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Questioning & Feedback: Moving Instruction & Learning

Forward Coaching Session #3 – AACPS Middle School Math

By: LeAnn Nickelsen, M. Ed. Author & School Improvement Coach

www.maximizelearninginc.com lnickelsen@comcast.net Twitter - @lnickelsen1

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Biography Page: LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed.

LeAnn M. Nickelsen, educator for over 20 years, is delivering several presentations nationally on brain

research topics, differentiation, reading and vocabulary strategies, nutrition affecting cognition, all based on

the latest research. She is known for delivering a wealth of information in an active, fun format with very

specific, practical classroom examples. Participants walk out with many ideas and a passion for maximizing

learning for all students!

In addition to her trainings, LeAnn also models lessons within the classroom. She works with teachers one-

on-one and in small groups to help them achieve their educational goals. She is a parent of school-age twins

and applies the research to the hardest jobs out there, parenting and teaching.

Qualifications

Certified Brain Research Trainer (Jensen Learning) Masters in Educational Administration, University of North Texas Several years teaching in the classroom in Kansas, Texas, & Ohio Member of: National Staff Development Council; Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development Teacher of the Year in Grapevine-Colleyville, TX Co-Author with Eric Jensen – 1.) Bringing the Common Core to Life in K-8: 30 Strategies to Build Literacy Skills

(Solution Tree, 2014) 2.) Deeper Learning: 7 Powerful Strategies for In-Depth and Longer-Lasting Learning (Corwin Press, 2008)

Co-Author with Linda Allen - Making Words Their Own (Crystal Springs, 2008) Co-Author of Differentiating by Readiness (Eye on Education, 2010) Author of the following teacher resource books published by Scholastic, Inc.: *Quick Activities to Build a Very Voluminous Vocabulary (1998)

*Teaching Elaboration & Word Choice (2001)

*Comprehension-Building Activities for Reading in Social Studies & Science (2003)

*Four book Mini-Comprehension Reading series: Inferences & Cause/Effect; Sequencing & Context Clues; Point

of View & Fact/Opinion, Main Idea & Summarizing (2004)

*Memorizing Strategies & Other Brain-Based Activities (2004)

Presentation Topics 1. Differentiation: Building Success for All, Grades K-12 2. Engage with the Common Core State Standards, K-12 3. Diving Into Deeper Learning, Grades 4-12 4. Teaching With Poverty in Mind, Grades K-12 5. SavvyVocab: Making Words Their Own, Grades K-12 6. Differentiating Classrooms: The Tiered Approach, Grades K-12 7. Assessment Over- Easy Please, Grades K-12 8. Super Highway: Understanding the Adolescent Brain, Grades 6-12 9. Make Processing A Priority: Differentiated Ways to Process Information, Grades K-12 10. Differentiating Classrooms: Problem-Based Learning, Grades 5-12 11. Got Memory Rules? Grades K-12 12. Brain-Smart Foods that Maximize Learning, Grades K-12, PARENTS 13. Breaking the Content-Area Reading Code for Successful Comprehension, Grades 4-8 14. The Lesson Plan Lifesaver (Brain-Based and Highly Differentiated), Grades K-12 15. Right Words = Write Well (Word Choice), Grades 4-8 16. Calming the Raging Storms of Stress, Grades K-12, PARENTS 17. Raising Resilient Children, Grades K-12, PARENTS 18. Low Prep or High Prep Differentiated Strategies: You Choose! Grades K-12 19. Successful Summarizing Strategies, Grades 4-12 20. Bump Up the Questioning, Grades 4-8

Keynotes: Maximizing the Mind, DARE to Engage the Brain,

Journey Towards Differentiation, What Matters the Most?

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The Learning Targets for the Day: “I Can” Learning Target Not

There

Yet

Still

Practicing

Got It! Comments

8:00 – 8:30

We will review, refresh, and reconnect with any information

from the last workshop about the framework of coaching

(Goal Clarifications, Review of Session #2).

8:30-9:00

We will analyze the different mindsets that a coach must

have in order to maximize the amount of change during the

feedback session (Jigsaw).

9:00-10:00

We will explore the details of a successful post-conference

(When, What, Why, How, Where).

10:00-11:30

We will synthesize the connection between listening and questioning in the feedback process. We will practice giving feedback (post-conference) to a teacher after viewing mock data from a MS math classroom. We will create our own Post-Conference questions based on teacher goals.

Potential Comments - I Need More Practice or Not There Yet Stems: I don’t understand how to…

I don’t understand the word…

I don’t understand how ____________ is related to _________________.

I don’t understand how ____________ caused __________________________________.

My question is…

I need you to show me…

I need more practice with…

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Coaching

Self-Assessment Tool *Adapted from Elena Aguilar

Coaching Skills Rating Comment

Listening I paraphrase what the teacher has said to ensure clarity and understanding.

I encourage, accept, explore and reinforce the teacher’s expression of feelings, perceptions, concerns and beliefs.

I integrate and build on the teacher’s ideas and suggestions.

I allow the teacher to vent or clear the situation without judgement or attachment in order to move onto the next steps.

I allow silence and short pauses. Add one if you want: Add one if you want:

Questioning I ask questions that reflect active listening and an understanding of the teacher’s perspective.

I ask questions that evoke discovery, insight, commitment or action, or that challenge the teacher’s assumptions.

I ask open-ended questions that create greater clarity, possibility or new learning (how, what, etc.).

