Hi All -

As you hold your data analysis meetings in the coming weeks and prepare for your final showcase meeting, I thought it would be helpful to have a Showcase Schedule for Saturday as well as a copy of the directions that the UF students were given when I spoke to them over the last couple weeks (they are very excited about participating!). You may want to copy these documents for your teachers so they have a good idea on how the Showcase will run as well as the roll the UF students will play in each session. I will ask Chris to attach these documents as my "attacher" still doesn't seem to want to work.

ALSO -- IMPORTANT REMINDER -- ALL ABSTRACTS AND TITLES MUST BE TO ME NO LATER THAN MONDAY, MARCH 17TH!! We need to work round the clock this year to put the program together in a week's time to have it to print before I leave to present at the American Educational Research Association and International Council on Teacher Research in New York City on March 24th.

My plan is to literally work around the clock and use Tuesday (3/18) to slot all the presentations, Wednesday to enter them in the computer (3/19), and I hope to send a draft of the program to you on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning for you to check that all of your presenters are listed appropriately. I will need any changes back from you by Friday morning (3/21), so this is a heads up that there will be a quick turn around time on proofing the program this year.

I presented this past week at the Association of Teacher Educator's conference in New Orleans on the process of action research and it went great! There are so many people excited about this work throughout the nation! We continue to be on the cutting edge!

Remember to share with us how your data analysis meetings are going!

Happy Almost Friday! and Happy Inquiring!

Nanc

Jack asked that I post the abstract writing instructions . . . I have emailed it to Chris and he will attach it as soon as he can, as my computer right now is not allowing me to attach it.

Remember the new ground rule of posting something every two weeks . . . it's been about two weeks since we last met, so it's about time for you to all to post something.

A couple prompts if you'd like to use one or both (but don't feel you need to respond to these if you have something else you'd like to post on or reply to one of your colleague's postings) . . .

* What are some things you are thinking about as you prepare for your data analysis meeting?

* What have you learned about coaching data analysis from reading chapter 5 of The Reflective Educator's Guide to Professional Development?

Happy February!

Nanc

Hi All -

As you requested, I have drafted a letter from me that you can share with the principals in your districts about attending the Showcase, and providing comp time for teachers who might wish to attend as well. You requested I draft this letter at our last meeting.

I am going to ask Chris to post it as an attachment when he gets a chance, because since it is printed on letterhead, the file is too large for me to post here, so be on the look-out for it. Once it's posted, please let me know if you'd like any changes.

Hope you're all having a great week! Happy Wednesday!

Nanc

Hi Everyone -

 Just a couple important announcements to follow up on our great meeting last week --

 1.  Remember to read Chapter 5 of The Reflective Educator's Guide to Professional Development.  This is a GREAT resource for preparing for and planning your data analysis meetings that will be coming up soon.  I think you'll enjoy the "scrap booking" metaphor that opens the chapter, and this analogy for data analysis can help you help your inquirers think about what data analysis is all about!  Also, remind your inquirers to read Chapter 5 of their book, The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research. This chapter will take them through the process of data analysis step-by-step.  

2.  As your inquirers continue on with their work, remember the importance of literature as data (pp. 81 in The Reflective Educator's Guide to Classroom Research).  As last year, CSI will utilize the UF Library and do literature searches for each one of your inquirers to help support them in figuring out which pieces of literature connect to their wonderings and will give them insights as their study is unfolding.  We'll search for you and forward to you the top few resources we find.  We've done this already for a number of facilitators.  If you haven't yet submitted your list of inquirers and their topics/wonderings to Katie Tricarico and would like to take advantage of this service, please do so as soon as possible.  We have more inquirers than ever this year, and each search takes approximately one - two hours!  Katie's email address is:  k_tricarico@hotmail.com.

3.  At our last meeting, Jack asked me to post a resource on questions you might want to ask during data analysis . . . I think he might have been thinking about the probing questions figure that actually was created to help coaches probe during wondering development, but I've attached it here in case you think it might help with the data analysis meeting.  

 Sometime this week I will work on the letter to your administrators announcing the Showcase and suggesting they provide comp time for teachers to attend.  Have a great week everyone!  

 -Nanc

Updated and attached! Yippee - had a few problems, but as always, Chris knows how to help even the neediest of us.

 Here are some “Helpful Attachments” that you may want to use with your group (or email to them). I’ll bring copies next week also. 

There are two different data analysis protocols: the full one and the shortened version (worksheet) that I think Jack came up with for taking notes on.

There is also the link to the database that has the final write-ups and the programs so they will know what their two last writing assignments will look like.

 Hope this helps!  See you next week.

We just completed our third local meeting for Columbia County. I was so pleased to hear that inquiry is helping them think and act in a different way… a more reflective way. My group is especially helpful in solving problems and collaborating with each other – I am so lucky! Unfortunately, two teachers couldn’t show up yesterday, but I plan to see them later this week. I wish they didn’t miss the conversations we had, but at least it is never the same teacher who misses. My group asked me to send them the links again for the database that has the final write-ups and the programs so they would know what their two last writing assignments would look like. I’ve attached these to a separate blog called “Helpful Attachments.” I also sent them the two different data analysis protocols: the full one and the shortened version (worksheet) that I think Jack came up with for taking notes on. We plan to use these for our next two meetings. Also attached to the blog called “Helpful Attachments.” We set the dates for all of the final meetings because the end of the year seems to fill up rather quickly. We decided to have a practice run-through on the final meeting. Many are nervous about presenting, but I think I am helping to calm them by telling them exactly what to expect. See you next week!

