Capacity building for school improvement by strengthening the link between theory and practice.
ENGAGING IDEAS
Praxis
ABOUT ME
Jenni Donohoo, Ph.D., is a five-time, best-selling author and professional learning facilitator with more than 20 years experience in leading school change. Jenni’s five books include: Collaborative Inquiry for Educators: A Facilitator’s Guide to School Improvement, The Transformative Power of Collaborative Inquiry: Realizing Change in Schools and Classrooms (co-authored by Moses Velasco), Collective Efficacy: How Educators’ Beliefs Impact Student Learning, Quality Implementation: Leveraging Collective Efficacy to Make ‘What Works’ Actually Work (co-authored by Steven Katz), and Leading Collective Efficacy: Powerful Stories of Achievement and Equity (co-authored by Stefani Hite).
Books
Collective efficacy, or a shared belief that through collective action educators can positively influence student outcomes, has remained at the top of a list of influences on student achievement in John Hattie’s Visible Learning research. Collective efficacy has been embodied by many educators, though collaboration tends to be focused on building community and relationships, which alone are not enough to move the needle on student achievement.
This book contains stories of collective efficacy in schools where it has been actualized in practice, and includes:
• Real-world case studies of teams who have fostered and sustained collective efficacy
• Practical guidance for building collective efficacy through professional learning designs
• Tools that can be adapted for specific needs or local contexts
Through these accounts, readers will gain a better understanding of ways to capitalize on the reciprocal relationship between student achievement and collective efficacy by having a clear understanding of what collective efficacy looks like and how it can be accomplished.
Harness the power of collective efficacy to achieve quality implementation!
Designed to overcome a common barrier to successful implementation of school improvement efforts--entrenched belief systems--this book digs deeper into the power of collective efficacy. Teams with a strong sense of collective efficacy devise ways to make “what’s supposed to work” actually work, and find ways to exercise control over challenges that surround them. In addition to the examples from both inside and outside of education, readers will find
• Ways to create environments that tap into mastery as the number one source of collective efficacy
• Methods to strengthen vicarious experiences through observational learning
• Examination of social persuasion and affective states as additional sources of collective efficacy
Expanding on this critically-important topic, this book accentuates the importance of collective efficacy as the single most important driver of student achievement and the key to successful implementation. This book is the spark you need to look at implementation in a completely new light.
Is your school climate promoting meaningful change? Recent research suggests that Collective Efficacy (CE) is the number one factor influencing student achievement.
Collective efficacy - the belief that, through collective actions, educators can influence student outcomes and improve student learning - is changing the educational ecosystem. A faculty with high collective efficacy shows greater effort and persistence, as well as a willingness to try next teaching approaches, and attends more closely to struggling students' needs. This book presents practical strategies and tools for increasing student achievement by sharing
-
a rationale and sources for establishing collective efficacy
-
conditions and leadership practices for collective efficacy to flourish
-
professional learning structures/protocols that promote collective efficacy.
Teachers are powerful change agents in the on-going process of school improvement. This insightful, must-read guide helps school leaders shape the development of a sustainable professional learning culture. Practical suggestions and in-depth research shed light on your path as you explore the benefits and challenges of adopting authentic teacher collaboration across schools and districts. A follow-up to Jenni Donohoo’s best-selling Collaborative Inquiry for Educators: A Facilitator's Guide to School Improvement, this book will quickly move you from theory to practice. Learn valuable lessons from leaders’ experiences in the field and discover:
-
A rationale and framework for engaging in inquiry
-
The vital conditions needed to ensure systemwide collaboration
-
Common pitfalls and the four stages of school improvement
Collaborating for improved student outcomes makes sense. But beyond theory, do you know where to begin? How does a team gather, analyze, and then implement and evaluate learning objectives while engaging students and meeting school agendas? Without directed guidance, it’s easier said than done.
Aligned to current Learning Forward standards and based on the latest professional development research, Collaborative Inquiry for Educators deconstructs the collaborative inquiry process. This step-by-step guide gives facilitators tools to move teams toward purposeful, productive, and impactful collaborative work. Unlock your team's ability to work together to improve instruction and increase student achievement.
It’s not what you do, it’s how you think about what you do.
Mindframes—your internal set of beliefs about your role as school leader—determine the high-impact leadership practices you choose to implement. In other words, how you think about the impact of the actions you take has more effect on student achievement than your leadership practices themselves.
Building on over twenty-five years of Visible Learning research and girded by a theory of action that ensures school leaders have the expertise to select, implement, and evaluate high impact interventions, 10 Mindframes for Leaders: The VISIBLE LEARNING® Approach to School Success brings the mindframes of ten world-renowned educators to life. Ten chapters, each written by a different thought leader, detail a mindframe at the heart of successful school leadership, along with the high probability influences that make each mindframe visible. A must-have resource for any educator working toward student achievement at ever-higher levels, each chapter includes:
• The most current, up-to-date findings from the Visible Learning research, including the factors from Visible Learning that support each mindframe
• Practical ideas for leaders to implement high-impact strategies in classrooms and schools
• Vignettes, questions, insights, and exercises to help educators clarify and refine their own mindframes
Lead your school to reform from the inside out. Cultivate these ways of thinking, and you’re more likely to have major impacts on the learning lives of those students entrusted to your care.
Includes Contributions From…John Hattie, Peter DeWitt, Raymond L. Smith, Doug Fisher, Janet Clinton, Nancy Frey, Dylan Wiliam, Dominique Smith, Jenni Donohoo, Laura Link, Michael Fullan, Sugata Mitra, Zaretta Hammond, Jim Knight
This guide is based on rich information that emerged from the INEE-hosted online forum on Teacher Professional Development in Crisis. Experts from around the world participated in this forum to discuss the status of teacher professional development (TPD) in fragile and crisis affected contexts. The forum resulted in the ideas and recommendations that are presented throughout the guide, including TPD standards; continued support of teachers; the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT); and the definition of quality teachers in such contexts, among others.
The guide highlights seven key recommendations to improve training for teachers in fragile environments:
-
Focus on teachers in fragile contexts - as professionals, learners and individuals
-
Develop, apply, measure and institutionalize standards for teacher professional development
-
Create professional development opportunities that promote teacher collaboration
-
Provide teachers with ongoing support
-
Invest in high-quality teacher educators
-
Build instructional leadership at all levels of the educational system
-
Use ICT to provide access to content, professional development and professional learning communities
