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Planning & Conducting
Intentional Conversations
around the
Evaluation Process
Michigan ASCD
October 17 or 18, 2014
8:30 am – 3:45 pm
Learning Advocate:
Nancy Anne Colflesh, Ph.D.
Educational Consultant & Leadership Coach
517.339.5268 ncolflesh@gmail.com
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Planning & Conducting Intentional Conversations around the Evaluation Process
Michigan ASCD
2014-2015 School Year
Learning Advocate: Nancy Anne Colflesh, Ph.D.
Purpose
The purpose of this day-long learning experience for principals and assistant principals is to
strengthen their knowledge and skills for planning and conducting conversations with teachers during
the evaluation process.
Outcomes
Specific learning outcomes include, but are not limited to, the following:
 To understand the role and work of the principal as a Leader of Teacher Learning during
formative and summative evaluation processes;
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To learn and use a simple template for providing both encouraging and constructive
feedback about performance;
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To use a template for planning and conducting intentional conversations about teacher
performance and student learning; and,
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To make the connection between data collected during observations and the overall
professional learning designs for the faculty as a whole and for collaborative teams.
Procedures
A variety of learning experiences will be incorporated to maximize participation and ensure learning
and the application of that learning:
Lecture Bursts
Modeling
JIGSAW
Processing Pairs
Examining Our Work Practice with Feedback
Table Talk
Large Group Discussions
Intended Participants
There are two key groups of educational leaders who will benefit:
Primary Audience: Principals, assistant principals and central office administrators
responsible for the
evaluation of teacher (or principal) performance and student learning.
Secondary Audience: Instructional coaches, mentors of beginning teachers, staff developers
or teacher leaders responsible for teacher learning outside the formal evaluation process.
Learning Advocate
Nancy A. Colflesh, Ph.D., will serve as Learning Advocate for this day-long learning session. She has
worked with a variety of school districts and other professional organizations in their quest for higher
levels of reflective practice and efficient and effective group work. A former teacher, principal, staff
developer, service agency administrator and professor, she brings solid experience to her services in
organizational development: presenting, facilitating, and coaching. She earned her doctorate at
Michigan State University where her dissertation research on women leaders received national
recognition from the American Educational Research Association. Later, she received the UCEA
Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from the EAD faculty. In 2008, MEMSPA honored her
with their Educational Leadership Award. In 2013, she was one of ten finalists for the Greater Lansing
Woman of the Year Award. This spring, the MSU EAD faculty awarded her with the Nancy Anne
Colflesh Distinguished Alumni Award. Most importantly, she is a life-long learner.
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Trust is the on-ramp to building collaboration and collegiality
by Pat Roy
I
recently listened to teachers who concluded
that new forms of job embedded professional
development could not be successful without
trust. Trust, it seemed, needed to be
developed between and among staff members
as well as between the principal and staff in
order for teachers to embark on new and
seemingly risky form of professional
development.
Bryk and Schneider’s (2003) longitudinal
study of 400 Chicago elementary schools
reached the same conclusion: “Recent research
shows that social trust among teachers,
parents, and school leaders improves much of
the routine work of schools and is a key
resource for reform” (p. 40). They concluded
that relational trust is central to building effective
educational communities.
Trust, according to the authors, is elusive,
engaging, and essential to meaningful school
improvement. Trust is the expectation that
another’s word, promise, or statement can be
relied upon (Rotter, 1980). Relational trust
involves more than creating high morale; it is
developed through ongoing interaction each day
as people work together on improving student
learning.
To encourage and build teacher
collaboration and use job-embedded
professional development strategies, principals
need to build a school culture that is
characterized by trust (Roy & Hord, 2003).
Trust, in a school setting, involves making
educational decisions that put the interests
of students above personal and political
interests. Trust is built when teachers believe
student welfare and high levels of learning are
the foundation of school decisions. When
decisions seem to be based on personal or
political factors, trust erodes.
The principal also needs to keep his or
her word. When principals do what they say
and follow-up with promised actions, staff
members can believe their words. Principals
also need to believe in teacher ability and
willingness to fulfill their responsibilities
effectively. Trust is built on a foundation of
respect; a component of social respect is
competence. Principals need to show that they
believe in teacher competence and believe that
educators operate with the best interest of
students in mind. Yet trust can be undermined
when incompetence is allowed to persist. As a
result, the principal also needs to address
incompetence fairly and firmly. Bryk and
Schneider’s study showed that trust within a
school eroded quickly when the principal did not
tackle personnel issues related to
incompetence.
Principals demonstrated competence by
communicating a strong vision for the
school and clearly defining expectations that
are upheld for all faculty members. These
administrator skills allowed the school staff to
accomplish common goals and maintain a
cohesive professional community characterized
by collective responsibility for student learning.
This cohesive community is lubricated by
respectful interaction and courtesy among
administration and staff members.
Trust and respect is the on-ramp to building
collaboration and collegiality. Trust is the
“connective tissue that binds individuals
together to advance the education and welfare
of students” (Bryk & Schneider, 2003, p. 45).
This means principals need to spend time
considering how interpersonal interactions build
trust and respect among staff. The principal
needs to monitor his or her actions and those of
the staff to build and sustain trust.
REFERENCES
Bryk, A. & Schneider, B. (2003, March). Trust
in schools: A core resource for school
reform. Educational Leadership, 60(6), 4045.
Rotter, J. (1980, October). Trust and gullibility.
Psychology Today, 14(5), 35-42, 102.
Roy, P. & Hord, S. (2003). Moving NSDC’s
staff development standards into practice:
Innovation configurations. Oxford, OH:
National Staff Development Council
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Effective Feedback
Center for Creative Leadership
A template for…
 _____________________________ feedback when
we want behavior to become ___________________
or more ____________________________________
 _____________________________ feedback when
we want behavior to _____________________ or
________________________
S _______________________________________
B _______________________________________
I _______________________________________
of the behavior on: ________________________
N. Colflesh, Ph.D., Colflesh & Associates, LLC, ncolflesh@gmail.com
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Samples of Effective Feedback Given to Teachers
Following Learning Walks
Nancy:
It was clearly evident that your planning was extensive for this instruction. The learning
activities were all congruent to the objective you had established and shared at the
beginning of the instruction. As you know, careful planning results in stronger student
learning. Thanks for the care you take with this part of your work as a teacher at our
school.
[Principal’s Name]
Anne:
During yesterday’s lesson on the articles of confederation, you captured the students’
attention and made their learning meaningful when you used the questions about their
lives and parenting some day to make the connection to the colonies and their efforts to
form their own government. Such a “hook” gets them focused, which is such an
important part of the learning process! I wonder how you will focus their attention at the
beginning of other kinds of instruction.
Nancy
Jacque:
You have restructured your classroom! The room arrangement you have now appeared
so much more supportive of the kind of learning you want your students to do. Clearly,
you had taught them new routines for handling daily tasks and working with partners. As
a result, there was a high level of engagement in their learning during my observation
this morning. I wonder how you are thinking about the arrangement now and for future
learning.
Nancy
Phil:
You certainly captured your students’ attention today when you used graphic organizers
to help them make sense of the complex topic of civil rights. I would appreciate an
opportunity later this week to sit down with you to examine their finished graphic
organizers and talk about your assessment of their learning. Please let me know when
we could get together.
Nancy
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Ted:
It is such hard work to teach students how to write well. During my visit to your
classroom earlier this week, I wished I had brought a couple of our beginning teachers.
Your key points about paragraphs were so succinct, no one seems to miss them as they
put pencil to paper. As I walked around the room during their guided practice, it
appeared that each student had made a great start with their paragraph. If you want to
share with me how the instruction unfolded during the rest of the week, I would be very
interested.
Nancy
Jeanne:
During the ten minutes when I visited your classroom today, you moved your students
several times to work with different partners, do some processing, and pose new
questions. This kind of movement, the cognitive researchers tell us, helps learners’
brains work more effectively. I wonder how teachers could get more movement into their
instruction on a regular basis at our school.
Nancy
Lawrence:
When you stopped by after school yesterday and did some thinking out loud about your
instruction for today and tomorrow, I was impressed with your ability to not only reflect
accurately on what was happening with your students’ learning, but also your
commitment to figuring out what to do better and/or differently to help the struggling
students perform at a higher level. A teachers’ ability to reflect accurately, and to
