Relationships among educators and with students are foundational to the positive culture you create in your school community. As we shared in our recent blog, Why Video Coaching is Important This Fall, “teachers who have a strong, trusting relationship with their coach or mentor can use that relationship as a model of what to build with each student they teach.”  When educators participate in video-based coaching it is imperative that the tools they use facilitate respect, trust, and instructive communication to help sustain strong relationships.

We already know video is the ideal medium for observations because the most actionable feedback is gained from gathering and examining evidence of a teacher’s practice in a real classroom setting. Unlike in-person observations, videos portray authentic classroom environments where both teacher and students can act naturally, unencumbered by a visitor. When videos depict authentic classroom experiences, feedback becomes more specific and leads to greater growth outcomes too. Feedback tools like our Time-Stamped Annotation also make it easy for educators to set goals, track their progress, and communicate about what was observed in class. 

This is why Swivl is making feedback a priority with our Teams product release today, with Sessions.

Sessions make for better feedback

Feedback without clarity results in confusion. Classroom observations should have clear intentions. In our newest feature, Sessions, we’ve made it so you set your Intention upfront. As with many meaningful activities associated with delivering feedback, the first step is to define your “look-fors” not only for yourself but for your feedback partners. Important questions to ask yourself when setting an Intention for your video:

• What do you hope to accomplish in this video? 
• Does the evidence you will record allow you an opportunity to achieve your Intention? If not, before you proceed it might be helpful to go back and record another short segment of the instruction that allows you to explore the context of your Intention. 
• Where do you want your viewers to focus so they know how to reflect, question, and comment throughout your video?

Example: “In this math lesson, I would like to analyze which students struggle when I ask them to describe the method they chose to arrive at their answer.”

To continue your Session make sure to provide feedback, in the form of Time-Stamped Annotation on the video. This is the real “meat” so be clear with your response. The more time you take to reflect on what evidence you choose to address, the more evidence there will be for others  to respond to and reflect on. This is also a great time to highlight your “glows” and identify your “grows” with Web Bookmarking. Start comments with Prompts for guidance, and utilize Rubrics that tie into your organization’s coaching or self-reflection frameworks. When combined, these tools pave the way for structured, meaningful feedback on every observable teaching practice exhibited throughout the video.

When you are finished with Time-Stamped Annotations, it is time to consider the entire observation, summarize your experience, and define next steps.

Specifically: 

• Did you meet the Intention you set? 
• If not, what will you do differently next time? 
• What are your next steps from here?
• How will you use what you learned in this video to impact other areas of your instruction going forward? 

Example: “I learned that a majority of students in my green group struggled with describing the methodology they chose to develop the answer to the problems. In my next video, I’ll work on some new strategies to help them break down those building blocks of problem-solving and utilize scaffolded questioning to help them answer my targeted question around methodology.”

We have left ample room for you to develop a meaningful Summary response so take your time when using this space to conclude your actions in this Session.

Watch this 30-second video on Sessions to see just how easy it really is.

We hope that these improvements will bring greater purpose for your experience inside Teams so you can focus on the heart of the observation process: Clear and prescriptive feedback based on video evidence.

The post We’ve Made Actionable Feedback Central to the Teams Platform appeared first on Swivl.

81% of educators said they taught less than typical or no new instructional material during the spring of 2020.¹ Statistics like this have led educators to believe that one of the biggest challenges we face in the 2021-22 school year is learning loss.

But is learning loss the root issue or simply a symptom of a larger problem?

While it is clear that students have experienced significantly reduced academic growth throughout the pandemic, students lost more than “learning” — they lost relationships with their peers and educators.

In education, relationships matter. At Swivl we’ve spent the past decade studying coaching and relationships, specifically the value they bring to human development. Our findings align with others: learning and emotion are strongly connected. More specifically, strong, long-term, trusting relationships are essential to a student’s learning and development.²

Most of the environments students and educators operated daily in throughout the pandemic did not foster strong, trusting relationships. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators were operating in crisis mode — navigating equity issues and the learning curves that accompany new technologies, as well as feeling burnt out from the overuse of virtual platforms.

And, let’s not forget that the small, daily interactions teachers had with their students in school hallways, classrooms, cafeterias, and during after-school activities disappeared due to social distancing. Pre-pandemic, these were powerful times of impromptu relationship building, coaching, and modeling.

But, how does focusing on building relationships with students help propel a student’s academic learning?

