Accessibility Strategies Video

In a middle school, I would form a School Accessibility Strategy Team who would consist of a lead teacher in each content area and grade level to include electives.  An Accessibility Strategy consultant would facilitate a one-day training with the team in order to provide those teachers with an overview of how to implement the accessibility strategy change process in the school and lay the groundwork of how they would need to support teachers.   Over the next two-days, the consultant would facilitate a two-day training for my entire faculty in order to ensure all teachers understanding accessibility strategies and how to implement them into their lessons.   The consultant will conduct at least two follow-up visits each semester.   

Same subject area/grade level professional learning communities (PLCs) will be scheduled to meet twice a week.   The expectation would be that once a week, the PLC discuss the school-wide initiative, in this case, accessibility strategies.  The lead teacher for a specific content area and grade level would lead the discussions.  The School Accessibility Strategies Team would create a school-wide PLC accessibility strategies form to include an agenda and/or expectations of weekly PLCs in which all PLCs would use in order to have uniformity in the school.  Minutes would be recorded.   Teachers would use the Tuning Protocol to share.  The Tuning Protocol process involves:

•       A teacher, or team of teachers, presents a lesson or samples of student work and the context for the work (assignment, rubric).   The presenter would pose a focusing question about which he or she would especially welcome discussion. 

•       After carefully reviewing the lesson or student work, participants provide "warm" and "cool" feedback while the presenter listens in silence, who then reflects on what he/she's heard.

In this case, the focusing questions and feedback would be on accessibility strategies for all students in the classroom. 

Below are the Tuning Protocol steps:

·         Step 1:  Presentation of Lesson (5 – 10 minutes)

·         Step 2:  Clarifying Questions (2-3 minutes)  Participants ask questions eliciting more information needed to give feedback. This is not the time to start giving feedback.

·         Step 3: Reflection Time (1 minute)  Participants write down their input.  Everyone is silent.

·         Step 4: Warm Feedback: (5 minutes):  Participants share warm feedback only and the presenter listens while taking notes. 

·         Step 5:  Cool Feedback (5 minutes):  Participants share cool feedback only and presenter listens while taking notes. 

·         Step 6:  Presenter’s Response (3 minutes)  The Presenter responds to feedback.

·         Step 7: Debrief (3 to 5 minutes)  The facilitator leads a critique of the Tuning Protocol experience

Time can be adjusted.  Roles must be assigned such as timekeeper, facilitator, presenter, and recorder.  This protocol would support the accessibility strategies implementation by having teachers discuss and refine lessons BEFORE implementing them.  Each teacher would be observed at least twice a semester by a team of teachers as well as video themselves at least twice a semester.  Videos will be shared and discussed during PLCs.  Teachers will receive immediate feedback AFTER the lesson as well.  

My school district has used Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Strategies which are differentiated strategies designed especially for English Language Learners.  However, all students can benefit from these strategies.  This model includes empirically-validated strategies that increase student achievement, increase student engagement and prepare students to become college and career ready.