By Diana Luo, Cindy Wu, Shining Yang, QHSLS Chinese Team

1. Teacher Collaboration
QHSLS Chinese Team
Diana Luo; Cindy Wu; Shining Yang

2. Our School--Queens High School for Language
Studies
Located in Flushing
Shared building with the other 2 schools
This is our third year

3. Student Population of Our School

4. Students are prepared for success in college and career through a rigorous,
comprehensive curriculum that includes the intensive study of English and
Mandarin.
By meeting the linguistic, academic, and emotional needs of all our students,
we challenge and encourage our graduates to achieve their best potential, not
just in one language but in two.

5. School Wide Goals 2015-2016
Instruction:
Ensure assessment align with lesson and unit objectives, providing meaningful opportunities for self-assessment and
for feedback, allowing both teachers and students to effectively and proactively monitor progress
Curriculum:
Align rigorous summative assessments with backwards-designed unit plans that sequence instruction in cycles of pre-
assessment, formative, and summative assessment
School Culture:
Focused on student outcomes and the promotion of a safe, trusting environment where all constituents can take
risks, with shared support and accountability, to further their own progress and the school’s development.

6. Bulletin Board

7. 中文课程简介：Chinese as a New Language
1. Who are learning Chinese as a NEW Language?
Technically, half of our school’s
should be learning Chinese as a
New Language

8. 中文课程简介：Chinese as a New Language
Among them:
● Students who are learning Chinese as their 3rd language (about 50%:
Spanish, Tamil, Urdu, Filipino)
● Heritage speakers (ABC)
● Students who are learning Chinese as their 2nd language

9. 中文课程简介：Chinese as a New Language
2. Where do we want our students to be?
At the end of 11th grade: NYS Chinese Regents
At the end of 12th grade: AP Chinese

10. 中文课程简介：Chinese as a New Language
3. What textbooks are we using?
We are free-styling: 《欢迎》＋《IC》＋anything we
can find

11. 中文课程简介：Chinese Language Arts
3. What textbooks are we using?
1. NO TEXTBOOKS!!!!
2. Global history (contents)
Greek & Chinese Myths 神话, Religions 宗教...etc.
3. ESL & ELA (skills)
Theme-based, eg. Happiness

12. Inter-department Collaboration ---- Intervisitation
Definition:
Intervisitation is a teacher-facilitated, non-evaluative classroom visit focused
on the collaborative development of teachers’ instructional knowledge and
skills.

13. Inter-department Collaboration ---- Intervisitation
Teacher Roles: 1 presenting teacher and 3 observing teachers

14. Intervisitation Procedures : Pre-visit, Post-visit Debrief

15. Visit: Low-inference Notes
In schools where teachers and leaders embrace this practice, classroom visits
cease to be a stressful experience.

16. How to take low-inference notes?
Describe what is taking place without drawing conclusions or making
judgments about what he or she observes.
Ask:
What do you see and hear the teacher and students doing?
What evidence can you gather of student learning?
What will students know and be able to do at the end of the lesson?

17. Common mistakes/ pitfalls to avoid
Distinguish between low-inference statements and opinions
(Key words that give away subjectivity: I think; I feel.)
Replace vague quantifiers by capturing more specific evidence
( “A lot of students raised hands” vs.”17 of 20 students raised their hands.”)
Identify the actual questions the teacher asked

18. Where to find the data for student outcomes during an
observation?
You are encouraged to...
1) Sit with a table / group of students.Write down the questions asked and
answers given by the students in that group.
2)Copy down what each student has written on their paper
3)Write down the time and circulate in the room.

19. Tips for low-inference note taking
How do I capture as much evidence as possible?
1) Set up a coding system (T=teacher; S=student; HU=hands up)
2)Time transitions, each section of the lesson, work time, etc
3)Draw circles to represent groups of students or teacher interaction with
students

20. Low-inference note samples: Weak vs. Strong

21. Intervisitation- Why we do it our way?
Fun Facts:
1. Without any previous discussion, DOE’s peer intervisitation protocol
happens to be the long-lost twin sister of our school’s intervisitation
protocol
2. Soon DOE will come to our school and videotape how we do
intervisitation. And they’ll put our video online for all 1,800 DOE schools
to study and copy

22. Intervisitation: Why we do it our way?!
Because We want to avoid this:
So everything we do is trying to get us here:

23. Intervisitation: Why we do it our way?!
PRE-VISIT PROTOCOL (25-35 minutes, adapted from Issaquah
Protocol)*
1. Re-establish Norms (5 minutes)
● Revisit the norms you set up as a team. Add or revise any before
the presenting teacher begins.
2. Presentation (7 minutes): presenting teacher...
● Discusses 2-4 areas of focus, using the language of components
1E and 3D
● Reviews the lesson for the day they’d like observing teachers to
see and what they’re hoping outcomes will be.
3. Clarifying questions (7 minutes): observing teachers…
● Ask clarifying questions to help them understand what the
presenting teacher would like feedback on and what they should
focus their low inference notes around
● Ask clarifying questions to help observing teachers better
understand the lesson plan and classroom context
4. Conclude (5 minutes): presenting teacher reviews dates and
periods for the classroom observation and for the post visit debrief.
Why pre-visit ?
Presenting Teacher: I’m not sure I have 100%
engagement during group work. If you guys can be my
eyes and ears during group work, it’d be great.
Observing teacher 1: So do you want us to write down
what Ss were doing and saying during group work?
Observing teacher 2: At what time of the lesson is the
turn and talk, after I do, you do? And what’s the purpose
of your group work?
Observing teacher 3: Do you mean we can look at
Danielson Rubric 3c
Presenting Teacher: is empowered
Observing Teacher: is clear about what to expect and focus on

