ladder of inference instructional leadership:. © az board of regents, all rights reserved, 2012....

Ladder of Inference

Instructional Leadership:

© AZ Board of Regents, All rights reserved, 2012.

• Name of Superintendent– Welcome & Why Important

• Name of Facilitator– Overview / Agenda– Enduring Understandings– Guiding Questions– Targeted Objectives– Introductions

Welcome & Introductions

Proposed Norms & Expectations

• Stay focused and fully engaged– no competing conversations please

• Participate to grow– share openly and monitor your listening

• Be a learner– create your own meaning and application

• Get your needs met– ask questions that benefit the group– personal questions on breaks

• Housekeeping– silence cell phones– handle business later– share ONE point …then next person


Surface prior knowledge effective teachers. Explain the Ladder of Inference as a tool for stimulating

conversation. Apply knowledge about at-risk student tendencies. Clarify why it is important to test perceptions by checking

for data, evidence, etc. Connect with current practices to gather data. Organize indicators of quality instruction in a framework

with monitoring methods. Create a plan of action to take back to your building to

monitor for quality instruction.

Intended Outcomes


Student Achievement Teacher Quality

Instructional Leadership

Implementing

Monitoring

Supporting

Communicating

Advocating

Planning

Instructional LeadershipKey Processes Applied to Performance Accountability


There are effective instructional

practices that maximize student

academic and social learning

Quality Instruction:


How do instructional leaders observe each teacher’s instructional practices routinely to provide feedback?

How do instructional leaders evaluate how instructional time is used?

How do instructional leaders use data to monitor the quality of instruction?

How do instructional leaders evaluate teachers’ instructional practices?

Research-Based Critical Behaviors


By the end of this workshop you will develop an action plan focused on applying the Research-Based Critical Behaviors.

In the column labeled “Current Reality” Rate yourself on a scale of 1-5

5 = Highly effective 3 = Satisfactorily Effective 1 = Ineffective

Describe the evidence that supports your application of this concept

Action Plan


How does the Ladder of Inference help us to test perceptions by checking for data,

evidence, etc.

Ladder of Inference Segment Guiding Question


What did that teacher do to bring out the best in you?

Share

Think back to your childhood and pick out the teacher that did the most for you?

Flashback:


The most effective teachers have…. High energy and the ability to help all students

learn – the low achievers, the average achievers, and the high achievers. They tend to be hard workers who are willing to share their expertise and resources with each other. They keep themselves and their students on task…Interestingly, they frequently are described as having a good sense of humor (1992, 32) .

According to Bratton’s view


But there is an apparent difficulty with this structure Do we jump up the ladder? Do we stick to the facts?

Ladder of Inference

The concept is actually a Reinforcing Loop, where the interactions build on what comes before it and influence what comes next


Systems Tool:

The Ladder of Inference


Scenario One: Work Situation• Bob, it’s plain as day.” You think

everything’s my fault, and you’re motivated to get me.

• Obviously Bob always disapproves of the way I do things.

• Bob thinks I don’t know how to handle this type of situation but he doesn’t want to say so.

• Bob is expressing criticism of me.

• On the tape, Bob said, “Diana, you were advocating and not inquiring just now.”

©AZ Board of Regents, BEST Professional Development, 2012. All rights reserved.


Scenario Two: Classroom Assumption

• Anna will never function as a capable adult

• Anna is so disorganized.

• Anna can never find anything

• Anna has lost her homework.

• Anna says she can’t find her homework.



Scenario Three: Student Perception

• Ms. Kenerson is going to be fired.

• She’s always getting into trouble in this school.

• Ms. Kenerson must have done something wrong.

• The principal was pretty mad.

• The principal came in and said “I need to speak to you in the hallway right now.”


Scenario Four: Friendships• My friends might not tell me the

truth.

• She lied to me about being busy with family.

• My best friend doesn’t like me anymore.

• He/She must be here with another friend.

• I see my best friend at the mall after he/she told me that they were busy with family today and couldn’t go to the mall with me.


How do my experiences and perceptions affect my beliefs?

• Research Articles:• Choose one of the following

articles to read:• Learning from Poor and

Minority Students Who Succeed in School . Harvard Education Letter (May/June 1999)

• or• Tasting Failure: Thoughts

of an At-Risk Learner. Phi Delta Kappan (2004-2005, pg. 242-243).



Work with a partner Stop after a small chunk & discuss

one comment and one question Identify -x- that influences the situation

Factual data, affixed meaning, assumptions, Conclusions, beliefs, & actions

How might each affect a person’s success. After reading fill-in the blank graphic

Consider the following What insights are provided by your awareness of the Ladder

of Inference. What implications might this have for monitoring the quality

of instruction?

TASK: Reading for a Purpose


What insights are provided by your awareness of the Ladder of Inference.

Sharing

What implications might this have for monitoring the quality of instruction?


Why is it important to understand the human tendency to “climb the ladder”?

Why is it important to test perceptions by checking for evidence, etc.?

How might this tool be used to guide an instructional leader in gathering observation data and/or in planning a conversation with a teacher about instruction?

Application of the Ladder of Inference


Consider the guiding question Use column labeled “Strategies/Ideas”

Connect today’s discussions with the “Research-Based Critical Behaviors.”

List at least THREE things per box Pair Share ONE strategy you learned

today and how you plan to use it at your school.

Closure for this Segment

22


Review the following… Targeted Objectives Research-Based Critical Behaviors

Next Steps What additional data do you need? Who will you involve in process? What resources do you need?

Action Plan Do what? By when?

Conclusion and Development of an Action Plan


In table groups (in a round robin format) Share one new learning and describe

how you will apply it in your job NO REPEATS!

Workshop Closure


Please complete “Participant Feedback” form Grant research Improve future workshops

Workshop Closure

ladder of inference instructional leadership:. © az board of regents, all rights reserved, 2012....

Documents

instructional time

outcomes az board of

quality of instruction

able share

current practices

norms facilitator

grouppersonal questions

plan of action