1. Leading with Trust The Learning Walk® Routine
This professional development module should be provided only after the
participants have had training in content--this is specific to English Language Arts,
Rigorous Reading Comprehension. Ensure that the participants have received
instruction is this content, otherwise it will be difficult for them to conduct the
observation or provide feedback.
The Learning Walk® Routine
Building Community, Improving Practice 1
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2. trust plays in its effectiveness.
Goals
To understand why trust is required in an environment where teachers can take risks
To understand the role trust plays for the Learning Walk Routine to function as a builder of community
To build common understanding of how to use the
Learning Walk Routine to improve practice
Greet your participants and explain the goals. Tell them they will be learning how to
conduct a Learning Walk, but first there needs to be a conversation about the role
trust plays in its effectiveness.
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3. Social and Human Capital
“Trust, shared learning, and goals created by social networks and relationships”
- Leana and Pil, 2006
Trust is part of building social and human capital in schools. Explain that they will
be discussing the important role of trust in a healthy learning community. 3
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4. clarity to the group’s conversation.
Trust is Important
“ Without trust, it is unlikely that schools can be successful in their efforts to achieve their academic mission.” - Tschannen-Moran, M. (2004). Trust matters. San Francisco: Josey-Bass.
“ The more we trust each other, the better we are able to cooperate, and therefore the better are our prospects for progress.” - Cook, K.S., Levi, M. and Hardin, R. (eds.) (2009). Whom Can we Trust? How Groups, Networks and Institutions Make Trust Possible New York: Russell Sage Foundation Publications.
“ Trust acts as a catalyst for change processes that instrumentally connect to improving academic productivity.” - Bryk, A. S., & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. New York: Russell Sage Foundation
“ Trust is likely the most important element in the development of a learning community.” - D Vodicka. (2006). The four elements of trust. Principal Leadership 7
Give the participants time to read these quotes from the research and ask them to
select one and turn and talk to a partner about what strikes them about the quote.
Go around the tables to see what intrigues the participant about trust and what
prior knowledge they bring to the discussion. Take some mental notes and ask one
or two people to talk about their comment to their partner. Acknowledge the
discussion and go on to the next activity. Do not ask for comments unless they add
clarity to the group’s conversation.
(3),
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5. Trust Increases Mindfulness
“The researchers asserted that mindfulness depends on trust to create an environment where the staff feels safe to identify errors and address them as learning opportunities. In addition, the principal must trust teachers to experiment with different strategies, work collaboratively, and build resilience (Hoy, Gage & Tarter, 2006).”
Use this slide to transition to the task. State that the Learning Walk® Routine
requires creating safe environments for teachers to feel safe to make errors and
learn from error. Explain that without a climate of trust, using this Learning Walk®
Routine tool, will be difficult at best. 5
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6. the task to select their key idea (significant to text).
Review pre-reading, Bryk, A. and Schneider, B. (2003). Trust in schools: A core resource for school reform. Educational Leadership, 60(6), for key ideas.
Identify key ideas and be prepared to share with the group.
Ask participants to open up their folder to Task 1 and follow the directions on the
task sheet. Give the participants time to review their pre-reading article by Bryk
and Schneider. Bring the group together and ask for some key ideas made by the
authors. Chart their key ideas, make sure that the most salient ones are listed--
purpose, recursive nature, protocol, and others. Then proceed to the next phase of
the task to select their key idea (significant to text).
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7. Significant to Text
Select one moment that strikes you as most significant to the text. Think about how that idea relates to English Learners.
Ask participants to select a moment that is significant to the text. Ask them to
identify it in the text and to write why they think it is significant. Ask them to also
relate the selected quote to English Learners. Provide the facilitator’s model on the
next slide.
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8. Significant moment
Explanation of the significance to the text
“Our overall measure of school trust, on the basis of approximately two dozen survey items addressing teachers' attitudes toward their colleagues, principals, and parents, proved a powerful discriminator between improving and nonimproving schools. A school with a low score on relational trust at the end of our study had only a one-in-seven chance of demonstrating improved academic productivity.” (page 43, paragraph 4).
