1. Capitalizing on the Visibility of Practice within Math Studio to Understand Teachers and Coaches as Learners
Ruth Heaton, Molly Williams, & Michelle Metzger
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

2. Who are we & how did we get here?
A professor, a post doc, and a graduate student walk into a bar…

3. Who are you? Who is a teacher leader(including classroom teachers)?
Who is a math coach/math specialist?
Who is in a position that works with teacher leaders & math coaches/math specialists?
Who is familiar with or been involved in a ”Math Studio?”

4. Outline Overview of our Studio work Our problem of practice
Inquiry into data focused on “Teacher Irene and Coach Maxine”
Discussion and questions

5. Math Studio in Nebraska

6. Math Studio in Nebraska
Translate PD for teachers into practice
Continue focus on intentional, planful, observant and reflective
Make practice visible through live work with real teachers and students
Generate rich research data

7. Studio
Teacher
Studio
Facilitator
SCHEDULE FOR STUDIO
Half Day 1: Studio Teacher and Facilitator publically
plan a lesson.
Half Day 2: Studio Teacher
and Facilitator publically
enact the planned lesson
then reflect on the lesson
afterwards.
How do you create long term learning about practice through work on a single math lesson?
Participants: Administrators, Coaches, Other teachers

8. Studio Teachers
We have worked with studio teachers who have had various levels of experience.
Studio teachers have come from different grade levels.
Most, but not all, have participated in UNL’s Professional Development programs.

9. Participants Year Participants 2011-2012
Teachers, Math Coaches, & District Administrators
Teachers, Math Coaches, Principals, & District Administrators
Math Coaches, Principals, & District Administrators
Teachers from 1 School

10. If every color represents a different school, what do you notice??
Math Coaches
Boxes without lines means person was a math coach
Boxes with lines means person was a classroom teacher
If every color represents a different school, what do you notice??

11. Our Problem Interactions between coaches and studio teacher seemed off
generated negative feelings for us
First response: Blame the coaches.
Second response: What’s going on here? Maybe there are things we could do differently. Maybe there are ways to alter studio to make it a richer and more layered learning opportunity.

12. Focusing Studio on Math Coaches’ Learning
Starting with the Math Studios in , we started to create spaces and use structures that intentionally focused participants to think about math teaching and coaching.
How we created spaces:
An example of an observation sheet participants used in the planning, teaching, & debriefing sessions
Changes in use of time and use of structures, layer with animation

13. Learning to Think Systematically about the Complexity of Teaching
“Teachers must learn to weigh difficult dilemmas and to make and implement decisions on the fly; to put their plans into action effectively as well as to alter plans for unforeseen circumstances while they are in the midst of teaching.” (p.370)
Hammerness, K., Darling-Hammond, L., Bransford, J., with Berliner D., Cochran-Smith, M., McDonald, M.,& Zeichner, K. (2005). How teachers learn and develop. pp In Darling-Hammond & Bransford (Eds.) Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do. Washington, DC: National Academy of Education.

14. Learning Community
Understanding
Practices
Vision
Dispositions
Tools

15. Learning to Think Systematically about the Complexity of TeachingCoaching
“TeachersCoaches must learn to weigh difficult dilemmas and to make and implement decisions on the fly; to put their plans into action effectively as well as to alter plans for unforeseen circumstances while they are in the midst of teachingCoaching.” (p.370)
Hammerness, K., Darling-Hammond, L., Bransford, J., with Berliner D., Cochran-Smith, M., McDonald, M.,& Zeichner, K. (2005). How teachers learn and develop. pp In Darling-Hammond & Bransford (Eds.) Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do. Washington, DC: National Academy of Education.

16. Understanding Coaches Through Transcript Excerpts
How are math coaches understanding their work?
Look at excerpts of a math coach’s contributions within a cycle of Math Studio
What are the affordances and limitations of examining these excerpts of coaches contributions?

17. Examining Data

18. Where are the excerpts coming from?
Teacher Irene’s Studio:
Cycle 1
Oct 1 & 2, 2014
Cycle 2
Nov 5 & 6, 2014
Cycle 3
Jan 21 & 22, 2015
Cycle 4
Feb 10 & 11, 2015
Teacher Jackie’s Studio:
Cycle 1
Nov 19 & 20, 2014
Cycle 2
Jan 26 & 27, 2015
Cycle 1
Feb 17 & 18, 2015

19. Where are the excerpts coming from?
Teacher Irene’s Studio:
Cycle 1
Oct 1 & 2, 2014
Cycle 2
Nov 5 & 6, 2014
Cycle 3
Jan 21 & 22, 2015
Cycle 4
Feb 10 & 11, 2015
Teacher Jackie’s Studio:
Cycle 1
Nov 19 & 20, 2014
Cycle 2
Jan 26 & 27, 2015
Cycle 1
Feb 17 & 18, 2015
Excerpts of data are coming from these cycles

20. Introducing the speakers in the transcripts
Facilitator 1 (Ruth) & Facilitator 2 (Molly)
In charge of facilitating the planning, teaching, and debriefing of Studio
Teacher Irene
A veteran teacher on her 12th year of teaching at one school; finished Primarily Math
Teacher Jackie
A beginning teacher on her 3rd year of teaching at one school; in the midst of Primarily Math
Coach Maxine
A 4th year mathematics coach split among two
Coach K
A 4th year mathematics coach who is friends with Teacher Irene and Coach Maxine
Supervisor 1 & Supervisor 2
District level supervisors who oversee Elementary Mathematics program
Coach C, Coach H, Coach L, Coach Mark, Coach T, Principal B
Other various coaches or principals who participated in the conversation

21. Math for Teacher Irene’s Cycle
Five frame displaying 3 is 2 away from 5
Ten frame displaying 6 as one more than 5 but 4 more would be needed to make 10
What might students find difficult when transitioning from a 5 frame to a 10 frame?

22. Sets of Excerpts: Teacher Irene’s Cycle 1
Label Coach Maxine’s contributions
Coach Maxine Interactions with Teacher Irene During Planning Session (yellow)
Coach Maxine Interactions with Teacher Irene During Debriefing Session (green)

23. Modes of Communication or the Voices of Coaches
Giving advice (telling the teacher what to do, offering suggestions) (GA)
Criticizing (C)
Asking questions and finding out what the teacher intended (Q)
Sharing curiosity about students’ thinking (ST)
Problem solving collaboratively on specific issues (PS)
Praising or affirming (P)
Other* give each interaction you identify as other a name.
Lenses on Learning

24. Reflections on Teacher Irene’s Studio
What do coaches and teachers gain or lose from their approaches to such conversations?

25. Representing all of the data task
Make a pie chart that represents Coach Maxine’s moves
Count up all labels used at your table.
Calculate the percentage for each label.
Use the following colors to represent each label in your pie chart:
Giving Advice (GA) = Purple
Criticizing (C) = Blue
Asking Questions (Q) = Green
Curiosity about students‘ thinking (ST) = Brown
Problem Solving (PS) = Red
Praising or Affirming (P) = Black
Other (O) = Orange

26. Our current learning of teachers as learners and coaches as learners

27. How does this apply to math coaches?
Learning Community
Understanding
Practices
Vision
Dispositions
Tools
How does this apply to math coaches?

28. Connection to Keynote Address
The Rights of a Learner
You have the right to be confused.
You have the right to make mistakes.
You have the right to only say what makes sense to you.
You have the right to write what makes sense to you.
Do teachers feel like they have these rights?
Do math coaches feel like they have these rights?

29. Learning Community
Understanding
Practices
Vision
Dispositions
Tools