Session 1 of series for virtually coaching teachers who are adjusting to distanced teaching.

Here’s a transcript of this video:
– Well, it’s just about 03:30 Central Time, 01:30 Pacific Time. So I think we will jump right in. How does that sound?

– All right.

– Excellent. Well, good afternoon, welcome. We thank you. And we are so excited about you joining us today. We are presenting from our homes, and I was actually working at my kitchen table earlier today. This is the first session of our kitchen table coaching series. Throughout our session, we welcome questions and comments, and please feel free to add them directly into the chat. We will be monitoring chat, and we’ll have a question and answer towards the end. Our first session that we are sharing today is focused on virtually coaching distance teachers. This is a four week series happening every Thursday in May at 1:30pm Pacific Time. Please feel free to share our content at #PLtogether or visit us at pltogether.com. This is a first initiative that we’re doing and we’re really excited to be able to share it with as many people as possible. Here is our agenda for today. We’re gonna be able to start by introducing ourselves. Then we’ll have the opportunity to discuss high quality distance professional learning, ways of collecting artifacts of distance teaching, and then demo what we like to call a recipe for success. I’m gonna start out by first introducing myself. My name is Heather Purzner and I’m a member of the partner success team here at Edthena. I began my career in education as a classroom teacher. I taught in New York City. After spending some time in the classroom, I had the opportunity to manage after school programs across New York. That led me to a role in coaching and consulting focused on literacy. And that’s really where I was able to see firsthand the power of video, both from the coach perspective, and then also from the teachers lens. So that is why I’m so excited to be able to be a member of the partner success team here at Edthena.

– Hi guys. I really appreciate you guys being here today. Thanks so much for coming. We appreciate everyone being here. Really excited about today. My name is Rob McCreary. Like Heather, I also am a former teacher. Started my career in education as a middle school math teacher. And now like Heather, I’m a member of the partner success team here at Edthena, which essentially means we’re kind of the drivers of the partnerships at Edthena in terms of making sure our partners use our platform successfully, like other used video in the classroom and really excited to share about it’s kind of experience and how it can help today in this kind of virtual world that we’re in.

– So let’s talk a little bit about what Edthena is. Edthena makes teacher videos the core of professional learning. Edthena helps teachers analyze teaching using classroom video and online collaboration. I share this video conversation inside of Edthena because it illustrates one of the ways that the collaboration looks. So you’ll notice here, here is a teacher providing instruction. And underneath the video, you can see there are some comments. This is where the teacher, her coach and colleagues can have a discussion about what occurred inside of the lesson.

– Okay, so we wanted to start with this picture here, is kind of an example of something that is kind of in the norm not too long ago, something you would probably all be used to seeing a classroom, a live classroom experience, right? This is kind of where we used to be. Things have kind of transitioned currently, and we’ll discuss that later. But what I wanted to just kind of recollect on is this is where things work, where you actually get to have dialogue with your students. So this is what it would be like as a teacher, obviously. And then the next picture here shows kind of the actual coaching relationship that you may be used to with your coaches and instructional coach and a teacher, right? Where the feedback that you’re giving could most likely happen in a one-on-one sitting environment. And that’s not where we are now. So the transition that we’re probably all getting used to currently is this more virtual distance teaching world. What’s unique about that, and I think actually presents an opportunity with the use of videos is now that a lot of our type of distance teaching is happening in this way. There’s really an opportunity because the ease of use of recording video is already there, right? We’re probably already using some type of package when you’re chatting with your students that can be recorded. So that still almost makes it easier that recording and virtual coaching could happen. So to go into what virtual coaching is, first, I’m gonna chat a little bit about what it is not. So where we are kind of right now in this webinar format that we’re presenting to you now, that’s not what virtual coaching or personalized professional development is in our mind, that is, you know, webinars more kind of this traditional sit and get, I’m getting information format. That’s not what it is in terms of virtual coaching. What we think virtual coaching is, is when a teacher is able to actually gather feedback that is directed and personalized to a specific instructional skill. Where coaches out there is able to actually gather and see content that’s produced by a teacher and give targeted feedback.

