Designing Powerful Learning for Every Student

Professional Learning 2015 - 2016

Summary
North Carolina New Schools on-site professional learning, delivered by instructional coaches, is aligned and
differentiated to each schools professional learning needs.
Design and Powerful Learning are central to the model. Through interactive sessions, teachers in North Carolina New Schools
network are empowered to create and to re-create powerful learning experiences for every student. The professional learning
model provides:

Concrete tools and supports that create powerful learning in all content areas
Anchor sessions that align a schools professional learning throughout the year
Learner-Centered Strategies that focus on questioning, discussion, reading, writing, feedback, and collaboration
Theme strands that schools can choose to focus their work
Redefined Professionalism sessions that emphasize collegial conversations and reflection
Design Workshops that support teachers in planning and implementing strategies

Making Professional Learning Choices for Your School

While we encourage schools to follow the sequence outlined on the next page, we also know that each school context is unique
and requires a differentiated approach. Therefore, sessions may be modified, rearranged, or omitted based on the needs of the
school and observations of the principal and School Support Team members. Evidence-based decisions, utilizing the School
Planning Process, should guide the professional learning plan for each school.
In order to make the most informed choices, we encourage schools to reflect on the following questions:

What professional learning has this school had to date?

What are the goals identified in the Impact Plan?
Where is the school in the process of Instructional Rounds?
What have other coaches accomplished that should be continued?
What input has been gathered from the school support team?
What could Design Workshops look like at your school?
What could Redefined Professionalism look like at your school?
What could a cohort model look like at your school?

Recommended Sequence and Options

The following outline provides recommendations and options available to schools based on their year in our network.
Descriptions of professional learning sessions and themes, design workshops, and the teacher cohort model are contained
on subsequent pages.
Year One: Designing for Engagement

Two anchor sessions (Designing Powerful Learning & Designing for Engagement)

Choice of three learner-centered strategies

All teachers should participate in the anchor sessions and strategy sessions

Schools may identify a cohort of teachers to attend the Design Workshops

Choice of two Redefined Professionalism session occur at any point during the year
Year Two: Designing for Understanding

One anchor session (Designing for Understanding)

Remaining three learner-centered strategy sessions

All teachers should participate in the anchor sessions and strategy sessions

Schools may identify a cohort of teachers to attend the Design Workshops

Choice of two Redefined Professionalism options (Intro to School-wide Instructional Rounds is recommended)
Year Three: Designing a Culture for Learning

One anchor session (Designing a Culture for Learning)

Choice of professional learning theme (three sessions per year)

All teachers should participate in the anchor sessions and theme sessions

Schools may identify a cohort of teachers to attend the Design Workshops

Choice of two Redefined Professionalism options (one should focus on rigor)

Year Four: Designing for Personalized Learning

One anchor session (Designing for Personalized Learning)

Choice of professional learning theme (continue year three theme, or choose new theme)

All teachers should participate in the anchor sessions and theme sessions

Schools may identify a cohort of teachers to attend the Design Workshops

Choice of two Redefined Professionalism options

Year 1: Designing for Engagement

Anchor Session:

Anchor Session:

Learner-Centered

Learner-Centered

Learner-Centered

Redefined

Designing

Designing for

Strategy 1

Strategy 2

Strategy 3

Professionalism

Powerful Learning

Engagement

Choice

Design

Design

Design

Workshop

Workshop

Workshop

Year 2: Designing for Understanding

Anchor Session:

Redefined

Learner-Centered

Learner-Centered

Learner-Centered

Redefined

Designing for

Professionalism:

Strategy 4

Strategy 5

Strategy 6

Professionalism

Understanding

School-Wide Rounds 1

Choice

Design

Design

Design

Workshop

Workshop

Workshop

Year 3: Designing a Culture for Learning

Theme Choice
Anchor Session:

Redefined

Theme

Theme

Theme

Redefined

Designing a Culture

Professionalism:

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Professionalism

for Learning

Focus on Rigor

Choice

Design

Design

Design

Workshop

Workshop

Workshop

Year 4: Designing for Personalized Learning

Theme Choice
Anchor Session:
Designing for
Personalized

Theme

Theme

Theme

Redefined

Redefined

Session 4 or 1

Session 5 or 2

Session 6 or 3

Professionalism

Professionalism

Choice

Choice

Learning

Design

Design

Design

Workshop

Workshop

Workshop

Options
Sessions may be modified, rearranged, or omitted based on the needs of the school and observations of the
principal and School Support Team members. Evidence-based decisions, utilizing the School Planning Process,
should guide the professional learning plan for each school.

