Designing for Deep Understanding: Supporting Effective Teaching, Learning and Leadership

Website: www.galileo.org/pl

High School Learning Leaders and Lead Teachers

Gather Your Thoughts

1. In what ways did you incorporate the strategy of “engineering effective discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of learning ” into your teaching practice?

2. In what ways did you support your colleagues to incorporate this strategy into their practice?

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Feedback that Moves Learning Forward (Wiliam & Leahy, 2015)

Feedback considerati

onKey points

Insights as to how this consideration applies to your

setting.

Be careful how you praise.

Categorizing strengths and weaknesses.

Don’t give feedback unless you allocate class time for students to respond.

Feedback should focus on what’s next, not what’s past.

Help students see the connection between feedback and the improvement.

2

Link the feedback to the learning intentions and success criteria.

Make feedback into detective work.

Make it clear what the student is meant to do with the comment.

Model responding to feedback.

Provide an appropriate balance of critical and supportive feedback.

3

Feedback Triggers: Reflection

What insights and/or reflections do you have in relation to feedback triggers when working with students? Colleagues?

Can you think of a time when you may have inadvertently activated a feedback trigger in a student or a colleague? How might you approach the conversation differently now?

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Reflection Checklist Providing Feedback that Moves Learning Forward

I don’t do this yet

I do this sometimes

This is embedded

in my practice

I could support someone

elseI focus on student response to my feedback rather than the feedback itself.I praise students for effort rather than ability.I give students task-involving feedback rather than ego-involving feedback.I limit the written feedback I give to students and give class time for students to respond.

I give “balanced” written feedback.

I make feedback into detective work for my students.

I use comment-only grading.

Other techniques for this strategy that I use to improve student learning

(Adapted from Wiliam, D. (2015) Embedding Formative Assessment)

5

Fostering Effective Relationships by Building Relational Trust

“Over time, as students [colleagues] experience these relationships and learning environments that support caring, risk-taking and trust, students’ [colleagues] confidence in themselves as learners grows. Such environments “develop people’s ability to connect with one another, work together across their differences, and add value to each other” (Gilbert, 2005, p. 68). And in this context, diversity in a student [staff] population becomes something that is welcomed, appreciated, and explored.” (Friesen, 2009, p. 6)

“Mutual trust may prove to be the glue needed to hold together the district and school practices that involve using data to improve instruction and achievement” (Means, Padilla, DeBarger, & Bakia, 2009, p. 49)”

“An important aspect of the more effective conversations … was that the clear purpose and focus on improvement, together with support, served to engender trust that their views would be respected and that others would take the time to listen and understand the reasoning on which an individual’s ideas were based. Trust included a belief that they would work together to solve problems identified in the evidence.

Barriers developed when teachers felt blamed for poor outcomes for students. Alternatively, where respect was interpreted as accepting of any explanation for the lack of student progress, little change occurred.” (Timperley, 2015, p.24)

6

Gather Your Thoughts

What structures, processes, words and actions do you use to allow others to perceive you as a trustworthy leader?

Structures and Processes Words and Actions

As an instructional leader how do you promote relational trust amongst colleagues?

7

Determinants of Trust

Determinants of Relational Trust New Insights

Interpersonally respectful Valuing the ideas of others Listening carefully Open to new ideas

Personal regard for others Caring about the personal

and professional lives of their colleagues

Personal expressions of support

Competent in role Being capable in

completing tasks Dealing with issues in a

timely and effective manner

Deal with disagreements, able to maintain professionalism

Personal integrity Walk the talk Keep your word Deal with disagreements in

an even-handed manner(Adapted from Robinson, 2011, p. 34-36)

Questions for reflection:As a learning leader or lead teacher, what is one thing you think you are doing well to build relational trust with your colleagues?

What is one new thing you are going to try to strengthen the professional relationships at your school?

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Case Study: Relational Trust

While watching the following professional conversation, look for evidence of the following elements:

Trust

Respect

Challenge

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Leadership Discussion

• How might you bring your colleagues’ attention to the importance of effective, actionable feedback to move learning forward?

• What adjustments will be taking place to strengthen and foster effective relationships with your colleagues?

Robinson, V. (2011). Student Centered Leadership: San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.

Timperley, H. (2011). Realizing the Power of Professional Learning: New York, NY: Open University Press.

Timperley, H. (2015). Professional Conversations and Improvement-Focused Feedback: A Review of the Research Literature and the Impact on Practice and Student Outcomes, prepared for the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership, AITSL, Melbourne.

Wiliam, D., Leahy, S. (2015). Embedding Formative Assessment: Practical Techniques for K-12 Classrooms, West Palm Beach, FL: Learning Sciences International.

Wiliam, D., 2016. Leadership for Teacher Learning: Creating a Culture Where All Teachers Improve so That All Students Succeed, West Palm Beach, FL: Learning Sciences International.

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Next Steps:

Enact (or support the enactment of) one of the ten feedback considerations in a classroom. Bring back a sample of student work that demonstrates how the feedback helped move the student learning forward.