Session 4 Facilitator’s Guide: Providing
Feedback and Removing Barriers
Sequence of Sessions
Targets for this Session


I can develop growth-producing feedback that supports teaching of specific, priority standards.
I can identify strategies that support change organizationally.
High-Level Purpose of this Session

During this session, principals will shape and share feedback based on what they observed during the model lesson in
session 3. They will role-play providing feedback and helping teachers overcome barriers through a variety of scenarios.
Related Learning Experiences

Sessions 1, 2A, 2B, 3 from October 2014 NTI. All prior sessions build to this final session and are necessary for participation.
Key Points


Tweaking the environment is about making the right behavior a little bit easier, and the wrong behaviors a little bit harder.
Leaders can support teachers by providing a clear path for them to navigate the change in their teaching practices required
by the Common Core.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of
this session?
1. I can develop growth-producing feedback.
2. I can identify strategies that support change organizationally.
How will we know that they are able to do this?


Performance assessment – role playing
conversation
Session Overview
Prepared Resources
Facilitator’s Preparation
Section
Time
Overview
Shaping the path
90 min
Participants use two classroom

observations to practice giving

feedback that is focused on a particular 
standard and aligned to the practices of
the SAP instructional practice guides.
Review all materials,
standards in video.doc
download video, conduct
PPT
https://www.teachingchann standard analysis and
el.org/videos/3rd-grade-ela- analyze lesson in the
video.
lesson
Organizational
Changes
15 min
Participants brainstorm ways impact

organizational change and identify
specific actions steps for their buildings.
PPT
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Shaping the path
Time: 10:15-11:45
[90 minutes] Principals will practice providing feedback to
one another based on observed lessons. They will offer
critique to one another on this feedback and build deep
familiarity with the SAP evidence guides.



PPT
standards in video.doc
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/3rd-grade-ela-lesson
Time
(3 min)
Slide #/Pic of Slide
PPT Slide #1, #2
Script/Activity directions
(3 min)
PPT Slide #3, #4
Facilitator connects back to the concepts of the previous day: the
Rider, the Elephant and the Path. Explain that this final session is
about shaping the path. Read or paraphrase:
Facilitators introduce themselves, the norms for the day, and the
learning target.
 I can develop growth-producing feedback that supports
teaching of specific, priority standards.
 I can identify strategies that support change
organizationally.
“If you want people to change, you can provide clear direction
(Rider) or boost their motivation and determination (Elephant).
Alternatively, you can simply make the journey easier. Create a
steep downhill slope and give them a push. Remove some friction
Grouping
whole
whole
from the trail. Scatter around lots of signs to tell them they’re getting
close. In short, you can shape the path.” (Switch, p. 181)
(2 min)
PPT Slide #5
Ask, looking back at our target, how can feedback that is specific to
standards shape the path?
PPT slide #6
Have principals review notes from the model lesson the day prior.
Make sure they have everything they need to craft feedback to the
teacher they observed.
whole
Share bullets from Switch Framework session 2A on the
powerpoint. Review the 6 bullets for Direct the Rider and Motivate
the Elephant. Ask them to keep these in mind while they craft their
feedback.
(5 min)
PPT slide #6
PPT slide #7
Keeping these in mind (it is printed in notebook for reference:
Switch-Framework.pdf) principals should plan their feedback
strategy from the lesson the day before. They should reference the
notes they took on the SAP evidence guides and use that to craft
feedback specific to the core practices and the standard that was
being taught.
solo
They should write down key phrases that will direct and motivate.
When they are several issues in an observed lesson, “shrink the
change” becomes critical.
Ask, what 2 items (no more than that) will you focus on?
(5 min)
PPT slide #8
Principals will share their feedback with a partner. The partner will
offer a piece of praise, one question, and one suggestion to the
principal who gave the feedback. Making sure it is based on
evidence.
 Praise
 Question
 Suggestion
pairs
They will take turns and the receiver becomes the giver of
feedback.
(2 min)
PPT slide #9
(5 min)
PPT slide #10-13
Have principals summarize what they have learned about giving
feedback on a standard, and using the evidence guides for support.
Review steps to support principals in coaching teachers based on
standards:
Find the scaffolding for any standard they are wrestling with by:
- On curriculum map, find check mark to find in which module
specific standard assessed.
- Still on curriculum map, find the column for that module.
Skim assessment names, standard in parentheses, to find
which assessment hits that standard, and what unit that
standard is in.
- On the unit overview for where the standard is assessed,
skim unit-at-a-glance chart to find the assessment lesson.
Read assessment.
- Dig into arc of lessons preceding that assessment, to see
our scaffolding.
(5 min)
PPT slide #14
Principals will watch an ELA lesson from teaching channel.
This is not an EL module lesson, but it is a challenging standard to
teach, and will give principals practice with coaching on a specific
standard. Also, teachers provide ELA instruction that is additional to
the modules, which should still be common core aligned. This
section will support principals in such situations.
Show principals the standards that are addressed in this lesson on
the slides (and in notebook):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse
Whole group
cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and
explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.2
Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read
aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats,
including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Ask: Before you go into observe this teacher, what should you do to
prepare?
Listen for: analyze the standards, highlight key words in the
standards, review the SAP evidence guides.
(28 min)
PPT slide #15
Have principals do the above named tasks before beginning the
video.
While viewing, principals should be paying attention to the 3 core
practices from the evidence guides and their analysis of the
standard.
solo
Full lesson on finding the main idea
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/3rd-grade-ela-lesson
(2 min)
(2 min)
PPT slide #16
When the lesson has ended give participants 2 minutes to collect
their notes on the observation. Remind them to stay focused on the
standard and the core practices from the evidence guides.
Conduct a whole group share to make sure they picked up on all
issues pertaining to the lesson. Below is what students should have
been doing. Compare this to what they did do.
 Recount stories
 determine the central message
 explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text
 Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text
read aloud
Ask principals to review the RL.4.2 and SL.4.2. Is what they saw in
the lesson preparing students to be successful on the standard in
solo
whole
4th grade?
This is why standard analysis is critical – should be happening all of
the time and during all coaching conversations.
(10 min)
PPT Slide #17
Remind principals to be mindful of the observation cycle- collect
evidence, tag to tool, then judge (determine).
Once again, principals will share their feedback keeping the ideas
of direction, motivation, and shaping the path in mind.
This time however, the partners should engage in a dialogue.
The receiver will role play a teacher and the feedback will reflect a
conversation. Each receiver will offer praise, question, and
suggestion to the one who gave the feedback, then switch roles.
Section 2: Organizational Changes
Time: 11:45-12:00
[15 minutes] Participants will brainstorm strategies they can
implement in their buildings to influence change at an
organizational level. Session closes with a self-assessment on
learning targets.
Time
(5 min)
Slide #/Pic of Slide
Slide #18-21