I ask questions that move the teacher toward what he/she desires (the goal possibly), and not just “looking backward” questions.

My questions are designed to improve awareness, clarity and understanding of the teaching situation.

I create impromptu questions that refocus and redirect the conversation when necessary.

Add one if you want: Add one if you want:

Rating: 0-3 0 = Not at all; 1 = Sort Of

2 = Approaching; 3 = Mastered

5

Giving Feedback with the Data Collected The data that I collect in the classroom does reflect the goal the teacher has chosen.

I create the data-collection page (rough draft) alongside the teacher in order to ensure that I fully understand what I’m looking for during the classroom visit.

I preview the data before the post-conference to ensure that I’m sharing it correctly and efficiently.

I design questions that help the teacher reflect on the data versus sharing my opinions and judgments.

I incorporate humor while sharing the data in order to lighten the tone of the conversation when needed.

We use the data in order to evaluate the goal (continue with goal, tweak the goal, create a new goal, etc.).

Add one if you want: Add one if you want:

Non-Verbal Communication I maintain eye contact with the teacher when I’m not taking notes.

We sit near each other versus across from one another during coaching (sitting alongside each other shows equality).

My arms and body are relaxed and open. My face shows that I enjoy coaching (smile, relaxed, leaned in, etc.).

I nod my head when appropriate. My actions and non-verbals show empathy, concern, understanding and care when appropriate.

Add one if you want: Add one if you want:

Other Reflections…

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Pre-Conference Review Simulation

You are a coach and have a teacher with a particular goal. Choose one goal from

among the list (LeAnn’s slide) that your teacher has created. Then, with a partner,

create a pre-conference using the last session’s packet, pages 12-17: Pre-Conference

SparkNotes. Also, create a possible data-collection page for the classroom visit. You

can add any details that you want for this teacher’s goal and situation. The Criteria for

Success for this mini-project is to complete the following form:

Teacher Goal:

Strategies He/She Will Use to Accomplish

the Goal:

Pre-Conference Questions:

Possible Data Collection Form: Draw on another sheet of paper

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Questions to Ask Your Coach About

His/Her Coaching Goal

1. What do you like about your coaching goal?

2. How has your coaching goal helped your teachers improve their instruction?

3. Rate your goal on a scale of 1-5 (5 being perfect) in the following areas:

Specificity

Measurable

Strategies to support the goal attainment

Realistic

4. What changes could you create that would make your goal stronger?

5. What problems came up while applying your strategies and tools?

6. Is there anything I can do to support your goal attainment?

7. When do you think you might accomplish this goal? What might your next coaching goal be?

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Better Conversations

• I see conversation partners as equals.

• I want to hear what others have to say.

• I believe people should have a lot of autonomy.

• I don’t judge others.• Conversation should be

back and forth.• Conversation should be

life-giving.

• Demonstrating empathy• Listening with empathy• Fostering dialogue• Asking better questions• Making emotional connections• Being a witness to the good• Finding common ground• Controlling toxic emotions• Redirecting toxic

conversations• Building trust

• On our own• With a partner• With a coach• With a team• Across a school• Across a district

healingradical

brokennessbeliefs

habits

learning

different kinds of

knowledge

by embracing

by adopting

by recognizing and

internalizing

by translatingideas intoreality by

are about

Tacit Explicit

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Better Conversations Beliefs

• Status• Buy-in• Expertise

recognizing whether we believe we

should

see othersas

are about

equals

whatothers

say

hear

• Focus• Presence• Timing

autonomy

respect

• Choice• Decision making• Outcomes

nonjudgmental

be

• Assumptions• Advice• Learning

back andforth

• Humanity• Impact• Learning

believeConversation

Should be

back andforth

• Engagement• Energy• Feeling better

believeConversation

Should be

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Exploring the Six Major Belief Systems for Coaches

Belief Systems for Coaches My Notes

1. I see conversation partners as equals.

2. I want to hear what others have to say.

3. People should have a lot of autonomy.

4. I don’t judge others.

5. Conversation should be back and forth.

6. Conversation should be life-giving.

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Pointers for Promoting Self-Reflection for Powerful Teacher

Growth: Feedback in Coaching

By: LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed.

Often the word feedback in the adult world might mean: “top-down judgement from another person

who is not in my shoes.” While coaching others, I want them to look forward to feedback, knowing

that it will not be top-down, but rather an opportunity to self-reflect in order to grow and become a

better teacher. I want the teacher to believe that I’m approaching the feedback coaching session as a

collaborative partnership that will enlighten us both to better growth for higher student

achievement.

I would like to create a new definition of “feedback” in the context of partnership coaching.

Feedback: Insights from a teacher’s self-reflection about a high-student achievement goal using

classroom data collected by a coach who carefully crafted thought-provoking questions to lead this

teacher to his/her own “next step statements.” Partnership coaching can occur with a principal and

teacher, instructional coach and teacher, or teacher to teacher. This approach works in all situations

– even in the business world! If you really want to challenge your thinking, it works beautifully

teacher to student too! Reread the whole article with that perspective in mind to help you see the

power with this type of feedback with students.

A feedback coaching session, a dialogue after a coach visits the teacher’s classroom to collect data on

the goal that the teacher set for higher student achievement, can be a very powerful opportunity to

help a teacher self-reflect on how to grow and accomplish his/her student achievement goals. This

coaching session can last anywhere from 15-30 minutes, although, there are times the teacher

actually tells me to continue after the 30-minute alarm goes off (I set a timer to honor the teacher’s

time). I sometimes call this formal coaching opportunity, a “Post-Conference.” Before a Post-

Conference, there is a Pre-Conference and a classroom visit.

