OSP Connected

This year, we continue to focus on Core, Oregon’s Transformative Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards and Language. None of these are new to us, and all are connected to our 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning framework. As our administrators get into classrooms, the data shows impressive teacher-student relationships, alignment of instructional materials and tasks, teacher knowledge of content, opportunities for student participation and meaning-making, community building within classes, and solid routines and procedures in classrooms. All of these factors help create environments where students can thrive.

In our focus on Language, we continue to see student talk as an area to work on, especially with the structured scaffolds to support it. This is not new news - coming out of the pandemic, we all have faced the challenges in getting students to talk and engage. We are seeing growth, but it’s important to not let up on this area, especially as we support our multilingual learners and ensure they have the academic language to participate and access content in a meaningful way. Strategies from Constructing Meaning, SIOP, GLAD etc., are not new to education, and tapping into that knowledge to support tasks in the classroom will lead to more student success, especially for the students we see in our data who are struggling the most.

Please continue to work with your teams and your administrator to keep the focus on language, and please let us know how we can support you as we structure our upcoming leadership collaborations and professional development opportunities

This likely won’t come as a surprise to most classroom teachers, but did you know that teachers typically answer between 200-400 student questions per day? In his book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Peter Liljedahl finds that there are three types of questions in classrooms:

• Proximity Questions - Students ask questions when the teacher happens to be close by, but are not often things that the student actually needs help on. Example: What page are we on? Are we supposed to answer all of these?

• Stop-thinking Questions - Sometimes it is hard for students to decide for themselves that what they are doing is correct and so if teachers can do that for them, their life would be much easier. Example: Is this right? Is this going to be on the test?

• Keep-thinking Questions - Clarifying or extension questions asked when students are motivated and engaged with the task at hand. Example: We’re having trouble here - are we supposed to do this for all the steps? Does that same thing apply to all scenarios presented?

Liljedahl found that 90% of student questions fell into the first two categories of proximity and stop-thinking. His solution is to stop answering those questions and instead focus on the keep-thinking questions. But how? One approach is to answer the low level questions with a question, smile, and walk away:

• Isn’t that interesting?

• Does that make sense?

• Why don’t you try something else?

• Are you asking me or telling me?

• Why do you think that is?

• Are you sure?

Does answering a question with a question, smiling, and walking away work for all students? No, but Liljedahl recommends reading the situation and knowing when “a nod, wink, or an encouraging remark - ‘I have complete confidence you can figure this out’ - is needed.” However, within a few days, Liljedahl found that most students were asking far fewer proximity and stop-thinking questions.

December 17th and 19th 8-4 - Level 1 Essential Foundations Training

This two-day course covers all aspects of the CPS approach. It explores what causes unmet expectations and challenging behaviors, teaches how to plan and support in a relational, trauma-informed way, and uses an intervention that helps build skills in flexibility, problem-solving, and frustration tolerance. This training is for staff who are looking for new tools in supporting students with challenging behaviors or implementing behavior support systems within their teams. Check out this short article, The Benefits of Changing School Discipline, that highlights why it’s so important we consider responding to challenging behavior in a more effective, trauma-informed way.

Two things can be true at once: we can care deeply about someone and still disagree with their beliefs or preferences. This idea is especially relevant in today’s climate, where personal viewpoints and affiliations can feel more polarized than ever. Embracing this “both-and” mindset helps us approach differences with respect, empathy, and a willingness to understand.

In the current climate, there can be pressure to keep our perspectives narrowly defined. This pressure can hinder us from building genuine relationships with those who think differently and may even make us feel defensive or threatened, closing off opportunities for learning and growth. Staying mindful of our preferences and recognizing how they can sometimes evolve into biases keeps us open to others’ perspectives. This awareness helps prevent us from unintentionally acting in ways that exclude or devalue others.

HSD proudly hosted its first annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of around 125 people for a night full of joy, culture, and community spirit! In the spirit of community, the food was provided by local favorites Los

Girasoles, Rosas' Churros, and La Lotería.

The evening was made all the more special thanks to several cultural performances from Unidos en Ritmo and Glencoe High School’s Ballet Folklorico.A highlight of the evening was the performance of La Danza de los Viejitos, a traditional dance from Michoacan, Mexico, celebrating the wisdom and resilience of the elder community with dignity and pride.

The celebration wrapped up on a high note with an exciting raffle, book giveaways, and a joyful community gathering that left everyone eagerly looking forward to next year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.