LeadershipProject:CrossCurricularInstruction

RachaelRassel

TE872Summer2016

MichiganStateUniversity

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Part1:ProjectProposal

AneedIfeelmyschoolneedsisincreasedteachercollaboration.Asawaytoopen
classroomdoorsandbuildeffectivelearningcommunitiesmyproposalistointroduce
crosscurricularinstruction.Beingasmallschooldistrict,teachersareoftenisolatedbytheir
subjectandevenmoresobythecontenttheyteach.Itisverycommonforoneteachertobethe
onlypersontoteachaspecificcourse.Whilethiscanhaveitsownbenefitsitisharmfulto
teachercollaborationandthecreationoflearningcommunities.Ibelievethattheintroductionof
crosscurricularplanningwillhelpteachersseetheconnectionsbetweentheircontentareasas
wellasbuildrelationshipsthatwillallowforgreaterreflection,implementationandstudent
achievement.

Theplanformyprojectistostartonasmallscale.Iwillpresentmyplanasapilot
programtomyprincipaltogainhersupportoftheprojectandunderstandingoftheoutcomeswe
arestrivingtoreach.AsahistoryteacherIplantoworkwithanEnglishteacherofthesame
gradelevelinmybuildingandcreateonetotwounitsthatcorrespondwithoneanother.Mygoal
isbyconnectingthesetwocourseswewillcreateasenseofconsistencywhichwillhelpincrease
thestudentsabilitytothinkcriticallyaswellasfindrelativityincontenttohelpthemfinda
deeperunderstanding.Afterweplanoneunit(inthefirstsemester)wewillimplementtheunit
meetingregularlytoanalyzestudentresultsalongwithreflectonthefrustrationsandsuccesses
wearehaving.Thiscollaborationtimewillallowustoadjusttheunitaswemoveforwardas
wellasfutureplanning.DuringthefirstunitIthinkitwillalsobehelpfulforustoobserveeach

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othersclassroomtohaveabetterunderstandingofhowwehaveinterpretedtheimplementation
oftheunit.Followingthecompletionofthefirstunitwewillanalyzetheresultsandcollaborate
toformasecondunit(inthesecondsemester).

MovingforwardIwillarrangefortimeduringourstaffmeetingtopresentthe
crosscurricularmethod.DuringthistimeIwillexplainmyreasoningforpromoting
collaborationaswellasthebenefitsithasontheschoolandstudents.Iwillendwithinviting
teachersintomyclassroomtoobserverthesecondunitinactionaswellasattendcollaboration
meetingwehavethroughouttheunit.Iamhopingbyopeningmydoorsotherteacherswillbe
motivatedtodothesameandeventakepartinthecrosscurricularcollaboration.

InordertobesuccessfulwithmyprojectIrecognizetherearemanyleadershipqualities
andprofessionaldevelopmentmethodsIneedtoimplement.Itwillfirstandforemostbe
importanttokeepthefocusofthisprojectonstudentlearning.Asteacherswhenwelearnour
studentslearn,butthroughourunitdevelopmentthiswillbekeytohavingsuccessful
implementation(Little,2006).IalsoplantoincorporatetheHPLFrameworkasoutlinedin
TheoriesofLearningandtheirRolesinTeachingwhendevelopingourunitplans.Itis
importanttomakeunitslearnerandcommunitycenteredaswellasprovidingfrequent
assessments(Branford,2005).Inadditiontoeffectiveunitdevelopmentalargefactorofthe
successofthisprojectisbuildingastrongcollaborativecommunity.Inordertohaveaneffective
professionallearningcommunityIplantouseprincipalshighlightedbyHawley&Valli(2007)
intheirarticleDesignPrinciplesforLearnerCenteredProfessionalDevelopment.I

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specificallywillfocusonthecollaborativeanalysisbetweenclassroomperformanceandgoals
andstandards(principle1)duringregularmeetingsandreflectionheldthroughouttheunit.Also
byopeningmyclassroomandencouragingothertocollaborateandplancrosscurricularlyIwill
provideexperienceopportunitiestohelpteachersgainunderstandingoftheconceptandbenefits
(principle6).