determine next steps for continuous improvement, impacts his professional
growth…and the students’ learning. Thanks for taking time to share your thinking with
me. I am eager to hear how their learning progressed!
Nancy
Allen:
Wow! The level of students’ engagement in their learning during yesterday’s
observation was solid evidence of your careful planning for this instruction. I wonder
how you will get the same level of engagement when the content is not so conducive to
the kinds of activities you used yesterday.
Nancy
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The Instructional Leader’s Guide to
Strategic Conversations with Teachers
By Robyn JacksoN
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LOW WILL / LOW SKILL
Low Will/Low Skill teachers not only struggle with their content area and their pedagogy, but
they have little or no motivation to improve. Without either the skill or the will to deliver effective
instruction in the classroom, these teachers can do students great harm. Thus, it is important for
instructional leaders to act quickly to move these teachers either to another quadrant or out of
the building.
Often, it is difficult to understand the kind of negative impact these teachers can have on
students. We tend to tolerate Low Will/Low Skill teachers because they are so difficult to move.
Unlike the Low Will/High Skill teacher who acts as saboteur and thus can quickly earn our ire,
Low Will/Low Skill teachers do not tend to buck the status quo. Theirs is a more passive
resistance to change and as a result, many instructional leaders tend to tolerate them or at best,
work around them, and spend their energy focusing on the more troublesome teachers.
Low Will/Low Skill teachers are often assigned remedial classes or other classes that are
low profile in the building.
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Low Will / Low Skill teachers SAY:
I only have three years to retirement so I am just biding my time.
I am too old to change.
Just tell me what you want me to do.
I went into teachers so I could have the summers off.
I am happy with things just the way they are.
I’ve seen these educational fads come and go so there is no use in changing the way I
teach.
My students are low, they can’t be expected to do X.
My principal/head/team leader just doesn’t like me or the way I teach.
Low Will/Low Skill teachers DO:
Read the paper or complete crossword puzzles during staff meetings.
Show up late to meetings and contribute little if anything to the discussion.
Are the last ones in the buildings and the first ones to leave.
Do not seek our professional development activities.
Use the same lesson plans year after year.
Spend their planning period socializing or running errands.
Rarely participate in professional development over the summer.
Are resistant to feedback (this resistance may be passive).
Focus on coverage rather than mastery.
May rationalize instructional short comings by pointing out the other extra-curricular support
they provide in the school building such as coaching, sponsoring a club or activity, or
ordering supplies.
Have a hard time articulating the connections between classroom activities and the content
or skills students need to master.
Fail to anticipate elements of the lesson that will confuse students.
Give unclear directions to students.
Strategies for Low Will/Low Skill Teachers
Identify which will be easier to tackle first, will or skill, and start there.
Share your passion and commitment for teaching and learning in both formal and informal
conversations.
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Use multiple sources of data such as lesson plans, student artifacts, student performance on
standardized tests and other measures, and both formal and informal observations to identify
patterns and gaps in performance.
Use frequent informal observations as a way of holding them accountable.
Give them more challenging assignments, provide them with the necessary support, and
then hold them accountable for the work they must do.
Stop enabling LWLS teachers by providing them with a lightened academic load and less
challenging assignments.
Focus on the choices teachers make in the classroom and their impact on students.
Point of missed opportunities to challenge students, provide more rigor, or otherwise engage
students in the classroom.
Ask to see lesson and unit plans regularly and look for evidence that they are being
implemented in the classroom.
Ask to see samples of student work and get the teachers to explain the connections between
this product and the skill or content he is teaching.
Ask teachers to present evidence of the way in which they keep themselves current in the
field and discuss how this learning is evidenced in their instructional practice.
Conduct a career coaching conversation focused on their aspirations, career goals, and
professional achievement goals. Ask teachers to project where they see themselves in five
years and how they see their current performance helping them to achieve their goals.
Conduct frequent informal hallway conversations about teaching and learning.
Provide directives for improvement.
Focus some reflective conversations on non-classroom areas of performance such as
collaboration with colleagues, professional learning opportunities, and professional duties
and responsibilities.
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LOW WILL / HIGH SKILL:
Low Will/High Skill teachers have the pedagogical and content area knowledge to be effective
teachers; however, they are not motivated to improve their instructional practice and typically
have fairly low expectations of their students. They are able but unwilling.
Low Will/High Skill teachers tend to be the saboteurs in your building. They have the skill set
to be effective teachers but for a variety of reasons, refuse to do what is best on behalf of
students. They will typically have well-planned lessons and usually have a good grasp of the
content, but their relationships with their students and their colleagues are often poor.
Additionally, these teachers refuse to take ownership of their students’ performance and
therefore resist feedback.
Many Low Will/High Skill teachers used to be High Will/High Skill teachers. But, over the
years, they may have experienced some disappointment or frustration that has sapped them of
their will. The bad news is many of these teachers have let their frustration turn into cynicism.
The good news is that if there were once High Will/High Skill teachers, they can become High
Will/High Skill teachers again.
Low Will/High Skill teachers SAY:
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That won’t work.
We’ve already tried that.
It’s not my fault.
I’ve done everything I could.
When are we going to hold the students responsible?
My students just don’t care.
There isn’t time.
We always get more to do, nothing is ever taken away.
What’s the point? I get the same paycheck as the person who leaves when the bell rings.
When is someone going to do something about those teachers?
Students weren’t like this 10, 20, 30 years ago.
They should have learned this last year. They don’t know the basics.
Low Will/High Skill teachers DO:
Blame the parents.
Blame the students.
Refuse to take ownership for their problems.
Resent reflective conversations.
Focus on tweaking their lesson plans rather than on building relationships with students.
Work late.
Come to staff meetings on time but carry on sidebar conversations.
Take leave on staff meetings and professional development days.
Tent to have low expectations of students (or ability based beliefs – the smart kids will do
great, we’re wasting our time with the ones who will never get it).
Prefer content-related professional development versus professional development that
addresses pedagogical issues.
Spend a lot of time denying or shifting blame.
Rarely send students to the office but when they do, it is usually for seemingly minor or
arbitrary infractions.
Close their doors.
Plan alone.
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Teach advanced classes.
Many have received positive performance evaluations in the past and therefore may resist your
initial efforts are helping them improve.
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Strategies for Low Will/High Skill Teachers:
Focus on their strengths and arrange their work so their strengths are maximized.
Match them to tasks that take advantage of their strengths.
Regularly recognize and celebrate their accomplishments.
Model giving input in a positive manner.
Seek to find common ground in terms of beliefs on which you can build
First build rapport, then ask for change
Try to find out the underlying reasons for the lack of will
Work to develop ownership rather than buy-in.
Use data to support recommendations.
Use informal observations as a way of building rapport and for initiating conversations about
instructional practices and beliefs.
Challenge negative statements by asking the teacher probing questions rather than by
expressing outright disagreement. Use reflective conversations to help the teacher see what
is wrong with the statement.
Focus on patterns of behaviors rather than discrete incidents.
Conduct frequent informal hallway conversations about their lives and their concerns.
Leverage favors.
Begin with recommendations for improvement but if these are not implemented, move to
directives.
Involve another trusted administrator or supervisor to increase credibility.
Prompt them to invite you to class when they try a new or innovative lesson – and praise
their efforts.
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HIGH WILL / LOW SKILL:
High Will/ Low Skill teachers tend to be the newer teachers in the building. Either they have
recently graduated from a teacher preparation program or they have come to teaching because
they want to make a different and have taken an alternative certificate route. They are excited
about teaching and sincerely want to do what is best for their students, but they lack the
pedagogical and/or the content area knowledge they need to be effective in the classroom.
The good news is these teachers are willing to learn. They just need to be pointed in the
right direction. Often, they lack experience in the classroom and therefore struggle with
classroom management.
The danger with High Will/Low Skill teachers is that their lofty ideas will sometime lead them
to implement strategies that seem to make sense but which actually do students more harm
than good. So eager are they to be effective in the classroom that they may try a variety of
strategies or activities without giving much thought to whether these strategies or activities
actually improve student achievement.
High Will/Low Skill teachers tend to struggle in three key areas: Lesson planning, classroom
management, and content area knowledge.
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High Will/Low Skill teachers SAY:
I came across this great new strategy I am going to try.
