Building a Culture of Collaboration in an Emerging Project-Based Learning School 

Celina Gonzalez

Christopher Hughes

High Tech High

Graduate School of Education

Abstract

How do school leaders support communities during change?  In our action research, we explored how shared professional learning experiences affect teacher culture in the midst of a school community moving towards project-based learning (PBL). We reviewed effective practices in adult learning and collegiality in schools. Through a series of interviews, surveys, focus groups, and exit slips, we collected data to learn about teachers’ experiences participating in a  project design course embedded in an elementary charter school in San Diego. This data was utilized  to support teacher needs and determine our next steps in professional development.  We identified three major benefits of these shared learning experiences: the development of a growth mindset, a safe professional space, and a culture of collegiality. Our work speaks to the value of shared professional experiences in fostering an adult learning community, especially amidst changes in the approach to teaching and learning.

Introduction

Chris’s Pathway

Throughout my more traditional experiences in elementary education, I always sensed there was another approach that was more student-centered and provided greater purpose in students’ learning.  After spending seven years teaching at a traditional public elementary school,  I slowly began giving up on education. Rather than leaving the profession, I searched for other teaching options that allowed for truly meaningful work to take place.  I found Mountain Middle Charter School in Durango, CO, a school that utilizes project-based learning as a vehicle to produce authentic student work. My interest drove me to take a full time position as a Teacher Leader the following year with the school.  After two years at the middle school, I wanted to deepen my understanding of PBL at the elementary level so I explored progressive graduate school programs.  I was accepted to the M.Ed. program and joined the High Tech High Graduate School of Education (HTH GSE) as a school leadership resident.  The master’s program embeds graduate students in a current High Tech High school for a year to work alongside a director and learn how to lead a school.  I was placed at Explorer Elementary, and soon discovered there is great value in a culture which has structures in place to support and develop teachers’ understandings of project design.  Explorer was in the process of moving from a more traditional approach to project based learning.  Explorer teachers needed consistent and sustainable professional learning to help them fully understand and know how to support deeper learning through project design.  In addition, teachers at this charter school displayed a true curiosity and desire to understand what PBL looks like in elementary classrooms. As I began to focus in on a topic for my master’s project, I wanted to research what project based learning looks like at the elementary level while creating a shared professional development experience for elementary teachers.

Celina’s Pathway

 Upon entering the HTH GSE as a resident also placed at Explorer, I was in search of another approach to education that was hands-on, exploratory, and collaborative. I wanted to learn how to inspire a love and joy of learning that is so rarely present in traditional classroom settings. At the time I had limited knowledge of and experience with project-based learning. As I worked with teachers, directors, and other graduate students in the program, I started developing my beliefs about teaching and learning in an environment which fosters meaningful and rigorous work.  The components of real-world work, relevance to students’ lives, collaboration, and teacher as a facilitator of learning found in PBL are similar to my own teaching practice. However, I was unsure how to produce this school-wide by supporting teachers. My limitations in understanding the depth of practice in project-based learning fueled my desire to learn how teachers are supported. I began to realize the PBL approach is not solely a technical approach, but more so a mindset for effective education. As I became more interested in exploring the adult learning community that shifted to a more progressive approach, Chris and I realized our interests aligned.

Our Collaboration

In our graduate course work, we participated in the Design and Leadership for Deeper Learning course. Individually, we crafted a project with a focus on the elements of PBL (See Appendix A. The 6 A’s in PBL are academic rigor, authenticity, applied learning, active exploration, adult connections, and assessment practices. These components have been identified as fundamental in PBL. See Appendix B for the GSE Deeper Learning through Projects course syllabus. This document shares the design process and topics of inquiry when designing projects). With continual critique and feedback from colleagues, it was evident dialogue within the community of teacher and school leadership residents, directors, and instructors was at the heart of this course. The stakeholders involved in the dialogue attempted to understand and design a project for deeper learning, which nurtured us as designers and learners of PBL. The ideas from this course and the shift in our school’s priority to enhance projects through a PBL approach resulted conversation about how to bring our GSE learning back to the Explorer community led us to focus on the following research question together (See Appendix C. It is a document which compares key components of projects and project-based learning. Some of these components include students guidance, team collaboration, and driving questions.):

How do shared professional development experiences in project based learning impact teacher culture?

Setting Description

History of Explorer Elementary Charter School

In 2000, Explorer Elementary Charter School was established in La Jolla, CA serving 120 students K-5 (SARC, 2012-2013). The school's mission is to successfully blend a child-centered, socially intelligent approach to education with exemplary curriculum and high standards for its students (Charter School Website). The school relocated to Point Loma in San Diego, California during the 2004-2005 academic school year. The school remains a public charter school authorized by the San Diego Unified School District (School Accountability Report Card, 2004-2005).

In 2009-2010, the charter school underwent its first change in leadership, gaining a new interim principal. In addition, this charter school, due to a desire to share facilities, became an “affiliate of High Tech High Learning, a nonprofit organization established to support the development of High Tech High Schools.”  This new collaboration provided a “K–12 educational pathway for its students” (Executive Summary School Accountability Report Card, 2009-2010).

The charter school experienced a second change in leadership in 2011-2012. Over the two years of this leadership and at the time of this research, several decisions were made based on the leader’s knowledge, experience, and belief system (See Appendix D for the leader’s theory of action and leadership moves during this timeframe. The theory of action is a series of “If...then” statements that contribute to the leader’s core beliefs which align with the mission of the school).

The Merge of Explorer with High Tech High

This school merged officially with High Tech High (HTH) Schools in January 2014 for the purpose of long term sustainability of the school facility use, and similarity of mission, vision and philosophy.

High Tech High’s mission is to develop and support innovative public schools where all students develop the academic, workplace, and citizenship skills for postsecondary success.

At each HTH school, goals include:

• Serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local community.
• Integrate technical and academic education to prepare students for post-secondary education in both high tech and liberal arts fields.
• Increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students in math and engineering who succeed in high school and post-secondary education.
• Graduate students who will be thoughtful, engaged citizens (“About High Tech High,” 3/30/15).

Explorer as a HTH School

This merge served as a turning point for the charter school. Explorer Elementary Charter School is now one of three elementary schools in the HTH organization. The other two, High Tech Elementary Chula Vista and High Tech Elementary North County, were designed specifically as PBL schools. The Explorer Elementary school and community was designed with an emphasis on social and emotional learning. The SARC states that the school “teaches and reinforces core concepts such as acceptance, compassion, ethical and responsible behavior, empathy, positive conflict resolution, and collaboration” (See Appendix E. It provides more information about the Social Emotional Curriculum at the school site. Some information includes language, community building in classrooms, and behavior management). Through the merge with HTH, this emphasis of social emotional learning is embedded through a PBL approach.

The charter school currently serves 348 students. For the next school year, the school admissions will use a true zipcode lottery, meaning each living area is weighted--there is a maximum number of spots in each zip code for students. The student population represents the population of San Diego county. Figure 1 displays the 2014-2015 composition of ethnic/racial groups with 47% of the total student enrollment representing groups beyond White (Caucasian).

Figure 1: Student Population by Ethnic/Racial Groups (2014-2015)

In the 2014-15 academic school year, Figure 2 shows students’ socioeconomic diversity of families enrolled at Explorer.

Figure 2: Socio Economic Status of Student Population      

Shared Leadership

The interim director in 2012-2013 adopted a shared leadership approach. This approach began with the development of Shared Understandings that were collectively written in positive language by the entire Explorer staff. Shared understandings are a critical element of the culture and ensure teacher voice and a shared responsibility. The principal worked towards transforming the culture at the charter school by creating a shared vision through shared agreements. Teachers consistently refine their practice in a collegial environment of weekly professional learning. Teachers and leaders participate in committees which include: Social and Emotional Learning, Math, English Language Arts (ELA), Student Success Team (SST), and Professional Learning. Teacher leaders in committees support the growth of their colleagues by sharing and discussing needs from information and/or opinions they gathered.  They then cooperatively plan activities and professional learning.

Furthermore, teachers and the director worked together to craft a document about meaningful projects that included the quote, “I believe the work of excellence is transformational” (See Appendix F for the Big Ideas About Projects created by teachers 2013-2014. The components include work of excellence, multiple drafts, critique, and inclusion.). This served as one example of the community’s creation of a shared vision about project design for the school.

The Shift Toward Project-based Learning (PBL) at Explorer

The initial focus for professional learning this year was English Language Arts (ELA); however, there was a shift in priorities and focus November 2014. The director scheduled teacher evaluations as well as observations and meetings with individual teachers to support their work, growth, and practice. He sent an email that encouraged teachers to open their classrooms as well as reflect on their practice. Also, conversations about the difference between projects and project-based  learning were at hand (See Appendix C. It is a document which compares key components of projects and project-based learning. Some of these components include students guidance, team collaboration, and driving questions.). These components resulted in confusion and fear about job security, identity, and  a desire for more professional learning around project design since there existed limited knowledge and guidance.  The professional learning committee, a group of teacher leaders, decided to create a Explorer Design Course to support teachers and help develop deeper understandings about PBL and practice the design process together. 

