C&S563--#6

Models of Staff Development and

Differentiated Supervision: A Vehicle to Promote Teacher

Growth

Dennis Sparks and Susan Loucks-HorsleyNSDC, 1990

#1: Individually Guided Staff Development

Assumptions:Individuals can best judge their own learning needs and

are capable of self-direction and self-initiated learning.

Adults learn most efficiently when they initiate and plan their learning activities.

Individuals will be most motivated when they select their own learning goals based on their personal assessment of their needs.

Phases of Activity:

• Identification of a need or interest

• Development of a plan to meet the need or interest

• Learning activities– Assessment of whether the learning meets the identified need or

interest.

Drawbacks:

• May be reinventing the wheel.

#2: Observation and Assessment

Assumptions:Reflection and analysis are central means of professional development.

Another observer can enrich reflection on one’s practice.

Both observer and observee can benefit by the process.

Phases of Activity:Pre-conference, observation, data analysis, post-conference,

assessment of process.

Drawbacks: Many teachers see it as a form of evaluation

#3: Involvement in a Developmental/Improvement Process

Assumptions:– Adults learn most effectively when they have a need to

know or a problem to solve.

– People working closest to the job best understand what is required to improve their performance.

– Teachers acquire certain knowledge and skills through their involvement in school improvement or curriculum development processes.

Activities:– Identification of a problem or need by an individual or

group of teachers.

– After a need has been identified, a response is formulated.

– Plan is implemented or the product developed.

Drawbacks:

• Available time for groups to meet.

#4: Training

• Assumptions:• Behaviors and techniques exist that are worthy of replication by

teachers in their classrooms.• Teachers can change their behaviors and learn to replicate behaviors

in their classroom that were not previously in their practice.• Activities:

• Participants serve on planning teams that assess needs, explore various research-based approaches, select content, determine goals and objectives, schedule training sessions, and monitor implementation of the program.

• Drawbacks:• Impact depends upon the objectives and the quality of the training

program.

#5: Inquiry

Assumptions:• Teachers can formulate valid questions about their own

practice and pursue objective answers to those questions.• Teachers are intelligent, inquiring individuals with

legitimate expertise and important experience.• Teachers are inclined to search for data to answer

pressing questions and to reflect on the data to formulate solutions.

• Teachers will develop new understandings as they formulate their own questions and collect their own data to answer them.

Activities:

Identify a problem

Explore ways to collect data that may range from examining existing theoretical and research literature to gathering original classroom or school data.

Analyze and interpret data.

Make changes and gather and analyze new data.

Drawbacks:

Organizational support and/or technical assistance may be required throughout the phases of an inquiry activity.

Differentiated Modes of Supervision to Promote

Teacher Growth

Distinction Between Supervision/Evaluation

DIMENSION EVALUATION SUPERVISION

purpose Insure satisfactoryperformance

Promote growth beyondcurrent level of performance

scope Broad Narrow

rationale State obligation Complexity of teaching

process Instrument driven Individualized

expertise Evaluator as expert Shared expertise

* utilizes a single paradigm

* lacks collegiality

* lacks self-reflection

* does not direct professional growth

Green & Snyder (1996)

* Teachers sometimes:

put on a “show”

dust off a “tried and true” lesson

weave teaching to demonstrate a current district initiative

* Supervisory consultations are often disconnected from real teaching

What is Wrong with Current Practice in Supervision

What Happens in a Traditional Supervisory Structure

* without being watched, teachers will stop trying to improve

* teachers who are watched will provide better student learning than unwatched teachers

Starratt (1993)

* 1 classroom visit per year is adequate

* certain instructional behaviors are always a sign of superior teaching

* certain instructional behaviors always result in learning for all students

* administrators know more or at least as much as teachers

* teachers in some way are broken and need fixed

* because of some incompetent teachers, the system of remediation is applied to all

* ranking of teachers somehow relates to improved instruction

Rooney (1999)

Assumptions of a Traditional Teacher Supervision Model

DIFFERENTIATED MODES OF SUPERVISION

Clinical Supervision

Systematic Classroom Observation

Peer Coaching

Colleague Consultation

Administrative Monitoring

Maintenance

Drop In Visits

Instructional Leadership Roles

Trainer of Trainers

Portfolios

Reflective Journals

Videotapes

Professional Colloquium

Book Talks

Study Groups

Directed Supervision

Focused Assistance

Intensive Assistance

Self-Directed

Individual Contracts

Action Research

FOCUSED ASSISTANCEFOCUSED ASSISTANCE

_ A process of supervison/evaluation used toassist in making decisions regardingcontinued employment for:

