Collaborating for Student Success
Teacher Collaboration:
Strategies & Outcomes
ARCHES Seminar
UC Irvine ~ 3/15/10
Ivan Cheng
icheng@csun.edu
Collaborating for Student Success
The Context
“The majority of students did not pass [algebra]
in eighth or ninth grades, and roughly twothirds of them failed to graduate on time.”
Los Angeles Times, June 21, 2008
Collaborating for Student Success
The Context
“To improve their mathematics instruction,
teachers must be able to analyze what they
and their students are doing and consider how
those actions are affecting students’
learning.”
NCTM Principles and Standards, p. 18
Collaborating for Student Success
The Context
”Teachers learn well just as students do –
by studying, doing, and reflecting;
by collaborating with other teachers;
teachers
by looking closely at students and their work;
and by sharing what they see.”
Darling-Hammond (1999), p. 12
Collaborating for Student Success
The Context
Two thirds of teachers (67%) and three
quarters of principals (78%) think that
teacher collaboration would have a major
impact on student achievement.
MetLife Survey of the American Teacher 2009
Collaborating for Student Success
The Benefits
•
•
•
Greater collective responsibility for student
learning
Higher levels of trust between teachers and
administrators
Greater job satisfaction
MetLife Survey of the American Teacher 2009
Collaborating for Student Success
Types of Collaboration
•
Department meetings
•
Interdisciplinary meetings
•
Professional learning communities
•
Coaching and mentoring
•
Lesson study
•
“Learning Teams” (Pearson)
Collaborating for Student Success
The Problem
”The environments in which most teachers work
have been structured in ways that actually
work against the kind of sustained
collaboration that we have suggested is
needed for significant and steady
improvement.”
Stigler & Hiebert (1999), p. 172
Collaborating for Student Success
The Problem
•
Department meetings
•
Interdisciplinary meetings
•
Professional learning communities
•
Coaching and mentoring
•
Lesson study
•
“Learning Teams” (Pearson)
Collaborating for Student Success
The Solution
•
•
•
•
Student Improvement Through Teacher
Empowerment (SITTE)
Utilize teachers’ classrooms as “laboratories”
for practical inquiry
Facilitated inquiry based on the Cognitively
Guided Instruction (CGI) model
The Responsive Teaching Cycle (RTC)
Collaborating for Student Success
Responsive Teaching Cycle (RTC)
•
Daily collaboration around evidence of
student learning
Explore
Establish
•
Student
Learning
Experiment
Examine
Focus on getting through to students
rather than getting through a book
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Students
•
Students scored significantly higher on
District Periodic Assessment
•
52% higher on Q1 constructed response
•
33% higher on Q2 constructed response
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Students
Overall (% Correct)
Mult. Choice (# Correct)
45
8
40
7
35
2
5
25
School
20
1.5
SITTE
3
2
10
School
School
4
SITTE
15
SITTE
1
0.5
1
5
0
2.5
6
30
Constructed Resp. (4 Max.)
Unit 1
Unit 2
0
Unit 1
Unit 2
0
Unit 1
Unit 2
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Students
•
Students passed Algebra at higher rates
(90% following a 4-week summer program)
2008
38.1
33
21
8.3
2.1
A
B
C
D
2007
30.9
0%
20%
30.2
40%
25
60%
13.4
80%
0.01
100%
F
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
•
•
•
Basic skills developed in context, not in
isolation
Multiple representations used to provide
meaningful connections
Critical thinking promoted through patterns
and explorations
Focused on teaching tools instead of teaching
topics
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 times as many pencils as Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 times as many pencils as Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 times as many pencils as Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 times as many pencils as Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 times as many pencils as Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
= 24
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 times as many pencils as Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
x
x
x
x
S t e phani e
J os h
= 24
Now we write 3x + x = 24
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 more pencils than Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 more pencils than Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 more pencils than Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
+1
+1
+1
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 more pencils than Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
+1
+1
+1
= 24
S t e phani e
J os h
Collaborating for Student Success
Impact on Teachers
•
Stephanie has 3 more pencils than Josh.