Literature Review

        For our literature review, we focused on structures that developed a learning culture for teachers at Explorer: change leadership, PBL and project design, and adult learning communities. These topics not only gave insight to the current situation at our school site, but also provided information about the benefits of shared experiences in adult learning communities. Explorer experienced changes in leadership which ignited a focus on PBL. Hence, this shift impacted the content, goals, and structure of professional learning. This literature review will provide research about factors involved in adult learning communities in the broader educational spectrum as well as in our work at the school site.

Adaptive Leadership in a Community Engaged in Change

        Our school site underwent two changes in leadership in the three years leading up to our placement. As with any school, many factors must be attended to in order to ease transitions in the community. Heath & Heath (2010) described three things that must be done at the same time for change to occur in any community: shift the situation or environment, influence both hearts and minds, and appeal to both the planning and emotional personalities. Shift the situation or environment referred to changing the atmosphere and/or the experiences for members in the community. This meant that teachers at our school site needed to be part of something different which would elicit an ease to the changes. The necessity to influence both hearts and minds was a means to address both the emotional and rational thinking of humans. The planning and emotional personalities meant to acknowledge and work through unique personalities and create a system for growth and open-mindedness. At our research school site, this referred to addressing fears that naturally occur during change as well as providing a vision and supportive system for teachers to process the change.

 The alterations in leadership ignited strides towards PBL. Many of the teachers at Explorer taught for several years with their own approach to instruction. This led to many questions about what learning should look like and caused teachers to lose confidence in their practice. It was clear that teachers needed to understand how and why a PBL approach was more effective for learning. Also, teachers needed to participate in project design together to gain a shared experience and learn the value of the approach for themselves. Although change was necessary to grow, Heifetz & Linsky (2004) made note of the intricacies of change leadership. They spoke to the “Illusion of the Broken System”, or the belief that change is necessary because something is broken, which ruined change initiatives (p. 17). Leaders must avoid these misconceptions in order to move a community. This research caused us to wonder how leaders can refrain from this deficit mindset while retaining high expectations for strengthening teacher practice. It became clear that the effectiveness of transitioning the school to a  PBL approach would rely on intrinsic motivation, trusting relationships, and safe space for teachers to grow.

Adaptive leadership implements revisions to develop a healthy culture and enables the community’s capacity to thrive. This style of leadership investigates questions of value, purpose, and the process of the situation at hand.  Heifetz and Linsky stressed how adaptive challenges can only be addressed through adjustments to people's priorities, beliefs, habits, and loyalties (p.14). Based on this research, we recognized the difficulty in challenging people’s beliefs and ideas, yet this was precisely what needed to happen in our work at Explorer. We wondered how we could celebrate teacher contributions as well as push thinking. Heath & Heath (2010) noted the value to focus on what was working or “bright spots” and ask what needs to be done to do more of it (p. 45). It was vital to build on strengths. Starting with the group’s strengths and tapping into their expertise was necessary to build a healthy professional community. Furthermore, honesty about one another’s teaching practice challenges each other’s understanding which stretches their thinking to grow. This lends to meaningful learning experiences for our students. McDonald (2011) states that “Honest discourse is the key to shifting school culture” (p. 45). These honest conversations were present in relationships that were rooted in trust. The necessity for trust caused us to wonder if trust was present in the community and if not, what would its impacts be during the shift towards PBL in practice?

Relationships and Trust

Research indicated relationships are key for change. The culture of a community was crucial. A healthy culture included trust. Heifetz & Linsky mentioned how “successful leaders in any field tend to emphasize personal relationships” (p. 2). Rather than doing the work alone, one must find partners, recognize one’s own contribution and responsibility in the group, and acknowledge the values which participants may have to negotiate. To develop the potential in people, relationships must be strong in order to embrace their own learning and development (Knight, 2011).

Relationships are built through trust and listening (MacDonald, 2011, p. 51). A collective effort was necessary and would lend itself to shared responsibility and accountability amongst the group. The health of relationships was reflected in all interactions: “If the relationships between administrators and teachers are trusting, generous, helpful, and cooperative, then the relationships between teachers and students, between students and students, and between teachers and parents are likely to be trusting, generous, helpful, and cooperative.” (Barth, 2006, p. 8). To develop and sustain strong relationships, Knight (2011) noted seven partnership principles: equality, choice, voice, reflection, dialogue, praxis, reciprocity. Hence, community interactions and learning opportunities should encompass all of these elements. These collegial environments were evident in the school setting via teacher leader committees and consistent opportunities for professional learning. Communication and actions from these teacher leaders demonstrated a sense of a safe space to share concerns and strengthen their practice.

A series of alterations can lead to great change. Heath & Heath (2010) mentioned that “Big problems are rarely solved with commensurately big solutions. Instead, they are most often solved by a sequence of small solutions” (p. 44). Change was slow. To move a community in a specific direction requires time, trusting relationships,  and an acknowledgement of progress throughout the whole process.

Project-Based Learning and Project Design

        Project-based learning (PBL) is a more progressive approach to education. Throughout our research, we came across several different interpretations of PBL. In a review of the research on PBL, Thomas (2000) identified five distinguishing features of project-based learning:

     1) The use of projects that focus on content that is central to the curriculum.

2. Projects are based on questions of importance or driving questions
3. Projects involve students in ways that require them to identify problems, develop and design solutions, and create an end product such as a presentation, report, invention, or model.
4. Projects are student-centered to the greatest extent possible.
5. Projects are developed from reality-based ideas and problems rather than on academic exercises and pursuits (Thomas, 2000, p.4-5).

However, we felt most connected to John Dewey’s philosophy of education. Dewey contested traditional approaches to teaching where students were passive participants in their learning and advocated for more active experiences that “prepare[d] students for ongoing learning about a dynamic world.”  He reminded us that “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself” (Dewey, p. 239). PBL can be described as student-centered instruction that occurs over an extended time period, during which students select, plan, investigate and produce a product, presentation or performance that answers a real-world question or responds to an authentic challenge.  Teachers generally served as facilitators and provided scaffolding, guidance and strategic instruction as the process unfolded. PBL stems from the perception of students learning best by experiencing and solving real-world problems through collaboration. This more active learning which was proven to prepare youth for their future work in the world led us to examine the differences and benefits of a traditional and progressive approach. We wondered how a community could acknowledge and use the best components of each educational philosopher to craft an understanding of effective teaching and learning through project design at the elementary level.  

 Project design refers to the steps or process by which one plans for his/her students. As PBL became more popular, different resources were crafted to guide project planning.  No single algorithm produced a perfect project.  A successful project should be tailored and designed to fit the needs of every individual classroom.   The document “6 A’s to project design” (Steinberg, 1998) (See Appendix A. The 6 A’s in PBL are academic rigor, authenticity, applied learning, active exploration, adult connections, and assessment practices. These components have been identified as fundamental in PBL.) It is a tool commonly used amongst project-based learning schools, especially in the HTH organization. This tool breaks down the essential components of each “A” with a description and then a column for educators to identify parts of the project that fall under each “A”. The tool provides teachers with ways to think and develop project ideas.  It was often referred to in our professional development and used throughout our research.  

A common thread in planning a meaningful project was the idea of backwards design. This is the idea of dreaming big with the end product in mind then scaffolding backwards to give the students the necessary tools to make the project meaningful and successful (Wiggins, 2005).  It emphasized a clear learning outcome and backwards design for instruction and assessment in order for students to achieve those outcomes.  The focus for the breakdown of this process encompassed the following: passion/big idea, essential questions, learning content, fieldwork, critique and feedback, a product/ exhibition (Patton, 2012). This process had not been experienced by all teachers at Explorer, yet the new expectation was for teachers to plan projects that demonstrated these components. Lack of experience and knowledge caused fears around the process and being evaluated on their teaching through PBL. As researchers, we wondered how we can alleviate the fears as well as support teachers in this change. We also wondered about the level of teachers’ openness to reflecting on their practice and working towards PBL for teaching. This process was crucial in creating shared experiences for teachers to gain knowledge and experience in designing a project from start to finish.

Adult Learning Communities: Collegiality and Growth Mindset

A collective effort for growth and improvement was necessary for the health and sustainability of a group. Learning communities were implemented through structures to “gather colleagues together with a purpose” such as collegial conversations, teaching teams, and collaborations which are present at our site (McDonald, Mohr, Dichter, & McDonald, 2007, p. 12). Furthermore, an investment to building capacity in teachers was essential to a change effort as well as the health and sustainability of the culture. In the book, Leverage Leadership (2012), Bambrick-Santoyo noted how a shift in the lens of the leader must encompass a desire to foster teacher practice, which will lend itself to greater teacher investment as they “realize their development matters” (p. 64). Teachers must have a sense of urgency to grow and be empowered by school leaders to enhance their practice. However, power can often be the driving force in professional development and one must ask: Who has the power? Where is the power coming from? How can we shift the power to teachers? How can teachers be active participants in their learning as opposed to passive? In educational settings, there may exist a hierarchical system. Blase and Anderson (1995) stated how the “real world of schools is a political world of power and influence, bargaining and negotiation” (p. 1). Leadership may be misinterpreted as authority and in turn be manifested into a single-minded thought for solutions. We wondered: How do schools, engaged in change, disburse power and increase teacher ownership? How does a community create a space for all ideas to be heard and transformed into a vision for the school? Therefore, priority in teacher learning must be an “integral part of the life of the school” through engagement of teachers as leaders and a community of learners (Lieberman, 1995, p. 69).

