Happy October!!
In this episode, I talked with Olivia about support and advocacy as a leader. What that means for our teachers, our students, our districts, and our families. As you all know with things coming at you quickly, you have to be able to prioritize.
Here are a few of Olivia’s Top Priorities and the Tools she tries to use:
Use data! We gather data from students, our teachers, district administrators and facilitators, as well as families. It supports our learning and growth.
Prioritize Effort and Impact. This matrix is a way to visualize and talk about what can be done now, what needs to be done now, what can be done later, and what to eliminate. Read more HERE
Image from https://www.productplan.com/glossary/action-priority-matrix/ Communicate - with everyone! Oliva, Lauren, and Erin are available so much for our teachers for right on-time support. TEAMS or Google Chat can make that possible. Do you use a chat tool for in-the-moment support for your teachers?
We also rely heavily on our in-district facilitators. Communication with them is key to students’ success.
Be Transparent. All of our classes are recorded! That means our virtual teachers are observed frequently. I think they are more comfortable than most teachers in having lots of people see what they do every day. It takes them out of their comfort zone. It helps them grow. They love to collaborate and share. They ask for help. We have the BEST teachers!!
Our Partner
Congratulations to Cecelia S. Grugan of the Ariels (our ASL video partners) - their new book is out! Learn to Sign with your Baby! I was lucky enough to review the book this summer. Their ability to get into print (and images and video) the importance of not allowing communication to happen by chance - is right in line with our values at WOL. This will be a top gift for me for all the new parents I know. Check it out HERE!
Standards that help with making priorities for our courses:
There has been a shift in instruction in so many ways! Immersive language, problem-solving, hands-on learning.
ACTFL - helps us to think about how we can immerse students in the language to improve their ability to acquire and use it.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) - help us think about how we can solve problems using hands-on, real-life issues to learn.
Quality Matters - guides us in building courses that students can easily navigate to have a seamless learning experience.
As always, if you need something we are glad to talk and see how we can help.
Best,
Pat
Advocacy and Support: Creating Priorities #23