Let’s examine what happens before the whole feedback session. I have already had a Pre-

Conference, a 15-20-minute dialogue with the teacher about the lesson she is about to teach and

how the teacher is trying to reach or approach her goal during that lesson. I ask several questions to

help the teacher reflect. After this Pre-Conference, the teacher might conclude how she can change

her lesson to improve student achievement, engagement, and/or to help her approach her goal

better. We conclude together the details of the classroom visit (usually the next day, time to arrive,

where to stand, etc.) and how I will collect the data that she has asked me to collect. I create a

potential data-collection page (some people create on iPad), and receive feedback on my

understanding of what the information looks like and sounds like. Often, we tweak the form to make

it better. Then, I visit her classroom to collect that data and that data only! This brings me back to

the details of the Post-Conference.

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The Post-Conference is so powerful because it is a time for the teacher to self-reflect after each

strategic question that I create to help her determine what the classroom data is truly saying. She

will come to her own conclusions about how to grow toward achieving her goal, but I will facilitate

her thinking through questions that lead her to powerful reflection. Pam Robbins, author of Peer

Coaching (2015), says: “Questions posed by the coach begin a conversation that cultivates reflection

and the germination of insights and new ideas, as well as the opportunity to create new knowledge

about one’s practice. As a consequence of this rich interchange, the inviting teacher consciously

refines teaching practices and invents new ways of providing learning experiences with the goal of

increasing student learning. The coach develops and refines questioning strategies that assist the

inviting teacher in discovering which instructional approaches have the most profound influence on

teaching and learning.”

Some coaches might say, “It’s much faster to just tell the teacher about the data and tell him/her the

correct next steps to change in order to improve the instruction.” Yes, that is the fastest approach,

but we have learned through years of motivational research that it doesn’t work for the majority of

the people! When we insist, they resist. We need to practice motivational principles to help people

grow and change the most. Below are just a few pieces of research that help explain the best

approaches for changing people.

1. Daniel Pink, motivational expert and author of Drive said there are three factors that lead to better performance. They are: 1. Autonomy (People have the desire to be self-directed); 2. Mastery (People have an urge to get better at stuff); and 3.) Purpose (People need a reason for doing something). Coaches should be highly aware of these three factors during the coaching process. Some examples of coaching behaviors and actions that encourage autonomy among those we coach:

Invite teachers to be coached with the many benefits shared

Create questions to help them reflect and determine the best next steps for their students in their classroom; they should analyze how they are doing with their goal achievement

Believe that the teacher has positive intentions – wanting to grow and improve; desiring high student achievement

Provide data to show the teacher so that no judgement can occur Some examples of coaching behaviors and actions that respect the desire for mastery among those we coach:

Invite teachers to write their own goals to support high student achievement. Create questions to help them arrive at the “just right” goal with several strategies they take one at a time to achieve that goal.

Give teachers self-assessment tools to determine what goal to focus on, level of goal achievement, and rate of growth.

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Create questions to help teacher determine what the level of mastery should look like and sound like. Help the teacher to gather resources and videos to determine the criteria for mastery.

Some examples of coaching behaviors and actions that support a bigger purpose among those we coach:

Share the goals of the district and school and show the research that support those goals – the big picture. Understanding the “why” behind the initiatives

Design questions that help the teachers reflect on why he/she chose this career – what was the “first love” behind teaching?

Brainstorm together the benefits of goal achievement. EX: Teaching will get easier when we teach with data in mind; students will feel more successful and therefore, self-efficacy will be raised.

2. Showers, Joyce, Bennett (1987) - Based on this research, an estimated 95% of teachers who receive ongoing support and guidance through coaching are more likely to learn and implement new practices consistently and correctly in the classroom. Researchers also estimate that teachers generally need to utilize a new instructional strategy or tool approximately 25 times before it is transferred into their daily teaching routine. When they receive feedback on the strategy, they can implement it faster and more effectively.

3. Employees will support the change process better if the following pieces are in place: they

know the reason behind the changes; understand the bigger picture; can participate in the

decision-making process; have connections with the leader; receive timely, meaningful

communication; feel understood and valued; and know that their concerns are important to

others.

(Stop #1)

Now that we know how powerful coaching, questions, goal-setting and reflecting can be, here are

some pointers to use during this powerful Post-Conference time that have worked very well for me

and coaches across the nation:

1.) Positive relationships are paramount before feedback sessions. This quote from Dylan

Wiliam, feedback expert and author of many books and articles, explains the power in our

feedback and our relationships – they go hand in hand:

“In the end, it all comes down to the relationship between the teacher and the student. To give effective feedback, the teacher needs to know the student – understand what feedback the student needs right now.

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And to receive feedback in a meaningful way, the student needs to trust the teacher – to believe the teacher knows what he/she is talking about and has the student’s best interest at heart. Without this trust, the student is unlikely to invest the time and effort needed to absorb and use the feedback.” (Dylan Wiliam, 2016)

Reread the quote above with the following word changes: Change “teacher” to coach and change

“student” to teacher. That’s the goal in coaching!!!!

