Using the Consultancy Protocol to Address Dilemmas

Cynthia Short, Clear Creek ISDFrances Stetson, Stetson & Associates

A  Consultancy    Among  Peers  

An  Innova(ve  and  Collabora(ve  Problem  Solving  Process!  

The  Consultancy  Protocol  •  The  structure  of  the  Consultancy  helps  leaders  think  more  expansively  about  a  par9cular,  concrete  dilemma.  

•  Source:  Faith  Dunne,  Paula  Evans,  and  Gene  Thompson-­‐Grove,  Coali9on  of  Essen9al  Schools  and  the  Annenberg  Ins9tute  for  School  Reform  

•  Two  main  purposes:  1.  To  develop  

par9cipants’  capacity  to  see  and  describe  the  dilemmas  that  they  face  in  their  work;  

2.  To  help  each  other  understand  and  address  them  effec9vely.  

The  Dilemma  • An  issue  with  which  you  are  struggling.  • An  issue  you  have  control  over.  • An  issue  cri9cal  to  your  work.  

State  the  Dilemma  as  a    Focusing  Ques9on  that  gets  to  

the  Heart  of  the  MaQer.  

The  Consultancy  Process  

Step  1   Presenter  Overview   3  minutes  

Step  2   Clarifying  Ques9ons   5  minutes  

Step  3   Probing  Ques9ons   5  minutes  

Step  4   Par9cipant  Discussion    10  

minutes  

Step  5   Presenter  Reflec9on  5  

minutes  

What is the difference? Clarifying  Ques(ons  •  Simple  ques9ons  of  fact  •  ‘Nuts  and  bolts’  ques9ons  •  Clear  the  way  for  good  probing  ques9ons  •  Clarifying  ques9ons  have  brief,  factual  answers.  •  The  presenter  will  immediately  be  able  to  answer  a  clarifying  ques9on.  

Probing  Ques(ons  •  Intended  to  help  the  presenter  think  more  cri9cally,  more  deeply.  •  May  not  have  ready  answers.  •  Must  relate  directly  to  the  presenter’s  dilemma  statement.  •  Don’t  make  recommenda9ons!  This  is  not  the  9me.  

Presenter  Re7lection  • How  have  the  comments  of  the  par9cipants  impacted  your  dilemma?    Your  thinking  about  the  problem?  • Any  new  insights?  

Clear  Creek  ISD  Dilemma  Background  CCISD  has  made  significant  progress  over  the  past  several  years  by  providing  special  educa9on  services  to  an  increasing  number  of  students  in  the  general  educa9on  se^ng.    These  services  such  as  co-­‐teaching,  support  facilita9on,  and  PASS  (support  for  students  with  significant  behavioral  issues)  have  contributed  to  outcomes  such  as:  higher  expecta9on  for  students  with  disabili9es,  increased  academic  achievement,  an  improved  level  of  self-­‐confidence,  collabora9on  with  general  educa9on  teachers,  and  improvement  of  scores  on  the  STAAR  test.    We  believe  services  provided  for  students  with  disabili9es  should  be  individualized  and  based  on  their  disability-­‐related  needs  regardless  of  label,  staff  availability,  campus,  resources,  or  previously  established  models.      

Clear  Creek  ISD  Dilemma  Issue  

As  part  of  the  district’s  strategic  plan,  CCISD  has  embraced  personalized  learning  and  has  provided  extensive  training  to  administrators  and  teachers  on  this  concept.    Students  are  se^ng  goals  and  taking  responsibility  for  their  own  learning.    The  district’s  curriculum  coordinators  are  embedding  high-­‐yield  accommoda9ons  into  the  curriculum.    The  CCISD  Special  Services  Department  provides  professional  learning  opportuni9es  to  special  educa9on  teachers  on  the  “Instruc9onal  Planning  Cycle”  which  includes  understanding  the  FIE,  standard-­‐based  goals  and  objec9ves,  lesson  design,  documenta9on,  and  progress  monitoring.    The  department  also  provides  on-­‐going  technical  assistance  to  campus  staff  based  on  the  annual  Campus  Support  Plan.    We  have  liQle  access  to  general  educa9on  teachers  other  than  this  technical  assistance.        

