1. School Improvement Processes: Using the Tools
Professional Leadership Learning Network (PLN)
November 13, 2014
Dr. Ann Mausbach

2. Behavior Before Beliefs
Fullan
Research on attitudinal change has long found that most of us change our
behaviours somewhat before we get insights into new beliefs. The implication for
approaching new change is clear. Do not load up on vision, evidence, and sense of
urgency. Rather, give people new experiences in relatively non-threatening
circumstances, and build on it, especially through interaction with trusted peers.

3. Post- Observation Conference
Blueprint Processes for School Improvement
Monitoring
Supervision
walkthroughs
PLC’s
Post- Observation Conference

4. School Improvement Plan
Professional Development Plan
Walkthroughs & Look Fors

5. Adults do not learn from experience, they learn from processing experience.
- Judith Arin-Krupp

6. Which tool have you tinkered with the most?
What have you done (actions) that has been most successful when using this tool?
10minutes
Split groups-- watch size
No more than 2 people per district in a group

7. What did we learn?

8. Outcomes for Today: • Reflect on and refine use of “power tools”
• Deepen understanding of intense focus
• Collaborate in order to ensure focused plan

9. What implications does this passage have regarding our work?

10. Discussion: Text Rendering Protocol
Round 1 (5 minutes)
One person in the group (3 minutes):
shares passage selected
shares thoughts on the passage
includes implications for our work
Group responds (2 minutes)
Repeat for 3 more rounds with a different person sharing each round
Form groups of 4
Identify
time keeper

11. Creating an Intense Focus on Teaching and Learning
Be clear about your mission, vision, and values and live by it

12. Creating an Intense Focus on Teaching and Learning
Collaboratively develop SIP plan that answers this question:
“What strategy or process if implemented consistently, will make the strongest impact on student learning and achievement?”

13. Reflection: Where Are You?
Self- reflection

14. Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.

15. The One Pager What does the data tell you?
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
― E.F. Schumacher
The One Pager
What does the data tell you?
What are you going to do about it?
How will you know if it has made a difference?
What is your next steps and/or goal?

16. and the impact on student learning.
Examples
The size and the prettiness of the plan is inversely related to the quality of action
and the impact on student learning.
—Reeves, 2009

17. The Challenge Develop your own one pager.
Must answer the following questions
What does the data tell you?
What are you going to do about it?
How will you know if it has made a difference?
What is your next steps and/or goal?

18. The Research
Schools with plans that included monitoring, evaluation and inquiry experienced two to five times the gains as schools that had similar plans but did not include this information .
Coherent and consistent planning and monitoring systems is strongly associated with improvement in student achievement.
Reeves, D. B. (2006). The learning leader:how to focus school improvement for better results. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

19. Walkthrough Fundamentals
FOCUS
Develop “Look Fors”
Communicate “Look Fors”
WALK
Talk to students
3-5 minutes in each learning environment, focus on look fors
Review samples of student work posted in hallways, in work folders
REFLECT
What did you see?
What does it mean?
GIVE FEEDBACK
Validate, Validate, Validate

20. Step One: Develop “Look Fors”
Goal is to define what we want to see in a way that doesn’t leave a lot of unanswered questions
Use of student assessments
Daily formative measures are used to determine re-teaching

21. TRIAD PROTOCOL Purpose: Give and Receive Feedback
Develop learning network
A = Share look fors and process (5 minutes uninterrupted)
B= Responds to A (5 minutes)
C= Listens/ observes, summarizes, draws conclusions (5 minutes)

22. Examine Student Work and Work Folders
Step Two: Walk
3 to 5 Minutes Per Class
Examine Student Work and Work Folders
Talk to Students
What are you learning?
Why are you learning this?
How do you know when you have done quality work?
What did you learn by doing this activity that you didn’t know before?
What has your teacher taught you that is helping you be a better (reader/ writer) this year?

23. How is teaching and learning influenced by room arrangement?

37. In what ways does this explanation communicate clear expectations?

39. Step Four: Feedback validate, validate, validate
reinforce/ clarify look for
teachable moment
required every time
formal or informal

40. Oral Feedback: Provide verbal feedback to teachers about something observed during the Walkthrough. Be specific and connect the feedback to ‘look-fors’ or elements of effective instruction.
Written Feedback to Staff: Write a general narrative about what was observed during the Walkthrough and distribute the information to the entire staff. The narrative includes specific examples (without identifying the specific teacher or classroom) and evidence of how ‘Lookfors’ are present in the school.
Written Feedback to Teachers: Short notes or to individual teachers can be very effective also. The notes should include specific examples or descriptions that provide evidence of how ‘Lookfors’ are present in the classroom.
Debriefing the Faculty: Conduct a short meeting to debrief the faculty immediately after completing the Walkthrough. The meeting is generally held after school and attendance is most often voluntary. This meeting begins with a general overview of effective practices observed during the Walkthrough and specific evidence of ‘look-fors’ employed in classrooms. Feedback is focused on what is present in the school and not on individual teachers.
Group Conference: Conduct a group conference with teachers to highlight and validate the teacher’s use of effective practices and/or implementation of ‘Lookfors’. The conference begins with a general overview about what was observed during the Walkthrough. This is followed by giving each teacher one or two specific positive examples of effective teaching strategies or ‘Lookfors’ he/she demonstrated during the Walkthrough.
Debriefing Tools

41. E very time, provide feedback
I ndividual specific examples
Meaning (Why were the examples cited good examples?)
Purpose (What were you looking for?)
R eflect (What are your next steps?)
O rganize so focus is evident
V alidate, validate, validate
E very time, provide feedback

42. Post- Observation Conference
Blueprint Processes for School Improvement
Monitoring
Supervision
walkthroughs
PLC’s
Post- Observation Conference

43. Why is it important to live by the schools mission, vision and values?
Motivation Continuum

44. Intrinsic
Extrinsic

45. I can be motivated to live by our mission if I remember that……………..