Summary and Thoughts / Connections for Chapter 5:
Chapter Topic: "Systematic Problem Solving (SPS) involves moving from problem to solution using a traditional four-phase process: (1) problem identification and verification; (2) problem formulation and intervention development; (3) intervention implementation; and (4) evaluation."
- Whether as a reading coach, or ELL Specialist, teachers assume that you will simply listen to their description of problems and then immediately provide a "prescription" of solution for solving them. [Is this because we are trained that we can do this at a doctor's office? At least once a week I have a teacher(s) email, message, or talk to me in person about a student or situation and want one quick fix-all answer. There isn't one, and until they understand that, they will continue to walk away disappointed. I do what I can at the moment, but it takes time to pinpoint the exact issue and know how to remedy it.
- Sometimes, it may be a good idea to not share the SPS model with the teacher, but for the coach to just use it as a framework for problem solving.
Phase 1: Problem Solving
- Get the facts - gather data from observations or assessments. NOT by word of mouth. [I had a student, during my first year of teaching, who teachers were not concerned about because he did his homework, didn't have behavior issues, answered questions, etc. When I pulled up his test grades -from their classes, they were all failing. When we looked at his state and district assessments, they were incredibly low. I found out that the teachers took it upon themselves to provide modified tests, projects, assignments, and accommodations -such as reading the test out loud with a para, even though I had never instructed them to do so. We stopped providing these supports and the student quickly struggled. We were able to identify what he needed help with, and provide the correct services.]
- Relevant: current, historical, and contextual information - Ask specific questions when talking to a teacher. (Is the student's reading challenge currently getting worse? Better? Is it pretty stable?. What interventions have you tried? Have the student's parents been involved? Have other teachers been involved?) Also, pay attention to how the teacher is communicating information to you. Body language, choice of words, hesitations, etc. can help through this first phase. This also helps you gather information about the teacher's tolerances, philosophy, background, skills, and style. Use your "coaching antenna".
- Not one size fits all - what works for one teacher will not necessarily work for another teacher. It all depends on the person's philosophy, classroom organization, specific knowledge, training, resources, skills, and experience that the teacher has or is lacking.
- Veteran versus novice. Veteran problem solvers know there is never "The Solution" for any problem. Although one goal of coaching is always to solve the referred problem, achieving this goal is not the problem solver's responsibility alone; it is a shared responsibility and collaborative effort. Sometimes the problem that was initially described, ultimately may not even end up being the targeted concern.
- A coach needs two brains:
Brain 1: Have a clear picture of the presenter's interpretation/perception of the concern, regardless of its accuracy, take note of subtle cues to things like the teacher's belief systems, tolerances, and philosophy. (Listen Intently!: Use the SOLAR position, reflect feelings, paraphrase content, ask questions to clarify, check perceptions, seek elaboration, summarize at transitions, avoid jargon and unnecessary interruptions.)
Brain 2: Maintain a stance of the ultimate skeptic and remain thoroughly unconvinced of the presented information. Teachers may be so caught up with the situation and emotionally involved/frustrated, that they lost their perspective of the facts.
- Hidden Agendas - You may find a teacher is carefully editing the information being shared to you. They may feel a student has been inappropriately placed in their classroom (and should be in SpEd or other alternate placement). What this teacher wants is to have the student removed, but is reluctant to say this to you directly. [I can think of at least one teacher who feels this way about a lot of students, unfortunately.]
- The coach should be mentally formulating a list of questions or hypotheses about the presented information that will have to be addressed. Before moving to the next phase, any additional data should be analyzed.
- Wrap up this phase by (1) briefly summarizing your understanding of the presented concern; (2) ask the teacher whether your summary is correct; and (3) ask whether the teacher wants to add any additional information.
Phase 2: Define problem, set goals, develop a plan.
1-Define the problem based on analysis of comprehensive and concrete data.
Determine whether or not the plan of collecting additional data was carried out. Meet with teacher to discuss it, ask them to voice their opinion. Make sure that when the classroom observation took place, in phase 1, that it was during a 'normal' day. If not, reschedule. Begin to present the gathered information with a positive comment about what was seen. Present and reflect any other collected information focusing on they key elements: points that will lead to an accurate problem definition, not just presenting and reviewing data. Present data in a more interpretable format - charts or graphs, for example.
Analyzing data takes a careful eye to see if there are patterns or clues that may explain why a problem developed or is continuing. Be sensitive to the teacher's pride: be skillful in presenting the information. Don't accuse or blame the teacher for their actions, lack of action, or implying fault. At the end, summarize what both the teacher and coach have observed, and state a concise, accurate, and complete definition of the problem. (Even if the problem doesn't match the original problem definition from Phase 1.)
2-Help the teacher set realistic and achievable goals.
