Teaching Lab Facilitation Competencies

Teaching Lab believes that consistently excellent facilitation has a positive impact on teachers’ mindset, practice, and student learning. This level of facilitation can be achieved through well-developed content and coaching from expert facilitators and staff. At Teaching Lab, we have the capacity to develop excellent facilitation. Our Facilitation Competencies serve as the groundwork for this development, outlining the qualities of high-quality facilitation that we are dedicated to developing and providing. Teaching Lab’s Facilitation Competencies influence 1) the design of professional learning session content and coaching cycles; 2) the preparation and development of facilitators and coaches, including content-specific pathways (e.g., K-2 literacy or 6-8 math pathways); 3) training for team members who support the development facilitators and coaches. The Facilitation Competency framework is divided into four components, aligned to the Head, Heart, Habits, and Equity PL model. Each component includes multiple facilitation competencies, and each competency is further described by example actions, though are not exhaustive.At Teaching Lab, the term facilitation encompasses: Guiding Professional Learning, Direct to Teacher Coaching, Observations and Debriefs, Coach Training or “Coaching the Coaches,” and School/District/State Leader Support. At Teaching Lab, anyone may take on the role of a facilitator. Thus, the competencies are pertinent to all individuals fulfilling this role.

Teaching Lab FAcilitation Competencies

Head

Equity

Heart

Habits

Done right, professional learning linked to curriculum can lead to transformational changes in teaching and learning.

FAcilitation Competencies: Head

Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Head

Teaching Lab Knowledge

Learning & Coaching Research Knowledge

HQIM Knowledge

Home

Deep knowledge of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and its design, including: organization of lessons, assessments, and units; texts and supporting resources, and instructional practices and protocols Click to see example actions

Understands, believes, and articulates the research base behind effective professional learning and coaching models Click to see example actions

📖 Read The Research Partnership for Professional Learning - Building Better PL: How to Strengthen Teacher Learning

📖 Read Education Next: Taking Teacher Coaching To Scale

📖 Read Bright Morning Team: Principles of Adult Learning

📖 Read Deans for Impact: The Science of Learning

Understands and articulates TL’s Head, Heart, Habits, and Equity approach to professional learning Click to see example actions

Deep knowledge of the CCSS standards (and/or other standards like NGSS) and instructional shifts, principles of learning science and principles of culturally responsive and sustaining education Click to see example actions

📖 ReadTeaching Lab: On Head

📖 Read Teaching Lab: On Heart

📖 Read Teaching Lab: On Cycles (Habits)

📖 Read Teaching Lab’s Commitment to Educational Equity, Racial Justice and Liberation

🧰 Resource Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education (CR-SE) Coaching Tool

🧰 Resource Teaching Lab Facilitator Checklist

▶️ Watch Teaching Lab: Who We Are and What We Do

🎧 Listen To the Classroom Podcast: Zaretta Hammond - The Science of Learning: Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain

📖 Read Deans for Impact: Practice with Purpose - The Emerging Science of Teacher Expertise

“Heart” is the word we use at Teaching Lab for those elements of effective professional learning that have to do with how we relate as humans: emotions, motivation, relationships, community, and even power dynamics.

FAcilitation Competencies: HEART

Heart

Responsive

Engaging

Inclusive

Collaborative

Motivation

Authentic

Home

Owns unique personality and experiences Click to see example actions

Establishes inclusive culture for participants to learn, ask questions, take risks, and share openly Click to see example actions

Engages participants with each other- agreeing, disagreeing, affirming, challenging, elaborating Click to see example actions

Participants take advantage of many opportunities to engage in the work of the session, including: thinking, working, discussing, and sharing (e.g., out loud, chat, breakouts, etc.) Click to see example actions

Frequently adapts and connects to participants’ unique context and experiences Click to see example actions

Builds educator motivation to hold high expectations for all students and adopt evidence-based practices Click to see example actions

