With that statement in mind we played "Collective Commitments in 15 Minutes or Less." Here is how the process went. Everybody thought of one personal commitment and wrote it on a note card. Lisa McCarty got everyone started with this example: "Problem aware, but solution focused." Then pairs shared their commitments and if they were similar, they combined them into one; if they were different they kept them distinct. Then,the pairs "squared" with another pair and synthesized their commitments if possible. We ended up with the following commitments:
- Share expertise.
- Be open to change.
- Stay on topic.
- Learn new ideas to share with colleagues
- Commit to professional grwoth and learning by sharing ideas freely and working toward specific goals with student success in mind.
- Proactive, professional collaboration focused on ELLs' educational needs.
We also discussed the proposed topics for the rest of the year, with some consideration of expectations for each of the sessions. As a result of this conversation, I have switched the topics for the two dates in bold below (moved Tier 1 Instruction from February to November!):
October 28-ELL Essentials
November 11-Impacting Tier 1 Instruction
December 9-MELL Conference Debrief (and ACCESS refresher?)
February 24-Connecting to Curriculum
March 9-MAP Matters
April 13-Systemic Views
May 11-Planning for Next Year
See you all in October!
October 28-ELL Essentials
November 11-Impacting Tier 1 Instruction
December 9-MELL Conference Debrief (and ACCESS refresher?)
February 24-Connecting to Curriculum
March 9-MAP Matters
April 13-Systemic Views
May 11-Planning for Next Year
See you all in October!