Conferencing

1. Conferencing Is about The TEACHER And how the teacher can improve learning for the students.

2. ConferenceA Definition • Conference: meeting of interested persons to discuss a particular subject; act of taking counsel; talking something over; consultation with a person or a group of persons.

3. The Goal of Conferencing and Providing Feedback The goal of the feedback provided during a conference is to improve the effectiveness of teaching and promote professional growth. In pursuit of this goal the feedback provided during a conference should; • Be based on descriptive and focused observable data; • Provide characteristics of effective teaching; • Promote reflective inquiry and self-directedness to foster improvements in teaching supported by evidence of student learning.

4. Effective Feedback • Teachers welcome feedback that is just in time, just for them, just for where they are in the journey toward expertise, and just what they need to move forward or improve.

5. Effective Feedback • For feedback to be effective, principals or instructional coaches need to: • Clarify the definition of effective teaching; • Ensure that teachers understand the feedback; • Seek feedback from the teachers about the effectiveness of their formative and summative growth/evaluation efforts.

6. Pre-Observation During the pre-observation conference have I “set the stage” to…. ….Gather descriptive and focused observable data; ….Within a framework and a “common language” of the characteristics of effective teaching?

7. Pre-Observation continued • Have I also used the pre-observation conference to enhance my working relationship with the staff member and provided the staff member the the best opportunity to…. ….choose to participate in reflective inquiry and self-directness to foster improvements in his/her teaching which is supported by evidence of student learning?

8. The Observation Understanding the dynamic nature of a classroom setting…. ….have I organized my self with the appropriate tools to gather the agreed upon descriptive and observable data that will be the centerpiece of the post observation conference?

9. Post Observation Conference In preparing for the post-observation conference have I….. • ….Gathered adequate descriptive, focused, observable data, that can legitimately be used as the centerpiece of a professional conference; • Related the data gathered to a framework of the characteristics of effective teaching….

10. Post Conference continued ….while being very cognizant of the importance of splitting the almost simultaneous process of description evolving into interpretation and correspondingly judgment. ….Carefully thought through the most appropriate supervisory style in which to approach the conference…. ….with the end intent being promotion of reflective inquiry and self-directedness to foster improvements in teaching supported by evidence of student learning.

11. Conferencing Awareness Points • I Statements • Positive Assertions • Pro-Active Listening

12. Points To Remember • Relationships are built one interaction at a time. • Who is the most important person you can talk to? • The person you are currently talking with!