Spring+Branch+Middle+School



Early Adopters The questions below are meant to be a starting point, as you consider and shape your efforts to challenge learners in authentic, meaningful and relevant ways.

Please add additional questions and thoughts, as they arise...
 * || //**Consider**...// || //notes, evidence, examples, resource links, etc.// ||
 * =**Vision**= || * **Where is your building headed?** || // Our campus is in a transitional period in which we are merging new faculty members with a more veteran, established faculty. We are at the beginning stages of learning how rigorous and relevant instruction doesn't need to be traditional. // ||
 * =**A Closer Look**= || * **Under which F&D Focus Area will you center your efforts this coming year?**
 * Global Communication
 * Information Literacy
 * Student Owned Learning
 * Driving Innovation || Student Owned Learning ||
 * =Grain Size= || * **What requisite skills will students need to develop to attend to this focus area?**


 * **Which thread have your early adopters chosen to weave through their practice this coming year?** || The ability to communicate their questions and articulate their understanding. They need to be familiar with other options available for learning and assessment, outside of traditional quizzes, tests, and textbooks. They need to develop an awareness of their own strengths, gifts, and weaknesses. Practice developing interdisciplinary connections between what they are learning in different classes. Developing a comfort level with struggling with larger questions when not all of the instructions are provided. An understanding of what constitutes a true mastery of the content (i.e. a rubric) so that they can develop appropriate assessments. ||
 * < =**Leadership**= ||< * **Who is leading the way?** ||< Joint leadership between principal, I-Coach, and EA teachers ||
 * ==**Staff Capacity**== || * **What is the capability of the instructional staff?**


 * **How might you develop or build this capacity?**


 * **Who are the capacity builders on your campus?** || We have a variety of ability levels, with new teachers merging with veteran faculty. Our newer teachers tend to embrace new technology ideas and have been using them in their classroom.

By providing positive examples through our early adopter teachers and others who are taking risks. By providing them with a clear understanding of what instructional technology involves (SAMR model).

We will start with our early adopter teachers. ||
 * =**Instructional Practices**= || * **Where do models of best practice exist?**


 * **What elements of strength do each offer?** || A few pockets exist within our building, but we are looking to expand that. Models can also be found on the web or on other campuses.

Specific curricular examples that teachers can borrow, general examples of risk taking, and managing a classroom with technology. ||
 * =**Learning Commons**= || * **What is the role of the library media program in the development of your early adopters?** || The librarian and learning commons will be a crucial resource for the EA teachers as they are developing their lessons. ||
 * =**Staff Development**= || * **In what ways will your early adopters be encouraged to develop a nuanced understanding of the requisite skills our learners need to be life ready?**
 * =**Staff Development**= || * **In what ways will your early adopters be encouraged to develop a nuanced understanding of the requisite skills our learners need to be life ready?**
 * =**Staff Development**= || * **In what ways will your early adopters be encouraged to develop a nuanced understanding of the requisite skills our learners need to be life ready?**


 * **In what ways will your early adopters be encouraged to...**
 * **push the edges of expected practice**
 * **take risks**
 * **embrace failure**
 * **document their process**
 * **mine their mistakes**
 * **iterate** ||  ||
 * =**Pedagogical Development**= || * **How will teachers be encouraged to consider their daily practice,** **as it relates to technology, content & the creation of knowledge?**
 * =**Pedagogical Development**= || * **How will teachers be encouraged to consider their daily practice,** **as it relates to technology, content & the creation of knowledge?**


 * **What opportunities will be available for your early adopters to continue their own learning in the context of their practice?** ||  ||
 * =**Accountability**= || * **What evidence might you collect with your early adopters to show your campus plan is producing learning gains?** ||  ||
 * =**Planning**= || * **How is the current vision of your building being acted upon and continuing to evolve?**
 * =**Planning**= || * **How is the current vision of your building being acted upon and continuing to evolve?**
 * =**Planning**= || * **How is the current vision of your building being acted upon and continuing to evolve?**


 * **How do the focus area(s) you've selected for next year support that vision?**


 * **At what point will students being invited into the conversations?**


 * **How will you include students as contributing members in early adopter planning sessions?**


 * **What ideas do you have for the full day each month of campus PD**? **How might we best support your efforts during that time?**


 * **In what way(s) will early adopters be supported between monthly sessions?**


 * **How might you address some of the more pressing "Yeah, but...."s on your campus?**


 * **What resources can the District provide to support your efforts on this front?** || //// ||
 * =**Communication**= || * **How will you communicate what your building is doing?**
 * =**Communication**= || * **How will you communicate what your building is doing?**


 * **How will you invite other stakeholders to engage in the conversation?**


 * **How will you invite and engage global colleagues and peers to learn along side your early adopters?**


 * **Of what benefit will it be to network with the 4 other "early adopter" campuses?** ||  ||
 * =**Connections**= || * **How do your vision & efforts align with the mission of the district?**
 * =**Connections**= || * **How do your vision & efforts align with the mission of the district?**


 * **To which focus area(s) in the Findings & Directions document does your work most closely align?** ||  ||