Teachers at Cherrington and Pointview elementaries spent the summer together virtually as part of a book study to learn how to raise achievement and bolster engagement among students in blended and remote learning environments.
More than 40 teachers, curriculum specialists, administrators and instructional coaches at the two schools and in the district participated in a book study on “Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New Technologies = Blended Learning That Works” by Weston Kieschnick, a best-selling author and TEDx speaker who has received national recognition for his work in blending new technologies into instruction.
Heather Griffith, an instructional coach at Pointview Elementary, said the sudden shift from in-person to remote learning in the spring was not going to be enough to continue when school resumed in the fall. She worked with district education technology coaches in the spring to identify a book for a staff book study that could help educators learn new ways of getting quality instruction to students. She chose Kieschnick’s Bold School as it best aligned with technology platforms the district already uses and features the rigor and relevance instructional strategies of John Hattie's “Visible Learning.”
The techniques in Bold School work well both in fully remote and blended learning environments, allowing teachers to feel better prepared regardless, she said.
She said the biggest takeaway from the book study for teachers was developing a strategy to achieve their learning goals and identifying the digital tools that can do the job.
“Many teachers find the next ‘cool thing’ or ‘new tool that's free!’ and they try to find ways to use it,” Griffith said. “Instead our focus needs to be on deliberate and purposeful decisions that are goal-oriented and based on our learning standards.”
The group met four times virtually throughout the summer with Kieschnick joining the group for their final Google Meet. He shared stories and offered practical solutions to questions teachers had about starting the school year remotely. Teachers ended the book study invigorated and excited to tackle the new academic year, Griffith said.
The buildings have previously collaborated when Griffith and Amy Hinz, an instructional coach at Cherrington, teamed up earlier in the year for a staff meeting on using Bridges. Both went to each other’s buildings and presented to both staffs. They started work on a parent book study between buildings that was cut short due to COVID.
“Collaboration is a great way to learn, build our understanding, and build relationships,” Griffith said.
Teachers in both buildings plan to continue their collaborative efforts as they implement what they learned over the summer.