Opening Doors to Equity
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Description
The transformative professional learning design that advances equity in your school!
How do we make educational equity a reality, lesson by lesson? This compelling book is a call to action, focused on observation-based professional learning to elevate teaching practice.
Learn how to bring team observation into the classroom to test, refine and transform instruction so that students of all backgrounds achieve. Ideal for classroom teachers, grade-level team facilitators, department chairs, and all education leaders, this guide shows how to:
- Create a culture of deep collaboration that closes opportunity gaps among students
- Effectively redesign instruction to reach culturally and linguistically diverse learners, using observation data and shared best practices
- Center instructional conversations on developing students’ skills for college and career success, including hard-to-assess skills
Including video clips of actual teams, Tonya Ward Singer’s powerful and practical book promises to become a catalyst that will inspire educators as leaders of positive change.
"This exceptionally valuable book provides a clear process I can use to engage with my colleagues around learning. I appreciated the ideas and practical information that will ensure that my professional learning group focuses on student learning as evidenced in real lessons. The tools that Tonya Singer provides are useful and relevant, not to mention tried and true.”
—Douglas Fisher, Professor
San Diego State University, CA
“I recommend this book without hesitation. . . Gone are the days for teachers to be working ‘behind closed doors’ . . . Go forth and TEACH like the world works––collaboratively with teams!”
—Harriet Gould, Adjunct Professor
Concordia University, Lincoln, NE
Contents
Foreword
Foreword
Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Author
- Chapter 1 A Call to Action
- Reaching Every Child in 21st-Century Schools
- A Rationale for Observing Together
- Professional Learning for Equity
- Beyond the Elephant
- Chapter 2 Observation Inquiry
- Observation Inquiry Overview
- Collaborative Inquiry in Classrooms Together
- Multiple Cycles to Plan-Teach-Observe-Reflect-Plan
- Protocols to Foster Deep Collaboration
- Getting Started
- Chapter 3 Opening Doors: Building Buy-In and Trust
- Inspire Action
- Honor Fears
- Establish Safety
- Foster a Growth Mindset
- Address Individual Needs
- Chapter 4 Asking Questions That Matter
- Identifying a Problem to Solve
- Aligning With Local Initiatives
- Writing a Problem of Practice
- Asking Questions to Drive Inquiry
- Facilitation Challenges and Solutions
- Chapter 5 Planning for Inquiry
- Goals for Student Learning
- Assessment and Success Criteria
- Planning Instruction
- Facilitation Tips for Efficient, Effective Team Planning
- Chapter 6 Observing Together
- Focusing the Observation: The Prelesson Meeting
- Taking Notes in a Lesson
- Formative Evidence Examples
- Using Video
- Chapter 7 Describing and Analyzing What We Observed
- Step 1: Describe Without Judgment
- Step 2: Organize Data
- Step 3: Make Generalizations
- Teach and Practice the Protocol
- Chapter 8 From Observation to Action
- Step 4: Link Cause and Effect
- Step 5: Apply Learning to Plan
- Step 6: Set Individual and Team Goals
- Chapter 9 Deepening Learning Across Multiple Lessons
- Building From Lesson to Lesson
- Kindergarten: Advancing Collaborative Conversations About Texts
- Second Grade: Deepening Insights About Language
- Middle School: Elevating Thinking Across the Content Areas
- Strategies for Facilitating Deep Learning
- Chapter 10 Evaluating and Expanding Our Impact
- What Have Students Learned?
- What Have Teachers Learned?
- How Do We Expand Learning Beyond the Team?
- How Do We Sustain Continuous Learning?
Appendices
- Appendix A Launching Observation Inquiry
- Appendix B Easy Protocol Reference
References
References
Index
Index
Resources
Companion Website
http://www.corwin.com/openingdoorsAdditional materials
Description
The transformative professional learning design that advances equity in your school!
How do we make educational equity a reality, lesson by lesson? This compelling book is a call to action, focused on observation-based professional learning to elevate teaching practice.
Learn how to bring team observation into the classroom to test, refine and transform instruction so that students of all backgrounds achieve. Ideal for classroom teachers, grade-level team facilitators, department chairs, and all education leaders, this guide shows how to:
- Create a culture of deep collaboration that closes opportunity gaps among students
- Effectively redesign instruction to reach culturally and linguistically diverse learners, using observation data and shared best practices
- Center instructional conversations on developing students’ skills for college and career success, including hard-to-assess skills
Including video clips of actual teams, Tonya Ward Singer’s powerful and practical book promises to become a catalyst that will inspire educators as leaders of positive change.
"This exceptionally valuable book provides a clear process I can use to engage with my colleagues around learning. I appreciated the ideas and practical information that will ensure that my professional learning group focuses on student learning as evidenced in real lessons. The tools that Tonya Singer provides are useful and relevant, not to mention tried and true.”
—Douglas Fisher, Professor
San Diego State University, CA
“I recommend this book without hesitation. . . Gone are the days for teachers to be working ‘behind closed doors’ . . . Go forth and TEACH like the world works––collaboratively with teams!”
