Seeing myself interact: Understanding interactions with children by embedding the CLASS in professional development Marilyn Chu, WWU – ECE FOCUS on Children 11:20 – 12:50 - February 2, 2013

How do we define and measure quality? One tool to use is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Understanding the underlying concepts of CLASS as part of professional development will allow you to focus on teacher-child and child-child interactions in a group setting. This tool is used by DEL (Early Achieversr) and Head Start. How do we facilitate improvements? Professional development has the potential to strengthen emotional and instructional interactions and relationships with young children when teachers become more aware of their actual teaching practices..

More specifically…  What experiences for learning and development are offered to children in group settings?  Do interactions with teachers and experiences in classrooms matter for students?  Can we define and assess teacher quality in terms of actual performance?

Taking A Look Inside Preschool & K-3 Classrooms: What kinds of opportunities for learning are children experiencing?

Results of large-scale observational studies  National-level studies  National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL)  NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development  Up to 1,000 settings observed at preschool, K, 1, 3, 5 – more than 4,000 classrooms  Largest set of systematic standardized classroom observations in U.S. schools  All teachers credentialed/certified

How do students spend time?  High-levels (30%) of “business/routine” activity  Pk-5: managing materials, routines  High levels of “basic skills” focus  7:1 in pk-1; 14:1 in 3-5  Ratio of listening, sitting, watching: Doing  10:1 across grades

Rating interactions: What is the CLASS?  Focus on teachers’ interactions with students  What the teacher is doing to promote the positive emotional, social, and academic development of students in the classroom  Three broad domains, consistent pk-5:  Emotional Support  Organization / Management  Instructional support

Classroom ratings: CLASS PK-5  Positive climate  Negative climate  Teacher sensitivity  Regard for student perspectives  Effective behavior management  Learning formats/engagement  Productivity  Concept development  Evaluative feedback  Language modeling Emotional Support Instructional Support Organization/ Management

DOMAINS DIMENSIONS INDICATORS Instructional Support Emotional Support Classroom Organization Relationships, Affect, Respect, Communication Punitive, Sarcasm/ disrespect, Negativity Aware, Responsive, Address problem, Comfort Flexibility, Autonomy, Student expression Clear expectation, Proactive, Redirection Maximize time, Efficient routines and transitions Variety, Promote student interest, Clarity, Engaging Analysis/reasoning, Creativity, Integration Feedback loops, Encourage responses, Expand performance Conversation, Open- ended, Repeat/extend, Advanced language

 Positive emotional climate  Productivity  Quality of feedback Features of teacher-student interaction

Profiles of classroom quality: First grade Quality 31%23%29%17% Emotional Instructional

Highly uneven classroom experiences across and within grades – 10% of children have repeated access to high quality Overall quality not high, particularly for instruction Lack of alignment on curriculum, quality of child experiences, and teacher-child interactions Teacher-child interactions and transition from pre-K to K-3

Associations with Child Learning and Development: Do These Interactions Matter?

 Stronger effects for different groups of children (approx..5 s.d./year)  Low maternal education  Adjustment problems in K  Poor Links between teacher-child interactions and children’s performance

Predicting student development in pre-k Changes in children’s development from beginning to end of preschool Mashburn, et al. (in press) Emotional Support Instructional Support ECERS-R Total Receptive Language  Expressive Language  Rhyming  Letter Naming  Math Skills  Social Competence  Behavior Problems 

Gains in grade 1 achievement in instructionally supportive classrooms Standardized tests of achievement adjusted LowModerateHigh 1 st Grade Instructional Support High educ. Low educ.

Gains in grade 1 achievement in emotionally supportive classrooms Standardized tests of achievement adjusted LowModerate High 1 st Grade Emotional Support Kindergarten adjustment problems No problems Multiple problems

Implications for P-3 programs  Focus regulation and training on teachers’ interactions with children—standards and measures  Strive toward moving instructional dimensions and implementation “up” the scale of quality interactions  Develop training and support approaches that address teachers’ interactions with children  An aligned PK-3 professional development curriculum and classroom assessment metric

Improving Quality in P-3 Programs: We know what matters, how do we move forward?

Support for high-quality interactions Professional development/ training Resource allocation Evaluation Curriculum Social and academic outcomes for children Improved teacher outcomes CLASS Instructional Organization Emotional Observational Assessment

FOCUS ON TEACHER INTERACTIONS WITH CHILDREN myteachingpartner.net Teacher-child interactions and relationships are the means by which the curricula are implemented  Increase teachers’ observation skills in identifying interactive behaviors and cues related to CLASS  Increase teachers’ skills in identifying alternative responses to children's’ cues – create opportunity

Quality teaching videos: PK-3 myteachingpartner.net

MENTOR-COACH PROCESS SUGGESTED My Teaching Partner myteachingpartner.net Classroom video recording at an established time 1 Teacher reviews clips and reflects on practice 3 Consultant reviews and edits video clips 2 Teacher and consultant meet and discuss teaching practices 4

Effects of MTP support: Summary  Teachers receiving consultation show greater increases in quality of instructional interactions  Children with teachers in consultancy show greater gains in tests of early literacy and language development; lower levels of problem behavior  Consultation reduces effects of poverty  Early career teachers who are who have greater exposure to either condition show gains in interactions and child outcomes  Teachers report high levels of satisfaction, motivation, and lower isolation.

In closing… Standardized observation of interactions: Are feasible, reliable and valid—A scalable language and lens for classroom settings Include three domains (Emotional, Organizational, Instructional) that appear valid across grades Should be linked to teacher professional development and preparation programs, which in turn increase setting quality and child outcomes Can create alignment and serve as a common goal in prekindergarten through elementary classrooms