I love kids.
I went into teaching for the intrinsic rewards.
I have their terrific new activity I am going to use with my students.
Nothing. When things aren’t going well, it’s hard for them to recognize or admit they need
some help.
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High Will / Low Skill teachers DO:
Attend faculty meetings on time and participate with enthusiasm
Tend to struggle with classroom management
Create lesson plans focused on activities versus mastery objectives
Tend to be very warm, friendly, and well-liked by students and parents
Create lessons lacking consistent rigor
Create lessons that may look good on paper but fail in execution
Invite you to their classrooms
Attend staff development training enthusiastically
Stay after school and during lunch to work with students
Have a hard time anticipating lesson elements that will confuse students
Allow students to pull them off track or engage in side discussions
Take feedback personally
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Strategies for High Will / Low Skill Teachers
Share research and best practices focused on the particular instructional strategy or
strategies that need to be addressed
Work with the teacher to develop specific improvement goals and steps in improvement
process
Celebrate progress towards goals
Use data to identify areas for improvement and to track progress
Build professional learning communities to provide support
Use informal observations as a way of providing quick feedback on progress towards goals
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Provide clear, specific feedback in a structured but collegial context
Use exemplars and models of the teaching behaviors and strategies you expect to see
Establish clear benchmarks for improvement
Encourage suggestions and alternative ideas from the teacher
Provide opportunities for self-evaluation as skill set improves
Provide directives for improvement at first, but move to recommendations as skill set and
knowledge base improves
Establish a formal support group facilitated by a master teacher that will allow teachers
specific assistance through join problem solving and an opportunity to learn and practice
effective collegial interaction
Have teachers talk through a lesson step-by-step beforehand to learn to anticipate the times
students will need support and clarification (for example, moving into groups, explaining
multipart directions, distributing materials)
Build a sense of control by providing written information experienced teachers take for
granted – copies of the bell schedule, policies and procedures, contact people in the school
for various needs
Arrange for the teachers to observe high will/high skill teachers in the building
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HIGH WILL / HIGH SKILL
High Will / High Skill teachers are those teachers every leader dreams of having. Not only are
they highly motivated and committed to their students’ success, but they have the content
knowledge and the pedagogical expertise that most likely results in student success. These are
your master teachers.
The danger with High Skill / High Will teachers is that they are often neglected. We tend to
spend the lion’s share of our efforts with our ineffective teachers and leave the High Skill / High
Will teachers to their own devices. If we are not careful, these teachers can reach professional
ennui and just become plain bored. These teachers also can become genuinely overloaded as
they are asked to take on more and more support for student and staff.
If that happens, we can quickly lose the teachers we most want to keep. They migrate to new
schools or new positions in search of new challenges that would keep them engaged and
motivated to remain in our schools.
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High Will / High Skill teachers SAY:
My principal never comes by my classroom
I can help any student learn
Yes, I’ll help with the meeting, activity, field trip, conference, etc.
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High Will / High Skill teachers DO:
Become frustrated with a lack of feedback from their instructional leader
Rarely receive visits to their classrooms
Mentor new and younger teachers
Are tapped by the district to write curriculum and conduct training
Will engage in professional development but are careful about which activities they choose
Are cooperative during staff meetings but often get impatient with what they consider “fluff”
Share their materials with other teachers
Have high expectations of students
Provide rigorous instruction
Have few classroom management issues
Rarely send students to the office
Hold students accountable for their behavior and their learning
Avoid the teacher’s lounge or other places where people complain
Express frustration with teachers who don’t “get it”
Wonder why they work so hard (especially if their efforts aren’t acknowledged)
Work independently for the good of the school and students
Make good decisions
Anticipate student confusion
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Strategies for High Will / High School Teachers
Publicly recognize their accomplishments and have them share their learning with staff
Challenge them to increase their competence in a particular area
Actively seek their input in the day-to-day operations of the school
Provide them with informal leadership opportunities within the school
Use informal observations as a way of providing acknowledgement for the work they do
Communicate that the work of excellent teachers is never done. Students’ needs are
constantly evolving and so should their practice.
Provide opportunities for self-evaluation and reflection
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Ask them to present their data to you and explain what the data indicates
Arrange for other teachers or other support professional to provide some help (just because
they planned the field trip doesn’t mean they need to copy all the permission slips too)
Help them develop leadership opportunities for developing teachers
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Planning an Intentional Conversation
Do a POP for an intentional conversation:
Purpose ............... Determine the overall purpose for the intentional conversation.
Ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish, overall, as a
resultof this conversation? What issue(s) must be addressed?”
Outcome(s) ......... Consider the 2-3 outcomes which must be accomplished during
the conversation so that the overall purpose will be met. Ask
yourself, “What do I want the person to know and be able to
do? In what order shall these outcomes be accomplished during
the conversation?” Remember: Assume good intentions.
Procedure(s).........Think ahead about:
 the data or artifacts which need to be gathered;
 how the data will be used to find common ground or
build shared knowledge;
 which key questions will promote reflection; and,
 what major messages must “get across” to accomplish
the outcomes.
Also, ask yourself, “How will I check for understanding during
the conversation to make sure the person/group has heard and
understands the key points and/or major messages?”
Action Steps .......... Decide what action steps will be taken, if appropriate, at this
point in the process. These should be very specific action steps,
taken by the person, including timelines. Determine what
support and/or resources are needed. Informal or formal steps?
Assessment ........... Determine how the effectiveness of this conversation will be
assessed, immediately, and over time. Ask yourself, “How will I
know the conversation was effective? What questions can I
pose or what observations can I make…now and over time?”
Follow-up ............. Depending on the overall purpose of this conversation, it may
be wise to follow up with an informal, emailed reminder or a
more formal “memorandum of understanding”.
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Planning an Intentional Conversation
Purpose:
Outcomes:
To____________________________________________________________
To____________________________________________________________
To____________________________________________________________
Procedures:
Data:
Key Questions:
Major Messages:
How To Check For Understanding:
Action Steps
By When
Support Needed
1.
2.
3.
Assessment : Reflections and Observations
Follow-Up to Conversation:
Adapted from POP, a TWQM strategy. McFalone Consulting, debbiemcfalone@yahoo.com;
Colflesh and Associates, LLC. ncolflesh@gmail.com
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Planning an Intentional Conversation
Purpose:
Outcomes:
To____________________________________________________________
To____________________________________________________________
To____________________________________________________________
Procedures:
Data:
Key Questions:
Major Messages:
How To Check For Understanding:
Action Steps
By When
Support Needed
1.
2.
3.
Assessment : Reflections and Observations
Follow-Up to Conversation:
Adapted from POP, a TWQM strategy. McFalone Consulting, debbiemcfalone@yahoo.com;
Colflesh and Associates, LLC. ncolflesh@gmail.com
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Planning an Intentional Conversation
Purpose:
Outcomes:
To____________________________________________________________
To____________________________________________________________
To____________________________________________________________
Procedures:
Data:
Key Questions:
Major Messages:
How To Check For Understanding:
Action Steps
By When
Support Needed
1.
2.
3.
Assessment : Reflections and Observations
Follow-Up to Conversation:
Adapted from POP, a TWQM strategy. McFalone Consulting, debbiemcfalone@yahoo.com;
Colflesh and Associates, LLC. ncolflesh@gmail.com
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Individual Development Plan
Goals and Initial Actions
Name:
Date:
Identify three goals; fill out one of these forms for each one. Goals should be SMART:
Specific & Strategic, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-focused.
Goal: What I want to improve and accomplish.
Rationale: Why this goal is an important one for my practice and my students’ learning.
Measure of Success: What evidence or artifacts will support my successful achievement of this goal?
Possible Obstacles:
Possible Solutions:
Action Steps:
By When
Review Date
Completed
Support from my Supervisor:
Evidence of Success: What data, information and/or artifacts show success with this goal?
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TEMPLATE
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TO:
FROM:
DATE:
Teacher
Instructional Leader
Date
RE:
Follow-up from our Conversation Dated ___________
Thank-you for taking the time to meet with me today to discuss (general statement of the problem or issue). The
following is a summary of our conversation:
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______________________________________ (Specific statement of the problem or issue)

