Schoolwide change comes about through improved teacher instruction, but the role of the principal as the instructional leader is also central to this premise. Vibrant learning communities are developed when these roles work together. This two-part webinar will explore the principal’s role in providing the environment where student achievement is enhanced, then investigate how the teacher’s role is strengthened in providing sound and effective instruction, regardless of the standards that drive a school in its pursuit of excellence. In this webinar, you will learn: The universal, constant concepts to deliver effective student learning How education resides in the culture of change The Four Essential Skills for an Effective Learning Leader The importance of communicating clear learning targets to students How formative assessments drive effective instruction How to enhance engagement and promote deeper understanding of content through student-centered learning environments

1. School-Wide Change Through
Improved Teacher Instruction
DR. RONALD VALENTI & JESSICA BIANCULLI

2. Some Universal Concepts in Delivering
Effective Student Learning
 We want to see students achieve. The learning process is
never static.
 We want to provide rigorous learning and make our
students critical thinkers.
 We need vigorous standards that challenge both students
and teachers.
 We want to ensure that our teachers are competent,
qualified and continually grow professionally in order to
deliver robust instruction.

3. Education Lives in a Culture of Change
 Education must contend with and adapt to the culture of
change.
 Dealing with the culture of change requires visionary and
practical leadership.
 Preparing our students for the changes they must confront
is predicated in improving teacher instruction.

4. Principal as the Learning/Instructional Leader
 School wide change in effective learning must rely on sound
leadership.
 The principal’s primary focus, as the learning instructional
leader, is to ensure that the quality of instruction takes place in
the classroom.
 There is a direct equation with the quality of teaching and
student achievement.
 There is a direct equation with teacher professional growth,
student achievement and the principal’s role as the
instructional leader.

5. Four Essential Skills for an Effective Learning Leader
 Interpersonal Skills
 Planning Skills
 Instructional Observation Skills
 Research and Evaluation Skills

6. Interpersonal Skills
 Maintain trust and spur motivation
 Enhance collegiality-- promotes sharing , cooperation and
collaboration
 Tasks accomplished through empowerment
 Empowerment leads to ownership
 Teachers involved in planning, designing and evaluating
programs

7. Planning Skills
 Begins with clear identification of goals or a vision to work
toward
 Part of the planning phase is to assess what changes need
to occur. Be a resource provider to ensure successful
teaching
 Engage people to be involved
 Observe what is going on in the school

8. Instructional Observation Skills
 Provide teachers with feedback to consider and reflect
upon.
 Observations help guide classroom instruction as well as
the improvement of instruction.

9. Research and Evaluation Skills
 Needed to critically question the success of instructional
programs.
 Use of action research.
 Through research and program evaluation can be armed
with valuable information to make informed decisions.

10. Discussion
 What are you currently looking for in classrooms when
you’re observing/doing a walk-thru?
 What consistent instructional models do you see in all of
your classrooms?
 How do you currently communicate instructional
expectation to teachers?

11. Teacher Lens – Guiding Question
HOW CAN I IMPROVE LEARNING
OUTCOMES IN MY CLASSROOM?

12. What Works in Schools
Marzano, 2003
Average student - 50th percentile
2 years highly ineffective teaching
Performance drops to 3rd percentile
Average student - 50th percentile
2 years highly effective teaching
Performance rises to 96th percentile
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13. Consider This Question
Walk through the hallways of any school and you
will see there is teaching going on … but, how do
we know if there is learning going on?
1. Formative assessments
2. Student-centered environment

14. Guiding Question
HOW CAN FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
AIDE IN CONTINUALLY IMPROVING
TEACHING AND LEARNING?
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15. 7
What are formative assessments?
 “Formative assessment is a planned process in which
assessment-elicited evidence of students’ status is used by
teachers to adjust their instruction or by students to adjust
their current learning practices.”
From Transformative Assessment by W. James Popham (2008)

16. WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT
METHODS CAN BE USED?
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17. WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT METHODS CAN BE USED?
 Selected Response
 Constructed Response
 Performance Tasks
 Personal Communication
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18. WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT METHODS CAN BE USED?
 Selected Response – Exit Ticket
• Which of the following planets discussed today are examples of gas giants?
a. Jupiter
b. Earth
c. Neptune
d. Saturn
e. Mercury
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19. WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT METHODS CAN BE USED?
Constructed Response – Journal Entry
What questions do you still have about converting a percent to a
decimal?
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20. WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT METHODS CAN BE USED?
Performance Task – Cooperative Learning
Wikipedia reports that 8% of all Americans eat at McDonalds every
day. 310 million Americans and 12,800 McDonalds…
Do you believe the Wikipedia report to be true?
With your group, create a mathematical argument to justify your
position.
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21. WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT METHODS CAN BE USED?
Personal Communication – Think- Pair-Share
During instruction, asking questions to check for understanding-
“What operation might you use to solve this problem?” Explain
why you chose this.”
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22. WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT METHODS CAN BE USED?
 Selected Response
 Constructed Response
 Performance Tasks
 Personal Communication
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• Which types of assessment methods are commonly used in your classroom?
• Which method could be utilized more often?
• How does this impact principal walk-thrus?

23. Guiding Question
HOW CAN I CREATE A MORE
STUDENT-CENTERED, INQUIRY-BASED
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT?
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24. Inquiry-Based Learning
A transformation from the typical teacher-centered
classroom to:
 Student-centered learning
Driven by:
 problem-solving
 exploratory learning
 active engagement

25. “Hands-On” versus “Inquiry-Based?”
Open Chat
 What’s the difference between hands-on learning
and inquiry-based learning?
• Why does it matter for students?
• How can we support teachers?
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26. Questions to Spur Inquiry
1. What do you think?
2. Why do you think that?
3. How do you know?
4. Can you tell me more?
5. What questions do you still have?
5 Powerful Questions Teaches Can Ask Students
October 31, 2013 - Rebecca Alber
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-powerful-questions-teachers-ask-students-rebecca-alber
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Also can be
used as
formative
assessments!

27. Small tweaks…
 Teachers lens:
1. Ambiguous directions – when appropriate
2. Less support – but ask questions
3. Think time – not just “wait” time
 Leader lens:
1. Is it the “Sage on the Stage”
2. The “Sit and Get”
3. Or the “Create and Learn”
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28. Stanford’s Spark Truck
“When kids are successful in school, that’s great. But we’re
interested in seeing kids fail.” – Eugene Korsunskiy
See: http://sparktruck.org/about

29. Stanford’s Spark Truck
“What we’re doing is creating a prototyping mind-set. You try
something, you fail at something, you keep trying. We want
kids to know it’s ok to make mistakes along the way.”
Elements of Innovation
• Brainstorming
• Teamwork
• Prototyping
• Invention
• Building
• Sharing
Source: Hochmann, D. It’s a Gas, Gas, Gas. (January 2013). Spirit Southwest Airlines Magazine.

30. Debrief- Failure is an Option!
 What school-wide structures need to be in
place to support this shift?
 What type of support will our teachers need?
• Parents?
• Students?
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Thank you for your participation!