This document discusses instructional rounds, which are a job-embedded approach to professional learning. The key ideas are that everyone works on improving their practice, the focus is on the instructional core of teacher-student-content interaction, and the goal is continuous improvement over time through collaborative analysis. The process involves identifying an instructional problem, observing classrooms in small groups focused on the problem, debriefing to look for patterns and predict student learning, and determining next steps for the school and observers.

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Getting Started with Rounds

2. Three Big Ideas of a PLC

3. Mission, Vision,
Values, Goals
Collective
Inquiry
Continuous
Improvement
Collaborative
Teams
Action
Orientation
Results
Orientation
Essential Characteristics of a PLC

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Why Instructional Rounds?

5. “You can’t change learning and
performance at scale without creating
a strong, visible, transparent, common
culture of instructional practice.”
(City et. al, 2009)
Why Instructional Rounds?

6. Professional Learning Should Be:
 Job embedded
 On-going
 Collaborative
 Collective inquiry
Why Instructional Rounds?

7. 1
Everyone involved is working
on their practice
Big Idea #1 - Everyone

8. 2
Focus is the instructional core
Big Idea #2 – The Core

9. 3
Goal is to improve practice
over time
Big Idea #3 - Improvement

10. 4
Develop shared practices and a
shared understanding of the
cause-and-effect relationship
between teaching and learning
Big Idea #4 – Know Thy Impact

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The Instructional Core

12. Improvement can occur through
changes in the relationship of
students and teachers in the
presence of content.
Student
Teacher
The Instructional Core
Content

13. 1.
2.
3.
4.
Identifying a problem of practice
Observing in small groups
Debriefing as a group
Focusing on the next level of work
Steps of the Rounds Process

14. A problem of practice is a statement
that describes the instructional
problem that a school is struggling
with and that serves as a focus for
classroom observations.
The Problem of Practice

15. Use the ESMS observation protocol
Focus on our school’s identified
problems of practice. Look for
alignment with the four district
NEE indicators.
Observing

16. Describe what you saw using
specific, nonjudgmental language.
Describe

17. Look for patterns across classrooms,
giving names to categories and
patterns.
Analyze

18. In light of your group’s evidence,
predict what students are learning.
Predict

19. What should the school do or learn
next? What should the observers
do or learn next?
Predict

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Avoiding “Scrub-like” Rounds

21. Small Group Observations

22. 
20 minute observation

Refrain from talking to teachers in class

Fine to ask students questions if it
seems appropriate
Observation Norms

23. 
Describe what you see.

What is the task?

What are students saying or doing?
Observation Reminders

24. 
Be specific – pay attention to the
instructional core (teacher, student,
content) and the evidence related to
the problem of practice.
Observation Reminders