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Focus, feedback, follow-through

Professional development basics guide district's plan

By Lori Renfro and Adriel Grieshaber
August 2009
Reading coach Amy Martin stepped into the classroom of 2nd-grade teacher Sharon Densford, who was asking students comprehension questions and reviewing the main idea of a reading passage. Putting pen to pad, Martin began collecting data on what Densford and the students were saying and doing, recording student engagement levels as the lesson progressed. During a discussion afterward, Martin praised Densford for stating the lesson objective to her students and consistently using academic language throughout the lesson. She then shared ideas for implementing higherlevel questioning to help raise student engagement levels. Reminding Densford of the high reading levels of her students, Martin encouraged her to create questions that would engage the students in learning and encourage thinking beyond the comprehension level. At the end of

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References

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NSDC. (2001). NSDC’s standards for staff development. Oxford, OH: Author.

Richardson, J. (2004). Taking measure: Innovation Configurations gauge the progress of a new initiative. Tools for Schools, 8(2), 1-7.

Roy, P. & Hord, S.M. (2003). Moving NSDC’s staff development standards into practice: Innovation configurations. Oxford, OH: NSDC.

Roy, P. & Hord, S.M. (2004). Innovation configuration maps: Chart a measured course toward change. JSD, 25(2), 54-58.

Speck, M. (1996). Best practice in professional development for sustained educational change. ERS Spectrum, 33-41.

WestEd. (2008a). Coach for success: Providing teachers with specific feedback. San Francisco: WestEd.

WestEd. (2008b). T4S: Teach for success. San Francisco: WestEd.

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