📖 Read Marshall Ganz: Public Narrative, Collective Action, and Power

📖 Read Bright Morning Team: Sources of Social Power

📖 Read Bright Morning Team: Behaviors That Foster and Undermine Effective Conversations

🧰 Resource National Equity Project: Constructivist Listening Protocol

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: Transformational PD, Part 1: What it is and Why You Need It (episode 150)

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: Transformational PD, Part 2 - Six Transformational Tips (episode 151)

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Meaning Making Protocol

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Chalk Talk Protocol

📖 Read American Psychological Association: Practice for Knowledge Acquisition (Not Drill and Kill)

📖 Read Bright Morning Team: How to Eliminate Resistance

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Community Building Activities and Random Grouping Strategies

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: When Things Don't Go According to Plan (episode 124)

📖 Read Bright Morning Team: Giving and Receiving Feedback

🧰 Resource Facilitation Stokes

📖 Read Bright Morning Team: Examples of Norms and Community Agreements

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: Powerful Facilitation Starts and Ends with You (episode 123)

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Exploring Identity Markers

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: 10 Strategies to Shift a Mood (episode 126)

Learning must be done in cycles because new knowledge builds on old knowledge and we can rarely, if ever, know something for sure, forever.

FAcilitation Competencies: HABITS

Habits

Preparation

Coaching

Integrity

Reflection

Home

Takes responsibility to meet Teaching Lab’s organizational expectations Click to see example actions

Engages in reflective practice to continuously improve Click to see example actions

Engages educators through a coaching cycle Click to see example actions

Prepares effectively for facilitation Click to see example actions

🧰 Resource Teaching Lab: Facilitator Checklist

🧰 Resource Teaching Lab Coaching Inquiry Cycle Guide

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: What-Why-How Agenda Template

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Coaching Session Planning Tool

📖 Read National Equity Project: Frameworks - Levels of Healing (Individual, Interpersonal, Institutional, and Structural)

🧰 Resource Teaching Lab FY24-25 Data Collection Overview and Access Guide

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: 10 Strategies to Shift a Mood (episode 126)

🧰 Resource Teaching Lab Coach/Facilitator Individual Data Dashboard

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Coaching Lenses

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: The Gaps Framework - Identifying Learning Needs

🧰 Resource Challenge Chat Action Plan: Reflecting to Learn and Grow

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: It's All in the Details (episode 125)

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Developing a Coaching Mission and Vision Statement

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Coaching Stems

We understand that to fundamentally shift the paradigm of teacher professional learning for educational equity, racial justice and liberation, we must fundamentally shift our personal and collective paradigms.

Equity

FAcilitation Competencies: Equity

Asset-Based

Educational Equity

Home

Ensures educators connect teaching and learning improvements to eliminating the predictability of achievement outcomes by race and socioeconomic status Click to see example actions

Engages participants through an asset-based orientation Click to see example actions

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Planning for an Equity-Focused Conversation

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: You Want to Coach for Equity? Start Here (episode 85)

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Teacher to Student Interaction Tracking Tool

📖 Read National Equity Project: Effects of Oppression on a Learner's Brain

📖 Read National Equity Project: Lens of Systemic Oppression

📖 Read National Equity Project: Introduction to Liberatory Design

🎧 Listen Bright Morning Podcast: Disrupting Racism in Coaching Conversations (episode 143)

📖 Read National Equity Project: Social-Emotional Learning and Equity

🧰 Resource The Here-to-Here Language Guide: A Resource for Using Asset-Based Language with Young People

📖 Read National Equity Project: Learning Partnerships

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: The Gaps Framework - Identifying Learning Needs

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Coaching Lenses

🧰 Resource Bright Morning Team: Cloze Script for the Legacy Question

▶️ Watch National Equity Project: Interview with Zaretta Hammond

Example Actions:

• Makes connections to research and rationale behind the professional learning or coaching model
• Make connections to the research on the importance of deliberate practice (i.e., talk less, practice more)
• Defines the coaching model and clarifies the coaching relationship, including roles
• Other