Learner-Centered Strategies

Themes
(3 - 6 sessions each)

Redefined Professionalism

Collaboration for Learning

Mathematical Thinking

Introduction to Redefined Professionalism

Discussion for Learning

Accessing Complex Texts*

Collegial Feedback

Questioning for Learning

Using Classroom Evidence Effectively

Power of the Protocol

Writing for Learning

Project-Based Learning*

School-Wide Instructional Rounds 1 & 2

Reading for Learning

Technology for Learning

Consultancy

Feedback for Learning

Planning for Student Understanding*

Tuning Adult Work

Design Process Learning

Looking at Data

(*Sessions 4 - 6 available for 2015-2016)

Learning from Student Work

Anchor Sessions
Introduction - Designing Powerful Learning: What does a
partnership with North Carolina New Schools mean for me,
my students, and my school? In this session, participants will
learn how North Carolina New Schools supports schools and
teachers to design powerful learning experiences that equip
students to be ready for college, careers, and life. Participants
will create a common definition of powerful learning and reflect
on how their instructional practice aligns with this vision.

Designing a Culture for Learning: A purposefully crafted

classroom culture supports students to meet high expectations
during high school and beyond. In this session, participants will
reflect on the role of teacher expectations and culture on student
success. Participants will identify a set of best practices to develop a culture for learning within their context and consider how to
design a classroom culture that supports success for every
student.

Designing for Engagement: Universal engagement is a

necessary foundation for powerful learning, and ensuring this
engagement requires purposeful lesson design. In this session,
participants will participate in a low-stakes design challenge
and reflect on the impact of design thinking on continuous
improvement in teaching and learning. Participants will create
a common definition of engagement specific to their context
and consider how to design lessons that lead to purposeful
engagement for every student every day.

Designing for Personalized Learning: Personalized learning

opportunities promote student ownership of learning goals,
strategies, and outcomes. In this session, participants will
consider the difference between differentiation and personalized
learning and will learn how to design lessons in their content area
that personalize learning for every student.

Designing for Understanding: Enduring understandings are

what students remember and use long after completing a
course. In this session, participants will reflect on the role of
enduring understandings to prepare students for college,
careers, and life. Participants will explore what evidence of
student understanding looks like and learn how to design
lessons that lead to deeper understanding for every student.

Learner-Centered Strategies
Collaboration for Learning: Collaboration allows students to
engage in authentic and meaningful activity with their peers as
they work together to make meaning, to solve problems, and
to produce quality work. Through collaboration, students learn
and apply real-world lessons about working together and
communicating with others, skills that are necessary for
success in college, careers, and life. Teachers design successful
collaboration in their classrooms by creating collaborationworthy tasks and intentional structures to scaffold and support
productive collaboration. Collaboration for Learning is
enhanced by thoughtful questioning, effective feedback, and
purposeful discussion.
Discussion for Learning: Discussion allows for students to
engage in meaningful conversations in order to clarify thinking
and deepen understanding. Discussion for learning can occur
in a variety of forums, from silent discussion to large group
formats. Teachers design and facilitate opportunities for
students to develop their voice, process information, and
explore new ideas. Discussion for Learning supports reading
comprehension, thoughtful questioning, effective feedback,
and successful collaboration.
Feedback for Learning: Feedback occurs throughout the
learning process and provides both students and teachers with
specific information about students learning and areas for
growth. With immediate and detailed feedback, students have
clear information for how to meet learning objectives.
Teachers empower students to continually improve skills and
deepen understanding by providing specific feedback and by
scaffolding opportunities for self-reflection and peer critique.
Feedback for Learning creates a culture of continuous learning
and supports thoughtful questioning, successful collaboration,
and purposeful discussion.

