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The post Membership appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The good news is that reflection does not have to be time-consuming or complex to be impactful. Small, consistent habits can lead to meaningful growth over time.

This post highlights three simple strategies to help you improve your practice, without overthinking the process.

Use Simple, Repeatable Reflection Routines

Reflection does not require elaborate systems or lengthy analysis. In fact, starting small is often the most effective approach.

Consider asking yourself one quick question after each lesson:

• What worked?
• Did something not work?
• Is there one small tweak I can make next time?

Consistency is more important than complexity. Capturing a brief note directly on your lesson plan creates a valuable record you can revisit and refine. Over time these small reflections lead to more effective instruction.

Focus on Patterns, not Perfection

Reflection is most useful when it helps you identify trends. It does not happen when it leads to overanalyzing every detail.

Instead of focusing on isolated moments, step back and look at your week as a whole. What patterns do you notice? Where are students consistently succeeding or struggling?

This broader perspective allows you to make thoughtful adjustments with clarity and confidence. You can do this without falling into unproductive self-criticism.

Turn Reflection into Action, Immediately

Reflection is only as powerful as what you do with it. The most effective educators connect insight directly to action. After identifying an area for improvement, implement one small change the very next day. This keeps the process manageable and builds momentum without adding overwhelm.

When reflection leads to practical adjustments, it becomes a sustainable habit that continuously strengthens on how you teach.

Next Steps

Additional Support

The following products will provide additional support in building productive reflection habits.

• For Teachers
  • PD on Demand: Professional Journaling & Reflection
  • Reflect & Reset Journal Prompts
  • Teaching Video Reflection Guide
  • Reflection Questions on Teaching
  • New Teacher Journal
• For Students
  • Spring Goal Setting & Reflection Set
  • Student Work Reflection (Reading, Writing & Math)
  • Student Behavior Reflection
  • EOY Teacher & Parent Reflection
  • Book Club Reflection

The post Teach, Reflect, Improve: A Smarter Path to Instructional Growth appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Highly effective educators do more than simply close out the yearth, they take time to thoughtfully consider what will best support their success moving forward. By engaging in focused reflection now, you can enter the next school year with clarity, purpose, and direction.

This post will discuss three ways to use reflective practices in terms of what to take with you & what to leave behind.

Identify the “Keepers”

Before you move on, pause and capture what truly worked. Think about the routines, relationships, and strategies that made a real impact on student learning. Ask yourself:

• What worked?
• Why did it work?
• How did it impact my students?

These “keepers” shouldn’t be left to memory or chance. When you name them intentionally, you’re far more likely to carry them into next year with purpose, not just repeat them accidentally.

Release What Drained You

Not everything deserves a second chance next year. Take a moment to identify the practices, habits, or mindsets that created unnecessary stress or burnout. This might include:

• Grading systems that consumed too much time
• Saying “yes” when you needed to say “no”
• Overplanning (or underplanning) lessons
• Holding onto unrealistic expectations

Letting go is powerful. When you release what drained you, you create space for healthier, more sustainable habits to take root.

Turn Insights into a Simple 3 Goal Plan

Reflection only matters if it shapes what comes next. Keep it simple. Choose three clear focus areas for the upcoming year:

• One personal goal (well-being, boundaries, balance)
• One organizational goal (systems, routines, efficiency)
• One instructional goal (teaching practice, student learning)

These goals can align with your Professional Development Plan (PDP). Also, they can be entirely your own. What matters most is that they feel meaningful and actionable to you.

When you start the new school year with clarity, you’re not scrambling, you’re grounded, focused, and ready.

Next Steps

Rest and reflection are not competing priorities, they are complementary practices that support long-term effectiveness.

As you step into your well-earned break, give yourself permission to recharge. At the same time, consider how a few intentional moments can position you for a stronger start in the coming year. Thoughtful closure now creates the foundation for purposeful action later.

By approaching the end of the year with both rest and reflection in mind, you set yourself, and your students, up for continued growth and success.

Additional Support

The following products will provide additional support in building productive reflection habits.

• For Teachers
  • PD on Demand: Professional Journaling & Reflection
  • Reflect & Reset Journal Prompts
  • Teaching Video Reflection Guide
  • Reflection Questions on Teaching
  • New Teacher Journal
• For Students
  • Spring Goal Setting & Reflection Set
  • Student Work Reflection (Reading, Writing & Math)
  • Student Behavior Reflection
  • EOY Teacher & Parent Reflection
  • Book Club Reflection

The post Pause with Purpose: 3 Reflection Practices to Strengthen Your Next School Year appeared first on Always A Lesson.

It’s easy to slip into “end-of-year mode” where routines loosen and learning becomes less intentional after the test. But with a little planning, those last days can be some of the most impactful of the entire year—full of reflection, creativity, and authentic learning experiences that stick with students long after summer begins.

This post discusses 7 ideas for how elementary teachers can keep instruction purposeful and engaging all the way to the finish line.

1. Shift from Testing Mode to Application Mode

Students have spent weeks practicing skills in isolation. Now is the perfect time to apply them in meaningful, real-world contexts.

Think:

• Project-based learning (design a playground, plan a class party with a budget, create a mini-business)
• STEM challenges that require problem-solving and collaboration
• Writing for authentic audiences (letters to next year’s students, community helpers, or even their future selves)

When students see how their learning connects to real life, engagement naturally increases.

2. Prioritize Student Ownership

After testing, give students more voice and choice in their learning.

Try:

• Passion projects or Genius Hour
• Choice boards with varied activities across subjects
• Student-led discussions or mini-lessons

This not only keeps students invested but also builds independence and confidence, skills they’ll carry into the next grade.

3. Use Reflection as a Learning Tool

Reflection isn’t just a “nice to do,” it’s a powerful instructional strategy.

Guide students to think about:

• How they’ve grown academically and personally
• Challenges they’ve overcome
• Goals they achieved (or are still working toward)

Simple prompts like “What are you most proud of this year?” or “What would you do differently next time?” can spark deep thinking and meaningful conversations.

4. Spiral and Strengthen Key Skills

Instead of introducing entirely new content, revisit essential skills in fresh ways.

Keep it engaging by:

• Turning review into games or team challenges
• Using task cards, scavenger hunts, or escape rooms
• Integrating multiple subjects into one activity

This helps solidify learning without feeling repetitive or boring.

5. Build in Collaboration and Community

The end of the year is a great time to strengthen classroom relationships.

Incorporate:

• Partner or group projects
• Class meetings and team-building activities
• Opportunities for peer feedback and celebration

A strong classroom community supports both academic and social growth and makes the final days more joyful.

6. Create Meaningful Closure (Without Extra Work)

You don’t need elaborate activities to end the year well.

Simple, high-impact ideas:

• Memory books or highlight reels
• “Awards” that recognize each student’s unique strengths
• Classroom timelines of favorite moments

These activities double as reading, writing, and speaking practice while also honoring the year’s journey.

7. Keep Routines (with a Little Flexibility)

Structure still matters especially when energy levels are high.