This moment makes an important point about the impact of school trust on educational achievement: namely, that it is a necessary condition for improvement. Embracing trust in a school involves a shift in the typical way of doing things—i.e., a shift in culture, in ways of behaving for both teachers and administrators. Principals, therefore, must realize their important role in inviting or “norming” teachers into this culture. This moment is significant because the entire body of research on school trust has found that without trust, there is no community, there is no efficacy, and there is no progress. It is so powerful in a myriad of ways. For English Learners this may mean all trying to understand how to honor their culture and first language so that they are contributing members of the student body, and being aware of when ELs and their parents need to use their first language to learn and understand.
School leaders can also remember to have translated documents and translators at meetings. 8
Read your significant moment and explanation of significance so that the
participants have clear expectations about how to write theirs. If time is short, ask
them to write the page and paragraph for the quote and focus writing their
explanation of significance. Give them time to do the task. Walk around to see
when they are finished, to see if anyone needs help. If they start to talk, remind
them it is an individual activity. When they are finished, ask them to share with a
partner, then call the group together to share as a large group.
Ask people to share as you chart the quotes (abbreviate quote) and write out gist of
significance. Ask if anyone had the same quotes and ask them to share the
significance if different than the one already offered. Take a few and stop after the
major points have been made.
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9. What We Know
The literature clearly identifies trust as a key component of successful schools.
Schools where high levels of trust exist are three times more likely to yield positive student outcomes than schools where there are low levels of trust.
Use this slide and the next two for summarizing the work on trust for this session.
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10. Key Considerations
Respect - Conversations are marked by genuinely listening to what each person has to say and by taking these views into account in subsequent actions. Even when people disagree, individuals can still feel valued if others respect their opinions.
Personal Regard represents another important criterion in determining how individuals discern trust. Such regard springs from the willingness of participants to extend themselves beyond the formal requirements of a job definition or a union contract.
Ask participants to think about these four considerations because we will come
back to them to reflect on how they connect to what we do in the Learning Walk.
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11. Learning Walk® Routine Handout prior to the next meeting
Competence in Core Role Responsibilities - School community members also want their interactions with others to produce desired outcomes. This attainment depends, in large measure, on others' role competence.
Personal Integrity - Perceptions about personal integrity also shape individuals' discernment that trust exists. The first question that we ask is whether we can trust others to keep their word.
If time is short, you can stop here and continue with Task 2 at your next meeting.
These first 11 slides can take 1.5 to 2 hours if the participants read the Bryk article
prior to the meeting. If you decide to stop here, remind the participants to read the
Learning Walk® Routine Handout prior to the next meeting
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12. diagram here will support your explanation.
The Learning Walk Routine
A Tool for Improving Teaching and Learning While Building Community
Explain very briefly, the tool and its mission for improving practice. You may want
explain how it can improves the practice of teachers and principals. The recursive
diagram here will support your explanation. 12
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13. Task 2 The Learning Walk Routine
Take about 10 minutes to review your key ideas. See the Learning Walk Routine handout, pages 5-19 for key ideas from your pre-reading.
What are three or four key ideas you garnered from reading Learning Walk Routine handout? Use the space provided to write down the key ideas and page number so that you can locate them easily.
When finished, please share your key ideas with a partner. Be prepared to share at your table.
Direct participants to Task 2 and help them understand the work. As you start the
conversation after the participants have their key ideas, please make sure that they
understand the purpose of the Learning Walk Routine, the recursiveness of the
Learning Walk, and the Learning Walk Protocol. The tool works well when it is used
to improve instruction and when the protocol is strictly observed. Breaking the
protocol can cause harm. Please remind the participants that first and foremost, we
do not want to do any harm.
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14. questions. Make sure there is accountability to knowledge.
Task 2
The Learning Walk Routine
At your table, go over the key ideas and use chart paper to respond to the questions below. Appoint a facilitator, recorder, and reporter.
What are the strengths of the Learning Walk Routine?
What are the significant ideas that we need to keep in mind?
What questions do you have?
When you complete your chart, place it on the wall. When all charts are up, walk around and read them. Once everyone has had the opportunity to read the charts, each reporter can take one minute to summarize the table’s thinking. Each table group should be prepared for questions as we engage in a discussion as a large group.
If time permits, give participants sticky notes so they can leave at least one
question per table on the charts. Make a mental note of what the groups
responded for each question on the chart and mentally mark those that need the
group’s attention. Respond and ask the group to help respond to the most salient
questions. Make sure there is accountability to knowledge.
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15. opportunity to teach while the need is present.
What Is a Protocol and Why Do We Need One?