2.) Always show up with classroom data that the teacher wanted you to collect during your visit

(always based on teacher’s goal). For example, during the classroom visit, you could be

collecting data on how many higher level questions the teacher and students ask during the

lesson, who responded and how, and how the teacher responded to the students after

answers were given. This data is pretty intense, but a quick table created in Word, can keep

all of this data organized. I might even tidy up my data collection page before the feedback

coaching session because I want this teacher to analyze her own data. In fact, when a coach

has classroom data to share, all judgement is taken out of the conversation – it’s about the

coach and teacher sitting side by side as partners to analyze what the data is saying. Design

questions to ask the teacher to help that data talk. (Other goals that the teacher might be

working toward might be: formative assessment process, students responding to

differentiated tools, student self-assessment, gradual release of responsibility, student

engagement in small groups, writing or reading strategies, and the list can go on and on…)

(Goal sheets could be tally marks, scripted remarks by teacher/student, disruptions, student

work – evidence of learning, etc.). Effective feedback comes from setting a goal, planning for

that goal, collecting data toward that goal, and then analyzing that data to determine if goal

was accomplished.

John Hattie (2012), well known educational researcher, said; “Gathering and assessing

feedback are really the only ways teachers can know the impact of their teaching…When

teachers listen to their students’ learning, they know what worked, what didn’t, and why they

need to change to foster student growth.” (p. 23) As coaches we are collecting the data to

help them assess student learning.

3.) Feedback is not the coach telling the teacher all the things he/she did incorrectly, but rather

several pre-planned (and many impromptu) questions guiding the teacher’s conclusions about

the correlations between that classroom data and student achievement and his/her goal. I’m

listing some of my favorite questions that are generic and will need to be tailored to match up

with the teacher’s lesson and specific goal.

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Question Stems to Possibly Use:

**NOTE: These are just suggestions – do not use all of these questions. Pick and choose the best

ones. I find that having a couple of questions from each category make for a more powerful Post-

Conference.

Questions About the

Lesson (goals, student

achievement, overall,

etc.)

What do you think worked well today? What did the students respond

to positively?

What do you think you did well in this lesson?

Did you do some specific actions to catch the interest of particular

students?

Did your students accomplish the learning target or outcome? How do

you know? What evidence told you so?

Which strategies produced student learning?

What did you do to keep students involved in your lesson?

What did you do that caused your lesson to go well?

What would you do differently if you could “redo” this lesson with the

same group of students?

What part of your lesson do you feel did not go very well today? Why?

What would you do differently in those sections?

What was least effective in your lesson today?

What did you find most difficult about teaching this lesson?

Is there anything that didn’t go as well as you had planned?

How do you feel about the lesson helping you progress toward your

goal? What data from this lesson gives you evidence of goal attainment?

What could you have done differently to get closer to your goal? What

revisions do you want to make to your goal?

Questions About the

Student Data Collected

What facts or patterns do you notice with this data?

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What were you surprised by?

Do you see any trends?

How did the strategy of ____________ help a particular student?

What specialized instruction or differentiated instructional tools did you

use that were effective? Ineffective?

In what ways did the instructional practices move students forward/help

students make progress toward the outcome/learning target? How can

we further support progress with the following students?

Questions Analyzing the

Data

What hunches do we have about the causes of our observations?

Why are we getting the results we are?

This pattern or trend might be because…

Maybe we’re not seeing… because…

A reason for this result could be…

Questions to Determine

Next Steps

So What? Now What?

What did you learn about teaching in today’s lesson? How can this

information help you improve tomorrow’s lesson?

How will you respond tomorrow to this data?

Do you feel that you accomplished your goal? Which strategies or tools

helped you? Do you feel this goal should be your focus for the next

coaching session? Why or why not? Do you want to change anything

about your goal? Do you want to construct a new one, change a

strategy, or revise the whole goal?

What support do you need from me between now and the next time we

meet?

What are you willing do to differently next time? Try next time?

How did I do in coaching you to reflect on your lesson in deeper ways?

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Some of my favorite questions that promote self-reflection at different stages of learning are at this

website by Edutopia: 40 Reflection Questions.

(https://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/resources/edutopia-stw-replicatingpbl-21stcacad-

reflection-questions.pdf). I also love Keith Rosen’s list of 10 coaching questions that work in any

conversation: http://keithrosen.com/2011/11/10-coaching-questions-that-work-in-any-

conversation/. My favorite questions that he submits are: What would it mean to you if you could

(achieve this, resolve this, etc…)? How would this impact/affect you (your team, career, students,

your school, your district…) if this (continues, doesn’t change, doesn’t get resolved)?

(Stop #2)

4.) We cannot change people’s belief systems; we can only present ways to allow others to

reflect on their beliefs and expectations. We need to use the most nonevaluative language

(verbal and nonverbal) possible during our coaching sessions. Feedback in a Post-Conference

coaching session can come from the following types of actions:

The teacher’s conclusions drawn from analyzing the data from the classroom visit

The teacher’s thinking and reflecting about the questions asked by the coach

Our clarifying statements or questions that we create based on what the teacher says

during the coaching session

The teacher’s reflections about the video clips that the coach prepared to show

him/her (if teacher invites this approach)

Our silence as coaches to help the teacher think about his/her answers to the

questions that we ask

The following are actions that a coach can take in order to assist the teacher with reflections and

drawing his/her own conclusions, or self-feedback.

Coaching

Responses

Meaning/Purpose Examples

Silence or

Wait Time

To help others reflect and dig

deep

“This question is important – let’s take more time to

think about it.”

