Posts by Gretchen Schultek Bridgers

Becoming an effective instructional coach is not as daunting of a task as one might think. It is true that instructional coaching is one of the newer additions into the educational realm of teacher leadership. Luckily though, each year more supports are created to help nurture the growth of instructional coaches. What is an Instructional…

The acronym PLC refers to Professional Learning Communities, which are organized collaborative structures among educators. Many schools have PLC’s, but how they are set up and run vary greatly. A discussion recently came up in the Instructional Coaching Connection Facebook group where a coach was looking for advice from other coaches on how PLC’s are…

One of the most underused superpowers for leaders is the act of listening. Focusing on instruction and pedagogy are a great foundation for successfully leading teachers. However, the simple response of listening while leading can immensely impact student achievement and teacher proficiency in the classroom. Let’s dig into what it is (and isn’t), why it…

Mentorship is the key to success. Every person that has achieved big dreams has been mentored by someone who came before them. The partnership between one person who is ahead with the person who is coming up behind is powerful. Mentorship allows for guidance, insight and warning for someone facing those very same obstacles for…

Teacher leaders can help classroom teachers engage students in authentic, meaningful ways. As a matter of fact, student interaction is not the same as student engagement. A compliant class that interacts with each other and the content of the lesson translates to limited engagement and a low rate of learning. But, when teacher leaders provide…

There’s a very popular practice in the business world where movers and shakers get together to brainstorm new ideas and support each other in reaching new levels in their business. When many brilliant minds come together they create one MASTER mind. This think tank allows everyone to learn from each other’s experiences while gaining ideas,…

Teacher leaders can help teachers manage a classroom effectively and efficiently. As they partner together, they can pull back the curtain on an old myth- to be a good teacher, you must control your class. Control is not the same as manage. To take it a step further, to manage a CLASSROOM is more effective…

If you are leading teachers in any capacity, you will want to help them design lessons that are accurate, aligned, and impactful. Accuracy refers to teachers being able to deliver correct information to students in a lesson. They are able to take complex information and break it down into easy-to-understand snippets without losing any accuracy…

Student interaction is just the beginning of student engagement. If we want students to truly be successful in the classroom, we cannot let it end there. What’s the Difference? Interaction means students are responding in a limited form to each other and yourself as the instructional leader of the classroom. Engagement means students are authentically…

Classroom management is not synonymous with behavior management. One is reactionary and one is preventive. Based on that fact alone, one is easily received and widely successful. Why is that so? When a student feels like they are under a microscope for every move they make (and don’t make), they put their guard up. This…