Questioning for Learning: Questioning is a primary way to

develop student understanding and promote meaningful inquiry.
Powerful questioning by teachers and students sparks curiosity,
emphasizes connections, promotes classroom conversation, and
develops critical thinking. Teachers use effective questioning
techniques, and they teach students how to develop and ask
their own questions. Questioning for Learning promotes
purposeful discussion and can enhance writing, collaboration,
and feedback.
Reading for Learning: Reading is a foundation for learning, and
to read well, students must be able to process information, think
critically, and construct meaning from a variety of texts. To
facilitate Reading for Learning, teachers purposefully assign a
variety of authentic texts and design structures to scaffold and
challenge student thinking before, during, and after reading.
Through authentic reading experiences, students build
knowledge not only about content but also about strategies that
successful readers use to understand a text. Reading for Learning
also provides a foundation for writing, successful collaboration,
and meaningful discussion and questioning.
Writing for Learning: While formal writing skills are necessary
prerequisites for success in school, college, and life, Writing for
Learning emphasizes less formal writing as a tool to promote
learning. Writing for Learning provides students with the
opportunity to make connections, process and synthesize
information, and to reflect on their own learning. To facilitate
Writing for Learning, teachers design frequent, short writing tasks
that allow students to engage more deeply with the topic.
Students can write to learn about every subject, and Writing for
Learning can deepen discussion, collaboration, questioning, and
peer feedback.

Theme Sessions
Project-Based Learning: This strand is designed for schools
that would like to establish Project Based Learning as a
school-wide focus. Teachers will explore strategies for
developing and implementing standards-based projects and
will use tools to guide planning, instruction, and assessment.
As a culminating event, teachers will develop a peer-reviewed
PBL unit.
Design Process Learning: This strand focuses on enhancing
teachers' ability to facilitate learning using a design process.
Teachers will identify a common design process and develop
their skills in using the design process to facilitate learning in
all content areas.
Accessing Complex Texts: This strand builds on Reading and
Writing for Learning with an emphasis on rigor and literacy in
all content areas. Teachers will explore the meaning of literacy
in each content area will be will experience and evaluate
strategies for building safe and responsive classroom
discourse.
Promoting Mathematical Thinking: This strand allows
teachers from various content areas to explore the use of
mathematical thinking to deepen connections to their content
areas. Teachers will learn strategies for using mathematical
concepts to justify and defend arguments, question new
information, model complex systems, identify bias or "bad
math," and to support learning in various disciplines.

Planning for Student Understanding: This strand focuses on

lesson and/or unit planning based on objectives and standards
including those that cut across the content areas. Teachers will
explore research and strategies that "begin with the end in mind"
to plan around student learning.
Technology for Learning: This strand is designed to take full
advantage of technology as a learning tool to help students
discover, process and create using technology. Teachers will
identify, evaluate, and explore ways to implement value added
technology to their lessons. Throughout the strand teachers will
build an individual tool-kit of technological tools for their classroom.
Using Classroom Evidence Effectively: This strand helps schools
expand their definition of classroom evidence and include strategies
for analyzing and using that data for promoting student learning. In
addition to examining traditional measures of student performance
such as summative and state test data, schools will explore other
indicators of classroom learning including evidence from formative
and summative assessments, class visits, and surveys.

Redefined Professionalism Sessions

Introduction to Redened Professionalism: The Introduction to
Redefined Professionalism session supports teachers as they
explore the power and purpose of professional collaboration, a
practice of inquiry and continuous learning, and shared leadership and discuss how each can impact the teacher as a designer
of learning and the culture of the school. Teachers will analyze the
NC New Schools Redefined Professionalism rubric and engage in
the Future protocol to consider how Redefined Professionalism
can be embedded in the culture of the classroom and the school.
Collegial Feedback: Providing non-evaluative, objective feedback is essential to collaboration, continuous learning, and
Redefined Professionalism. During this session, teachers will
explore skills essential to providing non-evaluative, objective
feedback focused on student learning, including asking probing
questions, and will apply these skills to a Lesson Tuning activity.
Power of the Protocol: Protocols provide the necessary tools for
collaboration and guide communication through a structured set
of formal procedures. The use of protocols models clear expectations for learning and provides an opportunity for teachers and
students to practice 21st century communication skills. Following
this session, participants will understand how protocols provide
the necessary conditions for professionals to work together in an
environment of trust as well as how they can be used to create an
environment of trust among students in a classroom setting.
Schoolwide Instructional Rounds: In the introduction to Schoolwide Instructional Rounds, teachers will consider the impact of
Instructional Rounds on the culture of the school as well as the
benefits and responsibilities for host and visiting teachers during
Instructional Rounds. Additionally, they will examine the pre-,
during-, and post-Rounds protocols and discuss how to collect
data and provide non-evaluative feedback.

