Tuning Protocol as a Learning Design

Tuning Protocol as a Learning Design Summer Learning Designs Institute June 19-20, 2008 Karyn Scarcella karyn.scarcella@ocps.net

Agenda • Get agreement on Agenda & Ground Rules (5 Minutes) • Get agreement on Learning Objectives (5 Minutes) • Teach background information on Tuning Protocol & share previous experiences (60 Minutes) • Practice using the Tuning Protocol on Examples of Real Professional Learning Work (40 Minutes) • Brainstorm Action Plans for using Tuning Protocols with PLCs at the School Site (20 Minutes) • Provide feedback on the breakout session (5 Minutes)

Ground Rules • Take responsibility for your own learning. • Honor time limits. • Advise the workshop leader and the group if you must leave the workshop to handle and emergency. • Participate by sharing your own opinions and experiences. • Listen and consider the opinions of others. • Be willing to experiment with ideas and techniques presented.

Learning Assumptions Any work with PLCs is based on some assumptions. Let’s assume: • Educators in all roles in the system want to get better at what they do. • Professional development is critical to improvement of education. • Educators want to be accountable for student learning, but they need a repertoire of ways to do this. • Educators need information to help them improve teaching and learning. • Educators benefit from collaboration.

Learning Objectives Participants will be able to: • Explain why examining student work is important for all educators. • Understand how examining student work, using the Tuning Protocol, provides both a method for holding educators accountable for learning and data no how to help students learn. • State the benefits of looking collaboratively at student work. • Practice using the Tuning Protocol. • Begin planning how to incorporate a process for collaboratively examining student work in their work environments.

What Examining Student Work Looks Like • It involves a group of educators committee to improving their practice and improving curriculum, instruction, assessment, and the learning environment for students. • It requires regular, protected time dedicated to the work of the group. • It requires bringing real student work to the group to be examined. • It uses a formal process for examining that work. • It requires follow-up after student work is examined so that the resulting knowledge is not lost.

What Examining Student Work Looks Like Two quality methods of Examining Student Work are: The Tuning Protocol & The Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning (recognized by both the National Staff Development Council and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development)

What Examining Student Work Looks Like Today we will learn about The Tuning Protocol in this face-to-face breakout session. During the coming year you may learn about The Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning via CaseNEX online learning.

Learning About the Tuning Protocol

Tuning Protocols “A tuning protocol is a process for fine-tuning the work we do as educators, often by having a group of educators look directly at student work.” - Lois Brown Easton

Tuning Protocols According to NSDC’s Powerful Designs for Professional Learning, Tuning Protocols: • Are particularly helpful in creating a learning community • Focus on pedagogy and teaching • Involve looking at classrooms • Involve looking at student work or students • Follow a structure that requires collegial respect and shared responsibility

Tuning Protocols Turn to your Elbow Partner to discuss: • What does this information mean to you so far? • What connections are you making?

Tuning Protocols Participant Jigsaw Activity • How We Know What Students Know and Are Able to Do • Assumptions • Current Status of Testing and Examining Student Work • Collaboratively Examining Student Work

Tuning Protocols History • Originally developed by the Coalition of Essential Schools (1991) • Intended use has been expanded to allow group critique of any part of the teaching and learning process, particularly educator practice.

Tuning Protocols History “a teacher presents actual work before a group of thoughtful ‘critical friends’ in a structured reflective discourse aimed at ‘tuning’ the work to higher standards.” -Joe McDonald and David Allen, 1996 Coalition of Essential Schools

Tuning Protocols Rationale • Tunings provide accountability beyond test scores. • Tunings provide information useful in a classroom. • Tunings build a learning community. • Tunings work.

Tuning Protocols Scenario, Overview, and Rationale Take just a few moments to independently skim the Tuning Protocol section and record your thoughts, wonderings, or a’has on your reflection page. Chapter 23, pp. 237-240

Tuning Protocols What You Need in Place: • A small, consistent group (5-12 people) • Regularly scheduled meeting times of 45 minutes or more, preferably an hour or more • Occasionally you might need a facilitator, especially at the beginning • A timekeeper

Tuning Protocols The Method (1 Hour Example) • Introduction (5 Minutes) • Presentation (15 Minutes) • Clarifying Questions (5 Minutes) • Writing (5 Minutes) • Participant Discussion (15 Minutes) • Presenter Reflection (15 Minutes) • Debriefing (5 Minutes)

Tuning Protocols Variations • Educator Practice – Focusing on teaching practice and what educators can do to help students learn • The Descriptive Review – Focuses mostly on student work by Describing, Generalizing, and Evaluating

Tuning Protocols Variations • The California Protocol - An analysis team and a reflection team work together to tune student work or educator practice. • The School Tuning – Involves groups including both students and staff addressing school issues.