Maintain:

• Clear expectations
• Daily routines for transitions and work time
• Consistent behavior supports

But allow for small moments of joy, spontaneity, and celebration within that structure.

Next Steps: Finish with Purpose

The last weeks of school aren’t just about winding down after the test, they’re about wrapping up learning in a way that feels meaningful and complete. When teachers stay intentional, students leave not just with memories, but with confidence, pride, and a sense of growth. And that’s a finish line worth aiming for.

Resources that you might find helpful are:

• Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success

• Supporting Student Voice- Student Feedback Surveys
• Summer Bucket List & Writing Activity
• End-of-Year Activity Bundle
• End- of-Year Blog Posts & Podcasts

GO BE GREAT!

The post Beyond the Test: Keeping Instruction Meaningful appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Challenges start when teachers are asked to do too much by the state, district, or school. Too many responsibilities can quickly lead to overwhelm. If stress is constant, the brain shifts into survival mode. In this state, it becomes harder to take in new information. Motivation drops, and meaningful learning becomes very difficult.

Just like overwhelmed students struggle to learn, overwhelmed teachers struggle to grow. The goal isn’t more professional development, it’s more intentional professional development.

Below are three ways teachers can choose the most impactful professional development opportunities without adding to burnout.

Prioritize PD that Solves a Specific Pain Point

Regardless of experience, teachers become frustrated when professional development feels disconnected from the realities of their classrooms.

Instead of choosing sessions that are simply interesting or “nice to know,” prioritize learning that addresses your current instructional challenges. This might include:

• Classroom management and behavior strategies

• Efficient planning systems

• Stronger instructional routines

• Improving clarity in teaching new concepts

When PD directly addresses a real classroom need, the learning immediately becomes useful. Teachers can apply strategies right away, see changes in student behavior or achievement, and reduce stress rather than add to it.

Before registering for a PD session, ask yourself: “What would help me be most successful with my students right now?” Answering that question makes choosing the right learning opportunity much easier.

Use the “One Thing” Rule

Professional development sessions often provide a wealth of ideas, strategies, and resources. While exciting, trying to implement everything at once often leads to frustration and abandonment of the learning altogether.

Instead, apply the “One Thing” Rule.” After each PD session, select one strategy to implement. Focus on practicing that single strategy until it becomes comfortable and effective. Once it’s working well in your classroom, return to your notes and choose the next idea to try.

This approach:

• Prevents overload

• Encourages consistent implementation

• Builds teacher confidence

• Leads to sustained improvement over time

Ironically, doing one thing well at a time often accelerates both teacher proficiency and student achievement.

Build a Personal PD Filter

Teachers benefit from having a simple decision-making filter before committing their time and energy to professional learning.

Consider asking yourself three questions:

• Is this aligned with my professional goals?

• Is this aligned with the needs of my students?

• Is this realistic given my current time and capacity?

If a professional development opportunity doesn’t meet all three criteria, it’s okay to say no. Being selective isn’t avoidance, it’s being intentional.

If schools allow teachers to make thoughtful choices about their learning, they support how adults learn best. Adult learning works best when it includes choice, feels relevant, and can be used right away. When teachers have a sense of ownership, professional development feels meaningful instead of overwhelming.

This approach can also improve teacher retention. Teachers are more likely to stay in schools where their time is respected and their professional judgment is trusted.

Final Thoughts

Professional learning should energize teachers, not exhaust them. By selecting PD that solves real problems, focusing on one strategy at a time, and using a clear decision-making filter, teachers can continue growing professionally without adding unnecessary stress to an already demanding role.

The goal isn’t to attend more professional development sessions. The goal is to choose the right ones.

Recommended Resources

• Blog Posts
  • Ditch Learning Overwhelm with Right Sized PD
• Podcast Episodes
  • Secrets to Powerful PD for Teachers
  • Alternative PD Options for Teachers
• Downloadable Products
  • PD on Demand- Micro Learning Opportunities
  • PD Choice Boards
  • Instructional Best Practices
• Book: Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success

GO BE GREAT!

The post Professional Development Without Burning Out appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Lead from Right Here

Leadership doesn’t begin with a title—it begins with intentional action. Teachers can start leading from exactly where they are, even in their first years in the classroom. Early-career teachers can take small but meaningful steps such as sharing a successful instructional strategy, supporting a teammate during planning, or volunteering for a committee. These actions quietly build credibility and signal readiness for greater responsibility. When you consistently do the small things well, others begin to trust you with bigger opportunities. New teachers can also be proactive by meeting with their principal to express interest in future leadership, asking to be considered when opportunities arise. Sharing long-term goals with school leadership plants a seed that allows a teacher to grow intentionally into a mentor role when the timing is right.

Develop One Signature Strength

New teachers grow faster—and lead sooner—when they identify one strength and intentionally refine it. This might be classroom management, technology integration, literacy routines, assessment practices, or family communication. Rather than trying to be excellent at everything, focus on becoming exceptionally strong in one area. Read, observe, ask questions, and experiment to deepen your expertise. Then, share what you’re learning with others. Over time, colleagues will begin seeking you out for guidance in that area, positioning you as a trusted resource. Becoming “the go-to person” is often the first visible step toward mentorship.

Seek Micro Mentorship Opportunities

Mentorship develops through action, not appointment. Teachers build leadership capacity by intentionally supporting others—co-planning with a peer, modeling a classroom routine, or helping a colleague navigate school systems. These small, informal coaching moments are the foundation for formal leadership roles later on. When teachers have already shared their leadership goals with administrators, volunteered for committees, and established a signature strength, the groundwork for mentorship is in place. From there, it’s time to move beyond sharing ideas to demonstrating them. Instead of describing a strategy, model it. Share student work, photos, or short videos during team or staff meetings to show the impact in action. As teachers consistently lead in visible ways, their mentorship skills sharpen and their audience grows ready to follow—confident in a track record that has been building all along.

Recommended Resources

If you are interested in additional support to grow from new to mentor, browse the suggestions below:

• Book: Always A Lesson- Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success
• Mentor Kit
• Instructional Coaching
• Peer Observations

These podcast episodes and blog posts may also be helpful to you.

GO BE GREAT!

The post From New Teacher to Trusted Mentor: Growing into a Leadership Role appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The post Changing Careers: Making the Transition for Future Teachers appeared first on Always A Lesson.

As a result, many states are allowing non-certified individuals to teach. To become eligible under these crisis conditions, individuals would have to hold a bachelor’s degree of any type and professional experience. Oftentimes, transferrable skills exist between careers so having experience in the working world is advantageous. The one stipulation if a non-certified individual chooses to teach is that they must enroll in an certification program within the stated timeframe set by the district or school.

Since emergency certification is growing in popularity, its important to outline essential classroom skills for teachers who didn’t complete a traditional student teaching experience. As part of the Supporting Alternative Pathway Teachers series on the blog, this post will explore 6 tips to help individuals gaining an emergency teaching certificate without traditional training such as student teaching.

