Bishop O'Connell students aren't the only ones learning something new inside the school walls. During the past week, our faculty took turns observing each other in the classroom as a part of a uniquely O'Connell professional development program, called igKnight. By the end of the week,these "instructional rounds" resulted in 274 individual class observations, with a total of 4,110 minutes of instruction observed.
"Instructional rounds provide a snapshot into a day in the life of our school," said igKnight director and English teacher, John Meehan. "Through this process, we foster a powerful network of collegiality, inspiration, accountability, and support."
On Thursday's early dismissal afternoon, the faculty took the next step in the process with small group discussions in specific areas, inspired by the school's mission and philosophy. Together, teachers transferred their observations onto more than 500 individual sticky notes, and began focusing on objective, non-evaluative findings in order to identify broader trends in school-wide instruction. Each teacher had the opportunity to engage in breakout discussions in two of the following areas: Christian formation, instructional performance, student engagement, classroom management, and instructional technology.
"As added benefit, this process gives each of us plenty of new ideas to borrow from our colleagues," said Meehan.