Here's the call for proposals for the international conference in NY.

A few more figures from Ch 3

Hi All- Jack asked for the figures from Chapter 3 to be posted so you have them electronically in case you want to use some of them for your upcoming local meetings on developing a wondering, so here they are.

Fellow PLC,

Now that we are roaring into the jungle on this year's safari I find
myself elated. The excitement began shortly after the
Kick-off when several more teachers contacted me to join the hunting
party. We have set a pair of
back-to-back dates to meet after school in a central location.
This seems to accommodate those with prior commitments. Anyone
not able to attend our "R&D"
(refine and define your wondering) party will meet in small local
groups at a
later date with mentors and facilitator.

I am wondering if we need to have the various forms and protocols used in
past years available on this site so we can tap those resources as needed. Debbi seems to be a step ahead by providing
letters, etc. for us to adapt and use in our communication within our
district. THANKS Debbi.

Sabrina, can you provide the administrivia (instructions for invoicing,
timelines, activity logs, etc.) necessary for NEFEC via attachments?

Attached, please find Levy District PLC.

Gail just sent me multiple emails with multiple attachments of all kinds of stuff she uses in her work . . . I feel like I've just been handed a treasure chest and can't wait to look closely at all the jewels!

Hello Everyone-

I spoke with Gail Ritchie on Monday night, and I am quite excited about next Tuesday! It is shaping up to be a wonderful day! Attached please find the agenda for the meeting we will have with your administrators, as well as the agendas and teacher timeline for the kick-off.

Note that we will be starting our meeting with the administrator(s) from your district at noon at the Paramount Hotel. You and the district administration who will be attending should arrive at the meeting having already had lunch. Being that our time is so limited and we are beginning at noon, we did not want to take the time to eat during our session. We will, however, be providing everyone with a snack.

You may want to touch base with whoever is attending from the administration in your district, and perhaps ride together. Also, remember to send a reminder to the teachers you will be working with this year that we begin the Kick-Off on Tuesday at 3:30 at the Paramount in the Bivens Arms Room. Sabrina will have books to hand out, and I’ll bring some copies of last year’s program and monograph to spread around for people to glance through during the session. As you’ll note on the agenda, the following facilitators are presenting their work as per our planning session during our last facilitator meeting: Jack, Leanne, Debbi, Sherri, Mickie, Rhonda. Sabrina will arrange to have an lcd projector in each room, if you need one for your presentation.

Please review the materials for the kick-off.

Also, as facilitator of our on-line learning community, I’m asking each of you to make one post before our meeting and respond to at least one community member's post. There are a number of items you can choose to focus on in your post (as per our ground rules, you wished to have a focus for posts – sometimes), so here they are:

A. Reflections on Chapters 1, 2 or 7 of The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development – what are you thoughts on the reading? (See pink sheet entitled, “Our Inquiry Facilitator On-Line Learning Community” for more ideas for posting about a reading).

B. Recruiting Teachers To Participate This Year – How’s it going? What type of interest are you seeing from teachers? How many people have committed to the process this year? How did you go about recruiting them? How do you feel about the group you will be working with? How do they feel about the upcoming kick-off?

C. Reflection on Participating in TNLI and/or Presenting at NSDC – How do you feel about the opportunities that are being afforded to us to participate in national groups? What are the barriers/constraints to taking this work outside our schools/districts?

D. Time Management for Participating in Our On-Line Community - What personal strategies to you have for checking into our PLC, and participating? How is it working for you? Does it feel overwhelming or manageable or somewhere in-between?

REMEMBER TO LET ME KNOW BY TOMORROW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE ALL EXPENSE PAID NATIONAL CONFERENCE PRESENTATION IN JULY, OR THE ALL EXPENSE PAID NATIONAL MEETING OF TNLI FELLOWS! I am really hoping that we at least get two more people for the July conference in Orlando! Such a generous offer from NEFEC to fund three teachers to participate – Thanks Sabrina and Mark!! Hope we can take advantage of these opportunities!

Can’t wait to see everyone on Tuesday!

Nanc

Hi Everyone -

I have attached three letters if you would like to use any of them. Please edit out my personal info and put in yours. There was a lot of cut and paste from Sabrina's & Nancy's letters.

1. Hello Principals – long letter asking them to help by telling teachers at their school about this
2. Hello Teachers – a shorter version of the same letter, but addressed to teachers
3. New Inquiry Teacher – a letter to teachers who have seemed interested and need to go online to NEFEC and register

I hope this helps some of you – we don’t need to reinvent the wheel!

Attached is the recruitment letter that was in your folders, so you can use as is or adapt in any way you'd like. -Nanc