Paraphrasing To show that one was actively

listening and comprehended

“So basically, what you said was…”

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what was said; involves

restating what was said with

other words – message not

changed, just synthesized.

“In a nutshell, you want to see your students… and

that will happen when you…”

Rephrasing

Question

To use different words to ask

the question; To clarify so

speaker feels understood and

respected; checking for

understanding by saying what

person said “differently” with

a question about the content

possibly.

“Let me rephrase the question this way…”

“Did you mean to say… rather than…”

Affirmations To create rapport and

support

“I love when Natasha responded to your question

with a higher-level question to the whole group.

She stumped everyone!”

“What a great question you had to promote that

discussion.”

*Note: This is NOT an example: “Great lesson!”

This will not help the teacher grow – not specific

enough.

Reframing To shift the point of reference

to consider the question from

a different perspective

“I wish I could have used more technology in this

lesson to engage the students more.” The coach

could respond: “Has there been a time in the past in

a different lesson when you used technology in that

manner? If so, would any of those strategies work

for your next lesson?”

Pressing for

specificity -

elaboration

To invite elaboration and

more precise information; to

be able to visualize what is

being said better; to

comprehend at a deeper

level.

“Can you give me an example of that strategy?

“What would that look like when I’m watching it?”

“What if…”

(List of ways to respond (meaning and purpose) as a coach from Elena Aguilar, 2013)

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5.) Coaches should always prep the feedback session with the following items ready to go -

Here is a checklist that I use to remind me:

Bring the filled-out data collection page that you used during the classroom visit or

observation. Make sure it’s legible so the teacher can read and analyze it in order to

answer your questions.

Create the questions about the data to help teacher come to own conclusions about

the effectiveness of the instruction (remember you will still probably create several

off-the-cuff questions based on the teacher’s responses). The more you get

comfortable with coaching, the more fluent this process becomes.

Create a plan for the conversation. How much time it might take, comfortable

environment for the dialogue, what research or books you might have ready just in

case, and a hope in your mind (visualize what you hope the teacher will conclude

during the self-reflection; the next step(s) the teacher will take, etc.)

Bring a copy of the teacher’s goal just in case the teacher wants to make any changes

to the goal for the next round of formal coaching (Pre-Conference, Classroom Visit,

Post-Conference).

Bring a Coaching Binder to document the follow-up from this coaching session.

6.) What if the teacher DOES want ideas, strategies, and help from you? Go for it! In partnership

coaching you want to give the teacher the first opportunities to come up with ideas and

conclusions on his/her own – remember change theory – more powerful when the teacher

comes up with the next steps. If this teacher asks for assistance, start to problem solve,

brainstorm, list ideas, create, and refine together! After all, two heads are better than one. I

usually wait for the invitation from the teacher before I give suggestions or recommendations.

Grant Wiggins (2012), an assessment guru who left a legacy for us educators, said the following about

feedback: “Whether feedback is just there to be grasped or is provided by another person, helpful

feedback is goal-referenced; tangible and transparent; actionable; user-friendly (specific and

personalized); timely; ongoing; and consistent.”

These pointers will help you have powerful Post-Conferences that give teachers the best type of

feedback out there – guided self-feedback that comes from self-reflection. Harriet Lerner,

psychologist and author of The Dance of Connection (2001), said, “Our conversations invent us.”

Make our coaching dialogues so powerful that they change both people – the teacher and the coach!

I still learn so much about teaching while I’m coaching. My coaching sessions grow the teacher, and

they grow me.

(Stop #3)

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References:

Aguilar, Elena. (2013). The Art of Coaching: Effective Strategies for School Transformation). Jossey-Bass.

Hattie, John. (2012, September). Know Thy Impact. Educational Leadership, 70(1), 18-23.

Robbins, Pam. (2015). Peer Coaching: To Enrich Professional Practice, School Culture, and Student Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Showers, Joyce, and Bennett. Synthesis of Research on Staff Development: A Framework for Future Study and a State-of-the-Art Analysis, 1987. ASCD

Wiggins, G. (2012, September). Seven Keys to Effective Feedback. Educational Leadership. 70(1), 10-

16. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Wiliam, Dylan. The Secret to Effective Feedback. April 2016 Educational Leadership

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Reflective Conversations for Math

Directions: As you read a work problem, you and your partner will use this process to

identify the unknown for the problem, write down what you need to do to solve the

problem, show the computations and the answer for that problem, and write any

terms or phrases that you are unfamiliar with.

Step Student A Student B

Step 1 Reads aloud or silently Listens to the reading or reads it silently

Step 2 Clarifies any key terms/phrases Clarifies any key terms/phrases

Step 3 Summarizes the unknown from the problem

Verifies the unknown

Step 4 Explains the steps and how to solve the word problem

Verifies the solution pathway

Step 5 Explain the answer and describe how it is reasonable

Verify that they answer is reasonable.

Switch Roles

Fill in the Following for Each Problem Solved: Page #____ Problem #: _______

Clarifications:

Summary (unknown/estimate of an answer)

Computation (solve the problem) Explain the steps involved in the process to the left (complete sentences

and use of vocabulary terms)

Is your answer reasonable? Why?

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Remember This…

About Feedback

1. The only important thing about feedback is if the

teacher uses it to improve instruction and

student achievement – the main thing!

