Change Idea
An alteration to a system or process that is to be tested through a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to examine its efficacy in improving some driver(s) in working theory of improvement (Carnegie).
Change Package
A set of changes developed over the course of several Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, written up so other practitioners can benefit from the team’s insights (Carnegie).
Content Commentator
Observer who attends a lesson study, then gives feedback afterwards on how the subject-specific content of the lesson was taught and learned.
Continuous Improvement
Improvement research that involves multiple iterative cycles of activity over extended time periods (Carnegie).
Culturally Responsive Teaching
The process of using familiar cultural information and processes to scaffold learning. Emphasizes communal orientation. Focused on relationships, cognitive scaffolding, and critical social awareness (Hammond & Jackson, 2015).
Dilemma Consultancy
A structured conversation in which a presenter brings a current challenge they are facing (the “dilemma”) to a small group of colleagues (or students, in the case of a teacher) in order to collaborate on ideas to address it.
Diversity
Cultivating communities that represent a wide range of visible and invisible identities while honoring the backgrounds, expertise and genius of each and every person (High Tech High, 2020).
Effort/Impact Chart
A four-quadrant chart that plots “effort required” on the x-axis and “possible impact” on the y-axis, leading to the following quadrants:
The Effort/Impact Chart is used to identify which change ideas have potential to lead to the greatest impact with the least effort.
Empathy Interview
A one-on-one interview in which the interviewer tries to gain insights into the interviewee’s perspective on an issue by asking open-ended questions and listening without judgment.
Equity
Ensuring each and every person gets what they need to develop their full academic and social potential through liberatory practices that disrupt predictable patterns of success and failure
(High Tech High, 2020).
Equity Commentator
Observer who attends a lesson study, then gives feedback afterwards on the lesson in relation to the group’s equity goals (see above), as well as noting the social dynamics taking place within the lesson.
Exit Card
A piece of paper (usually an index card) or digital form that students complete at the end of a class to give feedback and/or demonstrate proficiency in a learning goal.
Fishbone Diagram
A tool that visually represents a group’s causal systems analysis (sometimes known as a cause-and-effect diagram or an Ishikawa diagram) (see photo on page 29) (Carnegie).
Induction
A teacher-training and mentorship program for new teachers in California. Teachers must complete induction in order to be fully credentialed.
Integration
Fostering communities that value and leverage diversity by ensuring each and every person can be their authentic self, feel a strong sense of belonging and meaningfully contribute to shared leadership and decision-making (High Tech High, 2020).
Interrelationship Digraph
A diagram used to chart out which of the “causes” identified in a fishbone diagram will have the greatest impact if they are addressed (see photo on page 30).
Lesson Study
At its simplest, a lesson with an audience. Normally, some of the people observing the lesson also take part in planning, and all take part in discussing it with the teacher afterwards.
Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycle
A pragmatic scientific method for iterative testing of changes in complex systems. Each cycle is essentially a mini-experiment where observed outcomes are compared to predictions and discrepancies between the two become a major source of learning (Carnegie).
Problem Statement
A concise description of the issue that will be addressed through a series of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles.
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Learning to Improve Glossary. https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/resources/learning-to-improve-glossary/
Hammond, Z., & Jackson, Y. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin.
Ferlazzo, L. (2015, July 8). ‘Culturally responsive teaching’: An interview with Zaretta Hammond. Edweek. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-culturally-responsive-teaching-an-interview-with-zaretta-hammond/2015/07
High Tech High Graduate School of Education and Teacher Center. (2020). Statement on diversity, equity, and integration [Unpublished work in progress].
Definitions without a source indicated were written by the Unboxed editorial team
Change Idea
An alteration to a system or process that is to be tested through a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to examine its efficacy in improving some driver(s) in working theory of improvement (Carnegie).
Change Package
A set of changes developed over the course of several Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, written up so other practitioners can benefit from the team’s insights (Carnegie).
Content Commentator
Observer who attends a lesson study, then gives feedback afterwards on how the subject-specific content of the lesson was taught and learned.
Continuous Improvement
Improvement research that involves multiple iterative cycles of activity over extended time periods (Carnegie).
Culturally Responsive Teaching
The process of using familiar cultural information and processes to scaffold learning. Emphasizes communal orientation. Focused on relationships, cognitive scaffolding, and critical social awareness (Hammond & Jackson, 2015).
Dilemma Consultancy
A structured conversation in which a presenter brings a current challenge they are facing (the “dilemma”) to a small group of colleagues (or students, in the case of a teacher) in order to collaborate on ideas to address it.
Diversity
Cultivating communities that represent a wide range of visible and invisible identities while honoring the backgrounds, expertise and genius of each and every person (High Tech High, 2020).
Effort/Impact Chart
A four-quadrant chart that plots “effort required” on the x-axis and “possible impact” on the y-axis, leading to the following quadrants:
The Effort/Impact Chart is used to identify which change ideas have potential to lead to the greatest impact with the least effort.
Empathy Interview
A one-on-one interview in which the interviewer tries to gain insights into the interviewee’s perspective on an issue by asking open-ended questions and listening without judgment.
Equity
Ensuring each and every person gets what they need to develop their full academic and social potential through liberatory practices that disrupt predictable patterns of success and failure
(High Tech High, 2020).
Equity Commentator
Observer who attends a lesson study, then gives feedback afterwards on the lesson in relation to the group’s equity goals (see above), as well as noting the social dynamics taking place within the lesson.
Exit Card
A piece of paper (usually an index card) or digital form that students complete at the end of a class to give feedback and/or demonstrate proficiency in a learning goal.
Fishbone Diagram
A tool that visually represents a group’s causal systems analysis (sometimes known as a cause-and-effect diagram or an Ishikawa diagram) (see photo on page 29) (Carnegie).
Induction
A teacher-training and mentorship program for new teachers in California. Teachers must complete induction in order to be fully credentialed.
Integration
Fostering communities that value and leverage diversity by ensuring each and every person can be their authentic self, feel a strong sense of belonging and meaningfully contribute to shared leadership and decision-making (High Tech High, 2020).
Interrelationship Digraph
A diagram used to chart out which of the “causes” identified in a fishbone diagram will have the greatest impact if they are addressed (see photo on page 30).
Lesson Study
At its simplest, a lesson with an audience. Normally, some of the people observing the lesson also take part in planning, and all take part in discussing it with the teacher afterwards.
Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycle
A pragmatic scientific method for iterative testing of changes in complex systems. Each cycle is essentially a mini-experiment where observed outcomes are compared to predictions and discrepancies between the two become a major source of learning (Carnegie).
Problem Statement
A concise description of the issue that will be addressed through a series of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles.
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Learning to Improve Glossary. https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/resources/learning-to-improve-glossary/
Hammond, Z., & Jackson, Y. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin.
Ferlazzo, L. (2015, July 8). ‘Culturally responsive teaching’: An interview with Zaretta Hammond. Edweek. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-culturally-responsive-teaching-an-interview-with-zaretta-hammond/2015/07
High Tech High Graduate School of Education and Teacher Center. (2020). Statement on diversity, equity, and integration [Unpublished work in progress].
Definitions without a source indicated were written by the Unboxed editorial team
