Developing a Language of Instruction

Mitch Kubicek from Dorchester is known for how he conducts walkthroughs using a Google Form. Administrators all over Nebraska have latched on to using his form - which collects data on the walkthrough and sends an e-mail to the teacher - really cool stuff.

But it's not the Google Form that makes it work - it is very simply administrators who are trusted by their staff, use a common language of instruction to provide feedback about teaching. This might sound simple, but the process takes time and commitment.

The first step is to build a language of instruction with the staff.  Observation protocols and evaluations fail when they don't include the teachers.  As a matter of fact - don't even talk about observations or evaluations - talk about good teaching.

• Here's how to get started developing a language of instruction (or sometimes called Principles of Learning):
• Get the staff together and talk about good teaching.  You can use a prompt such as "Think about the most powerful learning experience you have had as a learner.  What made it so powerful?" You also might use the Seinfeld Teaching History as a fun way to look at instruction.
• Create a list of good teaching practices - you now have a list that you can put into categories.  The Dorchester list is organized into the following categories:
• Relationships
• Routines and Rules
• High Expectations for All
• Introducing Content
• Practicing Content
• Learning Objectives
• Questioning
• Monitoring Progress
• Engaging Students
• Continue to edit the language with teacher input - you may add things or edit on you own, but keep them in the loop.

The key will be to use the language in walkthrough observations, for feedback, peer observations, and goal setting. 

You can see Mitch's Prezi on this at Collect and Use Data to Improve Instruction