Changes in Instructional Practice

• In Event: From Measurement to Improvement: Leveraging Observation Protocols to Improve Teaching in Middle School English Language Arts

Abstract

Purpose and Theoretical Framework

Core practices are theoretically grounded elements of teaching that that are used frequently and support learning of academic concepts (Author, 2008). Consistent language for describing specific teaching moves allows for comparisons of practice across classrooms as well as targets for instructional improvement. While various research groups are working to specify practices that are “core” to content areas, we are only beginning to unpack the potential for using these practices as tools for discussing, sharing, and improving teaching practice (Ball & Forzani, 2009; Franke, Kazemi, & Battey, 2010; Windschitl et al., 2012).

The current study investigates a model of professional development built around a set of core practices included in the Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observations (PLATO). PLATO was designed to measure the quality of literacy instruction, based on research on effective teaching in English Language Arts (ELA). Several of the core practices highlighted in PLATO have been shown to be associated with student achievement gains (Authors, 2013; Kane & Staiger, 2012). However, these same studies suggest that most teachers do not frequently use these practices at high levels. This paper investigates whether providing professional development focused on a subset of PLATO practices can promote change in teachers’ classroom practice. It asks: how do teachers’ instructional practices change during an intensive, multi-year professional development experience focused on core practices?

Data Sources and Methods

We utilize data from 29 ELA teachers at 6 middle schools in a mid-sized urban district. Some teachers volunteered to participate in the professional development, and school administrators suggested other participants. Data sources include PLATO observation scores across 5 cycles of classroom observations. All raters were trained on the PLATO protocol and achieved at least 80% inter-rater agreement on each element of instruction. Ten percent of observations were double-scored, and our team achieved consistently high levels of inter-rater agreement. To assess whether teachers’ classroom practices changed over the course of the intervention, we constructed equally-weighted means of each PLATO element at Baseline, and at each cycle of observations thereafter; we conducted t-tests to check for significance of the change in scores.

Results

Initial data analysis from the two year professional development show statistically significant increases in the two targeted teacher practices (see Table 1): Strategy Use and Instruction scores increased 0.45 on a 4-point scale, and Classroom Discourse increased 0.79 on a 4-point scale. In addition, other practices that complement the targeted practices such as Intellectual Challenge also increased, though there were not explicitly targeted in the professional development. Though teachers did increase on the elements targeted in the PD, their scores remain relatively low. At certain school sites, there was more notable improvement in practice, and less variation in scores.

Significance

Little research has analyzed how core practices can be leveraged for instructional improvement. Our data show notable changes in teaching following intensive investment in developing teachers’ understanding of core practices and supporting their use of these practices.

(Please see Table 1, PLATO Element Means by Cycle, in PDF document.)

Authors

• Lindsay Brown, Stanford University

• Julie Jackson Cohen, University of Virginia

• Pamela L. Grossman, Stanford University