INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDS: A PRACTICE OF IMPROVEMENT Liz City April 25, 2013 "Although social change cannot come overnight, we must always work as though it

Instructional rounds: A Practice of Improvement

Liz City

April 25, 2013

"Although social change cannot come overnight, we must always work as though it were a possibility in the morning."-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Objectives

Understand the “what,” “why,” and “how” of rounds

Leave with a tool or idea you will apply in your practice

Today’s Agenda

Review objectives and agenda The Instructional Core What is Instructional Rounds? Why do rounds? Task How do we do rounds?

Preparing for rounds: Description, Problem of Practice

Observation, Debrief Analysis, Prediction, Next Level of Work

So what? Making connections between rounds and your work

Introduce yourself and discuss… Table for 3:Something you know (or think you know)

about rounds. Table for 4:Something you want to know about

rounds. Table for 2:Complete the sentence: “I learn best when

. . .”

The Instructional Core

What’s the work?


Student

Teacher Content

Save the Last WordText: Instructional Rounds in Education, Chapter

1 (http://bit.ly.irch1)Groups of 4 Select which of your quotes you would like to

share. Cite page of your quote and give your group

members a moment to find the quote Read passage to group with no commentary Pause for a moment for each person to think Each person has ~1 min to comment Reader has ~2 min to respond – the last word Repeat for each participant


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.

Teacher Content

Student

Task

Task

In Chapter 1, Instructional Rounds in Education

Agree?Argue?

Aspire?

What is (and isn’t) instructional rounds?

Classroom observations

Improvement plansNetwork

What it is and isn’t . . .

∅“Walkthroughs” or “drive-bys Rounds is descriptive, analytic, inferential

∅A teacher evaluation tool∅ NO assessment of individual teachers Separate the person from the practice; focus on the

practice

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

∅Training for supervision Rounds focuses on collective learning rather than individual supervisory practice—mirror, not window

∅A “program” or a “project”; an add-on, another initiative among many Rounds is a practice, designed to support an existing

improvement strategy at the school or system level The way we do the work

Graphical overview of rounds process

PROBLEM OF

PRACTICE

PROBLEM OF

PRACTICE

OBSERVATION/DESCRIPTION


NEXT LEVEL OF WORK

NEXT LEVEL OF WORK PREDICTION: “IF YOU

WERE A STUDENT. . .WHAT

WOULD YOU KNOW & BE ABLE TO DO. . ?”

PREDICTION: “IF YOU WERE A

STUDENT. . .WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW & BE

ABLE TO DO. . ?”

ANALYSIS: THEMES/PATTERN

S


S

THEORY OF ACTION

IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY

Sequential Overview of the Rounds Process

Preparatory work with host school and network Problem of practice development Logistics

Visit Problem of Practice Observation of Practice Observation Debrief (Describe, Analyze, Predict) Next Level of Work

Post visit follow-up with host and network Sharing data Following up (at host school and network)

Why do rounds? Instructional core and task

State three ways you could describe the level and type of learning in your school system without using test scores.

SIX WAYS OF DEMONSTRATING LEARNING

Level 1: FIND A FACT IN A TEXT IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION

Level 2: REMEMBER SOMETHING SOMEONE ELSE HAS TOLD YOU AND REPEAT IT

Level 3: REMEMBER A PROCEDURE THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS TAUGHT YOU AND APPLY IT ACCURATELY AND FLUENTLY

Level 4: CHOOSE A PROCEDURE FROM AMONG A NUMBER YOU HAVE LEARNED, APPLY IT ACCURATELY AND FLUENTLY, EXPLAIN WHY YOU CHOSE IT, AND WHY IT MIGHT BE BETTER THAN ANOTHER

Level 5: USING A BODY OF EVIDENCE, MAKE AN ARGUMENT ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS, ANTICIPATE AND RESPOND TO COUNTER ARGUMENTS

Level 6: TEACH SOMETHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW TO SOMEONE ELSE

Program for International Student Assessment, http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/index.asp

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/index.asp


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 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.

Teacher Content

Student

Task

Task

In Chapter 1, Instructional Rounds in Education

19

What do you see?

0.02

0.99

1.94

2.883.62

4.344.97

5.786.37

0

1

32

4

8

7

6

5

012345678

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Gra

de

Average Grade Level of Assignment Grade Level Standard

Source: Education Trust; John Holton, South Carolina Department of Education, analysis of assignments from 362 Elementary and Middle Schools in SC.

20

What do you see?

7.828.5

9.56 9.789

10

11

12

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12

Gra

de

Average Grade Level of Assignment Grade Level Standard

Source: Education Trust; John Holton, South Carolina Department of Education, analysis of English Language Art

Assignments in14 High Schools in South Carolina

Why do rounds?

A question you have to answer for yourself . . .

My brief answer . . . EKG . . . 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

Why not do rounds?

DescriptionProblem of practiceObservationDebrief

How do we do rounds? Prepare rounds? Practice rounds?

Developing the Discipline of Seeing Seeing is a discipline

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

Foundation of our practice

24

What do you see?

Choose an image card. Without showing it to your partner, describe what you see on the card. Partners, create an image in your head based on your partner’s description. NOTE: It is okay to use any words you want to describe the image.

Share the card. Partners:

Does the description match the card? When you look at the card, what do you see? How would you describe it?

26

Adapted from Learning Walkthough Guide, MA Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education

Description with Judgment

“The teacher read from a book that was not at the appropriate level for the class.”

“There was too much time on discussion, not enough time on individual work.”