Schoolwide Instructional Rounds 2: This session provides an opportunity for teachers to practice key elements of instructional rounds
including using non-evaluative, objective feedback and probing questions to respond to data collection in a colleagues classroom. Additionally, the session offers an opportunity for teachers to develop
learner-centered data collection questions and to consider what types
of data collection methods would best answer those questions.
Facilitated Professional Feedback Sessions: In these introductions to
specific School Reform Initiative protocols, teachers have the opportunity to study and discuss one protocol in detail as well as to experience
the protocol as facilitated by the instructional coach. Protocol choices
are as follows:
Consultancy: Host teacher identifies a professional dilemma on
which they could use a fresh perspective. Through sharing this dilemma
and listening as colleagues discuss and analyze the dilemma, professionals gain insight into their dilemma and determine a possible course
of action.
Tuning Adult Work: Host teacher shares a lesson (or other plan)
with their colleagues for the purpose of gaining additional insight into
how their plan aligns with their goals and outcomes. Through listening
to their peers analyze their plan, teachers also come away with an
understanding of gaps in alignment between the goals and the plan.
With feedback from colleagues, teachers return to their plans for
revision before implementing the plan with their students.
Learning from Student Work: Host teacher has the opportunity
to gain insight into their students understanding of an assignment
and/or learning objectives. By sharing student work from their classroom and listening as their peers analyze that work in relationship to
the assignment, teachers can learn about how their students are
thinking about and understanding the material, the assignment, the
rubric, etc.
Looking at Data: Host teacher gains insight into data from their
classroom by listening as their colleagues discuss and analyze the data,
ending with implications for next steps.

10

Design Workshops
What are Design Workshops? Design Workshops encourage teachers to implement new professional
learning by enhancing existing lessons, designing new lessons, and collaborating with colleagues
to align activities with student learning goals. An Instructional Coach supports teachers during
the workshop time by providing resources, providing exemplar lessons for various content
areas, and consulting with teachers individually to provide feedback about their lessons.
Discover
Why offer Design Workshops? Design Workshops complete the cycle of professional
learning by providing time for teachers to apply new knowledge and skills gained during
Anchor and Strategy sessions and plan experiences that they will reflect on during
Redefined Professionalism sessions. Design Workshops promote collaboration among
colleagues and provides the time and space for teachers to integrate lessons learned
during NC New Schools Professional Learning sessions with other initiatives aligned to
school or district-wide goals.
How do we facilitate Design Workshops? Design Workshops are aligned to school and
district goals and are tailored to meet the needs of individual schools, departments, and
teachers. Generally, each Design Workshop is facilitated by an Instructional Coach and can
include the following components:

Develop

Deliver

Mini Lesson led by a teacher leader to demonstrate a tool or strategy that has worked in his/her practice
Time for teachers to identify and share planning goals for the session
Open work time for teachers with access to resources related to the most recent Professional Learning session
including protocols and strategies,exemplar lesson plans, and technology tools
Support for scaffolding student understanding and skills, formatively assessing progress, and developing Student
Learning Questions for Instructional Rounds
Collaboration among colleagues
Feedback and support from colleagues and an Instructional Coach

11

Teacher Cohorts
What is a Teacher Cohort? A cohort is a small group of teachers who commit to continuous improvement and collegial reflection over
the course of a school year. Each year, Instructional Coaches work with the principal to identify teachers who are likely to adopt new
Instructional Strategies and desire to push their practice forward.
Why initiate Teacher Cohorts? Focusing on a small cohort of dedicated teachers deepens coaching work and builds momentum to
scale sustainable changes in culture and instruction across a school. The cohort model supports teachers who are willing to invest their
time and efforts to become leaders of instruction, professionalism, and collegiality. Teachers in a cohort practice collaborative inquiry
and collegial reflection, building a foundation of redefined professionalism. These teacher-leaders commit to sharing their learning with
colleagues in formal and informal settings.
How do we work through Teacher Cohorts? Teacher Cohorts are designed to meet the needs of individual schools and teachers.
Generally, teachers in a cohort will participate in Design Workshops, collaborate during monthly meetings, and work closely with an
Instructional Coach throughout the year. At the conclusion of the cohort, each member will agree to support a teacher in a new cohort
that begins the following year. This partnership across cohorts builds a culture of collaboration, supports professional reflection, and
aligns instructional strategies throughout the school. Below are some examples of Teacher Cohort models:

One teacher from each academic department and the Coach University participant
Teachers from one Academic Department
Teachers of one specific grade level
Initially Licensed Teachers
Beginning Teachers and Mentors
Critical Friends Groups made from teachers who volunteer
Teachers interested in more frequent Instructional Rounds
School Improvement Team members
Department Chairs
Summer Institute Participants