______________________________________ (Data to support your assessment of the problem or issue)

______________________________________ (Directive)
In the course of our conversation, I committed to (outline the support you agreed to provide)
___________________________________________________________________________________.
You committed to __________________________________ (outline the action steps the teacher will take).
I will ____________________________________ (Describe the follow-up and accountability measures you will
take including the date for each).
I sincerely hope that, as a result of these agreements, we will ____________________ (describe the desired state
in terms of target teacher behavior and student achievement results).
If you have any questions or concerns, my door is always open.
________________________________________
Teacher’s signature showing receipt of memo
________
Date
________________________________________
Administrator’s signature
________
Date
Source: The Instructional Leader’s Guide to Strategic Conversations with Teachers. R. Jackson. 2008.
24
Article One
Evaluation of Teacher Performance & Student Learning
This month, based on recent observations when working with teams of principals as they
wrestle with making the new evaluation processes doable and, at the same time, meaningful
and growth-evoking, I am going to focus on thoughtful practices and practical advice.
A revelation
One of my most recent revelations has been the commonly used term “teacher evaluation”. It
greatly concerns me because we are not, after all, evaluating the person. Instead, we are
observing and gathering and using data to evaluate each teacher’s performance and its impact
on the students’ learning. Just stating it differently clarifies our purpose and our work.
It’s Not a Mystery
When principals seek questions to pose as they talk with teachers about their practice, DuFour
provides us with his now-familiar questions used to clarify purpose in a professional learning
community:
1. What does the teacher want the students to know and be able to do?
2. What does the teacher do with the students who already know it or can do it?
3. Are the students learning?
4. How does the teacher know? What is his/her evidence of each student’s learning?
5. If some students did not learn, what is the teacher doing about it? What are the school
and its collective systems doing about it?
This set of questions can guide teachers’ collaborative planning, provide a template for pre-and
post-observation conversations, and/or inform principals’ thinking during observations in
classrooms.
High Levels of Engagement = More Ownership
During the past 30 years, Thomas McGreal has offered us solid direction and resources for
making evaluation processes meaningful and research-based. In the mid-nineties, ASCD
published his book with Charlotte Danielson. In all of his work, he reminds us of these key
components of a thoughtful and meaningful process of evaluating teacher performance and
student learning:
 There must be an agreed-upon set of standards upon which the evaluation process is
based. For more up-to-date information about evaluation resources, visit the Michigan
ASCD website at www.michiganascd.org.
 Second, each teacher should complete an annual self assessment using the set of
standards. By doing so, the teacher becomes more involved in the evaluation process,
bringing to the conversation as assessment of perceived strengths and areas for possible
growth.
 Third, goal setting is an essential component of the evaluation process which results from
the principal and teacher comparing and discussing the assessments both have done.
25


