1. Learning Management System
Wireless Network:
SDCOE_Guests
USER Name: SDCOE
Password: BelmontPark
Dan

2. Analyzing Teaching & Quality of Classroom Instruction
21st Century School Administrators’ Institute
Feb. 7, 2014

3. Introductions Your name Your school
What are you looking forward to learning as we begin this course?
8:00 am – 8:20 am
Have participants introduce themselves by providing:
name
school
what you see as a strength as an instructional leader that you already have
in what area do you want to grow as an instructional leader
Debbie and Scott introduce selves.
Share experiences as instructional leaders – rationale for why we’re a good team to present this learning.
Contact information will appear following group introductions

4. Contact Information
Yolanda Rogers
Jeff Warshaw

5. Compliance
The intent of this coursework is to better prepare you for leadership positions in your districts in the area of instructional leadership.
Leadership Institutes
Theory of Action Talking Points
General Information
This institute is built on a theory of action.
The term “theory of action” was developed by Chris Argyris and Donald Schon, who orginally focused on the individual’s theory of action. They defined an individual’s theory of action as their implicit or explicit models of how they intend to act in the world. They distinguished the theory of action with individuals’ theories in use, which describe how people actually act.
By definition, organizations also have implicit or explicit theories that guide how they intend to act.
Theories of action are usually crafted as an “if-then” statement: If I do X, then I will expect to get Y as a result.”
This institute has a research-based theory of action: If I know and can do those things outlined here, then I will accelerate student and adult learning and, ultimately, contribute to closing the achievement gap.
Knowing and Doing
Each of the courses in the institute will focus on one or more of these knowledge and skill areas.
The “knowing” work includes:
Vision and leadership voice:
The principal’s articulation of a strong belief system about teaching and learning and his/her ability to cultivate common language and common norms of practice to engage the staff in the continuous improvement of teaching and learning.
Teaching and learning:
The literature refers to “expert noticing,” or being able to describe and analyze teaching and learning in the context of an ideal state.
21st Century innovation and efficacy:
This refers to the school leader’s ability to apply 21st century skills and resources to improve teaching and learning.
Community engagement:
Knowing students and involving the community builds relationships that may strengthen the school climate and enhance a learning-centered culture.
The knowing work informs the “doing” work:
Learning centered culture:
An effective leader develops a learning-centered school culture with an “academic emphasis.” This academic emphasis is grounded in the belief that all students can achieve academic excellence.
Building capacity:
The learning-centered leader builds capacity in the adults who have the most to do with influencing student learning. Building capacity enables leaders to address student learning needs that were identified when visiting classrooms. Building capacity refers to the organization of adult learning and the distribution of leadership to accomplish this work.
Driven for results:
Monitoring the effectiveness of school practices and their impact on student learning is a key responsibility of school leadership. In this area, the school leader creates a monitoring system that provides feedback to teachers about teaching and learning and involves the review of student performance data.
Resource alignment:
In this area, leaders leverage resources to improve teacher performance and student learning results.
Together, this theory of action synthesizes these research-based areas into a model of learning-centered strategies and practices for the purpose of improving learning results.

6. Course Outcomes
Strengthen personal expert noticing of high quality teaching and learning through the “Five Dimensions of Teaching and Learning.”
Observe lessons and collect descriptive evidence around the “Five Dimensions of Teaching and Learning.”
Analyze descriptive evidence from a lesson observation to plan a coaching conversation with a teacher.
Identify different types of formal and informal teacher observations and feedback and analyze each of their role in the improvement of teaching and learning.
8:25 am
These outcomes layer onto the outcomes of 810-Building a vision of high-quality teaching & learning
BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE 21st Century skills in OUR COURSE
CREATIVITY and INNOVATION
CRITICAL THINKING and PROBLEM SOLVING
COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION

7. Session 1 Outcomes
Strengthen personal expert noticing of high quality teaching and learning through the “Five Dimensions of Teaching and Learning.”
Observe lessons and collect descriptive evidence around the “Five Dimensions of Teaching and Learning.”
At the end of today, you should be able to…
We will tackle the first 2 outcomes for the course in session 1 and the last 2 outcomes will be tackled in the third session.

8. Participation Agreements
Come prepared to fully participate in both face-to-face and online sessions.
Engage in the thinking and reflecting work.
Collaborate throughout the learning process
Allow all voices to be heard.
Dan
You’ve been identified as a leader in your district that can really help us frame and refine the type of leadership needed to be site administrators during the 21st century.
As part of that you’ll be expected to:
Come prepared to fully participate in both face-to-face and online sessions
complete reading assignments and any other assignments
Engage in discussion by asking questions, pushing at others’ thinking, clarifying meaning, etc.
Each of you bring strengths to this class and we expect that you will build upon one another’s strengths. If there are areas in which you feel you need to grow, find another student from whom you can learn.

