Observation

1
Observation Feedback

• Paul Bambrick-Santoyo
• with Patrick Jones and Phillip Albonetti

2
So there we were

• August of 2012
• First year teacher with first year teacher issues
• Cursing, horseplay, and a pen top
• Meeting with the principal an AP within the first
  two weeks
• Any comparable stories?
• This July we will get dozens of new first year
  teachers who will have similar issues. Now what?

3
Opening Questions

• Outside of growing on our own (simply through
  experience and self-reflection), what is the 1
  thing that helps us get betteras teachers or as
  school leaders?
• In the average school, how many times per year is
  a new teacher observed? How about an experienced
  teacher?

4
Big Idea
Exceptional school leaders succeed because of
how they use their time, and their time
prioritizes teacher development. Observation
Feedback is not to evaluate a teacher but to
find the most effective way to coach them to
improve student learning.
5
Seven Levers of Leadership--Instruction

• Data-Driven Instruction
• Define the roadmap for rigor and adapt teaching
  to meet students needs
• Observation Feedback
• Coach teachers to improve the learning
• Planning
• Prevent problems and guarantee strong lessons
• Professional Development
• Strengthen culture and instruction with hands-on
  training that sticks

6
Seven Levers of Leadership--Instruction

• Data-Driven Instruction
• Define the roadmap for rigor and
  MONTHLY/adapt teaching to meet students needs
  YEARLY
• Observation Feedback
• Coach teachers to improve the learning
• Planning
• Prevent problems and guarantee strong lessons
• Professional Development
• Strengthen culture and instruction with hands-on
  training that sticks

7
Seven Levers of Leadership--Instruction

• Data-Driven Instruction
• Define the roadmap for rigor and adapt teaching
  to meet students needs
• Observation Feedback
• Coach teachers to improve the learning
  DAILY/
• Planning WEEKLY
• Prevent problems and guarantee strong lessons
• Professional Development
• Strengthen culture and instruction with hands-on
  training that sticks

8
Goals for Todays Workshop

• Increase our ability to identify the key action
  steps in classroom observations and give
  effective feedback
• Develop the tools for holding teachers
  accountable to continual development

9
Reflections--Observation Feedback

• Think about the teachers who have been the
  easiest for you to manage and help them improve
• Why was it easy to manage them?
• How did their personality, teaching challenges
  and responsiveness contribute to that ease?
• Think about the teachers who have been the
  hardest for you to manage
• Why was it difficult to manage them?
• How did their personality, teaching challenges
  and (un)responsiveness contribute to that
  difficulty?

10
Profiles of Easy-to-Manage Teachers

• Reflective
• Eager to Improve
• Data-Driven
• Seek Feedback
• Responsive (follows through)
• Mission-aligned
• Positive
• Emotionally Stable

11
Profiles of Challenging Teachers

• Serious Classroom Management Issues
• Intimidation/Discomfort Teachers we gravitate
  AWAY from
• Fairly strong teachershow do I improve them?
• Teachers where we experience a personality clash
• Teachers with far more teaching experience
• Teachers who are icy cold when receiving
  feedback
• Unresponsiveness Teachers who do not implement
  the feedback that we give them incompetent or
  resistant
• Underminers Teachers who question your
  decisions and undermine your decisions with others

12
Why Teacher Development is So Challenging

• A Case Study

13
Failure Case Study

• What positive attempts did the principal make to
  manage this teacher effectively?
• What went wrong in the principals attempts to
  manage this teacher?

14
Failure Case Study

• Go to a sheet of chart paper with a group of four
  and write down your answers to these questions
• What did Dr. Starr do well in his attempt to
  guide Ms. Brewer?
• What could he have done to lead her more
  effectively?
• You will have 7 minutes and 19 seconds.

15
Practice

• Why does Albonetti carve such awful pumpkins?
• Takeaway Practice is essential!

