Developing More Effective Teachers
Creating More Effective Schools
Preparing Students for the 21st Century World
Washington State
October 22, 2010
Joyce Tapper-Benham
Basic Facts
• Non-profit organization developed and based
at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Founded in 1999 by HGSE Faculty--David
Perkins and Martha Stone Wiske
• Served more than 20,000 educators since
2000
• 270+ institutional clients
• 100 countries, 6 Continents
What Does WIDE World Do?
WIDE World builds
learning communities of
teachers, coaches and school leaders
with structured
online courses and on-site programs
that enable schools to cultivate the
critical skills that students need for the
21st century world.
A Time for Change
States must develop “standards that
don’t simply measure whether students
can fill in a bubble on a test but
whether they possess 21st Century
skills like problem-solving, critical
thinking, entrepreneurship, and
creativity.”
--President Obama
March 2009 speech to the
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
What Capacities Do Students Need
for the 21st Century World?
Problem
Solving
Creativity
Teamwork
“Educating for
the Unknown”
Critical
Thinking
Innovation
Collaboration
Teaching for Understanding
The Teaching for Understanding
Framework
Generative Topics
Build the curriculum around important and
accessible topics that interest students
Generative
Topics
Understanding Goals
Define explicit goals for student understanding and
publicize them
On-Going
Assessment
Understanding
Goals
Performances
of
Understanding
Performances of Understanding
Offer multiple opportunities for students to perform
in ways that develop and demonstrate their
understanding
On-going Assessment
Assess student performance using public criteria
tied to learning goals
Support reflective, collaborative learning communities
of teachers and leaders
The TfU Framework Serves as a…
• Model to promote meaningful student
understanding;
• Structure for design of professional
development;
• Foundation for leadership of learning
organizations; and
• Shared language and coherent vision
for improving communication and
collaboration.
WIDE World Online Courses
Differentiated
Instruction
Leading for
Understanding
Multiple
Intelligences
(online and face-to-face)
Data Wise
Teaching
for Understanding
Making
Thinking Visible
Technology
Integration
Coach
Development
Action
Research
Math,
Reading
& Writing
Focused
WIDE World Programs of Study
People Learning Through Technology
• Instructors design courses, select and
supervise Coaches and lead online learning
< Instructor
St. Louis, MO
Coaches >
• Coaches support learners,
mediate discussions, and
provide individualized
feedback
Washington
State
• Coaches often recruited
Boston,
from among WIDE graduates Massachusetts
Rochester,
New York
Bangalore,
India
< Online Study
Group
Namibia
Singapore
Athens,
Greece
Brockton,
MA
Birmingham,Washington
State
AL
Hillsborough,
FL
What Happens in a WIDE World Course?
Read about ideas and examples
Discuss ideas with team and study group
Apply ideas in your classroom/school
Discuss that experience and results
Share feedback with coach and peers
Refine and continue the inquiry
= Job-embedded professional development in
a professional learning community
WIDE World for School Improvement
Tailored Program for your District to
Ensure Impact and Sustainability
Phase
Phase 11
Phase
Phase 22
• Needs assessment/
program plan by
WIDE World & district
leaders
• Face to face “kickoff”
workshop
• Initial group of
teachers and leaders
enroll in a course(s)
• Teachers enroll in
second teacher
course; leaders
enroll in a
leadership course
• WIDE World
nominates Online
Coach candidates
Phase
Phase 33
• Teachers and leaders
go through Coach
Development
process (course and
apprenticeship)
• District Leadership &
WIDE World evaluate
progress
Phase 4
• The collaboration
continues with a
new cohort…..
Reach and Impact
WIDE World Reach and Impact
Key U.S. Clients
Birmingham (AL) City Schools
East St. Louis (IL) School District
Hillsborough County (FL) Public Schools
Kentucky Department of Education
(and 70+ districts)
Memphis (TN) City Schools
New York City Public Schools
Orange County (FL) Public Schools
The School District of Philadelphia
Westbrook (ME) Public Schools
Evaluating Online Professional Learning
Participants’ Reactions
•
•
83% course completion rates
92% would recommend the course to a colleague
Participants’ Learning
•
•
98% say their practice improved
EDC independent study showed participants apply theory to practice
Teachers’ and Leaders’ Performance
•
•
teaching with students--focused on understanding
distributed leadership promotes learning for adults and students
Impact
•
•
Student Performance: improved interest, understanding of goals,
confidence, and test scores
School Structure and Culture: shared vision and common language for
high quality instruction; from a culture of blame to a culture of shared
responsibility
Orange County Public Schools, FL
2007 - Orange County Public Schools in Florida
receives five year Teacher Incentive Fund Grant from
the U.S. Department of Education
– Focus: 10 lowest performing MS and HS
– Goal: Student improvement
– Results: OCPS reports to U.S. DOE:
•
•
•
•
•
•
4.9% FCAT increase in Math after Year 1; 8.1% in year 2
5.9% FCAT increase in Science after Year 1; 9.3% in year 2
16% increase in teacher retention from Year 1 to Year 2
86% of teachers see their students more engaged in learning
93% of Year 2 participants successfully completed their course
76% of Year 2 course completers receive TIF award
State Wide Implementation
WIDE World is working with the Kentucky
Department of Education to foster systemic, wide
scale improvements and realize the state’s goal of:
“High Quality Instruction. Every Day. In Every
Classroom. For Every Child”
Kentucky Department of Education
“It wasn’t just about struggling schools, we were
looking for improvement across all grade levels
and all content areas. It wasn’t an intervention
for a particular group or performance level, it
was an intervention strategy for every kid.”
- Debbie Daniels, Director,
Kentucky Cohesive Leadership Systems
New York City Public Schools
WIDE World is working with a selective
group of New York City Public Schools to
encourage teachers and leaders to be
self-reflective, enrich their understanding
of current educational research, and
apply this new insight to their daily
practice.
New York City Public Schools
“I want you to know how important (WIDE World)
is to my school and to the kids. It is almost like
hitting home runs. It is almost like winning the
lottery. I believe right now with the help of
Harvard and WIDE World online courses we
are hitting home runs … and we are enjoying
and loving it!”
- Pat Quigley, Principal, Community School 61
Program Summary
Mission: To transform school systems by
developing communities of teachers and school
leaders to cultivate the critical learning students
need for the 21st Century
WIDE World is:
– Research Based
– On-line
– Job embedded
– Team based with Coaching
– Tailored for local impact
– Global learning
For More Information
Visit our website:
http://wideworld.gse.harvard.edu
or call:
Patrick Schneiter
Client Services Manager
617-496-9965
Course
Platform
zarowin
*******
New
Session
Begins
Week 1
Participants work on and submit
the first set of assignments
Week 2
Participants work on and submit
the second set of assignments
A Typical Session Includes…
Reflection on the Previous Session
New Content for the Current Session
Assignments
–
–
–
The Learning Process
* Read about ideas and
examples
* Discuss and reflect on ideas
Reading and Reflection
* Develop projects that apply
Project Development
ideas
Classroom/Practical Applications * Apply ideas
* Share application experiences
and results with and receive
feedback from coach and peers
* Refine work and continue the
inquiry