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Learner-Focused Feedback
By: Amy Tepper, Patrick Flynn
Nineteen strategies help leaders, coaches, and teachers improve their ability to identify desired outcomes, recognize learning in action, collect relevant evidence, and develop effective feedback cultivating a culture of learning in their schools.
- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781544368269
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2020
- Page Count: 256
- Publication date: February 06, 2020
Review Copies
Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. To request a review copy, contact sales@corwin.com.
Description
New strategies for feedback that supports a culture of learning
The skill set required for observing why students are learning and how teachers influence that is a difficult one to master—yet it’s essential when it comes to driving change and growth in your school. This companion to Feedback to Feed Forward provides a curated collection of strategies to improve your ability to identify desired outcomes, recognize learning in action, collect relevant and accurate evidence, and develop smart, supportive, and effective feedback about a teacher’s impact on learners.
And it’s not just leaders, coaches, and administrators who can use this highly accessible how-to. This time around, Tepper and Flynn also address the needs of teachers who double as observers, whether they’re mentoring new teachers, supporting each other or analyzing the effectiveness of their own teaching. No matter your role, you’ll benefit from their expert guidance, as well as:
· Authentic classroom examples
· Observer think-alouds
· Stories from the field with “Give-It-a-Try” tools and “Stop and Think” questions
· Follow-up steps specific to your role
When classroom observation and feedback are both learner-centered (focused on students) and learning-focused (focused on teachers as learners), they lead to a culture of learning throughout the school. Take this book as your guide, and explore just how effective your feedback can be.
View a full list of Visible Learning® Supporting Resources
Author(s)
Amy Tepper
Patrick Flynn
Table of Contents
List of Online Resources
Feedback to Feed Forward Strategies
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1: Why Observe for Impact?
Building a Culture of Learning
Building a Culture of Observation and Feedback
The Skills of Observation
Teachers as Learners
Leaders Leading Learning
What’s Ahead
Chapter 2: What Do You Need to Understand About Learning?
Understanding the Concept of Learning
Overarching Goals for All Learners
Our Three Goals
Cautions for Observers
How the Brain Works
Identifying Learning in Action
Recognizing Impact on Learning
Determining Causal Attribution
Give It a Try
What’s Ahead
Chapter 3: How Can You Prepare for Evidence Collection?
Preobservation Planning
Planning Your Tools
Planning by Using Expectations
Planning to Interact With Learners
Planning Using Learning Goals
Planning Based on Disciplines
Planning Based on Standards
Give It a Try
What’s Ahead
Chapter 4: How Can You Adapt Evidence Collection Upon Arrival?
Your Goals as an Observer
Adapting 101: The Basics
Metacognition in Motion
Making It Count
Timing Is Everything
Using the Learning Goals
Foundational Understandings
Student Ability to Meet Expectations
Give It a Try
What’s Ahead
Chapter 5: How Can You Adapt Evidence Collection as a Lesson Unfolds?
Observing for Learning
Observing for Causal Attribution and Impact
Observing for Good Struggle
Adapting During an Observation
Adapting Based on Active Engagement
Student Notes
Mid-Lesson or End-of-Task/End-of-Lesson Reflections
Adapting Based on Tools and Resources
Adapting Based on Discourse
Give It a Try
What’s Ahead
Chapter 6: How Do You Cultivate a Culture of Learning?
Building a Culture of Learning
Developing Feedback About Impact
Building Trust
Making a Culture Shift
The Six Steps
Final Thoughts
Strategies List
List of Figures
References
Index
Reviews
A leader’s most important job is to help teachers understand their impact on student learning. Collecting evidence of learning through observation is a difficult skill to master, but Tepper and Flynn have given us the tools we need in this essential new resource.
John HattieA leader’s most important job is to help teachers understand their impact on student learning. Collecting evidence of learning through observation is a difficult skill to master, but Tepper and Flynn have given us the tools we need in this essential new resource.
Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia
"Learning is incredibly complex. Observing classrooms in order to help teachers grow deserves careful and informed consideration of many integrated parts. I’m grateful to have this excellent book as a cornerstone resource in my work to support teachers."
Julie Stern, Author, Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding"Learning is incredibly complex. Observing classrooms in order to help teachers grow deserves careful and informed consideration of many integrated parts. I’m grateful to have this excellent book as a cornerstone resource in my work to support teachers."
"Learner-Focused Feedback, Tepper and Flynn’s companion book to Feedback to Feed Forward, delves deeply into student learning, how to observe, which questions to ask, and strategies that lead to next steps. The book is a treasure of resources. Children, teachers, and coaches are the winners here. I have never read such a thorough discourse on learning. After 26 years outside of the classroom, it makes me want to go back."
