WI Peer Coaching Collaborative: Helping Schools Develop a Culture of Professionalism

1. Mary Lou Ley mley@charter.net WI Peer Coaching Collaborative:Helping Schools Develop a Culture of Professionalism A research based framework of collaborative partnerships r601d76

2. Developing Local Capacity • Sustainable • Collaborative Communities • Enhancing / Assessing teaching and learning • Intellectual Quality Embedded in classroom practice • Research based framework Peer Coaching

3. How is everyone else doing coaching? How effective are they? What’s best for my school? WEMTA Mary Lou Ley March 29, 2012 What do teachers say works? professional development for changing teacher practice in lasting and measurable ways Peer Coaching: How do I replicate coaching in my school?

4. Coaches Help Coaches often describe their work like this: "I help teachers with technology". Define what "help" is by replacing the word help with 1-3 words on our Coaching Help Wallwisherwww.wallwisher.com/wall/coacheshelp On a post it and turn this in.

5. Discover what kinds of coaching models exist in Participants' schools ranging from informal to structured. • Brief overview of 3 Models recommended by ISTE and the research supporting them ( ISTE Whitepaper, The Power of Coaching 2011) • Explore programs from the WI Peer Coaching Collaborative including District Programs, Consortia, or statewide • Share examples from other parts of US and internationally with virtual guests from AZ, Oregon, Ho Chi Minh City University - Vietnam • Present Coaching Framework and Tools used to "help" coaches coach • What coaches have to say about coaching • Share some of our data findings on how effective the Peer Coaching Program has been in WI • Create a Coaching Network of coaches in WI Today's Session

6. Who are We? What do We Do? Coaches? Teachers? LMSs? Administrators?

7. Peer Coaching Intro Activity: 1. What is your current position and when did you start? 2. What was the situation like when you first started and What did you see as the change challenge? 3. How did you go about addressing the challenge in your first year? What reactions, obstacles, etc. did you face and how did/are you handling them? 4. When did you first get positive breakthrough? What are the indicators of success? 5 What are the issues for the immediate future? As a group, debrief and identify two or three ‘change challenges’. Place on index card turn in. (2 minutes) Letter off A, B, C Interview each other as per the questions below (short quick responses 3 minutes per interview):

8. Following the introduction of computers in US classrooms in the early 1990’s, there were few teacher professional development programs available to help teachers use this new technology in their efforts to improve student learning, (West, 1990; Yost, et al. 2004). • The critical issue at the time was if teachers understood how the technology contributed to classroom instruction. Computers and Teaching

9. PD began to shift beyond hardware and software use to emphasize the instructional purpose of the technology and the impact on education (Makrakis, 1991), Shift Happens - Sometimes

10. The key message of the survey findings is that teachers’ technology habits make a difference in their perceptions of student outcomes. Educators, Technology and 21st Century Skills: Dispelling Five Myths:A Study on the Connection Between K–12 Technology Use and 21st Century Skills

11. Myth 1

12. Myth 2

13. Educators share a passion to prepare our students to be successful, to achieve their potential, and contribute positively for a better world. But the world has changed. To prepare our students for success in the new world, education must change. New World - New Education

14. College and Career Readiness

15. PISA OECD Program for International Student Achievement World’s Most Effective Schools Study

16. “The only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction.” • Barber & Mourshed 2007 p.26 “The quality of the education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.” p16 Findings from the Top Achieving Schools

17. Ambitious and challenging practice in classrooms occurs …in proportion to the number of teacherswho are intrinsically motivated to question their practice on a fundamental level and look to outside models to improve teaching and learning. At the peak of reform periods this is roughly 25% of the teaching population p.28 Richard Elmore: School Reform from the Inside Out 2004

18. 100% of teachers have access to computers and internet • 50% are adequately prepared to integrate technology . • 1/3 of educators ask students to use technology in problem solving and research AFT-NEA study on Teacher Use of Technology in the Classroom 2008

19. “In the 21st century, students must be fully engaged. This requires the use of technology tools and resources, involvement with interesting and relevant projects, and learning environments—including online. • ... In the 21st century, educators must be prepared to use technology tools; they must be collaborators in learning—constantly seeking knowledge and acquiring new skills along with their students. ” • — Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, March 3, 2010

20. Ask yourself what happens to student learning when: • a teacher does not have a (teaching) plan that they are able/required to follow? • the “plan” is outdated/has been used for the last 5 years? • teachers (across grade levels and subject areas) teach in isolation of each other? • teachers have forgotten, are not interested in, don’t have time for, or are not supported in their own learning? • collaboration and communication among administrators and teachers in order to pursuit of the common goal called student learning is out of sync or non existent? • teaching means covering lessons, units, objectives and standards and does not involve teaching for understanding? It is not (never was) about technology.

