Doing Classroom Supervision Right SAM, Florida Kim Marshall
January 30, 2015 1 Slide 2 Some mediocre practices Teacher texting
or doing e-mail during class Going over bell work for the first 25
minutes Round-robin reading Teacher lecturing, students tuned out,
heads down Teaching while side conversations go on The COPWAKTA
syndrome Accepting one-word answers and moving on Low-quality
worksheets, lots of dreary test prep One-week delay getting work
back to students Finishing a class early and giving students free
time With all of these, the Matthew Effect 2 Slide 3 How much poor
and mediocre teaching in your school? 1.A lot 2.Quite a bit 3.Here
and there 4.Very little 5.None 6.Not sure Slide 4 After hiring,
what brings about continuous improvements in teaching? A culture of
purpose, possibility, and high expectations Feedback, coaching, and
support Teacher teamwork planning curriculum units Teacher teamwork
analyzing student assessments Effective professional development
Feedback from students An effective evaluation process? 4 Slide 5
Huge differences in supervision and evaluation Some supervisors
visit every classroom every day. * Some rarely leave their offices.
Some systematically observe and give feedback. Some rely on an
annual dog-and-pony show. Some teachers are confident that their
supervisor knows what goes on in my classroom. Some teachers fear
their supervisor doesnt and dread the annual evaluation. 5 Slide 6
MINI-OBSERVATIONS Supervisors having a way to see the daily reality
of classrooms: 1.Unannounced 2.Frequent 3.Short 4.Systematic
Supervisors having a good eye for teaching and learning: 5. Humble
6. Perceptive and able to decide whats most important 7. Keeping in
mind teacher goals, unit plans, and data An effective way to share
insights with teachers: 8.Face-to-face 9.Courageous 10.Follow-up
documentation 6 Slide 7 Are mini-observations being used in your
school? 1.Yes, systematically with all teachers 2.Quite a lot, but
not systematic 3.On a limited basis 4.Almost never Slide 8 What
might worry teachers about mini-observations? What concerns would
you predict (or have you heard)? What push-back? Rational and
irrational List as many as you can. 8 Slide 9 MINI-OBSERVATIONS
Supervisors having a way to see the daily reality of classrooms:
1.Unannounced 2.Frequent 3.Short 4.Systematic Supervisors having a
good eye for teaching and learning: 5. Humble 6. Perceptive and
able to decide whats most important 7. Keeping in mind teacher
goals, unit plans, and data An effective way to share insights with
teachers: 8.Face-to-face 9.Courageous 10.Follow-up documentation 9
Slide 10 Supervisors can only evaluate accurately and intervene
effectively if they are seeing teachers everyday practice, and they
can do that only if their classroom visits are frequent,
unannounced, brief, and systematic. 10 Slide 11 1. Unannounced This
causes anxiety a shift of focus with another adult Fundamental
attribution error judging vs. understanding But essential to
getting an accurate appraisal of teaching: Trust but verify Honest
quality assurance, believable praise and coaching One more reason
for teachers to bring their A game Apple grant criterion But to be
fair, unannounced visits must be 11 Slide 12 2. Frequent Sufficient
sampling to see daily classroom reality. Need to see different
times of day, days of the week Beginning, middle, and end of
lessons Different elementary subjects, different secondary classes
Enough for teachers and students to get used to visits Enough to
coach and praise frequently Enough to put together an accurate
picture of the year 10 per teacher per year seems like a reasonable
number. 12 Slide 13 13 Slide 14 14 Slide 15 15 Slide 16 16 Slide 17
17 To see them for who they really are. A Connecticut
superintendent Shes caught me being a phenomenal teacher, and has
also seen moments of shame, but ten varied visits provide her with
a picture of me that is actually me. Boston 7 th -grade teacher
Slide 18 Do the math for your school # of teachersMinis for year#
per dayStretch goal 606003.34 505002.73 404002.23 303001.72
202001.12 10100.61 Slide 19 Delegation? What I should have done at
Mather With multiple supervisors, several possible models Each
takes a portion of the staff Split up, then rotate at mid-year
Co-observing all year APs split, principal does everyone more
briefly Peer observers part of the mix In small buildings,
involving lead teachers? 19 Slide 20 3. Short How long in a
classroom to form a meaningful impression? 20 1.1 minute 2.3
minutes 3.5 minutes 4.10 minutes 5.15 minutes 6.20 minutes 7.25
minutes 8.35 minutes 9.45 minutes 10.1 hour or more Slide 21 Best