Lieberman noted that there exists “widespread acceptance that staff learning takes place primarily as a set of workshops, a conference, or a project with a long-term consultant” (p. 67). Teachers, similar to their students, must have opportunities to participate in authentic experiences solving real world problems through collaboration with colleagues and honoring their own experiences. If one knew the best learning experiences for students and teachers encompassed authentic, engaging, and collaborative components, then why are teachers not given greater opportunities to develop their own learning as educators? In contrast to our research, many workshops, conferences, and projects can be effective tools for building capacity in teachers; however, not the only tools and definitely not used in isolation. In the article, Lieberman claimed:

Teachers have been told all too often that other people's understandings of teaching and learning are more important than theirs, and that their knowledge−gained from their daily work with students−is of far less value... Outside experts have often viewed teaching as technical, learning as packaged, and teachers as passive recipients of "objective research”.] (p. 68).

Again, it is common in traditional forms of professional development that teachers’ experiences and knowledge were not perceived as valuable let alone tapped into traditional forms of teacher development. Perceptions of teachers as passive recipients of knowledge were misaligned with the shift in the perception of students as active participants in their learning. Teacher learning needs to be modified to mimic the change we want for all students: learning which includes active exploration, creation and problem solving of real-world issues.

        Not only was access to these learning experiences crucial, but also open-mindedness and a growth mindset.  Carol Dweck (2006) shares how:  

People believe...their talents and abilities can be developed through passion, education, and persistence. For them...it’s about a commitment to learning taking informed risks, and learning from the results. Surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you to grow, look frankly at your deficiencies, and seeking to remedy them (p. 8).

The research indicated growth occurs when one is in an environment that challenges his/her own thinking. Effective collegial coaching occurs trusting and safe professional space. This is in contrary to criticism and judgement that can happen in a traditional performance evaluation. Research (Bambrick & Santoyo, 2012) showed how developing teachers through questioning student outcomes rather than an evaluation tool about the teacher’s practice was effective. However, Dweck implied growth in practice progresses only when teachers were open minded and believed they could help others develop.  As researchers, we were mindful about the value in mutual learning and advocated for a structure which nurtured shared dialogue, collaborative project design, and celebration of successes and challenges in both our and our student’s growth.

For our research project, we knew professional learning would not solely be a series of workshops, but rather an opportunity for teachers to participate in a collegial environment. The collegial environment needed to include dialogue about teaching and learning as well as a reflection of these shared experiences about project design. Project design would be geared towards project-based learning, which is hands-on and has an authentic real world connection as opposed to projects that tend to only be focused on the product (See Appendix C. It is a document which compares key components of projects and project-based learning. Some of these components include students guidance, team collaboration, and driving questions.). Teachers would have an opportunity to share and learn from one another how to design better projects to enhance student learning.  The professional environment needed to include trust, which would build strong relationships and foster honest dialogue about  practice to fuel growth. Overall, we wanted to learn the impacts of these shared experiences on teacher culture as the community was engaged in change.

Methods

We gained an understanding of the impacts of shared professional learning experiences in project design on teacher culture through the use of a plethora of data collection tools. To learn about teachers’ experiences while participating in the Explorer Project Design Course, we utilized weekly exit cards after professional learning sessions, teacher surveys, teacher interviews, and fieldnotes. We wanted to use the exit cards as a means to collect immediate responses and reflections from teachers after their participation in weekly professional learning sessions. We collected and designed snapshots of the data through infographics. We presented these snapshots to the professional learning committee and had conversations about the meaning of the data, discussing trends, patterns, celebrations, and/or areas of opportunities for  growth.

The professional development sessions were designed by the professional learning committee (PLC), which consisted of seven teachers from Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Also, the director and we (the School Leadership Residents) were included. The diverse perspectives and insight from the group allowed us to interpret the data and learn the effects of the professional learning session. verall, we hoped to learn how the shared professional experiences influenced teacher culture during a shift in practice towards a PBL approach to teaching and learning.

Data Collection

We administered the following data collection tools:

Teacher Surveys (3 series survey: January, February, and March)

Administered to all teachers in the Explorer community. We used surveymonkey to conduct our first whole school survey (See Appendix G to view the Initial Teacher Survey), which enabled us to notice trends, discrepancies, and provided charts to make visible the data. The goal of the initial and mid-surveys for teachers was to gain a greater sense of the level of expertise and understandings about project design as an elementary school community.

We were particularly interested in learning the following about teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards:

• the elements of project design
• their level of expertise in developing the elements of project design
• areas of their practice they celebrate
• areas of their practice which they hope to grow, and
• what supports they need to develop their understandings of teaching and learning via project design.

We administered the second, or mid survey using Google forms. This survey consisted of three questions:

1. What are your goals in designing projects?
2. Please share celebrations and challenges that are shaping your thinking and actions while planning projects.
3. How do you plan to move forward in your practice?

Teacher responses allowed us to learn about:

• Teachers’ experiences so far in the Explorer Project Design course,
• Changes in teachers’ practice and use of elements of project design, and
• Teachers’ goals and needs to continue to develop their expertise in project design.

Focus Group

Our focus group consist of a 2nd grade, a 4th grade, and two 5th grade teachers.  Along with the professional learning sessions, the teachers also participated in a 3 series interview cycle (see details below).  We utilized the focus group interviews to understand teachers’ pathway in developing their practice and learning as well as to gain a sense of their growth when they shared their story.

Interviews (3 series interview January, February, and March)

We interviewed one teacher from each second, fourth, and fifth grade team. This provided us an opportunity to learn about their teaching journey and gain understanding about the evolvement of their beliefs and practices of teaching and learning.

Exit Cards

Exit Cards were created and given out after every professional learning session.  As we saw common themes arise, we reworked the professional learning schedule to fit the specific needs of the group.  Also, the exit card data is presented in the infographics. This information provided us up-to-date and specific learning, experiences, and teachers’ needs in developing their projects in future professional learning sessions (See the Appendix H to view the Exit Card Data Infographic and the Exit Card Snapshot).  

Fieldnotes

Notes were taken during professional learning committee meetings and Explorer Project Design Course. Our goal was to capture questions as well as teacher’s thoughts and ideas about project design at the elementary level. We coded the notes for keywords to determine themes about attitudes, responses to change, and dynamics of the groups that emerged from conversations about project design. (See Appendix I to view examples of notes and coding. See Appendix J for a Timeline of Our Research).

Analysis/Findings

Overview

In our research, we explored the impacts of shared professional learning experiences on teacher culture while moving towards a more project-based approach to teaching. As school leaders we asked ourselves, how do we support the teachers during a change while also enhancing teaching and learning? We discovered the benefits as well as the implications of creating a healthier teacher culture through these professional learning experiences. Three key themes emerged from our work: the mindset that we are all learners, a safe professional space, and collegiality.  

Starting at Ground Zero: Teachers as Learners

The shared professional experiences not only helped teachers gain knowledge about a new topic, but also helped develop a mindset of we are all learning together.  The original goal of the Explorer Design course was to provide a shared experience in project design amongst teachers and craft shared understandings about what projects will look like at Explorer Elementary. However, after we embarked on this research, we realized the benefits extended beyond simply creating a shared understanding.  The benefits that emerged were: increased teacher capacity and confidence in project design, increased participation and investment in one another’s practice, and reignited passion and joy for teaching and learning through PBL.

