Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
“Digging Deeper into Collective Efficacy: Tools for Teachers, Coaches & Administrators
Oregon RTI Pre-Conference April 25, 2018 Dr. Kevin Feldman
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Quick Reflection What?: What are re the most important things you’ve learned this year about improving Instruction at the building level? So What?: Why are these important? Examples, evidence?, Conclusions? Now What?: What are key implications/ applications for next year? What will you do similarly? Differently? Key questions you are pondering/uncertainties??
The Premise: Effective teaching CAUSES Improved Learning. therefore To improve achievement we MUST improve instruction. A key goal of leadership: provide the combination of Support and Accountability to ensure this happens... create a collaborative culture of learning among all teachers... “what can we do differently to get better results?”
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
“The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.” Barber & Mourshed, 2007
The Potential Power of Collective Efficacy Encouraging teachers within a school to observe each other, to plan together, and to adopt shared teaching methods can dramatically improve teaching and learning in a school. Effective practices in one classroom *can become school wide shared practices… (AKA “instructional norms”) Pathways to the Common Core, 2010
* How can leaders cause this? Lead this? Create the school culture that ensures these practices?
Instructional Norms Virtually all professions have clear standards or norms of effective practice, in medicine it is known as “standard protocol”, or “standards of care”… However, schools have traditionally embraced a “ do your own thing” culture of autonomy, often under the banner of “academic freedom”… Without this “shared focus” on a very limited number (3-5) of Instructional Priorities or “Big Dogs”, Collective Efficacy is impossible.
This is work for the Building Instructional Improvement or Leadership Team –Don’t VOTE! Present your Big Dogs & Support – invite feedback…but LEAD !
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Brief Observation: Coach or Admin 10 min – touch base w/in 24 hrs.
Learning Targets + Assessment Student Engagement Academic Language (vocabulary) Instructional Collab. (Implementation team Public Practice, etc)
Instructional Coaching Two Basic Types of Coaching in Education 1) Reflective/Cognitive Coaching (counseling model) - open ended, general goals, no set “agenda” - passive coaching role; observe, reflect-discuss
2) Technical/Expert Coaching (teaching model) - tied to measurable “program and/or strategy specific outcomes” - i.e. improve specific pedagogical abilities - active coaching role; model/demo, co-teach, co-plan, problem solve, analyze student formative assessment data, etc.
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
The Incredible Value of “Scrubbing In” w/Colleagues
Research Evidence re: Literacy Coaching (*Biancarosa, 2010) 1) 4 major studies showing increased student achievement an outcome of coaching (Gr. 6-8,4-5, K-2, 1) IF there is an explicit content focus. 2) Each model (while different) had a very defined and specific instructional focus – they were not generic. 3) 6-8 model demonstrated better effects when coaches helped teachers to regularly review formative assess. to plan follow up instruction. 4) Improved instruction = improved learning. * see: Dr. Gina Biancarosa, U of Oregon Center on Teaching & Learning
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Feedback is one of the most powerful variables in the learning process; true for students AND for teachers!
-John Hattie, 2009 Visible Learning
As Leaders We Must....
Create a Culture of Valuing the Giving/Receiving of Feedback
“Feedback is the breakfast of champions!”
“No matter how well trained people are, few can sustain their best performance on their own. That’s where coaching comes in.” PERSONAL BEST: Top athletes and singers have coaches. Should you? Atul Gawande New Yorker, October, 2011
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Q: How to you like to get feedback? - What works? What doesn’t work? - Examples? Non-examples?
Q: What have you learned as a teacher, coach, friend, etc about giving & receiving feedback that is Useful or Actionable?
Creating a school culture that supports…
Public Practice Continuous improvement requires feedback and support. The only way to get and give feedback is for practice to be seen, heard, and discussed by other professionals. Therefore, in a high performing educational system professionals must be willing to make their practice public. Public practice is central to the functions and scope of work of the School Leadership Team and each Professional Learning Community. - Canyons SD, Salt Lake City Building Leadership Team Manual, 2012
Potential Sources of Actionable Feedback for Improving Our Teaching u Peers – other teachers u Principal/Admin. u Coaches/”Experts” u Self Critique (video) u Students (surveys/dialogues) u Student data/work samples/ formative assessment
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Public Practice Formats: Creating a Culture of Respectful Giving & Receiving of Actionable Feedback 1) Peer to Peer Coaching – PLC Debriefing – 1 teacher from each PLC team is observed by other team members during 2 week period, team debrief and discussion during PLC. 2) Learning Walk or Team Coaching – 4-8 teachers plus a coach/VP, or P observe a teacher for 20 min. – immediate debrief for 5-7 min. in hall. 3) Expert Coaching – 1-1 w/the math or literacy coach etc. 4) Classroom Video Clips – others at first (e.g. Frey/Teaching Channel) then shoot your own & self view, then selected peer finally team/school - clips run 210 ,min. edited to focus on a common issue/interest. 5) Mini-lesson demonstrations – 3-10 min. modeling some portion of a recent lesson, focused on a common issue within PLC or other groups. 6) Principal Walk Throughs – brief observations & feedback from site admin.
LW Feedback Cycle Affirmations: tied directly to what students said/wrote/otherwise did Questions: raised NOT answered (discuss later in depth at PLC) Wonderings: open ended, what if… speculate Suggestions: framed as actions to be checked out, not “revealed truth” !!
