Learning Targets The following are the learning targets for Module 1: I can explain the purpose of the peer observer within effectiveness system. I can differentiate between the peer observer process and the supervisor observation process. I can explain the observation process and my role. Before beginning the module, rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 is having little knowledge and 5 is feeling very knowledgeable) on each of the learning targets. Then, reflect on what you feel you need to do to become knowledgeable in these areas. Introduction to Peer Observations Peer observation is a formative process designed to provide feedback to the teacher on Domain 2: Classroom Environment and Domain 3: Instruction in the Kentucky Framework for Teaching. What is a peer observation? How is it different from the supervisor observation? How is it different from observations in the past? What is the goal of Teacher Professional Growth and Effectiveness System? The purpose of peer observations is to provide supportive and constructive feedback to the observed teacher, targeting specific areas as requested by the teacher. What distinguishes the peer process from the observation conducted by the principal is that peer observations are never evaluative and are never part of the summative evaluation. In the TPGES, the goal is to increase student learning by ensuring that each student is taught by an effective teacher. Teachers will receive the feedback they want and need to improve areas of weakness and to build upon their strengths. The Purpose of Peer Observations Watch the following video on the purpose of peer observations. Purpose of Peer Observations (3:57) In the video, teachers and experts in peer observation describe why peer observations are an effective tool to improve practice. You also will see an excerpt from a peer observation postconference between Melissa Plank (mathematics teacher and peer observer) and Uriah Albrink (AP Biology teacher) from Fleming Co. High School in Flemingsburg, Ky. Answer the following questions in your journal: What must exist in the peer observer/teacher relationship to allow for collegial conversations? Felicia Cumings Smith says, “Teachers own this process.” What statements from the video support this comment? Building Trust and Collegiality It is up to the peer observer to establish and grow the collegial relationship with a teacher. Peer observers can take specific actions to make this happen. Pam Robbins, author of the ASCD publication How To Plan and Implement a Peer Coaching Program, created a specific type of coaching model called Collegial Coaching. The expectations of collegial coaches are that they possess such skills as questioning, observation, conversation, and facilitation. She notes “to learn and practice facilitation and conferencing skills, they need to have the opportunity to speak with each other. Peer coaches must be committed to spending time coaching each other on a regular basis.” Watch the following video which looks at the importance of developing a collegial and trusting relationship between the observer and teacher. Collegiality and Trust (2:44) Answer the following questions in your journal: What is the role of a peer observer? A sense of trust is essential for the success of a peer observation. What needs to be in place for that trust to develop? Peer Observer Roles and Responsibilities The role of a peer observer is to: Inform practice Focus on an area a teacher has self-identified Facilitate the learning process on behalf of a teacher The responsibilities of a peer observer are to: Have a deep understanding of the characteristics outlined in the Kentucky Framework for Teaching Know what research says about effective teaching and learning Know the Characteristics of Highly Effective Teaching and Learning Know the Kentucky Teacher Standards Establish rapport Develop trust Maintain confidentiality related to the observations Extend feedback conversations to support implementation of next steps Engage in their own professional learning with other peer observers Through ongoing self-reflection and a collegial working relationship with a peer, a teacher will be supported in making thoughtful, data-driven, incremental changes that yield gains. Expectations of the peer observer (2:55) Answer the following questions in your journal. What responsibilities are attached to the role of peer observer? How does the peer observer facilitate reflective practice? The Observation Process The observation process consists of multiple parts: the pre-conference, the observation, organizing evidence, and the post-conference. In preparation for the post-conference, the peer observer will organize the evidence. The pre-conference is your opportunity to talk with the teacher, identify the learning intentions and the agenda of the lesson. Also, the teacher will identify one or two areas they would like for you to observe and provide evidence on. During the observation you will script evidence and record times with each piece of evidence. Before sharing the evidence, align the data into the specific domains and components, and check the evidence for bias or interpretation and change if needed. After sharing the evidence with the teacher and allowing for time to reflect, you are ready for the post-conference. The post-conference is an opportunity for you to share the