Tuning Protocols Critical Elements • Time • Consistency • Facilitation • Substantive Discussion • Active Participation • Balanced Feedback

Tuning Protocols Conclusion “Tunings honor the professionalism, expertise, experiences, and skills of those who work with learners. They promote reflective practice. They are collaborative and build on the notion that all professionals want to get better and want their students to do better. They focus on learning – not just on student learning, but learning by everyone in a school or district.” - Lois Brown Easton

Tuning Protocols Video Example Tape 2: The Tuning Protocol Use the ASCD Handouts, especially 7, to guide your learning and enhance your understanding as you follow along with the video example.

Tuning Protocols Group Debrief (Wows and Wonders)

Agenda • Get agreement on Agenda & Ground Rules (5 Minutes) • Get agreement on Learning Objectives (5 Minutes) • Teach background information on Tuning Protocol & share previous experiences (60 Minutes) • Practice using the Tuning Protocol on anonymous samples of Student Work (40 Minutes) • Brainstorm Action Plans for using Tuning Protocols with PLCs at the School Site (20 Minutes) • Provide feedback on the breakout session (5 Minutes)

Practicing the Tuning Protocol

Practicing Tuning Protocols “Tuning Protocol is a staff development process that is embedded in what …an educator does in a school. A group of colleagues comes together to examine each other’s work, honor the good things found in that work, and fine tune it through a formal process of presentation and reflection.”

Practicing Tuning Protocols Topic for Analysis and Reflection To make this practice session as meaningful and relevant as possible, please discuss a current, real professional learning situation at the school site of the Presenter.

Practicing Tuning Protocols Divide into groups of five. You may stay in school teams or split your group up. Roles: Who is the… Presenter? Timekeeper? Facilitator?

Practicing Tuning Protocols Introduction – 2 Minutes Presentation – 5 Minutes Clarifying Questions – 2 Minutes Individual Writing – 2 Minutes Participant Discussion – 5 Minutes Presenter Reflection – 5 Minutes Debriefing – 2 Minutes Whole Group Debrief – 5 Minutes

Practicing Tuning Protocols Introduction – 2 Minutes • Participants briefly introduce themselves. • The facilitator describes the protocol and provides the steps and critical elements. • The timekeeper monitors the time and assists the facilitator with flow.

Practicing Tuning Protocols Presentation – 8 Minutes • Presenter sets the context, describes the professional learning situation, and shares materials related to what is being tuned. • Participants are quiet and taking notes. • The presenter poses one or two key questions.

Practicing Tuning Protocols Clarifying Questions – 2 Minutes • Participants ask the presenter non-evaluative questions about the presentation. • Participants should not ask questions that suggest an opinion or evaluation.

Practicing Tuning Protocols Individual Writing – 2 Minutes • The presenter and participants write about the key questions, as well as anything else that comes to mind.

Practicing Tuning Protocols Participant Discussion – 8 Minutes • The presenter turns away and takes notes, but says nothing. • The participants will talk among themselves, discussing the key questions and issues raised during the presentation without addressing the presenter.

Practicing Tuning Protocols Presenter Reflection – 8 Minutes • The presenter reflects on the participants’ discussion. • The participants are silent, taking notes on the presenter’s reflection.

Practicing Tuning Protocols Debriefing – 2 Minutes • The presenter discusses how well the protocol worked. • Participants then discuss how well the protocol worked. • Presenter and participants have a general, open discussion of the content and the tuning process.

Practicing Tuning Protocols Debriefing – 2 Minutes Warm and Cool Feedback Warm Feedback: Statements about what is working; takes the form of praise for what seems to be effective. Cool Feedback: Statements or questions that help the presenter move forward; a critique of the work presented; never about the presenter, only about what is being tuned. The best Cool Feedback: “I wonder…”“What if…”

Practicing Tuning Protocols Whole Group Debrief – 5 Minutes How did it feel… • To be the presenter? • To be the facilitator? • To be the timekeeper? • To participate?

Using the Tuning Protocol

Using Tuning Protocols For the next 15-20 minutes: • Reflect on what you’ve learned in this session. • Reflect on the data you have indicating where you are as a school. • Reflect on your vision for where you want to go as a school. • Begin to brainstorm an implementation plan that incorporates the use of Tuning Protocols keeping the Critical Elements in mind.

Tuning ProtocolSession Feedback

Evaluating the Session Your feedback is important. Please take a few moments to fill out the Session Evaluation card on your table and leave it on the table by the door. You will receive your purple inservice form at the end of Day Two for inservice points and the opportunity to evaluate of the entire Summer Institute.

Thank you for coming! Your journey has begun. Good luck. Karyn Scarcellakaryn.scarcella@ocps.net

Tuning Protocol as a Learning Design Summer Learning Designs Institute June 19-20, 2008 Karyn Scarcella karyn.scarcella@ocps.net

Tuning Protocol as a Learning Design