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Engagement Challenge a Success

If participation numbers tell the story, this year’s  Engagement Challenge engaged teachers. In this 3rd year of professional learning challenges, participation has climbed.

Teachers Completing the Challenge

2014/15 GLAD Phase 1 90

2015/16 Container Challenge 159

2016/17 Engagement Challenge 317

“Seven elementary schools, Foothills, Pioneer, Westside, Valley Academy of Learning, and the Tech Center, had over 60% of their staff complete the challenge,” said Jodi Smith Payne, Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Teaching.  

PHOTO: Brock Hurt of Pioneer and Sarah Cabbage of Foothills completed the Challenge. 

To complete the Engagement Challenge teachers chose from Score 4 or GLAD Phase 1, 2 or 3. For Score 4, teachers used 4 teacher actions while being observed by a colleague or administrator, who initialed and dated the implementation log.   

Score 4 required:

5 categories

4 different strategies,

3 times each

“When they completed the categories they did a reflection of what worked, what didn’t, and what they would in the future,” says Jodi. “People opened their doors to one another. It made teaching public instead of private.”

“The amount of exposure to excellent teaching by their colleagues was incredible,” says Alicen Gaytley, Instructional Coach.

“For me the Engagement Challenge was especially great because I got to go into other people’s classrooms and see what they were doing,” says Foothill’s teacher Sarah Cabbage. “Every time I’m in another person’s classroom I gain something for my own classroom, that I get to apply right away.”

Teachers who completed the challenge earned 20 clock hours, received a certificate; a purple clipboard, a classroom door/window sticker displaying “Score 4”

“It was great because it created a synergy in our buildings,” says Alicen.

“The coolest thing about it is we have a common language,” says Jodi. “The GLAD language, the Marcia Tate, the John Antonetti, and soon, the Eric Jensen language.”

“I thought it was good to stretch myself a little bit and try new things. It was a nice list of things you could implement right now or the next day,” says Pioneer’s Brock Hurt. “After twenty-some years of teaching it’s good to get some good, new stuff to try with the kids.”

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