2. The most productive type of feedback is: Teacher’s ability to give

himself/herself feedback – “self-feedback”

3. Develop the teacher’s capacity for self-assessment. Good first step:

assess someone else (anonymous teacher; videos on the internet, etc.)

together. Go through the process of “I Do,” “We Do,” “Two Do,” and

now “You Do,” with feedback. Model your thinking aloud when you

self-assess your lesson.

4. The purpose of a Post-Conference is to help the teacher reflect on

his/her practices and improve them to enhance student achievement.

5. Feedback should improve current performance but also about how to

improve future performance.

6. Great question: “If you did ___________ again, what would you do

differently?”

7. If the feedback session does not change the teacher in some way, it

was a waste of time (according to Dylan Wiliam).

8. The most important single factor in influencing learning is what the

learner already knows. So, we need to start from where the learner is,

not where we would like the learner to be. Design your questions so

that you are moving this teacher 1-2 steps forward with each coaching

opportunity.

23

Possible Results of a Post-Conference

Coaching Zones

Supervisory

Evaluative

(Principals)

Informational

Instructional

One-Way Sharing

Collaborative

Instructional

Sharing

Mentoring

Cognitive

Reflective

Peer

Mediate

Teacher is not responding to the

student data or coaching at all.

Teacher is not wanting the help

from the coach and refuses to

work toward the goal. This

teacher probably needs the help

from a “supervisor” in order to

create a growth plan.

Teacher needs a lot of guidance.

The Post-Conference session will

most likely be a “learning”

session with many examples,

ideas, data analysis, and next

steps from the coach with the

permission of the teacher.

Teacher needs a little guidance to

come to own conclusions or next

steps for teaching and goal

setting. Partnership – both the

teacher and coach create ideas for

next steps based on shared

student data analysis.

Teacher comes to his/her own

conclusions about goal

achievement, student data, and

student learning through the

fabulous facilitation of a coach.

Next steps and goal evaluation

came from the teacher’s

reflections.

Feedback comes from:

data, questions, silence,

clarifications

A great Zone too, but be

invited into this Zone

Facilitative Directive

24

Post-Conference Piece

Constructive Feedback Steps:

(Assuming you have been invited into the Yellow or Blue Zone)

By: LeAnn Nickelsen

1. BEFORE THE POST- CONFERENCE: Common ground and positive relationships have

been formed with those you are coaching. Many positives have already been given

to the teacher from the coach (Positively prime their brain: 3:1 affirmations to

constructive feedback).

2. BEFORE THE POST-CONFERENCE: Create questions to get the teacher to reflect on

data that you might be concerned with – data that is very important – that affects

student achievement. You should prepare the research to support your feedback.

3. BEFORE THE POST-CONFERENCE: Take the data from the classroom visit and make

it “readable” – easy for teacher to understand.

4. Start your post-conference as usual and emphasize many positives. Then start the

constructive feedback piece by just asking reflective questions that get the teacher

to draw the conclusions from the data that you want him/her to see. Be prepared

to clarify the data and clarify his/her statements. If the teacher is not coming to the

conclusions that you need him/her to get to, then it’s time to ask this teacher if

he/she would like some constructive feedback – the yellow zone. Ask this explicitly

– it’s part of the trust piece!

5. State what you wanted this teacher to conclude – do this honestly, kindly, pointing

to the data, students’ responses, and in a nonjudgmental way. State what you saw

or heard – show the data to reflect this. Ask questions again.

6. Always acknowledge how the teacher is feeling about the situation at hand. Try to

conclude the meeting with a plan for the next steps in improving the constructive

feedback topic.

7. If these steps do not work, next step is to prepare for a crucial conversation at the

next visit. NEXT WORKSHOP.

First Try - Non-Evaluative Feedback: The data from the coach, video of the teaching,

questions that lead to deep reflection, clarifying statements, silence, etc.

Then ask if you can give helpful feedback to achieve the goal better.

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Ten Coaching Questions that Work in Any

Conversation – by Keith Rosen http://keithrosen.com/2011/11/10-coaching-questions-that-work-in-any-conversation/

1. What is the outcome you’re looking to achieve here?

2. Can you share the specifics of what’s going on?

3. What have you tried so far?

4. How have you handled something like this before? (What was the outcome?)

5. Why do you think this is happening? (What’s another way to look at

this/respond? What else can also be possible/true? What assumptions could

you be making here?)

6. What’s your opinion on how to handle this? (EVERYONE has an opinion. Seek to

understand their opinion first.) If I wasn’t here, what would you do to

achieve/resolve this? If we were to switch roles, how would you handle this?

What ideas do you have? What’s another approach that may work (which you

haven’t tried yet?)

7. What’s the first thing you need to do to (resolve/achieve this)? What would that

conversation sound like when you talk with……?

8. What resources do you need? (Who else do you think needs to be involved in

this? How else can I support you around your efforts to complete this?)

9. What are you willing to commit to doing/trying/changing (by when)? If you

couldn’t use that excuse anymore, how would you move forward?

10. When would it make sense for us to reconnect to ensure you have achieved the

result you want?

**What would it mean to you if you could (achieve this, resolve this,

etc.)?

**How would this impact/affect you (your team, students, career,

etc.) if this (continues, doesn’t change, doesn’t get resolved)?

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Post-Conference Questions Stems for Conversations

The following questions and statements were developed at the Summer Clinical Instructor Training, August 1994.