Routines and Procedures Matter 

Strong routines and procedures form the backbone of effective instruction. They create an environment where students know what to expect, how to behave, and how to move from one task to the next without constant teacher direction. When routines are tight, teachers spend less time managing and more time teaching. In fact, many highly effective classrooms look “calm” not because students are naturally compliant, but because routines make expectations automatic.

Don’t Miss the Behind-the-Scenes Modeling 

Student teaching gives educators a front-row seat to the flow of a classroom—the tiny, often invisible systems that make everything run. New teachers who skip this experience may not realize how much intentional planning sits underneath a smooth day. They don’t see the hundreds of micro-decisions: where materials live, how students move, how transitions are cued, or how procedures are retaught. As a result, they may assume a routine should “just work” without understanding the level of practice and modeling required.

The Power of Predictable Systems 

Predictability creates safety and confidence for students. When entry routines, exit routines, supply systems, and transitions run the same way every day, cognitive load drops—and academic engagement rises.

• Entry routines help students shift into learning mode immediately.

• Exit routines reinforce reflection, organization, and closure.

• Supply routines eliminate time-wasters and arguments.

• Transition routines keep momentum high and reduce the noisy drift between tasks.

Predictable Systems aren’t about Rigidity —they’re about freeing the brain to do the harder work of thinking, problem-solving, and collaborating.

Routines Reduce Behavior Issues 

A huge percentage of behavior challenges come from uncertainty, downtime, or unclear expectations. Well-taught routines eliminate those variables. Research commonly cited in classroom-management literature notes that strong routines can reduce off-task behavior by up to 80% (exact stat varies by source, but the pattern is consistent across studies). When students know exactly what to do and how to do it, they don’t have to “guess”—and guessing is where misbehavior happens.

Teaching a Routine is as Important as Teaching Content

Teaching a routine is teaching content—it’s instructional design. Routines are skills students must learn, practice, and master just like reading strategies or math processes. A routine that is taught explicitly, modeled clearly, and practiced repeatedly becomes part of the learning system for the entire year. Investing time upfront pays off exponentially because every later lesson runs more smoothly, efficiently, and effectively.

A Simple Script for Teaching and Practicing Procedures

You can teach any procedure using a simple three-step script:

1. Explain
“Here’s what we do when it’s time to transition to the carpet. You will push in your chair, walk quietly, sit criss-cross in your assigned spot, and track the speaker.”

2. Model
“Watch as I show you exactly how it looks.” (Teacher models.)
“Now watch again as a student volunteer models.” (Student models.)

3. Practice & Feedback
“Your turn. Let’s practice together. Ready… go.”
Give quick, specific feedback:
“I noticed several of you pushed in your chairs quietly. Let’s try it again and focus on getting to the carpet within 10 seconds.”
Re-practice until the routine meets expectations.

This cycle mirrors any high-quality instructional method: clear explanation, modeling, guided practice, and feedback.

Resource Recommendations

After reading this blog post, non-certified teachers can become successful in the classroom while simultaneously earning their certification.

• Digital Downloads:
  • Instructional Best Practices
  • PD On Demand: Micro Learning Opportunities 
• Books:
  • EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College
  • Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success

Continue reading more in the Supporting Alternative Pathway Teachers series on the blog:

• Changing Careers: Making the Transition for Future Teachers
• Bridge the Instructional Gap: Must Know Pedagogy for Non Traditional Teachers

These blog posts may also be helpful to you as well.

GO BE GREAT!

The post Becoming A Teacher Without Student Teaching Experience appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Attend during Specials or Planning Time

The most simple way to logistically make learning walks work within the parameters of a jam packed teaching schedule is to use off-time during contractual hours to engage in learning walks. For example, when students are at specials or you have an additional planning block without students, use a portion of that time to complete the learning walk. Being organized for the learning walk ahead of time will ensure efficient time usage for the experience.

Instructional Coach Becomes Coverage

Sometimes, you cannot complete a learning walk (or enough rounds of peer observations to be worth it) during free time so needing someone to provide classroom coverage is necessary. Using a member of the leadership team, like an instructional coach, allows teachers to engage in a thorough learning walk experience while students are taught by a certified staff member. This coach could help multiple grade levels over several days so that all staff could participate. However, leaving time in the day for the instructional coach to complete their daily activities is important so that they aren’t left scrambling to meet the expectations of their day-to-day job.

Hire Substitute Teachers

The first two suggestions are free which is why they are the most popular solution among schools. However, sometimes those options are unavailable to schools. In that case, using school funds to hire substitute teachers allows them to manage learning walks. For example, a principal might have a substitute teacher come for an entire day but hop around classes providing coverage while grade levels take turns engaging in a learning walk. This requires school-wide planning and orchestration; however, it is the best use of time and funds when hiring a substitute teacher for coverage.

Blend Classes

A solution that is less popular because it is not what is best for teachers and students is to blend classes together. For example, a single teacher would disperse their students among the rest of the grade level classes so that each class only had an additional 3-4 students during the learning walk time frame. This requires a collaborative effort with the helping teachers so that it is a seamless transition of instruction for students. The teacher would work quickly to see a different grade level of teachers that did not have additional students in their classes. This solution is time bound and often bare bones just to get in a quick peer observation.

Do it Virtually

If all else fails, allow teachers to watch their peers teach via video tape. It lacks authenticity because you cannot feel what is happening in the room and it limits your line of sight. However, it still allows colleagues to watch each other teach, reflect on their own practice, and improve their teaching skill for the benefit of students.

Resources

Below are additional resources to help you successfully implement learning walks in your school building.

• Blog Posts:
  • How to Set Up Learning Walks in your Building
  • 3 Tips to Get the Most Out of Learning Walks
  • The Secret to the Most Effective PD
• Downloadable Material:
  • Learning Walks: Effective Peer Observations

Don’t let obstacles get in your way of teachers seeing each other teach. Learning walks are a powerful and transformative professional development tool.

GO BE GREAT!

The post 5 Ways to Overcome Coverage Challenges During Learning Walks appeared first on Always A Lesson.

In this episode we dive into one of the biggest challenges teachers face—getting students to actually care about what they’re learning. Great lesson planning isn’t just about standards and objectives—it’s about connection, relevance, and engagement.

Join us as we explore how intentional planning can transform your lessons from “just another class” into experiences that matter to your students.

Quotables

• “Personal growth over grades. ”
• “That classroom environment has to be a place where they want to take risks.”
• “When students feel known, they feel respected, and their more likely to find meaning in what their working on. “

Resources from this Episode:

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

The post 356: Beyond the Lesson Plan & How to Get Students to Care appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Live coaching made such a difference for me as a leader because I was able to help teachers grow stronger in the moment. We didn’t have to wait until our debrief meeting a week later to discuss changes to instructional design, classroom management, student engagement or student ownership. The impact was immediate and the results followed suit.

Lay of the Land

To kick things off successfully, provide a lay of the land. Teachers need to understand what it is, why they should engage in it, how it will help, as well as where and when it will take place.

