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Study Guide

Learning-focused Supervision Study Guide __Copyright 2013 MiraVia, LLC- Laura Lipton & Bruce Wellman, Co-Directors__

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Learning-focused Supervision:

Developing Professional Expertise in Standards-Driven Systems

Study Guide

About this Guide:

This Study Guide offers a structured journey through the concepts and strategies presented in

Learning-Focused Supervision: Developing Professional Expertise in Standard-Driven

Systems. This Guide will support supervisors and administrators who are interested in extending

their knowledge, skills and strategies for developing productive learning-focused relationships.

We encourage facilitators to tailor questions to match the needs and interests of their specific

groups. We offer a selection of possibilities in each section of this Guide to model some of

these options.

This Study Guide is divided into five sections or study areas. There is flexibility in each area to

provide opportunities for individual and group study. Many of the “Do” and “Apply” sections

in each study area can be done either within a session or between sessions. The questions in

each of the sections may be used for group discussion or for personal journal entries.

The amount of time allotted for each section is dependent on each study group and the intended

purpose for this Guide. The sessions are designed to be somewhat contiguous. We

recommended that you complete them in the order they are presented. Most sessions can be

completed within thirty to sixty minutes.

Suggested format for a thirty minute study: Prior to the Session:

Respond to the questions in the Activating & Engaging Phase.

Read the assigned section in Learning-focused Supervision: Developing Professional Expertise in Standards-Driven Systems that is designated in the Exploring & Discovering Phase.

During the Session:


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Respond to the questions as a group discussion in the Exploring & Discovering Phase

Following the Session:

Complete the “Do” and “Apply” in the Exploring & Discovering Phase. Respond to the questions in the Organizing & Integrating Phase in a

personal journal entry.

Suggested format for a sixty minute study: During the Session:

Respond to the questions as a group discussion in the Activating & Engaging Phase.

Respond to the questions in the Exploring & Discovering Phase. Read the assigned section in the Exploring & Discovering Phase. Complete the “Do” and “Apply” in the Exploring & Discovering Phase. Complete the “Apply” tasks after the session Respond to the questions as a group discussion in the Organizing &

Integrating Phase either during the session or in a personal journal entry.

In both suggested formats allow a period at the beginning of each session for participants to share notes, artifacts, and reflections of applications from earlier study.


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SECTION ONE:

ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT LEARNING-FOCUSED SUPERVISION

Focus: Why learning-focused supervision?

Four qualities of Learning-focused Supervision

Assumptions informing Learning-focused Supervision

Activating & Engaging

What beliefs drive your interactions with experienced staff? With novice staff? How do

they differ?

What are some of your assumptions about the need for learning-focused supervisory

practices?

Exploring and Discovering

Read:

Section One: Four Qualities of Learning-focused Supervision—pages 1-2

Do:

What are some connections/ relationships between the four qualities and your

present work?

Read:

Section One: Assumptions about Learning-focused Supervision--pages 3-4

Do:

Review your assumptions of learning-focused supervision. In what ways do your

assumptions align with the text?

What are some ways that supervisory practice in your work setting reflects the

complexity of teaching?

What are some ways that conversations informed by clear and shared standards

influence (or might influence) improvements in teaching practice and student

learning?

How does this developmental approach to supervision compare with present

practices in your work setting?

What are some things in your work setting that promote a culture for learning?

What are some things that get in the way?

Apply:

Collect notes, data, and artifacts that capture ways you customize your adult learning

relationships and create a safe environment for risk-taking. Bring these to Session Two.

Organizing & Integrating

What are some things you are learning about yourself as a supervisor?

In what ways might you apply your new understandings?


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SECTION TWO: FOUR STANCES: THE CONTINUUM OF

LEARNING-FOCUSED INTERACTION

Focus: The Continuum of Learning-focused Interaction

Developing three supervisory capacities

Navigating four stances

Applying the third point


What are some of the ways you modify your supervisory approach when working with

teachers with varying degrees of skill and/or experience?

Exploring & Discovering

When your intention is to support teacher growth and learning, what are some things to

which you pay attention to determine your success?

Read: Section Two: Four Stances: The Continuum of Learning-focused Interaction—pages 5-

17 and the Nine Strategies for Learning-focused Consultation on pages 68-69.

Do:

Create examples for the Nine Strategies for Learning-focused Interaction on pages

68-69.

“Profile” a teacher: note some brief information about years of experience, grade

level/content area, strengths and stretches. Consider: How might fluent and

flexible application of the Continuum support and develop increased expertise for

this teacher?

Generate a list of potential ‘third points’ for use in your learning-focused

conversations.

Apply:

Identify several teachers you supervise. Practice flexibility of stance, paying

close attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues that indicate which stance

might be most appropriate.

Choose specific strategies for each stance and apply them during your interactions

with others.

