In framework observation cycles, the post-observation conference gets to the meat and potatoes of what we do every - the impact on student learning. But, sometimes this opportunity is missed because we spend so much time on teacher practice. This can lead to a negative conference because you have two education professionals arguing about practice rather than focusing on student outcomes. I tell teachers that I don't care if they lecture, worksheet, or stand on their head for the class period as long as it is effective and has an impact on student learning. This shifts the focus from whose educational philosophy and approaches are right to "are our students learning?".
NOTE: The quality of the post-observation conference depends heavily on the evidence collected during the observation. It is important to collect a range of data that matches your framework - this means that you need a mix on teacher speech/events and student speech/events. The more times I go through these cycles, the clearer I am about what to collect. This is my running list:
* the objective/agenda of the class *overview of boards and classroom walls
*excerpts of teacher instruction *excerpts of student interactions
*excerpts of student/teacher interactions * time stamps for the excerpts/transitions
*samples of student work produced during class (literally typed into my notes or with pictures I take with my phone).
This year, I have learned to provide the observation notes to the teacher immediately after the observation (I send it while I'm still in the class); this has made the conferences more effective even if it takes me some days to finish my tagging and schedule the conference.
Teacher Leads, I Listen. So, during the post-observation conference I let the teacher lead. Here, the teacher has the opportunity to demonstrate and highlight their effectiveness in the classroom. In this case, I cluster the questions, but, at this time, my job is to push for the teacher to share evidence with me that support their conclusions. Teachers can use evidence from the classroom observation notes, student work samples (if they bring them), or any other data collection tool that they have (i.e. Gradebook).
The ratings are the very last thing that we talk about in the conference - it has been my experience that by the time we complete the conference, very little time is needed or desired to talk about the ratings because the teacher has already come to the same conclusions that I have 98.5% of the time - any time that there is a difference of opinion, we go back to the evidence. I do not share ratings before the conference, but I do share comments before the conference. I always enter into the post-observation conference with the mindset that a rating might change based on my conversation with the teacher.
Depending on the teacher and the effectiveness of the lesson, post-observation conferences usually last 15-25 minutes. Teachers who need additional coaching and/or resources usually work with me for the whole 45 minutes with some type of follow up meeting.
The Questions.
1. How do you think the class went? Was the class effective - did students master the objective? Evidence?
2. What went really well? What didn't work? What would you keep/change if you taught this lesson again? How did it impact what you did the next day? Evidence?
3. What did you learn from this observation cycle? What will you focus on as a result?
Professional Development Plan. This is where I share my conclusions using the rubric components and descriptions - not ratings with the teacher. I also hold myself to the same standard of evidence during this conversation. We talk about:
1. Celebrations - what the teacher has done well and the impact of previous professional development (2-3 things the teacher did really well), using evidence from the observation and/or shared.
2. Suggested Areas of Improvement - identify no more than 2 high leverage components that teacher might think about working on (3 if closely related) and the rationale, using evidence from the observation and/or shared.
3. What we both agree will be the next component foci will be and next steps including any resources that the school can and will provide.
The Ratings. For those of you with a detailed framework, you know it can be tedious to try to get a pre-assessment for every component of the rubric; I focus on the Domain overall using the rating names and brief descriptions of what the ratings mean. This is how you'll know that the first part of the conference was effective - teachers should be able to give an accurate rating and pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses.
Domain 1 (Planning) - Based on this cycle, where do you think you are at with planning? Unsatisfactory - you need more training and assistance, Basic - you need some assistance and feedback, Proficient - you have this mastered, or Distinguished - you're an expert? Strengths/weaknesses?
Domain 2 (Classroom Environment) - Based on this cycle, where is your classroom environment? Unsatisfactory - Need support to move to a learning environment, Basic - OK, but inconsistent, Proficient - You are in control of the class, or Distinguished - You're in control and the students are helping you to manage? Strengths/Weaknesses?
Domain 3 (Instruction): Based on this cycle, where is your classroom instruction? Unsatisfactory - its effective for only a few students, Basic - it's effective for some students, Proficient - it's effective for most/all students, or Distinguished - it's effective for all students and the students contribute to their learning? Strengths/weaknesses?
The Big Reveal. After we complete the protocol, I then show the teacher the screen with all of their ratings. I give them a few minutes to review and ask, "Are there any surprises?" Most of the time, there is a resounding, "No, I already knew that - we talked about it". Sometimes, there are questions about 1 or 2 ratings, and, in those cases, we go the evidence and compare it to the rubric until we come to an agreement.
So, this is my post-observation protocol. If you would like to read about my pre-observation protocol, you can follow this link: http://principalinstruction.blogspot.com/2014/11/conduction-pre-observation-conference.html.
Looking forward to hearing your feedback and any best practices that you have learned.
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