Identifying Evaluation Practices That Make a Positive Difference

Participant’s Handouts

Identifying Evaluation Practices that Make a Positive Difference

Bridgeport Public Schools

August 2014

(864) 918-2310

Handout 1.--Feedback

There are three basic types of feedback: negative, conciliatory, and reflective.

Negative feedback is typically painful and involves direct criticism, telling people exactly what they did wrong. The person receiving the feedback then may become defensive and alienated. As a teacher, did a supervisor ever tell you that your lesson was boring, too long, or not child-centered? How did you react? Did you even understand what the other person meant by their criticism? What did you learn from the interaction? Did this feedback help you to improve your teaching style and how did the interaction affect your relationship with your supervisor?

Conciliatory feedback is positive, yet vague. We tell another person that an idea may work or that a teacher’s lesson was interesting. In order to avoid conflict, appear supportive, and not directly criticize another person, we use encouraging words. We choose to maintain a positive relationship rather than provide the listener with specific information that might lead to personal growth. Conciliatory feedback is evasive and, over time, the listener learns that your feedback is empty.

The third and most effective form of feedback is reflective. This type of feedback takes more time and requires more thought and effort on the part of the speaker. It includes three components:

• The behavior under consideration is clarified to be sure both parties are talking about the same thing.
• The speaker expresses positive features toward preserving and building upon them.
• The speaker also communicates concerns and provides specific suggestions toward improvement.

For example, after a classroom observation you might say to the teacher, “I saw evidence of thoughtful planning around the math standards. I am wondering if you noticed any gaps in student understanding of the lesson concepts.” Listeners receive honest, respectful communication about their behavior that leaves open the possibility for discussion, growth, and change.

When skillfully presented, the following three types of reflective questions and statements can be used to guide reflective feedback conversations:

• Feedback to CLARIFY- to bring about understanding of an issue and to be sure the parties are talking about the same thing
• Feedback to identify VALUE- to express the positive features or potential benefit of the idea or behavior so that these features can be preserved and built upon
• REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS FOR POSSIBILITIES- questions or inquiries to mediate the thinking of the other person and spark new ideas, allowing each person to discover a different point of view, and generate possibilitiesfor improvement

To clarify, Reflective Feedback includes statements or questions that require the person to reflect on their behavior(s), ideas or assertions. Ownership of the issues or concerns is encouraged and this can be a springboard for two-way dialogue that can lead to change. The message is delivered while building the relationship and enhancing communication.

The value of Reflective Feedback is that both (or all) parties are involved in observing, thinking, reporting and responding. It is supportive and confidential. The language presumes positive intent and outcome. Identifying value in what people think and feel affirms their worth. This is the core of building relationships and collaboration.

Reflective questions mediate thinking and generate possibilities. For example, the following questions maintain the relationship, encourage reflection, and move the person toward actions to improve results.

• What would have happened if…?
• What resources are the most helpful to you in planning…?
• What are your next steps in your development as a…?
• How are you thinking you can best support the progress of…?
• As you consider “best practice,” what strategies will you model to…?

Note that the language is descriptive and not judgmental; specific and not general. The conversation focuses on what, not why; and is directed toward behaviors and not inferences. The dialogue includes the needs of the person giving the feedback and the needs of the receiver. It is a sharing of information and not advice, including only the information needed to address the issue/concern. It is timely. It enhances the development of supportive, confidential and collaborative relationships; based on honesty and genuine concern.

What feedback skills are you practicing in your school or organization now? What kind of feedback do you want to promote? What questions can you ask that will strengthen and open a person’s thinking?

Handout 2—Difficult Conversations

PART 1

Fear of Change

“To change the way people see and do things is to challenge how they define themselves” (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002). This notion tends to be the main cause for the fear of change. In it is embedded the concept of fear of failure. We tend to do things in ways that we feel are successful. Changing to a different way of operating means that there is the opportunity for us not to be successful. It also means having to accept that we were possibly not as successful as we thought we were with our way of operating. Both of these concepts can cause people to resist change and continue to operate as they have in the past.

Trust in the Evaluator and the Process

The best results emerge when the evaluation experience is well matched to the teacher's style and characteristics. Trust forms the foundation for effective communication, employee retention, employee motivation, and contribution of the extra effort that individuals voluntarily invest in their work. Aristotle (384-322 BC), writing in the Rhetoric, suggested that Ethos, the Trust of a speaker by the listener, was based on the listener's perception of three characteristics of the speaker.

