Instructional Rounds T3, 2011

Mrs Southall, Mrs Bentley, Ms Wiseman, Mr Fung

Instructional Rounds

“I wanted to change the world. But I have found out that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.”

~Aldous Huxley

Instructional Rounds - AGENDA(40 mins)

WHY (Context, Purpose), Mrs Southall

FEEDBACK (Pre), Mrs Bentley

WHAT (Rounds? Experiences), Mr Fung

WHO & HOW (When? Organisation), Ms WisemanREFLECTION, Mrs Southall

5 mins

5 mins

5 mins

10 mins

10 mins

5 mins FEEDBACK (Post), Mrs Bentley

Instructional Rounds – Why?

1. To improve practice. 2. To benefit students. 3. To establish baseline data. 4. To engage with contemporary, research

based TPL and pedagogy. 5. To enhance quality teaching.

Mrs Southall

Instructional Rounds – Why?

It’s what teachers think, what teachers do, and what teachers are at the classroom level that ultimately shapes the kind of learning that young people get.

Hargreaves & Fullan, White Paper

Mrs Southall

Instructional Rounds – Why?

• We don’t want I THINK to be the common denominator for our practice…

• Huge body of research and meta research (Dinham, Hattie, Robinson et al)

• We now know what ‘BEST PRACTICE’ includes. • We now know the most effective ways to improve

practice.

Mrs Southall

Instructional Rounds – Why?Mrs Southall

student engagement

teachers’ knowledge and

skilllevel of content

Increases in student learning occur only as a consequence of improvements in the level of content, teachers’ knowledge and skills and student engagement.

Task predicts performance

+

The power of the network

The work of networks is to create conditions for educators to engage in rigorous and challenging joint work and collaborative enquiry which constantly pushes them to examine and alter what they do.Earl & Katz

+A networked learning community(not networking)

Focus that is “right, shared and understood”Collaborative enquiryRelationships based on “respect and challenge” – not in “the land of nicePowerful evidence-informed student learning focus

The idea behind rounds is that everyone is involved in working on their practice, everyone is obliged to be knowledgeable about a common task of instructional improvement, and everyone’s practice should be subject to scrutiny, critique and improvement.

Stoll, Halbert & Kaser Elmore

Instructional Rounds – FEEDBACK (1)Mrs Bentley

How do you feel about instructional rounds, a network, peer observation and evaluation process designed to improve quality teaching practice?

1. Excited 2. Positive 3. Some Interest 4.Slight concern 5. Concerned

Instructional Rounds is based upon the work of Dr. Richard Elmore (2009)

Adapted ideas from the professional practice of medical rounds used by doctors.

Instructional Rounds - WHATMr Fung

Instructional Rounds in Education – ‘A network approach to improving teaching and learning.’

‘IR’ is the process of using a network of schools to examine what is happening with teaching/learning in classrooms.

Instructional Rounds - WHAT

Instructional Rounds - WHATThe Key Idea

“The idea behind instructional rounds is that:

everyone involved is working on their practice,

everyone is obliged to be knowledgeable about the common task of instructional improvement, and

everyone’s practice should be subject to scrutiny, critique, and improvement.”

Instructional Rounds - WHAT

The Instructional Core

TEACHER STUDENT

CONTENT

(Cohen & Ball, 1999)

TASKThe relationship between the teacher and the student in the present of content

Instructional Rounds - WHAT Teacher: What a teacher does in the classroom.Depends on teacher’s skill and knowledge

Student: What students do in the classroom. Level of ACTIVE student learning

Content: How concepts are presented and the tasks students are asked to complete. Difficulty of content; level of challenge; Activity vs. mastery focus

Instructional Rounds - WHATA Principal’s interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17lUxVTvZNU

Instructional Rounds - WHATA teacher’s interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEb4-jWvYTo

Instructional Rounds - WHAT

http://instructionalroundsineducation.ning.com/http://www.instructionalrounds.com/

Instructional Rounds – WHO & HOW When?

Instructional Rounds #1- Strathfield South PS June 8th-9th

Instructional Rounds #2- HWPSAugust 10th-11th (T3, wk 4)

Instructional Rounds #3- Newington PSTerm 4, 2011 TBC

Ms Wiseman

Instructional Rounds – WHO & HOW How will it be organised?10th August9:00 -11:30am IR teams meet @ HWPS and take part in professional learning/discussions related to differentiation in the classroom

11:30am Teams split into groups of four and begin visiting their assigned classrooms for 15 minute visits.

Each team visits four classrooms to observe differentiation in writing

Teams take note of any examples of differentiationobserved

Ms Wiseman

Instructional Rounds – WHO & HOW How will it be organised?10th August1:00pm All HWPS staff and IR teams enjoy lunch together!1:30pm - 3:00pm IR teams meet and collate notes taken

throughout the school as a whole11th August9:00pm - 3:00pm Teams use data collected to identify patterns and trends relating to differentiation at HWPS

Recommend future directions for HWPS in the area of differentiation

Ms Wiseman

Instructional Rounds – WHO & HOW What your day will look like

10th August9:00-11:20 normal morning11:20-12:30 Teach your usual writing program1:00pm All staff invited to catered lunch with IR teams2:00-3:00 normal afternoon

11th Augustnormal day

Ms Wiseman

Instructional Rounds – WHO & HOW What to expect?

• Four teachers will quietly visit your classroom for a maximum of 15 minutes between 11:30am – 12:30pm on 10th August

•Visiting teachers might say ‘hello’ when they arrive or ‘thank you’ when they leave

•Visiting teachers might sit down on a chair (if available) or stand at the side of the room

Ms Wiseman

Instructional Rounds – WHO & HOW What not to expect?• Visiting teachers will not interact with the class or interrupt the lesson, they are there to observe differentiation only.

•Visiting teachers will not discuss any of their observations while in the classroom, their visit will be silent

•Visiting teachers will not provide individual feedback to you about your lesson

•Visiting teachers will not discuss what they observed with anyone outside of the IR team and will not name you personally when sharing their observations with the team

Ms Wiseman

Instructional Rounds – WHO & HOW IR TimetableMs Wiseman

11:30 11:45 12:00 12:15

Group 1 KL 21C 43T 65D

Group 2 KG 21H 43D 65H

Group 3 KC 21O 43M Stage 3 support

Group 4 21L 21B Stage 2 support

65O

Reflection, QuestionsMrs Southall

Instructional Rounds – FEEDBACK (2)Mrs Bentley

How do you feel about instructional rounds, a network, peer observation and evaluation process designed to improve quality teaching practice?

1. Excited 2. Positive 3. Some Interest 4.Slight concern 5. Concerned