CLASS Instructional Support: An Introduction to Improvement Strategies

Editor's Notes

• #3: Animation: When you click, boxes appear over graphic to isolate Instructional Support. Remind viewers that CLASS organizes interactions by domains and dimensions Note that domains are interrelated: There are elements of Instructional Support within Infant FE and ELS domains and within Toddler ESL. You can also note to viewer that Instructional Support domain shows up in K-3, UE, and S age levels
• #5: Emotional Support looks at positive relationships among teachers and children, the ways that teachers support social/emotional functioning, and the degree to which teachers promote children’s autonomy
• #6: Classroom Organization considers how well time and behavior is managed to maximize learning opportunities
• #7: Instructional Support is not focused on the content of curriculum or on learning activities. It focuses on how teachers help children learn to solve problems, reason, and think; use feedback to expand and deepen skills and knowledge; and develop more complex language skills We’ll be digging into the dimensions that make up the Instructional Support domain in a bit
• #8: Scores in Instructional Support tend to be the lowest
• #9: The ways that teachers interact with children are very deeply rooted. They come from a lifetime of experiences with adults and children - their relationships with their own parents, their beliefs about children and adults, even their experiences as parents themselves. When we ask teachers to change this very fundamental thing - how they interact with children - we’re asking them to change behaviors they’ve spent a lifetime developing. The other domains, emotional support and classroom organizations, are more intuitive and more foundational to teaching. It’s not “news” that teachers need to create a warm, supportive environment or that an organized, structured routine is more conducive to learning. Instructional Support measures how effective teachers are at supporting children’s abstract reasoning and language use, which aren’t as widely accepted as important at the pre-k level, despite research to the contrary.  
• #10: Teachers need to KNOW what effective interactions are, how to recognize them, and why they are important to children’s learning. Then they need to SEE, or build awareness in their own practice. Then they need to DO—they need to practice and begin to integrate new behaviors. It’s our job as coaches to help teachers Know, See, and Do to improve their teaching.
• #11: We can apply Know, See, Do for coaching in Instructional Support. First we need to KNOW what effective interactions in the Instructional Suppport domain are. Then we need to be able to SEE these interactions so that we can help teachers identify them in their own practice. Then we need to practice strategies—we need to DO.
• #12: Let’s get to know the dimensions that make up the Concept Development—and stumbling points for teachers—so we can see what makes an interaction in this dimension effective
• #14: Animation: Click for indicators to appear: Click 1: Analysis and Reasoning Click 2: Creating Click 3: Integration Click 4: Connections to the Real World
• #15: CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Why this dimension is tricky: the name can be confusing. Concept development is not about developing a specific concept or relaying facts or information. What this dimension is really about: Giving children opportunities to think deeply about concepts and ideas.
• #16: Animation: Click for indicators to appear: Click 1: Scaffolding Click 2: Feedback Loops Click 3: Prompting Thought Processes Click 4: Providing Information Click 5: Encouragement & Affirmation
• #17: QUALITY OF FEEDBACK Why this dimension is tricky: Teachers are often not sure what counts as feedback. What this dimension is really about: The ways teachers respond to children in order to expand learning or participation.
• #18: Animation: Click for indicators to appear: Click 1: Frequent Conversation Click 2: Open-Ended Questions Click 3: Repetition and Extension Click 4: Self- and Parallel Talk Click 5: Advanced Language
• #19: LANGUAGE MODELING Why this dimension is tricky: Teachers might assume that in order to improve in this dimension, they simply need to talk more. What this dimension is really about: Getting children to listen to and use more language.
• #20: Now let’s watch footage from real classrooms so we can see Instructional Support interactions in action.
• #22: Coaches can use the When/Then strategy to help teachers plan and practice trying out specific interactions A when/then statement is a simple but powerful too to help teachers commit to trying a new behavior during a specific time. For example, if a teacher is focusing on connections to the real world, she might create the following when/then statement: When I interact with children in the kitchen area during centers, I will ask them about the ways they help out with meal preparation at home. Creating when/then statements helps teachers be more intentional and take incremental steps toward improvement.
• #23: Note that these examples are from Concept Development dimensions
• #24: Tell the group we’ll doing an activity now. Explain the following: On the slides are four when/then statements Partner up and decide which statements are examples of strong when/then statements and what are examples of weak when/then statements. Discuss what makes them strong or weak Optional: If weak, what would make the statement stronger? Why? Have participants report their findings STRONG Connects Concepts When the children are eating lunch, I will connect the kinds of foods the children are eating to how they grow and where they come from. Real-World Applications When I introduce the letter p during small group, I will ask children to explore the room and identify objects beginning with the letter. WEAK Brainstorming During morning circle time, I’ll ask more specific brainstorming questions. Prediction/Experimentation When I’m teaching, I’ll give children more experiments to do in the science area.
• #25: For the next part of the activity, you’ll look at strong when/then statements from previous slides and ask participants to practice extension. Explain that extension is a way to keep conversations going; ask group what they might ask to keep engaging children in these scenarios. Call on volunteers to offer this information STRONG Connects Concepts When the children are eating lunch, I will connect the kinds of foods the children are eating to how they grow and where they come from. Real-World Applications When I introduce the letter p during small group, I will ask children to explore the room and identify objects beginning with the letter.
• #26: For this activity, attendees will practice coming up with their own when/then statements. Tell the group to break up into partners and take turns creating when/then statements. They can choose from indicatory above (behavioral markers listed below)
• #28: Briefly discuss IS Strategies Training for Coaches Key points: Available as regional or on-site training Coaches learn concrete strategies to use with teachers who are struggling in Instructional Support
• #29: Briefly discuss IS Strategies for coaches and teachers. IS Strategies for Coaches: Includes four modules: Essentials (overview of Instructional Support), Concept Development, Quality of Feedback, Language Modeling Includes interactive learning questions, authentic classroom and coaching videos, discussion boards, and printable resources IS Strategies for Teachers Helps teachers understand Instructional Support dimensions and why they matter
• #30: Mention that a great pairing for either IS Strategies offering is CLASS Feedback Strategies, available as face-to-face training and online program. CLASS Feedback Strategies helps coaches learn to provide meaningful feedback with teachers that helps to impact teaching practices. Training: 1-day training prepares coaches to determine teacher readiness, share descriptive feedback, and outline goals and action plans Online Course: Three modules: Score Sharing and Focus, Observational Examples, Advice or Feedback