amount of time for mini-observations: 10-15 minutes Depending on:
How many teachers How many administrators doing minis How busy the
school is Note: no pre-observation conferences See Madeline Hunters
1986 article (MM 464) Maybe spot-check lesson plans during minis 21
Slide 22 What would be the best combination? (assuming a total of
100 mins./teacher) 22 1.33 visits, three minutes each 2.20 visits,
five minutes each 3.10 visits, ten minutes each 4.5 visits, twenty
minutes each 5.2 visits, fifty minutes each 6.Other Slide 23
Full-lesson observations ever? Yes, in three situations: Rookies
(ideally by instructional coaches, mentors) Unsatisfactory
teachers, by a supervisor (the skill of doing good write-ups is
vital here) If invited by a teacher to see a lesson The rest of the
time, lots of mini-observations But in many schools, this is a leap
of faith. Lets get into more details. 23 Slide 24 4. Systematic The
challenge: keeping up a steady pace year-long A daily target A
weekly target A checklist Blocking out sweet spots in the day for
visits Poker chips in pocket Seeing results in classrooms Rewarding
oneself Secretary reminding texting? Superintendent asking,
supporting Others? 24 Slide 25 Keeping track Two styles: visits in
daily schedule vs. fluid, on-the-go A checklist of classroom visits
is essential: Equity Seeing beginning, middle, and end of lessons
Seeing different subjects (elem.) or classes (secondary) Natural
tendency to avoid certain classrooms Combating the tendency toward
binge mini-observing 25 Slide 26 Other points of contact
Mini-observations dont tell the whole story: Teacher teamwork
Faculty meetings Professional development Parent interactions
Tutoring, clubs, study groups, community work Glimpses of these
fill out the picture. 26 Slide 27 MINI-OBSERVATIONS Supervisors
having a way to see the daily reality of classrooms: 1.Unannounced
2.Frequent 3.Short 4.Systematic Supervisors having a good eye for
teaching and learning: 5. Humble 6. Perceptive and able to decide
whats most important 7. Keeping in mind teacher goals, unit plans,
and data An effective way to share insights with teachers:
8.Face-to-face 9.Courageous 10.Follow-up documentation 27 Slide 28
5. Humble 28 Slide 29 The supervisor is visiting the teachers home
Tentative stance theres a lot the visitor doesnt know. Be present,
look attentive, interested Things that some teachers find annoying
or distracting: Visitors talking to students during frontal
instruction Texting or talking on a phone Observers whispering to
each other Sitting in the teachers chair Asking the teacher a
question Be unobtrusive, dont distort whats being observed. 29
Slide 30 When should supervisors get involved? 30 1.If he/she wants
to contribute an idea 2.If the teacher is not being clear 3.If the
teacher makes an error 4.If a student is misbehaving 5.If a student
asks for help 6.Some of the above 7.Only if safety is an issue
Slide 31 Survey teachers 1-2 times/year How often does an
administrator visit your classroom? How long does he or she usually
stay? How does he or she gather impressions? Do you receive
feedback afterward? If so, in what form? How soon after the visit?
Are you able to give your point of view? Has the feedback been
helpful? E-mail Kim if you want a full suggested questionnaire. 31
Slide 32 6. Perceptive and able to decide whats most important Two
levels of supervision (BZAEDS example): Generic: Common-sense
basics of good instruction, contained in a good K-12 rubric
Content-specific: Specialized subject-area, grade level, best done
by an instructional coach or peer observer Whats getting in the way
of thoughtful observations? Checklists and rubrics Electronic
data-gathering Superficiality 32 Slide 33 33 Documentation,
evaluation, and compliance Improving teaching and learning What is
the supervisors goal? Slide 34 You can observe a lot by watching
Slow down, breathe, listen, walk around the room. Observe teaching,
curriculum, and students. What is the learning task? Lesson plan on
teachers desk? Whats on the walls? Quietly ask 1-2 students, What
are you working on? A short mental checklist of key look-fors: 34
Slide 35 S - Safety O - Objectives T - Teaching E - Engagement L -
Learning 35 Slide 36 Focus on 1-2 change levers Dont overwhelm the
teacher with details. Dont dwell on superficial items. A spelling
mistake, student wearing a hat Decide on the 1-2 things to praise
or ask about. Bite-sized, actionable chunks to spur growth Directly
connected to student learning High-leverage 36 Slide 37 John
Wooden, UCLA basketball coach Dont look for big, quick improvement.
