1. Visible Learning:
A System-Wide Approach to
Collaborative Inquiry
GECDSB
May 11th, 2012
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

2. This too shall pass?
But before I join the chorus of “this too shall
pass”, I must turn the lens inward and ask the
question every true professional must ask: “Is
my present practice as effective as I think it is?”
As teachers, we must be willing to confront this
question every day of our professional lives if
teacher leadership is to become a reality rather
than a slogan”
~ Reeves, 2008.
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

3. History
• Year 1: “Schools in the Middle”
16 of 60 Elementary Schools
Grade 3 and 6 Teachers, plus Principal and coach
Three Full Day Sessions
Content Focus – Components of Balanced Literacy
Led by Student Achievement Officers
Reflections
Sessions had positive impact on instruction
Correlation with participation and EQAO increases
Model should be expanded beyond Grade 3 and 6
Ownership needed to be with board to allow flexibility
and responsiveness to current needs
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

4. History
• Year 2: “Visible Learning”
All 60 Elementary Schools included
Three Full Day Sessions
Principal selects team from each school
Family of School Organization with S.O. participation
Content-based using LNS Resources and Assessment
Framework)
Reflections
Sessions had positive impact on instruction
Work in session starting to link to SIPSA and work of
coaches
How do we give schools ownership of their own
learning to met individual needs?
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

5. Systemic Response – System Learning
External Internal
Prescribed Autonomous
Mandated Choice
Independent Collaborative
System Supports:
OFIP 1, ‘Canned PD Days’, SIM, Visible Learning, Collaborative Inquiry
‘Some have to’, ‘all have to’, ‘some can choose’, ‘all can choose’
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

6. The Importance of a Learning
Stance
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

7. System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

8. How the World’s Most Improved School
Systems Keep Getting Better
McKinsey and Company, 2010
“ …when teachers achieve a higher level of
skill, as is the case in „good to great‟ and
„great to excellent‟ improvement journey
stages, such tight central control becomes
counterproductive to system improvement.
Rather, school-level flexibility and
teacher collaboration become the drivers
of improvement because they lead to
innovations in teaching and learning.”
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

9. Our
“Sandbox” BIPSA
SIPSA
SEF
Empowering
Schools
- McKinsey
K to 12
Instruction
Special Growing
Education Success
Plan
Learning For
All
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

10. Our
“Sandbox”
BIPSA
SIPSA
SEF
Collaborative
Empowering Inquiry
Schools
- McKinsey K to 12
K to 12
Instruction
Special Growing
Education Plan Success
Learning For
All
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

11. Visible Learning 2011-2012
• Year 3 – “Collaborative Inquiry”
60 elementary and 15 secondary schools
Principal selected school teams
“Family of Schools” organization with the S.O. involved
in every session
Four full-day sessions
Process-based sessions, guiding schools through
model of Collaborative Inquiry
Focus on schools owning learning based on current
student learning needs
Intentional alignment of SIPSA to Collaborative Inquiry
Focus
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

12. Big Picture of Collaborative Inquiry
Consider common
student learning needs
and classroom practice.
Develop an inquiry
question.
VL Session One
Professional
Learning
Determine sources of
evidence related to
your question.
Collect evidence.
Consider the impact VL Session Two
of your inquiry on
Examine your evidence
student learning.
to determine trends.
Report your findings.
Reflect on possible next
VL Learning Fair steps.
(Early May)
VL Session Three
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

13. SyIT Collaborative Inquiry
• Engage school teams in collaborative
inquiry linked to student needs identified in
School Improvement Plans
• Implement selected improvement
strategies with greater depth and precision
• Build a culture of collaborative inquiry
• Improve student learning
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

14. Our Evidence Collection
• Exit tickets after each session
• Anecdotal feedback throughout sessions
from multiple sources
• Principals surveyed on implementation
• School team reflections
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

15. Emerging Themes
1. The process resulted in an alignment
between the work/learning that is happening
in the schools and the system improvement
efforts
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

16. Emerging Themes
“we are starting to hear that senior administration
honours our professionalism and trusts our
knowledge and that they let us make decisions
that suit our own needs and our students needs”
– Elementary School Principal
91% of the teacher actions articulated in the
inquiry questions reflect a strategy in the BIPSA.
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

17. Emerging Themes
2. De-privatization of practice is occurring
and teams are collaborating with colleagues
within and across content-areas, grades,
and divisions.
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

18. Emerging Themes
“there have been more teacher-to-teacher
conversations. We are trying to focus on cross-
division. This is new collaboration – something
we haven‟t done before”
-Elementary School Teacher
“I am beginning the open-door policy – posting an
email to invite teachers to come to my class…to
get feedback”
-Elementary School Teacher
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

19. Emerging Themes
3. Teams valued the process of
collaborative inquiry, focused on student
learning needs, the curriculum, engaged in
the use of data, and reflected upon their
practice as a result.
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

20. Emerging Themes
“This has been the most inspiring, valuable workshops –
before it was “here, try something new – do it” and now
we are owning it! It is what we are saying with kids –
give them ownership and they will soar”
-Elementary School Teacher
“I can‟t believe how my teaching has changed. I used to
just go through the curriculum but now I seem to be
really looking at whether the kids actually got it before I
move on…I‟m really thinking about the kids‟ learning”
-Elementary School Teacher
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

21. Supporting our Learning
• Please complete a feedback card
including any thoughts, insights or
reflections you have on our work to
continue our learning.
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

22. Principal Reflections
Jan Fairall – Hetherington Public School
Dustin O’Neil – Prince Andrew Public School
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

23. Reflections and Plans for Next Year
• All elementary and secondary included
• Four full-day sessions
• Principal selected school teams
• Schools organized by identified student need with continued
S.O. involvement
• Sessions support collaborative inquiry process and content
based on specific student learning need and the related
professional learning need
• Continue to use model to inform SIPSA and system supports
eg. coaches, PD sessions, PLC’s, hubs and networks
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry

24. Question and Answer
System-Wide Approach to Collaborative Inquiry