Carly

Thursday, November 6, 2014

6:50 PM

The Instructional Leadership Through-Line

Responding to Observations
Observations, Interpretations and Feedback
Occasional visits to classrooms with suggestions does little
to increase quality of instruction.

Visits should be used to provide useful data about the

state of teaching and learning in the building and this data
needs to be used to provide opportunities for teacher
growth.

Instructional leaders hold the tension b/w communicating

and acting on the urgent, maintaining and checking
relationships while maintaining a connection with the
community.

Many times observations with feedback become times to

try to impose 'our' teaching styles and beliefs onto the
teacher instead of hearing their perspective. To avoid this
we must separate observation and interpretation.
-Ponder instead of assume

Classroom Observations and Honest

Conversations

Teachers are not the object of change-they are a part of

the creation of improvement.

Chapter 5 Page 1

Vision for Student Learning

School Improvement Agenda

Professional Learning Needs

Classroom Observations

Use authentic inquiry. Warning signs are:

1. Sense of anxiety of finding something positive
2. Reliance on sentence stems or prompts (try
positive/negative/positive)
3. Thinking something different than what we actually say
4. Using instructional framework to guide our observations
instead of knowing how to us the information from the
observation in conversation.

Jennifer
Friday, November 7, 2014

7:17 AM

Classroom Walkthroughs

How well do you know your staff as instructors?

Perform daily visits to understand the story line of the instruction
If we know the story line we are able to give feedback that is meaningful and
useful
Walkthroughs are used for collecting evidence of implementation trends
Classroom visits do NOT occur if they are not scheduled
Walkthroughs need to become a habit

Developing a Shared Vision

Getting everyone on the same page

Understand what is being taught across grade levels
Know how teachers engage their students
Understanding the role students play in their own learning
Build a leadership team that will go out and become leaders, hone their own
skills, and have conversations that would leverage improvement efforts.

Foster a Focused Conversation

Having a different kind of conversation

Use guiding questions to bridge what is observed with emerging analysis
Learn to talk with teachers in a way that influences teachers' practices
and supports the instructional practices
Use walkthroughs to cultivate a common vision, provide actual data, and develop
practices that influence the system as a whole.

Chapter 5 Page 2

Traci - Pages 139-147

Friday, November 7, 2014

7:17 AM

Using Walkthroughs with Intentionality

To cultivate a common vision and shared understanding
To provide leaders with actual data from classrooms in order to

ground subsequent conversations.

To develop the practices that could influence the system as a

whole.

*These practices include getting into the classroom on a regular

basis*

Classroom Visits and PD (pg 142)

By participating in regular classroom walkthroughs,

administration and teacher leaders can learn the art of

observing without judging, and therefore grow their
own capacity. They can see what trends are occurring
and design PD to reflect those trends, creating
sophisticated and targeted PD.

Exhibit 5.2:
Assistant Superintendent Letter to District Teachers
Begin with district's vision, what learning is occurring, and wonderings

Shared Whys:
Describes to teachers why the walk throughs or learning walks are occurring.
Gives the purpose: To build effective instructional leaders across the district,
allow leaders and administrators to practice and hone their skills of
observation, learn how to collect data without interpreting or judging the
information. When sharing information, it is general, not teacher specific. It is
not a time to single a teacher out when looking for school trends.
Positives:
Give the positives first. For example, 'Student learn in a very respectful
environment and teachers are working hard to adapt their instruction .
Wonders:
General questions for all to think about. Example: "How can students e
nurtured toward independence in their learning?" "How do students who what
they are thinking and understanding? How do we know?"
Share Next Steps

Organizing Thinking: Questions to Ponder

How do I determine what is important to highlight with a

teacher after an observation that is not an evaluation?

Goal is to push teachers' practice and develop trust

Questions include rigor, urgency of why, repertoire of

strategies used, etc.

Refer to pages 144-146 for two column classroom

observation notes
Format includes: Noticing, wondering, Analysis, Developing

a Theory to test, Questions I might ask.

Use notices as the foundation for your thinking. This

process allows for the engagement of co-inquiry

Chapter 5 Page 3

Conclusion:

First example explained how to use walkthroughs to align with an

instructional framework. It allowed for calibration of their understating of

student engagement and to develop ways to work together.
Second example provided a way in which an administrator could organize
his thinking in response to an observation.
Should take into account short and long range goals, cultivate school
culture and continued respect for each other.
Vision for learning & teaching practices - observations - PD -Culture of
honesty