Issue 108: Oct 11, 2010 Connections Newsletter

How can Vertical Team Walkthroughs Create Continuous Connections to Exemplary Practices for Teachers

Cindy Riedl
Oct 11, 2010

With the time constraints and demands of the typical school day, little opportunity exists in most schools for teachers to reflect on instruction or to examine how their peers are implementing the exemplary practices learned during training and to discover the unique and creative ways their peers are implementing them. Vertical team walkthroughs are the solution because they can provide teachers with the opportunity to continuously create connections to exemplary practices.

Overall, the goal of vertical teaming is to increase student achievement through the discussion of how different teachers are implementing exemplary practices as they interpret and teach the content and skills identified in the state standards at each grade level. Vertical teams in different school settings are often designed differently although the goal remains the same.

To experience a highly effective example of vertical teaming, you might visit Kathleen Elementary School in Polk County, Florida. A teacher from each of the K - 5 classrooms meets with Principal Lana Tatom and Assistant Principal Sara Kocab to go over the observation form. Specific focus points from the observation sheet are assigned to each teacher observer. These focus points include (1) Classroom Expectations, i.e Student Learning Maps are posted, visible and readable, students can identify the Lesson Essential Question for the lesson being taught, vocabulary with pictures are displayed on the Student Learning Maps with the corresponding concept, Word Walls contain appropriate grade level words and visuals to enhance retention and meaning, (2) Focus on Instruction, i.e. Identifying group format, identifying exemplary instructional practices and identifying research-based instructional practices such as Collaborative Pairs, note-taking and distributed summarizing, utilizing higher order thinking questions, (3) Focus on the Learner, such as identifying engagement through student actions, determining level of student work concerning levels of learning, evidence of teacher response to student learning needs, (4) Reading Expectations and (5) Math Expectations.

The team spends 10 minutes in the classroom observing instruction, student responses and involvement, student note-books, classroom arrangements of Word Walls, evidence of learning centers, and also question students concerning the Lesson Essential Question and possibly the organizer they are using to record information.

After the ten minutes are up, the team meets in the hall to quickly debrief by identifying what was documented on the observation sheets and to provide three great things that were observed as well as one suggestion for the teacher. This process continues until all six classrooms are experienced. Finally, the team returns to the conference room to review their collection of observation sheets to identify and share trends they are seeing in all the rooms experienced, strengths they have identified that these teachers had in common and then those things that need to improve upon. While the team is sharing this information, Principal Lana Tatom is recording their responses to create a document to be shared with all teachers in the school, which allows everyone a chance to benefit from the information collected during the walkthrough.

The next team will consist of a new group of K-5 teachers. This process will continue throughout the year and will document the progress these teachers are making with the consistent and pervasive implementation of exemplary practices. These teachers and the administration have become a professional community of learners. They assess their progress and make adjustments to become more adept at assuring all students are making progress. It is an incredibly simple and practical plan for professional growth. We want students to become independent learners and take responsibility for continuous improvement. These teams model just that. They are taking responsibility for their professional development by fine tuning their skills and practices in a collaborate atmosphere.

A timeline of change that would support this practice of vertical team walkthroughs might consist of the following:

Change 1: A change in teacher to teacher conversations and changes in teacher relationships.
Change 2: An observable change in individual teacher practices during instruction
Change 3: An observable change in what students are doing in the learning process.
Change 4: A measurable increase in student achievement (academic, behavioral, attitudinal).

How does your school create continuous connections to exemplary practices for teachers?

Why Is It Important to Move from Compliance to Quality when Implementing the Learning-Focused Model?

Brenda Hill
Oct 11, 2010

Compliance has been defined "as a willingness to follow a prescribed course of treatment" or "a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others." Many times the implementation of the Learning-Focused Strategies Model begins with compliance. Evidence of the "yielding to the will of others" is often observed and heard when meeting with teachers during conferencing sessions, through classroom observations or walkthroughs, and in conversations with a school's administrator(s) or leadership team. Compliance may be the result of a lack of understanding on how the Learning-Focused Strategies Model positively impacts student performance and achievement, an individual's natural reaction to any "change," an overwhelming sense of frustration about what quality implementation "looks like," an underlying, unexplained belief about the ability of students to learn (or students' inability to learn), or a combination of any or all of the above mentioned. Whatever the reason for compliance, teachers and administrators must get past the compliance issues and strive toward quality implementation. We can say we don't want to do it, we don't have time to do it, but we can't say the Learning-Focused Strategies Model doesn't work. The data disproves this excuse.

So.....How do we move from compliance to quality when implementing the Learning-Focused Strategies Model?

Quality implementation takes time and requires a consistent, dedicated effort from teachers, administrators, and district personnel. In an effort to increase student achievement and improve ! test sco res many schools or districts try to do too much at one time resulting in compliance rather than quality. Here are some suggestions to help resolve the issue of compliance and move towards quality implementation:

• Limit the number of practices being implemented at one time and focus on doing them well. Use school data to determine the focus components for quality implementation. For example, a school may want to focus on the consistent use of collaborative pairs, summarizing strategies with student writing, and vocabulary instruction based upon areas of need as indicated by the data from state tests, formative assessments, and summative assessments. 

• Set realistic goals and timelines for implementation of strategies. Timelines for implementation should give teachers time to practice and experiment with the strategies or components before they are held accountable for using them on a consistent, pervasive basis. During the time period teachers are given to practice using the strategy or component it is imperative that administrators and instructional coaches support and encourage them with implementation. Support may be provided by helping teachers plan for and choose a particular research-based or evidence-based strategy, by observing teachers using a strategy, and/or by giving constructive, specific feedback to teachers following classroom visits and observations. The planning sessions, professional discussions, and debriefing sessions should be to provide support for professional growth toward quality implementation and should be non-evaluative in nature. Though implementation timelines should be realistic - giving teachers time to use and practice strategies - they should not extend for indefinite periods of time. Six to eight weeks is the suggested time frame for practice before teachers are expected to use the practices. During the 4 - 6 week "expected" period, support is provided as asked or deemed necessary. The last implementation step is holding teachers accountable for the consistent use of a practice of a predetermined area of focus.Conduct daily walkthroughs and monitor the implementation of strategies. Provide assistance and encouragement to teachers, if needed. Hold everyone accountable to the same level of implementation.

• Evidence of the building focus should be in every lesson plan.

• Use Teacher Reflection Meetings or Professional Learning Communities to focus on the specific focus components and/or strategies. Opportunities are provided for teachers to share what is going well and discuss areas where additional support is still needed.

• Continue to use informal and formal data to monitor progress and to document student growth.

• If possible, allow teachers the opportunity to visit other teachers (or even other schools) where the Learning-Focused Strategies Model is being implemented with quality.

Compliance often seems a natural first step in the implementation process, whereas, quality takes time and effort. Do not be discouraged if you are dealing with compliance issues, but focus on continuous improvement for quality implementation through the use of school data, walkthroughs and observations, Teacher Reflection Meetings, realistic timelines for implementation, and a limited number of components on which to focus. Student performance and achievement will increase for ALL students when we move from compliance to quality implementation of the Learning-Focused Strategies Model.

Reference:

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.