16
Agenda
Content Time
Introduction The Four Keys to Observation Feedback 1000-1040 am
First Two Keys Regular Observation Identifying the Right Action Steps 1040 1200 noon
Third and Fourth Key Effective Feedback Holding Teachers Accountable 100-500 pm
17
The Four Keys

• Regular Observation
• The Right Action Steps
• Effective Feedback
• Accountability

18
The Four Keys

• Regular Observation
• Lock in frequent and regular observations
• Right Action Steps
• Choose the best action steps for change in each
  classroom observation
• Effective Feedback
• Give face-to-face feedback that practices the
  action step
• Accountability
• Create systems to ensure feedback translates to
  practice

19
Regular Observation

• Building the Schedule of Instructional Leaders to
  Lock in Observations Feedback

20
Rationale for the Importance of Teacher Meetings

• Face-to-face feedback is the most effective way
  to generate teacher improvement
• Emails only work for teachers who are hungry

21
Building Your Schedule

• Pre-Work
• Count the of instructional leaders in the
  school
• Figure out the leader-to-core teacher ratio
• Goal is to get to 15 to 1 or less for weekly
  observations
• Place the blank calendar front and center.
• Task 1
• Block out all the time where you will most likely
  be busy with non-negotiable responsibilities.
• e.g. Morning supervision, morning meetings, CPR,
  Lunch duty, Dismissal
• Write in pencil.

22
Building Your Schedule

• Task 2
• List all of the teachers in your building.
• Divide the teachers between the school leaders
  who will observe staff.
• This list isnt final, so dont sweat it too
  much.
• Task 3
• Write into the schedule when you will meet with
  these teachers for observation and lesson plan
  feedback.
• Each meeting should take 30 minutes.
• Consider planning meetings in large blocks to
  finish them more quickly.
• See page 68 of Leverage Leadership or the example
  in your binder for an example.

23
Building Your Schedule

• Task 4
• Map out the core times when you can go to
  observations
• Goal observation time occurs before you will
  meet with the teacher each week
• Goal 15 minutes per teacher you will observe
• Thus, one post-it (1 hr) represents 4
  observations
• Consider planning observations in 1 hour blocks
• Task 5
• Type your tasks into your Outlook calendar for
  the week of August 12-16.
• Bonus Set the task as weekly occurrences that
  last until the end of September.

24
Evaluate Your Schedule

• Trade your schedule with another leaders. Both
  of you evaluate the schedules by asking and
  answering these questions.
• Where might this schedule not work?
• Is there a change we could make to mitigate that?

25
Reflection

• What about this schedule makes regular
  observation happen more consistently?
• What are the big takeaways for building my
  schedule and my leadership teams schedules?
• Write your takeaways on the Observation
  Feedback Reflection page.

26
Big Idea
By receiving weekly observations and feedback,
a teacher gets more coaching in one year as
most receive in fifteen.
2 observations per year X 15 years 30 opportunities for coaching
35 observations per year X 1 year 35 opportunities for coaching
27
Rationale For Locked-in Teacher Meetings

• Face-to-face feedback is the most effective way
  to generate teacher improvementemails only work
  for teachers who are hungry
• Dont waste time tracking down teachers to give
  feedbackthat will translate to not giving the
  feedback over time
• Use the meeting to incentivize yourself to get
  the observation done

28
Now What?

• Weve observed the teachers. Now what do we tell
  them?

29
Choosing the Right Action Step

• Effective vs. Ineffective Action Steps
• Action Step Key Lever

30
Selecting the Right Action Steps

• Criteria for selecting right action step
• Is it directly connected to student learning?
• Does it address a root cause?
• Does the action positively change multiple areas?
• Is this change a necessary one to allow for
  further improvements to come after it?
• Is the recommendation the quickest and most
  effective way to make this change happen?
• Make it measurable, specific and targeted
• If you cant make the change in a week, the
  action step isnt small enough
• Can you easily measure if the teachers has made
  the change?

