Building Capacity for Quality Teaching in Australian Schools - The effects of the Quality Teaching Rounds professional development intervention on student literacy, numeracy and science outcomes.

Quality Teaching Rounds is a professional development process in which a form of instructional "rounds" (Elmore, 2007) are undertaken by a group of teachers in a professional learning community (PLC) (Lave & Wenger, 1991), with analysis and discussion guided by a pedagogical model, the Quality Teaching model (NSW Department of Education and Training [NSW DET], 2003). Groups of four (or more) teachers working in a PLC (not necessarily from the same school) undertake a set of rounds together over a period of 3-6 months. The teachers within the PLC are responsible for administering the rounds. A "round" is comprised of sequential sessions that occur on a single day, involving: 1. Reading discussion: Designed to support the group in developing a shared theoretical basis for professional conversations and build a sense of professional community (typically one hour); 2. Observation: One PLC member teaches a lesson that is observed by all other members of the PLC (a full lesson length, typically 30-80 minutes); and 3. Coding and discussion: Individual coding of the observed lesson, including coding by the observed teacher, using the Quality Teaching framework (NSW DET, 2003), is followed by discussion whereby all PLC members contribute (typically one to two hours). Lessons are coded using the Quality Teaching framework (NSW DET, 2003), which is made up of 18 elements of teaching practice (see below), within three dimensions of teaching and learning. Each element has a set of 5 descriptors, with elements coded from 1 to 5 depending on the agreement of the lesson with the element descriptor. The elements form the topics of professional discussion during each of the rounds undertaken. Dimension 1. Intellectual Quality Deep knowledge Deep understanding Problematic knowledge Higher order thinking Metalanguage Substantive communication Dimension 2. Quality Learning Environment Explicit quality criteria Engagement High expectations Social support Students’ self-regulation Student direction Dimension 3.Significance Background knowledge Cultural knowledge Knowledge integration Inclusivity Connectedness Narrative As a group of teachers undertake each round within a "set" of rounds, an implementation fidelity checklist is completed and submitted online. The fidelity checklist consists of: 1- a professional reading session was conducted 2- PLC members were present throughout the lesson 3- PLC members individually coded all Quality Teaching elements prior to the lesson discussion 4- the post-lesson discussion was at least 60 min in duration 5- the host teacher was included in the discussion 6- PLC members were present throughout the discussion 7- PLC members provided their codes and justification using evidence from the lesson for each QT element 8- the Quality Teaching Classroom Practice Guide was a consistent point of reference throughout the discussion Further to teacher fidelity checks, a member of the research team attends a round for each of the PLCs within the study during the intervention period to cross check teacher understanding of the rounds protocols. In Quality Teaching Rounds, at least one lesson is observed for every member of the PLC, and PLC members stay together for an entire set of rounds. The intent of QTR is to focus on the relationship between classroom practice and student learning and to show respect for the teacher and the teaching-learning process by watching a whole lesson each time (Bowe & Gore, 2017). During the intervention period teachers participating in the intervention will carry out a full "set" of Quality Teaching Rounds, with each teacher in a PLC being observed across the study period. Schools are funded for the teachers involved to be "released" from class for the four days they are undertaking QTR. Training workshop: Prior to commencing rounds, two teachers from each PLC are funded release from class to participate in a two-day QTR workshop to prepare them for conducting QTR within their school. The training workshops will provide background information on the Quality Teaching framework and Quality Teaching Rounds, highlighting the intention and importance of each component of the approach (i.e. PLCs, readings, observation, individual coding, group discussion). Teachers will be given opportunities to practice the QT coding process and participate in simulated rounds using sample video-recorded lessons. This training is delivered by a member of the research team. As the QTR intervention is designed to modify the teaching practice of those teachers involved, students in this study receive the intervention via the modified teaching practice of their classroom teacher.