SamTastic Weekly Tip - 8/8/22: Make It Real

Today’s Tip: Make it Real

“I hate being observed,” says elementary teacher Justin Minkel (who was the 2007 Arkansas Teacher of the Year) in an article in Education Week. “When my principal walks in with her laptop or a clipboard and pen, I’m instantly afflicted by a crippling self-doubt I haven’t felt since junior high. I scan the room with the alert panic a gazelle must feel when scanning the

savannah for predators.”

A lot of SAM teams address this issue directly by de-emphasizing formal evaluation and focusing on regular and frequent coaching visits.

Take a look at these ideas:

Ask the teacher if you can sit and work with a group of students during the lesson while you observe.

This allows you to help at the same time you are observing. If this isn’t allowed by contract during a formal observation ask if the teacher waive the restriction so you can work with the teacher as a coach and colleague.

If that won’t work, make all of your informal observations “work with

students”. Your teachers and students will love the change.

Do frequent mini-observations or walkthroughs and make sure that feedback is regular, clear and specific.

Offer to model a lesson several times each year and invite teachers to observe...and then give you feedback in a meeting after school on how you could have done better. This can help break down barriers as teachers are able to talk about practice without fear.

Pay attention to student learning behavior when you observe, Help by redirecting student attention to the teacher and use proximity to keep kids focused.

Place “my table, lunch” tickets on the desks of students who exhibit great learning behavior. Talk with the kids during the time you are supervising the lunch room.

Offer to grade a set of student papers while you observe. Teachers love the help and you will see student work. You might even take a few students aside and talk with them about their papers.

SamTastic Weekly Tip - August 1, 2022: Be Attentive

Today’s Tip: Be Attentive

Two words are often used to describe successful SAM teams:

Intentionality and Attentiveness

SAM leaders are intentional about their work. When scheduling events the SAM team has to select the category, descriptor and associate with an individual or group. This leads to being asked about follow-up work after the event and use of charts and graphs to consider if the work is moving the individual or group in the right direction. Definitely intentional. Definitely effective.

Attentiveness is equally important but harder to do consistently. Attentiveness applies to the leader and SAM, of course. You have to pay attention to each other in order to have your SAM Daily Meeting. Attentiveness also applies to your interaction with staff, community, and students. It applies to all the adults and students in you school.

When talking with an individual do you look them in the eye? Are you focused on the person or your tech? Do you invite conversation by being attentive? Do you push people away or pull them in?

The SAM process includes a Communication Protocol designed to increase attentiveness as you decrease the number of times the school leader’s planned work is interrupted.

The Communications Protocol is used by many secretaries, receptionists and SAMs across the country. Many post the protocol next to their phone. It is a one page, four step process that is proven by research to work. Here’s a secret: Some leaders use the Communications Protocol when working with staff, students, and parents. It works for, them, too.

It takes practice, however. In other words, you must be intentional to be attentive.

Want to give it a try?

Click here to download and print. bit.ly/3AUFXZ7

SamTastic Weekly Tip - 7/25/22: Set Goals Now for the new School Year

Today’s Tip: Set Goals Now for the new School Year

Most SAM teams are surprised in July when TimeTrack resets for the new school year. Teams see that the bar at the bottom of each day says NOT SET.

This is to remind you that you must set new monthly instructional time goals.

How? Simply click the NOT SET bar at the bottom of any day. The entry box will appear for goals to be set for the next twelve months.

Suggestions:

1. Set a reasonable goal. If you averaged 40% last year start with a goal of 30% and increase by 5% each month until you hit 55%. Level off at 55%. You can still do more instructional work, but you need to leave some time for management tasks, too.

2. Revisit your three target descriptors. You talked about target descriptors with your Time Change Coach when you did the end of year rubric assessment. Pick the three you think would best help teachers get better. To set your target descriptors click the TimeTrack logo, upper left, click on settings—general options—Target Descriptors.

3. Pick five FOCUS teachers—five teachers who are most important for you to improve their practice this school year. Many SAM leaders talk with their leadership team about their focus teacher once weekly to compare data and align effort. (TimeTrack logo—Settings—Individual/Group Set Up) Take a look a school in Georgia effectively uses Focus teacher data: https://bit.ly/3mr3zA7

4. Let your Time Change Coach know when you are ready meet in August. You can have more time with your coach—all you have to do is ask. Your TCC can help you set goals, train new SAMs and assist with updating and training First Responders.