evidence and lead the teacher to selfreflect on his or her practice. The Peer Observation Guide on the following page provides a step-by-step guide. Peer Observation Checklist Refer to this guide as needed when you are just beginning your role as a peer observer. Provide it as a reference to your teacher and principal to initially increase awareness and to encourage conversations around the peer observation process. You may want to download a PDF version of the Peer Observation Checklist which you can print. Please reference the support materials available for utilizing the Educator Development Suite in CIITS for this process. Teacher Peer Observer 1: Initial Contact Make contact with your peer and set up a time for the pre-conference and the observation. Pre-Conference: The pre-observation conference begins the process of collaboration. Use this meeting to learn about the context of the class, the focus and/or goals of the particular session to be observed and the student outcomes the instructor aims for in the session. Sample questions you may ask: What Kentucky Core Academic Standard does this lesson address? (Is the lesson a review or lesson for re-teaching given formative assessment data?) In what ways will students demonstrate learning in this lesson that will connect to the student growth goal you have established? What is your identified student learning target(s)? By knowing the outcomes, you can better understand how the activities used in the lesson contribute to these outcomes. To which part of your curriculum does this lesson relate? How does this learning fit in the sequence of learning for this class? Briefly describe the students in this class, including those with special needs. How will you engage the students in the learning? What will you do? What will the students do? Will the students work in groups, or individually, or as a large group? Provide any materials that the students will be using. How will you differentiate instruction for individuals or groups of students? How and when will you know whether the students have achieved the learning target(s)? Is there anything that you would like me to specifically observe during the lesson? By understanding what the teacher feels is their greatest need, helps you to have a focus when collecting evidence; this focus area allows you to have a starting point for the post conference as well. 2. Observation During the observation you should be as unobtrusive as possible. Students will know you are there, but try not to call attention to yourself. Feel free to take a clock or timer and a copy of the framework if necessary. Your ultimate goal is to script evidence. 3. Analyzing and Connecting Evidence After leaving the classroom, work through the evidence collected, check for bias or interpretation, and connect the evidence to each domain. Keep in mind, you are not rating the teacher, you are aligning the evidence with a component. You will want to complete this within two days of the observation while the lesson is fresh on your mind. After finalizing the evidence, you may want to share it with your peer to allow her or him time to look through it before the post conference. 4. Post-Conference The post observation conference is the opportunity for the peer observer and teacher to review the evidence and facilitate teacher reflection. As peer observer, you are not evaluating the teacher, your task is to share the evidence and facilitate the discussion. “How do you think the lesson went?” is a good conference starter that allows the teacher to reflect and start the conversation. Use the framework as a guide for your discussion. These reflection questions can guide the conversation. Why did you make that instructional decision? How do you know the students are learning? How did your last formative assessment measure affect this lesson? What was the single most important concept and skill you wanted every single student to know at the end of the lesson? How successful were you? (Jackson, 2008) Learning Targets The following are the learning targets for Module 2: I can script evidence during an observation. I can eliminate bias and interpretation. I can align evidence appropriate to the domains and components within the Kentucky Framework for Teaching. Before beginning the module, rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 is having little knowledge and 5 is feeling very knowledgeable) on each of the learning targets. Then, reflect on what you feel you need to do to become knowledgeable in these areas. Voices from the Field In the following video, teachers and experts in peer observations focus on how to determine evidence while observing a peer. While you are completing any portion of the module, if you have questions or would like to discuss a topic with others, please connect to the PD360 Peer Observer Community to share and ask for feedback. Documenting Evidence (5:53) Answer the following question in your journal: What did you learn from the video about scripting during the peer observation? Bias, Interpretation, and Evidence The evidence of a teacher’s performance must be free of bias and interpretation and solely based on facts and artifacts. Evidence is factual and objective: Facts will be expressed as direct quotes and actions. Artifacts are “products” created and/or displayed by the teacher for use during instruction or by students to