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| Taking the Show on the Road: Morningside Teachers' Academy Experience |
| Saturday, May 27, 2006 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| Inman |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Kristine F. Melroe (Morningside Academy) |
| Discussant: Clay M. Starlin (University of Oregon) |
| Abstract: Morningside Teacher's Academy has implemented the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction in 90 (?) schools and agencies across the United States and Canada. These school-wide implementations are intended to assist teachers in implementing effective educational technologies and programs. Successful implementation at new sites is a function of at least three factors: teacher training in which teachers learn the rudiments of instructional protocols and programs, learn how to diagnose instructional problems, and become proficient in making instructional decisions based on student progress; teacher coaching in which teachers learn to perform instructional protocols and programs with ease in the context of a classroom; and cultural change in which teachers and administrators bring contingencies in line with programmatic and student learning requirements. This symposium describes the Morningside Model as it applies to training teachers and refining school cultural practices. |
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| Analyzing Effective Training Methods. |
| DEBORAH BROWN (Morningside Academy), Kristine F. Melroe (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: School districts pour millions of dollars into training with the hope that the information will change the behavior of teachers and result in improved student learning. The outcome for training is to develop the instructional repertoire of the teacher to a level that enables them to apply new principles, concepts and strategies across the curriculum. Using Tieman and Markle's System of Instruction framework, this paper describes the training protocols that are used at Morningside Teacher's Academy and identifies successes and challenges that consultants have experienced in school-wide implementations. A critical aspect for training is to understand the entering repertoire of the teacher; which includes basic skills, instructional content and cultural issues. Effective training sessions need to both informative and interactive. Training sessions need to be quickly followed by direct observation of the teacher's performance with their students. This provides a feedback loop to determine what the specific content of next training sessions should include. Training is only as effective as the coaching that follows. |
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| Coaching: A Delicate Blend of Methods, Style and Sensitivity. |
| SUZANNE CASSON (Morningside Teachers Academy), Abigail B. Calkin (Calkin Consulting Center) |
| Abstract: Direct instruction and roleplaying provide the teacher with a set of skills that, when artfully combined, create a performance repertoire that is effective in real-time, real-classroom situations. However, it is rare for a teacher to fully realize this integration without in situ coaching. Morningside Teachers' Academy relies heavily on coaching to transition teachers from training to practice. This paper will describe some of the common difficulties teachers face in applying training to the hustle and bustle of a classroom, will describe an overall paradigm for coaching, and will describe how personal characteristics of the teacher and of the coach interact to streamline the process in individual classrooms with individual teachers. |
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| Changing the Culture of a School: A "Four Frames" Analysis. |
| LIBBY M. STREET (Central Washington University) |
| Abstract: Although training and coaching are fundamentally critical elements to ensuring that teachers can implement a prescribed instructional program with fidelity, an analysis of and intervention in the prevailing school culture is essential to ensuring that organizational barriers to implementation are removed and that school-wide contingencies support change. This is particularly challenging for a consultant who has no designated leadership role in the organization. This presentation will address school culture from the perspective of Bolman and Deals, "Reframing Organizations," identify challenges we've faced in school-wide implementation of the Morningside Model, and describe steps we've taken to address them. |
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