INSTRUCTIONAL ROUNDS:
A PRACTICE OF IMPROVEMENT
Liz City
April 25, 2013
"Although social change cannot come overnight, we must
always work as though it were a possibility in the morning."
-Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Objectives


Understand the “what,” “why,” and “how” of
rounds
Leave with a tool or idea you will apply in your
practice
Today’s Agenda





Review objectives and agenda
The Instructional Core
What is Instructional Rounds? Why do rounds?
Task
How do we do rounds?
Preparing for rounds: Description, Problem of Practice
 Observation, Debrief
 Analysis, Prediction, Next Level of Work


So what? Making connections between rounds and your
work
Introduce yourself and discuss…
Table for 3:
Something you know (or think you know) about rounds.
 Table for 4:
Something you want to know about rounds.
 Table for 2:
Complete the sentence: “I learn best when . . .”

The Instructional Core
What’s the work?
The Instructional Core
Student
Teacher
Content
Save the Last Word
Text: Instructional Rounds in Education, Chapter 1
(http://bit.ly.irch1)
Groups of 4
 Select which of your quotes you would like to share.
 Cite page of your quote and give your group
members a moment to find the quote
 Read passage to group with no commentary
 Pause for a moment for each person to think
 Each person has ~1 min to comment
 Reader has ~2 min to respond – the last word
 Repeat for each participant
The Instructional Core
Agree?
Principle 1: Increases in student learning
occur only as a consequence of
improvements in the level of content,
teachers’ knowledge and skill, and
student engagement.
Student
Principle 2: If you change one element of
the instructional core, you have to change
the other two.
Principle 3: If you can’t see it in the core,
it’s not there.
Principle 4: Task predicts performance.
Principle 5: The real accountability
system is in the tasks that students are
asked to do.
Argue?
Aspire?
Task
Teacher
Content
Principle 6: We learn to do the
work by doing the work.
Principle 7: Description before
analysis, analysis before
prediction, prediction before
evaluation.
In Chapter 1, Instructional Rounds in Education
What is (and isn’t) instructional rounds?
Classroom
observations
Network
Improvement
plans
What it is and isn’t . . .
∅ “Walkthroughs” or “drive-bys
 Rounds is descriptive, analytic, inferential
∅ A teacher evaluation tool
∅ NO assessment of individual teachers
 Separate the person from the practice; focus on the practice
∅ An implementation check
 Rounds focuses on patterns of practice and predicted results, not
compliance with directives
∅ Training for supervision
 Rounds focuses on collective learning rather than individual
supervisory practice—mirror, not window
∅ A “program” or a “project”; an add-on, another initiative among
many
 Rounds is a practice, designed to support an existing
improvement strategy at the school or system level
 The way we do the work
Graphical overview of rounds process
OBSERVATION/DESCRIPTION
PROBLEM OF
PRACTICE
NEXT LEVEL
OF WORK
THEORY OF
ACTION
ANALYSIS:
THEMES/PATTERNS
IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY
PREDICTION: “IF YOU WERE
A STUDENT. . .WHAT
WOULD YOU KNOW & BE
ABLE TO DO. . ?”
Sequential Overview of the Rounds
Process



Preparatory work with host school and network
 Problem of practice development
 Logistics
Visit
 Problem of Practice
 Observation of Practice
 Observation Debrief (Describe, Analyze, Predict)
 Next Level of Work
Post visit follow-up with host and network
 Sharing data
 Following up (at host school and network)
Why do rounds?
Instructional core and task
State three ways you could
describe the level and type of
learning in your school system
without using test scores.
SIX WAYS OF DEMONSTRATING LEARNING
Level 1: FIND A FACT IN A TEXT IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION
Level 2: REMEMBER SOMETHING SOMEONE ELSE HAS TOLD YOU AND
REPEAT IT
Level 3: REMEMBER A PROCEDURE THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS TAUGHT
YOU AND APPLY IT ACCURATELY AND FLUENTLY
Level 4: CHOOSE A PROCEDURE FROM AMONG A NUMBER YOU HAVE
LEARNED, APPLY IT ACCURATELY AND FLUENTLY, EXPLAIN WHY YOU
CHOSE IT, AND WHY IT MIGHT BE BETTER THAN ANOTHER
Level 5: USING A BODY OF EVIDENCE, MAKE AN ARGUMENT ABOUT
WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS, ANTICIPATE AND RESPOND TO COUNTER
ARGUMENTS
Level 6: TEACH SOMETHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW TO SOMEONE
ELSE
Program for International Student Assessment,
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/index.asp
The Instructional Core
Student
Principle 1: Increases in student learning
occur only as a consequence of
improvements in the level of content,
teachers’ knowledge and skill, and
student engagement.
Principle 2: If you change one element of
the instructional core, you have to change
the other two.
Task
Teacher
Content
Principle 3: If you can’t see it in the core,
it’s not there.
Principle 4: Task predicts performance.
Principle 5: The real accountability
system is in the tasks that students are
asked to do.
Principle 6: We learn to do the
work by doing the work.
Principle 7: Description before
analysis, analysis before
prediction, prediction before
evaluation.
In Chapter 1, Instructional Rounds in Education
Grade
What do you see?
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
8
7
6
5.78
5
4
3
2
1
0
K
6.37
4.97
4.34
3.62
2.88
1.94
0.99
0.02
1
2
3
4
Average Grade Level of Assignment
5
6
7
8
Grade Level Standard
Source: Education Trust; John Holton, South Carolina Department of Education, analysis of assignments
from 362
19
Elementary and Middle Schools in SC.
Grade
What do you see?
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
12
11
10
9
7.82
Grade 9
9.56
9.78
8.5
Grade 10
Average Grade Level of Assignment
Grade 11
Grade 12
Grade Level Standard
Source: Education Trust; John Holton, South Carolina Department of Education, analysis of English Language Art
20
Assignments in14 High Schools in South Carolina
Why do rounds?