demonstrate their learning. Evidence is observable. Evidence is not influenced by observer’s perspective. Evidence is free of evaluative words. Evidence does not draw conclusions. Interpretation: Your opinion. (Example: Students appear comfortable, happy, or bored.) Bias is when you make value judgments based on a teacher’s or the students’ age, race, gender, appearance, perceived economic status, or accent. Bias also includes personal preferences about teaching practices, materials, and classroom environment. Bias, Interpretation, and Evidence Practice Read each statement and determine whether it is evidence, bias, or interpretation. If you determine it is an example of bias or interpretation, rewrite the statement as evidence. TIP: If the statement includes words like could have, should have, would have... the statement is biased! When you have answered all the questions, click on "Next" at the bottom of the page. You will be directed to a summary of your responses. Click on "Submit your responses" to return to the quiz. Click on "Return to Course" at the bottom of the page to return to Module 2, or click on the next tab on the left navigation. You do not have to achieve a minimum score to continue working in this module. The goal of this activity is to provide practice in distinguishing between bias, interpretation, and evidence. Warning flags: could have, should have, must have, ought to have, not how I would… Scripting Evidence You can learn a lot through the power of observation. No two classrooms are exactly alike. On any given day you can see a variety of teaching and learning behaviors. The peer observer needs to be able to determine what to script and what to ignore. Much like scientists utilize the scientific method to refrain from the human tendency to interpret facts, peer observers should allow the power of the evidence to tell the story. A peer observer documents evidence — what is seen and heard in a teacher’s classroom. Evidence allows the teacher to draw his or her own conclusions about the lesson or events and leads to more reflective learning. That's why it is essential that evidence is presented free of opinion and bias. According to Danielson (2008) good observers note: What the teacher says and does Questions, statements, and actions by students Non-verbal and verbal communication Student interactions Appearance of the classroom — the manner in which the teacher has modified the physical environment to support the lesson Whenever possible, record direct quotes from the teacher and students. Paraphrasing leads to unintentional interpretation and should be avoided. As the lesson progresses, the observer scripts each new behavior and dialogue. Tools To Support Scripting - Recording If scripting is the sole method used to capture evidence, then it is of utmost importance to accurately capture as much of the classroom activity through the use of time-stamps, direct quotes, and an absence of bias and/or interpretation. In many cases, teachers and observers chose additional support by making an audio or video recording of the lesson. In this way, the exact words and actions are captured freeing the observer to script evidence that relates to the areas of focus on which the teacher has requested feedback. The recording can also be used by the classroom teacher for reflection. Tools To Support Scripting — Time-Stamp Observation One scripting technique you can use is to time stamp the observation. Note the time next to your scripting of dialogue and new behaviors during the class. Here's an example: Time 2:10 2:12 2:15 2:20 2:23 Actions and Statements/Questions by Teacher and Students T: “From your groups, pick two people to read through scene 1. In 15 minutes we will discuss this scene as a class.” S: All students are reading through the script in their table groups. T: Mr. Albrink is walking around the room stopping in at different groups to listen in on the script. As students are reading through scene 1, Mr. Albrink goes to computer and pulls up a power point. All students are involved in the script and every one is either reading or listening. Teacher walks around the room and listens in on the groups. Mr. Albrink stops at a group that is finished and asks questions about the reading. Everyone in the group is discussing the questions and continues to talk as Mr. Albrink walks off. Teacher moves to another group and asks about the cost associated with raising bananas. The group discusses various costs and other members of the group bring up additional topics related to cost. T: “What about the impact this has on the 2:24 environment?” Time stamping serves as an easy reference point to guide discussion. It also provides insight into the nuances of the classroom behaviors that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, through time stamping it is possible to see whether time allotted for an activity actually took that amount of time; or it revealed how long it took students to distribute materials. This might be insight that some teachers have difficulty gathering by themselves, so it’s a helpful tool. Documenting Evidence Practice You will need a pen and paper, the graphic orgnanizer provided (PDF), or some other means to document evidence in Tyler Jones' fourth grade math lesson, seen in the video* below. After you watch the video and document the evidence, click on the link "Compare your work" to compare your documented evidence to an example by Melissa Plank, a mathematics teacher and experienced peer observer from Fleming Co. High School. Keep your work for use in an upcoming activity. While you are completing any portion of the module, if you have questions or would like to discuss a topic with others, please connect to the PD360 Peer Observer Community to share and ask for feedback. Compare your work. (PDF) Background Tyler Jones, 4th Grade Teacher, Engelhard Elementary, Jefferson Co. Schools Students are working on a fractions unit with multiple learning targets. Tyler has had students complete a "status check" in which students rank the targets in the order they need to work on them. He allows them to choose their math center based on their self-assessment. 