Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
NZLA Conference July 2013
Leading Teacher Inquiry
Purpose: to build professional knowledge around initiating and leading teacher
inquiry
Success criteria: as a group, be able to
 consolidate knowledge of the inquiry process
 identify key points re initiating and sustaining inquiry
 gain insight into the value of the coaching/mentoring approach
 source key professional readings
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
‘Effective teachers inquire into the relationship between what they do (style) and
what happens for the students (outcomes). But effective teachers do more than
simply inquire (or reflect) – they take action (in relation to what they are doing in
the classroom) to improve the outcomes for students and continue to inquire into
the value of these interventions.’
Dr Graeme Aitken
The inquiring teacher: Clarifying the concept of teaching effectiveness
From: TKI First time principals Module 2
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
‘…a necessary condition for school leaders’ success in the future will be their capacity
to improve the quality of instructional practice, a practice that places inquiry into the
impact of teaching on learning at the centre of their professional development.’
Elmore, R. Improving school leadership: Vol 2 (2008)
Quoted in Leading inquiry at a teacher level. It’s all about mentorship SET 3 (2012)
by Mike Fowler, DP, Hagley Community College
‘…the more leadership is focused on the core business of teaching and learning, the
greater its impact.’
Robinson, Hohepa and Lloyd. School leadership and student outcomes (2010)
Quoted in Leading inquiry at a teacher level. It’s all about mentorship SET 3 (2012)
by Mike Fowler, DP, Hagley Community College
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
‘Middle-level leaders in schools have a critical role in mentoring teachers as they work
with the teaching-as-inquiry process. One-to-one interactions and professional
conversations with each teacher largely determine the quality of inquiry, both for an
individual teacher and on a school-wide basis.
‘…….mentorship needs to be valued and to operate at a range of levels within the
school if effective inquiry is to be initiated and sustained.’
Mike Fowler, DP, Hagley Community College
Leading inquiry at a teacher level. It’s all about mentorship SET 3 (2012)
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
‘Mentorship of those facilitating the inquiry process seems to be the oil for the wheels
of change.’
Mike Fowler, DP, Hagley Community College
Leading inquiry at a teacher level. It’s all about mentorship SET 3 (2012)
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
Initiating Teaching as Inquiry - Plan of action
Term 1
Wk 5
Meet with Literacy and Team leaders – discuss process, goals, procedure, timeline
Wk 6
Inform staff
Wk 6 &
Coaching sessions with Literacy leaders – facilitator coaches, Team leaders observe.
Wk 7
2hrs per session (5 sessions)
Wk 8
Follow up observations and feedback – 1hr per Literacy leader
Wk 10
Leaders’ professional learning meeting – reflection, next steps
Term 2
Wk 2&3
Coaching sessions – Lit leaders coach Team leaders with facilitator support
Wk 6&7
Coaching sessions – Lit leaders coach a teacher from their team with facilitator
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
support
Wk 9
Leaders’ and teachers’ professional learning meeting – reflection, next steps
Wk 9
Feedback to staff
Literacy and Team Leader meeting: reflection, next steps July 2013
Purpose of meeting: to reflect on the use of one to one coaching using the Teaching as Inquiry model (NZC pg 35) as a basis for
ongoing inquiry into best practice.
Some goals:
 To improve outcomes for students through purposeful assessment, planned action, strategic teaching and focused review
 To create a supportive learning environment and facilitate shared learning
 To build on existing strengths and identify gaps in knowledge
 To support and train leaders as leaders of learning and ensure sustainability of ongoing inquiry into practice within the school
PLUS
 Hands on
 Reflective
 Non-judgemental
 Collaborative
 Expert/peer feedback
 Time to focus on small group
 Reflected back/linked to curriculum
 Models facilitation (could be teacherteacher, child-child)
 Provides a structure
 Sharpens observation skills
 Common language across the school
 Very individualised learning
 Promotes reflection on our practice in a
shared environment
 Active learning – work with own students
 Highly focussed
 Quiet space to work in (able to
concentrate on teaching practice, not
MINUS
 Only targets/provides opportunity for a
small group (initially – small group gives
you the opportunity to focus on the use
of a strategy, which if effective you would
transfer to the class setting)
 ‘Expert’ knowledge could be diluted
 Artificial time frames
 High cost of implementation
 Extra work load with documentation and
analysis
 Not a good idea to ask teacher to pre
plan the lesson as often so much is
changed. Just ask for an outline or idea
 Time taken – time spent out of your class
 Pressure to organise class and do PD
INTERESTING
 Ownership
 Discussion
 Opportunity
 Validity
 Caters for the range of experience of the
teachers
 Opportunity to observe and be exposed
to a variety of teaching strategies
 Effectiveness – usefulness of two PD
focuses at a time. How can they be
linked?
