Characteristics of Effective
Instruction
Iowa Core Curriculum
Leadership Development Series
Year Two
Welcome Back!
Year Two: Objectives
• To deepen understanding of Iowa Core
Curriculum
• To increase foundational knowledge of
Alignment, Instruction, and Assessment in order
to determine future direction of district
• To obtain materials and information for
replication back in district and to support
initiative and district (10%-10% -80%)
• To complete Self-Study for baseline data to
create draft version of Implementation Plan
Tough Questions for Journey Ahead
1. Can we change and make
improvements in education?
Will we?
2. What does it look like in the
classroom?
3. HOW are we going to go
about it?
4. What can be done that will get
us there?
LUNCH
11:40 am– 12:50 pm
We will start on time!
Motivation
When I Become a Teacher . . .
“Roll-Out”
Document
Year Two:
Stages of Work for Districts
 Stage 1: Initial Awareness of Iowa Core
Curriculum
 Stage 2: Introductory Work in Content,
Instruction, and Assessment AND Making
Connections
 Stage 3: Digging Deeper with the Iowa Core
Curriculum
 Stage 4: Making Iowa Core Curriculum a
Reality
 Stage 5: Full-Implementation & Continuous
Improvement
Charting Progress
Stage
Stage 1:
Attributes
Attributes of Stage 1
Initial Awareness of Iowa o
Core Curriculum
Participants are . . . .

Aware of the basic
structural design of the
Iowa Core Curriculum
(ICC)

Able to articulate
intents & purposes of
ICC

Understands the
implications of ICC in
the classroom
Documentation:
1.
Initial rating from Self-Study
obtained or reviewed (6
Outcomes)
Time Frame
August 2008 –
December 2010
Training Focus







Introduction to ICC and it’s Magnitude for
Change
1st and 2nd Order Change
Overview of Five Characteristics of Effective
Instruction
Local, State, National, & Global rationale for
ICC
Creation of ICC Vision (district)
Introduction to Implementation Plan & SelfStudy Rubrics
Round One, District Self-Study
Activity
Option 1: Participants attend initial six modules,
“Leadership Development Series (LDS).”*
Option 2: Training provided by district staff.
Activity #1: AEA Roll-Out
DISCUSS
 How does this document “fit” with what you have
done?
 What will you need to do?
 What needs clarified?
 How will you know you’ve made progress?
Making Connections
to Iowa Core
Curriculum
SINA/DINA Connection
Audit Process
• Content, Instruction, and Assessment addressed
• Element: Standards, item 3
• Element: Materials, item 2
• Element: Instruction, item 4
• Element: Assessment, item 3
• Professional Development: use of IPDM
• Plus more . . . . . . .
Action Plan
Actions and Activities can and should address the
Iowa Core Curriculum! Specifically HOW you
assure it happens for each and every student.
Professional Learning
Communities or Data Teams
• SCHOOLS engaged in
collecting, sharing, reviewing,
and analyzing data for direction
of work
Professional Learning
Communities or Data Teams (cont.)
• Committed LEADERSHIP actions
 “The challenge of change leadership is to create
a “system” for continuous improvement of
teachers/ lesson and supervision – rooted in a
common vision of performance standards
students must meet [ICC].”
• COLLABORATION!
 “Teachers working alone, with little or no
feedback on the quality of their lessons, will not
be able to improve significantly- no matter how
much professional development they receive.”
» Tony Wagner, 9/17/9
Building Initiative Example:
6 + 1 Trait Writing
Primary & Intermediate Writing Essential Concept with Skill:
Use an effective writing process (prewrite, draft, revise, edit, publish)
Evaluation of:
Ideas,
Organization,
Voice,
Word Choice,
Sentence
Fluency,
Conventions
The need to review,
reflect, and discuss
introduces students to
the concept of being
critics. Students are
used to being the ones
whose work is
reviewed and
corrected. Reviewing
work is a complex
task; students must
analyze a piece of
writing, evaluate it’s
strengths and
weaknesses, then
predict how it would
be different if changes
were made.
Activity #2: Making Connections
• Groups of 2-4
• Choose a prevalent initiative in your district or
building
• Make the connection with Iowa Core Curriculum
• Discuss as table group
• 20 minutes
Review of Five
Characteristics of
Effective Instruction
Activity #3:
Five Characteristics Review

Think-Pair-Share

Working with Examples

Establishing a Definition
Think-Pair-Share
Review Characteristics of Effective
Instruction
1. Teaching for Understanding (Review-Module
2, Read Article, “Teaching for Understanding,” by David
Perkins and completed 4-box Frayer Model with small
group)
Teaching for
Understanding
T-P-S
Characteristics of Effective Instruction
5. Teaching for Learner Differences (Module 5)
T-P-S
Characteristics of Effective Instruction
4. Student-Centered Classrooms (Module 5)
Student-Centered Classrooms
T-P-S
Characteristics of Effective Instruction
3. Rigor & Relevance (Module 4, Matrix of what it
is and is not)
Rigor &
Relevance
T-P-S
Characteristics of Effective
Instruction
2. Assessment for Learning (Module 3,
Read
Article, “Fair Test,” and looked at different vignettes of
what is and is not formative assessment)
Activity Directions
Step 1
 Number off 1-5
Step 2
 Read definition of the characteristic of
effective instruction (found on blue
sheet).
Step 3
 Read through the cards and place
under the appropriate column on your
poster
Activity Directions (cont.)
Step 4
 Rotate clockwise when you hear signal
 If you think one of the cards is incorrect, place a *
on the poster and write which poster you believe
where the card would be better placed.
 Repeat rotation
Step 5
 Return to your original chart
 Group decides final placement of cards
Activity Directions (cont.)
Step 6
Write a group summary: Teaching for
Understanding means to us __________.
(Replace underlined phrase with the
effective instruction you began and ended
with)
BREAK
(10 minutes)
Differentiated
Instruction
Linda Mannhardt
Chuck Solheim
Nicole Peterson
LUNCH
11:40 am– 12:50 pm
We will start on time!
IOWA CORE
CURRICULUM:
LESSON SAMPLE
The Grant Proposal Project
• Sarah Brown Wessling, Johnston, Iowa
• English Teacher
• Assignment: Students create a nonprofit
organization, currently unavailable in central
Iowa, that will support a verified need in the
community; they will fund this organization by
asking for fictitious grant monies from a grant
panel.
Activity #4: During Video &
Discussion Questions
• View Video Segment
• Step One: Individually apply Information to Five
Characteristics Sheet & complete during video
 Can you identify five characteristics?
• Step Two: Following video, In a group of 2-4,
choose at least two discussion questions and
discuss.
• Share out
• 25 minutes
Effective Instruction Briefs
Review Guiding Questions and
Review These Important Questions
1. Can we change and make
improvements in education?
Will we?
2. What does it look like in the
classroom?
3. HOW are we going to go
about it?
4. What can be done that will get
us there?
PROCESSING &
EVALUATION