– So the two subjects that really come to my mind when I first start thinking about virtual coaching are ELA and math. And that’s really why I started with these subjects. But as I’m connecting with my friends, who are educators and our partners here at Edthena, we are seeing really firsthand that virtual coaching is implemented across a variety of different content areas. Inside of Edthena, all content area teachers can upload their videos and share these videos with their coaches and their colleagues. So there are many different types of things that coaches can focus on when they are working with teachers. Lots of different instructional strategies. So when we have been thinking of building an in-person observation feedback process, whether that is with a formal coach, or a colleague providing feedback to someone else, perhaps in the same grade, or this same subject team. It may be focusing on, how are teachers facilitating checks for understanding. Are all students involved in the learning? And how our procedures and routines helping to create positive learning environments. So now I’m going to ask you to imagine, how would you coach about these ideas if you are coaching virtually. How would you coach about these things that are so important in a face-to-face teaching environment when the teaching is not happening in person? Well, our goal here today is to share how it might not be all that different. So thinking about distance teaching, we understand there is a wide variety of distance teaching that is happening that can be captured and shared with coaches and colleagues. We have seen organizations, universities, K-12 districts, all use different types of distance teaching to meet the needs of their students. So when we’re thinking about distance teaching, we are essentially thinking about two different types, synchronous and asynchronous. I wanna share this academic language about the different types of distance teaching. Synchronous would be a group of students engaged in learning at the same time. So some examples could possibly be live teaching via video conference, perhaps office hours, or maybe conference calls with students and or families, all happening at the same time. The other type of distance teaching we know is happening nationwide is asynchronous. Asynchronous is a learning event that uses online learning resources to facilitate learning outside the constraints of time and place. So some of these examples could include perhaps a flipped classroom video, learning management system assignments, or maybe recorded student presentations. So has anyone had the opportunity to try and use this and implement distance teaching. If so, what type of distance teaching is your organization doing? Please feel free to share in the chat. I wanna share a little bit about some examples of a coaching cycle. So here we see two coaching cycles. We see one example from American Institutes For Research, AIR, and the other from My Teaching Partner, MTP. Both of these coaching cycles have a routine in place. The common thread for these coaching cycles and many other coaching cycles is providing feedback to teachers. Whether you provide support in an in-person model like in the past, or if you are providing support now in a virtual coaching capacity. It will still have that routine. The idea of having the coaching process in place is not new. The idea that defining the routine or keeping the same routine and adapting it to the virtual instruction, that’s really going to help teachers make the transition to reflection and improving their distance teaching. Those same types of strategies can be used in virtual coaching inside of Edthena. And Edthena can provide support. The same way coaches have been providing focus speed back in the classroom, that can happen in a virtual environment inside of Edthena. So now we’ll be able to go live inside of Edthena to really show how to make virtual coaching more concrete, with a real world example of how to use artifacts of distance teaching to facilitate a virtual coaching process. So my colleague Rob McCreary, and I will show you as we go live now.

– Okay, so I’m gonna go ahead and share my screen with you guys. And as just as a note, I saw a bunch of the chats coming in here about the kind of difference between what people are doing in terms of synchronous and asynchronous and it really seems like a good mixture of both. So if that’s where you’re at, I wanna give that as kind of an example of what people can see. Okay, so what you guys should be seeing right now is we’re inside of Edthena. For those who are familiar with it, we are inside of a group. For those of you who may be not seen Edthena before, all of the sharing and commenting of videos happen inside of created groups, and you are able to share videos with people inside of those groups. So that’s where we are now. Before we go into the video, I’m gonna give a little background about who I am in this scenario. So imagine me to be a teacher. I am let’s say like a elementary math teacher. And I am about to, with the video that I showed is modeling a specific skill set for parents at home to then teach their students, their kids. This might be something that you guys have seen. So an example I’m sure you guys are doing a lot, like you’ve said in terms of different synchronous and asynchronous teaching. This is what we’re gonna show. So imagine this is me, I’ve recorded this video, I’m gonna send it in Home, and we’re kind of in phase, probably three of that instructional cycle. I’ve already recorded a video, flipped classroom type style video, I have uploaded and shared it to an instructional coach and now I need to watch it to kind of get some feedback from it. Okay, we’re gonna go ahead and play it now. It’s about two minutes. So just we’re gonna go through a majority of the video. Robert McCreary. And today I’m gonna show you how to model a fourth grade math learning assignment at home. Now, the first thing you need to get started before you model this out with your students at home, is to have your chapter one packet in front of you. You should go to the subheading, adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. Okay, once you have that packet in front of you, let’s get started and how to model this example. First, go ahead and show them the learning target that you’re going to be hosting. Students will review rule for adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. Next, show them the same denominator we’re referencing. Step 1, add or subtract numerator, leave denominator the same. Step 2, reduce if necessary. Then we’re gonna go ahead and provide some examples. Problem 1, we have 3/7 + 2/7. Now remember, we add the top numbers, 3 + 2 = 5 and keep the bottom number the same. Bottom number is 7, so we have 3/7 + 2/7 = 5/7. Next, we have 4/5 – 2/5. Remember we subtract the top number 4 – 2 = 2. And we keep the bottom number the same, of 5. So we have 4/5 – 2/5 =`2/5. Your turn. Now you have your student at home, complete these 3 practice problems in front of you. Okay, so that was an example as a teacher, right. And I could send this video to my instructional coach, regardless of it not being a flipped classroom or excuse me, a live classroom type video more of a flipped classroom style video. I could still seek that type of constructive feedback from my coach. And that’s what we’re about to show you now. I think it’s an interesting opportunity to show that regardless of the classroom style video, as a teacher, you could still kind of garner that feedback. This could happen before or after in this situation me sending it home to parents. Maybe I’ve already sent it and I want some feedback on it. Or maybe I am going to send it to an instructional coach and receive some feedback before I send it to students or parents. So I’m gonna stop sharing my screen and kind of provided a sample of the instructional coach.

