Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning

Instructional RoundsEducational Leaders 2012

August 2, 2012

Schools with a high degree of relational trust are more likely to make the kind of changes that help raise student achievement. Improvements in such areas as classroom instruction, curriculum, teacher preparation and professional development have little chance of succeeding without improvements in a schools social climate.(Bryk, A. and Schneider, B., 2002)

Learning GoalsUnderstand: Who is here? Why are we here?Build common language, expectations and norms for conducting RoundsBecome familiar with the steps of Rounds and learning goals behind each stepUnderstand how the instructional core is the heart of Rounds and of improvement effortsDevelop skills in observing teaching and learning describe what we see and debriefing observations**

Learning Goals

Review current practices, plan for future actionsUnderstand and develop a Theory of ActionUnderstand and develop a Problem of Practice

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Theory of ActionIf we as educational leaders create an environment of collaboration among administrators, focused on improving instruction, then shared responsibility and accountability will create support for continuous improvement of learning for ALL students.*

Introductions: Leaders are LearnersThink of three things:Something non-education related that you know lots about

Something non-education related that you know little about

Something education-related that you would like to learn

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*Introduce yourself and discussIntroduce yourself and share one of the three items from above.

Introduce your new friend to the group.

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*Review NormsWhat do you want to ask of your colleagues to help you have the best experience possible with this work?

What do you want to ask facilitators to help you have the best experience possible with this work?

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*Group Norms

Covenant

Why Rounds?Build Professional CommunityDevelop a Common Language for Understanding and Analyzing Instructional PracticeDevelop a Culture of Shared PracticeDevelop Collective Efficacy Around Improvements in Student LearningBuild Common Understanding of System-, School-Level Improvement Strategies

PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS BUILD COMMITMENT AND LATERAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Inspired by the medical professionBased on the model of medical rounds Good practice is highly contextualized Education is a profession in search of a practice

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Practice: A definition A set of protocols and processes for observing, analyzing, discussing and understanding instruction that can be used to improve student learning at scale.The instructional rounds process is an example of a specific practice.

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Rounds are not:WalkthroughsPLCsImprovement Strategies*

Key Idea:

Everyone is working on their practice.Everyone is obliged to be knowledgeable about the common task of instructional improvement.Everyone's practice should be subject to scrutiny, critiques and improvement.

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Not Walkthroughs:Walkthroughs presume we know what we are looking for and will monitorWalkthroughs do not ask us to reflect on our own practice and to growInstructional Rounds are about the leaders growing*

Not PLCs:

Rounds can be the vehicle for PLC work*

Not improvement strategies:Rounds inform and are informed by improvement strategiesRounds start with a POP, one that emerges from improvement strategies and ends with ideas for making our improvement strategies more effectiveRounds are a vehicle for improving our strategies and making us more reflective about our work.*

Medical Rounds*

Rounds are a special kind of walkthrough, a special kind of PLC and a special kind of improvement strategy integrated into one practice.*

A Picture of RoundsA four-step process:Identifying a problem of practice from the theory of action that is guiding our work.

Observing classrooms, as individuals or in small teams, gathering descriptive, non-evaluative evidence.

Debriefing using the ladder of inference

Focusing on the next level of work.

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Rounds can be understood as a(n)Organizational processLearning processCulture-building process

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Questions for ReflectionWhat are your reactions to the notion that education is a profession in search of a practice?How would our work differ if we understood our work as practice?To what extent does our work in this district already embody the notion of professional practice? In what ways is our work lacking in this dimension?What specific examples from our districts experience or from your own professional practice illustrate or conflict with any of the issues noted so far?

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Reality CheckEach of us has in our minds a map of reality. The problem is that the map is not always indicative of the territory.

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True or False?Cleveland, Ohio is northeast of Tallahassee, Florida.

Toronto, Canada is southeast of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Los Angeles, California is southeast of Reno, Nevada.

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Current Practice

What is your current practice for observation?How do you record and understand what you see?How do you use that data?*

Classroom Observation #1

Use your current practice for observations to record what you what you observe in this 6th Grade Science classroom*

*Descriptive vs EvaluativeRounds is like.

