FAQ

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Titan Learning

Where do we start?

  1. The important thing to remember is to start. Improvement is about being curious and asking questions Try something and learn from it to decide what to do next. What did I try? What did I learn? What will I do now/next?

  2. If you want a specific starting place, start with unit 1 (pick the subject).  Think about or discuss with your team and identify 1-2 skills students got stuck on, in the past, in unit 1.  What was tricky for them? How did we teach it? How could we teach it so more students are successful? Then try it.

  3. Determine how you can easily check to see if students are learning and improving.  This doesn’t have to be a test; it can be a one-question exit slip. Keep it simple. Put student answers in 2 piles: correct or not correct.   We say simple and sustainable. Meaningful and manageable.

  4. Ask the students what helped them learn and what changes could help them learn more. Decide what to do next. Try, test, learn, try again.

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Do I start specific or general with my PDSA cycles?

  1. For your first PDSA cycle start where you see a challenge and where you feel confident (set yourself up for success). This could be “I notice my students are really noisy in the hallway” which is general or “students are stuck on story problems that involve subtraction” (specific). Start with a challenge.

  2. Think: What will we try? What did we learn? What will we do next?

  3. SMALL changes can have big impacts. 

PDSA

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Titan Learning

What if my cycle is longer or shorter than 10 days?

  1. There is nothing magical about the number 10. We say, “You should never go more than 10 days without checking.” PDSA cycles are meant to be frequent so you can catch mistakes and misunderstandings and make adjustments as soon as you see opportunities.  Ask yourself, “When should I check again.” Asking the students, “When do YOU think WE will be ready to check again” can be super powerful! Learn fast, improve fast!

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How much data do I need? How many checkpoints do I need?

  1. Simple and sustainable. You need the smallest amount of data that will help you and the students see improvement. Small checks along the way will help you and the students “see” improvement. Do students know more today than they knew yesterday? How do you know? How do THEY know? There isn’t a magical number of checkpoints. Try this: if you currently have 2 checkpoints during a unit add another check-in. Keep it small and don’t make it extra. Use something you already do that you can help students “see” their own progress.

Titan Learning

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How do I know when a cycle is over?

  1. Excellent question! A cycle ends when you have found an opportunity, tried something, studied the change, and are ready to use what you have learned. You are looking for improvements. Every change is not an improvement, and every improvement does not lead to perfection.

How do I know when to move on to a different challenge or problem?

  1. Another excellent question with an imperfect answer. Sometimes it will feel more obvious than other times. You are looking for improvement (perfection would be nice but may not happen).  If the changes you see are leading to improvements then it is time to work on another challenge or problem. Remember your goal, in the beginning, is to practice and model.

  2. When the answer to “Did we improve?” is YES! Then it is time to celebrate. If you have eliminated a hassle, improved an outcome, or solved a problem then your cycle is over.

  3. In our work, the goal is to empower staff and students to make changes that lead to more successful learning.