Teaching is hard, and I would argue that it is getting harder. At Caulfield Grammar School (CGS) we have spent the last 4 years building a more effective way to support teachers to be the best they can be.
Why? There’s boundless information available about what evidence-informed practice to lift student outcomes might look like, but without context-informed and supportive implementation strategies to build teacher confidence and efficacy over time, the evidence-informed practice is unlikely to make much difference at all to student learning.
As far back as 2005, the Victorian Department of Education & Training noted effective school leaders ‘… create organisational conditions that are conducive for teachers to continuously improve their teaching practice by providing encouragement and fostering an environment that values sharing, trust, risk-taking, experimentation, collaborative inquiry and self-assessment.’
It is clear that teachers don’t simply improve because they have received more information – the ‘organisational conditions’ for maximising teacher impact must be actively and intentionally cultivated through school programs.
The Q4T Program – from information to impact
Four years of research, trial, reflection and development at CGS has resulted in the creation of the Questions for Thinking (Q4T) Program.
Prior to this, CGS was observing and pursuing key ideas about what works in professional learning (action research, formative practice, Professional Learning Communities, external professional learning sessions) but something appeared to be missing. It wasn’t that we weren’t doing professional learning, it simply didn’t appear to be providing impact where it matters most.
We asked ourselves: how can we better harness the determination and aspiration of our dedicated teaching staff, and support efficient, effective and embedded change in teaching practice? This was the crucial question, because the evidence shows that teachers are the single most important variable in impacting student learning (Hattie, 2003).
Q4T is a professional learning program that allows teachers to investigate and develop an area of their practice. It is an opt-in, confidential partnership focused on empowering teachers to meet student learning needs.
Participating teachers are allocated a dedicated ‘partner’ who works alongside them – not as a manager, but as a partner in the truest sense of the word. While the role of the partner may fluctuate between that of traditional coaching and mentoring, the key basis for all interactions is the partner asking relevant and meaningful questions to prompt thinking by the participant about their practice.
The partner roles are key leadership positions within the school, dedicated to supporting the growth of the participants they work with. In preparation for the role, they go through both an interview process and internal training related to the key ingredients and the specific, bespoke conversational model (known as the SURF model), that is used to direct Q4T interactions.
The Q4T Program consists of 8 Key Ingredients, informed by evidence, representing elements that must be present to best support teacher growth.
- Choice
- The teacher is ‘seen’
- Space
- Trust with no judgement
- Context-informed practice
- Evidence-informed practice
- Support
- The ‘Eight-Question’ rule
An overview of 3 of the key ingredients
Choice
Participants decide the area of practice to be investigated, and the partner will ask meaningful questions to understand why the teacher is interested in this area and what they might like to achieve in relation to it.
Equipped with a precise focus, the partner can concentrate exclusively on those areas framed by the participant, and the participant can feel confident that the process is tailored for their needs. As US ed tech coach Roxi Thompson notes (2023), ‘… teachers often feel that PD is irrelevant and uninspiring, and doesn’t respect their expertise.’
The Q4T Program attempts to create an environment where PD is relevant (teacher choice leading to active cognitive engagement), inspiring (teachers can see and feel growth because it relates to their area of interest) and builds on pre-existing skills (focused on their needs at their level).
Ollie Lovell, co-creator of the Steplab instructional coaching model, reminds us that this process begins and ends with the teacher, not the partner. The teacher decides to be involved in the program initially, and the teacher decides to take action in relation to discussion, observation and feedback. Through choice, teachers can feel valued and empowered, and a culture of professional learning can be created, fostered and sustained (Lovell, n.d.).
It's been completely tailored to where I'm at and what I want to focus on. Laura Wong, English, Q4T 2024
Space
This implies something more significant than just space in the day. In relation to teacher professional learning, time and space differ.
Time may be allocated for professional learning, although its efficacy depends on a variety of factors. The Q4T Program endeavours to create a space – a relational space, where the conditions for teacher thinking and growth can develop, so that teacher aspiration may be matched with opportunity.
It is the role of the partner to facilitate the creation of this space, both logistically and emotionally, to ensure not only that thinking and learning can occur, but that they do occur.
As US K-8 Instructional Coach Shannon McGrath (2020) reminds us, ‘Teachers are [busy], their minds filled with to-do lists, which can result in a resistance to slowing down and reflecting during meetings.’