31
Keys to Writing a Great Action Step

• First Key
• What will teachers do when they implement this
  lever?
• Second Key
• What evidence will you have that teachers now
  know how to do this?
• Third Key
• Can they accomplish this objective in a week?

32
Converting Professional Development Goals to
Bite-Sized Action Steps

• Classroom management example
• Too High
• Increase on-task behavior during Opening
  Procedures
• Still Too High
• Improve Strong Voice
• Better
• Use Economy of Language during Opening Procedures
• Square Up Stand Still during Opening Procedures

33
Converting Professional Development Goals to
Bite-Sized Action Steps

• Classroom rigor example
• Too High
• Improve your questioning
• Still Too High
• Ask higher-order, more rigorous questions
• Better
• Script out inference questions on character
  motive into the lesson plans

34
Precise Action Steps

• Your Turn

35
Converting Professional Development Goals to
Bite-Sized Action Steps--Management

• Too High
• Increase urgency
• Still Too High
• Improve pacing
• Better

36
Converting Professional Development Goals to
Bite-Sized Action Steps--Rigor

• Too High
• Increase rigor
• Still Too High
• Improve rigor in the Do Now
• Better

37
Feedback on Effective Action Steps

• Receive Feedback (5 minpartner style!)
• Share the final action steps for each slide
• Give feedback to the objectives based on the key
  questions
• Is it specific does it refer to something a
  teacher will be able to do when they walk out of
  the meeting?
• Is it observable Will you be able to easily
  evaluate if they accomplished the lever?
• Is it bite-sized can a teacher accomplish this
  in one week?

38
Reflection

• What are your big takeaways for how to write
  quality action steps?
• Write your ideas on the Observation Feedback
  Reflection.

39
Choosing the Right Action Steps

• Video Case Study 1

40
Case Study 1

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vyEj8yTEbSdE
• Lets sit in the classroom for just a few
  minutes. As you watch, jot observations (whether
  positive or negative), on the post-it notes.

41
Case Study 1Debrief

• Role Select one person to be the recorder. He
  or she will write responses in the T-chart in the
  binder.
• Challenges Identify all of the issues going on
  in this classroom surface problems and root
  causes (5 min)
• Go in order around the circle each person has 30
  secs to identify one challenge (no one may
  comment!)
• If you dont have an idea, say Pass
• If you like an idea, when its your turn simply
  say, I would like to add to that idea by
• Even if 4-5 people pass in a row, keep going for
  10 min
• Recorder Put responses in management or rigor

42
Case Study 1Debrief

• Reflection feasibility of each idea (5 min)
• 1 minsilent individual reflection on the list
  what are the highest leverage action steps youd
  recommend?
• Go in order around the circle once each person
  has about 60 secs to share 1-2 recommended
  action steps
• If a person doesnt have a thought to share, say
  Pass and come back to that person later.
• Action Steps choose top 2 key actions teacher
  should take (10 min)
• One in management, the other in content/rigor
• See protocol on next page

43
Protocol for Action Steps (10 min)

• Discuss choose top 2 actions steps
• Write them as precisely as you can
• Criteria for selection of the 2 action steps
• Is the action step directly connected to student
  learning?
• Does it address a root cause?
• Does it positively change multiple areas?
• Is it necessary to pave the way for other
  improvements?
• Is it the most effective way to make change
  happen?
• Make it measurable, specific and targeted
• If you cant make the change in a week, the
  action step isnt small enough.
• Can you easily measure if the teachers has made
  the change?

44
Reflection

• What are your big takeaways for how to write
  quality action steps?
• Write your ideas on the Observation Feedback
  Reflection.

45
Big Ideas--The Link Between Data Observation

• Rigor is undefined until you determine how to
  assess it.
• Thus, without data on whether students are
  learning, you cannot adequately observe for
  rigor.

