Webinar on Instructional Rounds
FOCUS ON THE CORE
An Introduction to
Instructional Rounds
September 27, 2012
www.literacyinlearningexchange.org
The Team – Brian Osborne, Gail Davis, Victoria Kniewel, & Scott Thompson
Focus on the Instructional Core
CONTENT
TASK
TEACHER
STUDENT
Foci of the Webinar
• Reinforce the importance of the
instructional core and its
centrality to significant
improvements in student learning.
• Sharing knowledge of the
procedures of instructional rounds
and their use in objectively
observing and reporting on
teaching and learning.
AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE
Closer look at the instructional core
CONTENT
TASK
TEACHER
STUDENT
Principles for the Instructional Core
• Increases in student learning occur only as a
consequence of improvements in the level of
content, teachers’ knowledge and skill, and
student engagement.
• If you change any single element of the
instructional core, you have to change the
other two to affect student learning.
• “If you can’t see it in the core, it’s not there.”
• The task predicts performance.
• The real accountability system is in the tasks
that students are asked to do.
Principles for the Instructional Core
• We learn to do the work by doing the
work, not by telling other people to do
the work, not by having done the work
at some time in the past, and not by
hiring experts who can act as proxies
for our knowledge about how to do the
work.
Adapted from Instructional Rounds in Education by City, Elmore,
Fiarman, and Teitel
Instructional Rounds:
What it isn’t
10
What it is
• A program
• A process
• Evaluating teachers
• Learning to describe and
identify effective learning
and teaching
• An implementation
check/monitoring tool
• Training in supervision
skills
• Passive
• An opportunity to dive into
problems of practice and
learn
• “Collaboration to create
coherence”
• A community of practice -learning from each other
and pushing each other
The Four Elements of Rounds
• Distinguishing elements of Instructional Rounds include:
1. Identification of a problem of practice
2. Observation of practice
• Collecting data that is descriptive, not evaluative;
specific; tied to the instructional core; and related to the
problem of practice.
• Using a formal observation tool that focuses on, what
students are saying and doing, what teachers are saying
and doing and what the task consists of, all in the service
of assessing the impact on student learning
3. Debriefing – identifying patterns and wonderings;
avoiding the “culture of nice.”
4. Brainstorming next level of work
Video of the Process
• New Jersey Network of Superintendents is a
professional learning community, with the
attendant responsibilities.
• The video represents an early instructional
rounds visit of the network to Fort Middle
School in Pemberton, NJ.
• If the video doesn’t play, you can also view it at
http://mpweb2.ncte.org/Pathways/Leaders/NJSN.html.
Fort Middle School Problem of Practice
• What evidence do you see of students making
connections to real-world experiences through
problem solving activities, decision making, and
investigative processes?
• What evidence do you see of students using
and being asked to use high order thinking
skills as defined by Bloom’s New Taxonomy?
• What evidence do you see of team teaching in
the “inclusive” classrooms?
Pre-Planning
• Network visiting team
– District provides data on the classroom or school –
data, demographics, etc.
– Network clarifies the problem of practice for the
rounds visit with the principal and superintendent.
– Network determines team compositions, the roles
and responsibilities of team members - time keeper,
looking at student work and questioning students,
recording classroom structures and content
(objectives on board, rubrics, student journals, etc.),
observing what the teacher says and does.
Pre-Planning
• School Principal (and superintendent)
– Engage staff in developing the problem of
practice and related look fors.
– Identify who (if anyone) will participate from the
staff.
– Identify which classrooms will be visited.
– Identify who will meet with the instructional
rounds team other than the principal.
– Make sure faculty and staff understand the
purpose of the instructional round (It is not
evaluative!)
The Four Elements of Rounds
• Distinguishing elements of Instructional Rounds include:
1. Identification of a problem of practice
2. Observation of practice
• Collecting data that is descriptive, not evaluative;
specific; tied to the instructional core; and related to the
problem of practice.
• Using a formal observation tool that focuses on, what
students are saying and doing, what teachers are saying
and doing and what the task consists of, all in the service
of assessing the impact on student learning
3. Debriefing – identifying patterns and wonderings;
avoiding the “culture of nice.”
4. Brainstorming next level of work
Problem of Practice
A rich problem of practice:
• Focuses on the instructional core
• Is directly observable
• Can be acted upon in real time
• Connects to a broader strategy of
improvement
• Is high leverage
From Instructional Rounds in Education by City, Elmore, Fiarman, and Teitel
Seth Boyden, South Orange-Maplewood
Problem of Practice:
• Instructional practice too often positions some
students as passive learners or lacks enough
differentiation to engage each child at her level
of cognitive development. The problem of
practice that the school is grappling with is to
design learning outcomes, tasks, and lessons
that engage all students with content at the
appropriate level of cognitive development of
each individual student while moving each
student along a pathway toward postsecondary
educational success.