Through harnessing teacher aspiration and focusing their efforts on the chosen area of practice, partners can, through the relational space, provide the required amount of new learning (referred to in the program as the ‘relevant point of change’) and reflection to enable a positive experience and outcome for teachers and their students.
One on one conversations to reflect on classes have allowed me to think about my practice in ways I hadn't considered before. Henry Macgibbon-Parker, Humanities, Q4T 2025
Context-informed practice
The purpose of attentive listening by the partner is to equip themselves with a greater grasp of the specific context of the Q4T participant. This context may take in individual style, as Amna suggests (below), or may be situational, relating to a class, subject or year level, as identified by Jessica (below).
Regardless, through questioning, active listening and observation, the partner seeks a contextual understanding of the circumstances relevant to the individual teacher, as opposed to a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, that sells both teacher and student learning short.
As Dylan Wiliam (2016) reminds us, feedback is only effective if it is understood, and it can be actioned. This key ingredient relates closely with ingredient 2 as the partner must truly ‘see’ the participant if they are then able to offer context-informed support and feedback.
The level of feedback provided was clear and actionable. My partner was listening so attentively to what I was saying. I really want to stress that this level of attention to detail is VERY different to feedback that lists pedagogical approaches without leaning into your style as an individual. What Q4T does is different; it stands out and has higher impact. Amna Iqbal, English, Q4T 2023
Confidence to know that the strategies I am using, and approaches to tough situations, are appropriate for the context. Jessica Jasper, Visual Arts, Q4T 2023
Purposeful questioning – the engine of the program
Ultimately, the Q4T Program hinges on the ability of partners, through the asking of questions, to establish the relational space necessary to move the needle on teacher practice. Asking questions is not necessarily a skill that comes naturally. Indeed, there is perhaps a tendency for teachers to become conditioned to being the ones with the answers, making them more likely to end their sentences with full stops, or even exclamation marks!
Q4T Partners must be curious, not judgemental. The role of the partner is to find the right questions that enable, empower, encourage and inspire each teacher they work with to undertake action in pursuit of improvement. The best questions come from genuine investment and active listening. They provoke meaningful thinking for meaningful action – this meaningful action is the central purpose of the Q4T Program.
Principal reflections
In reflecting on the Q4T Program, CGS Principal Ashleigh Martin observes how it makes the complex simple and is accessible to staff.
‘In our profession, there are multiple priorities and tasks, and sadly, many of these tasks distract teachers from their core focus. Q4T has been a reminder of what matters for educators.
‘Spending time purely targeting their classroom practice is refreshing and impactful. It is not rocket science that educators are willing to invest their time and energy in programs that help them be better in the classroom.
‘A culture of trust is the cornerstone of the program. Educators are treated as professionals to drive their development. However, the power of Q4T is the practical application of the theory. The program is owned by the teacher, is non-threatening and a safe partnership is created to allow educators to openly observe, discuss and plan a future focus as to how they can get better.’
Throughout our implementation journey (which has involved sifting through just a small portion of the vast amount of evidence ranging from instructional coaching programs to pedagogical approaches), an observation regarding school culture from Jim Knight (2021) still stands out – that school culture can be understood as either ‘stuck or moving’ and that moving cultures exist when teachers feel safe, supported and empowered.
The Q4T Program endeavours to develop and sustain a ‘moving’ culture – one that encourages and facilitates teachers being the best they can be for our students. Isn’t that why we are all here?
References
Department of Education & Training. (2005). Professional Learning in Effective Schools: The Seven Principles of Highly Effective Professional Learning. State of Victoria. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/profdev/proflearningeffectivesch.pdf
Hattie, J. (2003). Teachers Make a Difference, What is the research evidence?
https://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference_2003/4
Knight, J. (2021). The definitive guide to instructional coaching: Seven factors for success. ASCD.
Lovell, O. (n.d.). A more nuanced look at choice in teacher development. https://www.ollielovell.com/a-more-nuanced-look-at-choice-in-teacher-development/
McGrath, S. (2020, May 7). 3 tips for creating effective PD. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-tips-creating-effective-pd
Thompson, R. (2023, May 31). Giving teachers choice in professional development. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/giving-teachers-choice-professional-development
Wiliam, D. (2016, April 1). The secret of effective feedback. ASCD. https://ascd.org/el/articles/the-secret-of-effective-feedback
Think about recent professional learning you’ve undertaken. What changed in your practice as a result? What supports or conditions helped you translate what you’d learned into classroom action? What slowed or hindered that process?