Part2:ResourceReview

Theshortvideo,CrossDisciplineLessonPlanningfoundontheTeachingLearning
Channel(
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/crossdisciplinelessonplanningnea
)isa
7minutevideothatgivesaninsidelookatcrosscurricularcollaboration.Thisresourcegives
greatinsightforthedevelopmentofmyleadershipproject.Myprojectconsistofthe
implementationofcrosscurricularplanningandteaching.AsaSocialStudiesteacherIwill
collaborateandplanwithanEnglishteachertodevelopunitsthatcombinethetwocourses.Iwill
thenuseourexperiences,successesandstruggles,asawaytoencouragecrosscurricular
planningthroughoutmyschool.Iwillpresentourexperienceandtheninvitecolleaguesintomy
classroomandplanningsessionstohelpthemfeelcomfortableandexcitedabouttryingit
themselves.

TheCrossDisciplineLessonPlanningvideofocusesontwohighschoolteachers,one
SocialStudiesandoneEnglishwhoareworkingtoconnecttheirclassroomsinordertoprovoke
higherlevelthinkingandprovideconsistency.Thebriefcliphighlightstheteachers

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collaborationtimewheretheyworktofindcommonthemesintheirclassesandcontent.They
thenbegintobuildauniversalwritingrubricwhichcombinesinformationandliteratureusing
A.PStandardsandCommonCore.Thisdemonstrateshowthetwosubjectscanworktogether.
Thisresourcedoesanicejobshowingtheeffectiveuseofcollaborationtimeandgivesexamples
onhowtoplaneffectively.Anotherfeaturethissourcesoffersistherecognitionofthosewhoare
apprehensivetotheconceptofcrosscurricularplanning.Oneteacheradmitsbeingreluctantto
theideaofcrosscurricularplanningandhowherteachingpartnerencouragedhertostepoutside
ofherclassroomandlearnfromoneanother.Thisvideogivesaniceintroductionto
crosscurricularplanninghoweverleavestheviewerwantingmoreintermsofwheretogonext.
Whileanexampleofalessonisreferencedthedetailsofthelessonarevague.Additionallythe
teachershaveclearlybeenincollaborationforquiteawhileandthoughtheymentioninitial
apprehensiontotheprocess,theydonotdescribeanyoftheirstrugglesorsetbacksintheprocess
orshowtheirlessonplaninactionintheclassroom.

Eventhoughthisvideodoesnotgointospecificplanningdetailsitisawonderful
introductiontowhatcrosscurricularplanningcanlooklike.Inrelationtomyleadershipproject,
Iplantousethisresourceinitiallywithmyplanningcolleaguetogetasenseofhowtoget
startedwiththeplanningprocess.Moreimportantlythisresourcewillbeverybeneficialwhen
sharingouttheconcepttomyprincipalandcolleagues.Theinsightintoplanningthevideooffers
isagreatexampleforcolleaguesandIbelievewillalsobeagoodconversationstarter.Using
thisvideoIwillhaveteachersdiscussthepositiveactionstheynoticedduringthecollaboration,
aswellasaskthemtobringupareastheywouldchangeinthevideo.Bydissectingthevideo,

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teacherswillnotonlygainpositiveideasanddevelopexcitement,buttheywillbeableto
expresstheirworriesandthechallengestheyseemakingthetopicofcrosscurricular
collaborationmoreapproachable.Whileagreattoolformyproject,thevideoonlyshows2
subjectscollaboratingwhichhappenstobethesamesubjectIampilotingformyschool.This
couldbeachallengeandincreasehesitationamongothersubjectareateachers.Another
challengethisresourcecouldbringaboutispeoplefeelingtheneedtofollowthestructureof
coplanningseeninthevideowhichincludedscheduledplanningtime.Thismaynotbefeasible
atmyschoolandcouldaddtosomereluctance.Althoughchallengesmaybepresentthecontent
andcollaborationvisiblemakeitagreatresourcetointroducetheideaofcrosscurricular
teachingandbringaboutdiscussionandexcitementfortheprocess.