Seth Boyden (continued)
Essential Questions/”Look-For”s:
• What is the task/content? Is it grade-level
appropriate? How do you know?
• How is the student engagement structured? Groups,
individual, whole-class, pairs, a combination? Does the
structure help or hinder engagement of all students?
Does the timing and pacing of the lesson/activity
maximize student engagement with the content? Is
student engagement simultaneous and continuous?
How do you know?
• What is the quality of engagement of the students with
the task/content? Is it just right, like Goldilock's
porridge? Are the students curious? Are they
determined/inspired? How do you know?
Your Questions
Any questions or comments on
identifying a Problem of Practice?
The Four Elements of Rounds
• Distinguishing elements of Instructional Rounds include:
1. Identification of a problem of practice
2. Observation of practice
• Collecting data that is descriptive, not evaluative;
specific; tied to the instructional core; and related to the
problem of practice.
• Using a formal observation tool that focuses on, what
students are saying and doing, what teachers are saying
and doing and what the task consists of, all in the service
of assessing the impact on student learning
3. Debriefing – identifying patterns and wonderings;
avoiding the “culture of nice.”
4. Brainstorming next level of work
During the Rounds Visit
• Network visiting team
– Follow through with your roles.
– Spend 10-15 minutes in each classroom.
– Look for evidence that supports (or not) the
target (student work, student talk)
– Record the evidence objectively – detailed,
nonjudgmental observations
– Debrief after every classroom visit (5
minutes)
Developing the Discipline of Seeing
Detailed, Nonjudgmental
Vs.
Generalized and/or Judgmental
Developing the Discipline of Seeing
Why?
Because generalization &
judgmentalism get in the way of
clearly seeing what is taking place in
the instructional core.
General Judgmental Description
• “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.”
Detailed, nonjudgmental description
• “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.”
• Prompt for student essays: “What role did
symbolism play in foreshadowing the
main character’s dilemma?”
Sorting Observations
Is the following observation
a) detailed, nonjudgmental or
b) general and/or judgmental?
“Fast paced.”
Sorting Observations
Is the following observation
a) detailed, nonjudgmental or
b) general and/or judgmental?
“Student 1 wrote in math journal:
• 5+5+5+5+5+5+1=31
• 10+10+10+1=31
• S2: 20+9+1=31
• S3: 41-10=31
• 2+3X3+16=3”
Sorting Observations
Is the following observation
a) detailed, nonjudgmental or
b) general and/or judgmental?
“Students practicing higher order thinking
skills.”
Sorting Observations
Is the following observation
a) detailed, nonjudgmental or
b) general and/or judgmental?
T: “How are volcanoes and earthquakes
similar and different?”
During the Rounds Visit
• School Staff
– Continue with the normal instructional plan.
– Have student work, products, portfolios,
etc., easily accessible
Your Questions
Any questions or comments on
classroom observations?
The Four Elements of Rounds
• Distinguishing elements of Instructional Rounds include:
1. Identification of a problem of practice
2. Observation of practice
• Collecting data that is descriptive, not evaluative;
specific; tied to the instructional core; and related to the
problem of practice.
• Using a formal observation tool that focuses on, what
students are saying and doing, what teachers are saying
and doing and what the task consists of, all in the service
of assessing the impact on student learning
3. Debriefing – identifying patterns and
wonderings; avoiding the “culture of nice.”
4. Brainstorming next level of work
After Classroom Observations
• Network visiting team
– Organize individual observations and select
relevant data
– Debrief within small team and select a few
patterns, wonderings and recommendations
for next level of work to share with the larger
network team
– Select important patterns, wonderings and
recommendations for next level of work and
share with principal, staff and host
superintendent.
Your Questions
Any questions or comments on
the debrief phase of rounds?
The Four Elements of Rounds
• Distinguishing elements of Instructional Rounds include:
1. Identification of a problem of practice
2. Observation of practice
• Collecting data that is descriptive, not evaluative;
specific; tied to the instructional core; and related to the
problem of practice.
• Using a formal observation tool that focuses on, what
students are saying and doing, what teachers are saying
and doing and what the task consists of, all in the service
of assessing the impact on student learning
3. Debriefing – identifying patterns and wonderings;
avoiding the “culture of nice.”
4. Brainstorming next level of work
Next Level of Work
• Components of the discussion:
– Revisit the Problem of Practice in light of
current supports and resources.
– Avoid the “culture of nice.”
– Be specific!
– Base recommendations on evidence gathered
in classrooms.
– Get initial feedback from host(s).
– Debrief next level of work at next meeting.
Your Questions
Any questions or comments on
Brainstorming Next Level of Work?
Balancing the Learning
Host
School’s
Learning
Network’s
Learning
QUESTIONS?