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Beyond The Core

Peer observation brings common core to vocational elective classes

By Learning Forward
Categories: College- and career-ready standards, Data
June 2014
Districts everywhere are ramping up professional learning around the Common Core State Standards, and Washington’s Grandview School District is no exception. Known for strong instructional coaching and a wall-to-wall professional learning calendar, Grandview has held steadfast to its instructional philosophy for almost a decade with encouraging results. Despite a demographic of first-generation would-be college students (83% free and reduced lunch and 92% students of color), this small, rural district has achieved steady growth in student achievement at critical junctures and exceeds the state average in the percentage of students it sends directly to college. The district’s secret? Lots and lots of professional learning. And for the last several years, most of Grandview’s teachers have been immersed in learning about the Common Core and designing instructional

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Authors

Harriette Thurber Rasmussen

Harriette Thurber Rasmussen (harriette@abeoschoolchange.org) is a partner at Abeo School Change, where she facilitates district- and school-based instructional rounds across the country, including Grandview.

Peer Observation

The distinction between literal and interpreted notes is especially important during peer observation. Success is predicated on teachers realizing that their colleagues are not judging their teaching skill, but instead collecting raw data to be collectively analyzed, with the observers and host teacher as equal partners in the learning process. Peer observation then becomes a valuable resource for everyone involved.

Bringing Students Together

In automotive shop, finding a way to engage a broad range of student abilities and interest has been historically challenging for auto/wood instructor Joe Edwards-Hoff, as some kids would “fly through some of this stuff when working individually, while others would just sit and stare at a page.”

He found that, when left on their own, kids would struggle with reading, especially those who were not as interested or had reading challenges. The shared reading brought the class together, and they were able to “move forward as a team.”

References

City, E., Elmore, R.F., Fiarman, S., & Teitel, L. (2009). Instructional rounds in education: A network approach to improving teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Roberts, J. (2012). Instructional rounds in action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Teitel, L. (2013). School-based instructional rounds: Improving teaching and learning across classrooms. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

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Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

Categories: College- and career-ready standards, Data

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