9. Today’s Agenda Introductions & Course Overview
Elements of High Quality Teaching and Learning
5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning
Strengths & Weaknesses in 5-D Expertise
Recording Descriptive Evidence
Carol

10. Elements of High Quality Teaching & Learning
What do you look for when you observe teaching and learning?
Individually write 5 elements on 5 post-its
Discuss and compare post-its at your table to eliminate any repeats
Need to decide how this activity will go…need to have groups collect and chart their independent thinking, but then need to have whole group see that all the charted items fall into 5 categories (the 5 Dimensions)
8:30 am – 8:50 am
8:30-8;33 On paper, individuals record their own responses (3 min.)
8:33-8:38 Share responses and have one person at each table record responses on a Google Doc (5 minutes)
8:38-8:41 Table groups look for patterns and trends across all group responses (3 minutes)
8:41-8:50 Name the trends and patterns with the large group (9 minutes)
Record trends and patterns on chart paper
You will have an opportunity to record your thinking on a discussion board (refer to and show the discussion board)

11. Collecting Descriptive Evidence Around the Five Dimensions
Provide this as a handout and have them categorize their stickies according to the dimensions

12. Collecting Descriptive Evidence Around the Five Dimensions
Provide as handout and have them categorize their stickies according to the dimensions

13. Let’s take a poll… In which dimension do you have the most expertise?
In which dimension do you have the least expertise?
Discuss the importance of having expertise in all 5 dimensions. You can’t lead what you don’t know/understand.
Quote from book to emphasize (p. 25) “…the glasses one wears to see all five dimensions of teaching and learning in their full interactive depth and breadth is instructional expertise.”
Complete the online poll…which dimension do you think you have the most expertise in and which one do you have the least expertise in

14. The 5D Glasses
Discuss the importance of having expertise in all 5 dimensions. You can’t lead what you don’t know/understand.
Quote from book to emphasize (p. 25) “…the glasses one wears to see all five dimensions of teaching and learning in their full interactive depth and breadth is instructional expertise.”
Complete the online poll…which dimension do you think you have the most expertise in and which one do you have the least expertise in

15. Elements of High Quality Teaching & Learning

16. The Five Dimensions of Teaching & Learning
Read your assigned dimension in Chapter 2: “The Five Dimensions of Teaching & Learning”
Purpose p
Student Engagement p
Curriculum & Pedagogy p
Assessment for Student Learning p
Classroom Environment & Culture p
As instructional leaders, what expertise do we need to develop, to be able to “see” your assigned dimension and its subdimensions?
9:15 – 10:00 am
(can prepare charts in advance by labeling one per dimension)
Participants read independently… Ideally, assign participants to the dimension that they claimed they had the least expertise in on the poll.

17. The Five Dimensions of Teaching & Learning
Discuss your dimension with your group
Create 1 chart that summarizes the expertise needed to “see” the dimension and its sub-dimensions
Collaborate on 1 example to share to exemplify how the expertise for your dimension is used during a lesson observation
Jigsaw activity: after each small group reads one dimension, they chart the expertise needed to develop to “see” that dimension to summarize/share for the rest of the group. In whole group share out, have each group do: 1) a quick summary of the expertise needed to see it, 2) collaboratively discuss and decide on one example of how the expertise is used during a lesson observation (could be something they recently witnessed/experienced through one of their own classroom observations) to share with the whole group.

18. Jigsaw 5 Dimensions of Teaching & Learning
Description of the Dimension
Expert Observer…
Learning Work
Read the assigned section & discuss with group
Describe the dimension and sub-dimensions
Provide examples of what the expert observer would see and hear.
Purpose group: 26-29
Student engagement group: 29-33
Curriculum & Pedagogy: 34-37
Assessment: 37-41
Classroom Environment: 41-46
While reading, define the sub-dimensions they’re reading, they’re looking for examples of the expert observer.
Groups make a poster and share out to the whole group.
Ensure participants understand the difference between standards and teaching point

19. Elements of Teaching & Learning
What do you look for when you observe teaching and learning?
Collaboratively categorize your group post-its by the Five Dimensions
As groups organize their post-it notes, they should consider which dimensions are most well-represented and which are lacking consideration. Whole-group share-out after small group work.