 Find out things about students that
become evident in this situation
(Emphasis on what happens for the
students – sharpens observation skills)
 Time to think about ‘why?’ – reflect on
e.g. pedagogy, opportunities, grouping
 Planning talk (Focusing the inquiry) could
be done separately – maybe at a
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
worry about class management)
 Immediate reflection time/discussion
 Talk teach talk structure effective
 Helped to articulate and justify what you
did
 Heightened importance of reflection
 Breaking down the inferred and the direct
language (often assume understanding)
 Deliberate inclusion of co-constructed
LI/SC strengthens learning
 Encourages student voice
syndicate meeting, to reduce time out of
class
Leader and teacher voice July 2013
 ‘It was really good having something specific – working out what was most important.’
 ‘Through that process, it just all made sense – it all followed on. I can take that away and apply that
to writing. I can apply it to other subject areas.’
 ‘You know the steps, but the reasons behind them can be forgotten..’
 ‘Working with other professional teachers to go through that process… that collaboration and
working together was very, very helpful.’
 ‘The conversations we have actually been having anyway, but it has directed it more.’
 ‘It was great to engage children that don’t normally enjoy writing.’
 ‘We’re also all speaking the same language.’
 ‘I like it because it’s really hands on. We have specific goals that we set collaboratively together and
we practice those – implementation of those goals immediately and then we have immediate
feedback on it.’
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
 ‘The real and meaningful context is really important – the kids and the teachers know that there’s a
purpose to it – that it’s going to benefit everybody, and also the fact that a lot of the structure of
the lesson was co-constructed, the students were helping the teacher to identify what it was that
they needed to know.’
Next steps for leaders
With reference to Aitken: The inquiring teacher: Clarifying the concept of teaching effectiveness
Consolidating knowledge and skills
 how to pose questions that capture the main dimensions of the relationship between
teaching and learning
 how to collect valid and reliable information that helps answer the questions about the
relationship between teaching and learning
 how to analyse data to identify patterns and issues
 how to observe and analyse the teaching of others in ways that identify actions that impact
positively on student learning
 how to model and lead learning talk with reference to key documents, professional readings
and research
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
Modelling attitudes
 openness to advancing knowledge about personal practice, to re-search one’s own teaching,
to draw ideas from all sources
 fallibility – willingness to accept that our hypotheses may fail, but that it is important to keep
searching
 energy and commitment
Putting systems in place, setting expectations
 inquiry given priority over other PD initiatives
 inquiry linked to school-wide targets and appraisal
 leaders actively involved
 budgeting for release
 timetabling of coaching/mentoring sessions and meetings
 timetabling and format for professional learning meetings
 time allowed for mentoring the mentors
 involvement of external expertise
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
References
 Weaving Evidence, Inquiry and Standards to Build Better Schools edited by Helen Timperley
and Judy Parr (NZCER 2010)
 The inquiring teacher: Clarifying the concept of teaching effectiveness by Dr Graeme Aitken
(Module 2 from the First time principals programme www.tki.org.nz/r/governance/ftpp)
 Leading inquiry at teacher level. Its all about mentorship by Mike Fowler SET 3,2012
 Understanding teaching as inquiry NZ Curriculum Update Issue 12 2011
 Assessment for learning: why, what and how? By Dylan Wiliams (IOE, London 2009)
Contact
Sally Simpson Literacy Facilitator & Coach July 2013
sally.simpson.facilitator@gmail.com
www.sallysimpsonfacilitator.co.nz