Using Descriptive LanguageSpecificityObjectivityGeneralSpecificJudgmentalDescriptive

The choice of Huckleberry Finn as text was inappropriate for this age groupThe teacher did a fabulous job of holding the students attentionAt about three minutes into the lesson, the teacher asked two students to respond to the question, Why did Huck decide to leave?The teacher introduced a writing prompt

*Evidence: Sticking to the Facts!What do you see?

Just the facts please, Maam!*She did a great job of transitioning from the whole class lesson to independent work time.

*Just the facts?At the end of the lesson, the teacher asked students what materials they needed to get for their upcoming independent work. She took a few responses and released students to go to their desks four at a time.

*Just the facts?During a period of 20 minutes, the teacher asked 1 question.

The teacher used a very interactive teaching style.

*Developing the Discipline of SeeingSeeing is a disciplineIts like a muscleit gets stronger with repetitionFoundation of our practice:Specific descriptionnon-evaluative, non-judgmental description

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Classroom Observation #2

This time as you watch the 6th grade science classroom, record your observations focusing on using descriptive feedback vs evaluative feedback.

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Instructional Core

Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning

Instructional RoundsEducational Leaders 2012

Instructional CoreHow does the idea of instructional core correspond to your own understanding of how classrooms work? What does it reveal? What does it exclude?*

TEACHERSTUDENTCONTENTInstructional CoreThe Instructional Core is the interaction of:Level of contentTeachers knowledge and skillStudent engagement

*Task

TEACHERSTUDENTCONTENTInstructional CoreOnly improvements in the instructional core will actually make a large difference in learning,Improving one element of the core must lead to improvement in the other two

*Task

TEACHERSTUDENTCONTENTInstructional Core*Task

Instructional CoreCount off to form groups of 3Each person reads one of the principals of the Instructional Core (pgs 24 34)Discuss as a group what each of these principals mean to you.*

TEACHERSTUDENTCONTENTInstructional Core*Task

Instructional Core

The best way to get a glimpse of the instructional core is to look at what the students are doing, not necessarily what the teacher is doing

Instructional Core

Feedback and guidance for the teacher should focus on the tasks students complete, with attention to how the three dimensions of the instructional core must be addressed. *

Instructional CoreInstructional rounds is a practice that can be learned through repetition, reflection, and analysis at progressively higher levels of skill and knowledge. Rounds is a way of focusing on the instructional core of teachers and students in the presence of content.*

Instructional CoreIn your experience, what features of classrooms do practitioners tend to focus on when they observe teaching and learning? How does the framework of the instructional core focus your attention in classroom observation?*

Instructional CoreSchool leaders are conditioned to jump from observation immediately to evaluationRounds process asks us to break this perpetual habit by using:Description before analysisAnalysis before predictionPrediction before evaluation*

Theory of Action

Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning

Instructional RoundsEducational Leaders 2012

Theories of Action and the Problem of PracticeWe all have theories of action:

Ifthen formulas that guide our thinking and decision-making in all aspects of life.Made up of a set of assumptions and action strategies to accomplish a particular purpose.They are the story line that makes a vision and a strategy concrete.

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An example from everyday lifeIf I brush my teeth twice a day, then I wont get cavities and will keep my teeth for a long time.Based on certain assumptions.Based on past experience.Formulated using an action strategy.

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Theories of PracticeMost theories of action (sometimes called theories of practice) in the workplace are based on a whole network of assumptions and action strategies much more complex than teeth-brushing.

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Hidden theories of actionMost of our theories of action are in our subconscious until we start to intentionally name and work with them.Espoused theories are the theories we claim to use to solve various problems.Theories in use are the actual theories of action that guide our behavior.There is often a gap between our espoused theories and theories in use.

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Liz CityVideo Clip on Theory of Action*

Criteria for using theories of action in the instructional rounds frameworkMust begin with a statement of a causal relationship between what I do and what constitutes a good result in the classroom.

