Spotlight Activity

Instructional Coaching Series Component of Comprehensive Approach to Build Effective Inclusive Practices

District

Clear Creek ISD, TX

Description

The Instructional Coaching Series was one component of a comprehensive approach to build capacity at every level of the school district in related to effective inclusive practices.  This small learning cohort (8) consisted of district administrators such the Director of Psychological and Assessment Services and Special Education Coordinators. 

The objective of the series was to strengthen our instructional coaching expertise so we may support our teachers and paraeducators design and deliver lessons that meet the learning needs of our students.

Each of the 4 sessions (spanning over several weeks) was designed to do the following. 

o    Build a common vocabulary regarding instructional coaching

o    Practice and reflect upon process skills as an instructional coach

o    Expand our instructional strategies repertoire

DAY 1 focused on defining our roles, exploring our attitudes as well as skills,

the critical principles of coaching, and tools that will help us structure our work as a coach.

Sample tools from DAY 1:

DAY 2 focused on defining accommodations and modifications,

effective differentiated strategies, and flexible grouping.

Sample strategies from DAY 2:

DAY 3 and DAY 4 focused on classroom observations.  The grades, content, and the type of instructional settings varied.  The cohort debriefing with each other about what was observed, discussed opportunities for lesson enhancements, and outlined ideas on how to engage the teacher or paraeducator as a coach.  Notes for each observation were given to the district administrator assigned to the particular school, grade level, or program.  She would then decide what and how to share the information as a means to provide timely and constructive feedback to the teachers and paraeducators that volunteered to be observed.   

Positive Impact 

Below are a few of the comments from participants:

"I think my favorite part of the sessions, were the classroom observations. The part I learned the most from, was the “debriefing” sessions we had as a group, following the observations.  I also found the practical suggestions, like folding paper in quarters for quick structure to notes, helpful."

Enjoyed it all,

"1.  How did these sessions support you in your current role?

Better understanding of special education supports available to students; re-activated my knowledge of effective instruction; nice alternative to cognitive coaching (I know they are used for different purposes) – I like the brevity of instructional coaching.

2.  Describe any adjustments or enhancements you have made as a result from these sessions?

Renewed my efforts to get out into the classrooms!

3.  What was your favorite part or most useful information taken from the sessions?

I love the graphic organizers! The instruction design tool is a concise way to plan lessons. Also, I had an “aha!” moment when we talked about differentiating and only changing one of the elements (what is taught, how it is taught and how learning is assessed), not all three – which is so overwhelming to teachers. I also really enjoyed being on at the campuses in different classrooms seeing what is going on.

4.  Would you recommend these sessions to others?  If so, to whom and why?

To any special education coordinator – for a multiple of reasons, the campus administrators are not effective in utilizing walk thrus in the “special content” areas. This training helped the special ed coordinators gain confidence about doing the walk thrus. "

Contact Information

For more information you may contact Dieu-Anh Nguyen dnguyen@stetsonasociates.com. Please go to our resource pages for an example of the Faculty Survey of Inclusive Practices.

As a former school administrator, the words I heard most to describe my job function was “instructional leader.” This phrase was number one on the job description, used throughout the interview, and the focus of many training topics I attended, yet, if the truth be told, most of what consumed my days as an administrator had little to do with instruction.

My mornings were consumed with supervising 1,200 eager teenage bus riders as they entered the campus, greeting 50 bike riders, directing parent traffic during student drop off, insuring that those students needing breakfast were fed and trying to contain several hundred students in a gymnasium until it was time to report to first period.

The remainder of the day was just as fast paced as I secured substitute teachers, supervised 1500+ students during three lunch periods, met with parents, supervised hallways between classes, and made sure that all 1500+ students were safely on their way home in less than 20 minutes during after school dismissal.  I won’t even delve into the time spent taking care of discipline, I’ll just let the 6,900 office referrals we processed my last year as an administrator speak for themselves. Don’t be misled, all of these aspects of an administrator’s day are vital to the safety and well-being of students and directly impact student success, but I doubt if that is what they envisioned when they hired me to be an “instructional leader.”

Effective instructional leadership is when one understands best practices so well that their students are engaged in activities and experience deep and meaningful learning. It means having a clear vision of what is needed instructionally to provide students with access to the curriculum while using data to support campus wide decisions that impact how, when and where students receive instruction.  Serving as a mentor and coach to my campus teachers, I tried to guide them as they struggled to meet the diverse learning needs in their classrooms.  Building and nurturing teacher-leaders has always been a personal goal of mine that included providing quality professional development in order to build capacity in my staff and insure teachers have the necessary resources to address the various learning styles and interests of their students. Even though I had clear goals set and I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish as instructional leader, I struggled to find the time to act.

