Coaches' Corner

The end of the year is a time to reflect, a time to be grateful, and a time to look ahead to what is yet to come. Being a reflective practitioner is a critical skill in any profession, but especially in education. We need to model what life-long learning looks like for our students. We can also model what it looks like to self-advocate and seek out support when there is room for improvement.

We are fortunate to have three instructional coaches here at Tipton Community Schools. They have spent most of this first semester learning the needs of the staff, developing their own skills and knowledge, and stepping up to support in so many different ways.

If you haven't taken advantage yet, please take a look at our TCSC Coaching Menu and choose your favorite "dish". Start with an appetizer of "Research and Resource Support" or "Classroom Coverage". Move on to the main dishes where you can dig into a "Demo Lesson" or "Data Gathering" to step back and see the big picture. Perhaps you'd like to indulge in some dessert featuring "Reflection" where you can discuss student learning with your favorite coach.

There are many ways to take advantage of the support offered by our instructional team. Please take a few moments to review our menu and reach out to any one of our coaches for support. Happy Holidays! We'll see you back in the new year!

This month, I had the opportunity to observe Miss Fakes’ 5th grade classroom during the reading block. The students were reading a challenging novel and having a whole group discussion about the book. The lesson started with a CLEAR LEARNING OBJECTIVE: the students were to “engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) on grade appropriate topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing personal ideas clearly” (5.SL.2.1). Next, came the ANTICIPATORY SET where Miss Fakes quickly engaged the students’ prior knowledge by asking guiding questions about what they had learned so far about the author, his motivations and background, and also what they had previously read in the text.

Finally, the students experienced a truly AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCE as they listened to portions of the text, stopped when a student had a question, and then discussed the question that had been posed. The students were given the opportunity to practice the skill they had been learning, and it was highly effective. All of the students were engaged throughout the entire activity because Miss Fakes provided them with a challenge that was appropriate for their learning level, she had appropriately modeled the higher-level depth of knowledge questions that she was looking for, and she provided students with immediate feedback throughout the discussion.

In addition to the great lesson, Miss Fakes also welcomed a fourth grade class to come observe how to have proper discourse about a text. Even the younger students, who had never heard the story before, were engaged the entire time listening to the discussion being had by their fifth grade peers. It was a really neat thing to see!!

Just as Wilbur learns the simple value of friendship from Charlotte in E.B.White’s timeless story Charlotte’s Web, our students benefit from opportunities to forge friendships with people of all ages. In a typical school day, however, students often only get to interact with peers at or near their grade level.

That’s why this is such an exciting week for 6th graders at TMS as their work over this grading period culminates in a special event. TES and TMS teachers collaborated to provide the opportunity for 3rd and 6th grade students to write to one another as Pen Pals. This week, Pen Pals get to meet one another in person and enjoy playing board games -- but not just any board games. These games were designed specifically for the 3rd graders by their 6th grade friends.

6th graders have used some time in their Success Labs to develop questions for their board games that were appropriate for the third grade level in Language Arts, Science, Math, and Social Studies. The students also created some holiday-related questions just for fun.

It was clear from the smiles on students’ faces that they were enjoying this time together. The 6th graders exhibited pride in their work as they helped their 3rd grade friends navigate the board games and answer questions. And the 3rd graders were excited to spend time with older students; they also enjoyed the challenge of the board games, and some 3rd graders even won prizes provided by their 6th grade Pen Pals.

Many 6th graders agreed that their favorite part of the experience was just getting to be with younger kids. A few commented that they didn’t remember being so little in 3rd grade. Others said they enjoyed helping the 3rd graders learn and have fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy the funny things 3rd graders had to say!

The High School has been having success in their Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) this semester since September. The groups establish goals, collect data, collaborate with their colleagues, and share successes as well as challenges. There has been tremendous growth in the PLC process, which has been a new process for the majority of teachers and administrators this year. PLCs include teachers of different subject areas and grade levels. The goals of all PLC groups focus on increasing student achievement.

I would like to highlight the Block 8 PLC group which consists of Jenny Haynes, Dora Leeper, Tyer Wyrick, Missy Henry, Ethan Worthington, Fred Henderson, Stacey Hartley, and Sheila Harrigan. This team enthusiastically works together week after week. A teacher will share a concern and the others will share strategies that they have used. Topics have included cell phone strategies, implementing checks for understanding, sharing agendas and expectations, and using manipulatives or whiteboards in class.

What makes this group such fun to watch is the way they come back together and share what happened in the previous week. “I thought about what you said last week and tried….” or “I have found that when I...my students seem to…” or “I wonder, what do you think the reason is for…” These are the conversations that prove learning is happening. We love to hear it coming from the students as well as from the teachers. I would like to thank all of the teachers, in ALL of the PLC groups at the high school for their willingness to take on this new and beneficial task. As always, we are working together for student success.

Curious what testing windows will look like across the district? Add the 2021-2022 TCSC Assessment Calendar to help plan around these instructional interruptions.