The post Live Coaching: Tips, Strategies & Advice appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Listen in as Jennifer Burns tells about the importance of being open to learning, and reflecting on the craft of teaching for all students. Having experience in a variety of different avenues in the teaching profession, Jennifer brings a perspective and a tool in this episode that will help teachers in their upcoming lessons.

Quotables

• “Everywhere you go, there is something to be learned.”
• “Finding the ability to be open and receptive to what others can offer you is the biggest lesson. “
• “It’s okay to be where you are.”

About Jennifer Burns

Jennifer is a literacy trainer, consultant and author working with schools and districts to help teachers and leaders make reading joyful to teach and learn from the earliest of ages. As teachers, we go through observe, reflect and create cycles in teaching. This applies to daily lesson planning and teacher professional growth. We are learning to observe and take notes better. We are learning to reflect on what our notes mean. And we are learning how to create impactful lessons. That is what Jennifer has created in the book Building Readers From The Playground to Print for the youngest of readers and what she work with schools to do with all readers.

Resources from this Episode:

The post 355: Open to Learning with Jennifer Burns appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The purpose of this post is not to discuss how to effectively implement lesson design, although resources to do that are linked at the bottom of the post. Uncovering 5 myths of lesson design will help teachers better understand the value of the process required to deliver high quality instruction to their students.

Myth #1

If you write a detailed lesson plan, you are a great teacher.

False. Just because you can write a strong lesson plan on paper does not mean you can deliver a quality lesson. Remember, lesson design is not just the lesson plan itself. It thinks about all the obstacles a student might face during the learning experience and puts strategies in place to prevent those from occurring. Writing a lesson plan is only one piece of lesson design. Other important steps in the lesson design process are just as impactful like collaborating with colleagues to raise the rigor of the plan, designing an assessment that aligns to the standards and objective of the lesson, preparing physical learning materials, planning the transition routes for students to move about the classroom safely and efficiently and so much more. Great lesson plan writers do not always translate to great teachers. Design the lesson, don’t just plan it.

Myth #2

Designing a lesson by yourself is better than doing it with others.

False. When you are completing a task by yourself, you are limited to your own skillset and intelligence. When you complete a task together as a group, you put your brains and talents together elevating the limit to which you can accomplish the task. Therefore, it is always better to meet as a team to brainstorm ideas, push each other’s thinking, and bring alternative ideas to the table. The discussion begins with the standard to be covered and flushing that out to daily objectives that can be taught during the subject area time frame. Now the hard work begins of designing the learning experience.Everyone has a different strength that when they are combined during a collaboration session, a lesson grows in effectiveness and impact. Don’t limit your teaching by planning by yourself. Tap into your professional learning network!

Myth #3

You must create everything from scratch.

False. Many teachers have taught for years and have instructional materials that can be repurposed for upcoming lessons. Part of the responsibility of those in the collaboration are to bring related items to the planning session so they can be reviewed and suggested for use. If you create everything from scratch you are putting more time into the item creation than on the lesson itself. Although support materials enhance a lesson, if the majority of time is spent making instructional materials the actual lesson never reaches it potential because time was spent elsewhere. Leverage what you have and spend the bulk of your time on lesson design.

Myth #4

Every lesson has different procedures and expectations.

False. If you continue to change up procedures and expectations, students will spend their brain power relearning those things instead of learning new content. Put the emphasis on the actual learning of information instead of on the how to go about the learning. This means procedures can remain the same from lesson to lesson. This creates familiarity which then leads to efficiency. When expectations shift every lesson, students are confused as to what is expected of them. This slows down the learning process as they have questions or the teacher is busy redirecting and correcting misbehaviors due to the misunderstanding. All of this distracts from the learning experience. Save time, reuse procedures and expectations.

Myth #5

Your lesson will go exactly as planned.

Even if you follow a thorough lesson design process, the execution of the lesson could do awry. Teachers not in control of every factor in their classroom, such as early dismissal, fire drill, AC going out, or technology not working. Understanding that even the best plan doesn’t mean the lesson will go off without a hitch will save sanity. As the famous show “Big Brother” says every episode, “Expect the unexpected.” This is a great motto for teachers as well. Plan thoroughly because it just might come out exactly as planned, but also expect a hiccup or two. When you expect an obstacle, you are better able to pivot efficiently in the moment instead of getting upset which leads to a clouded brain to make decisions.

Helpful Resources

• Blog Posts
  • Powerful Lesson Planning
  • 5 Tips for Designing a Memorable Learning Experience
  • 5 Ways to Improve the Lesson Design Process
  • Lesson Design PD Options
  • Coach Focus: How to Help Teachers Design Lessons
• Podcast Episodes
  • 59: The Lesson Plan Vortex
• Book
  • Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success (Brick #1)

Want more support? Browse our full collection of printable and digital tools. You can also read more helpful posts on the blog.

GO BE GREAT!

The post 5 Myths of Lesson Design appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post will reveal a three prong method for cultivating quality teaching and learning in k-12 classrooms across the globe.

Hire

Hiring is an intentional process leaders engage in to ensure they attract and hire qualified candidates aligned to their school mission. A thorough hiring process will uncover red flags that could be a risk if that potential candidate was hired. This process could include an application, phone interview, in-person interview or teaching a demo lesson, ending with talking with references.

An application should gather basic information, a career summary, and responses to carefully chosen writing prompts. These prompts should highlight the candidate’s professionalism, experience, passion, and ability to think critically and connect with others. This helps school leaders find candidates who match their school’s goals and fill specific grade-level needs.

The interview process has two parts. First is a phone interview. This allows the interviewer to expand on the application and ask deeper questions. It focuses on the candidate’s interest in the role, why they’re a good fit, and how they think under pressure. This step helps predict how they might respond to challenges or conflict on the job.

Next is the demo lesson. This gives leaders a chance to see the candidate teach in real time. It also shows whether their teaching matches what they shared in the application and interview.

A thorough hiring protocol ensures quality candidates get hired.

Helpful resources include:

• Cultivating Capacity- Nurturing new teachers into impactul educators
• Preparing for an Interview (Print + Video)

Train

Once hired, we must train the new employee (whether brand new to the profession or new to the school). Training consists of onboarding and professional development. The onboarding process allows a colleague to walk the new employee through how to be successful while working at that specific school- everything from a campus map to getting a substitute teacher for an absence.

Professional development is an ongoing process where leaders guide new hires towards mastery in curriculum initiatives, school and district goals, instructional best practices and more. This ensures a quality candidate continues to grow in their proficiency which then allows students to grow in their capacity as well.

Helpful resources include:

• The Importance of Providing Onboarding for Educators
• Onboarding: How to Support a New Hire at your School
• Professional Development Training Options

Support

There are a variety of ways to support a new hire beyond the professional development workshops. Assigning a mentor to meet monthly about current needs, upcoming events, and trouble shooting common obstacles allows the new hire to receive a more systematic support from a high performing mentor.

Utilizing an instructional coach is another way to add a layer of support for the new hire. This coach will conduct coaching cycles focusing on areas of need aligned to high quality teaching in areas such as lesson design, classroom management, student engagement and student ownership. These cycles could last six to nine weeks honing in on high leverage areas one at a time.