24. Intervisitation: Why we do it our way?!
Why Debrief:
DEBRIEF PROTOCOL (~35 minutes, adapted from Consultancy Protocol)*
5. Re-establish Norms (2 minutes), facilitation leader reviews norms from the pre-visit
protocol
6. Clarifying questions (6 minutes): observing teachers...
● Take turns asking the presenting teacher non-judgmental questions to help them
understand the context of the observed lesson better (“What happened the day before?
I noticed you xxx, could say a little more about this?”)
7. Discussion (12 minutes):
● Presenting teacher is completely silent, taking only notes
● Observing teachers discuss the observed lesson, using their coded low-inference
notes. Observing teachers should refer to the language within the components,
celebrating areas of strength and providing constructive feedback, using sentence stems
like: “I wonder why,” “ I’m curious if…,” “I’d be interested in…”
8. Think-time (2 minutes): Presenting teacher has two minutes to gather his/her thoughts
9. Response (5 minutes): Presenting teacher responds to what s/he heard in the discussion.
10. Debrief (5 minutes):
● All teachers take turns commenting on the protocol and their feelings/thoughts
around the intervisitation cycle, making recommendations for the next cycle.
11. Record-keeping (3 minutes): Teachers fill out the feedback form.
Observing teacher 1: I see Joey was
using a handout with many words on it,
does every kid have it? What are they
using it for?
Presenting teacher: That’s the word
bank they can refer to.
Observing teacher 2: I heard Monica
telling Chandler that she can’t tell if
his sentence is a statement not a
question, that he’s forgetting
something to make it a question,
which seems to be what Danielson
3c is saying
In short:
Protocol + low inference notes + Danielson Rubric =
Presenting teacher comes
up with a conclusion by
him/herself
All concrete facts (evidence)

25. Intervisitation: Why we do it our way?!
Danielson Rubric:
Where I’m at?
What do I do next?
If a presenting teacher
realizes that what s/he
heard from observing
teachers mostly falls
into this category
“The teacher
circulates during
small-group or
independent work,
offering suggestions
to students.”
By using Danielson,
the presenting teacher
knows what s/he
needs to do to get
highly effective
“The teacher circulates
providing specific feedback
to individual students.

26. Cross-Department Collaboration
1. Intervisitation (Same periods of break)
2. Mentorship
3. Summer PDs
4. Google-based

27. Cross-Department Meetings
2014-2015
Social Studies, ESL, Chinese Departments
2015-2016
ESL, English Language Arts, Chinese Departments

28. How Does Cross-Department Meeting Work?
1. Time: 1.5-2 hours on the PD (Professional Development) days (1-2 times a
month)
2. Aims:
a) Looking into/ doing the Regent questions and understanding students’ challenges
b) Tentatively grading students’ work based on the Regent’s grading rubrics and setting up
expectations for students with different levels
c) Sharing teaching materials and ideas
d) Analyzing students’ work and planning for next step

29. Take-Aways from the Cross-Department Meetings?
1. Curriculum planning: Goals for each year/ different Marking Periods
2. Lesson planning: Structuring
3. Difficulties/ Differences: Social Studies vs. English Language Arts
4. School-wide goals: Students can understand and use the common
standards/ language across different subjects

30. Intra-Department Collaboration
Before we start ……
1) Set Norms
" Norms are behavioral guidelines that signify ways of being together and learning from one
another." --The power of Teacher Teams
Norm can cover the following aspects:
a. Communication (Stay focused and avoid tangents; Limit distractions; )
b. Relationship (Assume good intentions; embrace mistakes as opportunities; )
c. Teaming (Make sure roles are meaningful; distribute responsibility with awareness; ).

31. Intra-Department Collaboration
Before we start ……
2) Assign roles each time we have Common Planning Time
Learn to break down the work and assign roles in your team so everyone can have an balanced load of
work. (Facilitator;note-taker; timekeeper + norm checker. )
Try to include a debrief into your team meeting routine, a debrief discussion that includes an
evaluation of how we did during the meeting or during class. Were we productive? This ritual gives
team members an opportunity to say what did and didn't work well and how they can improve.

32. Intra-Department Collaboration
What have we accomplished together within department?
1. Regents Test Study
Topics divide and conquer

33. Intra-Department Collaboration
What have we accomplished together within department?
2. Student Data/ Test Analysis: Grade Cam (http://inside.gradecam.com)

34. Intra-Department Collaboration
What have we accomplished together within department?
3. NLA Argumentative Writing
- Compare similarities and differences between English/ Chinese writing
- Inspect positive/ negative samples of persuasive essays in Chinese
- Establish the common ground of requirements for Chinese persuasive
essays

35. Conclusion
Pros & Cons

36. Thank you for your time!