“The students conducted a sophisticated lab experiment.”

Description without Judgment“Student 1 asked student 2: ‘What are we

supposed to write down?’ Student 2 said, ‘I don’t know.’”

“Students followed directions in the text to make circuit boards.”

“Teacher introduced a writing prompt to students.”

Instructional Rounds, p.85

Specificity of Evidence

“Teacher introduced a writing prompt to students.”

vs.

“Prompt for student essays: “What role did symbolism play in foreshadowing the main character’ss dilemma?”

Instructional Rounds, p. 93

30


Overview of a Rounds Visit

…Problem of Practice Observation of Practice Observation Debrief

Describe Analyze Predict

Next Level of Work

31

A Problem of Practice…

…focuses on the observations across

classrooms on one or two things contained

in the core that the school is working on.

Describing and Clarifying the Problem of Practice Host provides problem of practice

Why select it? Who selects it? Where does it come from? What other background do outsiders (visitors) need

to know about the problem and what the school/district has been doing to address it?

Visitors ask clarifying questions About background and context—to get clarity. About what to look for in classrooms to reflect back

to the school on the problem of practice.

Problem of Practice

After some initial growth in literacy and math performance, recently student performance on both benchmark and state tests is flattening. Most students are passing, but only half of the students are in the “proficient” category, with few in “advanced” on the state test. We may not be challenging students sufficiently in their daily work.

What tasks are students being asked to do?What questions do you hear?

Video: Practicing Observation

Stick close to the instructional core and focused on the problem of practice

Be specific, descriptive and not evaluative- take detailed notes! What are students saying and doing? What are teachers saying and doing? What is the task?

Video: 1. Key Elements of Observing Practice: A Data Wise DVD and Facilitator’s Guide2. Teaching for Deep Comprehension: A Reading Workshop Approach

Overview of the Rounds Visit …Problem of Practice Observation of Practice Observation Debrief


Next Level of Work

36



Next Level of Work

37

Remember the Problem of Practice!

After some initial growth in literacy and math performance, recently student performance on both benchmark and state tests is flattening. Most students are passing, but only half of the students are in the “proficient” category, with few in “advanced” on the state test. We may not be challenging students sufficiently in their daily work.

What tasks are students being asked to do?What questions do you hear?

Where would you put your evidence?


Descriptive Debrief

On your own:Read through your notes.Star data that seem relevant to the problem of practice and/or data that seem important.Select 5-10 pieces of data and write each one on an individual sticky note.Share with your group:Help each other stay in the descriptive (not evaluative) voice.Everyone speaks once before anyone speaks twice.

Analysis

1. Analyze the descriptive evidence in your small group, placing sticky notes on chart paper, grouping them, and labeling groups.

A sticky note can stand alone or be duplicated What groupings help you make sense of what

you saw? What patterns do you see?

2. Write statements or develop a model that describe the patterns you found in your data.

41



42

Teacher Content

Student

Task

Task

“Task Predicts Performance.”Predict what students are learning.

If you were a student at this school and you did everything you were expected to do, what would you know and be able to do?

43



Next Level of Work

44

Next Level of Work

Imagine if these data were from your school / district…

Consider… What resources exist to support improvement? What initiatives are already in motion?

What 3 detailed suggestions would you make to help the school move instruction to the next level?

Next week By winter break By the end of the school year

Graphical overview of rounds process

PROBLEM OF

PRACTICE

PROBLEM OF

PRACTICE



NEXT LEVEL OF WORK

NEXT LEVEL OF WORK PREDICTION: “IF YOU

WERE A STUDENT. . .WHAT

WOULD YOU KNOW & BE ABLE TO DO. . ?”

PREDICTION: “IF YOU WERE A

STUDENT. . .WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW & BE

ABLE TO DO. . ?”


S


S

THEORY OF ACTION

IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY

Learnings . . . So what?

Instructional Rounds compared to Supervision and Evaluation

Instructional Rounds

Supervision and Evaluation

Learning stance Inquiry: Genuinely want to learn something ourselves Main learners: The observers

Informative: Genuinely want someone else to learn something Main learner: The observed

Unit of improvement

Meant to improve the collective (school, system)

Meant to improve the individual

Accountability Lateral (peer-to-peer) Positional (top-down)

Output Next level of work, collective commitments

Evaluative feedback, prescriptions for next steps

Primary focus in the classroom

The instructional core, especially the students and the tasks they’re engaged in.

The teacher

In “Learning from Instructional Rounds,” by Elizabeth A. City, Educational Leadership, Vol. 69, No. 2, p. 36-41, October 2011.

How is rounds different from walkthroughs?

Lessons learned

It’s a practice—it takes practice (lots of repetition!) Rounds is countercultural—and it’s easy to slip

back into the default judgmental culture The interactions are what matter Rounds is something to do with teachers, not to

them Rounds by itself is not enough—it needs to be part

of an improvement strategy Rounds is not likely to yield strong results unless

you have a clear theory about how rounds leads to desired outcomes

Rounds is a powerful practice—it changes the way people see classrooms, focus their work, and talk

So what for me? For us?

What’s one tool or idea from today that you will apply in your practice? Why?

How does the work of instructional rounds relate to or build upon other improvement processes already under way in your district/school(s)? How could rounds deepen and accelerate your work?

What next?

Classroom observations

Improvement strategyNetwork

Thank you!

Documents

INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDS: A PRACTICE OF IMPROVEMENT Liz City April 25, 2013 "Although social change cannot come overnight, we must always work as though it