Resource:

TeachingChannel.CrossDisciplineLessonPlanning.Retrievedfrom
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/crossdisciplinelessonplanningnea

Part3:Reflection

Leadershiptakesshapeinvariousformsandcanbeseenthroughouttheworld.Inthe
teachingprofessionleadershipiseverywhere,butisoftenhiddenduetoatheideaofextrawork,
resentmentfromcoworkersorfearoffailure(Fairman&Mackenzie,2014).Leadershiphowever
isneededforteachingprofessionalstogrow,learnanddevelop.Beingaleaderconsistof

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listening,understanding,learning,teaching,mentoringandadaptinginanefforttohelpothers
grow.AsateacherleaderIrecognizetheneedforteacherstoworktogetherandleadoneanother
throughthecollaborativeprocessallowingthemtoshareboththeirsuccessesandfailures.
Professionaldevelopmentismoreeffectivewhenteachersdothetalkingandareabletoengage
incriticalandthoughtfulconversation(
FeimanNemser,2001
).Myleadershipprojectembraces
theseidealsbyleadingapilotprogramatmyschoolintroducingcrosscurricularplanningand
teaching.
Teachinginasmalldistrict,teachersareoftenisolatedbytheirsubjectsandevenmoreso
bythespecificcoursestheyteach.Thisoftenleadstocloseddoorsandlimitedcollaboration.
Crosscurricularteachingnotonlyhelpsstudentsbyprovidingconsistency,makingcontent
relevantandprovokingahigherlevelthinkingitalsoencouragesteacherstodevelopas
educators.Thisproject,whencomplete,willencourageteacherstoworkwithoneanotherto
createeffectivelearningexperiences.
Theprojectbeginsbyintroducingtheconcepttomyschoolprincipalandcollaborating
withacolleaguetojoininontheadventurewithmeandbeginthepilotprogram.Thesestepsare
crucialtothesuccessoftheproject.Studieshaveobservedthatsuccessfulteacherleadership
occurswhentheprincipalandteacherleaderworktogetherandcommunicateoften(YorkBarr
&Duke,2004,269).Asaleaderstrivingtobringaboutchange,havingthesupportof
administrationwillleadtomoreopportunitiesforcollaborationandsharingoutwithmy
colleagues.WhenmeetingwithmyprincipalIwillexplaintheneedforcollaborationIseewithin
ourschool,duetotheisolationcreatedbybeingtheonlyteachertoteachasubject.Additionally
IwillpresentthepilotprogramIchosetohelpinitiatetheconceptofopeningourclassroom

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doorstooneanotherandtakingoncrosscurricularinstruction.Ibelievemyprincipalwillbe
supportivetotheideaofcollaborationassheisalwaysencouragingustocommunicateandshare
ideaswithoneanother.AlthoughtheencouragementisthereIbelievethisprogramwillputthat
desireintoactionandbemoreattractiveforteacherstoexplorebecauseofthesupportand
collaborationpresent.
Ichoosetotakepartinthisnewopportunitymyselfbeforeencouragingotherteachersto
embracetheideaasawaytocreateasafeenvironmentforteacherstojointheinitiative.
Additionallymypilotprogrambetterpreparesmetobeamentorforothersastheyenter
collaborationandcrosscurricularplanning.IwillusemyexperiencesaswellaswhatIhave
learnedaboutmentorshiptoguidemycolleaguesinawaythatismosteffectiveforthem.I
knowthatbeingagoodmentorismorethanjustsharingmyexperiencesbutisabout
understandingthediversityoflearnersyouarementoring.Myunderstandingofmentorshipand
theimportanceofdeterminingandadjustingmyactionsbasedonmylearnerswillalsoaddtothe
effectivenessofthisproject(Schivville,2008,143)
Idonotexpectthefirsttrialofcrosscurricularinstructiontobeacompletesuccess
duringmypilot.Reflectingonmyproject,Iknowthatlikeinmanyaspectsofteaching,success
withnewinstructionaltechniquescomesfromtheattempt,reflectionandadaptationofthe
strategy.ThefirstunitwillmostlikelynotgoasIplan,howevertheexperiencescollectedduring
thepilotlessonIbelievewillhelpmebeabetterleaderforteacherswhoplantotakeon
crosscurricularinstructionatmyschool.IwillbeabletousethestrugglesmypartnerandI
encounteredasawaytounderstandmycolleaguesfrustrationsandsetbacks.Iwillalsousethem
asateachingtoolanddiscussionpointwhenIintroducetheconceptofcrosscurriculum

