Taking Down the Posters

1
Taking Down the Posters

• Reflective Windows to Improve Classroom
  Practice

2
Zbar (2008)

• We know..
• From the experience and a growing array of data
  that the teacher a student has, and the school he
  or she attends, has a marked impact on the
  outcomes s/he achieves
• That is why so many parents seek to influence the
  selection of their childrens teachers..and
  express a desire for greater choice in their
  schools.

3
Zbar (in metaphor) says..

• Oils aint oils (with respect to Castrol)
• Teachers aint teachers
• Schools aint schools

4
Elmore (2007) when schools improve..

• Three processes are happening
• Knowledge and skills of instructional practice
  increase
• Teaching is moving from an individual to a
  collective activity
• The school organises to support instructional
  improvement

5
Elmore (2002) notes

• One of the strongest social norms among
  (teachers) is that everyone is expected to
  pretend that they are equally effective at what
  they do.however teachers themselves, under the
  right circumstances, will talk candidly about who
  the strong and weak teachers are reputed to be

6
Elmore continues..

• ..the entire process of school improvement
  depends on schools making public and
  authoritative distinctions among teachers and
  administrators based on quality, competence,
  expertise and performance. If everyone is equally
  good at what they do, then no one has anything to
  teach anyone else how to do it better pretence
  of absolute equality is a major impediment to
  improvement.

7
Hills research (1997)
Percentage variance in value-added measures of
English and Mathematics by class and school
effects in primary schools.
8
Hill notes.

• that a major improvement in student learning
  would result if all classes were brought up to
  the level of the most effective class.
• Zbar (2008) comments We should seek to have all
  teachers in the school behaving like the best
  teachers, so a quantum improvement is achieved.

9
Why this variance..?

• People of all professions want to do a good and
  better job.but dont necessarily know how to..
• Teachers, en mass, are therefore not deliberately
  stifling changes to practice

10
Practice changes attitudes.

• Guskeys (1989)..teachers who were able to use
  certain practices successfully expressed more
  positive attitudes towards teaching and (they)
  increased responsibility for their students
  learning.he concludes that changes in attitudes
  and beliefs generally follow, rather than
  precede, changes in behaviour. (cited by Zbar
  2008)
• Barbers view (2003) is to change behaviours
  through a mix of challenge and support, in the
  knowledge that beliefs will follow.
• Much teacher learning has a focus on attitudinal
  change, expecting that amended practice will
  follow. In fact, they change in concert(Elmore
  2002)

11
Challenge and support at Mount View Primary
includes.

• Observational visits to each class followed by
  verbal, individual feedback
• Instructional coaching (literacy) to embed our
  best practices across year levels
• What are we looking for?

12
There is guidance from Hattie (2007)

• Analyses of the effect of different classroom
  interventions (100 available)
• The typical effect is 0.4, so we should aspire to
  those with higher effects
• An effect of 1.0 provides a 50 increase in
  achievement or one year of learning.

13
Rank these 10 (from 1 highest effect to 10
lowest effect)
14
The Ranking

• 1 Feedback .81
• 2 Classroom behaviour .71
• 3 Cooperative learning .59
• 4 Early intervention .49
• 5 Competitive learning .41
• 6 Testing .31
• 7 Questioning .20
• 8 Diet .12
• 9 Class size .05
• 10 Retention (retain a year) -.17

15
The disasters

• 71 Programmed instruction .14
• 72 Finances .14
• 73 Problem based learning .12
• 74 Diet .12
• 75 Gender (female-male) .09
• 76 Inductive teaching .06
• 77 Team teaching .06
• 78 Ability grouping - streaming .05
• 79 Class size .05
• 80 Open vs. traditional -.01
• 81 Summer vacation -.06
• 82 Retention -.17
• 83 Transfer of school -.26
• 84 Disruptive students -.78