46
Giving Feedback Effectively

• What NOT to Do

47
What NOT to Do When Giving Feedback

• Do all the talking
• Let teacher do all the talking on the wrong topic
• Fail to write anything down (teacher or
  principal) about what teacher should be doing

48
Giving Feedback Effectively

• A Master Clip

49
Effective FeedbackA Master Clip

• Julies Lever
• Ask less scaffolded questions when a student gets
  the wrong answer to increase student thinking
• Watch Video (clip 3)
• Write down the key questions or comments that
  Julie makes while talking with Carly.
• What protocol does Julie use to lead this meeting
  with Carly? Name all of the steps she takes in
  your own words.

50
The Six Steps to Effective Feedback

1. PRECISE PRAISE narrative the positive
2. PROBE State targeted open-ended question about
   the core issue
3. ID PROBLEM ACTION STEP Identify problem state
   concrete action step that will address issue
4. PRACTICE Role play/simulate how teacher could
   have improved current class
5. PLAN AHEAD Design/revise upcoming lesson plan
   components to implement action
6. SET TIMELINE Establish time by which to
   accomplish action step

51
Taking a Closer Look

• Breaking Down the Components of Effective Feedback

52
Precise Praise

• What makes Serenas praise effective?
• Clip 4

53
The Six Steps to Effective Feedback

• Precise Praise
• Genuineheart-felt, authentic
• Precise--targets a specific action the teacher
  took
• Reinforce Positive Actionsparticularly those
  that are connected to the teachers development
  goal

54
Probe, Identify Problem Action Step

• What strategies does Aja use to lead Kristi to
  the correct problem the students are having?
• Clip 7

55
The Six Steps to Effective Feedback

• ProbeState a targeted open-ended question about
  the core issue
• Targeted on the core area of the lesson where you
  want to focus
• Scaffolded follow-up questions
• Presenting data allows to see how the teacher
  views his/her lesson
• RIGOR EXAMPLE What was the end goalwhat should
  students know and be able to do at the end of
  your lesson?
• MANAGEMENT EXAMPLE How long did you think
  students needed to complete the You Do during
  the lesson?

56
Probe, Identify Problem Action Step

• What strategies does Julie use to lead Rachel to
  the correct action step?
• Clip 5

57
The Six Steps to Effective Feedback

• ID PROBLEM CONCRETE ACTION STEPGet teacher to
  identify the problem how to address it
• Level 1 teacher comes to issue by self states
  clear action step to address it
• Level 2 leader uses a series of scaffolded
  questions to lead teacher to the answer
• Level 3 leader presents data from the
  observation then teacher realizes the issue
  states action step
• Level 4 leader states the problem and action
  step clearly to the teacher

58
Time to Practice!

• Generate Effective Questions to Guide Feedback

59
Preparation for Giving Feedback

• Assume you are about to give feedback to the
  opening video to Ms. Chambers from the video you
  saw this morning
• Generate
• PROBEOPENING QUESTION (targeted, data-gathering)
• SCAFFOLDED QUESTIONS/DATA TO PRESENT if teacher
  struggles to analyze his/her weakness

60
Feedback Simulation, Round 1

• Identify Roles Teacher, Principal
• Role Play Giving Feedback (3 min)
• Begin from beginning of conversation, cut off
  after 3 min
• Attempt to follow the three steps--Precise
  Praise, opening questions, ID problem and
  concrete action step
• Debrief the Role Play (3 min)
• Teacher responds to how they felt during
  conversation, gives feedback
• Both identify strengths, areas for growth, and
  steps for improvement

61
Feedback Simulation, Round 2

• Switch Roles Teacher, Principal
• Role Play Giving Feedback (3 min)
• Begin from beginning of conversation, cut off
  after 3 min
• Attempt to follow the three steps--Precise
  Praise, opening questions, ID problem and
  concrete action step
• Debrief the Role Play (3 min)
• Teacher responds to how they felt during
  conversation, gives feedback
• Both identify strengths, areas for growth, and
  steps for improvement

62
Getting to Action

• Practice, Plan Ahead, Set Timeline

63
Practice

• How does Serena help Eric prepare for his next
  lesson?
• Clip 11

64
The Six Steps to Effective Feedback

• Practice--Role play/simulate how the teacher
  could have improved the current class with this
  action step. Practice should be
• Concrete generate the actual language or actions
  teacher could have taken
• Teacher-centered teacher does the practice
  (dont just tell them!)

