HS+History+Department+meeting

September 14, 2009

CTL’s: Curriculum Team Leaders will run department meetings. Today’s Agenda: Norm setting, goals for the year, common planning Norms **
 * Department Meeting Notes. **
 * Admin council created norms last year.** They felt it helped their meetings be more productive. TLC created some last week. So we can brainstorm norms for history/social sciences department meetings.

 1. Begin and end on time.  2. Make every effort to be here. Coaches try to schedule practice around department meetings. (Meeting schedule is on portal)  3. NO icebreakers!  4. Brainstorming without judgment  5. Stick to agenda  6. Time built in for final agenda item: extra/other business  7. Use Socratic principles for equal access to speak and creating comfort level for all to voice opinions; i.e. some watch your airtime, others speak up more  8. Open to revisiting these norms throughout the year.

The group agreed on these. Goals for the Year ** Some felt like there was no organization/continuity to our meetings last year... wasn’t in rhythm with other initiatives that we were doing. We would like to clearly be able to see a finished product and/or substantive progress at the end of this year.

// Ideas for HS History/Social Sciences Dept meetings : // 1. Check-in with course partners. Can we build in time to do this? How many other opportunities do we have to work on common assessments and do common planning? Even 10 minutes in the department meeting would be helpful. There are several people who do not share common planning time with at least one course partner. 2. Levels. Pros and cons of levels in our electives-what is our dept philosophy? Pros and cons of levels in our core courses-what do they mean and what is our philosophy?

3. Create department rubrics (many /most of us are having difficulty using school wide rubrics) that we feel good about and can use regularly.

Suggestion was made that each teacher should prioitize #1-3 and send to Nancy.

//Ideas for Vertical Team meetings with MS//: Need a clear focus—perhaps pick ONE goal and really do that well.

1.Go back to writing (and research to follow) and develop a 6-12 scope and sequence for knowledge and skills. CREATE A FINISHED PRODUCT.

Need to fill out a blue “Common Planning for Course Partners” sheet. We need to be meeting with course partners during common planning time if we have it. Get together during this time and fill out this sheet together. Pick a period during the rotation and that will be your regular meeting time to create this sheet. Needs to be turned in by 9/25
 * Common Planning (blue sheets) **

The wifi doesn’t work right down here. Please fix. Nancy will contact tech people.
 * Other business: **

No entering a teacher’s classroom (through another teacher’s room) when the door is locked. Remind the kids.

Cupid and Venus poster of Sara’s was stolen…so was portable white fan (in the summer). Has anyone seen them?