Procedural steps and guidelines to organize discussion and structure participation so that:
Typical responses to student work are slowed down
Describing the work without judging is the rule
Participants raise questions, issues, and dilemmas triggered by the student learning
Explain that the Learning walk has a protocol. Explain what a protocol is and how it
helps to keep an observation stay on purpose--to grow practice and build
community. Explain how the bullets on the slide help to keep observers and those
observed on purpose and doing no harm. Observing teachers is studying their
work so respect must be at the center of all observations. Make links from the
protocol to trust. If it becomes necessary to use these next three slides to help
respond to questions brought up during the discussion, use them. Do not miss the
opportunity to teach while the need is present.
Adapted from “Looking at Student Work for Teacher Learning, Teacher Community and School Reform,” Little, J.W. et.al. Phi Delta Kappan, 85 (3), 188. 15
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16. the participants’ learning.
The Protocol
The protocol used in the Learning Walk Routine has the following features:
It is grounded in a commitment to an effort-based concept of intelligence and education;
It uses the lens of the Principles of Learning;
It is not evaluative;
It is focused on student learning as much as on teaching;
It is always a part of a recursive professional development cycle;
It is evidence-based rather than judgmental;
It uses a particular protocol that must be learned and followed.
Explain the bullets, press on the ones that did not emerge from the previous activity
or those that may need reinforcing as indicated by your formative assessment of
the participants’ learning.
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17. The Learning Walk Routine Protocol
Norms During The Observation
Norms After The
Preparation
Steps
LWR
Observation
All observers are trained to participate in all steps of the observation
Observers must include some individuals who have deep understanding of the content observed
Do no harm
Use only objective statements
Do not discuss
1.Pre-Conference
Facilitator selects the focus of the observation during a pre- conference with observers
Observers participating are oriented by facilitator prior to the classroom observation
the observation with anyone who
was not an
Use descriptive observer. This
observation is for
While most of what is on this slide will probably emerge in the key ideas brought up
by the participants, explain this protocol to ensure they understand how using,
observing, and keeping this protocol engenders trust and how it helps in doing no
harm.
If time is short. You can stop here and continue with Task 3 at your next meeting.
Slides can take 1.5 to 2 hours if the participants read the Learning Walk®
Routine Handout prior to the meeting. If you do stop here you may want to begin
with slide 17 to refresh the memory and then move on to the observation.
statements
Do not fix teacher
Do not praise or state dislikes
State the facts only
data gathering purposes only
and is not to be
used for evaluative purposes.
Classroom Observation
Debrief
Quality Feedback to teachers by principal
Next steps are planned
Do not interrupt instruction
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18. Task 3. Part A: Understanding There Is a Focus When Conducting an Observation
Prior to conducting an observation there is a conversation with the teachers(s) to have clear expectations. Set the goals for the observation. The goals can be converted to a question that is answered with evidence from the observation.
Today, we are observing a class through video, thus the facilitator will select the focus.
This lesson is engaging students in a rigorous reading comprehension lesson so the focus will be on finding evidence that the students are understanding the story.
The question for this observation is: What did the students do and say that demonstrated understanding of The Wolf’s Chicken Stew? Evidence you gather from this observation must respond to this question.
Explain that for this session we are using video instead of a live observation thus
you will set the focus and provide the question for the observation. Explain why
this focus and this question. Ask the participants to keep this question in mind--
write it on their observation sheets so that the evidence they gather responds to
this question. Explain that lack of focus for an observation renders it less useful
and makes it difficult to impossible to give feedback to a teacher. If the purpose of
the LWR is to grow practice, gathering data on a specific focus is imperative.
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19. Task 3. Part B: Conducting the Observation
Prepare to observe a teacher who is working on teaching rigorous reading comprehension. The teacher is working with English Learners at beginning and
mid beginning level of English proficiency.
Supporting Rigorous Reading Comprehension for English Learners
The Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza
Teacher: Yvette Celorio Reyes
Coach: Gloria Sullivan
Wooldridge Elementary School
Austin Independent School District •
Watch the videotape of the lesson and observe carefully for evidence that will
respond to the question we have selected for observation.
Find the Learning Walk Routine Evidence Sheets provided for note-taking on the left hand side of the folder. Use them to write your observations of this classroom.
