Classroom and School-Wide Coherence Plan
in their book Coherence – The Right Drivers in Action for Schools, Districts, and System,Michael Fullan and co-author Joanne Quinn present their “Coherence Framework” consisting of four components:
● focusing direction,
● cultivating collaborative cultures,
● deepening student learning
The authors identified each component as a “driver” calling teachers and administrators to action, ultimately leading to the improvement of student learning.
In this paper, using the Fullan and Salina texts, texts and Reference section documents, describe the process of collaboratively employing each driver within the context of a preferred future teaching assignment or current teaching assignment (see Introductory Paragraph below).
Introductory Paragraph
Briefly describe your future teaching assignment’s grade level (elementary school) student demographics, district and school characteristics (e.g., size), and community/neighborhood context. (https://www.sanjuan.edu/cms/
Fostering Direction – Developing Shared Purpose
This section addresses the concept of the “moral imperative” of teaching. Fullan states that educators “must first understand their own moral purpose and be able to combine personal values, persistence, emotional intelligence, and resilience. This is essential because their moral purpose will be reflected in all their decisions and actions” (p. 18). To clarify one’s moral imperative, Fullan recommends that educators answer the following questions (p. 19):
o● What is my moral imperative?
o● What actions do I take to realize my moral imperative?
o● How do I help others clarify their moral imperative?
4.Begin this section with a description of the moral imperative of teaching supported by the course’s textbooks and articles listed in the syllabus Reference section.
5.Conclude this section with a discussion of developing a shared moral purpose among you and your colleagues that guides your collaborative instructional planning process.
Fostering Direction – Developing Shared Learning Goals
In the section entitled “Goals That Impact What Matters Most”, Fullan and Quinn state that “(t)he problem is not the absence of goals in districts and schools today but the presence of too many that are ad hoc, unconnected, and ever-changing” (p. 19). Employing Fullan’s recommendations for developing a limited number of goals (see pages 21 – 24):
1.Identify and briefly describe three school-wide general learning goals (e.g., citizenship, collaboration, initiative taking) and how they may positively impact student learning.
2.Then describe the collaborative process with your colleagues resulting in the identification of the goals and their school-wide implementation within your school context described in your opening paragraph.
Creating Collaborative Cultures – Developing School and Parents Collaboration
In this section, describe the process you and your colleagues could employ to develop effective collaboration between your grade level (elementary school) or department (middle/high school) and parents.
1.Begin this section by defining the nature of effective collaboration with parents.
2.Conclude this section by describing ways to develop effective collaboration within your teaching
context described in the opening paragraph.
Creating Collaborative Cultures – Developing Teacher Collaboration
In this section, describe how you and your colleagues could create a collaborative school culture that supports improved instruction and student learning in the school context you described in the opening paragraph.
Deepening Learning and Securing Accountability
1.In this section, begin with a description of the “Lesson Study” process in which teachers collaboratively plan, teach, observe, and revise a particular lesson.
2.Next, describe employing the “Lesson Study” process with your grade level colleagues (elementary school) or department colleagues (middle/high school) within the school context you described in the introductory paragraph. Clearly identify an instructional objective or objectives, appropriate instructional pedagogy and assessments, and proposed instructional modifications directly based upon anticipated assessment results designed to improve subsequent instruction.
Schools demographic