Professional learning communities [PLC’s] is a final way to support a new hire. PLC’s are a collaborative  structure where colleagues work together weekly to plan lessons, design assessments, brainstorm differentiation strategies and more.

When you support a new hire in this way, your retention rate for quality teachers skyrockets and so does student achievement.

Helpful resources include:

• Success Secrets of Colleague Mentorship
• Characteristics of an Effective Teacher Mentor
• Mentor Kit
• Coaching Printables
• PLC Guides
• 5 Ways to Enhance your PLC Meetings

Wishing you a fantastic year as you cultivate quality teaching and learning!

GO BE GREAT!

The post 3 Ways to Cultivate Quality Teaching and Learning appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Every child deserves a high-quality education, no matter which teacher they have. To fix this issue, school leaders are now setting aside time to focus on consistent, high-quality teaching. When all leaders do this, every student gets a fair chance to succeed.

This post explains what causes these differences and shares a simple plan school leaders can use to fix them.

GO BE GREAT!

The post Inconsistent Quality of Teaching & How to Overcome It appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Know Your Purpose

Define the goal of the survey. In order to get the information you are seeking, you have to be clear on what the survey is about. Every question should be aligned to that single purpose. If not, it belongs in a different survey. Examples of purpose could be to seek feedback on one particular thing ( curriculum implementation, coaching cycles, staff duties, etc.), or to gather intel so that you can make an informed decision (upcoming schoolwide event, staff requirements, climate check, etc.).

Ask the Right Questions

Use clear, focused, and actionable questions to get useful insights. If your questions are too open-ended, you’ll receive answers that are all over the place. Just like your survey needs one clear purpose, your questions need to be clear as well. Reread your questions to ensure they do not lead the survey taker to respond in a particular way because you want to collect unbiased information. For example, instead of saying “what are your thoughts on our new curriculum?,” you could say, “What are 2 ways the new curriculum has made lesson planning easier?” Asking the right questions, ensure the answers given can be used to make the type of decision you intended when creating the survey.

Keep It Short & Anonymous

Respect staff time and encourage honest responses. If you want quality of information, prioritize your questions and limit the length of the survey. Decide what your most important questions will be and reserve the others for a later date. Staff have limited time to read and respond to emails, let alone surveys, so keeping it short will encourage more staff to complete it. If you allow staff to answer anonymously if they wish, then you get more honest responses due to a lack of negative consequences for sharing their thoughts. This makes it hard to follow up with data outliers but looking for trends from the responses should be the goal here.

Follow Up on Findings

Communicate results and how feedback will be used to drive change. Remember not to ask for feedback unless you intend to do something with it. This encourages staff to take time to be thoughtful in their responses knowing you will be using the information to make adjustments. Following up reveals your dedication to finding favorable solutions to common problems as well as creating opportunities of interest for staff. Transparency in the use of the data collected builds a sense of community and holds everyone to a higher standard.

Make It a Two-Way Conversation

Offer opportunities for discussion or clarification after survey results are shared. Once the data is in, engaging in open dialogue ensure additional details are shared and more questions can be asked. This is now the appropriate time to ask questions you kept off of the survey that were related but would have made the survey too arduous. This continues to build on the safe space you created while allowing staff to feel their opinions are valued and heard. Offer to continue the conversation by other means (ie. email, appointment, future surveys) if staff desires.

Next Steps & Resources

Follow the tips provided in this blog post to create a staff survey. Continue to make improvements and adjustments with future surveys to ensure they provide the information you desire to make quality decisions that impact your staff.

If you are in need of survey resources, items for teachers and leaders are below:

• Surveys for teachers:
  • Free Parent Survey- Holiday Themed Instruction in the Classroom
  • Free Back to School Learner Survey
  • Free Rate My Teacher Student Survey
  • Teacher Report Card
• Surveys for leaders:
  • Sunshine Committee- Teacher’s Favorite Things
  • PD Session Feedback Survey
  • Instructional Coaching Coach Feedback Survey
  • Instructional Coaching Staff Survey

If you need more resources to help you become an even stronger teacher or coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out other helpful blog posts here. Be sure to also check out my latest book, Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.

GO BE GREAT!

The post 5 Tips for Creating Effective Staff Surveys appeared first on Always A Lesson.

School safety has become top priority for schools as of late due to the many tragedies our country has endured recently. This has caused many school districts to review their safety procedures so that all students are protected while learning at school.

This post will cover 4 ways to strengthen school safety for all students. As you browse the post, think about which of the four ways could benefit your students and implement the changes at your school site immediately.

Emergency Response Plan

All schools should have a written emergency response plan. The following information should be included:

• types of emergencies (ie. natural disasters, active shooter, power outage, etc.)
• evacuation procedures with building map (ie. exit routes and meeting points)
• designated staff members to contact for various emergencies
• communication tree to notify staff, students and parents
• special needs care (ie. assisting students with mental or physical disabilities)

Once it is created, it is time to communicate the emergency response plan to staff. As this plan is implemented on site, make note of what changes need to be made. It’s important to update and revise immediately and as often as needed.

Threat Assessment

Now that the emergency response system is designed and communicated, it’s time to conduct a threat assessment. This means a team of appointed personnel (administrator, school counselor, law enforcement etc.) think through potential threats to student safety while walking the physical spaces of the school. You want to ensure the building is free of hazards, eliminating poor lighting, placing security in secluded locations, making sure locks on doors and windows are in working condition and evaluating student behavior on and off school grounds.

This team will also create clear criteria for potential threats, outlining steps to take once a threat is identified. This allows for a proactive and urgent response to suspicious behavior or activity. If a threat is reported, this same personnel team gathers together again to analyze the details of the event. They can interview witnesses and staff, and collaborate with all stakeholders to devise an appropriate intervention to ensure safety and health of everyone involved. Keeping detailed records are essential as well as following mandatory reporting protocols by law.

Training

Once all the protocols are put in place, all staff and students should be appropriately trained. The training is comprised of two phases: inform and practice. Informing staff on the emergency response plan ensures they know when to reach out for help and who specifically to contact. Sharing the results of the threat assessment as well as upgrades made on campus to further safety will alert staff to using the new additions (and reporting when the new additions need attention). Staff will then share only the pertinent details with students to encourage their participation in making the campus safe while also alerting them to how to reporting suspicious activity, bullying or personal safety threats.

Now that staff and students are on the same page, it is time to execute what they learned. Instead of waiting for an incident to occur, administrators with the help of the crisis management personnel can run practice drills like evacuations, lockdowns, active assailant response, and mental health and medical emergencies. This will help everyone feel comfortable with protocols so when a safety threat arises, everyone can respond quickly and calmly as planned.

Recovery Plan

After a crisis occurs on campus, a recovery plan should be set in motion. But before that can happen, it needs to be designed. In the past, natural disasters were the only thing on our radar to recover from and those were rare. Nowadays, sick outbreaks (ie. Covid-19) and school shootings occur much more regularly. Planning what to do after a crisis is just as important as having a plan for during the actual crisis. (ie. Employ criss management team to secure the site, provide medical attention and emotional support via health professionals. There may be a need to provide flexible learning options for as long as needed.)