SUPPORTIVE FEEDBACK - Open-Ended Question:

What where some of the things that you felt went well?

What made you decide to use this topic for this lesson?

Your lesson provided a lot of information….”What did you do to ensure that the students were

learning?

What do you think worked well today?

What do you think you did well in this lesson?

What did you feel went well with your lesson today?

Did you do some specific things to catch the interest of the students.

The lesson had many strong points. What did you do to help the kids learn?

What did you do to keep students involved in your lesson?

What did you do that caused your lesson to go well?

What do you think went well today and helped your students to learn?

SUPPORTIVE FEEDBACK - Narrowing Question:

What did you do to make the lesson meaningful to your students?

What did you do to reinforce students’ knowledge?

What did you do to get your students interested in the …………?

What did you do to get the students to tell you what they had experienced?

What did you do to encourage active participation?

How did you respond to the children during class to encourage them to participate?

How did you organize your material to teach the students?

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CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK - Open-Ended Questions:

What part of your lesson do you feel did not go very well today? Why?

What was least effective in your lesson today?

What would you have changed? If you could change something in your lesson, what would you

change?

What did you find most difficult about teaching this lesson?

If you were to teach this lesson again, what would you do differently?

What could you have done to enhance the lesson?

Is there anything you think didn’t go well?

What do you think didn’t go as well as you expected?

Is there anything that didn’t go as well as you had planned?

CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK - Narrowing Questions:

What did you do to ensure that all students could see your materials?

How were you able to reinforce student learning in today’s lesson? What did you do to encourage

student participation?

What did you do to see if the students were grasping the content of your lesson?

How did you involve your students in your lesson? Focus on what they did.

What did you do to encourage your students to formulate answers?

What did you do to ensure that your students have enough time to formulate answers?

Do you think if you increased your wait time it would have given more students time to respond to

the question?

Another approach to providing feedback and encourage reflective thinking is to use statements that

begin with “I noticed …” and “I wonder…”

28

Examples:

I noticed that you monitored off-task behavior by going over to J and B and quietly

speaking with them to refocus their behavior.

I noticed that a number of students didn’t understand the directions to the

assignment. How could this have been prevented?

I noticed how you differentiated the assignment for _________. Why did you choose

this approach?

I wonder how you could have better focused the discussion. What kinds of follow-up

questions could you have used?

I wonder if you set up a routine for passing out and collecting papers there would be

less loss of instructional time?

I wonder how the discussion might have been different if you had first allowed the

students to ask the questions that they prepared, instead of beginning with your

questions?

Other:

29

Coaching Frame for Feedback

(Yellow or Blue Zone) Based on Article: Saying What You Mean Without Being Mean (Educational Leadership, 2016)

Setting Up Your Brain

Growth Mindset: The teacher you are working with is capable and wants to do

the best job possible.

Start with the Positive: Your role is to focus on the strengths and to help that

coworker add to the knowledge and skills that he/she already has.

Reflective Feedback Approach:

1. Look and study the data

2. Create clarifying questions and statements that emerge from your curiosity

(not judgment) about that data, teaching practice, things that concern you or you

want to know more about.

3. State the value of the person that you are talking with – called value

potential. This statement expresses what you value about that person. You

affirm the strengths that you did see.

4. Pose a reflective question or possible action to stimulate thinking. Reflective

questions engage the other person’s thinking and request a response.

**This coworker should be doing most of the speaking and you, the coach,

should be doing most of the listening.

Framework for Feedback

Growth Mindset

Data

Clarifying statement or question about the data

Value Potential Statement

Question

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Steps to Communicative Feedback

1. Ask clarifying questions for understanding:

“How do you see this different from ….?”

“How did your students respond to the process?”

“What are the costs you have calculated to put this in place?”

“Of your resources you used, which ones would provide the most help to move

forward?”

“Which groups provided useful input to the plan?”

“When you checked alignment with the state tests, what did you find as strengths

or gaps?”

“What are you thinking will be a barrier for parents?”

2. Express the value potential specifically:

“The strength of the idea is …”

“You have really thought deeply about …”

“I see evidence of …”

“As a parent and teacher, the idea is very exciting to me because …”

“It provides high engagement for students by …”

“This could offer value to students by …”

“The scaffolding of your design will help others understand …”

3. Offer reflective questions or possibilities:

“What are you considering in regard to …?”

“I wonder what would happen if …”

“I’m wondering if you noticed any gaps in student understanding.”

“What other considerations are you thinking about?”

“To align more closely with the state tests, what if …”

“What connections have you made to … (other subjects, real world, state testing)?”

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Clarifying Question Stems

Assisting Others in Gaining Precision, Elaboration, And Clarity in Thought and Language (Costa & Garmston)

Five Purposes: 1. To determine meaning and elicit details 2. To encourage expansion of or rationale for a particular response 3. To cause recycling of thinking and self-correction of unclear or off-target thinking 4. To keep on track or on topic 5. To cause metacognition Examples of Clarifying Questions:

Are you saying ______________________________?

Do you mean _________________________________?

Are you suggesting ________________________________?

Would you explain your thinking?

Would you help me understand that idea?

What triggered that thought for you?

You seem to disagree. Could you explain your point of view?

What similarities do you see between what you’ve said and what’s been said before?

How is your idea different from _______________________?

How does that fit with what has been said?

Would you say more about that?

What responses did you receive from …?

Which resources were the most useful?

When you checked the curriculum for alignment with state tests, what did you discover?