See the small improvement one day at a time. Thats the only way it
happens. And when it happens, it lasts. Quoted in The Talent Code
by Daniel Coyle 37 Slide 38 Coaching messages from 3 visits
Increase your radar: when you are engaging with one student,
deliberately scan the room to make sure all students are on task.
During the turn-and-talk, try to listen in so you can select a
group who had a good discussion and an answer that you want to be
heard by the whole group. Do not engage. Just give the consequence
with your teacher look and refrain from getting into the details of
why (which interrupts the flow of your lesson). You can go into the
why once the rest of the group is working. Julie Jackson (for more,
see Leverage Leadership p.76) 38 Slide 39 Do you need to be
persuaded that short visits are very, very informative? 39
1.Convince me Im very skeptical. 2.Im on the fence. 3.No, I believe
it. 4.Mini-observations are the only way to go. Slide 40 Which will
produce the most accurate, perceptive, and helpful information?
1.Detailed hand-written notes during the class 2.Detailed scripting
on a laptop 3.Detailed scripting on a tablet 4.Scoring on a rubric
during the class (paper or electronic) 5.Filling out an electronic
checklist such as eCove 6.Filming with an iPhone 7.Observing and
jotting a few quick notes 8.Observing and, after leaving, writing
some notes Slide 41 7. Keeping in mind teacher goals, unit plans,
and data Supervisors have 3-D glasses in classrooms when they: Know
the teachers improvement goals for the year Are familiar with the
unit plan that this lesson is part of Know how students did on
recent assessments and what the teacher is working on improving
Remember key points from previous mini-observations All this
greatly improves the supervisors eye 41 Slide 42 42 Slide 43
MINI-OBSERVATIONS Supervisors having a way to see the daily reality
of classrooms: 1.Unannounced 2.Frequent 3.Short 4.Systematic
Supervisors having a good eye for teaching and learning: 5. Humble
6. Perceptive and able to decide whats most important 7. Keeping in
mind teacher goals, unit plans, and data An effective way to share
insights with teachers: 8.Face-to-face 9.Courageous 10.Follow-up
documentation 43 Slide 44 8. Face-to-face Now the supervisor is
seeing daily classroom reality But that can be wasted is there isnt
good follow-up. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Ideally
within 24 hours of the classroom visit In a strategic location A
two-way conversation, really listening to the teacher
Growth-evoking coaching Follow-up: documentation, return visits,
peer coaching, PD, curriculum planning, PLC data work 44 Slide 45
Best location for mini feedback? 1.Principals office 2.Corridor
3.Playground 4.Teachers classroom, students not around 5.Cafeteria
6.Faculty lounge 7.Parking lot 8.A bar after hours 9.A phone call
in evening 10.Other Slide 46 Face-to-face feedback is the driver of
change Can quickly and efficiently cover a lot of ground Teachers
can fill in missing information Its less threatening, less
bureaucratic Supervisors can use cognitive coaching skills Can
differentiate feedback for each teacher The teacher can push back,
advocate for their pedagogy Can judge if its a bad moment to be
critical Can segue into general talks about instruction, status 46
Slide 47 Debrief chats: possible openings What were your goals for
this lesson? How did it go? (If goals not met) How could you close
the gap? Heres what I noticed I was struck by Tell me something you
hoped I would notice. Tell me a little about what was going on
before my visit. Im curious about what happened after I left. I
noticed Helene is really buckling down and working. What worked
best? What could be tweaked? Did you get your intended results? Can
we look through those exit tickets? 47 Slide 48 A good closing
question to the teacher What was your big take-away? 48 Slide 49 9.