_ non-tenured faculty

_ new teachers to the district

_ at-risk staff who have been identified with aneed for improvement or who have receivedan unsatisfactory rating

Focused Assistance

• Includes 4-6 formal observations per year

• Administrators (more than one) focus intensive efforts on those who need their attention and help

• Eliminates ritualistic observation

Administrative MonitoringAdministrative MonitoringMaintenanceMaintenanceDrop-In VisitsDrop-In Visits

* Typically principals are responsible for monitoring.

* Most often it involves either announced or unannouncedvisits followed by brief notes or face to face discussions.

* All teachers are subject to monitoring each year.

* This mode allows the building administrator to keep abreast of curriculum offerings and provides a means to be visible to staff and students.

* This mode is usually not chosen by teachers as their solesupervision mode for the year.

What is Peer Supervision?What is Peer Supervision?_ A confidential process through which

competent professionals who are adequatelytrained to do so observe one another, sharetheir expertise, and provide each other withfeedback, support, and an opportunity forreflection

_ The purposes of colleague consultation areto refine present skills, learn innovativeinstructional strategies, and/or analyze andseek solutions for classroom-relatedproblems

Advantages of PeerAdvantages of PeerSupervisionSupervision

_ Builds bridges across classrooms, reducingteacher isolation

_ Provides for a more collaborative workplace

_ Capitalizes on sharing the talent andexpertise of a diverse faculty

_ Energizes teachers to take risks in a non-threatening environment

_ Enhances student learning by stimulatingcontinuous professional growth

Self-Directed

¥ Teacher develops and carries out anindividualized plan for professional growth

¥ Teacher sets goal and activities to achieve goal :college course work, conferences, workshops,professional readings

¥ Teacher does a self-analysis of goal attainmentand sends report to principal

Action Research

• Data are quantitatively collected.• Many times questions start with a

feeling or tension.• Questions must be posed in a way

that can be answered by description and observation.

• Questions should be narrow and specific– Too big:

• What works well in writing workshop?

– Specific:• How are Joan’s perceptions of her role in

writing response groups changing over time?

• To begin, ask self, “Is there anything I wonder about in the classroom?”

• If I had an extra set of eyes...

Literature Study

• Conceptualize your question and research in a larger framework by looking at the existing literature.

Data Collection

• Anecdotal records• Journal• Surveys• Artifacts• Interviews

Data Analysis

• “Cook” the data• Triangulate

Collegial Study GroupsCollegial Study Groups

_ A form ofprofessionaldevelopment inwhich teachersmeet as a group toread articles andbooks, share ideas,and reshape theirpractices.

Collegial Study Groups:Collegial Study Groups:Key ComponentsKey Components

_ Focus on a topic or issue of common concern

_ Share readings and information

_ Discuss multiple perspectives within the group_ Dialogue without any one individual dominating

the group

_ Experiment with new ideas and classroompractices in a safe environment

Instructional Leadership Roles•Teacher assumes particular position of

instructional leadership for the year.

•Possible positions include trainer of trainers and chair of a district-wide committee.

•Qualifications: time commitment required, necessity to utilize leadership skills

•Opportunities to grow professionally and potential to improve the quality of education in the school district.

Portfolios¥ Generate numerous artifacts and then

select those which demonstratestandards of excellence in meeting goal

¥ Contain yearly goal statements, lessonplans worksheets, homeworkassignments, tests, communications toparents, and writing samples

¥ Meet with supervisor periodically todiscuss selected artifacts

GUIDING QUESTIONSGUIDING QUESTIONS

_ Where are we now and what is our visionabout where we would like to be concerningsupervision and evaluation in our district?

_ Where are we now and what is our vision interms of classroom observation andconferencing?

_ What forces are likely to hinder ourprogress?

Guiding Questions Continued• What steps are necessary to overcome these

obstacles and meet our goals?• Who needs to be involved to ensure success

in completing our vision?• What resources are available to us?• How does our S& E process affect student

learning?• How will we know when and how well we’ve

accomplished our goals?(Adapted from Pajak)