Linda Darling-Hammond, the President and CEO of The Learning Policy Institute says it best, “What the science of learning and development tells us is that … if you’re in a positive emotional space, if you feel good about yourself and your teacher, that actually opens up the opportunity for more learning.”³

When students are in environments that foster closeness, consistency, and trust, they become more willing to take risks and stay curious. Building strong relationships with students empowers them emotionally, socially, and academically. They gain a sense of belonging and increased motivation in the classroom, as well as the self-confidence to believe more is possible for them. 

How do we go about solving the issue of relationship loss? 

The education world’s typical approach to resolving issues (including relationship loss) is to assess, assess, assess. After quickly assessing and categorizing students, we cross our fingers and hope that in a few months when it’s time to reassess we see an improvement in their scores.

If the pandemic taught us anything, I hope it’s taught us that the education world’s typical approach to resolving issues is flawed. When we treat students as test scores, what narrative are we unintentionally, or intentionally, sending students?

Treating students as numbers diminishes motivation. It leads to a dip in self-confidence and a tendency to set lower expectations for themselves.

Long story short, using the assessment approach puts the content before the student, more often than not. Instead of starting with assessments to counter the issue of learning loss, start with having a conversation with each student. After a positive relationship has been established, a student will be more receptive to assessments and additional support. A student can even be part of the conversation about what support would be best for them during the school year.

How do we create these types of strong, long-term relationships with students?

It is more than requiring students to introduce themselves via video or having them complete an interest survey. As simple as it sounds, it all starts with having regular and consistent conversations inside and outside of the classroom.

As schools are returning to in-person instruction, we may find it challenging to find time to connect with each student individually. This is where our research comes into play.

One of the most successful ways we have found to connect with each student individually is through audio-only platforms. For example, when teachers:

• have online office hours before a project deadline
• continue a robust classroom conversation after school hours
• host brainstorm sessions to solve a community problem
• invite all of their class periods to practice their foreign language skills together

Audio-only platforms create a learning environment where students and teachers can easily connect outside of class time — synchronously or asynchronously. This learning environment also helps all types of students feel like they can participate, especially those who are more introverted in class.

Are there any other benefits to having strong relationships with students?

Teachers who have strong relationships with their students are able to customize new curriculum or trends within their classroom. They are able to see more clearly how each student may react to it, and what steps they can take to personalize each student’s learning.

In addition, focusing on relationships opens up the potential for more modeling. And in particular, it is effective for teaching things like values. 

For example, if a student is in a finance class they will likely be taught the importance of saving for long-term goals. When a finance teacher models the value of delayed gratification to their students, the students gain a clear picture of what delayed gratification is and are more likely to apply it to their everyday life. Meaning, the next time students have an opportunity to indulge in an impulse purchase, they’re more likely to remember what their finance teacher taught them about saving for long-term goals. 

And in a world where instant gratification is at our fingertips, we think building the skill of prioritizing values over emotions — otherwise known as emotional maturity — is one of the most important things we can do. 

The bottom line: before we start assessing students and categorizing them by areas of improvement, let’s build a relationship with each of them. We can begin building these relationships by having more conversations with them.

Sources:

1. University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development survey, spring 2020.
2. “How the Science of Learning and Development Can Transform Education,” Science of Learning & Development Alliance, May 2020
3. “The Power of Relationships in Schools,” Edutopia, January 2019

The post Relationships Have the Power to Change Education appeared first on Swivl.

The next four years really matter when it comes to addressing teacher retention.

In 2020, the National Education Association conducted a nationwide poll of educators. They found that 28% of educators are more likely to retire early or leave the profession due to the pandemic.¹ From brand new teachers to school leaders and mentors with over 30 years of experience, everyone is feeling the burnout of navigating uncertainty, hybrid learning, and working remotely (hello, Zoom fatigue).

At times, it can feel like teacher turnover is compounding. Pre-pandemic, 40 percent of teachers left the profession within five years of starting.² In addition to these statistics, the U.S. education system was already facing challenges with teacher shortages and a lack of diversity within the workforce. 

While some teachers have decided to head back into the classroom for the 21-22 school year, there is still great uncertainty around retention rates. Issues adding to the uncertainty include: 

• The Delta variant, 
• Government mandates, 
• Concerns from parents and guardians, and 
• Learning loss.

There are many conversations happening within the education community about how to address teacher retention. Trending solutions often feel complex, unachievable, and dismissive of the social and emotional health of teachers.This is why at Swivl we believe that if schools and districts do one thing this fall, it’s to have more conversations with their teachers. Here’s why.