Of course I conducted classroom walk-throughs and fulfilled my PDAS requirements, but insuring that my teachers were using research-based instructional practices that supported student achievement was not one of my key instructional leadership duties since most of those were surface level.

If only my teaching staff would have realized that if more of my day was spent being an instructional leader, many of the classroom management issues they were experiencing would diminish.  As a result, there would be less need for students to miss instructional time by sitting in my office. Reducing the number of disciplinary infractions would allow me more flexibility to visit classrooms where I could be visible and engage with students, observe and offer feedback to teachers and have a firsthand view of what the campus needed systemically to move to the next level.

What I know for sure is that good instruction leads to more student engagement, which leads to a deeper level of learning, which leads to better retention, which will hopefully leads to greater success on state assessments and overall more successful students.  The role of administrators as true, influential instructional leaders on campuses should be a top priority. How are your administrators spending most of their day? 

As a consultant I have had the opportunity to visit schools all across the nation.  What strikes me most is how positive and student-centered the campuses I visit are. Teachers are in the hallways not only supervising students, but are creating a more welcoming experience by talking and sharing smiles with them as they walk through the door.

I love to see positive affirmations posted throughout campus hallways and classrooms. The names of colleges are prominently displayed so that every child knows that great expectations are in place for their future. What really places a smile on my face is the beautiful student work that is displayed on the walls. Large graphics designed by students depicting beautiful scenes from a novel that has just been read, family trees that proudly display the cultural diversity on the campus, and letters that go home to mom for Mother’s Day with precious little handprints and sentiments are a few of my favorites. This relationship is what motivates students in school and what makes them shriek, “That’s my teacher!” in the grocery store.  It develops and nurtures character in students that prepares them for life beyond the classroom.

Developing and maintaining a positive school climate takes time and effort, but the results are well worth it once the goal is achieved.  At the forefront of determining campus climate are the campus leaders. They have many important decisions to make. Will this be a campus where parents and visitors feel welcomed as soon as they enter the door? How will they convey that message? Is it the smile you receive from the receptionist as you sign in, the kindness of the office staff as they ask if you need assistance or the respectfulness demonstrated by the student worker as he escorts you to your destination. Those small gestures change the demeanor of an upset parent or make a nervous new student fell welcome and at ease. A positive school climate sets the tone for learning. Some campuses are utilizing professional learning communities, mentoring programs, and peer support groups to build a sense of community and connectedness.

Having high expectations for all students is evident in the daily flow on the campus. Inclusive practices are evident everywhere with students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers working collaboratively on projects and assignments. Special education and general education teachers are meeting on lunch breaks or during conference periods to discuss strategies to be implemented to assist all students in.  Core subject area teachers and elective teachers engage in cross curricular projects that demonstrate an understanding that learning is cyclical and should be meaningful and fun for students.  Everywhere you turn a positive, collaborative atmosphere is being nurtured by caring educators that want the very best for their students.

From my years as a teacher, counselor and administrator I learned that for most students sharing a relationship with their teacher or a school professional is everything. If I could engage with students beyond the textbook, build a relationship that makes them feel not only physically safe, but mentally and emotionally safe as well, then they would always give me their very best.  When you have not just one teacher, but an entire campus that makes a vow to create a school with children in the center and presents the mantra that they are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure student success, then great things can happen. 

If you agree that classroom walk-throughs should provide you with the necessary data to help you assist your teachers in improving their classroom practices but you find yourself short on data, here are some tools to help. You should observe these key activities on a daily basis in your classrooms.

Five Keys to Effective Instruction

• Clear and written objectives
• Flexible Grouping with purposeful tasks
• Teacher serving as facilitator
• Frequent assessment
• Ticket out the door

Clear and Written Objectives

The students’ expectations should be written in student friendly language in a designated location within the classroom.  Within the student expectations, the nouns should identify what the student will be working on and the verbs should identify the level of Bloom’s they will be working at.  You should hear the teacher reference these nouns and verbs several times throughout the instructional period.  Every student should walk away from instruction clearly understanding what is required of them and to what level they are required to work.

Flexible Grouping with Purposeful Tasks

Students should be working in an assortment of groupings ranging from whole group when new concepts are being introduced to small groups of two to five students when ideas are being shared and problem solving is occurring.  When in groups, question stems should be provided by the teacher to guide the discussions.  Because each group works at a different pace, question stems should be in a written format for ease of accessibility.