After your viewing, take time to look at the evidence sheet you have and use the transcript of the video to garner any evidence you may have missed. Select two observations that respond to the question and fill out the chart provided below. Be prepared to share with the large group. 19
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20. Task 3. Part B: Conducting the Observation
Watch the videotape of the lesson and observe carefully for evidence that will respond to the question we have selected for observation.
Find the Learning Walk Routine Evidence Sheets provided for note-taking on the left hand side of the folder. Use them to write your observations of this classroom.
After your viewing, take time to look at the evidence sheet you have and use the transcript of the video to garner any evidence you may have missed. Select two observations that respond to the question and fill out the chart provided below. Be prepared to share with the large group.
Take the participants through the first two bullets. Do not read the third bullet until
they complete the videotape and finish collecting their data.
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21. transcript so they can better understand the students.
The Learning Walk Routine Evidence Sheet 21
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Guide them with this example and explain only to write what hey hear and see, to
use descriptive, objective statements only. They do not need too much scaffolding
because practice is what will make them good data collectors. The third column is
for questions they may have. After this, make sure they have the evidence sheets
and pencils or pens, then play the video straight through. Provide them with the
transcript so they can better understand the students.
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22. The Wolf’s Chicken Stew Video
Play the video.
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23. Task 3. Part B: After the Observation
After your viewing, take time to look at the evidence sheet you have and use the transcript of the video to garner any evidence you may have missed. Select two observations that respond to the question and fill out the chart provided below. Be prepared to share with the large group.
Ask the participants to study their data and select two pieces of evidence to study
further. Then turn to the next slide.
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24. Evidence-Based Reasoning Sample
Observations
I saw, I heard, I noticed
Analysis
This seems evidence of
Interpretation of Cause and Effect
This leads me to think…This supports the learning of the teacher or students by…
Questions or Suggestions
Therefore I wonder
“Is there any other type of um, or soup that your mom makes that has a lot of stuff inside, not just soup?”
Teacher is tapping into students’ background knowledge for their understanding of stew.
Ensuring that the students have conceptual knowledge of word critical to understanding of this story.
I wonder how the students will continue to learn and use the words in the story?
Go over the example provided and lead them through each column. This will be
difficult, that is why you asked them to select only two observations. Ask them to
work with a partner if they want. Go around the tables to see who may need help
with this activity. In the first column, it is a statement taken from their notes--what
they heard or saw. Basically the first column is a quote from the video.
The second column asks that they think about the piece of evidence to see what it
may be an example of a particular aspect teacher is trying to help students
understand. How does what the student or teacher did support learning, and the
last column is about questions the participants have about that piece. Did it raise
any questions? Ask them to proceed with their task. 24
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25. the reflections as part of your formative assessment.
Relational trust is characterized by four specific considerations—Respect, Personal Regard, Competence in Core Responsibilities, and Personal Integrity. What are the authors saying about these (pp.41-42)? Select one and share how it could be demonstrated during the Learning Walk Routine.
Bryk and Schneider write on p. 41, “Consequently, deliberate action taken by any party to reduce this sense of vulnerability in others—to make them feel safe and secure—builds trust across the community.” Given this, what should attention be paid so that the Learning Walk Routine builds trust and community?
Give the participants 5-10 minutes to respond to the reflection in their packet. After
they write, ask them to share with a partner. Go around to the tables and listen in
to the sharing. Select a few and ask for a couple of volunteers to share. Collect
the reflections as part of your formative assessment.
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26. Bridge to Practice
By _, observe at least two classrooms where teachers are working with students on rigorous reading comprehension using and interactive read aloud approach. Collect evidence on the Learning Walk Routine Evidence Sheets provided. Then, take two pieces of evidence and analyze them using the Evidence-Based Reasoning Protocol. Reflect in writing on the experience. What went well and was difficult. Draw on specific examples from observation to support your ideas.
Be prepared to share your reflection with your colleagues on .
BRIDGE TO PRACTICE: This slide summarizes the directions on
the Bridge to Practice handout. Given the frequency of
professional development, determine how long you will give them
to complete the Bridge to Practice. Regardless of when the Bridge
to Practice is completed, the results should be shared and
analyzed as part of the ongoing cycle of professional
development. Therefore, as the facilitator, be sure to include time
in the session when this is due for the group to debrief. Give
participants this Bridge only after completing the entire PD
module. There is too much risk in asking them to do it without
being fully informed. 26
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