Clear  Creek  ISD  Dilemma  Issue  –  con(nued    

While  we  have  trained  administrators  and  teachers  on  personalized  learning,  more  specifically,  on  access,  engage  and  express,  we  do  not  see  evidence  this  learning  has  been  translated  to  individualized  lesson  designing  by  special  educa9on  teachers  and  implementa9on  of  individualized  supports  by  general  educa9on  teachers.      

           

Clear  Creek  ISD  Dilemma  Ques(on:    

How  do  we  con9nue  to  increase  the  supports  for  students  with  disabili9es  in  the  general  educa9on  se^ng  with  limited  access  to  general  educa9on  teachers  in  an  aQempt  to  increase  collec9ve  efficacy  among  our  staff?            

Presenter  Re7lection  • How  have  the  comments  of  the  par9cipants  impacted  your  dilemma?    Your  thinking  about  the  problem?  • Any  new  insights?  

REFLECTION  What are your impressions of the Consultancy protocol? •  Useful? •  Special Considerations •  Recommendations?

Thank you for joining us!

Consultancy Protocol

Overview: One purpose of this protocol is to learn how

others understand a dilemma and frame responses to it. The

protocol may help the presenter address getting advice, but the

primary purpose of the Consultancy Protocol is to open up

people’s minds to new ways of thinking about problems and

issues related to teaching and learning.

Steps:

Part 1 - Writing about the Dilemma (5 minutes)

Step 1: Consider the Dilemma This should be an issue with which you are struggling,

that has a way to go before being resolved, that is up to you to control, and that it is

critical to your work. It is important that your problem is authentic and fresh - that is, not

already solved or nearly solved.

Step 2: Write about the Dilemma Here are questions to guide your writing: a. Why is this a dilemma for you? Why is this dilemma important to you?

b. If you could take a snapshot of this dilemma, what would you/we see?

c. What have you done already to try to remedy or manage the dilemma?

d. What have been the results of those attempts?

e. Who do you hope changes? Who do you hope will take action to resolve this dilemma?

If your answer is not you, you need to change your focus. You will want to present a

dilemma that is about your practice, behaviors, beliefs, and assumptions, and not someone else’s.

f. What do you assume to be true about this dilemma, and how have these assumptions

influenced your thinking about the dilemma?

Step 3: State the Dilemma as a Focusing Question That Gets to the Heart of the Matter

Here is an example: Teachers love doing projects with students, but the projects don’t

always seem to connect to one another or have very coherent educational goals or focus;

they are just fun. Question: How do I work with students so they move to deep learning

about important concepts while being engaged in brain-compatible learning strategies?

Part 2 - The Consultancy Process

Step 1: Presenter Overview (3 minutes)

• The presenter gives an overview of the dilemma along with a focus question for

the group to consider.

Step 2: Clarifying Questions (5 minutes)

• Participants ask clarifying questions of the presenter - questions that can be

answered with facts.

• If the questions are not clarifying, they should be rephrased so that they are or

saved until later discussion.

Step 3: Probing Questions (5 minutes)

• The group asks probing questions that help the presenter expand thinking about

the dilemma. The purpose of the questions at this point is to help the presenter

learn more about the question in order to begin analysis of the dilemma.

• The presenter does not respond to the questions.

Step 4: Participant Discussion (10 minutes)

• The presenter withdraws from the group, taking notes on the participants’

discussion but not making eye contact with them.

• Participants might describe possible actions that the presenter might take, but they

should not decide on a solution. Their job is simply to refine the issues for the

presenter.

• Suggested questions to get the discussion going: o What did we hear?

o What didn’t we hear that we think might be relevant?

o What assumptions seem to be operating?

o What questions does the dilemma raise for us?

o What do we think about the dilemma?

o What might we do or try if faced with a similar dilemma? What have we done in

similar situations?

Step 5: Presenter Reflection (5 minutes)

• Referring to notes taken during the participant discussion, the presenter reflects on

what the participants said and how their comments have affected his or her

thinking.

