Module 3 Major Task For: PME 826 By: Neil Westcott

Critique

The method of internal assessment that I would like to highlight is learning from
feedback in order to improve instructional competence.

At my school, the reality of feedback is such that it is not delivered in a way that has a
significant impact on teaching and learning. One problem with the system is that our
Learning Growth Plans, lesson observations and feedback are not really tied together in
any meaningful way. We use Charlotte Danielsons Framework for Teaching Evaluation
Instrument, but we use it in a self-evaluative way that is not reviewed or commented on
by anyone in administration.

As for coordinated efforts in professional development, most of the primary schools

time and effort are put into showing and telling teachers how to do something in one-off
workshops and learning sessions, called Monday Morning Builders. At those sessions,
we also take time to reflect on issues presented by the administration team, but rarely
do teachers have time to delve deeply into issues that they see as being the most
important to helping them improve their teaching practice in a subject of their own
choosing.

Our teacher observations consist of two formal lesson observations. The observer uses
a 3-2-1 Feedback Model that describes 3 commendations, 2 Next Steps, and one Action
Plan that relate to lessons that were observed. Essentially, the observer watches a
forty-five minute lesson and then leads a twenty minute debrief about what they saw.

The observer, either the principal or vice-principal, highlights things that have gone well
in a lesson observation, as well as things that were noticed that the observer felt could
have been done differently or need to be improved. The teacher and observer then have
a meeting about how they could improve on their performance for the next observation.

The observation process takes place twice year. In addition, two peer observations are
required but they follow a different process entirely. In the peer observations, a teacher
is required to visit a classroom and observe someone teaching a lesson of interest to
them. The teacher is encouraged to fill out a form that falls into 3 categories - I see, I
think, I wonder. After the peer observation, the teachers are supposed to meet and
discuss the lesson.

While the overall plan seems to meet our schools standard of professional evaluation, it
seems to me that it is a tremendous use of time and effort that is not paid off by results.
I do not think that our efforts are specific enough to help teachers dramatically improve
their teaching in any one area because they are extremely broad-based and general. In
addition, there is no mutual discussion about what might constitute professional growth
and no real way to measure growth, either.
Module 3 Major Task For: PME 826 By: Neil Westcott

Proposal for Improvement Effort

I presently work at an international school that follows the International Baccalaureates

Primary Years Program. The five elements of the program are knowledge, skills,
attitudes, concepts and action. While knowledge and skills are often integrated but can
also be taught in stand-alone lessons, and action tends to be more subject driven,
attitudes and concepts should be a constant that can be seen to connect learning in all
of the subject areas. While attitudes are less quantifiable (you cant really measure
tolerance or empathy) the key concepts provide an excellent opportunity to track the
depth of student understanding in any given subject.

From Pearland Independent School District - Massey Ranch Elementary School website

It is for this reason that I have chosen teacher coaching and learning from feedback for
my improvement effort, and specifically focusing on working with teachers to help them
understand and teach the eight key concepts. Students at my school have little
understanding of how to explain the key concepts in our Program of Inquiry.

The eight key concepts illustrated in the visual above are supposed to play an integral
part in our students learning. At present, teachers at my school do not seem to take
regular advantage of teachable moments to help students understand the concepts.
The key concepts are not regularly used in subjects like Mathematics or English, and
are only occasionally used as a lens to view our units of inquiry. To date, our teacher
improvement program for teaching the units of inquiry has been limited to online survey
courses, fact finding missions at other schools, and courses that only selected teachers
were able to access.
Module 3 Major Task For: PME 826 By: Neil Westcott

Source for Internal Assessment Data

A rubric to measure teacher comfort and confidence in using the key concepts in their
everyday teaching would be sufficient to determine a starting point. Asking teachers to
self-monitor their use of teachable moments to bring the key concepts into student
inquiries and discussions would also help teachers to begin to reflect on their teaching
practice. If lesson observations focused on the specific use of the key concepts,
teachers would be more empowered to be thoughtful and creative in how they applied
them.

If gathering qualitative and quantitative data from teachers is one way to show growth,
another way is through monitoring student understanding of the key concepts. Using
them as a formative assessment given at the beginning of each unit of inquiry, such as
the one given below, would enable teachers to track student understanding of the
concepts taught in each unit and over the course of a school year.

Sample Rubric from What Ed Said weblog

Module 3 Major Task For: PME 826 By: Neil Westcott

Summary - What Success Look Like?

As a school, we need to pay more than passing attention to concept-based learning in

general and the eight key concepts in particular. A three column rubric that anonymously
surveys teachers at my school at the beginning and endow the year to see whether they
are comfortable and confident with the idea of using key concepts as drivers of learning
would be an easy and effective way to measure growth.

Another means of determining success would centre around measurement of teacher

understanding of methods of using key concepts in explicitly planned lessons, as well
as during teachable moments. Engaging in conversations with someone who is in a
position to spend time observing classrooms and giving productive feedback would
provide enough qualitative data to measure growth.

Lastly, how comfortable and adept students are in explaining, and learning with, the
eight key concepts should be the most important and tangible evidence of success.
Formative assessments given regularly throughout the year could measure progress.

As students progress through each unit of inquiry, teachers would look for evidence to
assess their conceptual understanding of the material from each unit. However, this
evidence would also help the teacher to know whether students are able to understand
the key concepts in a general way as well. In the final unit of the year, teachers would
then be in a position to assess students overall understanding of the concepts using the
same rubric with which they began the year.

In terms of data, teachers would look for a progression from little or no understanding to
complete understanding. At the end of the year, I would expect that practically all
students at all grade levels should have a complete understanding of the concepts of
form and function, and the majority should have a complete understanding of some the
others, such as connect and change. All students at all levels should be able to use the
concepts to frame their thinking with some teacher support.

References
Teacher profile: Learning from Feedback. Teaching Channel. (August 20, 2016) Retrieved from
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/benefits-coaching-teamwork-nvps

Teachers Observing Teachers: A Professional Development Tool for Every School. education
world. (August 20, 2016) Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/
admin297.shtml

Planning for Concept Driven Learning. What Ed Said. (August 21, 2016) Retrieved from https://
whatedsaid.wordpress.com/tag/pyp-concepts/

How do we assess understanding? What Ed Said. (August 21, 2016) Retrieved from https://
whatedsaid.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/how-do-we-assess-understanding/