Professional Learning & Coaching Research Knowledge

Understands, believes, and articulates the research base behind effective professional learning and coaching models

Example Actions:

• Activates participant knowledge and experience
• Validates hard work and engagement that is aligned to norms
• Redirects off-task work or behavior that does not adhere to norms
• Uses adult-appropriate brain breaks and energizers
• Other

Collaborative

Engages participants with each other- agreeing, disagreeing, affirming, challenging, elaborating

Example Actions:

• Speaks about students, teachers, and schools in asset-based language
• Leverages student strengths to meet curricular challenges
• Talks about student differences as opportunities for growth
• Approaches challenges with solutions-oriented mindset
• Redirects deficit-based language when it occurs
• Acknowledges when participants take intellectual or emotional risks
• Responsible for achieving the goals of the session
• Includes partners strengths in data analysis and presentation
• Uses assets to identify high-leverage practices
• Other

Asset-Based

Engages participants through an asset-based orientation

Example Actions:

• Clearly connects instructional shifts or principles with session content
• Demonstrates strong Internalization of objectives, key points, activities, and transitions
• Supports participants to resolve misconceptions related to the research, research-based practices, or content
• Other

Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Deep knowledge of the CCSS standards (and/or other standards like NGSS) and instructional shifts, principles of learning science and principles of culturally responsive and sustaining education

Example Actions:Note: all components in this category are observed pre, during and post-facilitation

• Seeks support when needed (e.g., asks content and session-specific questions proactively)
• Asks for and implements feedback from team members and stakeholders to improve
• Analyzes participant participant survey as well as facilitation/coaching observation feedback to identify strengths and areas of growth
• Makes participant-facing plans to address feedback/misconceptions
• Establishes a personal system to learn and improve
• Roots reflections in Head, Heart, Habits and Equity and centers growth
• Other

Reflection

Engages in reflective practice to continuously improve

Example Actions:

• Connects session content to Head, Heart, Habits, and Equity
• Articulates mission, vision, and values of Teaching Lab, as necessary
• Aligns responses with Teaching Lab’s organizational stances
• Other

Teaching Lab Knowledge

Understands and articulates TL’s Head, Heart, Habits, and Equity approach to professional learning

Example Actions:

• Identifies participant needs and adjusts PL plans as necessary
• Employs icebreakers and energizers to build relationships
• Makes space and time to engage with participants before, during, and after sessions
• Learns about and adjusts facilitation based on participants’ school context and concerns
• Makes empathetic connections to and between participants
• Adapts to and problem solves for unforeseen setbacks (e.g., issues with technology or photocopies, etc.)
• Checks and responds to participant understanding frequently and using different methods
• Strategically speeds up and/or slows down to better meet the objective(s) of the session
• Sets goals which are aligned to:
• High-leverage area of focus for educators and students
• Identifies district and school goals
• Other

Responsive

Frequently adapts and connects to participants’ unique context and experiences

Example Actions:

• Supports educators to connect every student - of every race, culture, socioeconomic status, and ability - to opportunities that acknowledge and celebrate their identities and the learning they need and deserve to fulfill their potential
• Connects instructional shifts to educational equity
• Connects the use of curriculum and session content to educational equity
• Models vulnerability by examining own biases and beliefs
• Represents and disaggregates all relevant student populations in data collection
• Considers all relevant student populations when identifying a focus
• Evaluates all relevant student populations in data reflection
• Other

Educational Equity

Ensures educators connect teaching and learning improvements to eliminating the predictability of achievement outcomes by race and socioeconomic status

Examples Actions:

• Clearly connects unpacking or internalization of units, assessments, lessons, etc. to the PL or coaching goals
• Supports navigation of online curricular/supplementary resources
• Uplifts knowledge, design principles and/or examples from HQIM to illustrate how to get evidence or standards into practice
• Other

HQIM Knowledge

Deep knowledge of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and its design, including organization of lessons, assessments, and units; texts and supporting resources, and instructional practices and protocols

Example Actions:

