4. DEMONSTRATION OF LEARNING Do all students demonstrate they are learning and can apply what they have learned?
- STUDENTS responses, projects, work, and interactions show that they are on track to achieve stated or implied learning goals.
- STUDENTS have opportunities to review their data, reflect on their learning, give and receive feedback, and make decisions.
- TEACHERS plan for, gather, and use data during daily lessons through high-quality CFUs, academic monitoring, and responsive instruction.
- TEACHERS analyze end-of-lesson assessments to assess student progress, pinpoint where understanding breaks down, and plan for reteach.
- TEACHERS provide a variety of opportunities for students to demonstrate learning, self-assess, peer assess, and receive timely feedback.
1. CULTURE OF LEARNING Are all students deeply and fully engaged in the learning process throughout the lesson?
- STUDENTS feel known, valued and part of a safe learning community (demonstrated by indicators such as body language conveying interest in the thoughts and opinions of classmates and teachers, willingness to give and receive feedback, encouraging each other, etc.).
- STUDENTS manage their emotions, exhibit growth mindset, demonstrate resilience, and express empathy towards others.
- STUDENTS & TEACHERS co-create and assume responsibility for classroom procedures, routines, and behavior expectations.
- TEACHERS create a safe, welcoming learning environment for all students: building authentic relationships, cultivating classroom community, establishing systems and routines, maintaining a supportive physical space, and upholding behavior expectations through restorative practices.
- TEACHERS support students’ mental health and wellbeing with trauma-informed practices.
- TEACHERS provide culturally relevant and linguistically responsive instruction that nurtures student criticality: utilizing students’ unique cultural and linguistic backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences; connecting to issues of diversity, equity, social-consciousness, and inclusion; examining texts and issues from both marginalized and power perspectives; and holding high expectations for all students.
PBSA Teacher Instructional Practices (TIPs)
2. ESSENTIAL CONTENT Are all students engaged in authentic learning activities designed to address a real-world problem and master aligned standards and 21st-century skills?
- STUDENTS are challenged with rigorous, culturally relevant content aligned to the appropriate standards and lesson objective.
- STUDENTS engage in real-world problems and can explain how content they are learning relates to PBL goals and/or the world outside of school.
- STUDENTS spend more time on skills and knowledge they are working to develop, than on those they already mastered and need to maintain.
- STUDENTS engage with high-quality instructional materials that are appropriately demanding for the grade/course and time in the school-year based on guidance in the standards, students’ IEP goals, and/or PBSA curriculum.
- TEACHERS implement PBSA curriculum with integrity through daily lesson planning, use of core instructional materials, and execution/pacing that protects time for student practice. PBL projects are designed with all essential project design elements.
- TEACHERS provide scaffolds to students who need help accessing content or resources; these supports are removed when no longer needed.
3. ACADEMIC OWNERSHIP Are all students responsible for doing the thinking and learning in this classroom?
- STUDENTS spend the majority of class time thinking, reading, writing, discussing, inquiring, analyzing, researching, and/or problem solving.
- STUDENTS respond to, build on, and synthesize their peers’ thinking, ideas or answers. They can work collaboratively in productive teams.
- STUDENTS use knowledge and evidence to form, articulate, and defend their answers and opinions.
- STUDENTS use process skills by planning an approach to their work, setting goals, and monitoring their progress.
- TEACHERS facilitate so students do the “heavy lifting;” they support students in persevering through challenge with encouragement and compassion; they celebrate growth mindset.
- TEACHERS require students to provide meaningful oral or written evidence to support ideas; they build students’ skills for student-led discussions.
- TEACHERS explicitly encourage & provide support for students to engage in iterative thinking, metacognition, and problem-solving.
- TEACHERS provide an appropriate balance of individual and team work time, whole group and small group instruction.
PBSA’s Teacher Instructional Practices (TIPS) were created to articulate our collective vision for excellent teaching and learning. This tool is designed to give us shared language to inform teacher coaching and development. There are five domains and essential questions; in an effective classroom, the answer to each Essential Question is “yes!”
5. MINDSET & BELIEFS Does this teacher hold the mindsets and beliefs necessary to be successful at PBSA?
- TEACHERS consistently model PBSA core values of “Belief with Commitment,” “Building Bridges,” and “Execution with Integrity.”
- TEACHERS are authentically themselves, thus making genuine connections among staff, students, and community in a professional and proactive manner that builds positive rapport and trust and fosters collaboration.
- TEACHERS value students’ unique cultural backgrounds, knowledge and experiences and utilize them in designing their lessons; plan multiple connections to issues of diversity, equity, social-consciousness and inclusion in a respectful and developmentally appropriate manner.
- TEACHERS maintain the highest expectations for all students based on an unwavering belief in their potential.
- TEACHERS recognize their strengths, areas for growth, perception by others; proactively seek feedback, self-reflect, and adapt; engage in learning opportunities aligned with student needs; accept personal responsibility for mistakes and uses them as learning opportunities.
- TEACHERS consistently complete all responsibilities in a timely and high-quality manner.