Pathways to the Prize, School Winners | Page 43

students, including those who were performing well, a comprehensive testing program to identify areas of need, and mastery charts to track progress for all English II students. The instructional facilitator meets with English teachers each week to help analyze data and discuss progress. As described previously, tutoring programs have also been put into place and are mandatory for any student who does not score proficient or above on the diagnostic test. Blackley also spends much of her time observing instruction in classrooms. She collects and analyzes language arts data and serves as a resource manager for teachers who are interested in trying a new instructional strategy. She also teaches her own language arts class. During her teaching period, teachers are invited to observe so they can find ways to improve their own language arts instruction. Effective instructional strategies. Covington has created several tools to help teachers become more effective with their instruction and to engage all students. A lesson plan template was created to help teachers structure lessons based on best practices. This format includes a “hook,” which captures students’ attention and leads directly into consideration of the essential questions and lesson objectives for the day. It is followed by a “task” or “set-up” which introduces the task and provides scaffolding or background information so students understand how to organize new information. Finally, the “explore” and “share, discuss, and analyze” sections are aimed at providing students with problem-solving activities, project-based learning, or other engaging instructional techniques. By using this format, students will have familiarized themselves with the skills being taught, applied the new information they have learned, critiqued each other’s and their own work, and answered higher order thinking questions by the end of the lesson. A typical lesson has time for students to engage in large group discussion and work as individuals or in small groups. The teacher then provides a closure activity that informally reviews objectives and asks students to engage in an assessment of their own performance or learning. Many lessons also include assessments, either formal or informal, such as indicating with thumbs up or down whether students understand information. Teachers also plan for additional activities so that accelerated students have opportunities for enrichment. “Lesson Plan Template” http:/ /www.tnscore.org/scoreprize/ downloads/2012/Lesson_Plan_ Template.pdf Several departments use constructivist—or active— learning techniques to help make instruction meaningful and relevant for students. For example, the math team uses problems about savings accounts for practice and the writing team incorporates students’ experiences into exercises. All departments have tried to set up routines in classrooms so that they can maximize instructional time. As the algebra team reported, “Every successful major college football team has a routine practice schedule, so we try to model that same concept.” Using technology. Covington teachers often infuse technology into their lessons because student mastery of technology is important for their future education and careers. Teachers have also found technology to be an effective tool for engaging students in the classroom. Using technology “is really important for our teachers. It gives our students an opportunity to see some of the technologies they will experience in the future,” Murdock said. “Teachers can also keep up with how their students are doing and create a fun, safe form of competition by letting students communicate.” Covington recently purchased iPads for English and algebra instructors. Teachers comfortable with technology were charged with finding applications for improving student performance in both subject areas that can be used in conjunction with more traditional instruction. Teachers report that the iPads have increased student interest and motivation in math. The math teachers received additional application training from faculty members at the University of Memphis’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. Their specialized training introduced Covington’s teachers to a number of math development iPad applications. Covington teachers also use web-based technology with online programs like Edmodo, which allows teachers to engage, monitor, and motivate students to continue learning outside of school. Pathways to the Prize Lessons from the 2012 SCORE Prize School Winners 42