I would like to discuss student engagement in the lesson.

The goal for this meeting is …

Let’s review what you have decided so far.

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Watch Your Words in Your Questions

Positive Presuppositions: Expressing Positive Intent

Meaning is always embedded in language even if the meaning does not emerge from the actual structure of the sentences you speak. By paying attention to the words you choose, you may positively or negatively influence the feelings and thinking of others with whom you are communicating. As soon as you speak your words convey either a positive or negative intention to the listener.

Do you have any objectives for today’s lesson?

Versus What objectives have you developed for today’s lesson?

Have you thought about your meeting with Joe’s parents?

Versus What options are you considering for your meeting with Joe’s parents?

Did you finish the agenda for today’s staff meeting?

Versus What goals have you set for today’s staff meeting?

Will the report be done by Friday? Versus As a conscientious school leader, what methods are you using to gather the information you need for Friday’s report?

Are your students ready for the state tests?

Versus As a teacher who always puts his students first, what strategies are you considering to ensure their success on the state tests?

Negative Intentions Versus Positive Intentions

Why didn’t you help Frank with that problem?

Have you been using the Cruisin’ Clipboard?

Are you prepared for the principal’s observation?

How many higher- level questions did you create this time?

Why didn’t you respond to that student?

Have you developed differentiated instruction plans for your students for this lesson?

You are late for the meeting. Don’t you check your watch?

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Listening Skills Self-Assessment

To help you start to be more aware of your listening habits, complete the following listening self-evaluation. It will give you an idea of which listening habits you can be happy about and which ones you might want to reshape. Answer each question thoughtfully. Put an X in the appropriate column. Do you…..

1. Tune out people who say something you don’t agree with or don’t want to hear?

2. Concentrate on what is being said even if you are not really interested?

3. Assume you know what the talker is going to say and stop listening?

4. Repeat in your own words what the talker has just said?

5. Listen to the other person’s viewpoint, even if it differs from yours?

6. Learn something from each person you meet, even if it is ever so slight?

7. Find out what words mean when they are used in ways not familiar to you?

8. Form a rebuttal in your head while the speaker is talking?

9. Give the appearance of listening when you aren’t?

10. Daydream while the speaker is talking?

11. Listen to the whole message – what the talker is saying verbally and non-verbally?

12. Recognize that words don’t mean exactly the same thing to different people?

13. Listen to only what you want to hear, blotting out the talker’s whole message?

14. Look at the person who is talking?

15. Concentrate on the talker’s meaning rather than how he or she looks?

16. Know which words and phrases you respond to emotionally?

17. Think about what you want to accomplish with your communication?

18. Plan the best time to say what you want to say?

19. Think about how the other person might react to what you say?

Mo

st o

f th

e ti

me

Freq

uen

tly

Occ

asio

nal

ly

Alm

ost

nev

er

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20. Consider the best way to make your communication (written, spoken, phone,

bulletin board, memo, etc.) work?

21. Think about what kind of person you’re talking to (worried, hostile, disinterested,

rushed, shy, stubborn, impatient, etc.)?

22. Interrupt the talker while he or she is still talking?

23. Think, “I assumed he or she would know that”?

24. Allow the talker to vent negative feelings toward you without becoming

defensive?

25. Practice regularly to increase your listening efficiency?

26. Take notes when necessary to help you to remember?

27. Hear noises without being distracted by them?

28. Listen to the talker without judging or criticizing?

29. Restate instructions and messages to be sure you understand correctly?

30. Paraphrase what you believe the talker is feeling?

Source: Cheliotes, Linda Gross and Reilly, Marceta Fleming (2010). Coaching Conversations: Transforming Your School One Conversation at a Time. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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Listening Skills Goal Setting Next Steps Checklist

In his review of brain research, David Rock (2006) found that forming “new habits takes time, but not that much.” You should be able to develop specific coach-like behaviors through consistent and intentional practice of individual skills for one to two weeks each. Within a period of several months you will have a broad repertoire of skills that will permit you to hold meaningful and constructive coaching conversations. Below is a list of some new conversations habits you may wish to practice.

1. Practice one committed listening skill with a trusted friend, family member, or colleague. o Listen for the essence of what is said or not said o Allow time for silence after someone speaks with you o Avoid unproductive listening (judgment/criticism, piggybacking, inquisitive listening,

problem solving) o Listen without obligation to act o Begin using your committed listening skills with our staff o Paraphrase what other say to you

2. As you continue to develop your committed listening skills, add powerful speaking skills to your repertoire.

o Prepare for coaching conversations by clearly articulating for yourself the goal of the conversation

o Intentionally choose words at the appropriate level, avoiding promise or “I have to” phrases unless appropriate

o Avoid advice o Ask open-ended questions (“What?” rather than “Do you?”) o Express positive intent through your open-ended questions

3. Continue to practice your committed listening and powerful speaking skills and add reflective feedback.

o Form an intention to develop and maintain trusting relationships through reflective feedback

o Ask clarifying questions or make clarifying statements o Use value statements or questions o Ask open-ended questions that explore possibilities

4. Practice coaching-on-the-fly in short conversations with staff by incorporating all of your new coaching conversation habits of mind. 5. Prepare for a difficult conversation that incorporates coaching conversational skills.

Source: Cheliotes, Linda Gross and Reilly, Marceta Fleming (2010). Coaching Conversations: Transforming Your School One Conversation at a Time. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.