Courageous 49 Slide 50 Low standards, lack of guts Want to keep the
peace, avoid conflict, be liked Fear of grievances, lengthy
proceedings Afraid of jeopardizing other initiatives. Wait for them
to retire. And some teachers are scary 50 Slide 51 51 Slide 52 A
leader who is silent on mediocrity speaks loudly Some teachers get
into bad habits, slack off. Addressing mediocre and poor teaching
depends on: Belief good teaching really, really matters Urgency
every minute counts A good eye knowing mediocre, poor practices
Guts How to keep a strong moral edge? The superintendent pushing
relentlessly, co-observing Regularly look at interim assessment
results 52 Slide 53 Unsatisfactory performance: shift gears If
ineffective teaching doesnt improve The teacher must know its
unsatisfactory. Level 1 rubric scores. I can help you out or I can
help you OUT. Full-lesson observations (unannounced, of course)
Another evaluator for a second opinion Improvement plan A timeline
for improvement Support, coaching 53 Slide 54 10. Follow-up
documentation For nine years, I gave only face-to-face feedback.
Alex Estrella changed my mind. Her process: Mini-observation
Face-to-face conversation A short paragraph to the teacher summing
up Written documentation serves two functions: Some teachers need
written reinforcement. It legitimizes mini-observations. The
danger: writing too much, not enough visits 54 Slide 55 A software
solution A net-based program: T-EVAL www.t-eval.comwww.t-eval.com
Created by three school administrators in Tennessee Keeps track of
mini-observations and follow-up debriefs, rubric scoring, teacher
self-assessment, goal-setting 1,000-character limit on comments; a
whalebone corset These take 10-15 minutes to write, electronically
sent to teacher, who can respond (also limited to 1,000 characters)
Much richer material for discussions among school leaders than
checklists and rubric scoring 55 Slide 56 Sample T-EVAL write-up
Good to talk to you about your 6th period English class today. What
an enigma! The lesson was perfectly planned and differentiated, and
yet, somehow, many of the students were not working as hard as I
felt they could have. They had a set of questions to answer based
on their reading of and listening to the short story, and several
of the students were not actively answering the questions. You and
I discussed when we met that you had also had frustrations with
them not reading when you asked them to. One recommendation that I
came up with was to try a timer and check in with them at intervals
through the lesson. Grading their class work each day may also
work. They also need a pep talk about college, as many of them are
not currently passing the marking period. Finally, in some cases, I
think a parent phone call and/or letter can help. The student aides
can assist with this. I look forward to working with you to get
these kids working well this semester. Sarah Scrogin, East Bronx
Academy for the Future 56 Slide 57 Which gives school leaders the
best information for teachers evaluations? 57 1.1-2 full-lesson
observations with pre- and post- conferences and write-ups 2.10
mini- observations with face-to-face talks and brief write-ups
Slide 58 58 Slide 59 Ten big payoffs from mini-observations See
reality, a true sense of whats going on in classrooms
Multi-tasking: observations, visibility, problem-prevention
Embedded PD, blending coaching, supervision, evaluation Coaching is
more effective one point at a time, spread out. Less stressful for
teachers, builds skills and self-efficacy One more reason for
teachers to bring their A game Pick up neat ideas, anecdotes,
cross-pollinate, better PD Credibility with parents and superiors;
protects teachers Humility Authenticity Credibility Trust Impact
Gather information for end-of-year evaluations 59 Slide 60 How
would you personally feel about being supervised using
mini-observations? 60 1.Strongly prefer this approach 2.Prefer it
3.No difference one way or the other 4.Uncomfortable with it 5.Very
critical of it Answer Now! 5 Slide 61 How much impact would this
have on teaching and learning? 61 1.Very positive 2.Somewhat
positive 3.Not much impact 4.No impact 5.Negative impact Answer
Now! 5 Slide 62 Lets face it, this is challenging Explaining it in
a way that will convince teachers The constant tug of H.S.P.S.
recovering, not recovered The trapped-in-the-office spiral Worries
about content knowledge, tough conversations Difficulty tracking
down teachers. Time for each mini: 10 + 10 + 10 (later) = 30
minutes But is anything more important? I made it my business. 62
Slide 63 Barriers to successful implementation? What would prevent
your school from using mini- observations? What steps could be
taken? 63 Slide 64 Contact information Kims e-mail:
[email protected] Marshall Memo website for rubrics and
articles (click on Kim Publications): www.marshallmemo.com 64