16
The also rans

• 56 Metacognitive interventions .29
• 57 Math programs .27
• 58 Audio-visual .26
• 59 Gifted programs .25
• 60 Coaching .24
• 61 Behavior objectives .24
• 62 Calculators .24
• 63 Mainstreaming .21
• 64 Questioning .20
• 65 Learning hierarchies .19
• 66 Attitude to maths .19
• 67 Desegregation .18
• 68 Play .16
• 69 Television .15

17
Almost there

• 42 Tutoring .35
• 43 Activity-based programs .35
• 44 Remedial programs .35
• 45 Classroom climate .35
• 46 Social skills training .35
• 47 Time .34
• 48 CAI .32
• 49 Inquiry based teaching .32
• 50 Preschool .32
• 51 Whole language .31
• 52 Within class grouping .31
• 53 Testing .31
• 54 Problem solving .30
• 55 Background .30

18
In the middle

• 29 Parent involvement .46
• 30 Bilingual programs .46
• 31 Adjunct aids .45
• 32 Concept mapping .45
• 33 Advance organizers .44
• 34 Hypermedia instruction .44
• 35 Socio economic status .44
• 36 Perceptual-motor skills .42
• 37 Individualised instruction .42
• 38 Homework .41
• 39 Competitive learning .41
• 40 Simulations .37
• 41 Expectations .36

19
Worth having

• 14 Self-assessment .54
• 15 Mastery learning .53
• 16 Creativity programs .52
• 17 Interactive video .52
• 18 Psycho-linguistics .51
• 19 Goals .51
• 20 Peer influence .50
• 21 Early intervention .49
• 22 Outdoor education .49
• 23 Science .49
• 24 Professional Development .48
• 25 Acceleration .47
• 26 Motivation .47

20
The MAJOR Influences

• 1 Explicit instruction .93
• 2 Reciprocal teaching .86
• 3 Feedback .81
• 4 Strategy training .80
• 5 Classroom behaviour .71
• 6 Prior achievement .71
• 7 Phonological awareness .70
• 8 Home environment .69
• 9 Piagetian programs .63
• 10 Co-operative learning .59
• 11 Reading .58
• 12 Quality of teaching .55
• 13 Study skills .54

21
Observational visits

• Informal and formal with a mutually convenient
  time arranged
• Use examples of observations in general staff
  discussions
• Culture Im interested. I know whats
  happening. Ive got a contribution to make. I
  learn about learning.
• Focus of the visit known e.g. differentiation in
  maths lessons
• Find a few minutes to provide feedback as soon as
  possible

22
Observational feedback.

• Describe what you saw that you believe to be
  productive teaching behaviour
• Builds a language
• Focuses on the teaching
• Rank the opportunities for improvement in terms
  of instructional effect and limit to 2 or 3

23
Findings from observations

• Most teachers work with a sense of purpose
• Efficient and productive use of time an issue for
  many teachers and their students
• Reflecting on the value of practices is a low
  priority

24
Coaching

• Identifying our schools best practice through
  class observations
• Discussion with groups involved (group feedback)
• General good practice
• General areas for improvement
• Identifying individuals with better practices in
  specific areas
• Individual feedback

25
Coachs support

• Release teachers to observe in other classes for
  specific purpose
• Releasing teachers to demonstrate in other
  classes
• Observe teachers who are working to improve
  practice provide step by step support

26
Setting up the program

• Developed an Essential Agreement with staff
  involved
• e. g. We acknowledge that we all have strengths
  to offer but we are open to learning and sharing
  with one another
• Time-tabled visits from coach and peers

27
Some examples

• Good practice
• Differentiation in reading comprehension
  activities
• Use of IWB as a resource
• Practices to improve
• More explicit teaching of dependent students
• Clarity of teaching focus in writing
• More consistent assessment processes

28
Some findings from coaching

• Many staff uncertain about the quality of their
  work - keen to get feedback
• Keen to observe and learn from peers
• Keen for further strategies for dependent
  learners
• Most teachers aware of areas of their teaching
  needing improvement