Move the focus of the teacher away from the worries and concerns about 'the problem' and think instead about some potential positive outcomes.
3-Develop an intervention plan to address the concern and reach the identified goal.
"While developing the plan, it is important to include a process for the coach to both help ensure that the plan is being correctly implemented and provide support and assurance while the teacher attempts to make changes in the current patterns of interactions with the target student." Formative and summative assessments are good to include. The coach could use the formative data to help support the intervention, and summative to determine the degree in which the goals have been met.
- Go through summary wrap-up like at the end of Phase 1.
Phase 3: Implementing the Plan
- The teacher takes over! S/he implements the new method, uses additional instructional materials, sees that the student receives whatever help was specified in the plan of action, and collects any formative data. The coach will support the teacher so that the developed plan gets gets implemented accurately and completely and that data collection is conducted as planned. The teacher and coach can determine together whether the intervention should be continued, modified, or ended for some reason. [This sounds nearly identical to the SAT model I just completed for a student.]
Phase 4: Evaluation and Next Steps
- Together the coach and teacher analyze the information and use the results to make a decision about next steps. Should the intervention be: terminated, continued, or restructured? Even if the teacher feels all of the goals have been achieved, there are still a few things that need to be taken care of. For instance, was the original concern been sufficiently addressed? Are there other issues that require your assistance? Other students needing help? Etc.
Managing the SPS Process (It's collaborative!)
- The teacher: describes the concern and presents critical contextual information. They carry out the developed plan.
- The coach: decides what additional information is needed to help target the problem, leads the development of the intervention and evaluation plan, and supports the teacher during the implementation of the plan.
Streamlined Problem Solving
- This process certainly seems to take a long time, but thankfully, not ever problem that will come across your desk will required such a systematic and complete process.
Positives of a team: Sometimes it may be more efficient for a group of people to tackle a problem - such as a team of teachers versus just one individual. [Perhaps having multiple perspectives on a case, will lead to a clearer picture of what the problem is.] The more people that are working on the problem, the wider the diversity of possible solutions. Ideas generated by a team have a better chance of spreading and reaching other students - potentially preventing other issues to conspire.
Negatives of a team: Finding the time for everyone to meet, tendency of some individuals dominating a situation, time for everyone to partake, greater chance of things getting off topic, and different styles, skills, knowledge, and personalities to work with.
Having an established problem solving team in the building is one took that would be a school-wide approach to helping every student be successful.
** Main points: SRS is a four-phase model that doesn't always have to be used in problem solving situations. It reminds me of the SAT process our building has in place.
- Whether as a reading coach, or ELL Specialist, teachers assume that you will simply listen to their description of problems and then immediately provide a "prescription" of solution for solving them. [Is this because we are trained that we can do this at a doctor's office? At least once a week I have a teacher(s) email, message, or talk to me in person about a student or situation and want one quick fix-all answer. There isn't one, and until they understand that, they will continue to walk away disappointed. I do what I can at the moment, but it takes time to pinpoint the exact issue and know how to remedy it.
- Sometimes, it may be a good idea to not share the SPS model with the teacher, but for the coach to just use it as a framework for problem solving.
Phase 1: Problem Solving
- Get the facts - gather data from observations or assessments. NOT by word of mouth. [I had a student, during my first year of teaching, who teachers were not concerned about because he did his homework, didn't have behavior issues, answered questions, etc. When I pulled up his test grades -from their classes, they were all failing. When we looked at his state and district assessments, they were incredibly low. I found out that the teachers took it upon themselves to provide modified tests, projects, assignments, and accommodations -such as reading the test out loud with a para, even though I had never instructed them to do so. We stopped providing these supports and the student quickly struggled. We were able to identify what he needed help with, and provide the correct services.]
- Relevant: current, historical, and contextual information - Ask specific questions when talking to a teacher. (Is the student's reading challenge currently getting worse? Better? Is it pretty stable?. What interventions have you tried? Have the student's parents been involved? Have other teachers been involved?) Also, pay attention to how the teacher is communicating information to you. Body language, choice of words, hesitations, etc. can help through this first phase. This also helps you gather information about the teacher's tolerances, philosophy, background, skills, and style. Use your "coaching antenna".
- Not one size fits all - what works for one teacher will not necessarily work for another teacher. It all depends on the person's philosophy, classroom organization, specific knowledge, training, resources, skills, and experience that the teacher has or is lacking.
- Veteran versus novice. Veteran problem solvers know there is never "The Solution" for any problem. Although one goal of coaching is always to solve the referred problem, achieving this goal is not the problem solver's responsibility alone; it is a shared responsibility and collaborative effort. Sometimes the problem that was initially described, ultimately may not even end up being the targeted concern.