Goal setting is the component which encourages continuous improvement in professional
practice.
Next, he encouraged us to consider reciprocal learning as part of the evaluation process,
in which BOTH parties learn from each other and the process. In today’s professional
learning communities, it seems that this point is well taken.
Last, he reminded us that this process is designed for professional growth…an
opportunity to use data, standards, assessment, observations and conversations to help
teachers continually improve their professional practice and, as a result, their students’
learning.
Article Two
Evaluation of Teacher Performance & Student Learning
IMPROVEMENT PLANS
The columns during the month of December have focused on the evaluation of teacher
performance and student learning. During the holiday break, I spent a lovely afternoon with a
group of beginning principals and they requested that I commit more columns to the
development of improvement plans for teachers whose performance warrants such attention,
clear messages and support. So, in response to their heartfelt request, here goes!
First, when there is a teacher (or other kind of employee on your staff) whose performance
warrants your careful attention, clear messages and support, keep in mind the following
essential messages I learned a few years ago from a team of attorneys who work with
administrators when dismissing a teacher for reasons of performance and student learning:
1. CLEARLY state, and do it several times and several formats, to the teacher that his/her
performance is NOT acceptable and that significant improvement must be made in
specific areas or continued employment is not guaranteed. The attorneys said that
teachers often did not “hear” the message and, therefore, did not take the issues
seriously from the start of the process. We all know, from the cognitive researchers, that
when emotions rise, cognition decreases.
2. CAREFULLY GATHER AND EXAMINE DATA during Learning Walks and formal
observations which support the stance you are taking and the reasons why you are
seriously concerned about the quality of the teacher’s performance and the rate and
amount of student learning in that classroom. The attorneys stressed that, as the old
saying goes, “Document, document, document!” They also said that our younger
generation of principals seem to be more knowledgeable in the area of teaching and
learning and KNOW what to look for when gathering and analyzing a variety of sources of
data. They said that many of the “old guard” principals simply didn’t know what effective
practice looked and sounded like. Ouch!
3. KEEP IN MIND that the average buy-out proposal for an ineffective teacher (not near
retirement)……if your district decides to take that route…..is $40,000. Again, these
attorneys emphasized that, if the principal has developed a strong improvement plan for
the teacher’s performance and student learning, has worked carefully and diligently WITH
the teacher to achieve improvement, and the teacher cannot or will not perform, then s/he
26
must be counseled out of the profession. As one of those bright beginning principals
quoted, “Help them grow, or help them go!”
As we venture into this set of columns focused on improvement plans for teachers, I strongly
encourage you to consider Barker and Searchwell’s valuable 2008 resource Writing Year-end
Teacher Improvement Plans – Right Now!!
In the meantime, let’s concentrate on four essential questions to consider when determining
whether an improvement plan is an appropriate next step in the evaluation process with a
specific teacher:
1. When you think about this teacher’s performance and the rate and amount of student
learning in his/her classroom, what is it that the teacher must do less of……to become a
more effective teacher?
2. Or, when you think about this teacher’s performance and the rate and amount of student
learning in his/her classroom, what is it that the teacher must do more of……to become a
more effective teacher?
3. Or, you might think about this teacher’s performance and the rate and amount of student
learning in his/her classroom, and identify what the teacher could do better……to
become a more effective teacher?
4. Then, you might consider, when thinking about this teacher’s performance and the
amount of student learning in his/her classroom, what must this teacher do differently
…to become a more effective teacher?
These questions can help you identify some areas which might be easily improved because the
teacher can just quit doing some things, start doing more things or do things more often, or
improve something…..before launching into those decisions, actions and/or strategies which
must be quite different. As another old saying goes, “Start with the low-hanging fruit.”
Next time, we will examine the key components of an improvement plan and how it differs from
an Individual Development Plan (IDP) which is used with beginning probationary teachers
during their pre-tenure years.
Article Three
Evaluation of Teacher Performance & Student Learning
IMPROVEMENT PLANS
This series of columns will focus on the development of improvement plans for teachers whose
performance and rate and amount of student learning are unacceptable. When doing this kind of
work, it is imperative to provide a VERY clear message to the teacher about:
 The seriousness of the feedback and key messages about performance and the rate and
amount of teacher/student learning
 The specific areas which require attention and improvement
 The implications if the principal cannot or will not improve his/her performance and the
rate and amount of teacher/student learning
27
Several central office administrators and superintendents, in districts with limited budgets for
DVDs and other concrete support for the action steps in an improvement plan, have inquired
about free and low-cost resources. Here are a few that I have used:
 Research for Better Teaching. www.rbteach.com. This website has clips of classroom
practice which can be used as professional learning in an improvement plan for a teacher
or principal.

Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. www.ascd.org. This website
offers a wide variety of $99 online professional learning classes and webinars. PD 360 is
a year-long subscription which can be purchased by a school or district for approximately
$50 per user. It provides just-in-time professional learning on a long list of topics,
strategies and issues.

Robyn Jackson & Mind Steps. www.mindstepsinc.com. This website has great TIP
sheets and free webinars.

Charlotte Danielson. www.danielsongroup.org. All of her resources are thoughtful,
research-based and full of examples and language for developing improvement plans.

Robert Marzano. www.MarzanoResearch.com. This resource has many useful tools for
working with principals and teachers whose performance and rate and amount of student
learning need improvement.

Learning Forward www.learningforward.org This resources provides up-to-date
information and MANY resources for working with teachers as adult learners.

PLC. www.allthingsplc.info. This website has many resources and some great examples
and templates of Smart Goals.
And, of course, keep that 2008 book in mind by Barker and Searchwell Writing Year-end
Teacher Improvement Plans – Right Now!! The forms and templates are easy to transfer into
principal language.
Article Four
Evaluation of Teacher Performance & Student Learning
Improvement Plans
In the last article, we learned about some valuable websites and other materials which can:
1) help administrators strengthen the language in an improvement plan for a teacher whose
professional performance and student learning warrant such a step; and,
2) provide resources for the actions steps in such plans.
Now, let’s focus on the true purpose of an improvement plan for a teacher who is struggling
and/or whose performance and student learning is unacceptable. Either of these situations
28
warrant a written and thoughtful improvement plan to be followed with great determination and
commitment by the teacher AND the principal.
The following advice may seem a bit harsh, but it is the most important decision we make, as an
evaluator, when considering a principal’s professional performance and teacher/student
learning. We must determine the answer to the following questions before we begin to work on
an improvement plan:
1. Do I believe this beginning teacher, with sufficient support from me, can achieve a high
level of professional performance and student learning?
2. Do I believe this beginning teacher, once later in his/her career, will perform as a strong
teacher, valuable member of the school faculty, AND a solid employee for the
organization?
3. Do I believe this experienced teacher, with a strong message and sufficient support from
me, can achieve a high level of performance and student learning?
4. Do I believe this experienced teacher, despite a strong message and sufficient support
from me, cannot or will not achieve and maintain a high level of performance and student
learning?
5. And, what does the student learning data tell me? Is it congruent with the observational
data and other data I have collected and analyzed? Is it congruent with what the students
say about their experience in this teacher’s classroom?
As a principal seriously reflects on his/her responses to the above questions, s/he realizes that
the improvement plan, which always focuses on improvement of the teacher’s professional
performance and student learning, eventually leads to:
1) a teacher’s continued employment, or,
2) consideration about coaching a teacher out of the district or the profession.
When the latter is the case, then part of the purpose of the improvement plan is to make the
experience challenging enough that the teacher may determine, on his/her own, to exit.
Here are some messages that can help to clarify the key points during a conversation reviewing
the aspects of an improvement plan. See if you can “see” the difference between the two sets of
messages, given the guidance in the previous paragraph:
 Your performance and the resulting student learning are not yet at the level of standards
our district expects for teachers. Therefore, we are going to use an improvement plan to
identify specific outcomes which will help you achieve that district expectation.