65
Practice

• How does Juliana facilitate Sarah practicing
  during their conversation?
• Clip 12

66
The Six Steps to Effective Feedback

• Practice---Role play/simulate how teacher could
  have improved the current class with this action
  step
• Concrete generate the actual language or actions
  teacher could have taken
• Teacher-centered teacher does the practice
  (dont just tell them!
• Plan AheadDesign activity/lesson plan components
  needed to implement this action
• Levels 1-2 principal and teacher brainstorm
  together, then teacher does lesson plans
• Levels 3-4 principal and teacher build lesson
  plans and/or materials together

67
Set Timeline

• How does Julie lock in a timeline for Rachel
  during their meeting?
• Clip 13

68
The Six Steps to Effective Feedback

• Timeline--Set time when action should be
  accomplished and how teacher will show that its
  done
• Paper/Electronic Product You need to email it
  to me by 5 pm tomorrow.
• Observe teachers write when youll observe them
  (e.g., Thursday Oral Drill)
• Observe master teacher write when youll observe
  master teacher doing the same skill
• Video determine if you need to tape master
  teacher and/or have teacher videotape self

69
Personal Accountability

• Staying on Top of Everything

70
System 1Observation Tracker

• Changes TBD as a results of Teach Boost

71
System 1Observation Tracker

• One Tracker for All Teacher Interactions
• Tab for each teacher date, type of interaction,
  1-2 action steps from each meeting, evidence of
  accomplishment
• Summary tab with all teachers and most recent
  actions
• Purpose
• Make sure all teachers are receiving the right
  proportion of teacher observations according to
  their needs
• Track your recommendations more systematically to
  be able to hold teachers accountable to
  implementation
• Set specific goal for teacher success
  accurately track progress toward that goal
• See trends in recommendations through the year

72
Sample Observation TrackerIndividual Teacher Tab
73
Sample Obs. TrackerGlobal Summary
74
Time to Practice, Part 2!

• Practice, Plan Ahead Set Timeline

75
Preparation for Giving Feedback

• Prepare For The Role Play
• Plan how youll practice the action step in the
  meeting
• ID how youll plan ahead for the next lesson
• Set the timeline for completion
• Have templates ready observation tracker,
  teacher meeting template, action plan
• Use the Weekly Meeting Notes Page for now.
• Have the handout Six Steps for Effective
  Feedback nearby as well.
• Only role play steps 4, 5, and 6.

76
Feedback Simulation, Round 1

• Identify Roles Teacher, Principal
• Role Play Giving Feedback (5 min)
• Begin from the identified action step
• Attempt to follow the three steps Practice, plan
  ahead, state timeline
• Debrief the Role Play (3 min)
• Teacher responds to how they felt during
  conversation, gives feedback
• Both identify strengths, areas for growth, and
  steps for improvement

77
Feedback Simulation, Round 2

• Switch Roles Teacher, Principal
• Role Play Giving Feedback (3 min)
• Begin from beginning of conversation, cut off
  after three minutes
• Attempt to follow the three steps Precise
  Praise, opening questions, ID problem and
  concrete action step
• Debrief the Role Play (3 min)
• Teacher responds to how they felt during
  conversation, gives feedback
• Both identify strengths, areas for growth, and
  steps for improvement

78
So there we were

• August of 2012
• First year teacher with first year teacher issues
• Cursing, horseplay, and a pen top
• Meeting with the principal an AP within the first
  two weeks

79
So here we are

• June of 2013

80
The Four Keys

• Regular Observation
• Lock in frequent and regular observations
• Right Action Steps
• Choose the best action steps for change in each
  classroom observation
• Effective Feedback
• Give face-to-face feedback that practices the
  action step
• Accountability
• Create systems to ensure feedback translates to
  practice

81
Major Takeaways

• What were some of the most effective strategies
  you saw implemented that the whole group could
  learn from?
• How did the 6-step process work as a whole? What
  was awkward or challenging for you?