As researchers, we sent an initial survey before the design course to gauge the overall comfort level of project design amongst teachers.  We sensed a perception that most, if not all, teachers already did projects. A found that a discrepancy existed between project knowledge and comfort with actual experience and practice designing a project using the elements of PBL. 19 out of 23 staff members responded to our initial survey.  Of these respondents, 84 percent expressed comfort in designing projects.  However, only 52 percent stated they were comfortable crafting a rich driving question, which is an essential component of designing projects.  This discrepancy ignited a series of conversations amongst the faculty about the value of starting from ground zero, or assuming teachers had no background knowledge about project design for PBL. The professional learning weeks were broken into designing projects, gaining knowledge about PBL design, and collaboration through collegial interactions (See Appendix K for the Explorer Project Design Course outline. This outlines was designed based on the GSE Deeper Learning through Projects  course syllabus). The structures in the design course provided teachers opportunities to learn in the same way we hope our students experience learning. Teachers brainstormed project ideas based on their passions, completed gallery walks to further develop ideas while also learning about each others’ passions, presented their ideas in project tunings, and finally engineered prototypes.  In our first three weeks of the design course, the exit slips revealed questions and concerns by 23 staff members  (See Appendix L for a list of responses). As researchers, we categorized the concerns into four themes found in Figure 2: time to design, collaboration, knowledge about the design process, and vision of professional learning. Time to design referred to teachers’ request for planning a project together which includes opportunities to design a project step-by-step, etc. Three of seventeen respondents commented about time to design: “To make sure we have enough time built in to our school day to continue this process” and “Sometimes these ideas are kickstarters and I don't feel I have the time to further develop it”. Although this appears of low interest, the desire to use more time to participate and flush out the design process was apparent. Collaboration included dialogue, sharing ideas, and giving/receiving feedback through project tunings. Three out of 17 teachers had responses that we categorized as collaboration: “Having the time to get feedback from others is so huge and I am glad we are having more time built in to do collaborate.” Knowledge about the process included support and tools for teachers to use for project design. Six out of 17 teachers had response that fell into this category: “Still having some trouble coming up with essential questions”. Vision of professional learning referred to as the community’s need for more direction by leadership and understanding the scope of the professional learning that has been planned. Five out of 17 respondents had comments related to vision of professional learning: “...I think we need to spend a little bit of time talking about the goal of developing shared ideas about projects as a school.  People will also need to know that they should work on a project that they want to spend many of their Wednesdays developing.”

Figure 3: Responses from Exit Slips

Changes in mindset occurred as the design course progressed. Ideas which teachers initially thought were impossible, began to emerge from the group and teachers started to use them to develop their projects. One teacher said she was told to “Dream big and go for it” after she commented her project would be impossible. It was clear teachers needed guidance about how to turn their ideas into realities and this required a community of people supporting one another. Our last interview from our focus group shed light on the benefits of the step-by-step design process: “This process has helped me be more organized in the planning of the project...the 6 A’s have been super helpful because I have not thought about those yet” (Participant in Focus Group, Interview Two, March 2015). Also, teachers began to desire more time dedicated to project design:“Want more time to work through design process...step-by -step” (Teacher Response in Mid-Survey about the Project Design Course). Teachers needed opportunities to experience new learning in ways similar to their students: hands-on, meaningful, and authentic work.

Implications in the Process

Time remained a quickly depleting resource throughout our research. Teachers requested more work in classroom time, outside of project design. Early in the design process, comments were made within the community such as “When will this design course be done, so I can do what I need to do in the classroom?” and “I know that this is helpful, but it just takes so much time” (Teacher exit card responses, Professional Learning, February 2015). Even with positive responses early on in the design course, time remained an issue. Teacher’s wrote concerns on exit slips stating a desire. Opportunities outside of structured professional learning around project design were necessary. At the start of our research, only four teachers attended a day conference in San Diego hosted by HTH. However, this past May, 12 staff members requested to attend a weekend conference in San Francisco.  Teachers experienced the benefits of these shared experiences and in turn, invested more of their own time to working with others to develop project ideas. Teachers learned about new inventions and took opportunities to learn new things together and be inspired to try new projects with their students. Topics of conversations shifted to more focus on project designs. In an interview with a participant in our focus group, the teacher stated “My best ideas have come from talking informally with my colleagues” (Interview Two, March 2015). It was evident teachers started to dedicate their own time to engage in learning and conversing about PBL.

As school leaders, prioritizing time for shared professional learning experiences was critical to the health of the school community. It created a sense of camaraderie and an opportunity for teachers to actively invest in their own practice as well as the practice of others. We realized the value of being open-minded amongst the teaching community in conjunction with the technical process. The technical process refers to the “hard skills” or the structures and content of the professional learning whereas the mindset refers to the “soft skills” or the emotions and ways of thinking about teaching and learning. This investment in teachers created a culture of learners. The mindset of being a learner was cultivated in a space for teachers to be creative and to take risks.

A Safe Space: Teachers as Risk-Takers

A mindset to take risks and invest in each other’s practice emerged from creating a safe space to learn together and share teaching practices. Any fears related to the shift in approach to PBL were decreased by opportunities to struggle together in structured professional learning.

A sense of fear for the unknown was present at the start of our research and slowly dissipated throughout the design course. In the Figure 3 above, approximately 29 percent of responders wondered what essential questions were as well as asked for more project ideas and examples of project handouts. It was evident teachers desired a greater understanding of project design and had the perception that there was a single way to design projects. However, after a couple of professional learning sessions, teachers realized there were multiple pathways to design projects. Some of the teacher responses were: “Projects can come from many different places of inspiration” and “I struggle with projects and this [Starting with your Heart session] was a great start”.  The shared experience in designing a project provided clarity in the design process and allowed teachers to be vulnerable with others.

Teachers took risks and were vulnerable throughout the design process as they stretched each other’s thinking about teaching and learning in constructive ways. There were protocols used during project tunings, or designated times to develop ideas and project components. Teachers elicited responses on the exit slip which stated: “I think it would be helpful to see and visit more project tunings and to have more ‘open’ PDs where we can present ideas and receive feedback from colleagues at our campus and others”. It was obvious teachers developed trust and felt safe to share their ideas and ask for help. During the first project tuning, only two teachers volunteered to present their project idea. However, by week six of the design course, nine teachers volunteered to present. The increased number of presenters indicate how shared opportunities broke down barriers between teachers and decreased fears of being judged when they showcased their practice and sought feedback. During an interview with a teacher in our focus group, she described her hopes: “to continue to learn from my colleagues ...collaboration is key” and the opportunity to “present projects that are on my mind and getting critique and feedback” (Teacher Interview, March 2015). The dialogue amongst teachers during protocols such as project tunings helped open teachers’ eyes to different pathways for project design and collaboration as opposed to isolating their practice to the classroom. The safe space fostered a culture of shared work, feedback, and an investment in each other’s practice.

Implications in the Process

        Although dialogue about practice in a safe space became a norm, teacher autonomy created anxiety. The freedom to design projects involved taking risks and moving beyond one’s comfort zone. Teacher autonomy was beneficial especially when passions drive the work; however, this freedom produced some fears amongst teachers. One teacher during an interview shared how this autonomy was stressful as she described how too many project ideas may lend to not doing any part of the project well. These fears translated into an overwhelming feeling for teachers.

As school leaders, the value of having a safe space to take risks, develop ideas with trusted colleagues, and invest in our own practice as well as others was evident.   The sense of togetherness in this space broke barriers. It provided opportunities for teachers to push their own thinking as well as others’ without feelings of judgement and criticism. There existed a healthy culture of vulnerability when teachers faced fears and reflected on one’s own practice in the company of others.

Opening Classrooms: Teachers as Colleagues

A shift from limiting teacher practice to the classroom or school towards looking for opportunities to share expertise and develop practice with people outside of the school was apparent. During the construction of the design course, members of the PLC  were sensitive to creating a balance between acknowledging expertise in the community and offering opportunities to invite experts outside of the school.  The professional learning series was designed to elicit multiple opportunities to plan with other teachers outside of grade-level including visiting educators from other schools.  These opportunities led to an increase in teacher confidence and positive self-perception.

Shared expertise and acquired knowledge from others was not only beneficial in developing teaching practice, but it also built teacher confidence. At the start of the school year, teachers mentioned planning individually and/or with grade level teams. The range in the number of teachers per team was two to four. In the initial survey, 50 percent of teachers stated they collaborate with other teachers in their school. Throughout the design course, all teachers collaborated with one another through gallery walks, project tunings, and in-library work time. The professional learning series embedded structured common work times amongst approximately 23 staff members, which resulted in increased opportunities to chat about projects and develop ideas. However, by the close of our research, there still existed a strong desire for time dedicated to collaboration with only grade level teams. 50 percent of teacher responses included requests to have more time to only work with their grade-level team. It was evident that work in classroom time deemed of greater value even after participation in the design course.

However, teachers felt empowered and celebrated the opportunity to design projects together after gaining confidence and having their ideas validated. During one project tuning, another school was invited to join and share ideas during project tunings. Teachers had positive responses towards this collaboration and learning about other schools: “Project learning is spreading but is different everywhere it seems like those of us at HTH/Explorer are lucky to be at the advanced stage of PBL that we are” (Teacher Response, Professional Development Exit Slip, 2.18.15).  Some teachers requested time to visit and learn from other schools. Figure 4 displays teacher responses on an exit slip after teachers visited from another elementary school.

Figure 4

Even with celebrations and increased desire for opportunities to share and gain expertise, there still existed dilemmas in teachers’ practice that were left unanswered.

Implications in the Process

        Although teacher responses about collaboration and inviting teachers to share their work indicated these opportunities were well-received, teachers continued to question their practice at the end of our research project.  Interviews, surveys, and exit slip responses indicated how teachers wanted to improve their practice in challenging or finding ways to meet all students’ needs when designing projects. In our initial survey, the majority of the nineteen respondents expressed a desire to learn more about differentiation. A teacher noted: “Keeping a balance is always tricky. Having really deep, meaningful projects as well as making sure students are learning how to read, how to write, etc.” Also, in our second survey, seven out of ten teachers listed a challenge and a goal related to access and challenge: "...ensuring all students access the texts" and "When choosing a deep, rich, complex topic, it can be a struggle to find 'kid-friendly' resources".Even after sharing with and learning from experts during the design course, a dilemma about differentiation remained. It was apparent that access and challenge were valued in the community. Although tapping into the expertise in the school community as well as outside the school had its benefits, its limitations were evident.