20. Haiku Reflection
How will your initial understanding of the 5 Dimensions impact your work as you observe teaching and learning?
As groups organize their post-it notes, they should consider which dimensions are most well-represented and which are lacking consideration. Whole-group share-out after small group work.

21. The Instructional Core
1 minute
Review key idea from book:
In order for principals to be instructional leaders, they have to practice fine tuning their eye on what high quality teaching and learning looks and sounds like and they have to be able to develop a common language and understanding around teaching and learning in their schools.

22. THE INSTRUCTIONAL CORE
Principle #1: Increases in student learning occur only as a consequence of improvements in the level of content, teachers’ knowledge and skill, and student engagement.
THE INSTRUCTIONAL CORE
Principle #2: If you change one element of the instructional core, you have to change the other two.
Student
Teacher
Content
TASK
Principle #3: If you can’t see it in the core, it’s not there.
Principle #4: Task predicts performance
Principle #5: The real accountability system is in the tasks that students are asked to do.
There are seven principles that guide our work with the instructional core.
As we begin this process of rounds you may find that the principles appear pretty simplistic.
What you may find is that as you get into this work as a network, these principles will continue to resurface and over time you will begin to realize their direct connection to this work.
Principle #6: We learn to do the work by doing the work.
Principle #7: Description before analysis, analysis before prediction, prediction before evaluation.

23. Description with Judgment
“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.”
1 minute
Review/remind them quickly of the difference between “description with judgement” and “description without judgement”

24. Description without Judgment
“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.” “Teacher introduced a writing prompt to students.”
1 minute
Review/remind them quickly of the difference between “description with judgement” and “description without judgement”
p.85 in Instructional Rounds in Education

25. Specificity of Evidence
“Teacher introduced a writing prompt to students.” vs. “Prompt for student essays: ‘What role did symbolism play in foreshadowing the main character’s dilemma?’”
Dan(1 min)
Just being descriptive is not always enough…..we have to pay attention to the level of detail of our descriptions or the specificity of our evidence
Is this a description or judgment? What about this one? Which is more useful?
Fine-grained versus large-grained
Instructional Rounds, pg. 93

26. Collecting Descriptive Evidence Around the Five Dimensions
Purpose
Student Engagement
Curriculum & Pedagogy
Assessment for Student Learning
Classroom Environment & Culture
TEACHING
What are the teachers doing and saying?
LEARNING
What are the students doing and saying?
1 minute
Distribute evidence collection sheet
Explain that they will use the form to record descriptive evidence as they watch a video of teaching and learning.

27. Specificity of Evidence
“Teacher introduced the concept of fractions and students applied it in a hands-on activity.” vs. “Teacher read the objective of the lesson to the class; “Understand that a fraction represents a part of a whole,” and asked students to restate it with a partner.”
1 minute
Remind them quickly about the importance of not being too general and recording specifically what is happening.
p.93 in Instructional Rounds in Education

28. Collecting Descriptive Evidence Around the Five Dimensions
Watch the video of teaching & learning in a classroom
Record descriptive evidence on the form in terms of your assigned dimension
Use the Summary sheet of the 5 Dimensions for reference if needed
11:00 – 11:45
Explain directions and Watch video of lesson
Purpose of watching video is to practice expert noticings around one dimension
Distribute evidence collection sheet (if not done already)
View a video and practice collecting evidence around one dimension
Video: middle school math lesson (20 minutes)

29. Analyzing teaching and learning
Use the guiding questions from 5D to analyze the evidence gathered from the classroom observation.
Each person shares their evidence.
EXPERT GROUP
Expert Group-Share analysis with the new group to build understanding across 5D Model
Carol
Take descriptive evidence
Use guiding questions for your dimension to analyze the descriptive evidence
Heterogeneous groups review their findings across all 5 dimensions

30. Refining Our Understanding
Return to your table’s 5-D Organizer Chart and add to or modify your lists
11:45 – 12:00 noon

31. Course Assignments
Practice collecting descriptive evidence of teaching and learning with a new lesson video.
Watch the teacher reflection video and decide on the one sub-dimension you would want to coach the teacher(s) through to improve the teaching and learning in the classroom.
Post your reflection and participate in the discussion board.

32. Session 2 Online Practice the collection of descriptive evidence
By March 11th
Participate in an online discussion
Engage in the online conversation from March 11th through the 19th

33. Thursday, March 20, 2014 8:00 am to 12 pm Annex C, SDCOE
Next Face to Face
Thursday, March 20, :00 am to 12 pm Annex C, SDCOE

34. Please complete the online survey!
Thank You!
Please complete the online survey!
11:45 – 12:00 noon