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teachingduringmypresentation.Iwillinvitethemtocritiqueandbrainstormtechniquesonhow
toimprovemypersonalimplementationinthefuture.Ibelievethatsharingmyfirstunitand
beingopenaboutmysetbackswillhelpeliminatesomehesitationtotryinganewmethod.By
experiencingfirsthandtheimpactofcollaborationIamworkingtoimmediatelymaketeachers
feelsupportedonthisjourney.
Theintroductionofmypilotprogramtomycolleaguesisincludedasawaytoinform
andengagetheteachersatmyschoolaboutcrosscurriculuminstruction.Themeetingis
intendedtonotonlyexplainthebenefitsoftheprogrambutincludeteachersinthe
crosscurricularplanningandinstructionprocessthroughsmallgroupdiscussion,avideocritique
andadebriefsession.Iplannedaninteractivemeeting,becauseIbelieveteachersmaybe
apprehensivetotryingsomethingnew.Continuousevaluationsandstudentassessmentsthat
dontmatchthenew21stcenturyidealsofsociety,limitstheirwillingnesstoexplorenew
methodstheyareunsurewillreflectwellonthem(Reeves,2016).Byprovidingaspacewhere
teacherscansharetheirconcernsregardinggettinginvolvedIamcreatinganotheropportunityto
listentotheteachersandhighlightthecrosscurricularmethodinawaythatwillseembeneficial
totheminsteadofmorework.Theactivitiesinthismeetingarebaseduponthedesignprinciple
forlearnercenteredprofessionaldevelopmentestablishedbyHawley&Valli(2007).Critical
analysisanddiscussionofplanningandimplementationwillhelpdevelopastrongcollaborative
communityfocusingontherelationshipbetweenclassroomperformanceandgoalsandstandards
ourschoolhasimplemented(principal1)(Hawley,2007).Itismyintentionthatthisopen
communityandcollaborationcreatedduringthismeetingwilldrawinteacherstowheretheyfeel
supportedandencouragedintakingonanewrole.

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Thefinalstageofmyleadershipprojectistogiveteachersopportunitiestojoininonthe
crosscurricularteachingprocess.Althoughitwouldbegreatifallteacherswerereadytojump
inandfindateachingpartnertogetstartedwith,Iampreparedforthatnottobethecase.Inmy
presentationIexposeteacherstocrosscurricularinstructionthroughanalysis,discussionand
personalexperienceaswellasallowtimetoquestionthemethodandairtheirconcerns.Even
withallofthismanymaystillnotbeonboard.Myplanincludesanintermediatesteptohelp
thosemoreskepticalofthepracticefeelempoweredbycollaborationandconnectingtheir
classrooms.Thefinalphaseofmyprogramistoholdopenplanningandcollaborationmeetings
soteacherscanparticipateintheaction.FurthermoreIwillkeepmyclassroomdooropenfor
observationsandreflectionsonlessons.
Teacherleadersarehardtodefine,howevertheyalwaysstrivetoestablishrelationships,
breakdownbarriersandgatherresources(YorkBarr&Duke,2004).Myteacherleadership
projectembracestheseidealsasIleadbyexampletobringnewideasandopportunitiestomy
colleaguesbyopeningclassroomdoors,eliminatingcontentsegregation,andprovidinga
collaborativeworkcommunity.Effectiveprofessionaldevelopmentisbaseduponcollaboration
andthecreationofaprofessionallearningcommunity.Whenteachershaveasafeplacetoshare
theirfrustrationsandexpressandexploreprofessionaldisagreementthearemorelikelytolearn
andgrow(Little,2008).Thelastingimpactaprofessionalcommunityhaswillleadthisproject
tosuccessandgrowthinthefuture.Notonlywillcrosscurricularinstructionbenefitstudents,
butteacherswillfeelsupported,encouragedandempoweredthroughleadership,mentorshipand
collaboration.

