Better Feedback for Better Teaching: A Practical Guide to Improving Classroom Observations

A practical, research-based guide for ensuring trustworthy classroom observations that provide teachers with meaningful feedback Better Feedback for Better Teaching is an essential resource for school, district, and state, leaders committed to high-quality classroom observations. This practical guide outlines the knowledge and skills classroom observers need to identify and help develop effective teaching, and explains how leaders can best facilitate the development of classroom observers. The best way to ensure high quality instruction in every classroom is to provide teachers with accurate, constructive feedback on practices proven to enhance student learning. Skilled classroom observers help teachers do their best work, so that they can guide students to their greatest potential. Better Feedback for Better Teaching provides helpful, reliable strategies from leading experts and practitioners involved in the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project, which carried out one of the largest, most influential studies of classroom observations to date. Among the many topics covered, Better Feedback for Better Teaching describes how to: Build a shared vision of effective teacher feedback among observers Ensure a common understanding of a classroom observation tool Train observers to collect objective evidence from a lesson, efficiently and free of bias Leverage data to improve how observers are trained and supported This comprehensive resource includes helpful starting points, as well as tips to refine techniques and address new challenges. Each section combines clear explanations of key ideas with concrete, adaptable examples and strategies. Self-assessments are included to help you quickly rank current needs and find the most relevant solutions. Filled with valuable, practical tools, Better Feedback for Better Teaching helps educators cultivate high-quality classroom observations that improve teaching and learning.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments vii About the Authors ix Introduction: Getting from Here to There 1 I Making the Big Decisions 15 1 Building Support for Better Observer Training 17 2 Finding Enough Observers 25 3 Deciding on Training Delivery Methods 35 4 Setting Priorities for Observer Training 45 II Pre-scoring Video 51 5 Understanding Pre-Scoring Video 53 6 Planning a Pre-Scoring Process 59 7 Getting the Right Video to Pre-Score 75 8 Recruiting and Training Master Coders 85 9 Ensuring the Quality of Pre-Scoring 101 III Building the Knowledge and Skills for Observation 113 10 Knowing the Rubric 115 11 Collecting Evidence 127 12 Understanding Bias 139 13 Recognizing Evidence 149 14 Using Criteria for Rating 167 15 Coaching Teachers 187 16 Organizing a Training Program 211 IV Using Data to Improve Training and Support of Observers 221 17 Collecting and Using Data from Training 223 18 Assessing Observers to Ensure and Improve Quality 233 19 Monitoring Your Observation System 267 Concluding Thoughts: Getting It Right 285 Appendix 287 Observer Training Checklist 287 Planning Worksheet 291 Tools Referenced in This Book 304 Tool 7-1: DCPS Video Quality Checklist 305 Tool 8-1: RIFT Master Coding Worksheet 307 Tool 8-2: DCPS Advice for Facilitating Reconciliation 308 Tool 8-3: DCPS Guidelines for Score Rationales 311 Tool 13-1: DCPS Evidence Collection Template 314 Tool 14-1: Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC) Evidence Record Rubric 318 Tool 14-2: Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC)/(TCRP) Top Ten Principles of True Scoring 320 Tool 14-3: RIDE Calibration Session Protocol 322 Tool 15-1: RIDE Feedback Quality Review Tool 327 Tool 15-2: Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) Post-Observation Assessment Checklist 328 Tool 17-1: DCPS Feedback Rubric with Annotated Example 331 Tool 18-1: Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Rubric for Rating Use of Evidence 337 Tool 19-1: RIDE Teacher Survey Items on Observation 338 Notes 341 References 343 Index 345