One of the biggest stressors in schools is when an incident occurs, parents tend to find out on social media or via their child’s text. This causes chaos to erupt in the community. So notifying parents of what occurred as quickly as possible allows them to support you in implementing the appropriate recovery plan until students can be safely returned to their homes. Principals should share pertinent details like date, time, type of incident, current state of safety on site and recover plan next steps.

Next Steps

After reading these four options for increasing the safety of students at school, you should be thinking about which step is most necessary for you to implement at your site. Even if you have completed all four steps in the past, its essential to review these protocols often so they themselves are up-to-date and that everyone executing the plans remain informed and equipped to keep students safe.

As you can see from this post, devising a thorough plan with the assistance of the community, informing staff and students of safety protocols and providing ongoing support ensure students can remain focused on learning while at school. All schools should remain the safest place for children and this four part post will ensure that is reality of every child.

There are two resources that could be of benefit to consume in relation to school safety:

• You can listen in on a candid discussion that occurred around the Covid-19 outbreak that discusses how to create calm among the chaos, which continues to remain relevant due to the crisis that continue to occur in our schools. Tune in here.
• I spoke about the Crisis Response in Education on the Empowering Educators Podcast sharing what you can do to make it better. I discuss resources and tangible action steps to make your school more prepared in a crisis situation.

The post 4 Ways to Strengthen School Safety for all Students appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Because lesson design is an intricate process to master, providing ongoing learning opportunities will help strengthen the skill. Instead of leading a learning workshop on the topic multiple times throughout the year, it is best to offer varied learning opportunities to keep the learning fresh and interesting.

This post will outline multiple ways to provide professional development to teachers on lesson design.

Light Options

There are ways to introduce the concept of lesson design without causing overwhelm to teachers. The following options expose teachers to new ideas in easy to digest pieces:

• Newsletters– Have a dedicated space on your weekly newsletter brief that highlights instructional best practices with tips for how to successfully implement them in the classroom. You can do a series of related topics each month or quarter. You may choose to also hang these newsletters in high traffic areas for teachers to be reminded.
• Podcast Pre-Work– While teachers are commuting to work or cleaning their classroom, they can listen to specific episodes you have hand picked related to lesson design. Providing a quick homework assignment for teachers to turn in after listening, is a way to get the discussion started with this instructional focus.
• Blog Post Reading– Select 1-3 blog posts related to lesson design (like these here), and have teachers compare and contrast their reading. This again gets their wheels spinning about an important topic before coming together to discuss implementation strategies.
• Book Excerpts– Similar to blog post reading, select excerpts from a book (like chapter 2 of this book) related to lesson design to have teachers read. Providing comprehension or reflection questions help the new information begin to percolate in their minds.

Medium Options

Once teachers are primed with an overview of lesson design, they are ready to learn more at a deeper level followed by applying their learning.

• Mini Lesson– There are four main concepts, referred to as bricks, of lesson design. Providing a targeted PD session for each brick, followed by planning for implementation allows all the key points to be collected, reflected and applied.
• Coaching Menu– Design a menu of learning options for teachers in regards to lesson design. Items could be completed individually or as a group. Also, teachers can select as many of the opportunities as they’d like. Each task will have it’s own due date and instructions so be sure to be clear where to locate that information. This builds in choice to the learning experience, increasing the likelihood teachers engage at high levels.
• PD on Demand – Provide mini training to teachers where they can learn on their own and at their own pace. Simply provide the materials and check back a week or so later to discuss implementation and share feedback. A range of topics can be provided to strengthen that specific portion of the lesson design process. Browse options here.

Heavy Options

As teachers begin applying lesson design practices more consistently, its time to fine tune them in a personalized way.

• Book Club– Building in some ownership into the learning experience, allow teachers to read a common text (like this one) and meet regularly to discuss their findings, connections, and plans for execution. It is highly suggested to provide an outline for meetings and/or chapter-by-chapter questions to aid in high level discussion.
• Coaching Cycle– Working 1:1 with teachers allows them to have the most personalized, thorough support. Conducting a coaching cycle that includes a pre-observation, observation, and post-observation debrief will ensure teachers maximize the benefits of lesson design. Teachers can engage in multiple coaching cycles until they reach the highest level of effectiveness.

Key Points to Discuss

Regardless of whether you decide to implement light or heavy PD options for staff, it is important to cover the essential key points of lesson design. For example:

• Standard and content alignment
• Backwards design
• Check for understanding
• Differentiation
• Gradual release
• High value + high meaning
• Pacing
• Technology

To gain more in depth details about strengthening lesson design processes, read my latest book “Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.”

GO BE GREAT!

The post Lesson Design Professional Development Options appeared first on Always A Lesson.

In education, adults have to continue learning through professional development [PD] to keep their licenses active. These learning experiences are usually given by experts in the field, leaders in the building or even colleagues who are teaching themselves. Either way, adults are teaching adults.

This post shares tips for making adult-to-adult learning successful.

Adult Learning Theory

When presenting material during PD, learning styles should still be considered to ensure information is retained. However, the nuances of teaching adults requires alternative planning methods than those used to design lessons for kids. Adult learning theory, commonly known as andragogy, is a 5 point framework that outlines how to plan learning experiences for adults. Be sure to explore adult learning theory prior to planning a PD session for adult learners.

Before the PD Session

After exploring adult learning theory, make note of what aspects you plan to include in your PD session. Draft a quick email to the attending teachers explaining the upcoming learning opportunity. In this email be sure to acknowledge their background and expertise, outlining how it will be used during the session to help peers grow their skills as well. When learners feel they bring something to the table to contribute, they show up to the learning session motivated to engage.

Before closing the email, explain the relevancy of the PD session. Adults need to see the value and need for the topic before they can be open to learning it. By sharing this information up front, adults walk into the session on the same page and ready to go.

During the PD Session

Adults do best when they can pour over a problem and collaborate on the solution. They do not enjoy being talked out the whole session. Although there will be a portion of new information shared, the presenter should use professional talk over their teacher persona to avoid the attendees feeling like they are being talked down to. After the new content is shared, do these three things:

• Make space for exploration – Sometimes we learn best by getting busy with what we are learning. Having an activity where adults can explore together brings the content alive and they naturally begin to imagine implementing it in their various roles.
• Allow for input – Open up for the floor to see what thoughts learners are beginning to have about what they just learned. This is a great time for problem solvers to bring solutions to the table. It also provides insight into how well learners understood the new material.
• Build in robust time for discussion – Some might have background to what was shared and can share personal experiences to help their colleagues imagine what the new learning will look like in their saturation. Others might want to share out about what they discovered during the exploration section of the PD session. Either way, allowing colleagues to compare their findings and share ideas is the most important part of the learning experience. Do not short cut this phase.