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References
Fairman,JanetC.&Mackenzie,SarahV.(2014).
Howteacherleadersinfluenceothersand

understandtheirleadership.
InternationalJournalofLeadershipinEducation:Theory

andPractice,18(1),
6187.

FeimanNemser,Sharon.(2001).Frompreparationtopractice:Designingacontinuumto
strengthenandsustainteaching.
MichiganStateUniversity.

Hawley,W.&Valli,L.(2007).Designprinciplesforlearnercenteredprofessionaldevelopment.

TheKeystoEffectiveSchools:EducationalReformAsContinuousImprovement
.
ThousandOaks,CA:Corwin.(p.117138).

Little,J.W.(2006).Professionalcommunityandprofessionaldevelopmentinthe
learningcenteredschool.NationalEducationAssociation.Washington,D.C.

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Reeves,D.(2016).ThreeChallengesforEducationLeaders.RetrievedJuly12,2016,from
http://www.ascd.org/ascdexpress/vol5/507reeves.aspx
Schwille,S.A.(2008).Theprofessionalpracticeofmentoring.
AmericanJournalof
Education
,
115
(1),139167.

YorkBarr,J.,&Duke,K.(2004).WhatdoweknowaboutteacherLeadership?Findingsfrom
twodecadesofscholarship.
ReviewofEducationalResearch,

74
(3),255316.

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Artifacts:
LeadershipProjectOutline:CrossCurricularPlanning

I.
Research&Preparation
A. ResearchCrossCurricularPlanning
B. IdentifyCoplanningteacher
C. PresentPotentialPilotProgramtoPrincipal

II.
Planning&Collaboration
A. ScheduleCoPlanningCollaborationTime
B. Determineeffectiveunittointegratecrosscurricularinstruction
C. Identifywaystointegratecourseswithintheunit
D. Planlessons

III.
FirstUnitImplementation
A. Conductfirstlesson
B. Debrief&makeadjustments
C. Observeeachother'sclasses
D. Continuethroughcompletionoftheunit

IV.
SharingResults
A. ConductStaffPresentation
A. Inviteotherstaffmemberstojoininontheprocess

V.
SecondUnitPrep
A. Determineaunittointegratecrosscurricularinstruction
B. Identifywaystointegratecourseswithintheunit
C. Planlessons

VI.
SecondUnitImplementation
A. Conductfirstlesson
B. Debrief&makeadjustments
C. Observeeachother'sclasses
D. Continuethroughcompletionoftheunit

VII.
DebriefSession&PeerCoaching
A. Holdastaffdebriefingsessiontoaddressanyquestions/concerns

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B. Beginpeercoachingandsupportingotherteachingteamsintheprocess

StaffMeetingOutline

I.
WhatisCrossCurricularTeaching?
A. Whatdoyouthinkorknowaboutthetopic
1. Smallgroupbrainstorming&shareout
B. Definition:
1. Interdisciplinary/crosscurricularteachinginvolvesaconsciouseffortto
applyknowledge,principles,and/orvaluestomorethanoneacademic
disciplinesimultaneously.Thedisciplinesmayberelatedthroughacentral
theme,issue,problem,process,topic,orexperience(Jacobs,1989).

