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The Power of Teacher Rounds
Discover a step-by-step approach for leading a thriving teacher rounds program, including effective facilitation, connecting your program with the Common Core, and creating a positive peer-learning environment.
- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781483349954
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2014
- Page Count: 176
- Publication date: May 09, 2014
Price: $34.95
Description
The definitive, step-by-step guide for conducting teacher rounds!
It’s a revolutionary idea: rather than working in isolation, teachers have much to learn from each other. With teacher rounds, educators share insights and grow professionally, benefitting from the peer learning common in other demanding fields. This invaluable book dives into the details of implementing a successful teacher rounds program, and provides a complete and practical step-by-step plan.
Written by two respected pioneers of the teacher rounds movement, this resource is especially useful for school leaders and rounds facilitators. Readers will learn how to
- Realize the potential of teacher rounds as a strategy for Common Core implementation
- Develop rounds facilitation techniques through vignettes, video clips, and group learning exercises
- Create positive, empowering teams that lift both instruction and student performance
Tap into the knowledge and best practices present throughout this helpful book, and see how your teacher rounds program can thrive!
Key features
(2) Encompasses a variety of strategies and tools including guided instruction, group activities, diagrams, illustrations and templates.
(3) Makes effective use of teaching cases and provides facilitators with a protocol for case analysis.
(4) Original video clips of Rounds in action will be provided for analysis by partipants.
(5) Explores the application of Rounds as a professional learning design for Common Core implementation.
Author(s)

Vivian Troen
VIVIAN TROEN and KATHERINE C. BOLES
Considered authorities on the subjects of teacher education, teacher leadership, and professional development schools, Troen and Boles deliver workshops on Teacher Teams and Teacher Leadership, speak at conferences and seminars, and regularly consult to schools and school districts in the United States and internationally. As classroom teachers, they founded one of the nation’s first professional development schools to link colleges and public schools in partnerships for the preservice education of teachers as well as the ongoing professional development of veteran teachers.
They are the authors of Who’s Teaching Your Children: Why The Teacher Crisis is Worse Than You Think and What Can Be Done About It (Yale University Press, 2003) as well as numerous articles and book chapters on teachers and teaching. Most recently they have joined national leaders of professional organizations of educators, state education agencies and universities in the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium, convened by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to develop model national standards for teacher leadership.
Troen co-directs the Induction Partnership Initiative at Brandeis University, guiding schools in developing the capacity to support new teachers. She also leads school administrators in regularly scheduled online, networked seminars investigating a wide range of issues surrounding induction practices and professional development for new and experienced teachers.

Katherine C. Boles
VIVIAN TROEN and KATHERINE C. BOLES
Considered authorities on the subjects of teacher education, teacher leadership, and professional development schools, Troen and Boles deliver workshops on Teacher Teams and Teacher Leadership, speak at conferences and seminars, and regularly consult to schools and school districts in the United States and internationally. As classroom teachers, they founded one of the nation’s first professional development schools to link colleges and public schools in partnerships for the preservice education of teachers as well as the ongoing professional development of veteran teachers.
They are the authors of Who’s Teaching Your Children: Why The Teacher Crisis is Worse Than You Think and What Can Be Done About It (Yale University Press, 2003) as well as numerous articles and book chapters on teachers and teaching. Most recently they have joined national leaders of professional organizations of educators, state education agencies and universities in the Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium, convened by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to develop model national standards for teacher leadership.
Boles is a Senior Lecturer on Education and Faculty Director of the Learning and Teaching Masters Degree Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She received her doctorate from Harvard, and her courses examine the latest research on school reform, teacher education, teacher teams, and new forms of teacher leadership.