4th Grade Math (4:14) *This is an excerpt of a video which originally appeared in the KET self-paced course Formative Assessment in Practice, a free online course available at KET/PBS Learning Media. Aligning Evidence to the Kentucky Framework for Teaching After completing an observation, a peer observer has a few tasks to complete. The first one is to align the evidence to the Framework. As you may remember, a principal aligns the evidence from an observation to the Framework then, during a conference with the teacher, determines an effectiveness rating. A peer observer does not engage in any rating activity at all — an alignment to the framework simply illustrates which domain and components were observed during that lesson. Domains 2 and 3 of the Framework are the only observable domains, therefore all evidence will align within these two domains. The format an observer uses can be anything he or she finds convenient. The domain and component could be recorded next to the time stamp of the scripting, embedded within a recorded video using the edit functions of the video software, or aligned inside of a table template of the peer’s creation. The format is not as important as the documentation and correct alignment of evidence. Here's the example you saw earlier, now aligned with the Kentucky Framework for Teaching: Time 2:10 2:12 2:15 2:20 2:23 2:24 Actions and Statements/Questions by Teacher and Domain & Students Component T: “From your groups, pick two people to read through scene 2c, 3a, 3c 1. In 15 minutes we will discuss this scene as a class.” S: All students are reading through the script in their table 2b, 2c groups. T: Mr. Albrink is walking around the room stopping in at 2d different goups to listen in on the script. As students are reading through scene 1, Mr. Albrink goes to 2c computer and pulls up a power point. All students are involved in the script and every one is either 2b,3a, 3c reading or listening. Teacher walks around the room and listens in on the groups. 2d Mr. Albrink stops at a group that is finished and asks questions 3b about the reading. Everyone in the group is discussing the questions and 3b continues to talk as Mr. Albrink walks off. Teacher moves to another group and asks about the cost 3b associated with raising bananas. The group discusses various costs and other members of the 3b group bring up additional topics related to cost. T: “What about the impact this has on the environment?” 3b A teacher needs to know what areas of the Framework were observed during the lesson. The teacher will also have provided the observer with one or two areas to focus upon and, as a collaborative partner, it is important for the peer observer to document observable evidence based on the teacher’s desired focus. Through proper alignment to the framework, rich discussions can result that help teachers identify particular strengths, weaknesses, patterns of avoidance and over use, areas where teachers feel “safe” performing, and areas for professional growth. Aligning Evidence Practice You will need a new sheet of paper, the graphic orgnanizer provided (PDF), or some other means to record the evidence you identify from video* of an authentic Kentucky classroom. After you watch the video and document the evidence, align the evidence to the proper domain(s) and component(s). Then, click on the link "Compare your work" to compare your documented evidence to an example by Melissa. While you are completing any portion of the module, if you have questions or would like to discuss a topic with others, please connect to the PD360 Peer Observer Community to share and ask for feedback. Compare your work. (PDF) Background Jarrod Martin, Calloway Co. High School, English II This sophomore English class includes 14 students who have Individual Education Plans and a collaborating teacher. Students will be seeing the first draft of their own essays with feedback from Jarrod who developed a student-friendly checklist based on the scoring guide. HIgh School English (2:59) *This is an excerpt of a video which originally appeared in the KET self-paced course Formative Assessment in Practice, a free online course available at KET/ Additional Practice While you are completing any of these observation practice sessions, if something sparks a discussion, please connect to the PD360 Peer Observer Community to share and ask for feedback Return to the evidence you documented of Tyler Jones' fourth grade math lesson from the "Documenting Evidence Practice" page. Align that evidence to the appropriate domain(s) and component(s) from the Framework. Then, compare your work to Melissa Plank's. Use any or all of the following videos* to practice scripting observations and aligning the evidence to the Framework for Teaching. Background Katelyn Howell, Silver Creek Elementary, Madison Co. Schools, Richmond, Ky. Katelyn leads a small group of fifth-grade students through an activity to assess their knowledge of area and perimeter. 