Leading Instructional Rounds in Education: A Facilitator’s Guide - Softcover

Fowler-Finn, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1612505260 ISBN 13: 9781612505268

Publisher: Harvard Education Press, 2013

Synopsis

Instructional rounds is a powerful form of professional learning aimed at helping schools and systems develop the capacity to educate all children to high levels. In this practical book, Thomas Fowler-Finn, an experienced consultant who has worked closely with the Harvard team that pioneered instructional rounds, discusses how facilitators can skillfully guide a network of educators through the rounds process.

He shows how to scaffold participant learning, model effective teaching practices, and gradually transfer agency to the network. Leading Instructional Rounds is an invaluable resource for advancing the work of all facilitators, whether novice or experienced.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas Fowler-Finn, founder of Instructional Rounds Plus, works as a consultant nationally and internationally to improve leadership practices in education through instructional rounds. He has dedicated his professional life as a teacher, principal, and superintendent to the belief that all students deserve better. In this pursuit, he has turned around urban and suburban school districts, receiving multiple honors and awards.

During his tenure as superintendent of the Cambridge Public Schools, the district was honored as one of the most improved school systems in the state by the Educational Quality and Accountability agency of the governor’s office. As superintendent of the 32,000-student Fort Wayne urban school district, Tom was honored by Governor Frank O’Bannon with the highest citizen leadership honor awarded by the state of Indiana. Other distinctions include twice being honored by the Massachusetts State Department of Education for exceptional leadership and vision, selection as a model of school corporation success by the International Centre for Leadership in Education and by the National School Board Association, and identification by the Wallace Foundation as being among the top school superintendents in the nation.

Additional open-source resources for facilitators are available at www.instructionalrounds.com or by contacting the author at tfowlerfin@gmail.com.

From the Back Cover

Instructional rounds is a powerful form of professional learning aimed at helping schools and systems develop the capacity to educate all children to high levels. In this practical book, Thomas Fowler-Finn, an experienced consultant who has worked closely with the Harvard team that pioneered instructional rounds, discusses how facilitators can skillfully guide a network of educators through the rounds process. He shows how to scaffold participant learning, model effective teaching practices, and gradually transfer agency to the network. Leading Instructional Rounds in Education is an invaluable resource for advancing the work of all facilitators, whether novice or experienced.

"If you are looking for a clear how-to guide to facilitate a disciplined and well-thought-out version of instructional rounds, this is it." — From the foreword by Lee Teitel, lecturer on education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and coauthor, Instructional Rounds in Education

"Effective instructional rounds is the first step in building collective understanding and responsibility for the success of all students. Thomas Fowler-Finn provides outstanding tools and resources for leveraging the power of instructional rounds to support continuous improvement for all." — Stephanie Hirsh, executive director, Learning Forward

"In 2008, Western Metropolitan Region students in grade five were the lowest performers in literacy and numeracy in Victoria. Four years later, those students ranked third in all measures, despite being the lowest SES cohort in the state. Principals identified participation in instructional rounds, facilitated by Thomas Fowler-Finn, as a key element of the region’s success. In rich, challenging, and increasingly trusting collegial discussions, we learned to focus on student learning and how to improve instruction. Leading Instructional Rounds in Education provides a precise, practical, and very usable guide for people facilitating (and doing) instructional rounds." Katherine Henderson, former regional director, Western Metropolitan Region Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria, Australia

"[Leading Instructional Rounds in Education] is clearly written and rich with examples and sample materials designed to guide the facilitator through the various stages of conducting rounds. This book will be an invaluable resource for those serving as facilitators of instructional rounds in education." — Joe Terantino & Kristin Hoyt, International Review of Education


Thomas Fowler-Finn is the founder of Instructional Rounds Plus, working internationally as a facilitator of instructional rounds, instructional leadership practices and networks, and strategic planning. He is a former superintendent of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Fort Wayne, Indiana, public schools.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard Education Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1612505260
• ISBN 13: 9781612505268
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248