After the Curtain Falls

Last week’s post talked about setting the stage before being observed to make modeling a more meaningful part of the coaching experience. What happens after a lesson is even more critical for making modeling worthwhile.

Before beginning a debrief conversation, a few quiet moments to review notes and highlight things that seem important will help the teacher who observed recall what she saw and reflect on aspects of the lesson that address her personal learning target. This is also a good time for her to write down any questions she has about the planning, on-the-spot decision making, and instruction.

After this quiet think-time, invite your observer to share a “noticing” (something she saw or heard) and the “so what” (why that is important). Your primary job is to listen while the observer unfolds her thinking. Once the initial noticing has borne fruit, encourage another “noticing” or two, probing as needed to make sure the “so what” is fleshed out in a way that enables the teacher to apply this new learning in her own classroom. This process works equally well with a small group of teacher-observers, who take turns sharing their noticings.

Next it will be your turn to talk, responding the any questions the observing teacher has about what she has seen or the planning that preceded it. In your responses, make connections to the teacher’s learning focus – the areas she identified as the inquiry for her observation.

There is so much to take in when observing a lesson, so staying focused on a single dimension of instruction will increase the impact of your modeling. Modeling that is preceded and followed by conversations that draw attention to a specific aspect of instruction can make this coaching move an effective beginning to a coaching cycle.

 This week, you might want to take a look at:

Instead of modeling with a group of students, Jim Knight models “I do/We do/You do” during this coaching conversation:

http://www.corwin.com/highimpactinstruction/videos/v3.2.htm

Thoughts about the importance of high expectations and consistency (this piece is about much more than capitalization and punctuation!):

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1936

“I,” “We,” and “You” – the power of pronouns when coaching:

http://heatherrader.com/archives/1252

Ten Black Dots launches project-based learning: a math-centered interdisciplinary approach:

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/news/local/2015/02/15/students-sonoma-elementary-excited-project-based-learning/23478509/

It’s the little things! Reviewing these body language mistakes before an observed lesson (and charting and then looking for their opposite appropriate body-language messages during the lesson) can increase awareness about hidden messages that affect classroom management:  (click "continue to site)

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fgdd45ehhi/avoiding-eye-contact/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Setting the Stage for Modeling

We’re still in the early stages of the school year, but for many of us, coaching has begun in earnest. We are ready to support teachers and student-teachers in their quest to improve instruction. If you’re a regular Coaches’ Couch reader, you’re familiar with the Gradual Increase of Responsibility Model for coaching, with its stages of Modeling, Recommending, Questioning, Affirming, and Praising – coaching moves that gradual reduce the scaffolding provided. When change is underfoot, modeling often takes the lead early in the process. For biggest impact, set the stage for modeling before a demonstration begins. Setting the stage includes getting background on what will be modeled, choosing a learning target, and focusing the observation.

Although it’s not helpful to give a blow-by-blow of what will happen during the observed lesson, teachers benefit when they know in advance what they’ll be seeing. Provide context about where the lesson fits within the scope of the curriculum, what the lesson objective is, and why you have chosen specific instructional strategies. A little background about the student population is useful, too. Also be sure to tell the teachers where the action will be so they can position themselves appropriately in the classroom.

Once teachers have an idea of what they’ll be seeing, they can determine a learning target for themselves. I often provide several broad possibilities related to what we’ve been thinking about together. Then I nudge teachers to determine a specific focus question or wondering related to that broader topic. If I’m working with a group, we chart each individual’s question so that we can support each other with our inquiries.

Focusing the observation means helping teachers set aside assumptions and view the lesson from an objective stance. Encouraging observers to write down what they see and hear, devoid of evaluative statements, will produce the best learning. Before setting foot in the classroom, observers should set up a system for note-taking that will encourage them to frequently shift their focus between teachers and students.

Whether you are modeling a lesson for just one teacher or a larger group, setting the stage before observation will help to make the experience a meaningful one. As you begin new initiatives or introduce new strategies to teachers, modeling can provide a strong scaffold for instructional change.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

Why adults observe children - a letter to the class:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=2125

Tips for teacher trainings:

http://www.educationdive.com/news/3-tips-for-training-teachers-in-innovation/402843/

Thoughts for teachers about over-scaffolding:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=735

Retelling rubric for characters:

http://chartchums.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/image-3.jpg

A podcast about using non-fiction as read alouds:

http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/podcast-episodes/podcast/conversation-with-candace-fleming-31134.html

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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Now That You’ve Assessed: Next Steps