5th Grade Math (1:32) Background Rebecca Jaffe, Engelhard Elementary, Jefferson Co. Schools, Louisville, Ky. Second-grade students are working on adding and subtracting three-digit numbers. The students self-select one of three centers based on what they need to practice on. 2nd Grade Math (2:10) Background Ryan New, Washington Co. High School, Springfield, Ky Students in Ryan's AP Government class are studying political ideology. To prepare for a class discussion, they took a test designed to reveal political ideology and maps it on a grid. Ryan leads the class in a discussion using the Paideia seminar format. AP Government (7:31) Background Michelle Devine, North Washington Co. Middle, Springfield, Ky. Eighth-grade students are working on new English/language arts vocabulary — Greek and Latin word roots. They are working with partners to apply what they've learned about word roots as well as context clues to come up with definitions for difficult words. 8th Grade English/Language Arts (1:21) Background Ken Mattingly, Rockcastle Co. Middle, Mt. Vernon, Ky. Seventh-grade students are studying the Earth's interior. Students are using a worksheet to predict, observe, and explain various experiments. 7th Grade Science (7:33) Background Marilyn Peters, Washington Co. High, Springfield, Ky. This is a multiple-level art class on ceramics, including students in Ceramics I and II as well as AP Art. Students are reviewing common mistakes in glazing by self-assessing their own pieces they are seeing for the first time since glazing. High School Art (2:21) *These are excerpts of videos which originally appeared in the KE Learning Targets The following are the learning targets for Module 3: I can identify the characteristics of effective feedback. I can determine appropriate next steps after feedback is given. Before beginning the module, rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 is having little knowledge and 5 is feeling very knowledgeable) on each of the learning targets. Then, reflect on what you feel you need to do to become knowledgeable in these areas. Characteristics of Effective Feedback The growth of a teacher is directly related to the quality of the feedback he or she receives. As noted by Grant Wiggins in his article “Seven Keys to Effective Feedback,” in its strictest sense, feedback is information about how we are doing in our effort to reach a goal. In the Professional Growth & Effectiveness System, the peer observer provides positive, supportive feedback which is used formatively to help the teacher grow professionally. If a baseball coach says, “Each time you swung and missed, you raised your head as you swung so you didn’t really have your eye on the ball. On the one you hit hard, you had your head down and saw the ball,” that is deliberate, explicit feedback. Similarly, the peer observer scripts evidence of observable practices within the classroom. This evidence is used to provide specific feedback. The goal of the peer observer is to improve teaching and learning just as the goal of a baseball coach is to improve the effectiveness of the hitter. Effective feedback is grounded in the evidence collected from the observation of the “performance.” Therefore it is essential that the evidence aligned with components within the Kentucky Framework for Teaching be provided to the teacher in a timely manner. Teachers are encouraged to reflect on the evidence provided to prepare for the post-observation conference. The more teachers self-reflect, the more they are able to learn about themselves and will be ready to talk about any additional feedback the peer observer will share in the post-observation conference. The conference provides both teachers an opportunity to learn together as they engage in evidenced-based conversation. Professional Conversation Charlotte Danielson in Talk About Teaching! states, “Of all the approaches available to educators to promote teacher learning, the most powerful is that of professional conversation.” At the heart of the professional conversation between a peer observer and the teacher is formative feedback aligned to the components of the Kentucky Framework for Teaching. Peers may open the professional or collegial conversation with a question connected to the lesson or the evidence shared. The comments the peer observer offers are not advice nor are they evaluative. Leading the teacher to choose the first area for discussion provides the peer the opportunity to continue to guide the discussion to the related goal the teacher identified in the pre-conference. The following video, featuring Melissa Plank (peer observer) and Uriah Albrink (teacher) illustrates teachers engaged in professional conversation centered around evidence and effective feedback. Feedback (5:26) Feedback Essential 1: Focus To illustrate some of the feedback essentials described on the next few pages, you will be watching excerpts of a peer observation post-conference between Melissa Plank, mathematics teacher and experienced