– Excellent. Thank you so much Rob. So right now I am logged on as a coach. So I’m gonna have the opportunity now to watch the video again. And I’m gonna leave some comments.

– Hi! My name is Robert Mcreary. And today I’m gonna show you how to model a fourth grade math learning assignment at home. Now, the first thing you need to get started before you model this out with your students at home, is to have your chapter one packet in front of you. You should go to the subheading, adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator. Okay, once you have that packet in front of you, let’s get started and how to model this example. First, go ahead and show them the learning target that you’re going to be hosting. Students will review rule for adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator.

– I’m going to stop the video here because I think this is a great example of a strength. I think this learning target is super clear. Definitely a learning target that both parents, families, teachers can really get grounded in. So I’m gonna give some feedback to Rob. Very clear and specific learning target. I’m also going to be able to add some information here within the framework. I think this is a great example of perhaps setting instructional outcomes. And I’m gonna click on submit. And now this is some feedback for Rob.

– Next, show them the same denominator we’re referencing. Step 1, add or subtract numerator leaved denominator the same. Step 2, reduce if necessary. Then we’re gonna go ahead and provide some examples. Problem 1, we have 3/7 + 2/7. Now remember, we add the top numbers 3 + 2 = 5, and keep the bottom number the same.

– I’m also going to stop here. This is something I have a question about. So I’m gonna click on question. And what I’m interested in learning more, what I’m curious about is have you introduced math vocabulary to your students? I noticed that Rob is talking about the top number and the bottom number. So I’m wondering about that math vocabulary. And I’m also going to connect it to the framework here. I’m gonna select demonstrating knowledge of content. And I’m gonna click on Submit

– Bottom number is 7, so we have 3/7 + 2/7 = 5/7.

– Now as the coach, I’m essentially I could watch the rest of the video, I can provide some more feedback. But I can quick, I’m feeling like this process is very efficient, I’m really able to provide some very targeted, some very information and feedback that Rob can get grounded in, that really will help with his next lesson. And then I can move on to the next video that another teacher has shared with me. So going back to the instructional cycles that we discussed, essentially there would be that routine in place to support teachers in their practice. And so what we’re sharing with you now is that coaching can continue in that same type of routine.

– And then on my side here, kind of as the teacher in the scenario, we’re kind of on that final phase of the instructional coaching cycle where essentially now I’ve received my feedback, I can reflect on it, and then I can start changing practice, right? So in this instance, I could comment on my own video if that’s something I’d want to do or reply to comments. I’ll go ahead and do that. I’m looking at the video on my side. So I just replied, as you can see from my coach saying, “Hey, right, I probably should have used more specific academic language, numerator denominator as opposed to using top and bottom number,” right? That probably wouldn’t have been the right thing to say in that scenario. But what’s positive is you can see as a teacher, regardless of the video type, even that is flipped classroom style, you can still garner that feedback that’s based on professional skills, the same type of comments you would be getting from an instructional coach, if it was a live classroom. And then I had a chat someone wrote in about just pertaining to, I think inside the video admin had mentioned, a math packet is that the notebook I was using, I think in this video when you’re modelling kind of an instructional skill, my idea is that would be something you would send in maybe back to a parent if there’s a packet that the teacher is doing. So that was the reference that I wanted to clarify that for you guys.