As school leaders, a culture of collegiality was essential for the well-being of the adult-learning community. Sharing work opened up classrooms and decreased a sense of competition and fear amongst teachers. In the mid-survey, when asked to share their goals for project design as well as celebrations and challenges, five out of ten teachers celebrated collaborations with colleagues: "Collaborations and sharing small and big ideas with colleagues has been such a 'life saver' for me". Each response about the opportunity to collaborate and to share and develop ideas with others was positive in nature. Although time structured for school-wide and out of school collaboration was beneficial, it was apparent that a time designated for teachers to regroup with their grade-level teams was necessary. Overall, it was essential to create a collegial environment for perspectives and ideas to be developed rather than mandates and questions to be asked and to share learning beyond designated professional learning times. Safe environments lend to camaraderie as opposed to competition and support with decreased fears of being judged. Also, it fosters a culture of learners and doers.

Conclusions

Our Process 

As an action research team, we spent the last nine months creating a shared professional learning experience with PLC members about project design in our charter elementary school.  The goal was to create a shared professional experience of project design for teachers in hopes to support them through a change in approach to teaching and learning. We used data collection tools such as surveys, focus groups, a series of interviews, and exit slips to understand teachers’ experiences and gauge teacher responses about the design course. Our research concludes with the positive impacts of the shared professional learning experience in project design on the teacher culture. However, shared experiences for adult learning is not the common structure for professional learning in educations. Three key benefits emerged from our work, the importance of cultivating a growth mindset, creating a safe professional space, and fostering an authentic culture of collaboration.  We will share ways to help leaders provide a space teachers can effectively develop their practice that align with the ways we aspire for our students to learn.

Background

No matter the change, it has big impacts on the community. The culture of the school is vulnerable throughout change. At our school site, the change manifested through a push for teaching through a project-based learning approach. A shift in priority and/or focus of professional development in November, 2014 was evident. The director scheduled teacher evaluations as well as observations and meetings with individual teachers to support their work, growth, and practice. This resulted in questions about project design and fear around the change and possibly feeling judged. One-on-one conversations with the director resulted in list of teacher desires for support through the change (See Appendix M for responses) for more professional learning around project design.  These concerns and hopes were addressed in the professional learning committee meeting: How do we support teachers through this change? The group decided to create a Explorer Design Course to support teachers and help develop deeper understandings about PBL.

Our Findings 

The need for a safe professional space was apparent as fears fused with the change in approach to teaching and learning. At the start of our action research, many questions erupted amongst teachers: Why are we doing this? What does this mean for my job? What does this mean about my teaching practice? Why are we changing our focus now? Not only was there a sense of urgency around understanding the purpose and the process, there existed a sense of fear around what this change may have on the community.  This vision and clarity in the process of designing a project that encompasses components of PBL reduced fear and in turn, increased risk-taking and challenged one’s own practice as well as others. This fear and abrupt shift caused turmoil amongst the group and led to actions that contradicted with goals of risk-taking, collegiality, and reflection of teaching practices.

The shared experience was designed to build teacher knowledge and increase experience in project design for PBL as a community of learners. Crafting opportunities for a community of varied stakeholders to learn together creates unity, understanding, and a sense of camaraderie through struggle and success. We found all teachers brought their own lens about effective practices to their work, yet were being asked to shift their practice to incorporate a more progressive approach. According to Heath & Heath (2010), for change to occur, a leader must appeal to components in the process: 1) change the situation and 2) influence not only the environment but also the hearts and mind (p. 4-9). It was evident that the benefits of the safe professional space extended beyond time together and opportunities to push each other’s thinking. After participation in sessions of the design course, teachers advocated for more collaboration as well as opportunities to share one another’s work. Teachers asked to visit other school to continue to learn: “May we visit other schools? Sounds like there is so much to see” and “I want more opportunities to visit other schools--talk with other teachers” (Exit Slip Responses from Professional Learning 2.18.15). The structure of the protocols, and structure to tap into the expertise within the community provided opportunities to celebrate the work done in classrooms. Heath & Heath refer to these celebrations as bright spots, which serve as strengths to build from.  A collegial community invested in one another’s practice builds community, trust, and a sense of value as opposed to competition amongst teachers and a lack of confidence.

The shared experience provided an opportunity for each teacher to tap into one another’s expertise, challenge their thinking, and grow their practice. Research suggests that teacher experiences is not valued and perceived as expertise. (Lieberman, 1995, p. 68). Traditional professional development tends to include off site workshops or conferences which outside experts speak to the teachers. In our research, dialogue, using each other as resources, and all of teachers’ experiences were valued. Since there existed varied teaching experiences, it was obvious that a space for all to take-risks, to challenge one another’s thinking, and to develop one’s own practice was necessary. Teachers celebrated “new ideas from new voices”. This space created continuity amongst the group as each person realized they had a worthy contribution to help the group develop and had a deeper understanding of each other’s values and beliefs about teaching and learning. Throughout the process, teachers’ desired more opportunities to “share what they feel like is important to them, what they value because it allows other people to hear what others value and understand other’s perspectives” (Focus Group Interview, March 2015). This affirmation and sense of value amongst the community was necessary throughout the vulnerable process of change. Overall, the shared professional space for project design opened the gateway for teachers’ to become colleagues who invested in one another’s practice as well as their own in a safe space that slowly resulted in trust and a decreased sense of competition amongst teachers. Classroom practices were shared and challenges in a constructive manner which fostered a culture of learners amongst teachers.

Our Work in the Educational World

The vision for the shared professional experience embodied a developmental process that included dialogue, group participation, and thoughtful ways to communicate purpose, process, and the growth of the group during a shift in practice. In the educational world, change in leadership is frequent and the need for teacher investment and a culture of learning are necessary. Education is moving towards more progressive approaches such as hands-on, authentic meaningful, and connected to adult world work.  Labaree (2005) noted how twentieth-century education encompasses student-centered approaches and experiences which develop skills that teach students how to learn about learning. He continued to share there exists much talk about progressivism in education, yet the implementation is far from aligning the talk. This insight about education caused us to wonder: how are teachers supported throughout this shift to more progressive education? Although this question remains a dilemma in education, our action research provided an opportunity observe the effects of shared experiences to grow teacher practice and its impacts on the teacher culture. 

The maintenance of the health and sustainability of the teaching community are essential during times of change. Knight (2011) reminds us of the importance of how adult learning is facilitated:

The way we interact with others makes or breaks most coaching relationships. Even if we know a lot about content and pedagogy and have impressive qualifications, experience, or postgraduate degrees, people will not embrace learning with us unless they're comfortable working with us (p.22).

Relationships are key. Positive interactions committed to supporting one another’s practice and growth required dialogue, acceptance, and value of each and every person. A culture of collegiality also resulted in opportunities to celebrate with one another about successes in the classroom and learn together from challenges. Trust resulted along with a new sense of collaboration amongst the group which included dialogue about practice in ways that challenged and helped others grow in designing projects.

Recommendations

From our experience in this action research, we recommend the following for stakeholders in a community of change. The structure and culture of the adult learning community begins with the  priorities of school leaders. Too often traditional forms of professional development for teachers entail teachers as passive recipients. However, in education we asks students to be active participants. Hence, teacher learning needs to align with what we ask students to do: learn by doing, have authentic experiences,  and collaborate with a team, etc. Hence shared experiences for project design which allow teachers to design a project from start to finish is an effective approach.

As school leaders, teacher learning in a cooperative, collaborative, and authentic manner should be a priority.It is important to create a culture of learning in a safe professional space. Trust is critical in developing relationships with teachers which growth mindsets can be fostered as opposed to a sense of judgment and criticism. The safe professional environments result in increased risk-taking and collaboration and in turn, decrease competition. Twenty first education looks different as so should adult learning for teachers.

Implications

Shared professional learning experiences for project design take a large amount of time. Time must be devoted and prioritized to these experiences to create a culture of learners who feel safe and are invested in one another’s practice. There is never enough time: a dilemma we live with especially in education. Rather than treating a design series as extra, the benefits emerge from an approach that addresses both technical changes as well as changes of heart and mind. Every investment in teachers should be consistent in nature and build on dialogue, tapping into one another’s practice, and challenging one’s own beliefs and ideas about teaching and learning.

Limitations in Our Work and Next Steps

        Our research with teachers had limitations; therefore, we cannot advance generalizations across school communities engaged in change is unreliable.  Some of our work’s limitations were a short experience in a single elementary school and the community experienced multiple changes in the short period, including a change in leadership. We share our work not to provide answers or a single method of professional learning, but rather to help foster ideas and raise questions about teacher culture and investment in teachers during a shift towards a more progressive approach to teaching and learning in education.

