Leaders as Coaches: Providing Feedback that Impacts Classroom Practice

by Tammy Gibbons, AWSA Director of Professional Learning

AWSA Update Poll

My conversations with teachers about their instructional practice are primarily focused on:

the teachers identified area for improvement
our supervision & evaluation indicators (Danielson or Stronge)
what I observed in a specific lesson
our school improvement goals and the teachers contributions to the plan

(Click button on left to see poll)

So what score did you give me? All too often, after an observation, these words can be heard in classrooms or the principal’s office. Educator Effectiveness, at the fundamental level, is meant to shift supervision and evaluation to building a culture of ongoing support and reflection in our schools. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction states that the EE model is meant to “improve the education of all students in the state of Wisconsin by supporting guided, individualized, self-determined professional growth and development of educators.”

This model assumes that building leaders have a strong skill set in “coaching”. According to Sullivan and Glanz, “Coaching is the process of engaging teachers in instructional dialogue for the purpose of improving teaching and increasing student achievement.” Therefore, if we continue in a transactional model of supervision and evaluation, whereas the principal conducts an observation and then determines and shares a “score”, the dialogue and opportunities for reflection remain missing. We want educators to receive feedback that is validating, action-oriented and grows reflective practice.

The American Institutes for Research principal researcher, Matthew Clifford, offers us a glimpse from a study of our nation’s educator evaluation models that reinforces the need for principals to have a coaching mindset:

“Even if ratings are accurate, teacher evaluation will be ineffective if feedback is poorly delivered.”
“Feedback is an evidence based conversation about practice quality that leads to a plan for improvement.”
“Delivered well, feedback motivates, builds trust, and improves relationships”

As building leaders, we have a responsibility to observe instruction, student engagement and assessment practices and we need the confidence and competence to provide feedback in these same areas. We know if students aren’t learning, they aren’t being afforded powerful learning opportunities. This requires the kind of support and feedback that improves practice.

So what do we need to acknowledge about coaching as it relates to feedback? Feedback tells a teacher how successful they’ve been at something (implementing, facilitating, teaching, creating). More importantly in the role of principal as coach, feedback indicates opportunities for using language and questioning strategies that promotes teacher growth or development for the purpose of achieving a different result or higher quality of implementation. In other words, “feedforward” meets the mission of Educator Effectiveness and provides teachers a collaborative process for instructional improvement and ensuring achievement for all.

Being clear about what you’ll be looking for when you walk in classrooms can alleviate the “pressure” for staff and build trust in the improvement process. If you’re looking for ways to conduct collaborative coaching sessions with staff, consider an entry point like conducting regular walkthroughs focused on a specific target. Some examples include utilizing school improvement goals (questioning strategies, assessment practices, student engagement), disciplinary literacy look fors (vocabulary strategies, close reading, accountable talk) or implementation goals (reader’s workshop, socratic seminars, gradual release). Providing a focus for your walkthroughs and observations helps a building leader stay true to improvement efforts at the building level, reflects transparency on the purpose of the visit, and assists in building learning communities as trends and practices are observed and feedback is specific and targeted.

Take a moment and reflect on how your conversations go after a walkthrough or observation. How do you debrief an observation or walkthrough with a teacher? What strategies have been particularly effective? What are some challenges you’ve had with providing feedback? As you review the indicators below, consider how you might begin to embrace these as a mindset for your conversations with educators.

Effective feedback is a coaching conversation that;

reinforces high quality teaching practice
is shared immediately
is a discussion to generate reflection and action
is descriptive, specific, purposeful, respectful, encouraging
describes specific observations relative to current state and mutually identified desired state
includes references to noticeable changes in practice
emphasizes the most important aspects of high expertise teaching
includes suggestions for growth that are prioritized
encourages the teacher to maintain authority over and responsibility for their growth
is informed by a shared understanding of high expertise teaching, the teachers development and previous experience

Keeping these in mind as we enter conversations can help us develop the disposition of a coach versus an evaluator who believes his or her job is to rate a performance.

And finally, Wisconsin natives, educational leaders and authors Tony Frontier and Paul Mielke, suggest that we know our coaching has made a difference when;

teachers operate from an internal locus of control; they believe their classroom practices matter profoundly to influence student learning
teachers have a growth mindset, they believe they can make dramatic improvements in any area they choose
teachers are metacognitive in their effort to clarify the gap between current and ideal performance
teachers utilize a systematic approach to reflection
teachers are aware of and responsive to the relationship between student learning and effective teaching

Making an effort to shift a building culture from a fixed mindset of supervision and evaluation that is focused on a score to a much more collaborative, reflective culture focused on instructional practice that benefits students takes courage, persistence and humility.

Leaders, continue to grow your own practice, make a difference every day, and find joy in all you do.

http://dpi.wi.gov/ee

Sullivan, S., & Glanz, J. (2005). Supervision that improves teaching: Strategies and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Clifford, M (2014),Principal Researcher. Principal Observation; Growing Leadership to Provide Teacher Feedback. American Institutes for Research

Frontier, A. C., Mielke, P., & Frontier, T. (2016). Making teachers better, not bitter: Balancing evaluation, supervision, and reflection for professional growth. Philadelphia, PA, United States: ASCD.