Must be empirically falsifiable; I must be able to gather evidence that would either prove or disprove that the causal relationship I assume in the theory of action actually exists.It must be open ended; that is, it must prompt me to further revise and specify the causal relationships I initially identified as I learn more about the consequences of my actions.

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A draft theory of actionIdeally, theories of action for instructional rounds should be collaboratively developed. This is just an example.Exploring the differences among our theories of action would be very revealing.There are multiple theories of action that could be starting points. This is one example, focused on learning targets.*

A first attemptIf teachers use learning targets to guide instruction, then higher student achievement will be the result.

Problematic on a couple of levels

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ProblemsVagueMakes no reference to the studentLeaves out many things that must occur between the if and the then.A common problem with theories of action, which, if explicitly stated, suggest something like, If we do x, thena miracle will happenand then higher student achievement will result.

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A second attemptIf lessons are guided by clear learning targets aligned to established content standards, and if students and teachers use effective formative and summative assessments of learning aligned to those targets, then students and teachers will have richer information to guide the teaching and learning process and to differentiate learning for individual student needs, and higher student achievement will be the result.*

Reflection ActivityUsing the criteria analyze the usefulness of these theory of action for instructional rounds:*

Write your own Theory of Action

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Problem of Practice

Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning

Instructional RoundsEducational Leaders 2012

Problem of Practice: PurposesSet a common frame of reference for rounds visitsAnchors rounds in work that advances the schools and the districts improvement strategyBuild diagnostic capacity of teachers and administratorsModel continuous improvement*

Problem of PracticeBegins to shape what, specifically, well be looking for during the rounds.Emerges from the questions raised by the assumptions embedded in our theory of action.*

Problem of Practice: Criteria for Useful POPCriteria for useful problems of practice

Focus on the instructional core (the interaction of students, teacher, and content)Is directly observable in classIs actionable (is within the school or districts control and can be improved in real time) *

Problem of Practice: Criteria for Useful POPCriteria for useful problems of practice

Connects to a broader strategy of improvementIs high-leverage (if acted on, it would make a significant difference for student learning)Address the what, not the how*

Problem of Practice: Reflection Activity

How Question : What evidence do you see of Six Traits Writing strategies?

What Question: What evidence do you see that students are producing high levels of writing?

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Problem of Practice: Things to Avoid

Compliance language:Are teachers enacting the key elements of the XYZ curriculumGlobal terms that havent been defined by prior work:Are students engage? Is the work challenging?Structural, physical things not connected directly to instructional core:Are students working in groups? Are the instructional objectives on the board?*

Problem of Practice: Reflection Activity

Review the draft problem of practice and analyze based on the criteria established above. *

Problem of Practice: Reflection Activity

Create a problem of practice for your school based on the assumptions from your theory of practice and using the above guidelines.*

Problem of PracticeDiscuss at your table:

Review at your table each others POP keeping in mind the elements of a good POP.*

Reflection

What was your experience like as a learner?What did the facilitators do that contributed to that experience?What are the implication for your own work?

Todays ReflectionsPlusDelta+-Minus

*******************Use card activity***************Understanding and effectively using theories of action to enhance our self-reflective capacities can greatly improve our professional practice. A unique feature of the rounds process is its use of theories of action as a conceptual framework.

*Assumptions: a myriad of assumptions about what constitutes good dental hygiene and how to accomplish it.Experience: Ive had cavities, but not in a long time, because my diet has improved and so have my brushing and flossing habits.Action strategy brush, then no cavities.Testable but also tentative Ive gotten cavities as an adult, gums have changed, body chemistry changes, etc.Ask participants for other examples from everyday life.

**Exposing this gap and uncovering our tacit theories of action is a fundamental step to reflective practice.

***********So if the first assumption isIf lessons are guided by clear learning targets aligned to established content standards..

Could imply the following problems of practiceWhile teachers have been developing learning targets, we havent really given them any training on how to use the targets to guide lessons. Is this training needed, or is this obvious? How would we find out? If we need to train them, we need to develop a strategy for doing so.How do we as leaders support and monitor teachers in effectively using the learning target to guide lessons?**********