Improving Instructional Quality in Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivot ...

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decide on an area or theme they’d like to pursue. Forinstance, during my observations, I noticed that frontalteaching dominates classroom discourse at many schools.Wait time is poorly implemented and alternative assessmentstrategies (e.g., formative assessments) are minimal.Therefore, teachers might select as a theme for PD over acourse of the year to bring in experts to offer PD workshopson formative assessment techniques and/or ways ofdifferentiating to break the “habit” of frontal teaching as thedominant mode of teaching. The educational researchliterature is particularly rich here in terms of the benefits offormative assessments and alternative “active learning”strategies (see, e.g., Andrade & Cizek, 2010; Hattie &Timperley, 2007). PD, most importantly, should not stopafter the workshop, but rather the consultant should thenwork with selected teachers in their classrooms to helpteachers implement practices. Once some teachers becomemore expert in these new approaches, they can serve asturn-key personnel to work with other teachers. Workshopswithout follow-ups are of marginal worth at best.d. Mentoring and Induction – Beginning teachers arefrequently not offered sufficient support to achieve success(Court, 2008; Feiman-Nemser, 2003; Wong, 2008). A formalprogram of mentoring is necessary as well as an inductionprogram that offers support to new teachers during years 2-4. Various models for mentoring and induction can be foundnationally (the work of Harry Wong, 2008, is especiallyeffective). A consultant can help set up such a programrather quickly.e. The following supervisory strategies are suggested anddescribed—albeit briefly. These strategies encouragesupervision as a collaborative process that teachers,themselves, can implement (with the support of schooladministration).• Intervisitations – Most teachers have rarely seen acolleague teach. Providing release time for colleagues toobserve each other and then providing time for42
discussion is highly recommended. Their experiencescan later be shared at a department or whole facultymeeting. At several schools, some teachers I interviewedeven suggested limmudei hol (general studies) teacherscould observe limmudei kodesh (religious studies)teachers and vice versa. Selected teachers should alsohave the opportunity to observe a peer in another schoolin an ongoing peer consultation by phone or internet.Limmudei kodesh teachers, like their counterparts insecular studies, can benefit greatly from the opportunityto connect with peers in other communities in order toenhance their pedagogical skills and learn about thelatest ideas and materials in their particular contentarea, such as Humash or Jewish History.• Peer coaching – A pair of teachers, of the same orapproximatelte ability or experience, alternate periodsobserving each other and use data to engage inconversations. Peer coaching may differ from thestrategy above in the sense that such observations areconducted long-term.• Action research – Encouraging teachers (this isparticularly useful for tenured, experienced teachers), inlieu of the “Dog-Pony” observation requirement, toengage in a project in which they identify a problemthey are experiencing in the classroom, compose someresearch questions, gather data to answer them, reflecton findings and take actions. This has proven to be aninvaluable supervisory asset (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2010;Du, 2009; Glanz, 2003; Mills, 2002; Sagor, 2008).• Book studies – Teachers or administrators can distributecopies of a book on pedagogy or in a particulardiscipline, and then engage in meetings andconversations about strategies for classroomimplementation. The chief criterion to be used in bookselection should be, in most cases, the extent to whichthe book can assist teachers in addressing or gaininginsights into some aspect of the instructional core.43
Page 1 and 2: Improving InstructionalQuality in J
Page 4 and 5: Appendix C: Assessing Your Role as
Page 6 and 7: others, involved in a cognate enter
Page 8 and 9: Weissberg, Walberg, & Wang., 2004).
Page 10 and 11: all. “We are never asked for what
Page 12 and 13: administrator. He was well-organize
Page 14 and 15: Sartoris, DiPrima Bickel, & Garnier
Page 16 and 17: grade conferences, etc., effective
Page 18 and 19: school’s teaching practices, the
Page 20 and 21: een made in the areas of science an
Page 22 and 23: learning is more likely to occur th
Page 24 and 25: content, and the need to ensure tha
Page 26 and 27: pattern.] I didn’t really realize
Page 28 and 29: constraints, increase in administra
Page 30 and 31: The Transformational Change Project
Page 32 and 33: that are not strategic, but episodi
Page 34 and 35: my personal involvement in work wit
Page 36 and 37: schools to even greater levels of s
Page 38 and 39: was: “Well, you know, finding tim
Page 40 and 41: called direct teaching), although e
Page 42 and 43: surprised when no one can answer
Page 44 and 45: RecommendationsI. Teaching1. Teache
Page 46 and 47: standards,” a significant opportu
Page 50 and 51: • Reflective journaling - Another
Page 52 and 53: 3. Deep instructional improvement v
Page 54 and 55: Instructional leadership is about e
Page 56 and 57: 76). Teachers who employ instructio
Page 58 and 59: short answers to two questions. The
Page 60 and 61: may become involved in cooperative
Page 62 and 63: utilized within a differentiated le
Page 64 and 65: Research-Based Teaching Practices i
Page 66 and 67: curriculum? Schools, in my view, to
Page 68 and 69: learning objectives have been ident
Page 70 and 71: Developing curriculum at the planni
Page 72 and 73: 4) Emphasize both the academic and
Page 74 and 75: An Overview of Best Practices in Su
Page 76 and 77: with practices best suited to promo
Page 78 and 79: dialogue and meaningful supervision
Page 80 and 81: • Ongoing - Too much of professio
Page 82 and 83: to do so. In fact, utilizing in-sch
Page 84 and 85: greatly to meaningful supervision a
Page 86 and 87: and amplified by James MacGregor Bu
Page 88 and 89: Leadership is predicated on the fou
Page 90 and 91: Citing Jim Collins (2002 cited by F
Page 92 and 93: Notes1. Before continuing, I sugges
Page 94 and 95: ubric of “professional developmen
Page 96 and 97: throughs, explains that according t
Page 98 and 99:
members are not fully cognizant or
Page 100 and 101:
AcknowledgementsI thank all the ind
Page 102 and 103:
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and
Page 104 and 105:
Burke, P. J., & Krey, R. D. (2005).
Page 106 and 107:
Downey, C. J., Steffy, B. E., Posto
Page 108 and 109:
Fullan, M. (2005). Leadership and s
Page 110 and 111:
Good, T., & Brophy, J. E. (2007). L
Page 112 and 113:
Johnson, C. C., & Fargo, J. D. (201
Page 114 and 115:
Marzano, R. J., & Brown, J. L. (200
Page 116 and 117:
Popham, W. J. (2008a). Classroom as
Page 118 and 119:
Shapira-Lishchinsky, O. (2009). Isr
Page 120 and 121:
Tschannen-Moran, M., & McMaster, P.
Page 122 and 123:
Annotated Works on Instructional Le
Page 124 and 125:
This volume is an inspiring introdu
Page 126 and 127:
you want to learn how to teach stud
Page 128 and 129:
AppendicesAppendix A: Instructional
Page 130 and 131:
Suggested responses:1. To be effect
Page 132 and 133:
Appendix C: Assessing Your Role as
Page 134 and 135:
SA A D SD 3. My spoken language as
Page 136 and 137:
Domain 2: The Classroom Environment
Page 138 and 139:
SA A D SD 13. I have a well-defined
Page 140 and 141:
SA A D SD 13. I rarely desire to se
Page 142 and 143:
20. This is a well managed school.
Page 144 and 145:
Appendix F: Teacher Attitude Questi
Page 146:
41. My colleagues and I usually dis
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