Caleb Hatfield
Teacher, Mentor, Leader
Artifact 1: PLCs Initiative
A more recent initiative that I was able to implement are professional learning communities within the middle school at AIS. PLCs were focused on current school goals and stressed the importance of data driven instruction. Each group met together in order to research and discuss key elements within their topic. Near the end of the school year, each group gave a brief presentation on their topic. All of the presentations were shared amongst the staff. Teachers found the PLCs to be both helpful and an effective way to take part in professional learning within their own school building.
Artifact 2: Teacher Orientation
During my first few weeks as an assistant principal, I helped to lead our school level orientation for new and returning teachers. During this time I caught new teachers up to speed on the many different systems such as Atlas and Synergetic that our school uses to stay organized. I also communicated expectations for setting goals and tracking student progress. With returning staff, I presented feedback on student gains from the previous year and how we might as a staff bridge the gap. I also arranged for other teacher leaders to give brief presentations on our school's writing initiative, how to track student behavior, and the integration of many Google based applications.
Artifact 3: Learning Walks
An extremely effective way to observe effective teaching and to provide positive feedback is through the use of learning walks. This is an initiative that began last year in our middle school, but I as the current assistant principal stream lined and made more accessible to our teaching staff. Learning walks occur four times a school year and usually include two to three teachers plus an administrator such as myself. During the learning walks, our teachers spend up to ten minutes in classrooms where they make observations on what the teacher and students are doing as well as noting the classroom environment at large. At the end of the learning walk, a brief reflection occurs between the observing teachers where they discuss key highlights and takeaways. At the conclusion of the walks, each observing teacher writes a brief thank you note to each teacher that was observed and the notes are left in their mailboxes for immediate positive feedback. The learning walks have created our very own professional development program within our very own school!
Domain 3: Promoting professional learning for continuous improvement
Education leaders recognize that in order for teachers to improve their craft and for students to make greater gains, opportunities for professional learning must be present. In my short time as an assistant principal, I have seized the opportunity to make professional learning an important element of our school community