The intelligence of the speaker (correctness of opinions or competence),

The character of the speaker (reliability - a competence factor, and honesty - a measure of intentions), and

The goodwill of the speaker (favorable intentions towards the listener).

Trust: A Fundamental Cause of Resistance

Some of the possible reasons for causes of lack of trust in the evaluator or the evalulation process are a teacher’s capacity for trusting, a teacher’s perceptions of the coach’s competence, and a teacher’s perceptions about the coach’s intentions.

Teachers’ capacity for trusting

Teachers approach the evaluation process with a variety of background experiences, both professional and personal, that impact their ability to trust. When an evaluator recognizes this fact and seeks to understand the person they are evaluating, it gives her much more insight about how to build trust and reasons for the reactions and actions that she observes.

Teachers’ perceptions of the evaluator’s competence

The evaluator has to consider how she is viewed by the teacher in this process. The perceptions of the teacher will impact his ability to reflect and to receive feedback from the evaluator. The teacher will consider the knowledge/experience in what the evaluator is talking about during the conversations. If the evaluator is perceived to have no knowledge or no/little experience, the teacher is likely to not fully trust what the evaluator is saying. In addition to the knowledge and experience, the evaluator has to be able to display and communicate her knowledge without talking down to the teacher. There is a fine line between being knowledgeable and being a know-it-all that the evaluator has to consider. Another factor impacting how an evaluator is perceived is how accurately reflective the evaluator is with their own practice. It is important for evaluators to consider if they truly model accurate self-reflection in their words and deeds on a daily basis.

Teachers’ perception of the evaluator’s intentions

A third area that causes reduced trust deals with the how the teacher perceives the intentions of the evaluator. In many educational evaluations sessions, there has been an ulterior motive. As a profession, typically we only give assistance and coaching to those who are new to the profession or who are struggling. Often, the formal evaluation is just a process that many go through just to terminate a teacher. To overcome these perceptions (or in some cases experiences), evaluators have to create a climate of self-reflection. In words and deeds, evaluators have to clearly communicate the purpose for evaluation, communicate decisions and information quickly, and provide information in a transparent and clear manner. Effective communication will either enhance the evaluation process or cause it to shut-down completely. The focus of evaluation has to be the teacher, not the evaluator. As such, effective evaluators know that they have to recognize teachers for their experiences and knowledge. They also have to actively listen to teachers.

Other Causes for Resistance

Some other causes for resistance that coaches should consider are

Lack of understanding for purpose of change

Perception that the change means extra work

Anxiety about how changes will impact them or their perception of themselves

Belief that there exists a “pecking order” among teachers

Inaccurate information or misunderstood information

Ability to Accurately Self-Reflect

A large part of the evaluation process is getting teachers to accurately self-reflect on their practice. However, there are a number of barriers to accurate self-reflection that the evaluator should consider when working with teachers. First, some teachers have a limited understanding for how one’s actions impact student learning. They somehow see their actions as disconnected from the performance of their students. Next is the teacher that focuses on routines and procedures. It is not that routines and procedures are not important. They are extremely important, but so are actually teaching and learning. Evaluators have to help teachers ensure that routines and procedures are in place, then help teachers to focus on instructional practice and learning. Some teachers just resist collaboration and professional dialogue with peers. The number of reasons for this is as large as the number of teachers who resist. The evaluator should consider the reasons a teacher may resist these professional conversations and collaboration. There are also some teachers who do not value relationships with students. As such, they have a limited knowledge of their students’ interests or abilities. Assisting a teacher to reflect on the relationship they have with students and help them to better understand their students will enhance student learning. Finally, the evaluator has to remember their job is not to tell teachers what to do. Instead, the evaluator has to support the teacher in problem solving on their own. Acting as a tool to help the teacher be accurately self-reflective will allow the learning process for the teacher to go deeper, thus making the changes more likely and more likely to be long-lasting.