Prioritizing Relationships Empowers Teachers

Most of the environments teachers operated in daily throughout the pandemic did not foster strong, trusting relationships. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators were operating in crisis mode. And, let’s not forget that the small, daily interactions with their administrators, peers, and students in school hallways, classrooms, cafeterias, and during after-school activities disappeared due to social distancing. Pre-pandemic, these were powerful times of impromptu relationship building, coaching, and modeling for teachers.

The environments administrators and teachers are returning to this year aren’t ripe for cultivating strong, trusting relationships either. Educators had a lot of hope at the end of the last school year — hope that the 2021-22 year would resemble some form of pre-pandemic life, especially as states lifted mask and travel restrictions. But, having to return to more uncertainty around what this school year will look like, compounded with the pressure to make up for lost time (e.g. learning loss), makes it easy to feel less hopeful, less optimistic, and less motivated to build relationships.

And while it is easy to reminisce about pre-pandemic school years, what was considered a normal school environment back then often was not encouraging of relationship development. Even though teachers worked in a building with dozens of other educators it was common for teachers to feel isolated and to only have one or two strong, trusting relationships with their peers.

When people are in a positive emotional space — in an environment that fosters closeness, consistency, and trust — this actually opens up the opportunity for connection and learning. Even in the midst of uncertainty and burnout teachers can become more willing to take risks and stay curious in these environments. Risk-taking and curiosity are two skills that are essential for fueling motivation, cultivating belonging, and increasing self-confidence. They are also the two skills that can have a positive impact on teacher retention.

How Trusting Relationships Impact Teacher Retention

Due to last year’s remote and hybrid learning, both first and second year teachers are experiencing what it’s like to be “new” to classroom teaching this year. And while teachers with more experience may have the skills and knowledge they need to feel successful, they might be feeling a bit rusty. 

Administrators can help teachers learn the ins and outs of classroom teaching, and brush up on their classroom management skills by cultivating strong, trusting relationships with them.

Trust is an important element of the administrator and teacher relationship. When administrators and teachers have trust in each other they feel like their voice matters, that they are valued for their perspective and contribution, and it creates a space where it is safe to show up as their authentic selves.

Brené Brown, a research professor who studies courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, explains how people can build trust with each other, “Trust is earned in the smallest of moments. It is earned not through heroic deeds, or even highly visible actions, but through paying attention, listening, and gestures of genuine care and connection.”⁴

Imagine what it would look like if a teacher had strong trusting relationships with their administration. Would teachers be more willing to take risks in the classroom to increase student engagement? Would teachers be more bold when brainstorming solutions with their peers? Would teachers be more candid in conversations about the social and emotional support they’re in need of? Yes! Yes to all of these and more.

Strong, trusting relationships between teachers and administrators create opportunities for learning and development — in both directions. There is an openness from both parties to receive and give feedback, model skills and values, and meet each other where they’re at. It also helps teachers be more open to different coaching and mentoring methods, including the use of video.

The Role of Video in Coaching and Mentoring

In a federal study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, they examined the benefits of mentorship programs. They found that 92 percent of first-year teachers who had mentors returned to the classroom for a second year.⁵ 

When we’re talking about mentoring and coaching, we are not talking about traditional approaches. Traditionally, evaluation systems dictate that a teacher’s performance during observations has an impact on whether or not they are re-hired, especially for new teachers. The observer holds the power to end or continue the teacher’s job. There is often a heavy reliance on rubrics, checklists, and “look fors” to help guide the evaluation process.

The type of coaching and mentorship we’re referring to is helping teachers get as good as possible at teaching, building relationships with their students, and helping teachers feel supported throughout this process. This type of coaching and mentorship is much, much easier when an existing relationship is present. Why? It’s main purpose is to empower teachers to build strong, trusting relationships with their students. Teachers who have a strong, trusting relationship with their coach or mentor can use that relationship as a model of what to build with each student they teach.

Video is a powerful tool in this type of coaching and mentoring. Feedback shifts from performance-based to collecting and citing evidence. Being able to discuss what was observed makes it easier to set goals, track progress over time, and, when trusting relationships are present, creates the space for open dialogue.

When coaches and mentors are observing recordings to measure things like talk time and student questions, they can view these things through the lens of relationship building. Is what they are observing cultivating strong, trusting relationships between the teacher and students? Based on Swivl’s research and experience, we have found that the following five questions can help coaches, mentors, and teachers view recordings through a relationship building lens:

• Is the teacher asking a lot of questions to the students?
• How is the teacher prompting dialogue in their classroom?
• When students are responding to questions, is the teacher listening effectively to them?
• What methods is the teacher using to capture the students’ attention?
• Does the teacher know and use the students’ names?