82
Conclusions

• Observation Feedback

83
Accountability in Action

• Effectively Improving Struggling Teachers

84
Reflections of a Recovering Struggler

• What allowed the teacher to succeed finally?
• What were the keys from the principals and from
  the teachers perspective?

85
Common Errors with Struggling Teachers

• Struggling teachers observe other teachers, but
  do not understand how those teachers do their
  work so well
• Struggling teachers receive too much feedback
  all narrative, many recommendations
• Others do not understand the slower developmental
  pace of the struggling teacher
• Feedback is suggestive, not directive
• Implementation deadlines are unreasonable

86
Tightening the Feedback Loop

• Strategies for Our Most Struggling Teachers

87
Tightening the Feedback Loop

• Put a question mark next to activities that you
  want to understand more deeply in order to
  implement effectively
• Put a star next to activities that sound
  particularly doable for you that you want to
  implement
• Double star the activities that you want to
  implement immediately with your most struggling
  teachers

88
Putting it All Together

• Video Case Study 2

89
Re-Visiting Our Challenging Teachers

• Pair Planning Design your action plan
• Fill in your observation tracker core PD goal
  and immediate action step
• Plan what will be said
• Probe opening question
• Scaffolded Qs and data
• Practice
• Plan
• Timeline
• Plan what additional steps from the Tightening
  the Feedback Loop handout you will put into
  action

90
Re-Visit Our Challenging Teachers

• Form Groups of Three
• Work with people with whom you havent yet worked
• Role Play Conversation with Teacher (8 min)
• Follow the Six Steps of Effective Feedback
• Next Steps (2 min)
• Leader states what would happen next what are
  the additional steps of tightening the feedback
  loop?
• Feedback (4 min)
• What was effective and could be improved about
  the conversation?
• What was effective and could be improved about
  the next steps?
• Repeat for Each Leader

91
Re-Visit Our Challenging Teachers

• Individual Planning Design an action plan for a
  challenging teacher who will be at your school
  this year.
• Fill in your observation tracker core PD goal,
  immediate action step
• Plan what youll say in your first feedback
  meeting with the teacher (assuming you do observe
  a need for the action step youve identified)
• Plan what action steps from the Tightening the
  Feedback Loop handout you will implement
• Optional Will you need a tone-setting
  conversation to re-set the teacher? If so, what
  will you say during that conversation?
• Highlight the challenges that would remain even
  with these strategies in play

92
Re-Visit Our Challenging Teachers

• Form Groups of Three
• Work with people with whom you havent yet worked
• Leader Presents Challenging Teacher (3 min)
• What is the immediate action step?
• What personality should the person playing the
  teacher embody?
• What systems will be in place during the feedback
  meeting (note-taking template, etc.)?
• Role Play Conversation with Teacher (7 min)
• Follow the Six Steps of Effective Feedback
• Debrief Role Play (3 min)
• Repeat for Each Leader

93
Next StepsPrior to Starting the School Year

• Put up observation tracker (ask DOO/OM to help
  set it up)
• Put up schedule of observations and teacher
  meetings
• Determine which instructional leaders will
  observe which teachers
• Rank/level teachers to determine frequency of
  observations
• Follow weekly meeting schedule
• Set core PD goals for each returning teacher
• Set expectations for record-keeping and
  note-taking by teachers during leader-teacher
  meetings
• Schedule monthly meeting with MD/Principal to
  review tracker