Instructional Rounds

14 April 2010

INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDS

Rounds are a special kind of “walkthrough” and an “improvement strategy” integrated into one practice.

Four elements of Rounds:

1. Identifying a problem of practice

2. Observation of practice

3. Observation debrief

4. Focusing on the next level of work

• “Instead of asking ‘What works?’ we should be asking ‘What works best?’ as the answers are quite different….. the answer to the first question is “Almost everything” whereas the answer to the second is more circumscribed – some things work better and some work worse relative to the many possible alternatives.”

(Hattie, J, 2009, p.18)

What Works Best?

What Research Tells Us:

Instructional Leadership: Towards a Learning Definition

“The more leaders focus their influence, their learning, and their relationships with teachers on the core business of teaching and learning, the greater their likely influence on student outcomes”

Robinson et al 2008. The impact of educational leadership on student outcomes: An analysis of the differential effects of leadership types. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44 (5).

Why do rounds?

• A question you have to answer for yourself . . .

• Equity—To ensure that ALL children have access to powerful learning no matter which classroom they’re in

• Knowledge—To understand what kind of learning is happening in your system

• Group capacity—To build a shared language and understanding of powerful learning and teaching

What it is and isn’t . . . NOT “walkthroughs” or “drive-bys”

Rounds is descriptive, analytic, inferential

NOT a teacher evaluation tool or assessment of individual teachers Separate the person from the practice; focus on the practice

NOT an implementation check Rounds focuses on patterns of practice and predicted results, not compliance with directives

NOT training for supervision Rounds focuses on collective learning rather than individual supervisory practice

NOT a “program” or a “project” Rounds is a practice, designed to support an existing improvement strategy at the school or system level

TEACHER STUDENT

CONTENT

The Instructional Core

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

Overview of a Rounds Visit

• Framing the Visit … Problem of Practice• Observation of Practice• Observation Debrief

– Describe– Analyze– Predict

• Next Level of Work …• Reflection

The Rounds Process

Investigate Practice

1. Identify Problem of Practice and Collect Data:

School identifies a problem of practice

Observation teams collect data related to problem of practice

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

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?

Identify Next Level of Work

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)?

Developing the Discipline of Seeing

• Seeing is a discipline

• It’s like a muscle—it gets stronger with repetition

• Foundation of our practice:

Specific description

Non-evaluative, non-judgmental description

10

Evidence

What do you see?

Just the facts please, Ma’am!

11

Just the facts…?

She did a great job of transitioning from the

whole class lesson to independent work time.

12

Just the facts…?

She did a great job of transitioning from the whole class lesson to independent work time.

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.

13

Just the facts…?

During a period of 20 minutes, the teacher

asked 1 question.

14

Just the facts…?

The teacher used a very interactive teaching

style.

15

Exercise

• Read the following observations from classroom visits. Indicate whether you would characterize each as “more fine-grained” or “less fine-grained”.

A. Fast paced.

B. Teacher questions students about the passage they just read.

C. Students working individually even though they were in groups. Not a lot of discussion going on.

D. “Boys and girls, today’s number is 30. Who can give me a string of numbers that go up to 30?”

E. Teachers encouraging students to think for themselves, to go deeper. High expectations for student work and student verbal responses.

F. Teacher asks, “How did you know this?” Student explains.

G. T: “How are volcanoes and earthquakes similar and different?”

H. Students practicing higher order thinking skills.

I. Lesson on the main causes of the Civil War.

J. Students made up their own questions for the read aloud book: “Which is your favourite character?” “What do you think Gilly should do with the money?” “What do you predict will happen to Arthur?”

K. Teacher asked what clues in the story indicated impatience.

L. Too much time on discussion, not enough time on individual work.

M. Task: find different ways to create a total of 31.

Student 1 wrote in math journal:

5+5+5+5+5+5+1 = 31

S2: 10+10+10+1=31

S3: 41-10=31

2+3x3+16=31

N. Excellent classroom management.

O. Teacher introduced the concept of fractions and had students apply the concept in a hands-on activity.

Sample Data (or “Evidence”) Collected from Observation

Detailed, Non-judgemental Description

C. Students working individually even though they were in groups. Not a lot of discussion going on.D. “Boys and girls, today’s number is 30. Who can give me a string of numbers that go up to 30?”

F. Teacher asks, “How did you know this?” Student explains.G. T: “How are volcanoes and earthquakes similar and different?”

J. Students made up their own questions for the read aloud book: “Which is your favourite character?” “What do you think Gilly should do with the money?” “What do you predict will happen to Arthur?”

K. Teacher asked what clues in the story indicated impatience.M. Task: find different ways to create a total of 31. Student 1 wrote in math journal.

5+5+5+5+5+5+1 = 31 S2: 10+10+10+1=31 S3: 41-10=31 2+3x3+16=31

Sample Data (or “Evidence”) Collected from Observation

General or Judgmental Description

Fast paced.

Teacher questions students about the passage they just read.

Teachers encouraging students to think for themselves, to go deeper. High expectations for student work and student verbal responses.

Students practicing higher order thinking skills.

Lesson on the main causes of the Civil War.

Too much time on discussion, not enough time on individual work.

Excellent classroom management.

Teacher introduced the concept of fractions and had students apply the concept in a hands-on activity.

• A question raised for inquiry, consideration or solution

• An intricate unsettled question

Definitions of a Problem

A Rich Problem of Practice

• Focuses on Instructional Core• Is Directly observable• Is Actionable• Connects to Broader Strategy• Is High Leverage

DVD Problem of Practice

Are students engaging in higher order thinking skills (applying, analysing, evaluating, creating) as evidenced by the nature of student responses, participation and products/work?

New Version of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Creating

Evaluating

Analysing

Applying

Understanding

Remembering

Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy

The Three Little Pigs

A. Explain the wolf’s point of view.

B.Plan several ways the pigs could get from one house to another undetected?

C.What kind of house might you build to protect against hot days?

D.Was the third house completely safe from the wolf? Why or why not?

E.List the types of homes built by each pig.

F.Compare the events in this story with the events in Goldilocks.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Response Sheet

Lesson Title/Content: The Three Little Pigs

Taxonomy Level Question/Task Actual/NotesCreating

Evaluating

Analyzing

Applying

Understanding

Remembering

E

C

A

D

B

F

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