After the PD session

To ensure learners implement their new learning, a follow-up is required. This could be a quick survey teachers have to fill out that asks questions like:

• What was your biggest takeaway from your recent PD session?
• How did you plan to implement your new learning?
• What results did you notice after implementation?
• What additional support do you need to continue implementing your learning successfully?
• What topics of interest can you share for future learning sessions?

The results of the survey will help the PD session presenter know how to continue the follow-up process. Some teachers might need a quick 1:1 planning session where others might request an observation and feedback. Either way, personalized support ensures the new learning sticks!

Next Steps

Consider how adults learn differently and then plan an amazing learning experience for them. They will appreciate the time you took to understand what they need and want (and you’ll appreciate that the learning experience is full of high engagement!).

If you are in need of various PD options for teachers, browse the options below:

• Learning Walks – a peer observation tool
• Mentor Kit – create a mentorship system at your school
• PD on Demand– mini PD options teachers can learn on the go
• PD Choice Board – provide learning options for teachers based on their interests
• Buzzword Bingo – have fun during PD by highlighting key concepts through Bingo
• PD Huddle – a quick colleague PD huddle up to kick off the day

If you are looking for specific PD content to share with teachers, browse the options below:

• How to Successful Manage a Classroom
• Asking Higher Order Thinking Questions
• Increasing Student Ownership

If you need more resources to help you become an even stronger teacher or coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out other helpful blog posts here. Be sure to also check out my latest book, Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.

GO BE GREAT!

The post The Art of Teaching Adults (not Kids) appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post will outline strategies for creating a consistent and effective collaborative planning system. The four P’s will help all schools develop and maintain collaborative planning meetings with teachers.

Purpose

Setting the intention for collaborating planning provides clarity for everyone involved. Pondering the purpose as a leadership team allows for multiple perspectives to be shared. This ensures the purpose is intentional and clear which makes way for impactful results.

Questions to consider are:

• Why do we want teachers to plan together?
• What is the outcome we desire?
• How can teachers effectively plan on a consistent basis?

Promise

Including teachers in the development of collaborative planning increases the chances they engage fully in the process. When fully invested, teachers will experience the power of collaboration in enhancing their ideas for instruction. Asking teachers to make a pledge, or promise, for how they will engage ensures commitment to the goal and adhesion to the plan. Teachers can develop the promise together and then all sign it.

Examples of characteristics teachers should display during collaborative planning are:

• being honest and vulnerable
• including all voices
• showing up prepared and on time.

Protocol

Writing down the plan teachers must follow for collaborative planning keeps clarity front-and-center. It helps teachers develop the intended habits and holds them accountable for engaging at high levels during every planning meeting.

Aspects that should be included in the protocol are:

• Team announcements
• Daily goal
• Reference pacing guide, curriculum, standards, and backwards planning documents
• Hash out content, questioning, differentiation, instructional strategies
• Develop informal assessments
• Reflect on previous lessons to implement changes for subsequent lessons

Productivity check

Although many planning meetings tend to divide up duties to save time, they do not create effective instruction in every classroom. That’s because each teacher is only planning a portion of a lesson without discussing the lesson in detail together with peers. Inadequate planning creates inadequate instructional delivery. As a result, students are unable to master lesson objectives and skills. We must revise our collaborative planning structures so that they remain productive (ie. save time and produce outcomes) without sacrificing content understanding. Taking time every month to conduct a productivity check will keep planning meetings on track.

Questions to ask ourselves:

• Are we following the protocol as intended?
• Are we able to thoroughly plan during our meetings?
• Is everyone pulling their weight?
• Is everyone clearly understanding lesson material prior to teaching?
• Are discussions leading to idea development that is rigorous and aligned?

Additional Resources

If you are in need of additional materials to help you revise your collaborative planning process, consider these resources listed below:

• Professional Learning Community [PLC] printables 
• Lesson Planning printables

If you are looking for other blog posts and podcast episodes about planning, scan these options. Additional planning resources can also be found here. If you’d like to continue to reinvent your instructional effectiveness, read my latest book “Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.”

GO BE GREAT!

The post The 4 P’s of Effective Collaborative Planning appeared first on Always A Lesson.

It turns out that micro learning is a win-win solution for teachers and leaders. Teachers prefer a shorter PD session so they can complete the other requirements of the job. And, because learning is in smaller increments teachers are able to recall and successfully implement their new learning. There is no content overwhelm and decision fatigue. Bite-sized learning is easy to consume and execute.

This blog post will outline planning right size PD (resources included) as well as shares the benefits of providing micro learning opportunities for teachers.

Plan Right Size PD

Leaders designing PD for teachers should begin by mapping out the learning journey for the year. It’s essential to know the end goal before planning an individual session. The implementation process is then more of a progression over time, allowing application to grow in accuracy. Similar to utilizing long range planning to reach one cohesive goal, aligning right size PD options to an end goal ensures all efforts produce desired results. This creates momentum, excitement and confidence.

If a topic is extensive to cover, developing multiple bite-sized sessions can be more successful than a single, long, in-depth session. This might mean there is a single area of focus for the entire year. At each session, recapping the previous learning and setting up the future learning bridges the gap of understanding. Teachers understand the pathway of where they have been and where they are going.

When teachers are not engaging in right size PD, they are implementing micro actions that improve student learning incomes. This makes it easier to track and easier to implement. Each subsequent learning session, adds another layer of micro actions to execute, growing the capacity of the teacher and student slowly over time. This is sustainable professional learning.

Benefit of Right Size PD

Teachers embrace right size PD because its a manageable requirement in terms of time commitment and evidence production. The amount of information coming in is not overwhelming, the time it takes to learn it is appropriate, and the next steps to implement learning are realistic. Teachers buy in to the micro learning process as it doesn’t feel like an additional initiative to what they are already doing, rather it is the only initiative. Because this learning process is active with learning and implementing in ongoing cycles, teachers feel success quickly which motivates them to continue showing up to the right size PD opportunities and implementing their learning. Administrators who allow teachers to share input for focus topics, increase teacher investment and commitment to the process long-term. Overall, right size PD is more effective in improving teacher capacity and student achievement than traditional PD methods.

Resources for Right Size PD

The following resources will help you not only gain strategies for planning high quality, micro PD options, but also provides content to provide to teachers during the learning experience.

• Leading PD Bundle 
• Increase Student Ownership
• How to Successfully Manage a Classroom 
• PD on Demand (full list of updated options):
  • Routines & Procedures 
  • Increasing Student Talk
  • Student Engagement
  • Supporting English Language Learners
  • High Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities

You are now equipped to ditch learning overwhelm by providing right size PD for teachers! Check out other blog posts on professional development here. My latest book can also be a helpful resource for you in the future!

GO BE GREAT!

The post Ditch Learning Overwhelm with Right Size PD appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post will cover building and executing quality professional development while also providing additional tips for success.

Building Quality PD

Building professional development sessions cannot be a haphazard process. It requires forethought and alignment.