II.
TheWhyFactor
A. BenefitsforTeachers
1. Collaboration
a) Newideasinstructionstrategies,differentiation,engagement
b) Differentinsightintocontent
2. Provideanopportunitytoreflectonlessons
a) Improveteachingmethods
3. Providesawaytomakecontentrelevantforstudents
B. BenefitsforStudents
1. Studentcenteredlessons
a) Studentsachievehigherlevelcriticalthinkingandcollaborative
skills(Catapano,2016)
2. IncreaseinStudentMotivation
a) Studentsareabletomakeconnectionsbetweencontentandtheir
lives
b) Studentscanseecontentasinterdependentandconnectedrather
thanasindividual,isolatedsubjects(Catapano,2016)

III.
WhatDoesItLookLike?
A. CrossCurricularIntegrationcanlookdifferentdependingontheteam,subject,
andgrade.
B. Differentapproachestocrosscurricularintegration(Catapano,2016)
1. Doityourself
a) Bringinothersubjectstoconnecttoyourcontent
2. TeamTeach

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a) Partnerwithanotherteachertocoversimilartopicswhile
developingtheskillsforyourcourse
3. Multidicipline
a) Fullyimplementedcurriculumbyateamofteachersinvolving
multiplesubjectareas
C. 4CornerdiscussionWhichexampleismostappealingtoyou?
1. Movetothecornerwithlikemindedteachersanddiscusswhatdrewyou
tothismethod.
IV.

V.

VI.

VII.

Examples
A. PilotProgramDebriefWhatishappeninginourclassrooms
1. Overview
a) Planning
b) Implementation
2. Successes&Struggles
B. Videoofcollaborationtime
(
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/crossdisciplinelessonplanningnea
)
1. DebriefQuestions
a) Whatpositiveactionswerenoticed?Whatcanyouusefromthe
video?
b) Whatwouldyouchangeabouttheirprocess?Howcoulditbe
improved?

MovingForward
A. Gainmoreinsight
1. Participateinourcollaborationtimeanddebriefingsessions
2. Observeourclassroomsinaction
3. Conductyourownresearch
B. Readytogetstarted
1. Formyourowncrosscurricularteam
2. Collaboratewithotherstosharesuccessesandstruggles

Questions&Concerns
A. Possiblediscussionquestions
1. Whatareyoustillcuriousabout?
2. Whatmakesyouexcitedabouttheprocess?
3. Whatmakesyouapprehensivetotrycrosscurricularintegration?
PossibleTools&Resources

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A. ColleaguesCollaborationMeetings
B. Resources
1. ScholasticFourWaystoImplementCrossCurricularLearning:
http://choices.scholastic.com/blog/fourwaysimplementcrosscurricularl
earning
2. Edutopia
DeeperLearning:WhyCrossCurricularTeachingisEssential:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/crosscurricularteachingdeeperlearningb
enjohnson
3. TeachingChannel(LessonStudyReflection):
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/analyzeteamteachsocraticsemi
narnea

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References

Catapano,Jordan.(2016).Approachestosuccessfulcrosscurricularintegration
.
Retrieved
from
http://www.teachhub.com/approachessuccessfulcrosscurriculumintegration

Jacobs,H.H.(1989).
InterdisciplinaryCurriculum:DesignandImplementation
.Alexandria,
VA:AssociationforSupervisionandCurriculumDevelopment

Johnson,Ben.(2014).
Deeperlearning:Whycrosscurricularteachingisessential
Retrieved

from
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/crosscurricularteachingdeeperlearningbenjohnson

Smith,Amy.Fourwaystoimplementcrosscurricularlearning.Retrievedfrom
http://choices.scholastic.com/blog/fourwaysimplementcrosscurricularlearning

TeachingChannel.Crossdisciplinelessonplanning.Retrievedfrom

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/crossdisciplinelessonplanningne

TeachingChannel.Lessonreflection:Planningthenextstep.Retrievedfrom
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/analyzeteamteachsocraticseminarnea