SQUIRCLE Shifts in the Classroom
Checklist for a Human-Centered, Transformative Process of Improvement
Consider all aspects of your school, including your school culture and climate.
Ensure that data analysis includes various types of data, including qualitative and perceptive data, like teacher observations and student and family survey results.
Before determining what actions to take toward improving teaching and learning in a rapidly changing environment, ask:
Who are we?
Why are we doing this?
Why are we doing this this way?
Evaluate how stated values and purpose show up in academic results and student behavior, but also in hallways, faculty lounges, and on playgrounds.
Moving Forward
The answers that emerge from the considerations and questions above can serve as a foundation that will allow stakeholders to let go of business as usual, rote tradition, and unquestioned habits that no longer serve your shared purpose and goals, thus opening up new ways of thinking about how to move forward.
Community, Culture, and Empowerment Toolkit
Review and note which areas represent active strengths or areas for improvement for your classroom, school, and district.
Culture of High Achievement for Learners
Learner Community
Learners engage in opportunities to…
Find commonalities with others in backgrounds, lives, preferences, strengths and needs
Create synergy, a group identity, shared responsibility and interdependence
Learn SEL skills that enable collaboration and teamwork
Develop empathy and supportive accountability for all members of the community
Make decisions and solve problems together that heal harm and enrich the learning community
Learner Confidence and Growth Mindset
Learners develop beliefs that…
Smart” isn’t what you are born with, it’s what you get through hard work and effort
Imperfections should be celebrated,
mistakes are important and part of the learning processEveryone is capable of high achievement
Asking for help and feedback are indicators of successful people
Faster doesn’t equal success, care, quality and perseverance count
Creativity and imagination are valuable and necessary for future success
Challenges are opportunities for growth
he success of others can inspire us rather than make us feel inadequate
Learner Confidence and Growth Mindset
Learners are deliberately supported to…
Understand what is negotiable and what is not
Use their understanding of themselves to make choices in learning and in the classroom community
Identify and activate their strengths
Clearly understand the learning objectives and what constitutes success
Advocate for their needs and preferences (voice and choice)
Freely share ideas and understandings
Collaborate with others and use peers as resources
Inspiration :
“So often, we are concerned about the classroom climate, but forget the purpose of warm, trustworthy, empathetic climates. The primary purpose is to allow students to feel okay about making mistakes and not knowing, and to establish a climate in which we welcome errors as opportunities.”
— John Hattie, 2013, p. 165
Although the chart above is focused on the classroom environment that teachers can create for students, it could easily be used when considering the learning culture for adults. It is important to emphasize how supporting the Seven Principles for our professional learners is critical in order for them to do the same for the learners in their classroom. Leaders can use these same ideas to examine their professional policies and learning opportunities to ensure that they encourage the growth mindset associated with the principle of Emergence.
Questions for teams to consider:
At first glance, what do we notice about these areas and indicators? How do we feel about them? What ideas and challenges do they evoke?
What information can we collect to assess where we are in these categories?
How will we organize ourselves to analyze what we find and look for areas to enhance?
Share your experiences with us
We’ll highlight stories that teach and inspire on our website.