Hundreds of Area Educators Improving Their Instruction Through AIW

Approximately 680 educators representing 36 buildings in 15 Heartland districts are currently improving their instructional practices through involvement in Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW). For each of the past four years, teachers incorporating authentic pedagogy into their instructional practices have gathered in the middle of winter to collaboratively score and discuss teacher tasks, student work and actual classroom instruction through DE-sponsored events. AIW offers teachers opportunities to reflect on their practice, through research-based criteria within a framework, while gathering feedback from colleagues, all in order to change what goes on in the classroom toward the benefit of improved learning for all students.

On February 17, Heartland sponsored its first AIW Regional Collaboration Day (and the fifth as part of statewide efforts). More than 250 K-12 educators, including about 10 Heartland partners, attended the full day at Stilwell Junior High School in West Des Moines. They gathered in similar content areas, by grade band, and, through the facilitation of a Heartland-area AIW teacher-leader, scored tasks/assessments, pieces of student work and video clips of instruction brought by presenting teachers seeking feedback. In addition, several individual participants were captured on video offering thoughts on the practices of authentic pedagogy; some teams were recorded while scoring and discussing artifacts from classrooms. Plans are for these video recordings to be compiled into an informational DVD for agency and LEA use.

The Heartland AIW coaches welcome your questions or comments on AIW. If any Heartland consultants are interested in learning more about supporting AIW teachers in their work in authentic pedagogy, please contact Becca Lindahl, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, at blindahl@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14355; Teresa Bellinghausen, Teaching & Learning Consultant, at tbellinghausen@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14586; Mary Schmidt, Teaching & Learning Consultant, at mschmidt@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 14375; Sue Ford, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, at sford@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 15005; or Linda Moehring, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, at lmoehring@aea11.k12.ia.us or ext. 16277.