Evidence of Practice: Playbook for Video-Powered Professional Learning

With the right plan, video observation and video coaching can be a high-impact lever for accelerating teacher growth. This playbook draws from researcher and practitioner advice to offer twelve video-based strategies that readers can implement in their own context for facilitating professional development:

• Classroom Tour
• Self-Interview
• Example Analysis
• Pre-Teach
• Self-Reflection
• Partner-Supported Reflection
• Skill Building Sequence
• Video Learning Community
• Virtual Walk-through
• Video Rounds
• Longer-Range Reflection
• Iterative Investigation
• Online Lesson Study

Plus, read about putting video evidence at the center of professional learning, focusing techniques for analyzing video, and guidance about recording and sharing video, and a framework for facilitation of video-based discussion. Afterword by Jim Knight.

Praise for Evidence of Practice

"Educators will appreciate that the authors tackle the issue of trust building while at the same time providing best practice and practical examples that promote successful implementation. An important tool that belongs in every school's professional library."

- Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director at Learning Forward

"This book fills a sorely needed gap in professional practice literature when it comes to best practices for video coaching, and it answers the important questions any educator might have when using video to improve teaching in the classroom. A nice balance between theory, practice and application."

- Cary Goldweber, Executive Producer of Digital Products at ASCD

"Evidence of Practice clearly shows how video in observation and coaching can further strengthen our teaching practice. It belongs on the shelf of all administrators, coaches, and leadership teams--no matter your current level of expertise in the use of video for professional development."

- Elena Aguilar, Author of Art of Coaching and Art of Coaching Teams

"We gain so much from being able to see on video what works and what doesn't in classrooms. It's absolutely critical to have a video component in any professional development we do, and this book provides a concrete set of strategies for video coaching that any school or district can act on."

- Jaime Casap, Chief Education Evangelist, Google

"The authors expertly identify and explain a set of concrete strategies to support the use of video to study and improve teaching practice. This is a resource that teachers, teacher educators, and district administrators should consider as they begin or expand their use of video analysis to support teachers' professional preparation and ongoing development."

- Deborah Loewenberg Ball, William H. Payne Collegiate Professor and Director of TeachingWorks at University of Michigan

About the Author
Geller, Adam: - Adam Geller is the founder of Edthena. He started his career in education as a science teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2011, Adam has overseen the evolution of Edthena from a paper-based prototype into a research-informed and patented platform used by schools, districts, teacher training programs, and professional development providers. Adam has written on education technology topics for various publications including Education Week, Forbes, and edSurge, and he has been an invited speaker about education technology and teacher training for conferences at home and abroad.O'Donnell, Annie Lewis: - Annie Lewis O'Donnell is an independent educational consultant. She works with intentionally diverse school communities that strive to serve all children equitably and with organizations that train and develop teachers. Annie began her career in education as a second-grade teacher at a public school in Baltimore, Maryland. For more than twelve years, she led national design teams at Teach For America, overseeing pre-service teacher preparation and ongoing in-service support.Knight, Jim: - Jim Knight is a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning and the president of the Instructional Coaching Group. He has spent more than a decade studying instructional coaching and has written several books on the topic including Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction published by Corwin Press & NSDC (2007). Knight co-authored Coaching Classroom Management. He also edited Coaching: Approaches and Perspectives. His newest book, Unmistakable Impact: A Partnership Approach to Dramatically Improving Instruction. Jim has authored articles on instructional coaching and school improvement in publications such as "The Journal of Staff Development," "Principal Leadership," "The School Administrator," "Kappan," and "Teachers Teaching Teachers." Several research projects directed by Knight include an I.E.S.-funded qualitative and quantitative assessment of coaching, and Pathways to Success, a comprehensive, district-wide school reform project for the Topeka Kansas School District. Knight also leads the coaching institutes and the Annual Instructional Coaching Conference offered by the University of Kansas. Frequently asked to guide professional learning for instructional coaches, Knight has presented and consulted in most states, most Canadian provinces, India, the United Kingdom, and Japan. He has a Ph.D. in Education and has won several university teaching, innovation, and service awards. Jim is also author of the popular radical learners blog.