– Thanks Rob. I also want to share a resource that we have inside of Edthena that would really support coaching inside of Edthena. So if we click on this Help icon, you will notice the second option, it says strategies to promote inquiry based conversations. So this is a resource that could help colleagues and coaches really reference some of the different ways to position the comments for that productive discourse within the platform. This document will provide support as you’re using Edthena for your virtual coaching.

– Okay, so wrapping up here and that’s a document we can send out to you guys as well. I’ll go ahead and share my screen to kind of go back to the actual PowerPoint here as we finish up. And it should hopefully be actually going into the slide now. But we’ll go to kind of some Q&A that we’re out here. So as this this PowerPoints kind of loading, I see one question that came in, in regards to the devices you would use to record flipped classroom videos. Great question. So like I kind of said, I think what’s interesting and a unique opportunity to record these type of videos that we’re all in now is, it’s almost easier than it would be if it was in a live classroom because a majority of these synchronous type style videos already have the software application to record, right? You’re probably using Zoom or some other type of virtual conference. So you can actually record that pretty easily. And then if you’re gonna be doing some type of flipped classroom style, in my instance, I just use my phone, which is probably something you’d be familiar with if you’re gonna be recording a live classroom video, but you really just could use whatever device works for you the best. Let’s see if we have another question here. Couple more. Could you do this as an observation of a class discussion? Yeah, I think that’d be a really unique and interesting opportunity too. Like I said, you probably would be having class discussions inside of Zoom. So then, if you wanted to post that video onto something like Edthena, as an instructional coach, the instructional coach could then view that and provide commentary about how you’re facilitating a discussion inside of classroom so I think that’s a great idea. Some other questions here. Recording phone conference, if you’re not using video, could you do that? Yes, so that’s something you can do, too. We’ve noticed people who will record audio conversations and still upload those to a platform like Edthena, because you can still provide rich dialogue and an audio conversation, even if it’s not video ’cause in this instance, in the synchronized world, sometimes the video is not as important, right? You really just looking for that dialogue. So that’s also something that you could do as well. We’ll do one or two more. When the coach was connecting the comment to a standard or divisions able to choose what goes in these drop down fields based on how they’re using the system. Great question. And yeah, you can. So you can actually standardize whatever framework you’re using and apply in a platform like Edthena, so you can base your comments on the professional skills that your district or school is actually utilizing. So we use a Danielson in that example. It’s kind of our standard, but you could use whatever that you are actually using. Okay, I think that’s kind of our last bit of questions that have come in here. If you guys have any other questions, feel free to reach out to us. We’ll definitely get back in touch with you with a copy of this video too. I have one more question here. So let’s… No I didn’t see it. How do teachers respond to the comments left? Do comments begin a type of chat dialogue? I’ve missed this. Yeah, so you can respond specifically to your comment with inside of Edthena just by pressing reply, and then you can also make comments on your video too. So some people do that as teachers I think when you’re reflecting upon your video before, you want to have your instructional coach do that, I know that was positive for me as a teacher, I would like to kind of view it first. So we’d know what we’d be talking about. And that’s something you can do too. And there’s a couple other questions in here. I know we’re kind of running out of time. So I think what I might do is answer them and send them to you guys individually. So for anyone who wrote a question, I didn’t get to, I apologize, and I’ll reach out and respond as well. So just as we’re kind of wrapping up here, this is a four week series. So if you’re interested and enjoyed, we really appreciate you guys come in. And next week, we’re really gonna be discussing how you could facilitate this distance teaching collaboration amongst teachers, right? So really like a pure collaboration. So, really hope that you guys can join for that. And then Heather, if you wanna talk about our little hashtag again, before we close out here, and then we’ll close out. We really appreciate you guys.

– Yes, definitely. Thanks so much Rob. So again, thank you for joining today. We hope you can join us again next week for our second session. Again, please feel free to visit us at PLtogether.org or #PLtogether. This is our kitchen table coaching series. And we’re really enjoying just sharing this content with all of you. And if you do want to get in touch with us, you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at support at edthena.com . We are here to provide support to answer any questions that you may have. And thank you.

– And again, there’s a couple other questions here. I’ll make sure to respond. So it’ll respond to you individually on these and then if you want a copy of the video, it’ll get sent via cloud, so you can use it and watch it and send it as well. We hope to see you guys again next week. Really appreciate everybody’s time.

– Yep, we thank you and appreciate your time today, from our home to yours. Thank you. Bye.

– Thanks everybody.