References

Bambrick-Santoyo, P. (2012). Leverage Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Barth, R. S. (2006). Improving Relationships Within the Schoolhouse. Educational Leadership, 63 (6), 8-13.

Blase, J. & Anderson, G. (1995). The Micropolitics of Educational Leadership: From Control to Empowerment.  New York, NY: Teachers College Press

Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education. New York : Macmillan.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2010). Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. New York, NY: Broadway Books.

Heifetz, R. & Linsky, M. (2002). Leadership on the Line. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Heifetz, R. A., & Linsky, M. (2004). When leadership spells danger. Educational Leadership, 61(7), 1-5.

High Tech High (n.d.).  Retrieved November 2, 2014.

Knight, J. (2011). What good coaches do. Educational Leadership, 69(2), 18-22.

Labaree, D. (2005). Paedagogica Historica, Vol. 41, Nos. 1&2, February 2005, pp. 275–288

Progressivism, Schools and Schools of Education: An American Romance

Lieberman, A. (1995). Practices that support teacher development: Transforming conceptions of professional learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, 591-596.

Mayer, A. (2013). What’s the difference between “doing projects” and Project Based Learning?. Retrieved from http://www.friedtechnology.com/#!/zoom/c243p/cwvk

McDonald, E. (2011). When nice won’t suffice. Learning Forward, 32(3), 45-51

McDonald, J., Mohr, N., Dichter, A., & McDonald, E. (2007). The Power of Protocols: An Educator’s Guide to Better Practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Patton, A. (2012). Work that Matters. London, England: Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Steinberg (1998). Project-based learning: spilling into life. In Real Learning, Real Work: School-to-Work as High School Reform. New York: Routledge

Thomas, J.W. (2000). A Review of Research on Project-Based Learning. Retrieved from http://bie.org/research/study/review_of_project_based_learning_2000

Wiggins. G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Appendix A

Appendix B

When personal desire prompts anyone to learn to do something well with the hands, an extremely complicated process is initiated that endows the work with a powerful emotional charge. People are changed, significantly and irreversibly it seems, when movement, thought, and feeling fuse during the active, long-term pursuit of personal goals.

—Frank Wilson, The Hand

HTH 210:  Design and Leadership for Deeper Learning

Syllabus, v. 9-6-14

1.5 units

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course, participants will deepen their understanding and skills in instructional design and leadership by connecting the theoretical underpinnings of constructivist learning with issues of design, assessment, ownership, and exhibition. Using a consultancy model along with templates for project design and assessment, participants will reflect upon past and current designs and develop designs for immediate and/or future use. Special attention will be paid to institutional structures and processes that support effective design, and to working and consulting with colleagues and community partners on project development.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• How can we design projects that emphasize personalization, connect to the world beyond school, and offer access and challenge to all learners?
• How can we work with colleagues and community partners toward a culture of deep learning through projects? 

LEARNING OUTCOMES        HTH GSE is committed to developing reflective practitioner leaders who work effectively with colleagues and communities to create and sustain innovative, authentic, rigorous learning environments for all students. This shared vision is articulated in our Institutional Learning Outcomes for all HTH GSE students—to Practice Thoughtful Inquiry and Reflection, Design Equitable Learning Environments, and Engage in Leadership for School Change—and in our corresponding program learning outcomes for the M.Ed. program. Through this course, students will be supported in pursuing the program learning outcomes italicized below:

COURSE SCHEDULE

(All sessions 4:45-7:45 pm in the UN Theatre at HTH International)

Signature Assignment, per HTH 210 Syllabus  

Final Project/Presentation:  The final project for this course is the “signature assignment” for the Program Learning Outcome Instructional Design (D1): Work with colleagues to design approaches to learning that emphasize personalization, connect to the world beyond school, and offer access and challenge to all learners. Participants, working individually or with colleagues, will apply concepts from the course to a project design, product prototype, and artist’s statement, and appendix, to be presented for peer review, revised, and posted on the course forum. Drafts of project components will be shared for peer critique throughout the course

Designing a Project for Deeper Learning

For this course, you will design a project for use in your classroom or other learning context. As an exercise in deeper learning, your project design will incorporate personalization, connections to the world beyond school, and access and challenge for all learners. In this design process you will collaborate regularly with a colleague at your site and/or a community expert who can help make your project more authentic, rigorous, applied, active, and connected to the adult world. Take notes on your conversations, so that you can summarize and reflect on the conversations in your inquiry journal and, eventually, in your project write-up.

Your final product will consist of three parts plus an appendix:

Project handout for students and parents. This project sheet will include a description of the project, an essential theme or question, your grouping structure, opportunities/occasions for student voice and choice, benchmarks/scaffolding, timeline, and a (proposed) plan for exhibiting the work.

Prototype. Once you have decided on a project and project guidelines, you will construct a prototype of your product in order to work out some “kinks” in your project and revise your benchmarks so that all students will be successful. Your prototype may also turn out to be an exemplar that you can show students (or colleagues) so that they know your expectations.

Artist’s statement. In this component, your will describe your design process, including reflections on (a) the origins and aims of the project, (b) your consultation/collaboration with colleagues and experts, (c) the construction of your project prototype, and (d) the design choices you made to ensure personalization, access and challenge, and real world connection to all learners. School leadership concentrators may wish to focus on issues and dilemmas associated with coaching for deeper learning.

Appendix. An appendix to this product will include a sample Reader Response Brief, along with commentary about your interactions with relevant theory and/or literature. Similar commentary also may be part of the artist’s statement.

Summary of Deliverables

Weekly reflections on course forum

A project sheet to hand to students or parents

A product prototype

An “artist’s statement” describing and reflecting on your design process, including your consultation/collaboration with experts and colleagues

An appendix, including a sample Reader Response Brief, along with commentary about your interactions with relevant theory and/or literature.

Appendix C 

Handout for Projects vs. Project-based Learning

Appendix D

Director’s Theories of Action

“Theory of Action” - a set of if, then statements that articulate the leader’s belief system for decision-making.

1. If we develop a shared vision of student learning in the 21st century, and align our work to achieving this vision, then all students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to lead a healthy and successful life.
2. If we create an organizational culture based on valuing past practice, trust, collegiality, continuous professional learning, risk-taking and shared responsibility, then we will learn and grow together to bring to life our vision for student learning.”  
3. If we design rich learning environments that emphasize personalization, collaboration, communication, inquiry and creativity in the context of challenging, real-world work, then all students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to lead a healthy and successful life.
4. If we view each student as having unique perspectives and strengths, value the rich diversity of our children and families, and design student work to tap into this richness, then all students will feel a sense of agency, belonging, competence and relatedness essential to achieve at high levels.
5. If our students do challenging, real-world work in equitable, intellectually rigorous and heterogeneous groups, then they will learn to talk, work and create together, value and build upon each other’s perspectives and cultures, and learn to be together.
6. If our governance, finance, operations, and human resource systems function efficiently and are aligned with our shared vision of student learning, then they will support our work to improve student achievement.    

List of Leadership Moves for the past 2 1/2 years

• developed faculty and staff norms together for children, faculty, and staff regularly revisited and revised;
• established a new parent culture;
• designed an academic support system made up of inclusion specialists and academic coaches;
• instituted annual benchmark reading assessments and the use of data to measure student growth;
• conducted random classroom observations and feedback focused on student learning;
• introduced the use of photos and video in classrooms to make student learning visible;
• a systematic approach to professional learning together as a whole group in areas established by the faculty and director; (i.e. mathematics, social and emotional learning and English Language Arts);
• a systematic approach to school schedule design emphasizing the needs of students and teachers in achieving their goals;
• establishing common planning time for the first time in school history;
• establishing committees to address priority areas and share decision-making;
• systematic collaboration with an external group of artists to deepen arts-integration at the school, through a 3 year, $200,000 grant;
• non-renewing the contract of the After School Coordinator and re-organizing entirely the After School program;
• re-organizing systems on the financial and operations side to mainstream workflow (school website, phone system, admissions procedures);
• augmenting technology into the classroom in the form of 1-1 computers for grades 2-5 students, and tablets for K and 1 students;
• dramatically increasing the number of students of lower socio-economic status accepted into the school through changing admissions criteria, setting this trend for years to come (2013, 2014);
• working with the Board of Trustees to merge the school with High Tech High (June 2013 through January 2014);
• attending the High Tech High All Schools Day as a whole faculty for the first time in the history of the school (August 2014);
• participating in professional learning with High Tech High Schools as a whole faculty for the first time in school history (August 2014);
• coordinating ELA embedded professional learning emphasizing thoughtful integration into rich projects (August 2014 to present);
• systematic professional learning in project design required by the director (January 2012, August 2014);
• revising hiring procedures to locate the best possible candidates from outside the organization as well as in (2013, 2014);
• non-renewing the contracts of a number of teachers, staff and After School personnel, previously not a common practice (2012, 2013, 2014); and
• focusing teacher evaluation on the growth of teachers in project-based learning (November 2014).

