Who are We? What do We Do?

WHO ARE WE? WHAT DO WE DO? Coaches? Teachers? LMSs? Administrators?

A Changing Landscape

• Politics, Education and Professional Development

WI Peer Coaching Collaborative Mary Lou Ley [email protected]

• What professional learning will help teachers adapt and adopt innovative learning activities?

• What professional development changes teacher practice in lasting and measurable ways



Relationship between Training and Impact on Teacher Practice

(Joyce & Showers, 1994; Showers, Murphy & Joyce, 1996).

Research Findings On the job, job-embedded training Long-term, ongoing Focused on classroom activities Highly collaborative environment Structured to offer chances to learn from others from work of the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) (Sparks 2002), Michael Fullan

(2001), North Central Regional Laboratory (NCREL) (Sparks & Loucks-Horsley, 1989), and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) (2003, July).


Research: Collaboration

Top performing school systems understand that to improve instruction you need to use the following interventions:

• Coach classroom practice• Move teacher training to the classroom• Develop stronger school leaders• Enable teachers to learn from one another

» Barber & Mourshed 2007


The context of the classroom

• Collaboration• No more workshops after school out of the

classroom context• Taking teachers out of the context of their

classroom can only inform instruction. It does not change practice.

• Must occur in context of their teaching relevant to the student needs in their classroom


Focus on Systemic ReformMichael Fullon

“Six Secrets of Change”Secret #2: Connecting Peers with Purpose

• 1st time research shows when teachers collaborate on a regular basis student achievement goes up.

• What is important here is not just the peer interaction. It’s what peers are interacting about.

• What they should be interacting about is two things.– First, they should be interacting on the data

and how well students are doing – And second, they should be interacting around

the instructional practices that get results.

http://www.michaelfullan.ca/resource_assets/handouts/08_Nov_Keynote_A4.pdf

http://www.michaelfullan.ca/resource_assets/handouts/08_Nov_Keynote_A4.pdf

The most effective PD was:1. Technology-rich,2. Delivered through a coaching model, and3. Enhanced by the power of community and social

learning.

ISTE surveyed PD models that integrate context,

collaboration, and technologyIn analyzing successful programs three essential concepts emerged.

Never Was About Technology Langwitches Blog

• “poor teaching + technology = expensive poor teaching” Connor Bolton

What is the impact on learning?


http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/06/17/never-was-about-technology-time-to-focus-on-learning/



http://fastpaddy.blogspot.com/

Collaboration is Essential

• Coaching and Communication Skills• Developing skill in asking questions• Building relationships and trust• A new skill set for most coaches

• , p.2


Research on Teacher Conversations:

• Indentifies two patterns of conversation: Supportive practices and Developmental practices

• Supportive practices include teachers offering advice, suggesting approaches to tasks or concerns, and generally helping with daily classroom work. These occur informally and affect only one or a few teachers

• Developmental practices, on the other hand, are interactions that spur improvements in overall instruction and change classroom practices. These require collective and structured efforts.


2006 study by W. David Stevens at the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago

Richard du Four

The Importance of Community• “To create a professional learning

community, focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for results.”

Collaboration Communication Skills Challenges:

• Teachers have limited experience engaging in professional dialogue about their teaching and student learning

• Conversations tend to be more “show and tell” or offering help and easily tangential

• Research suggests these kinds of conversations do not improve practice


1. When the larger values of the organization and those of individuals and groups mesh. Purpose/ Focus2. When information and knowledge about effective practices are widely and openly shared. Criteria for

Quality3. When monitoring mechanisms are in place to detect and address ineffective actions, while also reinforcing and consolidating effective practices.

Reflection/Feedback

Purposeful peer interaction works effectively under three conditions

Importance of Reflection


The Quality of our Coaching =The Quality of our Conversations

Communication & Collaboration Skills

Structured Collaborative Conversations Coaches need to assist teachers in looking for evidence of:

• Intended – what students should learn• Enacted- what teachers teach• Assessed –what is assessed• Learned –what students learn

Focus: What is the impact on student learning?WI Peer Coaching Collaborative Mary Lou Ley [email protected]

WI Peer Coaching Collaborative Mary Lou Ley [email protected] Mary Lou Ley [email protected]

Focus on quality indicators that most lessons need improvement:

• Task: Setting, Audience, Product; Opportunities for collaboration. Use questions to clarify the task (REAL Problem, Purpose, Product, Audience)

• Standards: (21st Century, AASL, and Academic you intend to assess) only 2or 3

• Student Steps and Teacher Notes: Cohesive - Detailed, clarifies the product, adds scaffolding tools where needed.

