Using Evidence in the
Classroom for Professional
Learning
Ontario Education Research Symposium
17 - 19 February 2010
Helen Timperley
University of Auckland
Required Conditions
• Relevant evidence
• Beliefs, knowledge and skills of
teachers
• Beliefs, knowledge and skills of school
leaders
• Relationships of respect and challenge
Relevant Evidence
• Evidence from own students
(formal and informal)
• Evidence of own practice
(link to evidence from students)
• Evidence from others’
research to inform practice
Beliefs, knowledge and skills of
teachers
• Inquiry habit of mind
– Evidence as a source of information
for teaching and learning (not labels for
students)
• Knowledge and skills
– The meaning of the evidence for practice
– Sufficient PCK from research to make relevant
adjustments to practice
Beliefs, knowledge and skills of
leaders
• Inquiry habit of mind
– Evidence as a source of information for
teaching, learning and leading
• Knowledge and skills
– The meaning of the evidence for teaching and
leadership practice
– Sufficient PCK from research to make relevant
adjustments to practice
– Skills to engage in difficult conversations about
the evidence with teachers
Relationships of Respect and
Challenge
Systems change using evidence requires
learning together in relationships that:
– Probe meanings, challenge interpretation of
the evidence and underpinning reasoning
– Respect the capacity of all to learn and
improve
Evidence-Informed Conversations
Relationships of Respect and Challenge
Evidence-informed
Conversations
Using Relevant
Evidence
Earl and Timperley (2000)
Inquiry Habit of Mind
How the Process Can Work:
Two Sources of Evidence
THE THEORY
Professional Learning and Development Best
Evidence Synthesis iteration (2008)
THE PRACTICE
Literacy Professional Development Project (LPDP)
in New Zealand
–
–
–
300 schools
On average 2-3 times expected rate of progress
Bottom 20% 3-4 times expected rate of progress
Teacher inquiry and knowledge-building cycle
to promote valued student outcomes
What
knowledge
and skills do
our students
need?
What has
been the
impact of our
changed
actions?
What knowledge
and skills do we
as teachers
need?
Deepen
professional
knowledge and
refine skills
Engage
students in new
learning
experiences
Evidence from Students
• What do the students already know?
• How adequate are the sources of
evidence we have used?
• What do the students need to learn and
do?
• How do we build on what they know?
Within the LPDP Project
• Students assessed using curriculum-based
assessment
• Facilitated interpretation of how to score it
and what the results mean with teachers
and leaders
- at the same time as…
Teacher inquiry and knowledge-building cycle
to promote valued student outcomes
What
knowledge
and skills do
our students
need?
What has
been the
impact of our
changed
actions?
What knowledge
and skills do we
as teachers
need?
Deepen
professional
knowledge and
refine skills
Engage
students in new
learning
experiences
Evidence of Effectiveness of
Own Knowledge and Practice
• How we have contributed to existing student
outcomes?
• What do we already know that we can use to
promote improved outcomes for students?
• What do we need to learn and do to promote
these outcomes?
• What sources of evidence / knowledge can we
utilise?
Within the LPDP Project
• With expert facilitators, the teachers:
• Relate student data to programme
emphases;
• Respond to a scenario of (mostly
ineffective) practice and discuss results;
• Discuss strengths and weaknesses of
practice from classroom observations.
Teacher inquiry and knowledge-building cycle
to promote valued student outcomes
What
knowledge
and skills do
our students
need?
What has
been the
impact of our
changed
actions?
What knowledge
and skills do we
as teachers
need?
Deepen
professional
knowledge and
refine skills
Engage
students in new
learning
experiences
Deepen Professional Knowledge
and Refine Skills
Important considerations:
• Consider research findings about different
approaches
– Integrate knowledge, skills and theory
• Curriculum, assessment, pedagogy
– Focus on the teaching / learning links;
• Discuss existing ideas about students,
assessment, curriculum and how to teach it
Three Fields of Knowledge
(NCSL)
What Is Known
The knowledge from
theory, research and
best practice
What We Know
The knowledge of
those involved.
What practitioners
know
New Knowledge
The new knowledge
that we can create
together through
collaborative work
Within the LPDP Project
• Students are the “touchstone” throughout;
• Understand theory and practice – research on
pedagogical content knowledge;
• Develop adaptive expertise;
• Engage teachers’ beliefs (theories of practice)
Promoting change in teachers’
beliefs and assumptions
Current
assumptions
challenged
Observe resulting
improvements in
student outcomes
Develop
new
knowledge
and skills
Make small
changes to
practices
Teacher inquiry and knowledge-building cycle
to promote valued student outcomes
What
knowledge
and skills do
our students
need?
What has
been the
impact of our
changed
actions?
What knowledge
and skills do we
as teachers
need?
Deepen
professional
knowledge and
refine skills
Engage
students in new
learning
experiences
Judging Impact
• What evidence is there that any changes made
promote our students’ learning and well-being?
• What reasons lie behind improvement or lack of
it?
– Means the ongoing use of evidence on a
daily, weekly, term by term and annual basis
• Using a range of assessment tools
The use of evidence for
professional learning CANNOT
be a single event
• Pervades all aspects of the cycle
– Identifying what students know and need to
learn
– Identifying what teachers know and need to
learn
– Deciding what might be most effective
– Checking impact of changes to practice
Integration of Evidence
Evidence from the classroom
(students and teachers)
PLUS
Evidence of effective practice
Beliefs, knowledge and Skills of
School Leaders
• Teachers cannot do it alone
• To lead effectively, leaders must know
enough themselves to:
– Use evidence to work through the inquiry and
knowledge building cycles with teachers
– Help teachers to use the range of evidence to
improve practice
If Leaders are to Use Evidence
to Lead Learning
Must know their class of teachers using
evidence to determine:
– What the teachers already know and do well
and what they need to learn
– What the leaders need to learn and do to
make a difference to teacher learning and
student outcomes
– How to engage the teachers to build on what
they already know and can do
– How to check impact
Leaders’ inquiry and knowledge-building cycle
to promote valued teaching practices and
student outcomes
What
knowledge
and skills do
our teachers
need?
What has
been the
impact of our
changed
actions?
What knowledge
and skills do we
as leaders need?
Deepen
professional
knowledge and
refine skills
Engage
teachers in new
learning
experiences
Within the LPDP
• Effective leaders
– Learned to interpret evidence of student
learning and teaching practice
• And have the challenging conversations
– Recognise their need to learn in order to
teach others
• Less effective leaders
– Focused on structures and processes to
promote others’ learning
Conclusion
• Teachers can use evidence to improve teaching
practice in ways that works for students
• Requires
– Evidence from the classroom
• Student learning
• Teaching practice
– Evidence from others’ research to inform change
– Support from their leaders to:
• Develop the inquiry habit of mind, knowledge and skills
needed to learn from evidence
References
Earl, L. & Timperley, H. (2009). Professional Learning
Conversations: Challenges in Using Evidence.
Springer.
Timperley, H. & Parr, J. (2009). Chain of Influence from
Policy to Practice in the New Zealand Literacy
Strategy. Research Papers in Education, 24(2), 135154,
Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H. & Fung, I. (2008)
Teacher Professional Learning and Development: A
Best Evidence Iteration.
http://educationcounts.edcentre.govt.na/goto/BES