21. “poor teaching + technology = expensive poor teaching” Connor Bolton Never Was About Technology Langwitches Blog

22. What professional learning will help teachers adapt and adopt innovative learning activities? • What professional development changes teacher practice in lasting and measurable ways Preparing Teachers

23. On the job, job-embedded training • Long-term, ongoing • Focused on classroom activities • Highly collaborative environment • Structured to offer chances to learn from others from work of the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) (Sparks 2002), Michael Fullan (2001), North Central Regional Laboratory (NCREL) (Sparks & Loucks-Horsley, 1989), and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) (2003, July). Research Findings

24. Top performing school systems understand that to improve instruction you need to use the following interventions: • Coach classroom practice • Move teacher training to the classroom • Develop stronger school leaders • Enable teachers to learn from one another • Barber & Mourshed 2007 Research: Collaboration

26. Relationship between Training and Impact on Teacher Practice (Joyce & Showers, 1994; Showers, Murphy & Joyce, 1996).

27. Collaboration • No more workshops after school out of the classroom context • Taking teachers out of the context of their classroom can only inform instruction. It does not change practice. • Must occur in context of their school relevant to the student needs in their classroom The context of the classroom

28. “Six Secrets of Change” • Secret #2: Connecting Peers with Purpose • 1st time research shows when teachers collaborate on a regular basis student achievement goes up. • What is important here is not just the peer interaction. It’s what peers are interacting about. • What they should be interacting about is two things. • First, they should be interacting on the data and how well students are doing • And second, they should be interacting around the instructional practices that get results. Focus on Systemic ReformMichael Fullon

29. “It is time for our education workforce to engage in learning the way other professionals do – continually, collaboratively, and on the job – to address common problems and crucial challenges where they work.” • Former N. Carolina Governor James Hunt (Darling-Hammond, ,2009, p.2 Collaboration is Essential

30. "Leaders are ambitious 1st and foremost for a cause, for the work, for the company not him or herself and they have the will to do whatever is necessary to make good on the ambition for that cause " Jim Collins: Good to Great

31. ISTE surveyed PD models that integrate context, collaboration, and technology The most effective PD was: 1. Technology-rich, 2. Delivered through a coaching model, and 3. Enhanced by the power of community and social learning. In analyzing successful programs three essential concepts emerged.

32. For coaching to yield the greatest opportunity for success, it must incorporate three essential components: 1. Context. Coaching practices must be in context with what can be used immediately. 2. Relevance. Coached information must be highly relevant to the lessons currently being taught. 3. Ongoing. Coaching support must be provided on a day-to-day basis where teachers can practice newly learned skills and ensure the highest potential for success. (Wong & Wong, 2008).

33. The Importance of Community Richard du Four “To create a professional learning community, focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for results.”

34. Three Coaching models That Provide Highly Effective Professional Development The principles of the ISTE NETS requires the inclusion of one or more of three different collaborative-oriented coaching initiatives: cognitive coaching, instructional coaching, and peer coaching.

35. Cognitive Coaching Based on 4 propositions: • a set of strategies, a way of thinking, or a way of working that invites self and others to shape and reshape their thinking and problem solving capacities (Costa & Garmston, 2002). 1. Thought and perception produce all behavior. 2. Teaching is a constant decision-making process. 3. To learn something new requires engagement and alteration in thought. 4. Humans continue to grow cognitively ModelOne: Cognitive Coaching Example: Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS)

36. Big Four Framework 7 practices that ICs use Help schools focus identifying teaching practices that are likely to have a positive effect on the way teachers teach and the way students learn. • The Big Four framework for instructional excellence is built around 4 aspects of teaching: • 1. Classroom management • 2. Content planning, • 3. Instruction, and • 4. Assessment for learning. Example: The Kansas Coaching Project 1. Enroll. The teacher chooses whether or not she or he would like to collaborate with the coach. 2. Identify. The teacher chooses the teaching practice that he or she would like to learn with the coach. 3. Explain. The coach and teacher have a shared understanding of the teaching practice and have agreed upon an observation protocol or checklist describing the components of the teaching practice. 4. Modeling: “You Watch Me” The teacher is ready to begin teaching with the new practice. 5. Observe. The teacher is comfortable with the coach observing the classroom practice. 6. Explore. The teacher is encouraged to continue using the teaching practice and has identified an area where he or she can improve the way the practice is implemented. 7. Refine. The learned teaching practice becomes habitual for the teacher. Model Two: Instructional Coaching

37. Collaboration among teachers is key to improving academic achievement, There are five stages to the model: Three primary pillars: • Communication and collaboration skills needed to build trust and effective collaboration • Strengthen coaches’ lesson design skills to help colleagues to improve learning activities • Understand best practices in technology integration Stage 1: assess: determining the teacher’s technology skills and instructional strategies. This information helps the coach and teacher to define a lesson or project that the teacher can successfully implement, or to identify the kind of coaching, resources or skills the teacher might need. Stage 2: Set goals. Setting reasonable and realistic goals that are linked to the school’s educational goals and curricular standards is a critical first step in establishing a solid coaching relationship Stage 3: Prepare. Participants learn to use a learning activity checklist to evaluate the strength of a proposed lesson, project or unit. Stage 4: Implement activities. Coaches often find that the teachers they work with benefit from seeing their coach model a technology-rich lesson or team teach a lesson or project with their coach. Stage 5: analyze and Debrief. One of the strengths of peer coaching is that it provides for structured opportunities for reflection that help teachers improve their instruction. The peer coaching program provides coaches with a variety of tools to gather input, debrief participants, and analyze results. Model Three: Peer Coaching Example:Currently there are trained coaches in 47 countries,11 U.S. States and 30+ WI school districts in the WI Peer Coaching Collaborative.