peer observer, and Uriah Albrink, AP Biology teacher, from Fleming Co. High School. Again, you will want to have the Kentucky Framework for Teaching on hand to refer to. You can also download a PDF of the evidence she observed in the lesson and their alignment to the Framework that Melissa is referring to in the post-conference. Feedback Essential: 1. Focus During the pre-conference discussion, the teacher should choose one or two components of the Framework he or she wants the observer to focus on. If the teacher does not have an area of focus, the peer observer should ask questions and guide the teacher through a self-reflection to establish an area of focus. After documenting evidence, the peer observer aligns the feedback with the teacher’s established area of focus. Uriah had asked Melissa to focus on his questioning and discussion practice during her observation. One of the ways Melissa documents this is by drawing a diagram of the classroom layout, noting where students are sitting and which students answered questions or spoke in class. Below is the diagram she drew during the observation: Feedback Essential 2: Specific Feedback must be evidence-based. By noting specific evidence documented during the observation and asking open-ended questions, the peer observer welcomes the teacher to share insight on what occurred within the classroom. Behavior from a student that appeared disrespectful would be documented as an exact quote in the evidence. The teacher can see the specific evidence has been aligned to components within the Kentucky Framework for Teaching. Reviewing the Framework together provides additional tangible feedback for the teacher to review. Unbiased documented evidence aligned to the Framework provides teachers specific feedback to use for reflection and to inform future instructional practice. The following video illustrates focused and specific feedback. PC Domain 3b (4:56) Feedback Essential 3: Actionable and Unbiased “Good job! , “You did that wrong”, and B+ are not examples of effective feedback. Effective feedback is concrete, specific, and provides actionable information. It is important to avoid presenting inferences from the observation and instead simply present the evidence from the scripted data. While viewing the video, note how evidence was recorded using bias and interpretation and then corrected to reflect an objective and factual recording. Refer to the documented evidence. Note specific facts that relate to the areas of focus that the teacher requested to be addressed. PC Domian 3d (1:58) Feedback Essential 4: Aligned The most effective feedback a peer observer will have to share with the teacher will be based on collected evidence from the classroom that is aligned to the Kentucky Framework for Teaching. The teacher and peer observer use the Framework to match unbiased observed data to specific components without attributing a rating within a domain. In the following video, Melissa uses the Framework to share with Uriah the evidence she observed in Domain 2. PC Domain 2 (3:52) Facilitating a Post-Conference Steps for a Post-Conference 1. After the conclusion of the observation, make contact with the teacher to establish a mutually agreeable meeting place and time. 2. Schedule the post-conference within two days of the observation. 3. Finalize the scripted observation notes by removing bias and interpretation and aligning evidence to components. Then, submit them to the teacher prior to the scheduled meeting for his or her review. 4. Begin the meeting by reviewing the scripted notes. Share your focus of the observation as informed by the goal(s) of the teacher. What you, the observer, focused on will reveal itself in the content of the evidence scripted. It is highly likely that one or two areas of focus for a teacher will overlap with multiple components within a domain. In this conversation, it is critical to examine how growth in one component might affect another. 5. Follow the teacher’s lead in the discussion — this post conference is for his or her benefit. Reference the Kentucky Framework for Teaching throughout your discussion. Based on the information provided from the peer observer, the teacher should highlight correlating components that will be affected as a result of focused professional learning. Determining Next Steps Charlotte Danielson argues that the most important step in the process is reflection. This is the time when teachers choose how to act upon the data. It is important for peer observers to use active listening skills as the teacher reflects and aid in the process by posing reflective questions. Sample questions include: Why did you make that instructional decision? How do you know the students are learning? How did your last formative assessment measure affect this lesson? What was the single most important concept and skill you wanted every single student to know at the end of the lesson? How successful were you? (Jackson, 2008) If solicited, provide resources to aid teachers in achieving their identified goals. Resources can originate from professional learning communities, PD360, web sites, books, educational organizations, etc; all resources should be reliable and of high quality. In the following video, Melissa and Uriah talk about the next steps and brainstorm questioning techniques to track student engagement. Post-Conference Next Steps (1:51)