I realize that serving as a teacher at this school has been a challenge. Let’s use an
improvement plan to help both of us focus and arrange a higher level of support for you
as you return to your usual high level of performance and student learning this year.
OR
29

During my recent observations of your performance and a review of your student
learning, I have become concerned at a level which warrants a plan of improvement.
Using this plan, we will focus on several specific outcomes which must be met for you to
achieve at an acceptable level of performance in our district.

Despite informal steps to assist you, your professional performance and student learning
have not improved. Therefore, I have developed an improvement plan to focus your
attention and my support on the improvement needed for you to remain in your position.
Right! The second set of statements sends a much stronger, more serious message to the
teacher.
Article Five
Evaluation of Principal Performance & Teacher/Student Learning
IMPROVEMENT PLANS
Review
Earlier, we concentrated on the following key questions which a principal should consider when
thinking about developing an improvement plan with a teacher:
1. Do I believe this beginning teacher, with sufficient support from me, can achieve a
high level of professional performance and student learning?
2. Do I believe this beginning teacher, once granted tenure, will perform as a strong
teacher AND a solid employee for the organization?
3. Do I believe this experienced teacher, with a strong message and sufficient support
from me, can achieve a high level of performance and student learning?
4. Do I believe this experienced teacher, despite a strong message and sufficient
support from me, cannot or will not achieve and maintain a high level of performance
and student learning?
5. And, what does the student learning data tell me? Is it congruent with the
observational data I have collected and analyzed?
Once the answers to the above questions have been determined, now we are ready to consider
the specific goals for the teacher to address. And, of course, with goal statements come
accompanying action steps that the teacher will take to meet the specific goal. Listed here are
three sample goals with a set of action steps. Do keep in mind, too, that timelines are important
in this part of the Improvement Plan.
Examples
Goal One: The teacher will actively engage all learners in meaningful learning experiences in
every lesson using the district curriculum map as a guide.
30
Action Steps & Timelines:
1. Review curriculum guide for grade level or subject area. By October 15.
2. Meet with minimum of three teaching colleagues to determine how they use the district
curriculum map as a guide for planning meaningful and engaging learning experiences
for their students. By November 15.
3. Observe, with the principal, in three classrooms where students are regularly engaged in
meaningful learning experiences. Discuss observations with principal and determine
which strategies the teacher can use in her/his classroom. By October 30.
4. Videotape three different lessons and analyze the videotapes to determine levels of
engagement and degrees of meaningful learning for students. In October, December and
February.
5. Include, in each written lesson plan, strategies for engagement of students in meaningful
learning experiences during the lesson. Weekly.
6. Meet with principal at least twice during the next ________months to discuss progress,
support needed, etc. In December and February.
***********************************************************************************************************
Goal Two: The teacher will increase the amount and quality of collaborative efforts with gradelevel colleagues for the purpose of improved instruction and increased student learning.
Action Steps & Timelines:
1. Read three articles about collaboration and what the research says about its impact on
school culture and student learning. Discuss with principal. By end of September.
2. Work with grade-level team on three occasions and write a follow-up reflection on his/her
contributions: What s/he did to actively contribute and foster quality
collaboration?…..What s/he could do more of or better next time to foster quality
collaboration? In October, November and December.
3. Meet with principal to discuss reflection following each of the three collaborative work
sessions. In October, November and December.
4. Continue to work with grade-level team each time the team works collaboratively during
the rest of the year. Through-out the school year.
***********************************************************************************************************
Goal Three: The teacher will Increase use of strategies to check students’ understanding during
instruction and use the data gained to inform next instructional decisions for individual students,
small groups or the entire group of students.
Action Steps & Timelines:
1. Learn six new strategies for checking for students’ understanding during instruction.
Sources: Modeling by principal, Pollack’s book on feedback, discussion to generate
strategies with mentor teacher and/or principal. By end of October.
2. Review, with principal, how Checking for Understanding is a key aspect of Lesson
Design. By end of September.
3. Develop a chart which can be posted on the teacher’s desk or wall listing strategies for
checking students’ understanding during instruction. By end of November.
31
4. Observe in three teacher colleagues’ classrooms with principal to identify and discuss
strategies used to check students’ understanding. By end of October.
5. Submit one written Lesson Design each week which highlights strategies for frequent
checking for students’ understanding of the instructional input, modeling and/or
examples. Each week September – December. To be revised, if needed, after
December.
6. Ascertain data gained from these strategies which can help the teacher make good nextstep decisions for individual students, a specific small group of students, and/or the entire
group of students. By end of December.
7. Meet with principal on three occasions to discuss progress and learnings from these
action steps. In December, January and February.
Article Six
Evaluation of Teacher Performance & Student Learning
IMPROVEMENT PLANS
Review
In last week’s column in this series on Improvement Plans for improving teaching performance
and student learning, the focus was on the aspects of the section: Evidence of Successful Goal
Accomplishment. We covered how important it is to have several sources of data, specific
written goals with action steps and timelines, and, last, support from the evaluator.
Now, we are going to do some reflecting on Improvement Plans. I will provide you with some
questions to encourage your thinking about the Improvement Plans you have done with
teachers whose performance or student learning warranted such a step. Next, I will offer some
suggestions for next steps and advice to consider.
During the Improvement Plan Process
After you have developed an Improvement Plan with a teacher based on the data you have
gathered and analyzed about his/her performance or the students’ learning, and, you have
worked with the teacher during several months on the Action Steps in the Improvement Plan, it
is time to reflect on the process you have used and the results you are getting….or not getting.
These questions for reflection can be helpful:

Is the teacher taking the Improvement Plan seriously?

Have I been clear in my key messages about his/her performance or student learning?

Have I closely monitored the process so that the teacher has, indeed, taken the Action
Steps according to the Timeline provided?

Have I provided the support I promised to provide during the Action Steps?

What evidence do I have to show that the teacher’s performance or student learning is
improving?
32

Does this Improvement Plan with this teacher require an extension or has it been
successfully completed?
After the Improvement Plan Process
Once you have completed the process of developing and monitoring the Improvement Plan, it
can be valuable to reflect on the following questions:
 What steps and conversations in this Improvement Plan process worked effectively with
this teacher?

What steps and conversations didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped or planned?

To what do I attribute those effective and not-so-effective steps in the process?

What have been my major learnings from the process?

What will I definitely do next time in the planning, writing, talking and following-up with
another teacher?

What are my most important next steps with THIS teacher?
Some Advice
If you work in a district with a Human Resources administrator, it is always a good idea to work
closely with that person when considering an Improvement Plan with a teacher. Keep in mind:

Is this a teacher whose performance has newly become an issue?

Is this teacher one who has a history of unsatisfactory performance and insufficient
student learning?

What previous documentation is already in place which can inform this particular
Improvement Plan?