PPT
Script/Activity directions
Explain that we have been focused on change at the
Grouping
Whole/pairs
individual level by focusing on coaching of individual
teachers. We are going to close the session by thinking
about change at an organizational level.
Key point: Tweaking the environment is about making the
right behavior a little bit easier, and the wrong behaviors a
little bit harder.
Introduce the concept of tweaking the environment through
sharing some examples of others who have Tweaked the
Environment (see slides).
Ask: What things could you “tweak” in your school, to get
everyone, yourself included, engaged in dialogue about
standards?
(3 min)
Slide #22
Share a slide representing “building habits” and explain the
habits loop.
Whole/pairs
Ask: What things could you implement to help your staff build
habits that will help them provide common core aligned
instruction? What cues and routines could be put in place?
(reference the core practices in SAP guide if needed)
(3 min)
Slide #23
Share a slide representing “rallying the herd” and read or
paraphrase:
“It’s clear that we imitate the behaviors of others, whether
consciously or not. We are especially keen to see what
they’re doing when the situation is unfamiliar or ambiguous.
And change situations are, by definition, unfamiliar. So if you
Whole/pairs
want to change things, you have to pay close attention to
social signals, because they can either guarantee a change
effort or doom it. When you are leading an Elephant on an
unfamiliar path, chances are it’s going to follow the herd. So
how do you create a herd?”
(4 min)
Slide #24
Ask: What will you do to create a herd? How will you get
everyone moving on the same path and leverage positive
peer pressure?
Bring the group back to the learning targets for the 5
sessions (on powerpoint) and ask them to self-assess.





I can interpret the meaning of a grade-specific
standard, discriminating it from the same standard at
other grade levels.
I can describe effective teaching of a specific standard
(with support from ELA Instructional Practice Guides).
I can analyze classroom practice for its effectiveness
and alignment to the Common Core.
I can develop growth-producing feedback that supports
teaching of specific, priority standards.
I can identify strategies that support change
organizationally.
Explain that we believe doing being able to do these things
are critical for supporting teachers in providing common core
aligned instruction. If they need more work on one of them,
what is their plan to get what they need?
Thank the group and close the session.
Turnkey Materials Provided



standards in video.doc
Full lesson on finding the main idea: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/3rd-grade-ela-lesson