A question you have to answer for yourself . . .
My brief answer . . . EKG . . .
 Equity—To ensure that ALL children have access to
powerful learning no matter which classroom they’re in
 Knowledge—To understand what kind of learning is
happening in your system
 Group capacity—To build a shared language and
understanding of powerful learning and teaching
Why not do rounds?
How do we do rounds? Prepare rounds?
Practice rounds?
Description
Problem of practice
Observation
Debrief
Developing the Discipline of Seeing



Seeing is a discipline
It’s like a muscle—it gets stronger with
repetition
Foundation of our practice
24
What do you see?



Choose an image card. Without showing it to your
partner, describe what you see on the card.
Partners, create an image in your head based on
your partner’s description. NOTE: It is okay to use
any words you want to describe the image.
Share the card.
Partners:
 Does
the description match the card?
 When you look at the card, what do you see?
 How would you describe it?
Objectivity
Judgmental
Specific and Judgmental
General and Judgmental
Specific and Descriptive
General and Descriptive
Descriptive
Specific
Specificity
General
26
Adapted from Learning Walkthough Guide, MA Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education
Description with Judgment
“The teacher read from a book that was not at
the appropriate level for the class.”
“There was too much time on discussion, not
enough time on individual work.”
“The students conducted a sophisticated lab
experiment.”
Description without Judgment
“Student 1 asked student 2: ‘What are we supposed to
write down?’ Student 2 said, ‘I don’t know.’”
“Students followed directions in the text to make circuit
boards.”
“Teacher introduced a writing prompt to students.”
Instructional Rounds, p.85
Specificity of Evidence
“Teacher introduced a writing prompt to students.”
vs.
“Prompt for student essays: “What role did symbolism
play in foreshadowing the main character’ss
dilemma?”
Instructional Rounds, p. 93
Objectivity
Judgmental
Descriptive
Specific and Judgmental
General and Judgmental
“The teacher read from the book, “There was too much time on
Oliver Twist, which was not at the discussion, not enough time on
appropriate level for the class.” individual work.”
Specific and Descriptive
General and Descriptive
“Student 1 asked Student 2,
‘What are we supposed to write
down?’ Student 2 said, ‘I don’t
know.’”
Specific
“Teacher introduced a writing
prompt to students.”
Specificity
General
30
Adapted from Learning Walkthough Guide, MA Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education
Overview of a Rounds Visit



…Problem of Practice
Observation of Practice
Observation Debrief
 Describe
 Analyze
 Predict

Next Level of Work
31
A Problem of Practice…
…focuses on the observations across classrooms on one
or two things contained in the core that the school is
working on.
Describing and Clarifying the
Problem of Practice

Host provides problem of practice
 Why
select it?
 Who selects it?
 Where does it come from?
 What other background do outsiders (visitors) need to
know about the problem and what the school/district
has been doing to address it?