Do I have the support of the central office administrator(s) for these steps?

In what ways can I keep the central office administrator(s) informed and up-to-date about
my ongoing work with this teacher on the Improvement Plan?

Remember to ask for what I need.
33
Resources for Intentional Conversations
Abrams (2009)
Having Hard Conversations
Bell (2005)
You Can’t Talk to Me That Way: Stopping Toxic Language in the Workplace
Brinkman & Kirschner (1994)
Dealing with People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People
at Their Worst
Cartwright (2003)
Managing Conflict with Peers
Combs (2005)
Worst Enemy Best Teacher: How to Survive and Thrive with Opponents,
Competitors, & the People Who Drive You Crazy
Dweck (2007)
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Eller, J. & Eller, S. (2010)
Working With and Evaluating Difficult School Employees
Fisher & Shapiro (2004
Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate
Glickman (2002)
Learning for Leading: How to Help Teachers Succeed
Gonthier (2002)
Rude Awakenings: Overcoming the Civility Crisis in the Workplace
Jackson (2008)
The Instructional Leader’s Guide to Strategic Conversations with Teachers
Jentz (2007)
Talk Sense: Communicating to Lead & Learn
Kosmoski & Pollack (2005)
Managing Difficult, Frustrating, and Hostile Conversations: Strategies for
Savvy Administrators
Lencioni (2006)
Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable about Destroying the
Barriers That Turn Colleagues into Competitors
McEwan (2005)
How to Deal with Teachers Who are Angry, Troubled, Exhausted or Just
Plain Confused
Ontario
(2011)
Principals’
Council The Principal as Leader of Challenging Conversations
34
Patterson, et al (2002)
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
Patterson, et al (2005)
Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises, Violate
Expectations, and Bad Behavior
Pink (2009)
DRIVE: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us
Platt, Tripp, Ogen & Fraser The Skillful Leader:: Confronting Mediocre Teaching
(2001)
Platt, Tripp, Ogen & Frazer.
(2007)
The Skillful Leader: Confronting the Conditions That Undermine Learning
Popejoy & McManigle (2002)
Managing Conflict with Direct Reports
Scott (2004)
Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One
Conversation at a Time
Sharpe & Johnson (2002)
Managing Conflict with Your Boss
Solomon (1990)
Working with Difficult People
Stanford-Blair & Dickman (2005)
Leading Coherently: Reflections from Leaders Around the World
Stone, et al (1999)
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Tate & Dunklee (2005)
Strategic Listening for School Leaders
Weitzel (2000)
Feedback That Works: How to Build & Deliver Your Message
Wheatley (2009)
Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Resotre Hope to the
Future
Whitaker (2002)
Dealing with Difficult Teachers
WEBSITES
Vital Smarts (authors of Crucial
Conversations)
Mind Steps (Robyn Jackson)
Nancy Colflesh, Ph.D.
www.vitalsmarts.com
www.mindstepsinc.com
Colflesh & Associates, LLC 5688 Bayonne Avenue Haslett, MI 48840
(517) 339-5268 ncolflesh@gmail.com
35
PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
National & State Associations
American Education Research Association (AERA)
Basic $150, Student $40  www.aera.net
Association of School Administrators (AASA)
Basic $63  www.aasa.org
Association of Supervision and Curriculum
Development (ASCD)
Basic $89  Basic online $39  www.ascd.org
Learning Forward (formerly NSDC)
Standard $99  Digital $69  www.learningforward.org
Michigan Association of School Administrators (MASA)
First Line $400; Affiliate $85  www.gomasa.org
Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals
(MASSP)
Professional $390, Assoc. $150  www.mymassp.com
Michigan School Business Officials
Member $125  www.msbo.org
Michigan Association of Supervision and Curriculum
Development (MASCD)
Basic $75; Student $20  www.michiganascd.org
Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals
Association (MEMSPA)  www.memspa.org  $555
National Association of Elementary School Principals
(NAESP)
Active - $215; Aspiring - $70  www.naesp.org
National Association of Secondary School Principals
(NASSP)
Individual - $226; Associate - $76  www.nassp.org
Phi Delta Kappan (PDK)
Student $52.50  www.pdkintl.org
Michigan Assessment Consortium (MAC)
Member $50  www.michiganassessmentconsortium.org
MI Association of School Personnel Administrators
Member $115  www.maspa.org
Other Resources
Marshall Memo  $50  www.marshallmemo.com
A weekly roundup of important ideas and research from articles in K-12 education.
The Main Idea  $49  www.themainidea.net
8-page summary of a current education book each month
Solution Tree  www.solution-tree.com
New Teacher Center  www.newteachercenter.org
Corwin Press  www.corwin.com
Curriculum 21  www.urriculum21.com
What Works Clearinghouse 
www.ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc
Vital Smarts  www.vitalsmarts.com
Marzano Research Laboratory  marzanoresearch.com
Mid-continent Research for Education & Learning 
www.mcrel.org
Research for Better Teaching  www.rbteach.com
ASSIST Beginning Teachers  www.assist.educ.msu.edu
Plan Book  www.planbook.com
Better Lesson  www.betterlesson.com
National School Reform Faculty 
www.nsrfharmony.org
All Things PLC  www.allthingsplc.info
Mind Steps  www.mindstepsinc.com
36
Types of Collaboration
Teachers may feel that they already engage in regular collaborative activities, and they
generally may — to a degree. Many experience at least four types of collaboration with
regard to teaching and instructional practices:
Informal conversations. This is the most basic stage of collaboration and generally
takes place in the hallway, lunchroom, or at times when teachers meet informally
during the school day. While teachers may discuss instruction, researcher J.W.
Little (1990, p. 6) is skeptical of the idea that “brief stories told of classrooms could
advance teachers’ understanding and practice of teaching.” These types of
conversations can, however, promote collegial relationships among the staff.
Individual assistance. Teachers generally are agreeable to advising colleagues
when asked. How much this advice actually improves a colleague’s teaching
practice depends on the quality of the questions asked, the quality of the advice
given, and the follow-up provided. Formal coaching and one-on-one or mentoring
programs often produce genuine benefits and advancement for teachers. However, a
coaching or mentoring program alone may not be enough to overcome the norms of
isolation and individualism that pervade a school’s culture.
Group sharing. When groups meet, teachers often share ideas, lesson plans, and
materials with one another. Most learning team meetings begin with this stage. In
fact, group sharing may even be a necessary first step in developing more
meaningful collaboration. Inger (1993) notes that teachers need time to overcome
years of habit and organizational separation, and sharing can be a safe and
enjoyable activity for them. While such sharing is a good use of time in early meetings, without careful guidance teams may never deepen and expand their
collaborative work to the next level.
Joint work. When groups of teachers work together as interdependent colleagues
and rigorously examine together teaching and learning, they are engaging in
mature, collaborative work. In this type of collaboration, teachers learn together.
They jointly develop and coordinate their instructional practices. Teachers develop
a collective sense of responsibility for each team member’s success and feel joint
responsibility for the students they teach. When this type of collaboration occurs
school-wide, the school becomes a professional learning community in the truest
sense.
37
Phases of First-Year Teaching
F
irst-year teaching is a difficult challenge.
Equally challenging is figuring out ways to
support and assist beginning teachers as they
enter the profession. Over the course of the last two
years, Ellen Moir, Director of the Santa Cruz
Consortium New Teacher Project and Director of
Student Teaching at UC Santa Cruz, has been working
with six colleagues to support the efforts of new
teachers. In their day-to-day interactions with new
teachers, they have noted a number of phases in the
development of new teachers during their first year.
While not every new teacher goes through this exact
