Our Impact on Teaching and Learning

At the midpoint of the school year, we guide each Mills Teacher Scholars group to reflect on the learning that has happened so far. We ask:

What have you learned as a professional?

How have you changed your practice as a result of your learning?

What progress are you observing in your students’ or teachers’ learning? 

What are you appreciating about the inquiry process?

These questions help teachers and leaders take stock of the growth that they are experiencing and also help us to understand our impact on teaching and learning. Here are a few highlights from the reflections across our sites:

What are you appreciating about the inquiry process?

I appreciate the chance to involve other teachers in my thinking about my teaching. It helps to be able to think and talk through what I’m seeing and doing so that I can come to new or different understandings.

It is so wonderful to have time and structure to focus on what is important to my leadership with my very wise colleagues. I love the format and I have gotten as much from listening to my colleagues as I have from their listening to me.

I think the inquiry work helped our department collaborate on a combined goal that is very important for our students’ success.

It has been valuable to meet other after-school leaders and have a sense of community and collective purpose.

I appreciate having time to discuss and think through tensions and successes I am having with my students and getting a different perspective on my classroom experiences and my own practice.

What have you learned as a professional?

Students who struggle with social-emotional skills tend to be the same students who struggle with academics. Supporting SEL is essential to supporting academic growth. 

Sharing data with my ILT is so powerful! It prevents us from believing that I have made stuff up and it also allows us to dig deeper and uncover new thoughts to address these underlying issues.~ school leader

I have been reminded of the importance of an authentic audience for student writing. Without an audience, why would anyone revise or edit?

Sometimes I do not notice how or why specific teaching action has been supportive of my student until I reflect on it again after the fact. 

How have you changed your practice as a result of your learning?

The admin team and I have created a challenge to ourselves to be in classrooms more and then follow our visits with conversations. 

I have created  graphic organizers & protocols for peer-to-peer conversations.

I carve out time with students to reflect on their growth.

I make sure to meet with small groups of students every day for phonics support. 

I incorporate partner-talk “rehearsals” before whole-group share to support my English Learners.

I have created checklists and protocols to encourage independence and accountability in writing workshop. 

What progress are you observing in your students’ or teachers’ learning?

My students are developing respectful, supportive relationships during math talks.

Teachers at my site are beginning to share their learning publicly. 

My students can collaborate and help each other at literacy centers.

My focal students are able to identify strengths in their writing and areas for growth.

My focal students now understand the purpose of a turn-and-talk and what a good listener/speaker/partner does.