• It is particularly important for the presenter to share new insights that the

discussion has provided. The presenter might even discover that the question

offered at the end of the presentation is not the “real” question after all!

Step 6: Debriefing (5 minutes) The facilitator leads the group in discussion of the

protocol process.

ProtocolsaremostpowerfulandeffectivewhenusedwithinanongoingprofessionallearningcommunitysuchasaCriticalFriendsGroup®andfacilitatedbyaskilledcoach.Tolearnmoreaboutprofessionallearningcommunitiesandseminarsforneworexperiencedcoaches,pleasevisittheNationalSchoolReformFacultywebsiteatwww.nsrfharmony.org.

NationalSchoolReformFaculty

HarmonyEducation

Centerwww.nsrfharmony.org

PocketGuidetoProbingQuestionsDevelopedbyGeneThompson-Grove,EdorahFrazer,FaithDunneandfurtherrevisedbyEdorahFrazer.

Thedistinctionbetweenclarifyingquestionsandprobingquestionsisverydifficultformostpeopleworkingwithprotocols.Soisthedistinctionbetweenprobingquestionsandrecommendationsforaction.Thebasicdistinctionsare:

ClarifyingQuestionsaresimplequestionsoffact.Theyclarifythedilemmaandprovidethenutsandboltssothattheparticipantscanaskgoodprobingquestionsandprovideusefulfeedbacklaterintheprotocol.Clarifyingquestionsarefortheparticipants,andshouldnotgobeyondtheboundariesofthepresenter’sdilemma.Theyhavebrief,factualanswers,anddon’tprovideanynew“foodforthought”forthepresenter.Thelitmustestforaclarifyingquestionis:Doesthepresenterhavetothinkbefores/heanswers?Ifso,it’salmostcertainlyaprobingquestion.Someexamplesofclarifyingquestions:• Howmuchtimedoestheprojecttake?• Howwerethestudentsgrouped?• Whatresourcesdidthestudentshaveavailableforthisproject?

ProbingQuestionsareintendedtohelpthepresenterthinkmoredeeplyabouttheissueathand.Ifaprobingquestiondoesn’thavethateffect,itiseitheraclarifyingquestionorarecommendationwithanupwardinflectionattheend.Ifyoufindyourselfsaying“Don’tyouthinkyoushould…?”you’vegonebeyondprobingquestions.Thepresenteroftendoesn’thaveareadyanswertoagenuineprobingquestion.Sinceprobingquestionsarethehardesttocreateproductively,weofferthefollowingsuggestions:• Checktoseeifyouhavea“right”answerinmind.Ifso,deletethejudgmentfromthequestion,or

don’taskit.• Refertothepresenter’soriginalquestion/focuspoint.Whatdids/heaskforyourhelpwith?Check

yourprobingquestionsforrelevance.• Checktoseeifyouareassertingyourownagenda.Ifso,returntothepresenter’sagenda.• Sometimesasimple“why…?”askedasanadvocateforthepresenter’ssuccesscanbeveryeffective,as

canseveralwhyquestionsaskedinarow.• Tryusingverbs:Whatdoyoufear?Want?Get?Assume?Expect?• Thinkabouttheconcentriccirclesofcomfort,riskanddanger.Usetheseasabarometer.Don’tavoid

risk,butdon’tpushthepresenterintothe“dangerzone.”• Thinkofprobingquestionsasbeingonacontinuum,fromrecommendationtomosteffectiveprobing

question.Forexample[onnextpage—fromanactualConsultancysessioninwhichateacherwastryingtofigureoutwhythestrongestmathstudentsintheclassweren’tbuyinginanddoingtheirbestworkonwhatseemedtobeinterestingmath“problemsoftheweek”]:1)Couldyouhavestudentsusetherubrictoassesstheirownpapers?(recommendationre-statedasa

question)

ProtocolsaremostpowerfulandeffectivewhenusedwithinanongoingprofessionallearningcommunitysuchasaCriticalFriendsGroup®andfacilitatedbyaskilledcoach.Tolearnmoreaboutprofessionallearningcommunitiesandseminarsforneworexperiencedcoaches,pleasevisittheNationalSchoolReformFacultywebsiteatwww.nsrfharmony.org.