Teacher Serving as Facilitator

During instruction the teachers should position themselves amongst the student group.  When small group work is going on, this positioning allows the teacher to hear conversations taking place, which helps the teacher know when to provide guidance to students.  During this time you should hear more “student talk” than “teacher talk.” When whole group instruction is taking place, the teacher will be able to see notes being taken and will be better able to judge pacing of the lesson.  Anytime a teacher is struggling with classroom management, teacher positioning within the classroom is usually the culprit.  Where the teacher is located as I enter the classroom is what I record rather than where they move to because I have entered the room.  Teaching is an activity that requires teachers to be on their toes, literally.

Frequent Assessment of All Individuals

During transitional periods between activities, you should observe teachers using assessments for all students to determine if they are ready to move to the next phase of instruction.  Response cards, thumbs up/down, white erase boards, online polls such as Poll Everywhere, CPS eInstruction clickers… are all goods tools to use during these transitions.  So often when teachers ask questions of a few individuals, this in turn leads them to believe that the whole class understands a concept.  Quite often, the reality is those individuals of whom the question was asked understood, but the majority of the class was not ready to move forward.  The power in using the above mentioned tools is that for each question asked, the teachers know where every student stands.  This allows for re-teaching or clearing up any misunderstandings before moving on to the next phase of instruction.

Ticket Out the Door

Every day instruction should end with a ticket out the door. This is a written, informal assessment to check the students’ understanding of the overall concept that was taught.  This key question should be written on the board close to or just beneath the objective.  The teacher should review this key question during the introduction so that the students will process the question as they participate in the activities. That will reinforce the students’ understanding of this learning.  The last five minutes of class can be used as closure by students writing a response as their ticket out the door.  Writing will help cement the concept in the students’ minds.

These are the five things I look for when performing a three-minute walk-through.  You may choose these or you may have a list of your own.  The key is that the teachers know exactly what you’re looking to see when you walk into their classrooms.  “Inspect what you expect” and you will transform your school.

As a consultant, everywhere I travel I find administrators in search of the “Silver Bullet.” What unique master schedule will maximize instructional time in order to make the biggest difference? Various changes in schedules are probably the most common solutions attempted. With many assortments of time manipulations from forty-five minute classes to ninety minute time periods and the number of days a class meets as seen in an A/B schedule being tried. I must admit that I have attempted many of these variations myself during my career as a building principal trying to identify the best scenario.

The problem with manipulating how much time a student spends in a particular class period is the assumption that the amount of time spent is quality time.  If instructional time is not engaging or there is a large amount of wasted time during the instruction, then the only accomplishment is increasing the amount of time wasted.  Instead of manipulating the amount of time students spend in class receiving instruction, maybe we as instructors need to first think about how we spend our own as leaders

My observations as a consultant and personal experiences as a building principal make me realize that successful teachers are successful because of the way they use their time and not because of the amount of time they have to use.

As instructional leaders we would better serve our students and our teachers by refocusing our efforts on the quality, not the quantity of time spent during the day.  We can accomplish this by rethinking the use of our time during the school day.  The days of leading a school from a central location are long past.  There was a time when the school leader spent eighty percent of his time focused on management tasks and a mere twenty percent on instructional support.  I would suggest that recently the focus has reversed.  Although management of a school is as important as classroom management is to instruction, many of these tasks can be assigned to assistant principals and serve as learning opportunities for their own personal growth.  I often hear from my fellow administrators that they simply don’t have enough time to spend in the classrooms.  I have never understood that statement, because as the leaders of a school we decide who will be spending time doing what and for how long.  So, instead of constantly manipulating the length of instructional time allotted, we should shift our focus to changing the use of our own time.  As leaders, we need to free our schedules and get into the classrooms in order to help our teachers use the time they have more effectively and efficiently.

If you are like me, it might help to set a goal for the amount of time you will spend in classrooms doing observations.  Personally, I started with two visits per teacher each week.  This is not a formal observation of forty-five minutes for evaluation purposes.  These are simply little three minute in and out visits to collect data on basic practices you expect to see in every classroom.  I even went as far as to announce to the teachers that they could expect two visits each week.  This helped to hold me accountable, and I think you’ll find it does the same for you. I believe you’ll discover as I did that once the teachers think you will be in their classrooms twice a week, they will let you know if you miss a visit.

Make this school year your time for success!

Until you get into the classrooms and begin to change the quality of instruction, the amount of time you allow for instruction will have very little impact.  The key to success is to rethink the use of your own time and find the time to be an instructional leader.   After you change your own routines, you
will accumulate the data needed to help teachers identify how they can help the students be more successful.  Spend your time where it will make the biggest difference, and you may discover the “Silver Bullet” after all.

