Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Student Learning Made Simple with H.E.A.T.

In a era of unprecedented opportunities for personalized learning, teachers and leaders still cannot escape the pressure of meeting student achievement targets or improving professional practice through complex teacher and principal evaluation protocols. How can we effectively improve student learning and increase teacher innovation using simple measures based on universally-accepted best practices?

The answer is simple: H.E.A.T.

Applied to student learning, H.E.A.T. represents

  • Higher order thinking, 
  • Engaged learning, 
  • Authentic connections, and 
  • Technology use. 

Using the retired David Letterman’s Top 10 List concept, consider how H.E.A.T. data collected from 5-7 minute classroom walkthroughs can simplify all facets of the instructional curricula.
  1. Use H.E.A.T. data to monitor daily levels of student learning
    Provides an easy way to gauge both teaching innovation and student learning aligned to popular teacher evaluation rubrics such as Danielson and Marzano
  2. Use H.E.A.T. data to corroborate teacher self-assessment data
    Enables stakeholders to compare perceptions versus reality relating to student learning and teaching practices
  3. Use H.E.A.T. data to set and monitor Student Achievement Goals
    Allows leaders to set realistic student achievement targets based on changes in the H.E.A.T. levels during the school year
  4. Use H.E.A.T. data to develop differentiated professional development
    Lets stakeholders plan personalized learning for teachers based on the H.E.A.T. metrics
  5. Use H.E.A.T. data to quantify continuous improvement in the classroom
    Offers statistical measures to determine areas of significant growth
  6. Use H.E.A.T. data as topics for ongoing grade-level PLC meetings
    Engages all stakeholders in the process of continuous improvement
  7. Use H.E.A.T. data to promote peer coaching across grade levels
    Provides simple metrics to discuss teaching and learning using a common vocabulary
  8. Use H.E.A.T. data to provide informal feedback about teaching and student learning
    Lets teachers conduct their own self-reflection on their professional practice
  9. Use H.E.A.T. data to interpret math and literary benchmark results
    Correlates the level of student learning (H.E.A.T.) and teaching innovation with formative achievement results on benchmark tests
  10. Use H.E.A.T. data as a guide to developing lesson plans
    Gives teachers a simple rubric to use when planning lessons
H.E.A.T. is not a program or another thing to do. H.E.A.T. is simply a lens we use to discuss the level of student learning in terms of four simple indicators: Higher order thinking, Engaged learning, Authentic connections, and Technology use.