2)Whatwouldhappenifstudentsusedtherubrictoassesstheirownwork?(recommendationre-statedasaprobingquestion)

3)Whatdothestudentsthinkisaninterestingmathproblem?(goodprobingquestion)4)Whatwouldhavetochangeforstudentstoworkmoreforthemselves?(betterprobingquestion)

Insummary,goodprobingquestions:• aregeneralandwidelyuseful• don’tplaceblameonanyone• allowformultipleresponses• helpcreateaparadigmshift• empowerthepersonwiththedilemmatosolvehisorherownproblem(ratherthandeferringto

someonewithgreaterordifferentexpertise)• avoidyes/noresponses• areusuallybrief• elicitaslowresponse• movethinkingfromreactiontoreflection• encouragetakinganotherparty’sperspective

Somefinalhintsforcraftingprobingquestions.Trythefollowingquestionsand/orquestionstems.SomeofthemcomefromCharlotteDanielson’sPathwisework,inwhichshereferstothemas“mediationalquestions.”• Whydoyouthinkthisisthecase?• Whatwouldhavetochangeinorderfor…?• Whatdoyoufeelisrightinyourheart?• Whatdoyouwish…?• What’sanotherwayyoumight…?• Whatwoulditlooklikeif…?• Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappenif…?• Howwas…differentfrom…?• Whatsortofanimpactdoyouthink…?• Whatcriteriadidyouuseto…?• Whenhaveyoudone/experiencedsomethinglikethisbefore?• Whatmightyouseehappeninginyourclassroomif…?• Howdidyoudecide/determine/conclude…?• Whatisyourhunchabout.…?• Whatwasyourintentionwhen.…?• Whatdoyouassumetobetrueabout.…?• Whatistheconnectionbetween…and…?• Whatiftheoppositeweretrue?Thenwhat?• Howmightyourassumptionsabout…haveinfluencedhowyouarethinkingabout…?• Whyisthissuchadilemmaforyou?

SomeExamplesofProbingQuestions:• Whyisa“stand-and-deliver”formatthebestwaytointroducethisconcept?• Howdoyouthinkyourowncomfortwiththematerialhasinfluencedyourchoiceofinstructional

strategies?• Whatdothestudentsthinkisqualitywork?• Youhaveobservedthatthisstudent’sworklacksfocus–whatmakesyousaythat?

ProtocolsaremostpowerfulandeffectivewhenusedwithinanongoingprofessionallearningcommunitysuchasaCriticalFriendsGroup®andfacilitatedbyaskilledcoach.Tolearnmoreaboutprofessionallearningcommunitiesandseminarsforneworexperiencedcoaches,pleasevisittheNationalSchoolReformFacultywebsiteatwww.nsrfharmony.org.

• Whatwouldthestudentsinvolvedsayaboutthisissue?• Howhaveyourperspectivesoncurrenteventsinfluencedhowyouhavestructuredthisactivity?• Whyaren’tthescienceteachersinvolvedinplanningthisunit?• Whydoyouthinktheteamhasn’tmovedtointerdisciplinarycurriculumplanning?• Whatwouldunderstandingofthismathematicalconceptlooklike?Howwouldyouknowstudents

have“gottenit”?• Whydidallowingstudentstocreatetheirownstudyquestionscauseaproblemforyou?• Whydoyouthinktheexpectedoutcomesofthisunitweren’tcommunicatedtoparents?• Whatwasyourintentionwhenyouassignedstudentstooverseethegroupactivityinthisassignment?• Whatevidencedoyouhavefromthisstudent’sworkthatherabilitytoreachsubstantiatedconclusions

hasimproved?• Howmightyourassumptionsaboutthereasonswhyparentsaren’tinvolvedhaveinfluencedwhatyou

havetriedsofar?• Howdoyouthinkyourexpectationsforstudentsmighthaveinfluencedtheirworkonthisproject?• Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappenifyourestatedyourprofessionalgoalsasquestions?• Whatotherapproacheshaveyouconsideredforcommunicatingwithparentsabouttheirchildren’s

progress?