sequence, Ms. Moir believes these phases are very
useful in helping everyone involved – administrators,
other support personnel, and teacher education faculty
– in the process of supporting new teachers. These
teachers move through several phases from
anticipation, to survival, to disillusionment, to
rejuvenation, to reflection; then back to anticipation.
Anticipation Phase
The anticipation phase begins during the student
teaching portion of preservice preparation. The closer
student teachers get to completing their assignment,
the more excited and anxious they become about their
first teaching position. New teachers enter with a
tremendous commitment to making a difference and a
somewhat idealistic view of how to accomplish their
goals. “I was elated to get the job but terrified about
going from the simulated experience of student
teaching to being the person completely in charge.”
This feeling of excitement carries new teachers
through the first few weeks of school.
Survival Phase
The first month of school is very overwhelming for
new teachers. They are learning a lot and at a very
rapid pace. Beginning teachers are instantly
bombarded with a variety of problems and situations
they had not anticipated. Despite increased field
experiences and required courses in teacher
preparation programs, new teachers are caught off
guard by the realities of teaching. “I thought I’d be
busy, something like student teaching, but this is
crazy. I’m feeling like I’m constantly running. It’s
hard to focus on other aspects of my life.”
During the survival phase most new teachers are
struggling to keep their heads above water. They
become very focused and consumed with the day-today routine of teaching. There is little time to stop and
reflect on their experiences. New teachers spend up to
seventy hours a week on schoolwork. Particularly
overwhelming is the constant need to develop
curriculum. Veteran teachers routinely reuse excellent
lessons and units from the past. The new teacher, still
uncertain of what will really work, must develop
much of this for the first time. Even depending on
unfamiliar prepared curriculum such as textbooks is
enormously time consuming.
“I thought there would be more time to get everything
done. It’s like working three jobs: 7:30-2:30, 2:306:00, with more time spent in the evenings and on
weekends.” Although tired and surprised by the
amount of work, first-year teachers usually maintain a
tremendous amount of energy and commitment during
the survival phase.
Disillusionment Phase
After six to eight weeks of nonstop work, new
teachers enter the disillusionment phase. The intensity
and length of the phase varies among new teachers.
The extensive time commitment, the realization that
things are probably not going as smoothly as they
want, and low morale contribute to this period of
disenchantment. New teachers begin questioning both
their commitment and their competence. Many new
teachers get sick during this phase.
Compounding an already difficult situation is the fact
that new teachers are confronted with several new
events during this time frame. They are faced with
back-to-school night, parent conferences, and their
first formal evaluation by the site administrator. Each
of these important milestones places an already
vulnerable individual in a very stressful situation.
Back-to-school night means giving a speech to parents
about plans for the year that may yet be unclear in the
new teacher’s mind. Some parents are uneasy when
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they realize the teacher is just beginning and
sometimes pose questions or make demands that
intimidate a new teacher.
Parent conferences require that new teachers be highly
organized, articulate, tactful, and prepared to confer
with parents about each child’s course of study and
progress. This type of communication with parents
can be awkward and difficult for a beginning teacher.
New teachers generally begin with the idea that
parents are partners in the learning process and are not
prepared for parent’s concerns or criticisms.
Unfortunately, these criticisms occur right at the time
when their self-esteem is waning.
This is also the first time that new teachers are
formally evaluated by their principal. They are, for the
most part uncertain about the process itself and
anxious about their own competence and ability to
perform. Developing and presenting a “showpiece”
lesson is time consuming and stressful.
During the disillusionment phase classroom
management is a major source of distress. “I thought
I’d be focusing more on curriculum and less on
classroom management and discipline. I’m stressed
because I have some very problematic students who
are low academically, and I think about them every
second my eyes are open.”
At this point, the accumulated stress of the first-year
teacher coupled with months of excessive time
allotted to teaching often brings complaints from
family members and friends. This is a very difficult
and challenging phase for new entreys into the
profession. They express self-doubt, have lower selfesteem, and question their professional commitment.
In fact, getting through this phase may be the toughest
challenge they face as a new teacher.
Rejuvenation
The rejuvenation phase is characterized by a slow rise
in the new teachers’ attitude toward teaching. It
generally begins in January. Having a winter break
makes a tremendous difference for new teachers. It
allows them to resume a more normal lifestyle, with
plenty of rest, food, exercise, and time for family and
friends. This vacation if the first opportunity that new
teachers have for organizing materials that have
accumulated and prepare new ones. This breath of
fresh air gives novice teachers a broader perspective
with renewed hope. They seem ready to put past
problems behind them. A better understanding of the
system, an acceptance of the realities of teaching, and
a sense of accomplishment help to rejuvenate new
teachers. Through their experiences in the first half of
the year, beginning teachers gain new coping
strategies and skills to prevent, reduce, or manage
many problems they are likely to encounter in the
second half of the year. Many feel a great sense of
relief that they have made it through the first half of
the year. During this phase, new teachers focus on
curriculum development, long-term planning, and
teaching strategies.
“I’m really excited about my story-writing center,
although the organization of it has at times been
haphazard. Story writing has definitely revived my
journals.” The rejuvenation phase tends to last into
spring with many ups and downs along the way.
Toward the end of this phase, new teachers begin to
raise concerns about whether they can get everything
done prior to the end of school. They also wonder how
their students will do on the tests, questioning once
again their own effectiveness as teachers. “I’m fearful
of these big tests. Can you be fired if your kids do
poorly? I don’t know enough about them to know what
I haven’t taught, and I’m sure it’s a lot.”
Reflection
The reflection phase beginning in May is a
particularly invigorating time for first year teachers.
Reflecting back over the year, they highlight events
that were successful and those that were not. They
think about the various changes that they plan to make
the following year in management, curriculum, and
teaching strategies. The end is in sight and they have
almost made it; but more importantly, a vision
emerges as to what their second year will look like,
which brings them to a new phase of anticipation. “I
think that for next year I’d like to start the letter
puppets earlier in the year and introduce the kids to
more letters.”
It is critical that we assist new teachers and ease the
transition from student teacher to full-time
professional. Recognizing the phases new teachers go
through gives us a framework within which we can
begin to design support programs to make the first
year of teaching a more positive experience for our
new colleagues.
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Phases of First Year Teacher’s
Attitudes towards Teaching
Anticipation
Anticipation
Reflection
Survival
Rejuvenation
Disillusionment
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Aug
Sept
Oct NovDec
Jan Feb Mar
Apr
May
JunJul
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