Instructional rounds mount macedon primary school

Implementing Instructional RoundsMount Macedon Primary School

The Rounds ProcessInvestigate PracticeMORNING

1. Identify Problem of Practice and Collect Data:

School identifies a problem of practice

Observation teams collect data related to the problem of practice

Observation teams discuss the data: What are students doing/saying? What are teachers doing/saying?What is the task?

Identify possible patterns

If you were a student in this school, what would you know how to do?

2. Describe Optimal Teaching and Learning in Relation to this Problem of Practice:

What would students be doing/saying?

What would teachers be doing/saying?

What would be the task?

Identify Next Level of WorkAFTER LUNCH

3. Prepare for the Next Level of Work Brainstorm

What do teachers need to know to be able to support optimal learning (described in Step 2)?

What does the school/district need to know to support optimal learning (described in Step 2)?

4. Brainstorm the Next Level of Work:

Brainstorm the next level of work for “this week/next month/by the end of the year.”

What support will school leaders and the district provide to support optimal learning?

What additional data might we need to address the p.o.p.?

Implement & Support Next Level of Work

5. Share Data and Next Level of Work with School:

Seek whole school input: Does this match the

understanding we have of our school?

If not, how can we collect more useful data?

If yes, which of the next level of work will we pursue?

How will we measure our progress?

6. Implement and Assess: Are the recommendations

for the next level of work helping? How do we know?

What other support is needed (either at the classroom level or the school level)?

Problem of Practice(Principal- Michelle)

What evidence do you see of students being challenged by the kinds of tasks they are asked to do, and in the work

they produce?

TEACHER STUDENT

CONTENT

The Instructional Core

Points of entry for improvement of instruction.

The culture is present in the academic tasks that students are asked to do.

The Task

The task predicts performance

TEACHER STUDENT

CONTENT

7 Principles of theInstructional Core

Principle #1: Increases in student learning occur only as a consequence of improvements in the level of content, teachers’ knowledge and skill, and student engagement.

Principle #2: If you change one element of the instructional core, you have to change the other two.

Principle #3: If you can’t see it in the core, it’s not there.

Principle #4: Task predicts performance.

Principle #5: The real accountability system is in the tasks that students are asked to do.

Principle #6: We learn to do the work by doing the work.

Principle #7: Description before analysis, analysis before prediction, prediction before evaluation.

Observing Classroom Practice

6

Observation Protocols

Mobile phones switched OFF/SILENT Will spend 20 minutes in each classroom (refer timetable) Enter the classroom quietly without disturbing class Have note paper and pen for taking notes during the

observation No conversations with other members of the observation

group during the classroom visit Walk around the room at an appropriate time to talk with

students about their learning Refrain from any discussion about observations when

moving between rooms We do not discuss any observations with teachers / school

personnel

Classroom Observation

Reminders:

Describe what you see

Be specific (fine-grained) non-evaluative non-judgmental

Keep the POP in mind

Focusing the Observations- Questions to ask

Possible questions to ask students as you circulate through the room might be:

What are you doing? What are you working on? Why are you doing it? What are you learning? Have you done this before?Expanded questions might be … What do you do if you don’t know the answer or

you’re stuck? How will you know when you’re finished? How will you know if what you’ve done is good

quality?

Debriefing Classroom Observations

10

Confidentiality

All observations and pieces of evidence (eg sticky notes) are confidential to the group.

Individual teachers, students or classrooms are not identified.

At the end of the Rounds Visit the school receives a document that outlines the patterns of evidence (not the individual pieces of evidence)

Debriefing Classroom Observations

On your own: Read through your notes. Highlight data that seems relevant to the

POP and/or data that seems important. Select 5-10 pieces of data and write each

on an individual sticky note.

Debriefing Classroom Observations Grouping Evidence – Step 1

In your small group In turn read your sticky notes and place

onto chart paper

Discuss the pieces of evidence clarifying, challenging the observations Fine grained vs generalisations? Non-judgemental? Is it relevant or important? (Keep, re-write or discard)

Debriefing Classroom Observations Grouping Evidence – Step 2

1. Groups together Swap evidence charts & discuss pieces of

evidence Highlight evidence that needs to be clarified

(not fine-grained, generalisations, non-judgemental)

discuss/clarify highlighted items (re-write or discard)

Debriefing Classroom Observations Identifying Patterns – Step 3

In separate groups Look for patterns in the evidence. Arrange the sticky notes in groups that

seem to go together. Label each group with a descriptive

statement to describe the pattern.

Debriefing Classroom Observations Patterns of Evidence – Step 4

As a whole group Each combined group presents their

patterns of evidence to the larger group – use individual items of evidence to support

Larger group can question/clarify patterns

Patterns of evidence are documented and given to the host school principal.

Prediction Each group write & present their

prediction If you were a student in this school and you did

everything the teacher told you to do, what would you know and be able to do?

From Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning, 2009

The Next level of Work

18

Next Level of Work

What is the purpose? Options to expand the principal’s (and

network’s) repertoire of school improvement actions......

How is it developed? Thinking through potential school and

network-wide strategies......

Next Level of WorkConsider:

“The Next Level of Work Should provide clarity about good instructional practice and describe the leadership actions and practice needed to support improved instruction at scale.”

Next Level of WorkConsider:

“There should be a causal link between what is suggested to the Principal and improvement in the Problem of Practice.”

“The Next Level of Work should focus on all elements of the Instructional Core; if we suggest a change in one element, what are the implications for the others?”

The Next Level of Work

Michelle:

Outline the key improvement strategies that have been implemented by the school to support the POP

Groups identify the NEXT LEVEL OF WORK in light of the problem of practice and predictions:

Brainstorm & discuss: If the school had solved this Problem of Practice, what would:

Teachers be doing? Students be doing?

Brainstorm & discuss: What do teachers and the school need to know and be able to do to support optimal learning (in relation to the POP)?

Next Level of Work

Generate three options the school may undertake as the next level of work in relation to this problem of practice

During the Next Week:During the Next Month:During the Next Year:

Suggestions must be specific.

What additional data might be needed to address the p.o.p.?

Next Level of Work

Groups share their thinking with the whole group.

Others in the whole group may seek to clarify

NLOW group responses are provided to the host school

Next Level of Work

Debriefing and the Next Level of Work

Before finishing we provide:

An opportunity for the host principal (Michelle) to respond

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

New Version of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Creating

Evaluating

Analysing

Applying

Understanding

Remembering

Four “A”s Text Protocol

Four “A”s Text Protocol1. Group reads text silently, making notes in answer to

four questions: What Assumptions does the author of the text hold? What do you Agree with in the text? What do you want to Argue with in the text? What parts of the text do you want to Aspire to?2. In a round, each person identifies one assumption,

citing the text.3. Continue in rounds taking each of the “A”s one at a

time, trying to move seamlessly to the next “A” giving each enough time for exploration.

4. End the session with an open discussion framed around a question such as: What does this mean for our work with students?

5. Debrief the text experience.

National School Reform Faculty, Adapted from Judith Gray, Seattle, WA 2005