January ends!

January is a blur to me, however I want to take a moment and reflect on some of the highlights of this month before the dawn of February crosses my car dashboard tomorrow morning (providing I can see the dawn through the impending snow storm).  My one wish today is that I would wake up to this view tomorrow....

This has been an intense month of activity both for district work as well as for AEA work.  This month I:

• facilitated kit training on 4 MS FOSS units (Earth History, Weather and Water, Planetary Science and Chemical Interactions).  The impact of this time commitment is that I know that thousands of students will have a rich experience in science as their middle school teachers implement these kits over the next few years.
• co-facilitated the EiE kit training with Nannette.  The impact of this time commitment was that for a full day 8 teachers were engaged in active learning about a how the Engineering is Elementary kits can provide students with the opportunity to learn about STEM careers and the Engineering Design Process.
• designed, planned and delivered a full day of learning for the CCSD Cadre teachers on the Iowa Core Characteristic of Effective Instruction topic:  Assessment for Learning.  The impact of this was that I personally had the opportunity to coach with the HS and 5th/6th grade science teachers as they worked to embed the strategies of clear learning targets, success criteria and concept-based instruction into their current practices.
• designed, planned and co-facilitated a morning of professional learning for the Marion ISD K-12 vertical science team.  The impact of this was that we had a chance to reconnect and share ideas about effective instruction in science including a focus on AfL, Alignment and Tech Integration.  Another bonus was that through these relationships the 6-8 grade teachers are implementing more of the VAST MS kits and their students and principal, Amy Johnson are both very pleased with the results.
• provided instructional coaching to 6 teachers around their professional learning goals.  The impact of this was to deepen their understanding of the big ideas of their science curriculum and how best to help students achieve the learning targets through the use of effective feedback and/or performance based assessments.   An additional benefit was that I had the opportunity to practice my instructional coaching skills; which is my 2011-12 professional growth goal area.  I look forward to more opportunities to continue this type of support.
• enjoyed the ongoing privilege to provide support to Nannette as she uncovers the complexity of the job as Teacher in Residence.  The impact of this is sometimes hard to measure on a day to day basis ~ but my heart was warmed when Janine informed me that my support is appreciated.  Thanks for those kind words, Nannette.  I sometimes feel as though I am really letting you down when you need a cheerleader and I am focused on other work.

There were many more smaller tasks this month that all add up to a full, rich tapestry of days, minutes, hours and weekends of work.  My greatest hope is that the impact of this work/time will reach every learner ~ no matter if they are 60 or 6.

Good night to January, 2011.... on to February!!!