Contact Person: Margaret Ralph, Principal
Danville Elementary School
Timberlane Regional School District
23 School Street
Danville, New Hampshire 03819
Phone: 603-382-5554
FAX: 603-382-1680
E-mail: mralph@sau55.k12.nh.us

Program Description

Teachers at Danville Elementary School are part of the Southeast Regional Education Services Collaborative http://www.seresc.k12.nh.us Lab Schools Network. In addition to the provision of direct educational services to students in its member districts, SERESC offers administrators, teachers, and other school staff a variety of professional development activities. When the Danville staff expressed a need for time during the school day for sharing ideas and problem-solving, principal Margaret Ralph sought the assistance of the SERESC lab school to help find that time and to help coach teachers towards a new understanding of excellence in teaching and high quality learning environments. Danville's efforts align well with the state's new Professional Development Standards (ED 512.02) http://www.state.nh.us/gencourt/ols/rules/ed500.html. These standards place greater emphasis on job-embedded learning and less on "clock-hours" accumulated through workshops or other traditional in-service training formats, as recommended by the National Staff Development Council http://www.nsdc.org, and other resources http://www.ed.state.nh.us/ProfessionalDevelopment/professi3.htm.

The first challenge the Danville staff faced was identifying a time during the day in which all teachers could come together without taking them away from their students. The 8:15-9:10 Sustained Silent Reading time provided a natural opportunity for teachers to meet while students were engaged in quality learning activities, yet without the need for teachers to develop plans for substitute teachers. The "Friday Morning Conversations" -- as the staff named them -- take place twice a month. On each "conversations" day, half of the teachers are provided with coverage for their classes by paraprofessionals, and on the other day, the other half of the staff participates. Three Danville staff members served as facilitators of the "Conversations" as part of their on-going professional development in facilitation and cognitive coaching provided by SERESC.

The first year that the staff participated in the "Conversations" they explored the meaning of "excellent teaching," using Charlotte Danielson's (1996) book Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching http://www.ascd.org as a resource guide. As a focus topic for each "Conversations" day, the staff choose one of Danielson's teaching competencies and used the Johari Window http://www.noogenesis.com/game_theory/johari/johari_window.html to help them make intentional connections between educational theory and their own practice. The Johari Window is a useful model for gaining greater awareness and understanding of how a teacher's own communication and interaction style affects relationships with both students and colleagues.

By the second year of the school's implementation of this practice, Danville had formalized the following set of goals for this professional development activity: 1) to investigate the meaning of Danielson's words and the structure of her ideas; 2) to identify evidence of Danielson's teaching elements in their classrooms; 3) to reflect on their observations of their own teaching; and 4) to become "consciously competent in more areas of professional practice.

Preparation and Professional Development for Staff

There were three main efforts that enabled Danville to be "ready" to participate in the "Friday Morning Conversations." First, several Danville faculty had participated in SERESC summer learning institutes where they were introduced to Danielson's Framework. Their training as facilitators and cognitive coaches made them a valuable in-district resource. Second, the role of SERESC staff as outside "Critical Friends" (Olson, 1994) was an important support to Danville's principal and staff as they began their exploration of new models of professional development. And third, after the first year of piloting the "Conversations" at Danville elementary, the superintendent purchased the Framework book for the entire district staff and a half-day workshop was held to orient everyone to the model.

Impact on Student Learning and Other Valued Educational Outcomes

Danville Elementary School does not have data on the impact of "Friday Morning Conversations" on student learning. What the conversations have done is to help promote a significant improvement in overall school climate. Teachers report that there is now an atmosphere of collegiality in the staff room where experienced and new teachers share with one another, using a common language about quality teaching. One teacher spoke for her colleagues about the program: "We are so lucky to be able to share ideas and philosophies in such a non-threatening environment. I hope to gain a better understanding of what motivates me in the classroom and in my teaching practices." Feedback from teachers, from SERESC staff, and from an outside evaluator were so positive that every school in the district now has its own form of "Friday Morning Conversations," developed to fit each building's unique personality and needs.

Costs Associated with the Program

The costs associated with the program are contained within the district's SERESC membership fee and the district's cost of purchasing the Framework book. For schools not associated with a professional development organization like SERESC, they would have to invest money in training facilitators and in staff development on the basics of the Danielson framework. Classroom coverage for the faculty is arranged internally utilizing paraprofessionals, guidance counselors, and other specialists so no additional personnel costs are related to the "creation of time" for the conversations.

In Summary

In their own words, Friday Morning Conversations have provided "the opportunity to meet as professionals, provide a vehicle that moves us from where we are to where we have the capacity to go. Danielson's Framework is the fuel for our thoughts. The power comes from teachers talking with teachers about good teaching practices."

To learn more about Danville's "Conversations" program or to arrange a visit, contact Principal Margaret Ralph by phone or e-mail.

Reference List:

Tondy Higginbotham
Administrator, Bureau of Professional Development
New Hampshire Department of Education
101 Pleasant St.
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603-271-3749
FAX: 603-271-1953
E-mail: thigginbotham@ed.state.nh.us
http://www.state.nh.us/gencourt/ols/rules/ed500.html
http://www.ed.state.nh.us/ProfessionalDevelopment/professi3.htm

SouthEast Regional Education Service Center
11 Peabody Rd.
Derry, NH 03038
Phone: 603-434-0556
FAX: 603-434-3891
http://www.seresc.k12.nh.us

National Staff Development Council
PO Box 240
Oxford, OH 45056
Phone: 513-523-6029
http://nsdc.org

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
1703 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
Phone: 800-933-ASCD (2723)
http://ascd.org

Danielson, C. (1996). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Luft, J. (1969). Of human interaction. Palo Alto, CA: National Press.

Kelly, A., & McKillop, K. "Consequences of revealing personal secrets." Psychological Bulletin, 120(3), p. 450.

Olsen, L. (1994, May 4). Critical friends. Education Week, 20-27.