15+September+09

Understanding = U Informing = I Recommending = R Deciding = D ||
 * =Grade 4 Team Meeting = || Date: Tuesday 28 August 2009 || Starting/ Ending Time: 7:45 - 8:45 || Place: Sheena's Room ||
 * Facilitator/Timekeeper: PEACH || Recorder: || Purpose:

2 minutes ||
 * 
 * Task** || 
 * P** || 
 * Guiding Question** || 
 * Background/ Process** || **Person/Time** ||
 * Greetings || I || What was the best part of your week? || To get everyone's voice heard in the group and build collaboration.
 * Lots of fantastic learning was shared! || Peach
 * TEAM Collaboration || **U** || How do we move ahead as a team & collaborate for learning?

What will be the challenges for the team over the next year? || Pam will lead the team through the discussion.

Team building: forming, norming, storming (in various orders, but necessarily the same for all teams)
 * forming** - testing one another, establishing things
 * storming** - open conflict, disagreement
 * norming** - finding out a way to work as a team

Recognize as a team what stage we are in, knowing that it won't last for ever, and that it is a part of building a team


 * Where are we now in working towards becoming a highly collaborative team that is learning focused?**
 * Still forming, but we have started with a focus through setting agend items for the first semester. This has helped us to prioritize and focus.
 * Sharing
 * Brainstorming about what roles we each want to take in the team - working towards strengths whilst also sharing the workload
 * Sharing the facilitator role and agenda setting role on a monthly basis - keeps everyone accountable
 * Norms have been established that help us storm and refocus us
 * Sticking to one or tow large agenda items and avoiding nuts and bolts dominating our meeting time


 * Challenges for the team**
 * Keeping up the momentum and sticking with what we have agreed we will do as team
 * Staying focused whilst multi tasking
 * Not becoming overwhelmed by everything
 * Time - getting everything done
 * Sharing //outside// of meeting time eg visiting classrooms, working with coaches, ensuring transfer from decisions made during meeting time into the classroom
 * Working through concerns rather than just knowing they are there . . . trying to find ways that we can continue share outside of team meetings. Think about partners in learning as a possible way of sharing and learning from one another throughout the year, not just when there are consultants visiting
 * Allocating time to reflect and review how we are doing as a team || Pam Harper

30 minutess. || Debrief / Reflection ||  || How has launching the readers' workshop help our students grow? || Please think about the units Essential Questions, Enduring Understandings, Strategies, and Knowledge, and in this context consider students who are below, at and above grade level expectations and bring evidence of learning that matches the outcomes. -Discussion points: Purpose for reading. Do we want the students to intrinsically have a purpose for reading or is it ok if the teacher gives them the purpose for reading? Making purposeful choices and leading readers to make a purpose for reading through mini lessons. Do they know what they're working on as a reader? Should we expose students to a variety of books- poetry, non fiction, biographies etc? Community of readers: making a list of books you've read, referring back to shared books || Sheena
 * Unit of Study

30 minutes || Sheena to talk to Teresa regarding updating unit. ||  || Try the unit and debrief at the end of unit. || Sept. 15th || Sharing narrative writing unit -share with Teresa Kelly- Science Ralph- Social Studies unit Influences
 * ||  ||   || Which strategies do we want to focus on? Is there a common grade level expectation?
 * PARKING LOT ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Revisit Unit of Study for Narrative Writing. ||  || What are the enduring understandings? || Please be prepared to share the enduring understandings, knowledge and skills that each partnership has proposed for each Essential Question.
 * Review Animal Fantasy Unit for Reading ||  ||   ||   || Sept ||