Together, they have 24 pencils. How many
pencils does each person have?
+1
+1
+1
= 24
S t e phani e
J os h
Now we write (x + 3) + x = 24
Collaborating for Student Success
What Happened in SITTE?
•
•
•
•
Basic skills developed in context, not in
isolation
Multiple representations used to provide
meaningful connections
Critical thinking promoted through patterns
and explorations
Focused on teaching tools instead of teaching
topics
Collaborating for Student Success
How did SITTE Happen?
Changing teacher practice
•
Scrambled Numbers
•
Following Directions
Collaborating for Student Success
How did SITTE Happen?
Changing teacher attitudes
•
•
•
•
Consideration of local school contexts and
teachers’ actual situations
Focusing on student learning rather than on
teacher improvement
Providing resources rather than mandating
particular strategies or curricula
Using teacher knowledge to generate solutions
Collaborating for Student Success
How did SITTE Happen?
Changing professional development
•
Administrator support
•
Coach/facilitator support
•
Space and time
•
Food!
•
Food!
•
Food!
Collaborating for Student Success
When did SITTE Happen?
Summer School DREAMS Program
Students’
Schedule
Math teachers
Robotics
teachers
8:00–9:45
10:00–11:45
12:15–2:55
Math course
(Algebra
Readiness)
Robotics course
Writing course
Teach math
SITTE
Professional
Development
Teach robotics
Collaborative
lesson
development
Collaborating for Student Success
When did SITTE Happen?
Summer School DREAMS Program
Students’
Schedule
Math teachers
Robotics
teachers
8:00–9:45
10:00–11:45
12:15–2:55
Math course
(Algebra
Readiness)
Robotics course
Writing course
Teach math
SITTE
Professional
Development
Teach robotics
Collaborative
lesson
development
Collaborating for Student Success
When did SITTE Happen?
Summer School DREAMS Program
Students’
Schedule
Math teachers
Robotics
teachers
8:00–9:45
10:00–11:45
12:15–2:55
Math course
(Algebra
Readiness)
Robotics course
Writing course
Teach math
SITTE
Professional
Development
Teach robotics
Collaborative
lesson
development
Collaborating for Student Success
When did SITTE Happen?
Common Conference Period
•
4 Teachers
•
5 Student Teachers
•
Google Sites
•
4 x 4 schedule next year in two schools
Collaborating for Student Success
When did SITTE Happen?
After School
•
Twice per week
•
Coffee House
•
QEIA funded
Collaborating for Student Success
Possible Roadblocks to SITTE
•
Teachers & administrators unsure of benefits
•
Teachers afraid of additional burden on time
•
Teachers distracted by other PD commitments
•
•
Teachers unfamiliar with alternate teaching
strategies
Teachers lack opportunities to engage in
alternate teaching strategies
Collaborating for Student Success
LUNCH :)
When we reconvene:
•
•
•
Inventory of current collaborative efforts
Identification of tasks that need to be done in
order to set up collaboration time
Discussion of creative strategies to provide
opportunities for teacher collaboration
Collaborating for Student Success
What’s Happening?
•
•
•
What is the current state of collaboration at
your school or district?
What are your goals? How do you envision
collaboration at your school?
What are the barriers/supports that exist?
•
Time?
•
Money?
•
Motivation/resistance?
Collaborating for Student Success
How Will it Happen?
•
Where can teacher collaboration occur?
•
When can teacher collaboration occur?
•
How can teacher collaboration occur?
•
Who can help teacher collaboration to occur?
Collaborating for Student Success
Making It Happen
•
Who are the key people that need to be
involved?
•
Teachers
•
Administrators
•
Outside partners
•
What are the key tasks that need to be done?
•
What is the timeline for implementation?
Collaborating for Student Success
Thank You
For Your Participation
ARCHES Seminar
UC Irvine ~ 3/15/10
Ivan Cheng
icheng@csun.edu
Collaborating for Student Success
Collaborating for Student Success
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