Implementing the CCSS Through Coaching Atomic Conference December 2, 2014

Objectives Provide a rational for implementing a program of instructional coaching Discuss role of district and building administrators in establishing coaching programs Discuss the qualities and practices that contribute to effective instructional coaching Discuss coaching alternatives that do not require a coach

Why Coaching? Efforts to implement the CCSS have failed so far to meet the needs of teachers Traditional forms of professional development are by themselves inadequate to change teaching practices Pre-service training for teachers in the USA in the area of mathematics lags behind pre-service training in high achieving countries

Why Coaching? Slavin study on elementary mathematics programs: strongest positive effects were found for instructional process approaches such as forms of cooperative learning, classroom management and motivation programs, and supplemental tutoring programs University of Kansas study: coaching designed to implement new instructional practices resulted in implementation rates of 85-90% Teachers involved in peer coaching relationships practiced new skills and strategies more often and applied them more suitably than teachers working in isolation (Joyce and Showers)

Stages of Change (Achievethecore.org)

Preconditions for the development of a successful coaching program Common vision Culture of collaboration Strong administrative support Independent of teacher evaluation process

Role of District Leadership Identify district needs with regard to the implementation of the CCSS Provide funding for coaching programs Design job descriptions for all coaches and participate in the selection process Offer coaches professional development opportunities Foster a positive culture of collaboration

Role of Principal Identify school needs with regard to the implementation of the CCSS Work with math coaches to set priorities based on identified needs Put structures in place to support coaching services Set norms for both coaches and teachers who receive coaching services Conduct regular meetings with coaches to monitor progress in meeting the identified needs that needs are being met Foster a positive culture of collaboration

Role of Coach Support, not evaluate Act as peer, not expert Engage teachers in a process of inquiry with the target of instructional improvement Encourage teachers to try new things Celebrate teacher successes

Goal setting for mathematics coaching Goals may be content-oriented or process-oriented Most effective content goals are centered on teaching big ideas Most effective process goals are centered on student engagement in cognitively rigorous tasks Focus on one process goal, one content goal, or one of each

An effective math coach: 1.Believes in a “growth” mindset 2.Develops strong professional relationships 3.Has good communication skills 4.Possesses strong understanding of both mathematical content and effective instructional practices 5.Understands assessment practices

Four types of support through instructional coaching Conduct model lessons Engage in co-planning lessons Engage in co-teaching lessons Observe lessons and provide feedback

Gradual release of responsibility in coaching Step #1: coach teaches model lesson, then debriefs with teacher Step #2: coach plans and co-teaches lesson with teacher, then debriefs with teacher Step #3: teacher plans lesson independently, coach has short preconference to determine the focus of the observation, then observes teacher delivering lesson to students, then debriefs with teacher

Suggestions for preconference Ascertain learning targets of the lesson Allow teacher to provide any relevant background information Determine focal point(s) of the observation

Suggestions for observation Record what the teacher is doing and what the students are doing (non-evaluative → gathering evidence) Assess student thinking by listening to conversations and discussions or by looking at student work

Suggestions for post-conference Allow teacher to share her/his thoughts based on self-reflection Provide specific feedback on positive aspects of lesson before providing any other feedback Ask questions that foster self-reflection Discuss one or two recommendations for future improvement Build on teacher strengths

Suggestions for questions that foster self-reflection Use verbs to elicit higher-order thinking (“compare,” “predict,” “evaluate”) Ask questions that are open-ended Embed tentative language (“might,” “some”) Presume positive intentions in your questions Use an approachable voice to signal inquiry vs. interrogation (Bay-Williams, J., McGatha, M., 2014)

Sample questions How did the lesson go compared to how you had planned it? What strategies could you use to increase student-student discourse? In what ways might you ascertain the degree to which your students met your learning targets? How can you ensure that all members of each group stay engaged in the tasks you assigned?

The success of instructional coaching can best be measured not by what the coach does with/for teachers but by the degree to which the teachers she/he works with improve their instructional practices.

No coaches? Try peer observations! Sample schedule: Per 1: A teaches, B and C observe/collect data Per 2: B & C share data and prepare for coaching conversation Per 3: A, B, and C have a coaching conversation Per 4: D teaches, E and F observe/collect data Per 5: E & F share data and prepare for coaching conversation Per 6: D, E, and F have a coaching conversation A cycle consists of 3 days within a given time period – each of the 6 teachers will be observed on one of the three days Cost: the cost of three substitute teachers

Turn meeting times into coaching opportunities 1.Conversations centered on video clips - Discuss focus question(s) - assign lenses for viewing video - watch short (5-10 minute) video clip - have participants with common lens share data collected and make conclusions - jigsaw to share findings

Turn meeting times into coaching opportunities 2. Conversations centered on student work - Discuss protocol to be used to view work (5 min) - Break into groups of 3-4, collect data from 3-4 pieces of work using chosen protocol (15-20 min) - Each group identifies 4-5 themes from work viewed (10 min) - Each group shares identified themes with whole group (5-10 min) - Whole group discusses results and their implications for future action(10 min)

Contact information John Keogh, educational consultant Professional development on a wide variety of topics in the teaching and learning of mathematics