Experiment with choosing and using a third point in several conversations.

Keep a journal of your findings.

Organize & Integrate

What are some connections you are making between the stances within the Continuum of

Learning-focused Interaction and developing teachers’ capacities?

What are some specific applications of the Continuum of Interaction for your work?


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SECTION THREE: STRUCTURED CONVERSATION

Focus: Learning-focused Conversations

Planning conversations

Reflecting conversations

Specialized Applications


Think of a time when you had a particularly effective supervisory conversation with a

teacher. What were the attributes of that conversation? Describe specific, observable

behaviors.


Read:

Section Three: Structured Conversations—pages 19-26.

Do:

Review the structured conversation templates on pages 20-21 and compare with

your present practice.

Choose several questions from the templates to incorporate into your learning-

focused conversations.

With a partner, take turns applying one of the conversation templates (either

planning or reflecting) to a specific professional event. (Note: each conversation

should be about 8 minutes).

Apply:

Choose several teachers with varying levels of skill and/or experience. Apply the

conversation templates with each of these colleagues.

Collect notes and artifacts on the results of your practice and bring to Session

Four.


What are you noticing about the influence of applying the planning and reflecting

templates during your interactions with teachers?


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SECTION FOUR: LEARNING-FOCUSED TOOLKIT

Part I

Focus: Nonverbal and verbal tools for learning-focused conversations

Attending fully

Pausing to promote thinking

Applying paraphrase


What are some ways that you communicate that you are paying attention to someone?

What are some verbal and non-verbal actions that create conditions for receptivity and

learning?


Read: Section Four: Learning-Focused Toolkit—pages 27-39.

Do:

What are some of your own blocks to understanding?

Note the conditions that trigger these non-productive listening patterns for you.

Identify which of the four pauses might be productive additions to your practice.

Choose at least two examples from each page and complete those exercises on

paraphrasing on pages 70-75.

Apply:

Practice the four “Do’s” of the paraphrase on page 36.

Practice thoughtfulness through purposeful pausing.

Bring your reflections regarding the learning-focused toolkit to Session Five.


What are some discoveries you’re making about the influence of the pausing in your

learning-focused conversations?

What are some discoveries you’re making about the influence of the paraphrase in your

learning-focused conversations?

What are you learning about yourself that will support/impede your practice?

What learning strategies will you employ to increase your listening and paraphrasing

skillfulness?


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SECTION FOUR: LEARNING-FOCUSED TOOLKIT

Part II

Focus: Invitational Inquiry

Creating the conditions for thinking

Constructing effective inquiries

Focusing thinking


What are some things that make you willing to think out loud, especially when you don’t

“know”?


Read:

Section Four: Learning-Focused Toolkit— Read (or re-read) pages 32-33 and

pages 41-47.

Do:

Complete the Embedding Positive Presuppositions exercise page 77

Complete Vague Language exercise page 82.

Complete at least one example on each page of the Paraphrases and Questions

that focus thinking on pages 83-85.

Complete at least two examples on each page of the From Description to

Thoughtfulness exercise on page 88.

Apply:

Listen for deletions and generalizations and note when and how you might pause,

paraphrase and inquire to focus thinking.

Apply your inquiry skills to the planning and reflecting conversations – bring

samples of questions that were particularly effective.

Bring reflections regarding your use of the full learning-focused toolkit to Session

Six.


What are some discoveries you are making about the influence of your non-verbal and

verbal choices on your learning-focused relationships?

What are you learning about yourself that will support/impede your practice?

What learning strategies will you employ to increase your skillfulness?


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SECTION FIVE: LEARNING-FOCUSED SUPERVISION:

DEVELOPING EXPERTISE

Focus: Developing Professional Expertise

Novice to expert practice

Expert teachers’ professional lenses


When you think of an expert, what are some characteristics that come to mind?

When you consider stages of teacher development from novice to more skillful levels,

what are some approaches you apply to support growth and increase expertise?


Read: Section Five: Learning-focused Supervision: Developing Expertise—pages 49-62.

Do:

Think of some examples of current instructional initiatives in your setting.

o Apply the five lenses of professional capacities to these examples.

o Note the areas of expertise that appear to be most developed and the areas

that appear to need strengthening for project success.

Choose and complete at least one example on each page of the Developing

Teacher Expertise exercises pages 78-81.

Apply:

Complete the Learning-focused Supervision Skills: Primary Trait Rubric on pages

97-100.

Establish some learning goals based upon the results of the self-assessment.


What are you noticing about your increasing expertise as a learning-focused supervisor?

What are some new understandings you are developing about your own professional

capacities?

What is your professional vision of supervisory expertise?


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PKL - miravia.com · What are some ways that supervisory practice in your work setting reflects the complexity of teaching? What are some ways that conversations informed by clear