December, 2019 Dear RBT Community, Each year, educators plan and take part in many workshops and activities to deepen their skills, knowledge, and beliefs in teaching and learning. Staying connected to the content and skills can be a challenge. So, this month we are asking: What are ways educators can continue this process of teaching, learning and reflecting-on-action to deepen and embed the formal learning from a workshop into everyday school practice? At RBT, we are committed to building time into each of our sessions to model effective practices that help transfer new knowledge to the classroom and school. Strategies we use include: giving participants time to reflect on how new knowledge connects with current beliefs and practices,  providing opportunities to practice new skills alone and in collaboration with others, reflecting and refining practice as a result of these “experiments,” and  modeling protocols that can be transferred for use with students and adults.  By doing so, we help our colleagues deepen their knowledge of specific aspects of pedagogy while with us, and model ways to lead a process of learning for other adults. For instance, we provide protocols for processing a shared reading and model using a variety of summarizers to help learners consolidate their thinking as a result of a workshop. After a workshop, we find that one of the most powerful tools for keeping the learning going is a commitment to make time for collaboration, the continued use of protocols, and a focus on learning.  Successful schools “find” time by repurposing faculty and team meetings to be opportunities for collaboration and learning. Leaders, including administrators, coaches, and teachers, work together to plan these meetings to align school goals and model the use of protocols to facilitate deep listening and learning. By repurposing faculty meetings to be collaborative, reflective opportunities spent on deepening teaching and learning, leaders send the message that we are all learners committed toward improving our practice of teaching. In this way, professional development is not just limited to a day or two but continues to be part of the ongoing fabric of a school. Two protocols we like to use at RBT include the Data Analysis Protocol and the Quick Sort Template . These tools provide a framework for teachers to use with a partner or team to look at student work and determine its alignment to the stated and taught mastery objective, and to identify root causes for student errors. In using these protocols, teachers often find that assignments are not as tightly linked to their stated mastery objective as they initially thought. Teachers then have the opportunity to collaboratively redesign their assignments to be more intentional about student outcomes while also strengthening steps to scaffold learning for increased student success. These protocols are now frequently used in grade level and professional learning community team meetings.   Many other protocols exist to help leaders effectively lead learning-focused meetings.  Text protocols are great to use with the whole faculty to process new information and consider the current beliefs and practices teachers bring to the table on topics. Discussion protocols generate new ideas and help clarify thinking. Data protocols enable teams to identify strengths and opportunities for growth and set priorities for instruction. Included in this issue are some resources you may find helpful for leading collaborative team meetings that put new learning into everyday practice while modeling strategies teachers can use in their classrooms. Sincerely, Patricia Wiedel and Laura Cooper RBT Consultants

Resources to Support Continued Learning

Resources: Protocols for Adult Learning School Reform Initiative Protocols Harvard Graduate School of Education, Teaching and Learning Lab: Discussion Protocols Learning Forward: Tools for Schools: Protocols: A facilitator's best friend ASCD PLC Series: Protocols for Professional Learning Resources: Protocols for Student Learning Expeditionary Learning: Protocols and Resources Expeditionary Learning: Classroom Protocols

From the Field

A former district administrator weighs in about how her district committed to a common language and practice at all levels to keep the learning going.

While in Lake Zurich CUSD 95 in Lake Zurich, IL as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, I devoted considerable attention to this question, “What do you do when the workshop is over?” I often asked, “Did it matter? Will it impact the learning experiences we offer our students?” Central office administrators know that expertise matters in the classroom. In 2009, Lake Zurich did not have clear criteria for defining or describing the high- quality learning experiences we knew would increase student learning and achievement. This was a challenge that needed to be addressed. In 2010, we offered the first Studying Skillful Teaching course to approximately 25 teacher and administrator volunteers. Since then, we have offered the course twice a year and require that teachers new to the district successfully complete the course prior to gaining tenure. Through this course, the district developed a shared understanding and a common language to use when talking about our professional practice. While this was a necessary first step, it was not enough. At the same time as we were implementing the course, the district developed a Walkthrough Protocol that specifically looked for the attributes of effective teaching which were emphasized in Studying Skillful Teaching . The protocol allowed us to ask students questions such as “What are you learning?” And “How will you know if you have learned it?” Obviously the intent was to see if students were aware of and understood the mastery objective and criteria for success. When teachers started accompanying administrators on the Walkthroughs and saw the impact that clarity of objectives and criteria of success had on individual students with whom they spoke, there was a different level of commitment to implementing these instructional practices and conversations became richer. Coherence is often difficult to achieve. Lake Zurich recognized the need for consistent and specific feedback based on our understanding of impactful lesson design and implementation. The district committed to providing specific feedback through the evaluation process. In 2011, we offered Analyzing Teaching for Student Results to all district administrators, so the evaluation process focused on and was aligned to the professional learning provided to teachers through Studying Skillful Teaching . Not only did we have a common language about our professional practice, teachers and administrators also had a shared understanding of the criteria for our practice. In addition, administrators consciously modeled what we wanted for our students. When the Curriculum Office administrators and instructional coaches designed workshops and curriculum committee meetings, we stated our objectives, identified criteria for success, and utilized protocols to actively engage those in attendance. We even used these impactful instructional practices for Board of Education presentations. Our goal was to communicate in a variety of ways that this is how we do our work in Lake Zurich. After seven years of implementing Studying Skillful Teaching , the district realized that we could increase the sophistication of our practice by using the knowledge base and beliefs identified in Studying Skillful Teaching to inform our PLC practice. Once again, we partnered with RBT and began training team leaders with Coaching High Impact Teams training. Because teachers had a common vocabulary to talk about lesson design, they could effectively collaborate in grade or content level teams to address the specific learning challenges their students were experiencing. Teachers had the knowledge and belief that collectively they had the expertise to meet students’ needs. Expertise is truly the journey of a career. When I retired from Lake Zurich in June of 2019, we had not arrived; however, because of the district’s sustained commitment to supporting teacher expertise, teachers and administrators know that they are making a difference in the lives of the students they serve. Jodi Wirt Former Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction  Lake Zurich CUSD 95 in Lake Zurich, IL