- A coach needs two brains:
Brain 1: Have a clear picture of the presenter's interpretation/perception of the concern, regardless of its accuracy, take note of subtle cues to things like the teacher's belief systems, tolerances, and philosophy. (Listen Intently!: Use the SOLAR position, reflect feelings, paraphrase content, ask questions to clarify, check perceptions, seek elaboration, summarize at transitions, avoid jargon and unnecessary interruptions.)
Brain 2: Maintain a stance of the ultimate skeptic and remain thoroughly unconvinced of the presented information. Teachers may be so caught up with the situation and emotionally involved/frustrated, that they lost their perspective of the facts.
- Hidden Agendas - You may find a teacher is carefully editing the information being shared to you. They may feel a student has been inappropriately placed in their classroom (and should be in SpEd or other alternate placement). What this teacher wants is to have the student removed, but is reluctant to say this to you directly. [I can think of at least one teacher who feels this way about a lot of students, unfortunately.]
- The coach should be mentally formulating a list of questions or hypotheses about the presented information that will have to be addressed. Before moving to the next phase, any additional data should be analyzed.
- Wrap up this phase by (1) briefly summarizing your understanding of the presented concern; (2) ask the teacher whether your summary is correct; and (3) ask whether the teacher wants to add any additional information.
Phase 2: Define problem, set goals, develop a plan.
1-Define the problem based on analysis of comprehensive and concrete data.
Determine whether or not the plan of collecting additional data was carried out. Meet with teacher to discuss it, ask them to voice their opinion. Make sure that when the classroom observation took place, in phase 1, that it was during a 'normal' day. If not, reschedule. Begin to present the gathered information with a positive comment about what was seen. Present and reflect any other collected information focusing on they key elements: points that will lead to an accurate problem definition, not just presenting and reviewing data. Present data in a more interpretable format - charts or graphs, for example.
Analyzing data takes a careful eye to see if there are patterns or clues that may explain why a problem developed or is continuing. Be sensitive to the teacher's pride: be skillful in presenting the information. Don't accuse or blame the teacher for their actions, lack of action, or implying fault. At the end, summarize what both the teacher and coach have observed, and state a concise, accurate, and complete definition of the problem. (Even if the problem doesn't match the original problem definition from Phase 1.)
2-Help the teacher set realistic and achievable goals.
Move the focus of the teacher away from the worries and concerns about 'the problem' and think instead about some potential positive outcomes.
3-Develop an intervention plan to address the concern and reach the identified goal.
"While developing the plan, it is important to include a process for the coach to both help ensure that the plan is being correctly implemented and provide support and assurance while the teacher attempts to make changes in the current patterns of interactions with the target student." Formative and summative assessments are good to include. The coach could use the formative data to help support the intervention, and summative to determine the degree in which the goals have been met.
- Go through summary wrap-up like at the end of Phase 1.
Phase 3: Implementing the Plan
- The teacher takes over! S/he implements the new method, uses additional instructional materials, sees that the student receives whatever help was specified in the plan of action, and collects any formative data. The coach will support the teacher so that the developed plan gets gets implemented accurately and completely and that data collection is conducted as planned. The teacher and coach can determine together whether the intervention should be continued, modified, or ended for some reason. [This sounds nearly identical to the SAT model I just completed for a student.]
Phase 4: Evaluation and Next Steps
- Together the coach and teacher analyze the information and use the results to make a decision about next steps. Should the intervention be: terminated, continued, or restructured? Even if the teacher feels all of the goals have been achieved, there are still a few things that need to be taken care of. For instance, was the original concern been sufficiently addressed? Are there other issues that require your assistance? Other students needing help? Etc.
Managing the SPS Process (It's collaborative!)
- The teacher: describes the concern and presents critical contextual information. They carry out the developed plan.
- The coach: decides what additional information is needed to help target the problem, leads the development of the intervention and evaluation plan, and supports the teacher during the implementation of the plan.
Streamlined Problem Solving
- This process certainly seems to take a long time, but thankfully, not ever problem that will come across your desk will required such a systematic and complete process.
Positives of a team: Sometimes it may be more efficient for a group of people to tackle a problem - such as a team of teachers versus just one individual. [Perhaps having multiple perspectives on a case, will lead to a clearer picture of what the problem is.] The more people that are working on the problem, the wider the diversity of possible solutions. Ideas generated by a team have a better chance of spreading and reaching other students - potentially preventing other issues to conspire.
Negatives of a team: Finding the time for everyone to meet, tendency of some individuals dominating a situation, time for everyone to partake, greater chance of things getting off topic, and different styles, skills, knowledge, and personalities to work with.
Having an established problem solving team in the building is one took that would be a school-wide approach to helping every student be successful.
** Main points: SRS is a four-phase model that doesn't always have to be used in problem solving situations. It reminds me of the SAT process our building has in place.
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