• Assessment: How will you assess the standards you listed? Rubric? Checklist? Test? How will you assess product and process? Formative Feedback (that helps move student to the next step)

• Technology: Adds value to the teaching and learning; Reason for using technology (i.e Communication? Collaboration? Co- Create? Contribute?)

• Resources: Curricular, Web site, information, electronic and non electronic; how to cite.

Becoming a good coach takes time and opportunities to reflect with other coaches.

Year 1 Coaches:• Focus on being “Nice” to

build trust and acceptance• Helpful• Focus on Technology Tools• Tend to coach more

“informally” • No structured time or

process• Focus on themselves

1st year Coaches


Year 2 Coaches• Focus more on

learning outcomes• Find technology to

align with learning• Coach using more

protocol structured conversations

• Ask more probing questions

• Meet on a regular basis


The focus is on collaborating teacher and student learning


Reflections on Coaching

• Year 2 coach• “How my coaching has

changed over time”• http://www.youtube.co

m/watch?v=n9Peu_F0LxI&feature=youtu.be

• Year 2 LMS coach• http://www.youtube.co

m/watch?v=KJD7qjGZxss


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9Peu_F0LxI&feature=youtu.be



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJD7qjGZxss



Professional growth occurs when we engage in conversations around evidence of quality in

teaching and learning.

• Anchored in common definitions of quality indicators

• Focus on the collaborating teacher’s work. Factual evidence of how they are currently teaching and integrating technology

• Asking questions around the intended and enacted curriculum, assessment of student performance, and impact on learning.

• Ask probing questions that allow the teacher to think more deeply about their work

Two Case Studies:Reflection on Coaching

Table of Elements Edgar Allen Poe• Use Glogster• Level of Thinking?• Impact on Student

Learning? During Learning?• What improved?

• PowerPoint• Level of Thinking?• Impact on Student

Thinking? During Learning?• What improved?


I’m a coach who coached another first grade teacher this year.I think a successful coaching program consists of:1. expectations/goals that are clearly defined, but leave room for

flexibility, i.e. giving the “what” but not the “how2. sharing of tools, methods, lessons learned and success stories

amongst peers3. a product or two that can be used again, or improved upon for the

following year4. a “maintained” website for collaboration, tool sharing, etc.5. feedback from knowledgeable folks, i.e., Mary Lou, Andy, etc.6. emphasis on tools we already have that can be used creatively, i.e.

publisher, ppt, etc.7. time with the mentee that is built into the district/school, schedule8. opportunities to see what other successful coaching programs are/do9. opportunities to attend workshops, etc.These were all present in our coaching program this year.

A Peer Coaches Reflection on Successful Coaching this Year:

Nate from Superior

Tools and Resources

Effective Integration Effective Coaching• Lesson Improvement Templ

ates• Learning Activity Checklists• Lesson Improvement Comp

arison Chart• Technology tools and

resources• Coaches Handbook

• Coaching Protocols• Collaboration Logs• Coaching Guides • Wows and Wonders Protocols• Coaching self- reflection

rubrics• 5 Lesson Improvement Questi

ons• Learning Activity Checklist• Coaching Skills Cue Card• Lesson Comparison Chart


Impact of Coaching

Impact on Lesson Quality

WI Peer Coaching Collaborative Mary

Lou Ley [email protected]

Program Results 71% of participants felt the coaching program made a significant level of

impact on changing instructional practice • Understanding of how technology can be used to improve academic

curricula• Expertise in using technology to promote critical thinking and problem-

solving skills among students• Ability to integrate technology in ways that engage students in learning • Awareness of web based resources

Lessons demonstrated a significant increase in the cognitive level of the tasks students were asked to perform, real world connections, and an increase in use of technology.


Change in Lesson Quality Level 1 low Level 2 Minimal Level 3 High Quality

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Baseline Post

Comparison of change in levels of lesson quality

baseline to post


WI Peer Coaching Collaborative Mary Lou Ley [email protected] Mary Lou Ley [email protected]

Improvement in Quality of Lessons

Cognit

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Con

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Rea

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Leve

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Use

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to Pos

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0.5

1

1.5

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2.5

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Baseline Post

Average Level of Quality In-dicators

(1-low,3-high) in Lessons

Capture Growth

What would be evidence that change is happening in your program?


Documents

Who are We? What do We Do?