38. Help teacher leaders develop skills needed to serve as peer coaches for colleagues • Engage all students in powerful, technology rich learning which will prepare them for their future • Assist schools to build the capacity to meet their own professional development needs. Peer Coaching Program Goals

40. National and International Programs Dr. Vou, Ho Chi Minh City University, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; “In the new context here, parents and companies that hire graduates both have higher demands. We are trying to find a way to make our classes more student-centered. At the same time we are trying to integrate technology better…Peer Coaching has provided us with a framework for how to integrate information and communications technology (ICT) into classes. How will we know if a certain teaching activity in a certain class is good or not? Peer coaching has helped with answering this question,” says Nguyen Ngoc Vu “Vietnamese administrators appreciate Peer Coaching because it saves professional development money. We have made a big investment in equipment in recent years—but we find that teachers do not know how to use the equipment. We find that Peer Coaching is a good way to help teachers learn how to use technology effectively in teaching,” says HCMCUE’s Vu. States, Consortia, Universities, Regions, Disticts, and a few lone wolfs

41. Les Foltes According to Les Foltos, the approach used by Peer Coaching draws on the advice of classroom teachers and research. Classrooms teachers suggested they would learn best from a trusted colleague who was just down the hall when needed. “Peer Coaching is designed to help these trusted colleagues develop the communication, collaboration and lesson design skills they need to be successful as Peer Coaches.” In short Peer Coaching is designed to help coaches be effective collaborators. International Trainer for Peer Coaching, Peer Ed, Seattle WA

42. Tracy Watanabe Technology Coordinator Peer Coaching Facilitator, Apache Junction Unified School District, Arizona;

43. A Peer Coaches Reflection on Successful Coaching this Year: I’m a coach who coached another first grade teacher this year. I think a successful coaching program consists of: 1. expectations/goals that are clearly defined, but leave room for flexibility, i.e. giving the “what” but not the “how 2. sharing of tools, methods, lessons learned and success stories amongst peers 3. a product or two that can be used again, or improved upon for the following year 4. a “maintained” website for collaboration, tool sharing, etc. 5. feedback from knowledgeable folks, i.e. Andy, Mary Lou, etc. 6. emphasis on tools we already have that can be used creatively, i.e. publisher, ppt, etc. 7. time with the mentee that is built into the district/school, schedule 8. opportunities to see what other successful coaching programs are/do 9. opportunities to attend workshops, etc. These were present in our coaching program this year. Nate from Superior

44. Focus: What is the impact on student learning? Student Work: • Is the tangible bridge between student and teacher • Provides concrete evidence of what the teacher intended and student learned • Offers a baseline for improvement of teaching and learning Structured Collaborative Conversations

45. The Quality of our Coaching =The Quality of our Conversations Communication & Collaboration Skills

46. Teachers have limited experience engaging in professional dialogue about their teaching and student learning • Conversations tend to be more “show and tell” or offering help and easily tangential • Research suggests these kinds of conversations do not improve practice Collaboration Communication Skills: Challenges

47. Indentifies two patterns of conversation: Supportive practices and Developmental practices • Supportive practices include teachers offering advice, suggesting approaches to tasks or concerns, and generally helping with daily classroom work. These occur informally and affect only one or a few teachers • Developmental practices, on the other hand, are interactions that spur improvements in overall instruction and change classroom practices. These require collective and structured efforts. Research: 2006 study by W. David Stevens at the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago

48. Intended – what students should learn • Enacted- what teachers teach • Assessed –what is assessed • Learned –what students learn Coaches need to assist teachers in looking for evidence of:

49. Task: Setting, Audience, Product; Opportunities for collaboration. Use questions to clarify the task (REAL Problem, Purpose, Product, Audience) • Standards: (21st Century, AASL, and Academic you intend to assess) only 2or 3 • Student Steps and Teacher Notes: Cohesive - Detailed, clarifies the product, adds scaffolding tools where needed. • Assessment: How will you assess the standards you listed? Rubric? Checklist? Test? How will you assess product and process? Formative Feedback (that helps move student to the next step) • Technology:Adds value to the teaching and learning; Reason for using technology (i.e Communication? Collaboration? Co- Create? Contribute?) • Resources:Curricular, Web site, information, electronic and non electronic; how to cite. Focus on quality indicators that most lessons need improvement:

50. Anchored in common definitions of quality indicators • Focus on the collaborating teacher’s work. Factual evidence of how they are currently teaching and integrating technology • Asking questions around the intended and enacted curriculum, assessment of student performance, and impact on learning. • Ask probing questions that allow the teacher to think more deeply about their work Professional growth occurs when we engage in conversations around evidence of quality in teaching and learning.