Appendix E

UNIQUE ASPECTS OF HIGH TECH ELEMENTARY EXPLORER (HTeX)

HteX is an independent public school, founded in 2000, that serves 350 students enrolled by lottery from across San Diego.  

Academic studies at Explorer take the form of projects, which engage students in research, content learning,  field studies, and exhibitions. During project work, students engage in challenging and open-ended questions that are important to them and to the adult world. Students' work culminates in products and presentations that have an authentic audience, often beyond the school's walls.

Explorer teachers seek out student passions in order to design rich learning experiences, both in content and in social and emotional interactions.  Explorer students see school as a place where they can ask big questions, where they can collaborate and create, and where they work to change the world.

Explorer’s commitment to social and emotional learning reinforces its academic program, and is central to our goal of creating a community of curious, confident, empathetic, and inspired learners.  Teachers weave social and emotional learning throughout the day, helping children to develop the skills of self-awareness, communication, empathy, collaboration, and conflict resolution.  Much of our academic work is undertaken in groups, which both depend upon and help to develop these skills and attributes.  

Guidelines for Spoken Interactions with Children

• Use a calm voice.
• Use questions whenever possible. Questions require the child to process ideas as opposed to passive listening.
• Make sure limits statements are clearly defined and understood.  
• Avoid using labels when referring to behavior, e.g. “bad,’ “naughty, noisy,
• Think about the timing of your statements
• Phrase requests in the positive

• A trick: Start the sentence with “We...” or “The” followed by a noun. (“The markers go in the box,” rather than “Don’t leave the markers on the table.” Think about the verb and/or adjective, and replace it with the desired (usually opposite) word.

• Some Alternatives to “NO”

• Give information and leave out the “No” Child – Can I go outside and play?
•  Parent – I’ve just put dinner on the table.
• Accept feelings  Child – I don’t want to leave. Can’t we stay?  Parent – It’s hard to leave a place you’ve enjoyed so much.
• Describe the problem Child – Mom, can you drive me to the library now? Parent – I’d like to help you out. The problem is I’m making dinner and it would burn while we’re gone.
• When possible, substitute a “yes” for a “no” Child – Mom, can you drive me to the library now? Parent – Yes, as soon as we finish lunch. (Instead of – No, you haven’t had your lunch yet.)
• Give yourself time to think Child – Mom, can I spend the night at Susie’s house this weekend. Parent – I need a little time to think this over.

Appendix F

Big Ideas About Projects 

Collaboration of teachers at Explorer 2013-2014

  Appendix G

Initial Survey Questions

I collaborate with my grade level colleagues

(scale answer)

I collaborate with my colleagues at school

I collaborate with my HTH colleagues from other schools

I tune my projects with grade level colleagues

I tune my projects with colleagues at my school

I tune my projects with my HTH colleagues from other schools

What would help you collaborate with others more effectively and efficiently?

My comfort level with designing a project?

My comfort level with designing a project with a rich driving question?

My comfort level with designing authenticity into my project?

My comfort level with incorporating field experiences into my project?

My comfort level with finding experts to be part of my project?

My comfort level with incorporating applied learning into my project?

My comfort level with planning exhibition?

My comfort level with incorporating active exploration into my project?

My comfort level with incorporating critical and creative thinking into my project?

My comfort level with incorporating social and emotional learning into my project?

My comfort level with incorporating academic mindset into my project?

My comfort level with breaking students into groups that ensure equity?

What are your strengths with project design?

(short answer)

What would you like to learn more about?

(short answer)

Appendix H

Exit Card Data Infographic

Initial Survey Responses 

Appendix I

Coded Fielnotes

Common Themes:

Message from Leader: Focus is on growth...

• What is the purpose of the evaluation?

• Fear, Need clear message, and shared conversation

• What do projects look like at Explorer?

• Want to have something unique
• Want to make student work visible

• Professional Learning

• Support and collective effort to learning how to design and do projects with kiddos

Professional Learning Committee  Notes 12.3.14 (Revised- deletion of names and convo sorted by theme)

• What is the purpose of the evaluation?

• If an expectation, if we don't talk about it together, then we can make it “explorer”
• evaluate projects using  7 As, think of it as explorer “us” à initial feedback, grade 2; Debra Crouch integrating and develop text (ELA) into project a meet with COTA into project…center of everything is designing deeper projects
• How have we discussed each part? Don’t want to be evaluated without knowing what it means to us…

• What do projects look like at Explorer?

• How do we make us being part of HTH authentic? Incorporate S&E learning
• We will have a shared vision of this process together and have a conversation…Ben Daley…What is a project?
• Part of another organizationà need to create a vision of how we fit into this organization
• Looking at project through lens through S&E and icons à how does it work in the structure of projects?

• Professional Learning

• Everyone has different needs (whole group, grade-level) à not planning project all at the same time à How do we meet everyone’s needs for projects?
• Need time to plan?
• Integrating S& E learning
• What are we already doing? Value it…recognize then bring in a person
• No explanation needed because we have a document…learning to design a project by designing project
• Various needs are specific to you….and have a deeper learning to develop shared understanding
• Common Planning  time (CPT) is critical so why can’t we do both? Use the CPT to develop projects?

(Mike) Create document of Design of Project: What is a project at Explorer?

(Laura) Deeper Learning course syllabus provides a Structure to begin with and make it work… fit us

(Mike) What is the whole? How do you integrate the whole? Projects are a vehicle to do it…projects will be at the center of everything we do!

Criteria in Place : Meet needs that everyone said in document…

(Laura) Everyone’s feedback

(Mike) we need to start making things visible…misconception that ppl at Explorer are not doing projects

I wonder if you can package that (showcase what teachers are doing and the projects that are happening at Explorer)….to show that to other directors?

6A: Digging deeper into projects

DL course gave discipline and time to flush out with a group project

(Diane) Feels judgment when it comes to projects…why is that? Why is that important? I have put up a wall bc of comment à feelings WHY??? Why is that okay to say that to one another…tension?

(Mike) Decision to evaluate…hiring bc school was about S&E learning and project: How do you dig deeper?

(Diane) Why projects now and ELA?Math was by itself…

(Mike) projects are context for everything else…”projects” part of the day

(Mike)

projects are important and rich core of who we are…

Way to no longer fragment PL

We have merged and are part of the org…imp to make it clear

The message is Growth…wherever you are you are…lets move forward together…how do we do this? Work together on projects…transparent, vulnerable, and make our classrooms visible

At the elem level, need time to develop as reader, mathem, scientist…not all projects…no algorithm for how to do projects

P1:  What does Briony’s project look like? It would be nice to see what projects are happening just in the school

(Mike) Showcase explorer projects…what elem projects look like?

Understand anxiety but committed to growth

(Patricia) Don't care about evaluation but it’s important to know what is the purpose of evaluation???

(Mike) Goal: continuous learning…trust you to make changes to improve

P1: Figure out the course…take the syllabus and draft some ideas for what professional learning will look at it. How does this get communicated? How do we all hear from you not the telephone game?

Shared Conversation needs to happen

(Laura) Hard convo but needed…

(Diane) if this is our drive, then, we need to talk as a group? à (30 mins Dec. 10th)

P1: Vision: project is a tool that we can do all these great things we do…open to what it looks like at explorer (not a project sheet from North County)

(Patricia) not want it to have to look like others (HTH) but something beautiful…different than following  template

Appendix J  

Action Research Timeline

 Appendix K

Explorer Project Design Course Outline

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

1:45-1:55 (really only 5 minutes)

Mike inspirational speech and interpretive dance

Learning Target - to think about how projects can lead to deep learning experiences for ourselves and our students and to start to plan a project

As professionals, we ourselves are learners open to growth  

Get into mixed tables by modes of transportation (Laura)

1:55-2:15 SEL (Diane)

Shared vision of projects at Explorer as our goal….

Set-up expectations and norms, we are learners who - safety, honesty, vulnerability, etc. (SE Committee with input from 12/10 meeting) Norms and Expectations

2:15-2:45 Share Learning Targets and Article Discussions - Zoe

Where do people get ideas for projects??

Small group discussion about articles - Discuss article “Where Do Projects Come From?” and “HTH Three Integrations” (Karen resend email)

2:45-3:40 Using Passions to Create a Project (Zoe or TBD)

(Briony to email Karen planning page, Passions slideshow)

Bring an idea, a potential driving question, and learning targets, and read article about driving question, what do we want the children to learn, get out of it….(include in email)

Graphic organizer for project (Karen to include)

Write individually

Gallery walk

Reflection time

Homework: talk to a colleague at our school about your project idea

Essential Question article (find article to share - the one and only laura zimmer w/ Mike)

No A chart yet?

3:40-3:45

Announcements, wishes, hopes and dreams, and appreciations

For next week:  Patricia send email to staff about purpose of this course, bring a new project (one that hasn’t already been developed), Briony’s learning targets and our homework -  read an essential question article and talk with a colleague about your project idea/essential question/…

Add a project design wall in the lunchroom...add comments/ideas...watch it grow!  (Patricia)

Week 2: Check-In, Contact the Experts, Project Examples

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Purpose of course work…. (Patricia write up and send email to staff prior to meeting)

Learning Target - to view a variety of successful elementary school projects and to clarify our understanding of what a great project looks like.