Keeping the learning going: Mr. Thomas Foster shares his experience using The Skillful Teacher as a focus for his school’s ongoing learning.

‌ Mr. Thomas Foster Head Principal Prince Edward County Middle School

Mr. Thomas Foster was first introduced to The Skillful Teacher in the Lynchburg City Schools, (Virginia), where every teacher received the training. Every teacher was then observed and given feedback on the strategies learned in the course. This process created a shared vision around teaching and learning in the Lynchburg City Schools, and planted a seed in Mr. Foster that he has been nurturing ever since. Mr. Foster is determined to bring a common language founded on The Skillful Teacher knowledge-base to every district he works in to create a foundation for their own shared vision of teaching and learning. As he puts it, the course was “a game changer in how I taught. I had a lot of success with it in the classroom, and wanted to pass it on when I became an administrator. I wouldn’t be in the position I am without The Skillful Teacher course.”

Now in his second year as Head Principal at Prince Edward Middle School in Farmville, VA, Mr. Foster has made it his goal to unite the staff around a common vision of teaching and learning, and to “...create a lasting culture of good instruction that will outlast any one individual.”  The Superintendent, Dr. Barbara Johnson, and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Greg Wheeler have supported this effort and enabled the school to move forward with this vision.  “Without their effort and contribution, The Skillful Teacher would not be a reality for our district.”   The entire staff of Prince Edwards Middle School is now attending The Skillful Teacher course together - including all four administrators.  Patricia Wiedel, the RBT consultant working with the school, notes that Mr. Foster and his team are fully engaged in the learning, responding to staff questions and staying late after sessions to refine their learning as a team and to create coherence for teachers and staff.  And, Mr. Foster notes that the staff and administration at the school have all been showing their own effective effort in implementing the various practices associated with The Skillful Teacher framework. When Mr. Foster initially joined the school, there were varied interpretations of what constituted a good lesson.  As The Skillful Teacher course continues, administrators and teachers are focused on ensuring that every lesson includes framing the learning; sharing objectives in kid-friendly language; sharing the criteria for success; and identifying the big idea or relevance behind the lesson to support students’ motivation for learning. In addition, Prince Edward Middle School has worked to make the three key expectations messages (This is important, You can do it with Effective Effort, I won’t give up on you!) part of everyday life at the school.  As Mr. Foster so aptly puts it, professional development is never “one and done”. It is an ongoing process. He and his staff now use the skills from The Skillful Teacher as a foundation from which they tie all of their professional development work. Mr. Foster and his three assistant principals developed a common walkthrough tool based upon The Skillful Teacher framework. They meet as an administrative team at least twice a week to share results and discuss instruction and feedback to teachers. And it doesn’t stop there.  The administrative staff is in the process of developing posters with the three “key expectations” messages. Students watched a video on the fixed vs. growth mindset while eating lunch in the cafeteria and these beliefs and skills are front and center at staff meetings, where teachers share their work with one another. Mr. Foster keeps the school’s vision on teaching and learning front and center in staff communications.   As he puts it, it is essential that the school is flooded with the message that “this mindset is part of our culture....it’s the way we do things around here.” Kudos to Mr. Foster and the entire Prince Edwards County Middle School staff for their dedication to continued growth and learning and their commitment to building a foundation of pedagogical knowledge that will become part of the school culture for many years to come.

Teachers at Prince Edward County Middle School attending The Skillful Teacher course.

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