Last week’s post explored the importance of having a plan for using assessment data before its “expiration date.” Because our students are continually learning, results from last spring’s state assessments may not be a good starting place for planning this fall’s instruction when it comes to considering the needs of individual students. Looking at patterns within assessment data and trends over time, however, might help us pinpoint areas where the curriculum is weak and big picture changes should be made. That is the value of having data discussions. To keep these discussions purposeful, I’ve found it helpful to use a protocol like the following:

Step One:  Predict. Predicting brings out our prior knowledge and assumptions, allowing participants to examine their perspectives. This lays the foundation for collaborative inquiry. Sentence starters for this step include: “I predict…” and “I expect to see.” Asking, “What leads me to make that prediction?” may uncover both prior knowledge and unfounded beliefs.

Step Two: Explore. While exploring the data, we determine priorities and make statements of fact about the data that reflect the best thinking of the group. We might highlight, reorganize, and create graphic representations of the data. Looking for patterns or trends helps us turn observations into helpful statements. At this point, don’t attempt to pinpoint underlying causes. Phrase your findings objectively: “The data show….”

Step Three:  Explain. Now’s the time to generate theories - explanations for what is observed in the data.  Dialogue helps the best explanations to surface and may uncover the need for additional data to test these theories. Our hypotheses attempt to get at the root causes of the findings that have been identified as priorities.

Step Four:  Plan for Action. Prepare to take action by identifying specific strategies that are tied to the root causes. Determine a goal and both how and when progress will be measured.  

Steps one through three ensure that the plan for action reflects real data (rather than assumptions), aligns with priorities that have been determined, and will be most likely to produce results. I’ve found that this four-step plan makes data discussions focused and productive. Data is only as useful as the plan of action that is created by it. If your school has expended time and energy collecting student data, crafting a meaningful plan ensures that time has not been spent in vain.

This week, you might want to take a look at:

Other ideas for using data to improve instruction:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/data-carousels-improve-instruction

Classroom management vs. classroom culture:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2015/08/25/class-culture-vs-class-mgmnt/

High expectations for all:

http://www.middleweb.com/24030/do-we-really-have-high-expectations/

Ideas for routines that build independence early in the school year:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1808

The power of letting students choose their own books:

https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/the-power-of-choice-by-cynthia-lord/

That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!

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You Can’t Fatten a Cow While It’s Standing On the Scale……Or Can You?

I used to bemoan the inordinate amount of time spent testing at the beginning of each year, referencing a favorite quote from one of my science teacher colleagues: “You can’t fatten a cow while it’s standing on the scale.”

Now I recognize that you can fatten a cow while it’s standing on the scale – if “weighing” occurs as part of the "feeding" process and is integral to the “feeding” plan.

If your school or district is requiring the collection of large quantities of assessment data this fall, it’s helpful to stop and ask, “Is there a plan for how this data will be used to guide instruction?” If the data is being collected simply because there is an assumption that this data might be useful at some future point and time, then the time spent collecting that data is probably flying out the window.

Using data to guide instruction requires asking the right questions at the right time. Before assessing, we should have a plan of action about what to do with the evidence that will be collected. Unfortunately, by the time data has been collected, scored, analyzed, and discussed in a team meeting, the learning has moved on and the data may no longer be timely.  Dylan Wiliam talks about the “sell-by” date of assessment data, suggesting that data must be used in a timely manner if it is to be useful. Developing a plan for how data will be collected and then used, sometimes instantaneously, to guide instruction ensures that data isn’t used after its expiration date has passed.

For example, this week I observed a kindergarten lesson on numbers 1 – 4. Given a variety of input (oral numbers, written numbers, fingers held up), students were asked to show the requested number using a string of Unifix cubes. As students held their “answers” high in the air, the teacher quickly collected formative assessment data and adjusted instruction based on what he saw. A student with too few cubes, for example, was asked to compare his tower with the tower of the friend seated next to him. This teacher had a plan for both collecting and using formative assessment data. This simple activity illustrates the principle that any plan for collecting data should include a plan for using data, so that assessment time is time well spent.

What kinds of discussions could you lead with teachers to support assessment that guides instruction?

This week, you might want to take a look at:

Making use of data:

https://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=551

Talking in class: Oral Fridays and more

http://www.teachingquality.org/content/blogs/liz-prather/lost-art-talk-0

The “one great idea” promise:

http://pernillesripp.com/2015/08/13/the-one-great-idea-promise/

And to go along with the above, take a look at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5BhTpb3_k

A podcast about the global read aloud project:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-detail-view.php?id=1848

That’s it for this week!  Happy Coaching!

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