—Harriet Gould, Adjunct Professor
Concordia University, Lincoln, NE
Contents
Foreword
Foreword
Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Author
- Chapter 1 A Call to Action
- Reaching Every Child in 21st-Century Schools
- A Rationale for Observing Together
- Professional Learning for Equity
- Beyond the Elephant
- Chapter 2 Observation Inquiry
- Observation Inquiry Overview
- Collaborative Inquiry in Classrooms Together
- Multiple Cycles to Plan-Teach-Observe-Reflect-Plan
- Protocols to Foster Deep Collaboration
- Getting Started
- Chapter 3 Opening Doors: Building Buy-In and Trust
- Inspire Action
- Honor Fears
- Establish Safety
- Foster a Growth Mindset
- Address Individual Needs
- Chapter 4 Asking Questions That Matter
- Identifying a Problem to Solve
- Aligning With Local Initiatives
- Writing a Problem of Practice
- Asking Questions to Drive Inquiry
- Facilitation Challenges and Solutions
- Chapter 5 Planning for Inquiry
- Goals for Student Learning
- Assessment and Success Criteria
- Planning Instruction
- Facilitation Tips for Efficient, Effective Team Planning
- Chapter 6 Observing Together
- Focusing the Observation: The Prelesson Meeting
- Taking Notes in a Lesson
- Formative Evidence Examples
- Using Video
- Chapter 7 Describing and Analyzing What We Observed
- Step 1: Describe Without Judgment
- Step 2: Organize Data
- Step 3: Make Generalizations
- Teach and Practice the Protocol
- Chapter 8 From Observation to Action
- Step 4: Link Cause and Effect
- Step 5: Apply Learning to Plan
- Step 6: Set Individual and Team Goals
- Chapter 9 Deepening Learning Across Multiple Lessons
- Building From Lesson to Lesson
- Kindergarten: Advancing Collaborative Conversations About Texts
- Second Grade: Deepening Insights About Language
- Middle School: Elevating Thinking Across the Content Areas
- Strategies for Facilitating Deep Learning
- Chapter 10 Evaluating and Expanding Our Impact
- What Have Students Learned?
- What Have Teachers Learned?
- How Do We Expand Learning Beyond the Team?
- How Do We Sustain Continuous Learning?
Appendices
- Appendix A Launching Observation Inquiry
- Appendix B Easy Protocol Reference
References
References
Index
Index
Resources
Companion Website
http://www.corwin.com/openingdoorsAdditional materials
Reviews
Opening Doors to Equity
A Practical Guide to Observation-Based Professional Learning
November 2014 | 248 pages | Corwin
| Format | Published Date | ISBN | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | 01/02/2026 | 9781452292236 | $37.95 |
| Lifetime | 01/02/2026 | 9781452292229 | $35.00 |
The transformative professional learning design that advances equity in your school!
How do we make educational equity a reality, lesson by lesson? This compelling book is a call to action, focused on observation-based professional learning to elevate teaching practice.
Learn how to bring team observation into the classroom to test, refine and transform instruction so that students of all backgrounds achieve. Ideal for classroom teachers, grade-level team facilitators, department chairs, and all education leaders, this guide shows how to:
- Create a culture of deep collaboration that closes opportunity gaps among students
- Effectively redesign instruction to reach culturally and linguistically diverse learners, using observation data and shared best practices
- Center instructional conversations on developing students’ skills for college and career success, including hard-to-assess skills
Including video clips of actual teams, Tonya Ward Singer’s powerful and practical book promises to become a catalyst that will inspire educators as leaders of positive change.
"This exceptionally valuable book provides a clear process I can use to engage with my colleagues around learning. I appreciated the ideas and practical information that will ensure that my professional learning group focuses on student learning as evidenced in real lessons. The tools that Tonya Singer provides are useful and relevant, not to mention tried and true.”
—Douglas Fisher, Professor
San Diego State University, CA
“I recommend this book without hesitation. . . Gone are the days for teachers to be working ‘behind closed doors’ . . . Go forth and TEACH like the world works––collaboratively with teams!”
—Harriet Gould, Adjunct Professor
Concordia University, Lincoln, NE
Table Of Contents:
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Chapter 1 A Call to Action
- Reaching Every Child in 21st-Century Schools
- A Rationale for Observing Together
- Professional Learning for Equity
- Beyond the Elephant
- Chapter 2 Observation Inquiry
- Observation Inquiry Overview
- Collaborative Inquiry in Classrooms Together
- Multiple Cycles to Plan-Teach-Observe-Reflect-Plan
- Protocols to Foster Deep Collaboration
- Getting Started
- Chapter 3 Opening Doors: Building Buy-In and Trust
- Inspire Action
- Honor Fears
- Establish Safety
- Foster a Growth Mindset
- Address Individual Needs
- Chapter 4 Asking Questions That Matter
- Identifying a Problem to Solve
- Aligning With Local Initiatives
- Writing a Problem of Practice
- Asking Questions to Drive Inquiry
- Facilitation Challenges and Solutions
- Chapter 5 Planning for Inquiry
- Goals for Student Learning
- Assessment and Success Criteria
- Planning Instruction
- Facilitation Tips for Efficient, Effective Team Planning
- Chapter 6 Observing Together
- Focusing the Observation: The Prelesson Meeting
- Taking Notes in a Lesson
- Formative Evidence Examples
- Using Video
- Chapter 7 Describing and Analyzing What We Observed
- Step 1: Describe Without Judgment
- Step 2: Organize Data
- Step 3: Make Generalizations
- Teach and Practice the Protocol
- Chapter 8 From Observation to Action
- Step 4: Link Cause and Effect
- Step 5: Apply Learning to Plan
- Step 6: Set Individual and Team Goals
- Chapter 9 Deepening Learning Across Multiple Lessons
- Building From Lesson to Lesson
- Kindergarten: Advancing Collaborative Conversations About Texts
- Second Grade: Deepening Insights About Language
- Middle School: Elevating Thinking Across the Content Areas
- Strategies for Facilitating Deep Learning
- Chapter 10 Evaluating and Expanding Our Impact
- What Have Students Learned?
- What Have Teachers Learned?
- How Do We Expand Learning Beyond the Team?
- How Do We Sustain Continuous Learning?
- Appendices
- Appendix A Launching Observation Inquiry
- Appendix B Easy Protocol Reference
- References
- Index