INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDS

Cohort 2013 - 14

August 13, 20131

MAKING CONNECTIONS

We are all learners…

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ROUNDS IS

A special kind of ‘walkthrough’, A special kind of ‘network’, A special kind of ‘improvement strategy’

INTEGRATED INTO ONE PRACTICE

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ROUNDS IS

Developmental

Complicated

Messy

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INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDSWhat it is NOT… What it is…

A programA practice designed to support an existing improvement strategy at the school or system level

An event A practice that is iterative and woven into existing improvement processes

An evaluation tool

No assessment of individual teachers or schoolsSeparate the person from the practice; focus on the practice Learn about effective learning and teaching

An implementation check

Rounds focuses on patterns of practice, predicted results, not compliance with directives

Training for supervision

Rounds focuses on collective learning, rather than individual supervisory practice

PassiveA community of practice where we expect to push each other and learn from each other

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OVERVIEW OF THE ROUNDS VISIT

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Preparatory work with host school & network Logistics Engagement of staff and school community Challenge of practice development

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

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

GRAPHICAL OVERVIEW OF ROUNDS VISIT

CHALLENGE OF PRACTICECHALLENGE OF PRACTICE

OBSERVATION/DESCRIPTION

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

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ANALYSIS: THEMES/PATTERN

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THEORY OF ACTION

IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY

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THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF ROUNDS

1. Identifying a problem of practice2. Observing 3. Debriefing

- Single-loop learning - Double-loop learning

4. Focusing on the next level of work

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WILL BE BACK…

10:00 AM 9

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL CORE

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.

TEACHER CONTENT

STUDENT

TASK

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.

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LEARNING TO SEE…

• Seeing is a discipline• It’s like a muscle – it gets

stronger with repetition• Foundation of our practice

…UNLEARNING TO JUDGE 11

LADDER OF INFERENCE

Chris Argyris; Senge et al. (2000), The Fifth Discipline

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DESCRIPTION WITH JUDGMENT

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“The teacher read from the book, Oliver Twist, which 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

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“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.”

LEARNING & UNLEARNING

Students worked for 20 minutes on an application problem

Students were focused on the task

Task was to write a five paragraph summary of how metaphors enhanced the novel

Task was a challenging application of literary knowledge

Descriptions Inferences

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DESCRIPTION VS

INFERENCE

EXERCISES

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LEARNING & UNLEARNING

Teacher asks, “How did you know this” Student explains.

Teachers asks a question.

Task: find different ways to create a total of 31.Student 1: 10+10+10+1 =31Student 2: 20+9 = 03Student 3: 41 – 10 = 31Student 4: 2+3x3+16 = 31

Task: find different ways to create a total of 31.Students wrote their responses in their math journal.

Fine-Grained Large-Grained

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FINE - GRAINED EVIDENCE VS

LARGE – GRAINED EVIDENCE

EXERCISES

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LEARNING TO SEE…

… … Unlearning to JudgeUnlearning to Judge

• Seeing is a discipline

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

• Foundation of our practice

WILL BE BACK…

1:30 PM 20

STIMULATING A SCHOOL VISIT

What to Observe…

•What are teachers doing and saying?•What are students doing and saying?•What is the task?

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DEBRIEFING

On your own…

Describe what you sawRead through your notes Transfer only descriptive statements from your notes to sticky notesAssign task manager/facilitator/timekeeper

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DEBRIEFINGSmall Group

Describe what you sawShare your sticky notes and help each other stay in the descriptive voice What did you see/hear that makes you think that?

Overcoming a culture of nice …

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DEBRIEFING

Small Group

Group the sticky notes/evidence in ways that make sense to you.Single pieces of evidence and be a “group”.Label your groupings

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JOURNAL ENTRY

Reflection Prompt

Hopes and fears…What I have learned…Questions I am pondering…

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