This resource collection is designed to equip facilitators of professional learning, including district coaches, principals, site-based coaches, and teacher leaders, in supporting teachers to improve Tier 1 instruction.
The collection includes eight learning modules, each with a trainer slide deck featuring suggested speaker notes, a participant workbook, and supplemental videos. Through the modules, facilitators will learn to implement continuous improvement processes driven by goals and data and to strengthen teacher collaboration.
Introductory Materials
Learning Modules Trainer’s Guide
Includes learning targets, key points, material lists, and preparation tips for each of the eight modules.
Learning Huddles: Design and Facilitation Tips
Provides an overview of learning huddles, a key component of the teacher inquiry cycle that is introduced in the modules, along with examples of discussion protocols and facilitation tips.
Facilitating Improvement Professional Learning Series
Learning to Improve Instruction: One Team’s Story
Learning Modules
Module 1: Framing the Series
Module 1 provides an overview of the learning series, introduces continuous improvement, and launches the learning community.
Key topics include learning about continuous improvement and why it’s important, defining success in schools and school systems, and developing community agreements.
Module 2: Systems Change
Module 2 teaches participants about systems and how to improve them, explores the role of equity in systems, and begins to develop a theory of improvement.
Key topics include defining a system, seeing your system, surfacing inequities, and improving systems.
Module 3: Leading Improvement Work
Module 3 explores routines and structures of continuous improvement, explores strategies for developing teams, and investigates the role of facilitators.
Key topics include leading a team, promoting positive group dynamics and productive discourse, and facilitating effective meetings.
Module 4: Needs Assessment and Problem Identification
Module 4 focuses on methods for conducting needs assessments and identifies a high-leverage problem to solve.
Key topics include reviewing data, examining processes, conducting empathy interviews, and understanding the impacts of scope and scale in an improvement effort.
Module 5: Root Cause Analysis and Challenging Assumptions
Module 5 examines the root causes of problems and discusses the importance of challenging assumptions.
Key topics include root cause analyses, methods for determining root causes, and surfacing mental models.
Module 6: Prototyping Change Ideas
Module 6 provides guidance for identifying a change idea and developing a prototype for improvement.
Key topics include the difference between a change idea and a prototype, guidelines for selecting change ideas, and development of a prototype.
Module 7: Engaging in Inquiry Cycles
Module 7 discusses the steps of the teacher inquiry process and how rapid testing cycles can help an organization learn.
Key topics include engaging in rapid cycles of improvement, introducing PDSA (plan-do-study-act) cycles, facilitating learning huddles, and building confidence in changes.
Module 8: Measuring Improvement
Module 8 examines how to use data to measure improvement and explores different types of data visualization for teacher inquiry.
Key topics include measuring improvement, monitoring progress, gathering data, turning data into information, and implementing and sustaining improvements.