Learning the Language of Respectful – Actionable Feedback (it’s not necessarily natural!) “Sentence frames” for teachers/coaches/admin. It appeared effective when you _____ I appreciated how you _______ I thought it was really (your fav positive adj.) when you ______ because this caused the students to _______ The students were _____ when you_____ I noticed the students were _____, I wonder what would happen if you ________? I’ve found it works great to ______, give that a go and see what you find. In my experience it often effective if you___? I wonder how you might have _______?
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Giving & receiving respectful & specific feedback re: the effects of our instruction on observable student learning is at the very heart of school improvement.
Canyons District Amber RoderickLandward
Team Coaching: Learning Walks or “Scrubbing In” Together q Agree upon instructional focus; e.g. Effective Instruction Tool q LW teams = Admin/Coaches + Teachers q 15-20 min – gather data using EI Observation tool q Immediate debrief (5 min.) in the hall – teachers keep tools q Affirmations + Questions/Wonderings/Suggestions
“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Perhaps the most powerful, least used of ALL Actionable Feedback formats… VIDEO!
The power of video is that it cuts through the complexity of teaching and shows a true picture of what is happening. - Jim Knight, U of Kansas Coaching Project
Sample Sources for FREE Instructional Videos to Develop Our Analysis/Feedback Skills Guided video critique using a “shared lens” on instruction is a great/safe place to begin leaning to give/receive meaningful “actionable feedback” – a key to improving instruction. 1)
Anita Archer: http://explicitinstruction.org/
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Doug Fisher/Nancy Frey: http://www.youtube.com/user/FisherandFrey
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Kevin Feldman:
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Catherine Snow – Word Generation: http://wg.serpmedia.org/
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Teaching channel - https://www.teachingchannel.org
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Jim Knight - http://www.corwin.com/highimpactinstruction/videos.htm
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The Ingham ISD website for TLT videos! http://www.inghamisd.org/academic-services/mtss/tlt-video-library/
What do teachers report about seeing videos of their instruction? “With the videos, you get to see yourself in a different way. Actually you never really get to see yourself until you see a video of yourself. I changed immediately certain things that I did that I didn’t like.” “I realized I learned more about who I actually was as a teacher by looking at the video. I learned of the things that I do that I think that I’m great at I was not so great at after all. Even the things I did well, I thought, OK that’s pretty good, why do I do that, and where could I put that to make it go farther. So it was a two-way road, seeing what you do well, and seeing the things that have become habits that you don’t even think about anymore.” http://www.metproject.org/
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Example: Short Video w/Brief Focused Feedback
Teacher Response + Quick Informal Face to Face
Scaffolding the Video Journey * all using same “lens” – feedback form 1. Watch video clips of other teachers (Archer, Teaching Ch. ISD website, etc.) – individual and team critique/inquiry, establish the validity/utility of video feedback 2. Shoot a video of yourself – watch it ALONE – make notes, reflect – ALL PLC members commit to a date to debrief 3. Shoot a video of yourself – watch in w/a trusted colleague 4. Shoot a video of yourself – share w./in PLC/Gr. Level Team 5. Shoot a video of yourself – share on local website etc etc
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Sample Student Survey Questions Tripod surveys are available for K-12 students http://tripodproject.org Surveys include items that are mainly observational (allowing students to record what they experience), rather than judgmental (asking students what they like and dislike). Students are presented with statements and indicate their level of agreement by selecting from a range (e.g. from “Totally Untrue” to “Totally True”). Examples Early Elementary (K-2) survey: In this class, we learn a lot almost every day. My classmates act the way my teacher wants them to. Examples Upper Elementary survey: My teacher wants me to explain my answers – why I think what I think. In this class, we learn to correct our mistakes. Examples Secondary survey: In this class, my teacher accepts nothing less than our full effort. My teacher takes the time to summarize what we learn each day.
Leadership Suggestions That Move the “Dial” on Improved Instruction 1) Allocate the Time – Keep the Focus 2) Number of minutes admin spend per day in classrooms? 3) Number of minutes dedicated to instructional skill building (e.g. video critique, modeling, not just talk) per faculty meeting? 4) Number of Learning Walks/Team Coaching per Semester? 5) Number of Learning Pair (peer to peer) visits per Semester? 6) Begin the process of on-site video & self-critique, to sharing with peers, etc.
Self Accountability
Madras HS – HD’s Chart - Touch base w/in 24 hrs. - Each teacher 8 times by Christmas (16 “touches” - Differentiate by need 2nd Semester v Thanks to HD Weddel, Co- Principal Madras HS
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Coaching Improvement: Actionable Feedback
Collaborative “Dispositions” Key Norms Leaders Model – Help Create a Culture of: √ Humility/Curiosity/Kindness – no single person (coach, principal, consultant etc.) knows it all, even experts need help/support/feedback √ Collaborative Partnership is the path – admin, coaches and consultants need to forge these relationships tied to agreed upon FOCUS on Academic Literacy, or “Collaborative Coherence” √ Creating a safe environment for honest, open, trusting, inquiry… supportive of “ALP” – eventually involving the entire faculty √ Evidence matters – data, student performance (saying/writing/doing) guides our decisions (Response to Instruction or RTI) √ Model/Embody Feedback for ALL as clear professional norm, We can’t reliably improve without “actionable/respectful Feedback”!
Thanks for Your Active/Thoughtful Participation! Please send along any questions; Dr. Kevin Feldman
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