Table of Contents
Forward
Introduction
Getting from Then to Now
Implementing the Common Core State Standards
About this Book
Part I - Background
1. What is Rounds?
Rounds is a Unique Form of Professional Development
A Rounds Group in Action: A True-to-Life Story
Pre Rounds Meeting - Choosing a Compelling Problem of Practice
Preparing the Host Teacher
Observing the Host Teacher Teach
Debriefing the Observation
Committing to a Change of Practice
It's a Circular Path to Perfection
2. Why Do Rounds?
Rounds Creates a Framework for Critical Colleagueship
Rounds Facilities the Sharing for Successful Practice
Rounds Helps Develop a Shared Vision of Good Teaching
Rounds is Low-Cost, High-Impact Strategy for Implementing the Common Core State Standards
Rounds is Aligned With Learning Forward's Standards for Professional Learning
3. Who Does Rounds?
The Rounds Group
Challenges for the Group
The Rounds Facilitators
Challenges for Facilitators
Facilitator Study Groups
The Host Teacher
Preparation for the Observation
Following the Observation
Part II - Facilitators
4. How to Prepare for Rounds
Step 1: Lay Groundwork for Collaboration
Establish Norms
Learn How to Observe: Conduct A Rounds Observation Workshop
Step 2: Conduct the Introduction to Rounds Meeting
5. How to Implement Rounds
Step 1: Facilitator Prepares the Host Teacher
Supporting the Host Teacher in Preparing the Form
Using the Host Teacher Preparation Form
Don't Forget the Kids
Step 2: Rounds Group Observes the Host Teacher's Class
Step 3: Group Debriefs the Observation
Step 4: Group Conducts the Next Rounds Meeting
Developing a list of Common Criteria
Step 5: Teachers Share a Record of Practice
Examples of Commitments to Change and Records of Practice
6. Year-End Wrap-Up
Has the Work Improved Student Learning?
The Answer is Yes!
Video Case: Examining One Teacher's Change of Practice
Framing the Context
The Power of Teacher Rounds
End of Year Reflection
7. Case & Guides to Case Analysis
Using Cases to Facilitate Discussion of Issues Confronting Rounds Groups
How and When to Use Cases
Ideally
Alternatively
Part III - Principals & Department Chairs
8. Role of the Principal
Understand what Rounds Requires
Assess Teacher Talent
Choose the Best Candidates
Lay the Cultural Groundwork
Build on Firm Ground With Good Resources
Provide Ongoing Support
9. Rounds for Department Chairs: Improving High School Teacher Development & Supervision
Department Chairs Step Up
Pull the Lever
The Difference Between Department Chair Rounds and Faculty Rounds
How to Implement Department Chair Rounds
Build a Culture of Trust
Select your DCR Facilitator
Facilitator Frames Rounds
Prepare the Department Chair Host
Choose a Compelling Problem of Practice
Prepare for the Round
Follow the Protocol for Debriefing
Watch the Video
Practice our Post-Observation Conference End Game
Make an End Game Checklist
Part IV - Appendices
A. CCSS Speaking and Listening Standard 6-12
B. Glenda's Host Teacher Preparation Form
C. Glenda's Record of Practice
D. Observation Workshop: Learning to See, Unlearning to Judge
E. Example of a Problem Aligned to the Common Core State
F. Alex's Host Teacher Preperation Form
G. Alex's Student Slides
H: Alex's Student Email Response
References
Reviews
"What Vivian Troen and Kitty Boles have done in this book is…the use of rounds as a dedicated learning environment for teachers. This book provides the scaffolding and support that teachers can use, on their own, or in an organized fashion as part of more systemic strategy, to create the infrastructure necessary to bring collective learning deliberately and explicitly into the daily life of teachers. Troen and Boles stress in many places in this book the importance of rounds as a cultural-building practice. For me, this is the central contribution they make. Rounds is not simply a practice; it is a practice in the service of building a professional culture."
Richard F. Elmore, Professor of Educational Leadership"What Vivian Troen and Kitty Boles have done in this book is…the use of rounds as a dedicated learning environment for teachers. This book provides the scaffolding and support that teachers can use, on their own, or in an organized fashion as part of more systemic strategy, to create the infrastructure necessary to bring collective learning deliberately and explicitly into the daily life of teachers. Troen and Boles stress in many places in this book the importance of rounds as a cultural-building practice. For me, this is the central contribution they make. Rounds is not simply a practice; it is a practice in the service of building a professional culture."
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Other Titles in: Designing & Evaluating Staff Development | Group Facilitation | Professional Learning Communities
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Related Resources
- Access to companion resources is available with the purchase of this book.