Professional Reading about Walk-Through Observations:

The Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through: Changing School Supervisory Practice One Teacher at a Time, By Carolyn J. Downey

Classroom Walkthroughs: To Improve Teaching and Learning, By Donald S. Kachur, Judith A. Stout, and Claudia L. Edwards

While bowling with my senior bowling team today, I observed a husband and wife team that epitomized the importance of good teaching strategies.  As the wife stepped up to bowl, the husband patiently observed her stance and delivery of the ball.  He then modeled for her a couple of techniques that might improve her delivery.  Each time, she approached the lane, he quietly observed from behind.  After each release, he asked her what she felt she did well or needed to adjust based on what he had modeled for her.  I was surprised to see she actually wrote notes, drew pictures and kept her score frame by frame for the entire 10 frames of the game.  Later she told me she likes to review and compare her progress from week to week to see how much her game is improving.  Her husband is not only her cheerleader, but her coach as well.  You can tell how much he loves her, but during these weekly games he does not go easy on her!

Teachers Make a Difference

Like this husband/coach, one of the most important influences affecting student learning is the teacher.  Effective teachers appear to be successful with students of all achievement levels regardless of level of heterogeneity in the classroom (Wright et al, 1997 pg. 63) as found in Classroom Instruction that Works by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering and Jane Pollock pg 3.

Over the years, the “art” of teaching has slowly evolved into the “science” of teaching.  Much research supports the fact individual teachers can have a powerful effect on students by using successful initial  instructional strategies, and in turn maximizing student achievement. 

Smart Quotes from ASCD Smart Brief Back to School Report August 24^th…..

The mediocre tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires. 

~William Arthur Ward

As exhibited by the bowling coach, teachers who model and have high expectations for all students often obtain the best results from their students.  The power of identifying similarities and differences is a complex mental operation of the human mind.  As the bowler reflects on what she did well and how it aligned with her coach’s modeling, she can identify the adjustments needed to perfect her delivery.  As with students in the classroom, giving guidance and asking questions to independently identify similarities and differences helps to enhance students’ understanding and their ability to implement knowledge gained according to Marzano.  The bowler does this frame by frame by recording data and then analyzing it so she can compare, classify, and create metaphors & analogies to understand what is working and what is not.  She then adjusts accordingly to become more successful at her game.  Research shows this strategy used by teachers to be very effective in building student understanding and the ability to use knowledge effectively as it is acquired.  To simplify the thinking process students and teachers often use organizational tools such as these:

• Graphic Organizers
• Comparison Matrixes
• Metaphors
• Analogies

These are a few of the websites that provide free graphic organizers:

Cacoo: https://cacoo.com/

Spicynodes: http://www.spicynodes.org

Chartle: http://www.chartle.net/

Mindomo: http://www.mindomo.com/

Wisemapping: http://www.wisemapping.com

Dabbleboard: http://www.dabbleboard.com/

Timetoast: http://www.timetoast.com/

I recently had the opportunity to work with a central office staff in a large school district.  They had lots of questions and concerns about how they could influence campuses when they do not have direct supervisory authority over the teachers or principals.   I can remember working in that kind of position, and how challenging it was– but there are things that can be done to increase overall effectiveness.

First, central office leaders need to build trust at the campus level.  Some of the words and phrases that our group used to describe people they trust were:  reliable, responsive, predictable, having integrity, there when you need them.  As leaders we need to honestly assess ourselves.  Are we viewed as someone who can be trusted?  If not, what can we do to increase the level of trust between the staff members we are trying to influence and ourselves?

Central office leaders also need to possess the ability to resolve conflicts when they arise.  If misunderstandings or disagreements are left unresolved it can adversely affect your ability to influence teachers and administrators.  How many times do little problems explode into big conflicts simply because the two people didn’t openly communicate?

Finally, central office leaders need is the ability to gain cooperation from other people.  This can be accomplished by simply establishing a trusting relationship.  By gaining their trust and confidence they will be more motivated to believe in and carry out what you are telling them.  For example, if I feel like you know me and feel like we share common goals then I’m a lot more likely to cooperate with you.

So… what are three simple steps central office leaders can do to increase their influence?

Be trustworthy.

Resolve conflicts quickly when they arise.

Build relationships.

I recently read Motion Leadership: The Skinny on Becoming Change Savvy by Michael Fullan.  Communication without action is almost meaningless is one of the key concepts discussed in Fullan’s book.  This really stopped me in my tracks and started me thinking about how many times as school leaders we talk and talk, but nothing happens.  Maybe it’s because we focus all of our energy on communicating a message, but we run out of steam when it is actually time to take action.  Or maybe our message was so confusing that our staff couldn’t identify the “take away” or exactly what they were supposed to do next.  As a result, schools often don’t make the changes and growth that are needed for students to achieve at their fullest potential.