Claudia Frandsen"Learner-Focused Feedback, Tepper and Flynn’s companion book to Feedback to Feed Forward, delves deeply into student learning, how to observe, which questions to ask, and strategies that lead to next steps. The book is a treasure of resources. Children, teachers, and coaches are the winners here. I have never read such a thorough discourse on learning. After 26 years outside of the classroom, it makes me want to go back."
Ventura County Office of Education
"Tepper and Flynn’s Learner-Focused Feedback delivers the educational framework necessary to develop a school culture that fosters and embraces teaching and learning for impact. Evidence-based feedback that focuses on the learner is the ultimate approach to not only empower educators to be intentional with every detail of their instruction. It also guides the observer to provide feedback from a growth mindset perspective. I believe Learner-Focused Feedback will create the structures to build a school culture based on trust to allow room for promoting educational equity and student achievement."Miladys Cepero-Perez
Florida Atlantic University
"Learner-Focused Feedback: 19 Strategies to Observe for Impact is a must-read for all administrators and instructional leaders. What a gem! I have quoted, cited, and used this book for my own growth as a school leader observing teachers. The knowledge, experience, and research contained in the pages guides my walk-throughs, from the foundational understanding that “a culture of observation and feedback drives a culture of learning” to the essential second strategy, to define “learning,” and beyond to the strategies on how to adapt evidence collection during an observation. There are not many books that are as practical as Learner-Focused Feedback. It is an indispensable book if you want to observe for impact."
Kjell Fenn, Headmaster,"Learner-Focused Feedback: 19 Strategies to Observe for Impact is a must-read for all administrators and instructional leaders. What a gem! I have quoted, cited, and used this book for my own growth as a school leader observing teachers. The knowledge, experience, and research contained in the pages guides my walk-throughs, from the foundational understanding that “a culture of observation and feedback drives a culture of learning” to the essential second strategy, to define “learning,” and beyond to the strategies on how to adapt evidence collection during an observation. There are not many books that are as practical as Learner-Focused Feedback. It is an indispensable book if you want to observe for impact."
New Covenant Academy and Author of Engage: Motivational Strategies for a Dynamic Classroom
Whether you’re a teacher, instructional coach, or administrator, Tepper and Flynn guide you through strategies to plan for and adapt to student interactions during an observation in order to improve the quality of feedback for the teacher. Simply put, this book is delicious. Try it in digestible bites through the chapters or all at once for the big picture."
"Learner-Focused Feedback: 19 Strategies to Observe for Impact is an essential how-to guide for educators seeking professional growth in the area of observation and feedback. Amy Tepper and Patrick Flynn flawlessly weave classroom examples with strategies for evidence collection that serves as a learning tool and sets the tone for an effective, meaningful conversation. They remind us that observation is not always about evaluation. Using observation and evidence-based feedback for professional growth builds a culture of learning. This book will show you how!April StrongWhether you’re a teacher, instructional coach, or administrator, Tepper and Flynn guide you through strategies to plan for and adapt to student interactions during an observation in order to improve the quality of feedback for the teacher. Simply put, this book is delicious. Try it in digestible bites through the chapters or all at once for the big picture."
Martin County School District, Stuart, FL
Kevin J. Hanlon"Every school and district have processes in place for classroom observations that can range from peer coaching, informal observations, learning walks, and formal evaluations. These processes are most meaningful when the observer(s) can truly gather information on how instruction, strategies, practices, environment, curricula, and goals impact student learning. In Learner-Focused Feedback, Tepper and Flynn mix the right balance of research, practice, and experience in thousands of classrooms to help observers focus and adapt to what is happening in the classroom to truly understand what students are actually learning. The feedback that can emerge from these adaptive and effective observation practices can most certainly help teachers move their practice forward and in turn improve student learning!"
Cheshire Public School
"Learner-Focused Feedback: 19 Strategies to Observe for Impact serves as an essential field guide for supporting teaching and learning in all classrooms. This book highlights why observation and feedback of classroom practice serves as a key lever for improving student outcomes and cultivating a culture of learning. This is the first book that provides the context of adapting evidence collection strategies during a classroom visit making it a must read for anyone supporting teachers through observation and feedback. Tepper and Flynn make their own learning (metacognitive processing) visible and show readers how to advance evidence-collection practices. The inclusion of examples of collected evidence followed by stop and think provides opportunities for reflection and development of observation practices for administrators, coaches and classroom teachers alike."Robert Testa
Vernon Public Schools
"Every leader knows that educators need high quality feedback. Learner-Focused Feedback: 19 Strategies to Observe for Impact is the practical guide that gives exemplary examples and tools to actually give feedback to move teachers to better instruction."Mollie Sullivan Raab
Independent School District 622
Review Copies
Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. To request a review copy, contact sales@corwin.com.
Related Resources
- Access to companion resources is available with the purchase of this book.