Why is there teacher growth in some environments and not others? I’ve spent almost two decades working in education and various types of schools. I was a teacher and now I train teachers. I’ve seen schools where teachers are growing rapidly, transforming their teaching methods and student learning. I’ve also seen schools where teachers are stagnant and complacent. What makes…
The first year or two of a new teacher’s career is extremely stressful and can be overwhelming. The support these new teachers receive can often determine whether or not they remain in the field of education. One way we can support new teachers is through onboarding. One of the duties for administrators, specifically instructional coaches, is onboarding new staff to…
Helping teachers reflect on their practice can be challenging. As a coach, your relationship with the teacher is delicate. Teachers who feel attacked will not want your support, whether attacking was your intention or not. However, teachers who don’t feel challenged or can’t see areas they need to improve in, will not benefit much from your support. After a lesson,…
More often than not, administrators and teachers try to improve learning by focusing on student test schools or tier interventions. They rarely collect data to support goals related to how teachers are teaching and the interaction between teachers and students. Data collection allows administrators, school leaders, and educational researchers to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning. By…
Professional development is essential for educators to stay current with research, best practices, and emerging trends in education. Professional development allows teachers to explore new ideas, strategies, and technologies that can enhance their teaching effectiveness and student outcomes. However, over time, results have shown that offering teacher’s some degree of choice in the topics and ways they learn new information…
Pres-assessing students is important in a variety of ways. First it helps teachers understand what students already know about a topic. This allows them to tailor instruction to meet the needs of individual students or the class as a whole. With knowledge of students’ prior understanding, teachers can plan their lessons more effectively. They can identify areas where students may…
Choosing the appropriate coaching approach depends on various factors, including the coachee’s needs, the coaching context, the coach’s style and expertise, and the specific goals and objectives of the coaching. Jim Knight’s book The Impact Cycle identifies three different approaches to coaching: facilitative, dialogical and direct. Coaches often adapt their approach, and they may incorporate elements of each of these…
Data collection allows administrators, school leaders, and educational researchers to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of teachers. By observing teachers in action, they can gather evidence about instructional practices, classroom management, student engagement, and overall teaching quality. This data helps provide constructive feedback to teachers, identify areas for improvement, and support professional development efforts. Classroom observations, combined with data on…
Whole-class discussions can encourage students to learn from one another and to articulate content in their own words. Mixing in discussions can help maintain students’ focus. As they discuss their answers, they get different perspectives on the topic. Good questions and answers can get students to think deeply about the topic and make connections. However, not all class discussions are…
Goals can be a powerful motivator and tool for accountability. Several different years when I was teaching and preparing my students for external exams or just trying to motivate low performers, I asked each student to come up with a goal (a percentage) that they wanted to hit in the subject. I tried to steer them to set a goal…