When the message from the leader is too cluttered or fragmented then it is a challenge to gain full “buy in” from the staff.  Teachers often feel like jugglers – so many balls to keep in the air and so few hands!  School leaders need to keep it simple when they are trying to implement organizational change.

Leaders should:

Focus on a few things.

Communicate clearly.

Expect action.

School leaders need to find “the skinny” – the smallest number of high yield actions with easy to understand directions that will give positive results.  Maybe this means those long action plans in 3” binders that get put on the shelf need to be replaced by one or two page plans that everyone understands. Make them “skinny”.

I really enjoyed this book! It made me reflect on what kind of leader I was and what kind of leader I want to be.  I would recommend that any school leader – whether at the campus or central office level, read this book and think about leading “skinny”.

Watch a clip about Motion Leadership HERE!

From the Desk of Toni Riester-Wood

While I love to get lost in the drama of an intricate and finely written crime novel, nothing invigorates me more than researching a professional question. My daughter thinks that I need to get a life, but what I’ve come to realize is that this IS my life! For me, professional literature- journals, books and blogs, etc. hold the key to learning, solving, making connections and progress with just about anything- even raising teenagers! So, you can imagine my delight that I have the opportunity to share what I think educators MUST read!

In preparation, I studied the stack of books on my bedside table. My stack is easily captured in three categories: Anchor (timeless, philosophical), Themed (focused, targeted topics) and Tactical (specific strategies, ideas). Interestingly, many books and articles are not specific to K-12 education, yet are perfectly applicable to our context, and vice versa.  Learning and leading – with a moral purpose, it seems are not reserved for public education; it is our human condition.  Thus, in education we have powerful prospect, opportunity and responsibility.

Anchor Stack:

1. Parker J. Palmer’s Stories of The Courage to Teach, Honoring the Teacher’s Heart, (2002). Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. 

I have read this book, but not cover to cover. Rather, I look to it for timeless spirit, grace, strength and courage to face some of the most difficult challenges in public education. The work of teaching can deplete your soul; this book beautifully features teachers as cultural heroes, highlighting – through educators’ stories, the integrity and importance of our work. Organized by themes, this book should be read by anyone worried about the future and potential role (or missed opportunity?) of public education.     

Themed Stack: 

2. Michael Fullan’s Leadership and Sustainability, System Thinkers in Action, (2005). Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.

This is one of my favorites – in fact, I am currently reading it for the second time. One of the best features is that it’s relatively small – only 104 pages, yet it is packed with research, observations, stories from current practitioners and crisp insights.  He is spot-on with the knotty issues of developing and sustaining big-picture, system-thinkers, to work in concert toward what he calls “cyclical energizing”.  His writing is clear, honest and practical; comprehensive and human.  Take for example Fullan’s definition of systems sustainability: “the capacity of a system to engage in the complexities of continuous improvement consistent with deep values of human purpose.” Perhaps now you understand why I am reading it for the second time!  The book dives into his “eight elements of sustainability” and the adaptive challenges inherent in transforming real systems, while also being transformed by the system.

3. Michael Fullan’s Motion Leadership; The Skinny on Becoming change Savvy, (2010). Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Obviously, I am a Fullan Fan!  This is his most recent “booklet” and again, it’s a small gem (78 pages) that packs a punch! This book is about reaching more at deeper levels because, “you can’t workshop the world”! Fullan’s notion of “the skinny” is completely captured in his term: “simplexity”– finding the smallest number of high-leverage, easy-to-understand actions that unleash stunningly powerful consequences. To master “the skinny” is to   accelerate the speed and quality of change, for large scale reform.   

Tactical Stack: 

4.  The Overpressured Student, Richard Weissbourd, Educational Leadership, May 2011, Volume 68, Number 8, pages 22-27. Adapted from his book: The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children's Moral and Emotional Development (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009).

In a culture of immense pressure from parents for their children to get into elite colleges this article explores the emotional and moral toll of cultivating “performance machines”. Schools that are able to balance social, emotional, ethical and academic priorities- with parents as partners, have the best chance of avoiding this trap.         

5.  Service for Learning, Rahima Wade, Educational Leadership, May 2011, Volume 68, Number 8, pages 28-31. 

This article looks at service learning as a way to help the community while at the same time-build community, in ever-increasing diverse U.S. neighborhoods and schools.  Not only does this article feature the benefits of service (boosting student self-esteem, teaching social responsibility, developing empathy, for example), and lists a number of project ideas that directly support literacy and math learning for our youngest to most sophisticated students.