Where to Begin with Video Coaching

It can be daunting to implement a video coaching program within a school. Educators often feel anxious about recording themselves, and without a process or plan in place it can be difficult to know what to do with the videos once they’re recorded.

Swivl has developed a strong relationship with Jim Knight, a video coaching expert. Jim has researched video coaching for over twenty and has experience working with over 100,000 coaches from around the world. His organization, the Instructional Coaching Group (ICG), is dedicated to helping educators develop the skills and tools they need to make a positive impact on students.

ICG has created hundreds of helpful resources to guide schools through the process of  implementing a video coaching program, and we have found that the two resources listed below are a great place to start:

1. A worksheet to create an observation plan. Video coaching sessions are most effective when a video observation plan is created before filming. Through completing this worksheet together, the coach and coachee create a shared understanding around the purpose and goals of the video observation.
2. An exercise to help educators become comfortable with video observations. For this simple exercise, educators are asked to identify two sections of a video recording that they like, and one or two sections of video that they would like to explore further with their coach. It also includes helpful tips for watching the video and completing the exercise (e.g. watch the entire recording in one sitting, uninterrupted)

While using video in coaching and mentoring works best if an existing relationship is already present, you can continue to build trust with teachers while using video.

Ways to Cultivate Trust with Teachers While Using Video

Visibly Better is a website created to share the transformative power of video within the classroom. Started in 2017 by the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University, Visibly Better, supported by Swivl’s research, compiled six practical ways to cultivate trust with teachers through video:⁶

1. Start small. Implement video gradually, as teachers feel ready. You might even consider starting with a pilot program for volunteers instead of making it mandatory for everyone.
2. Make it easy. Streamline the technology ahead of time. Make it as simple as possible in order to ease its adoption in the classroom.
3. Be clear. Tell teachers how the video will be used, how frequently it will be used, and what it will be used for. Explain how using video aligns with school and instructional priorities. The more information you can provide, the better.
4. Empower teachers. Give teachers the choice of which lessons they would like to be recorded. While you might have to prompt teachers to record imperfect lessons, giving them a choice helps teachers feel like they are part of the process.
5. Engage teachers early. Include teachers in the decision-making processes around the use of video as early as possible.
6. Recognize time constraints. It’s important to integrate video into existing responsibilities, processes, and time frames to avoid additional stress. It is appropriate to consider what tasks may have to be taken off their plates as you add video.

At Swivl we have spent the past decade helping schools around the world implement video coaching in their schools and districts. These experiences and findings help to shape the development of all of our products, especially Teams by Swivl. 

Five Ways To Use Teams by Swivl This Year

Teams by Swivl, is a web and app-based video collaboration system that allows educators to create videos for a variety of different uses, for example professional development, flipped classrooms, and teacher and student observations. Features like time-stamped commenting, video bookmarking, and video editing help to streamline video coaching processes and keep the conversation between coach and coachee going.

Below are five examples of ways administrators and teachers can use Teams by Swivl to cultivate strong, trusting relationships this year:

• Conducting a Peer-to-Peer visual visit that invites other teachers into their classroom during planning, PLN, or PLC time
• Providing in-ear coaching for new teachers using the live stream option
• Recording lessons for self-reflection to identify areas of growth in their instruction, content, and teaching style
• Creating training libraries so teachers can watch how classroom strategies can be applied within a classroom
• Posting recordings of PD sessions for teachers and administrators to refer back to

To recap, let’s start from the beginning. Teacher turnover will continue to be a pressing issue for the 2021-22 school year. To support new and experienced teachers transitioning back into the classroom, administrators can use video in their coaching and mentoring sessions. Video will be more widely accepted by teachers when an existing relationship is present. And, Teams by Swivl is a powerful video tool created to help teachers and administrators streamline video coaching processes, among other things.

Sources:

1. “Safety Concerns Over COVID-10 Driving Some Educators Out of the Profession,” National Education Association, August 2020.
2. “5 Things to Know About Today’s Teaching Force,” EdWeek, October 2018.
3. “How the Science of Learning and Development Can Transform Education,” Science of Learning & Development Alliance, May 2020.
4. “SuperSoul Sessions: The Anatomy of Trust,” Brené Brown, March 2018.
5. “Public School Teacher Attrition and Mobility in the First Five Years,” U.S. Department of Education, April 2015.
6. “Building Trust,” Visibly Better, The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, 2021.

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