Lack of Effective Planning on the Part of the Evaluator

While the evaluator is considering possible reasons for a teacher’s resistance, one area that has to be examined causes evaluators to turn the lens on themselves. Evaluators have to take the time to plan for the evaluation sessions. It is important that they have a clear understanding of what is to be accomplished by the evaluation session and they have considered the options for how to guide the conversation. The evaluator has to consider the issues to be addressed, the person they are evaluating, and the process for accomplishing the evaluation session’s objective(s). Without a plan, the conversation is likely to be less effective. Some of the elements the evaluator should consider including in the plan are:

• An objective for the positives/strengths discussion of the lesson,
• An objective for the area to improve,
• Key questions which will allow the teacher to accurately reflect on his practice,
• Key examples and evidence from the lesson, and
• Specific suggestions for improvement that focus on how and why the suggestion will improve learning for students.

1999, J. McKenzie, How Teachers Learn Technology Best. .staffdevelopment.org

PART 2

Working on yourself: How to prepare for the conversation Before going into the conversation, ask yourself some questions:

1. What is your purpose for having the conversation? What do you hope to accomplish? What would be an ideal outcome?

You may think you have honorable goals, like educating an employee or increasing connection with your teen, only to notice that your language is excessively critical or condescending. You think you want to support, but you end up punishing. Some purposes are more useful than others. Work on yourself so that you enter the conversation with a supportive purpose.

2. What assumptions are you making about this person’s intentions? You may feel intimidated, belittled, ignored, disrespected, or marginalized, but be cautious about assuming that that was their intention. Impact does not necessarily equal intent.

3. What “buttons” of yours are being pushed? Are you more emotional than the situation warrants? Take a look at your “backstory,” as they say in the movies. What personal history is being triggered? You may still have the conversation, but you’ll go into it knowing that some of the heightened emotional state has to do with you.

4. How is your attitude toward the conversation influencing your perception of it? If you think this is going to be horribly difficult, it probably will be. If you truly believe that whatever happens, some good will come of it, that will likely be the case. Try to adjust your attitude for maximum effectiveness.

5. Who is the opponent? What might they be thinking about this situation? Are they aware of the problem? If so, how do you think they perceive it? What are their needs and fears? What solution do you think they would suggest? Begin to reframe the opponent as partner.

6. What are your needs and fears? Are there any common concerns? Could there be?

7. How have you contributed to the problem? How have they?

4 Steps to a Successful Outcome

The majority of the work in any conflict conversation is work you do on yourself. No matter how well the conversation begins, you’ll need to stay in charge of yourself, your purpose and your emotional energy.

Breathe, center, and continue to notice when you become off-center – and choose to return again. This is where your power lies. By choosing the calm, centered state, you’ll help your opponent/partner to be more centered, too.

Centering is not a step; centering is how you are as you take the steps. (For more on Centering, see the Resource section at the end of the article.)

Step #1: Inquiry

Cultivate an attitude of discovery and curiosity. Pretend you don’t know anything (you really don’t), and try to learn as much as possible about your opponent/partner and their point of view. Pretend you’re entertaining a visitor from another planet, and find out how things look on that planet, how certain events affect them, and what the values and priorities are there.

If they really were from another planet, you’d be watching their body language and listening for the unspoken energy as well. Do that here. What do they really want? What are they not saying?

Let them talk until they’re finished. Don’t interrupt except to acknowledge. Whatever you hear, don’t take it personally. It’s not really about you. Try to learn as much as you can in this phase of the conversation. You’ll get your turn, but don’t rush it.

Step #2: Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment means to show that you’ve heard and understood. Try to understand them so well you can make their argument for them. Then do it. Explain back to them what you think they’re really going for. Guess at their hopes and honor their position. They won’t change unless they see that you see where they stand. Then they might. No guarantees.

Acknowledge whatever you can, including your own defensiveness if it comes up. It’s fine; it just is. You can decide later how to address it.

For example, in an argument with a friend I said: “I notice I’m becoming defensive, and I think it’s because your voice just got louder and sounded angry. I just want to talk about this topic. I’m not trying to persuade you in either direction.” The acknowledgment helped him (and me) to recenter.

Acknowledgment can be difficult if we associate it with agreement. Keep them separate. My saying, “this sounds really important to you,” doesn’t mean I’m going to go along with your decision.

Step #3: Advocacy

When you sense that they’ve expressed all their energy on the topic, it’s your turn. What can you see from your perspective that they’ve missed? Help clarify your position without minimizing theirs.

For example: “From what you’ve told me, I can see how you came to the conclusion that I’m not a team player. And I think I am. When I introduce problems with a project, I’m thinking about its long-term success. I don’t mean to be a critic, though perhaps I sound like one. Maybe we can talk about how to address these issues so that my intention is clear.”