroom I would like to balance student interactions. Students will be doing
independent work, working in pairs, and working in larger groups to accomplish different tasks.
Students should be supporting each other in learning. The classroom culture will discourage
insults and disparaging comments. There should be respect between all individuals in a
classroom. There should also be a clear understanding that in order to learn students need to
make an effort and not be afraid to make mistakes.
I would like students to interact with me in a way that feels genuine and caring. Students should
know that I care about their educational, emotional, and physical well-being. I would want them
to communicate their needs to me so that I can support them in being ready to learn. In the
classroom, I would like to make space for students to ask questions, admit when they do not
understand, and express when they are not feeling challenged.

Each class should include multiple modes of learning and interaction. There could be reading,
drawing, and discussion, or writing, watching a video, and building. As I have stated before,
creating a dynamic classroom environment, which still includes procedures, will keep students
interested and engaged.

Shared Vision:
Vision: Supporting students who have experienced trauma in order to help them thrive.

Critical questions:

● What is the current level of trauma awareness in the school?

● How are students expressing their trauma, what is the current response to this
expression, and how do we compassionately respond to these expressions?

● What kinds of trainings, workshops, and other resources would help us to support
students who have experienced trauma?

● What indicators can we monitor and track to see if a student is surviving or thriving?

● How do we create a culture of awareness and compassion throughout the school which
includes teachers, students, staff, administration and parents?