FEEDBACK FOR STUDENT LEARNING BEHAVIORS

I am currently working with a group of teachers and administrators who want to increase the effort of their students focused on critical learning behaviors. This focus matches my continual chorus that teachers do not cause student achievement…students cause student achievement. The real work of the teacher is to teach and model critical learning strategies and then create the work and environment that encourage students to “workout” and succeed.

Students learning new behaviors requires teachers working as coaches….giving feedback when the learners are practicing correctly and “feedforward” (corrections) when changes are needed. Athletic and performing arts coaches use these strategies to guide continuous improvement of their performers.  I have read that video tapes of John Wooden’s UCLA basketball practices reveal that he seldom gave praise or criticism but as many as 1000 specific behavioral statements in a single practice.

I am currently reading Doug Reeves’ Elements of Effective Grading: A Guide to Effective Practice.  He focusses on the value of feedback and suggests grading strategies that provide students much more feedback and encouragement than many of our existing school grading practices.

In one example he suggests teachers score student work on a 1-4 scale. (page 66)

4= Exemplary

3=Proficient

2=Progressing, but not yet proficient—more work is required

1= Not meeting standard—student requires intensive intervention and extensive work in order to make progress

When turning student scores into grades he suggests:

A= At least four assessments with a final score of 4 and 2 assessments with a final score of at least 3

B= At least four assessments with a final score of at least 3 and two with final score of at least 2

C= At least three assessments with a final score of at least 3.

Note that the focus is on the final score. Therefore using feedback from your teacher to improve your work to proficient or above is at the center of grading. Revees believes such a process promotes students’ respect for teacher feedback, hard work, and determination.

The book also offers an example of a rubric for giving students feedback on their learning effort. (page 73) I would see great value in teachers designing these with their students.

1.   You are asleep, distracted, conversing with others… disengaged from class. You are showing that you don’t care about the class, your fellow students, or the teacher.

2.   You are pretending to pay attention….superficial engagement. You are not participating actively in individual or group work.

3.   You were ready when the bell rang. You volunteered to participate in class and group activities. You asked questions and contributed actively.

4.   You took an active leadership role in class helping and encouraging other students. You know that assisting others to move up on this continuum leads to better success for the entire class.

I am very interested In finding more examples of “coaching” learning behaviors and promise to share any you send my way. Thanks.

MENTORING FOR SCHOOL LEADERS

I spent a day this week facilitating a team of very experienced educators who have served as international school heads and superintendents around the world. They will be serving as mentors for AAIE’s -Association for the Advancement of International Education new Institute for International School Leadership.

The goal of the Institute is to advance the preparation and continuing professional development of leaders in international schools. Specifically, this initiative is designed to deliver critically important knowledge from experienced international school leaders to assist in the development and growth of currently-serving as well as aspiring school leaders." – Elsa Lamb, AAIE Executive Director

I opened the session with participants paired to discuss the following:

In a very short time the participants identified the following list of critical elements:

Trust

Self Reflection

Knowledge

Relevance

Growth

Safety

Encouragement

Their words matched the purposes of the training activities that followed.

Here are two examples:

Self reflection: Participants identified how to phrase questions using the Questions for Life to conduct initial goal setting conferences at the program’s outset. (Click on picture to make larger.)

Encouragement: Two verbal skills were practiced that help to communicate encouragement.

As an example, in a conference the mentee might say…

 “I really can’t get the teachers to take the responsibility for change without more support from the head of the school.”

The mentor might respond with a confirmatory paraphrase:
    You see that you have a need to increase teachers’ commitment to the efforts.
 You want to find ways to persuade the head as well as the teachers.

An approval statement might follow:

Your willingness to challenge yourself and perhaps take risks is a sign of commitment to your students

If you are preparing training for mentors these experienced international educators provide a great list of elements to consider. I’ve posted my power point if you are looking for additional ideas. 

A DISTRICT FOCUS ON STUDENT LEARNING BEHAVIORS

This week I had the great opportunity to work with educators in Leander Independent School District (LISD) in Texas.  They held a two day professional development conference (The 19^th Annual Continuous Improvement Conference).

It was a great place for me to be presenting backwards planning from student achievement to student behaviors to teacher practices, as the district has adopted a focus on Seven Student Learning Behaviors.

Introducing the conference, the board president said, “The Board and I enthusiastically support your endeavors to build the Seven Student Learning Behaviors among the students you impact every day.”  The superintendent reinforced that. “By cultivating these behaviors within our students this day, you will give them the skills to be life-long learners today, tomorrow, and beyond.”

As you read through the LISD’s Seven Student Learning Behaviors consider how observable these would be in your school setting. Where they are found, what teacher actions promoted them? In schools and classrooms where they are absent, what teacher changes would be needed to initiate the student behaviors?

1. Learning Objective: Students articulate the learning objective/target and find meaning in their learning.

2. Assessment for Learning: Students assess their progress toward achieving the current learning objective/target.

3. Plan for Intervention/Challenge: Students utilize classroom processes created for intervention and/or challenge.

4. High–Yield Strategies: Students understand and use a variety of learning strategies and tools to help them learn.

5. Student Collaboration & Learner Engagement:

Students are interacting and engaged in their learning.

6. Data Analysis & Goal Setting: Students set learning goals and track their progress on an ongoing basis.

7. Assessment of Learning: Students produce evidence of their learning aligned with the learning objective/target.

My keynote to the staff reinforced that these student behaviors are aligned with the system’s goals of all students (closing the gap) being college and career ready. Working with school leadership teams, principals, and instructional coaches, I identified that the same learning behaviors were critical for staff’s continuous improvement. Leaders need to create a learning environment for educators that really mirrors the one desired for students.

LISD’s Vision will require a continuously improving learning organization.

LISD’s Vision

Students will exit our system with the same passion for and joy in learning they had when they entered, having achieved high academics and built strong character, without economics determining success.

I appreciate the message of “empowered learner” that I find in their work. What do you think?

COACHING AND MENTORING AS IMPROVISATION

This week I was working on the design of a mentoring workshop for international school leaders. Participants in the training will be spending the next two years mentoring new school leaders enrolled in a leadership development program.

The new leaders will be using the text, Generative Leadership: Shaping New Futures for Today’s Schools. The authors define generative leadership as leading that recognizes and taps the collective intelligence and energy within the organization to generate productive growth and effective solutions.

  

Often the mentors in the program will act as peer coaches: generating reflection and goal setting where the mentees will drive their own learning. At other times the mentors will be in a mentor role providing ideas and suggestions from their personal experiences. The program will also ask the mentors at several spots to supervise/evaluate the mentees’ work.

As I read the text to align my workshop I found a metaphor for generative leadership that I thought provided a great description for the role these mentors will play.

“For skilled leaders, this is not an either-or choice but a both–and option.  Leading in this way is sometimes likened to an improvisational dance: The starting point on the dance floor is clear, but how the dance will go and where it will end up depend completely on what the musician plays and how the dancer responds to that music. With true improvisation, neither the musician nor the dancer is in command. Neither has planned his or her actions in advance, and the precise outcome cannot be predicted ahead of time. Musician and dancer co-create the performance in real time, guided by shared knowledge, values, and intention.”  (page 7)

 Co- create….A great description for coach/coachee and mentor/mentee relationships. I will be presenting that thought in future trainings, especially for instructional coaches who play changing roles on the supervision to peer coaching end of the continuum.  I love the idea of explaining to teachers that the coach’s work will come from “reading the moves” of the coachee.  Shared beliefs and values and a focus on student learning will guide the process.