• to contact experts who can help us with project design

Share out: Results of conversation and your project topic

Presentations of projects: Georgia (3rd - I Love A Clean San Diego 3rd grade), Ben (6th Grade Project), Janna (2nd - Toy Project), Melissa Han (1st/2nd - Curious George Project, Coastal/Tide Pools/Mindsets/Superheroes)

Homework: Contact the experts (provide sample emails)

Week 3: Essentials Questions and Project Tunings

Learning targets - to develop shared understandings of rich essential questions, to further develop our projects and to tune our project ideas

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Agenda (Karen send out next Wednesday)

Animal noises/ bird calls by Laura and Briony groups

1:45 - 2:15

Alec presentation about article (5 minutes) + Q & A (15 minutes)

Small group dialogue--What is an essential question/driving question?  Chart (10 minutes)

Whole group share out (5 minutes)

2:20 - 2:25 Reflection time regarding essential question/journal

2:25 - 3:40 Speed Tuning!  Small group structured discussion regarding essential questions or other questions you have for your project idea and proposal (Briony)  (15 minutes per person)

3:40 - 3:45 Exit cards

Look for project ideas everywhere

Essential Questions….Alec

Driving passion

Formulate that into a question

Common language

explain his process now as a teacher

Purpose of this course - work toward a common vision of project design

Learning Target - to begin to design our projects for deeper learning and to understand the HTH design principles

Ben talking about HTH Design Principles

Respond to questions on rubric to check in on our projects

Homework: Rough draft of project planner (provide project planner)

Concern about what project to bring to work on.  The original concept was to take an idea from passion to project.  It is people’s choice what to bring…

Checklist for everyone, have you come up with an essential question, contacted experts, begun to project plan.  Project planner...

Week 3 ½: Collaborate Project Planning Continued

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The original concept of the course was to work to take a passion, develop essential questions, and begin to plan a project.  Teachers will be able to work collaboratively (within the room) to further develop their ideas.  We will provide some project planners that could be used to help with outlining your project, 7 As, at the meeting.  CoTA representatives will be here to be a resource to help integrate art into projects. (CoTA to introduce themselves to outline their skills (theater, visual arts, etc.)

Homework:  Teachers to provide an artifact for the workroom project poster.  Teachers to leave at least three comments for their colleagues.  Invite people to attend project tuning.

Briony to make a checklist.

Diane is bringing a K-8 backwards planner, 7As

Laura will send breakfast list out

Karen send agenda

Brooke get Rusty for meeting

Karen email Rob to confirm breakfast March 2

Business Meeting

February 25, 2015

1:00- 1:30         Epipens,

1:30 - 2:00         AFTH Filming

2:00 - 2:30        Common Planning time,

K-1 Common planning time with Mike about Reading Data (1 hour)

2:45 - 3:45         WIC

All School’s Day

March 2, 2015

8:30 - 9:00 Start breakfast potluck,  Breakfast with Rob - Inspiration about Projects (5-10 min. talk plus Q and A)

9:00 - 10:30         WIC

10:30 - 12:00   Attend your first workshop

12:00 - 1:00        Lunch (provided)

1:00 - 2:30      Attend your second workshop

2:30 - 3:15        Reflection

3:15 Happy Hour

Business Meeting

March 4, 2015

12:45 - 1:45        2-3 Common Planning time with Mike about Reading Data/CPT for others

1:45 - 2:45        Business Meeting

2:45-3:45         WIC

Week 4: SEL in Projects

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Learning Target - to further develop projects through tuning and peer critique

• to examine how we can create strong groupings in a project
• to design our projects so that they meet our social and emotional goals

12:45 - 1:45         Common PLanning Time 4 and 5 with Mike about  Reading Data

1:45 - 2:45          SEL Presentation and Work

                Integrating social emotional goals in our projects, group work, collaboration

2:45 - 3:00          Accelerated protocol tunings

Week 5: Revisit Your Project

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Learning Target - use an existing project checklist to take your project to the next level.  Learning Target - get input from others about your project idea

Project work time-Work for 45 minutes - thinking about your project, the checklist (what you want to keep, delete, add)

Project Tunings for 25 minutes /25 minutes- 4 groups, 2 tunes in each group

Post project ideas, questions, etc.on to poster

Closing meeting 15 minutes (hopes, wishes, announcements, appreciations)

Accelerated protocol tunings

Agenda:

For next Wednesday, we will be working on projects. Based on feedback, people would like time for focused work on projects. We are providing a checklist (click here to see the checklist) that we would like to use as a tool to help you reflect on your project (this is a draft that we will to revise together).

12:45-1:45

Common Planning Time

1:45-2:30

Meet in Library

Project Checklist Work Time

2:30-3:30

Accelerated Project Tunings

(Email Laura by Monday if you'd like your project tuned)

Projects to be tuned:

Shayna and Brooke

Christine and Misa

Tasi

Becky and Ashley (probably)

Briony (if needed)

3:30-3:45

Announcements

Appreciations

Debra Crouch Visit with Grade Teams

Thursday and Friday, March 19 - 20

Debra Crouch to consult on ELA in projects

Mike to attend meetings

Week 6: ELA

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Learning Target - to continue to move forward in project design and a chance for more project tuning

12:45 - 1:45         Work in grade level teams

1:45 - 2:45          Five Minute Presentations (15 minutes)

Work on project design (think about products and differentiation)

2:45 - 3:30        Project Tunings

3:30 - 3:45        Appreciations/Announcements

                Prototype Survey (Briony to create ,Mike to give information to CoTA)

SPRING BREAK

Week 7: Prototypes and Art Tie-Ins

April 22, 2015

Learning target - to understand timescale and challenges by doing the project first.

Bring things you need, use this time to create your prototype or WIC

*Invite CoTA

Talk about Exhibition

Teaching Appreciation Lunch

April 29, 2015

Week 8: Reflection

May 6, 2015

Learning target - to share our “finished” projects to make growth visible if appropriate , discuss shared understanding

Reflection on project design process

Brainstorming for PD in the future

Upload projects to the website

Week 9: What is your dream school?

May 13, 2015

Stacey Callier

Learning Target: to begin to build our school community for next year

Appendix L

Exit Card Snapshot

Sample Size: 23 respondents; 23 participants → 100% participation

Of the 23 respondents, 17 answered the following question: What are some questions or concerns you have? The others either left it blank and/or provided “none”. The following are 4 themes that we best grouped responses.

Common Themes:

1. Time to Design:  3:17 people’s responses fall under “time to design”. Although this appears of low interest, the desire for using more time to participate and flush out the design process is apparent.

Quotes: “To make sure we have enough time built in to our school day to continue this process.”

  “Sometimes these ideas are kickstarters and I don't feel I have the time to further develop it.”

2. Collaboration: 3:17 people’s responses fall under “collaboration”. The responses include dialogue, sharing idea, and giving/receiving feedback through project tunings.

Quotes: “Having the time to get feedback from others is so huge and I am glad we are having more time

        built in to do collaborate.”

          “I would love some ideas on products”

3. Design Process: 6:17 people’s responses fall under “design process”. The responses indicate a desire for support in designing a project.

Quotes: “Still having some trouble coming up with essential questions.”

          “Keeping a balance is always tricky. Having really deep, meaningful projects as well as making

        sure students are learning how to read, how to write, etc.”

4. Vision for Professional Learning: 5:17 people’s responses fall under “Vision”. The responses indicate the community’s need for more direction by leadership and understanding the scope of the professional learning that has been planned.

Quote: “...I think we need to spend a little bit of time talking about the goal

        of developing shared ideas about projects as a school.  People will also need to know that they

        should work on a project that they want to spend many of their Wednesdays developing.”

Celebrations:

100% of respondents explained how passions can drive projects and how passions were fueled by others.

Quotes: “Other teachers are a wealth of resources.”

“I could actually come up with a passion today! Was dreading the pressure of choosing

something…”

Teachers want to open up their classrooms to other elementary schools and strengthen collaboration.

Quotes: “I think it would be helpful to see and visit more project tunings and to have more ‘open’ PDs where

        we can present ideas and receive feedback from colleagues at our campus and others.“

PL Committee want to make a project wall, which the community can see how projects are evolving as well as provide feedback and ideas.

All teacher desire greater time learning and better understanding project design. Teachers desire to plan projects together (shared experience).

Areas of Growth:

Continue to learn about project design and gain more practice → especially driving questions

Quote: “Want more time to work through design process...step-by -step”

Clarify vision for professional learning

Actions to be Taken:

Send email to teacher

• learning targets for each week
• make known the schedule is flexible in case other teacher needs emerge
• articles to support understanding of essential questions
• projects in any form are welcomed

Provide snapshot of (pre) survey data and exit slips to make meaning as a group during professional learning committee mtg in February (before we revise the PL schedule)

Appendix M

Compilation of Teacher Responses from one-on-one Conversations