January 21, 2025

Turn Your School Around With Project Based Learning - Ashley Green | E217

26 minutes

Ashley Green is a versatile educator with 19 years of experience as a language arts teacher, curriculum coordinator, and principal. She is the owner of Green Tree Educational Solutions, a consulting agency in Mississippi dedicated to helping individuals and organizations achieve their full potential. She also serves as an adjunct professor, training and preparing future educators. Green's "why" is to help people, including teachers, students, and leaders, reach their full potential.

Keys to a Successful School Turnaround

Green outlines three keys to successfully turning around a school:

Communication: Clearly communicate how initiatives, like PBL, will function, including components, location, participants, etc.

Modeling and Monitoring: Leaders should model the desired behaviors and monitor progress to ensure implementation.

Correcting and Celebrating: Provide feedback and support by correcting mistakes and celebrating successes.

CMC Squared Coaching Model

Green's CMC Squared model (Communication, Model, Monitor, Celebrate or Correct) provides a framework for successful implementation of initiatives.

Success Story: Increasing Student Engagement

Green shares a success story about working with a fifth-grade ELA teacher to increase student engagement. The strategies included:

Small group work: Implementing small group activities three times a week to provide more opportunities for student engagement.

Background knowledge: Frontloading instruction with background knowledge to create an equitable playing field for all students.

SAC Procedure: Utilizing the SAC (Scan, Annotate, Comprehend, and Show what you know) procedure to activate active reading skills and encourage student exploration of texts.

Obstacles to School Turnaround

Green identifies two major obstacles to turning around schools:

Buy-in: Getting leaders to trust the process and buy into the proposed changes.

Vision: Many leaders lack a clear vision for their school, which hinders progress.

Overcoming Obstacles

Green suggests strategies for overcoming buy-in and vision obstacles:

Surveys and Interviews: Conduct surveys and individual interviews with stakeholders to gather information and understand needs.

Retreats and Team Building: Host retreats and team-building activities to foster collaboration and build relationships.

Shared Beliefs: Facilitate sessions for teachers to establish shared beliefs and values, creating a sense of ownership and accountability.

Advice for Educators on Their PBL Journey

Trust your inner child: Remember the importance of fun and engaging learning experiences for students.

Prioritize students: Ensure students are at the forefront of all initiatives.

Activate the three C's: Challenge students, make them curious, and show them that you care.

Connect with Ashley Green

Facebook: Green Tree Educational Solutions

LinkedIn: Ashley Green

Website: www.Greentreesolutions.org

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