Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Creating a Vibrant, Collaborative Vertical Planning
Event
Ideas for creating an environment for elementary and middle
school teachers to collaborate
By: Derek L. McCoy
One of the highlights of my rst year at West Rowan Middle School was helping organize a collaborative
opportunity between our sixth grade teachers and the fth grade teachers at our feeder schools.
This was the rst meeting of its kind, so we wanted to focus on building relationships that centered on trust
and non-judgmental conversations. This rst meeting—and any other—couldn't be a sit-and-get presentation.
We wanted teachers to know that they were empowered to take charge of the conversations and learning
direction of the evening.
With my sixth grade teachers we planned on three activities for the evening:
1. What's in your Day? - We divided the fth grade teachers into small groups and had two sixth grade
teachers facilitate a post-it note activity where elementary teachers shared some thoughts on what they
think the day of a middle school teacher/student looks like. Great fun, lots of laughs!
2. 5/5/5 - This was one activity I remembered from years ago as a math vertical team chair. In their groups,
teachers listed 5 things we want kids to know coming into their grade level, 5 things we want them to
know when they leave, and 5 things they DEFINITELY know then they leave. Be prepared—the third item
is a conversation starter!
3. Group Discussions - We ran short on time here but we wanted to start some general process
conversations with questions like:
a. What is the best way to communicate with parents?
b. What tech skills do your fth graders have?
c. What interventions should we be planning for?
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5/4/2019 This was a fun evening! We knew we would have a good evening but the conversations were richer than we
Creating a Vibrant, Collaborative Vertical Planning Event
could have imagined. We spent longer on the rst two topics than we anticipated but it was time well spent.
We maximized our time building relationships and learning what each grade level does to serve our kids.
Here are several suggestions if you are planning for a similar activity:
Focus on students - All conversations and plans should have student needs, learning outcomes, and
achievement at the forefront.
Empower your facilitators - For this rst meeting, our sixth grade teachers did a great job of leading
these discussions and activities and ensuring our language and mindsets were positive and forward
thinking.
Invite and involve your principals - This rst picture shows three
of our elementary school principals in attendance but all of our
elementary principals were in attendance. They were instrumental
in making sure all our fth grade teachers and assistant principals
were in attendance. I'm lucky to have a great relationship with all
my area principals. Everyone involved saw our re and it became
contagious!
Do not let conversations focus on one child!
Create a non-judgmental atmosphere - There is never a time to have conversations about what was or
was not taught well at any level.
Plan for the next two meetings - This is not about setting dates—even though that is important—it's
about prioritizing the many topics that will come up as your teachers talk and plan. Make sure your
teachers know this expectation because it will be up to your lead learners to plan for these things.
Focus on relationships - I make a point to tell my teachers to make sure to connect with someone you do
not know. This will help our non face-to-face talks go smoothly. Our get-togethers will only be for a
couple of hours during the year but the real work will take place between the meetings.
Create clear expectations for the meeting and over-communicate them!
Our schools had not had a vertical meeting like this before. The overwhelmingly positive reaction we got from
everyone involved shows the undeniable need for these articulation talks. If you are the middle school lead
learner, teacher, or administrator, make this happen. Understand that while teachers will grow and bene t, it's
our students who win at the end.
Derek L. McCoy is the proud principal of West Rowan Middle School in Salisbury, North Carolina.
derekmccoy.edu@gmail.com
@mccoyderek
mccoyderek.com
See Derek McCoy as a general session speaker at AMLE2016.
More on these topics
School Culture/Climate Transitions to/from Middle School
Article tags
Transition to High School Transition to Middle School
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