• Projects confidence, credibility, and excitement for the session through voice, energy, and body language
• Builds motivation for adopting and employing evidence-based practices
• Identifies and uplifts teacher leadership informally throughout the session
• Identifies formal teacher leaders to gradually release facilitation to and/or co-facilitate
• Employs community organizing tactics to shift mindsets and practices (e.g., storytelling, 1:1 engagements, connections on deeper values, etc.)
• Builds strong teacher community which can support sustainability of new practices
• Engages coachees in the co-creation of SMART goal(s)
• Engages the coachee in coaching and the creation of the coaching action plan
• Consistently delivered every coaching session
• Other

Motivation

Builds educator motivation to hold high expectations for all students and adopt evidence-based practices

Example Actions:

• Thoroughly plans for each step of the coaching cycle
• Engages participants through each step of the coaching cycle
• Analyzes data before setting goals
• Sets high-leverage goals for the coaching cycle aligned with data analysis and participant assets/needs
• During observations, provides coaching to teachers to shift practice, including co-teaching, modeling, in-the-moment coaching, etc.
• Collects and submits data to monitor the success of the coaching cycle
• Shares observations and feedback data and insights with other instructional leaders, school leaders, and system leaders
• Builds the capacity of other instructional leaders to engage in evidence-based coaching (i.e., coaching the coaches)

Coaching

Engages educators through a coaching cycle

• Completes data analysis
• Sets SMART goal(s)
• Uses educator and student data to update coaching action plan
• Prepares for coaching by internalizing instructional materials
• Completes observation and feedback template
• Holds conversations with relevant stakeholders on progress of cycle
• Engages in instructional walks and debriefs sessions with leaders
• In the Coaching Action Plan, coach and teacher actions are aligned
• Plans and completes data discussion post cycle with relevant stakeholders
• Educator participants in data reflection
• Completes coaching action plan for each stage in the cycle
• Other

Example Actions:

• Uses inclusive language
• Employs protocols to allow for equity of voice and participation
• Completes the planning template for goal-setting conversations
• Other

Inclusive

Establishes inclusive culture for participants to learn, ask questions, take risks, and share openly

Example Actions:Note: all components in this category are observed pre-facilitation

• Establishes a personal system for preparation
• Engages in effective, timely communication with team members, tech/support facilitator, and participants
• Demonstrates strong Internalization of the session content, objectives, key points, activities, and transitions before facilitating
• Prepares for and fully engages in all training opportunities
• Learns relevant information about specific partner context prior to facilitating
• Engages in rehearsal or deliberate practice of session content
• Collects data from partner and uses to plan conversation to determine focus
• Other

Preparation

Prepares effectively for facilitation

Example Actions:

• Shares relevant and strategic anecdotes
• Demonstrates internalization of content by making it their own (i.e., does not just read from the slides/script)
• Models vulnerability and humility
• Other

Authentic

Owns unique personality and experiences

Example Actions:Note: all components in this category are observed while working with Teaching Lab

• Shows civility and respect in all interactions with others and seeks to repair harm
• Accepts personal responsibility
• Acknowledges and learns from failure
• Knows personal strengths and areas of growth
• Attends Teaching Lab trainings and workshops
• Participates fully in all practice opportunities
• Reads and responds to Teaching Lab emails within the communicated timeline
• Collects and submits all requested data for programmatic improvement and research accurately and on time
• Other

Integrity

Takes responsibility to meet Teaching Lab’s organizational expectations

Example Actions:

• Gives clear directions for participation at all times
• Provides wait time before calling on participants
• Scaffolds questions to elicit more and deeper responses
• Engages participants to elaborate on their responses
• Answers questions truthfully and accurately, grounded in organizational messaging
• Circles back to resolve misconceptions, when necessary
• Engage participants in rehearsal or deliberate practice
• Other

Engaging

Participants take advantage of many opportunities to engage in the work of the session, including: thinking, working, discussing, and sharing (e.g., out loud, chat, breakouts, etc.)