Building Administrators Are Change Makers
Bringing Kagan Cooperative Learning to Your School
Do you ever spend time reflecting on what you were like as a child in elementary school or a teenager in middle or high school? I think about this often because the way that I was in school is far different from the outgoing individual I am now. I hid in classrooms from elementary school through high school. I avoided eye contact with my teachers so they wouldn’t call on me. I put my head down. I even hid inside of my jacket in middle school to the point where one teacher wrote in my yearbook that she hoped I would take my jacket off when I entered high school so that I could be seen and heard. If I went an entire day without answering a question or having to read aloud, it was a successful day!
Are you an administrator who wants to change the odds for students who are just like the “Little Robertas” of your school? Are you looking to increase student engagement in your classrooms and increase a sense of belonging in your school community? If you’ve been fortunate enough to learn about or experience the impacts that Kagan Cooperative Learning can have on your classrooms and across your school, look no further! You may be wondering how you might be able to bring about this initiative to your building. Here are a few ideas for kicking off this transformation!
One of the first considerations would be for your building leadership team to analyze the current level of student engagement at your school. Do you find that the call on one practice is observed frequently in your rooms? Do you have students who hide all day long? When our school began our journey, we did walkthroughs and collected data for the leadership team to analyze the types of student engagement that were occurring in our classrooms.
We gathered a small team of educators from our building to attend a Kagan Cooperative Learning Day 1 training in a nearby city. This team was composed of primary and upper elementary grade levels in our building. Just one day in Kagan Cooperative Learning training led to full-on planning about what these educators were going to change in their classrooms the very next day! Their enthusiasm was instant and abundant! It really opened their eyes to what true student engagement looks like and how essential individual accountability is. It was not long before staff members around the school were inquiring about Kagan. What is it? How can I do that in my classroom? Can I go see this in action?
Additionally, I started sprinkling Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures into staff meetings and PLCs and eyes, ears and minds began to open up. Initially it began with some classbuilding activities during faculty meetings and quickly spread to participating in a few classic yet impactful structures such as Timed PairShare, transforming a typical turn and talk.
I worked behind the scenes to set up a date for Kagan Cooperative Learning Day 1 training for all staff. While that would not be until November of the following year, I sent one teacher from each grade level to the Kagan Summer Academy, to be fully trained on Days 1 through 5 of Cooperative Learning. This team came to be known as our Kagan Krew, and they took on a leadership role, focusing on how they could support their grade level/team. Increasingly, student engagement became a schoolwide focus and part of our Continuous Improvement Plan.
As the new year kicked off, our theme, The Best Is Yet To Come, carried us in with an emphasis that we all must have a growth mindset where staff would be trying new Kagan Structures and activities, and that with practice, repetition, and fidelity, their teaching method was bound to change in the best way possible! I even encouraged staff to share with students that they would be trying new ways to engage students and to be vulnerable as lifelong learners.
The momentum at our school has taken off and we are truly changing outcomes for all students, the ones who are outgoing and the “Little Robertas” found in all classrooms! This has impacted our student achievement and the climate and culture of our school. We saw a tremendous decrease in behavior referrals as positive student-to-student interactions are inherent to Kagan’s implementation. As Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."
About the Author
Mrs. Roberta Jacobs
Roberta Jacobs has been a dedicated educator for over 25 years. She taught for 11 years as an elementary teacher, and in 2006, was named the Colonial School District’s Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Jacobs has been a building administrator for 14 years, serving students and families in Red Clay, Colonial and Appoquinimink School Districts. This is Mrs. Jacobs’ 4th year as Principal at William F. Cooke Elementary! She continues to foster Cooke’s commitment to service and the inclusion of all students. In 2022, Cooke was named a National Special Olympics Unified Champion School and was one of 37 schools nationwide that made the 2022 ESPN Honor Roll for inclusive efforts for students with disabilities.
Mrs. Jacobs is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s of Instruction.