Visitors ask clarifying questions
 About
background and context—to get clarity.
 About what to look for in classrooms to reflect back to
the school on the problem of practice.
Problem of Practice
After some initial growth in literacy and math
performance, recently student performance on both
benchmark and state tests is flattening. Most
students are passing, but only half of the students
are in the “proficient” category, with few in
“advanced” on the state test. We may not be
challenging students sufficiently in their daily work.
What tasks are students being asked to do?
What questions do you hear?
Video: Practicing Observation
Stick close to the instructional core and focused on
the problem of practice
Be specific, descriptive and not evaluative- take
detailed notes!
 What
are students saying and doing?
 What are teachers saying and doing?
 What is the task?
Video:
1. Key Elements of Observing Practice: A Data Wise DVD and Facilitator’s Guide
2. Teaching for Deep Comprehension: A Reading Workshop Approach
Overview of the Rounds Visit



…Problem of Practice
Observation of Practice
Observation Debrief
 Describe
 Analyze
 Predict

Next Level of Work
36
Overview of the Rounds Visit



…Problem of Practice
Observation of Practice
Observation Debrief
 Describe
 Analyze
 Predict

Next Level of Work
37
Remember the Problem of Practice!
After some initial growth in literacy and math
performance, recently student performance on both
benchmark and state tests is flattening. Most
students are passing, but only half of the students
are in the “proficient” category, with few in
“advanced” on the state test. We may not be
challenging students sufficiently in their daily work.
What tasks are students being asked to do?
What questions do you hear?
Where would you put your evidence?
Objectivity
Judgmental
Specific and Judgmental
General and Judgmental
Specific and Descriptive
General and Descriptive
Descriptive
Specific
Specificity
Adapted from Learning Walkthough Guide, MA Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education
General
Descriptive Debrief
On your own:
 Read through your notes.
 Star data that seem relevant to the problem of
practice and/or data that seem important.
 Select 5-10 pieces of data and write each one on
an individual sticky note.
Share with your group:
 Help each other stay in the descriptive (not
evaluative) voice.
 Everyone speaks once before anyone speaks twice.
Analysis
1.
2.
Analyze the descriptive evidence in your small
group, placing sticky notes on chart paper,
grouping them, and labeling groups.
 A sticky note can stand alone or be duplicated
 What groupings help you make sense of what
you saw?
 What patterns do you see?
Write statements or develop a model that
describe the patterns you found in your data.
41
The Instructional Core
Principle 4: Task predicts performance.
Student
Task
Teacher
Content
42
“Task Predicts Performance.”
Predict what students are learning.
If you were a student at this school and you did
everything you were expected to do, what would you
know and be able to do?
43
Overview of the Rounds Visit



…Problem of Practice
Observation of Practice
Observation Debrief
 Describe
 Analyze
 Predict

Next Level of Work
44
Next Level of Work
Imagine if these data were from your school / district…
Consider…


What resources exist to support improvement?
What initiatives are already in motion?
What 3 detailed suggestions would you make to help the
school move instruction to the next level?
 Next week
 By winter break
 By the end of the school year
Graphical overview of rounds process
OBSERVATION/DESCRIPTION
PROBLEM OF
PRACTICE
NEXT LEVEL
OF WORK
THEORY OF
ACTION
ANALYSIS:
THEMES/PATTERNS
IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY
PREDICTION: “IF YOU WERE
A STUDENT. . .WHAT
WOULD YOU KNOW & BE
ABLE TO DO. . ?”
Learnings . . . So what?
Instructional Rounds compared to
Supervision and Evaluation
Instructional Rounds Supervision and
Evaluation
Learning stance
Inquiry: Genuinely want to
learn something ourselves
Unit of improvement
Meant to improve the
collective (school, system)
Lateral (peer-to-peer)
Accountability
Output
Primary focus in the
classroom
Informative: Genuinely want
someone else to learn
something
Main learners: The observers Main learner: The observed
Meant to improve the
individual
Positional (top-down)
Next level of work,
Evaluative feedback,
collective commitments
prescriptions for next steps
The teacher
The instructional core,
especially the students and
the tasks they’re engaged in.
In “Learning from Instructional Rounds,” by Elizabeth A. City,
Educational Leadership, Vol. 69, No. 2, p. 36-41, October 2011.
How is rounds different from
walkthroughs?
Lessons learned







It’s a practice—it takes practice (lots of repetition!)
Rounds is countercultural—and it’s easy to slip back into the
default judgmental culture
The interactions are what matter
Rounds is something to do with teachers, not to them
Rounds by itself is not enough—it needs to be part of an
improvement strategy
Rounds is not likely to yield strong results unless you have a
clear theory about how rounds leads to desired outcomes
Rounds is a powerful practice—it changes the way people see
classrooms, focus their work, and talk
So what for me? For us?



What’s one tool or idea
from today that you will
apply in your practice?
Why?
How does the work of
instructional rounds relate
to or build upon other
improvement processes
already under way in your
district/school(s)? How
could rounds deepen and
accelerate your work?
What next?
Classroom
observations
Network
Improvement
strategy
Thank you!