• Review district and school goals. Select the goal that if met will make the biggest impact on the success of staff and students.
• Break up that goal into milestones throughout the year (ideally by quarter).
• Place topics related to the goal under each milestone. These will be objectives to cover during the PD session.
• Flush out each milestone topic list so that it fills the required PD time slot. If there is more content than time, select which items can be provided ahead of the meeting. This will be used as a flipped learning model where teachers read about the topic before arriving.
• Offer differentiated tracks so that teachers who are ready to more can dive deeper into the topic and those who need additional support can slow down and review content.
• Include discussion and practice time. Talking about the content helps teachers process their new learning. By implementing practice rounds, teachers get real-time feedback and build muscle memory for the new skills they are acquiring.

Executing Powerful PD

Now that you have planned and prepared a high quality learning experience for teachers, it’s time to deliver it.

• Prep yourself and the space. Review and familiarize yourself with the content and flow of the PD session. There is nothing worse than the presenter stopping the show to review notes or get confused in their language when explaining the content. Run through the talking points and double check all technology is working correctly. Arrive early to ensure all materials are set up and ready for teachers to arrive.
• Manage your time. Since you know your PD session in and out because of the intentionally planning and preparation, you can easily cut out portions if running out of time or add in additional activities if teachers are moving thorough the session quickly. By placing time stamps in your PD during the preparation phase, you’ll be able to keep on track. Highlighting locations where you can add and take away if needed ensure you can adjust quickly in the moment without getting thrown off track. Lastly, always leave buffer time to allow for questions or pause for processing time.
• Be responsive to the needs of staff during the PD session ensures the new information sticks. When you know your content well, your brain is more present when delivering it live in front of staff. You have more mental space to watch for signs that teachers need more or less and can provide that. Just like students need a variety of support while they are learning, adults do too.

Avoiding Common PD Challenges

The following challenges are common for PD presenters. Pay close attention to the strategies shared to overcome these challenges.

• Don’t shy away from challenging/difficult topics that arise. Even the most thorough of presenters, will encounter moments that are uncomfortable that they didn’t see coming. For example,  staff might push back on the effectiveness of the content or reality of the expectations. They might even  share their dislike for the presenter themselves. Have a pre-planned response ready if you have to use it and then get back to the delivery of the learning experience. (Ex. “I appreciate you sharing that with me. I’ll be sure to pass it along to your administrator and they will follow up with you. Let’s dive back into the learning.”)
• Low engagement can occur even with clear directives for participation. Providing sentence stems will allow shy or unsure participants to add value to the discussion. Use follow up prompts to extend participant thoughts when responding. When planning for engagement, create opportunities for multiple responses per question to be shared, allow participants to respond in a variety of ways (verbal, written, through technology, etc.). It’s essential not to allow low level engagement to be the standard, keep holding high expectations and be persistent that participants meet the requirement.
• Leave the “sage on stage” at home. Yes, you are knowledgeable and most likely an expert on the topic you are delivering. However, learning is about the other person, not you. Although you will speak at length when delivering the content, participants needs to discuss and work with the content just as much if not more than you are talking. Every minute you spend talking is one less minute they have to collaborate and implement learning. Be succinct and purposeful and then pass the speaking baton to the learners.
• Follow-up and follow through. A PD session continues long after the actual meeting concludes. Following up with teachers as they implement their new learning, allows them to receive feedback and continue their growth as an educator. Following through on your promises made during the session builds trust and closes the loop, bringing clarity and support to the learning process. For example, if you promised to share resources, answer questions, plan a lesson etc. then be sure to meet with those teachers and deliver on your promise.

PD Resources

The following items will enhance the development of powerful PD at your school site.

• Printable Resources
  • Leading PD Bundle
  • Teacher Leader PD Bundle
  • Instructional Best Practices PD Bundle
  • Literacy Instruction PD Bundle
  • Instructional Coaching Forms Bundle
• Video Resources
  • Teachers Who Lead Course Bundle

Wishing you success as you plan, prepare, and deliver high quality professional development sessions for teachers! If you are looking for resources for PD content, click here. Also, catch up on other posts and podcast episodes about PD here. My latest book can also be a helpful resource for you in the future!

GO BE GREAT!

The post Increasing the Power of PD at your School appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Why do we need micro PD options for teachers?

One thing that seems to be harder and harder to fit in to the schedule is teacher PD. There is so much to get done in classrooms and around the school building, that coming together to learn after school hours is difficult. The sit-and-get PD model isn’t translating to instructional proficiency. Teachers need opportunities to dig into the learning rather than passively sitting and listening. Oftentimes there is no time left for reflection and planning for execution after the teacher PD content is delivered. This is a missed opportunity to increase the likelihood that teachers are able to successfully apply what they just learned.

Intention to grow is there. Time to grow isn’t.

One way we have helped schools pivot their PD delivery is to offer smaller doses more often. Learning in micro form consistently over time allows time for reflection and planning for execution. And, as a result, the impact of PD is sticking. Teachers are growing and students are thriving.

What is PD on Demand?

PD on Demand is small, bite-sized learning opportunities based on a singular topic. Teachers and leaders can select the one offering that best fits with their current focus for improvement. Then, teachers consume the content on their own time. The content could include short video clips, articles to read, activities to try, etc. Over the course of a few weeks, teachers are slowly learning, implementing and noting their progress.

There is a deadline for proof of application for accountability purposes. Items to collect to showcase impact of learning could be pre-planning documents paired with reflection of execution, data samples, coaching cycle participation, student artifacts etc. The goal is not to just consume information, but to use new information to positively impact instruction.

PD on Demand Learning Opportunities

Once teachers start engaging in ongoing, bite-sized PD, they won’t want to go back to lengthy learning ever again! Allow them to grow their skills in a convenient yet productive way. This is how you will be able to transform learning in your building for teachers.

Below are current PD on Demand learning opportunities teachers can dig into:

• Routines & Procedures
• Increasing Student Talk
• Student Engagement
• High Leverage Practice for Students with Disabilities
• Supporting English Language Learners
• Generating Active Responses
• Exemplars for Student Work

Additional Reading

If you found this helpful and are looking for similar topics to consider, two suggestions are shared below:

• One way to warm up to micro PD options is to conduct a PD Huddle at your school site. Give this a try first before diving into more thorough options like PD on Demand.
• Read “Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success” to gain strategies for improving areas of instruction, such as lesson design, classroom management, student engagement and student ownership.

GO BE GREAT!

The post PD on Demand: Micro Learning Options for Teachers appeared first on Always A Lesson.

There’s so much teachers can learn from one another. From how to engage students to how to enhance lessons, teachers can grow in their craft every day. Listen in as Gretchen tells a story and provides tips and tricks on the importance of collaboration among colleagues.

Quotables

• “How well teachers collaborate has a direct impact on how well they teach and on how well students learn.”
• “When teachers collaborate and support each other, it can create a positive and encouraging school culture.”
• “We’ve got to grow our own skills.”

Links for Today’s Episode

• Time Management Episodes
  • 328: Manage Your Time with Time Blocking
  • 329: Manage Time By Streamlining Administrative Tasks
  • 331: Collaborative Planning and Resource Sharing

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

The post 333: Strong Teacher to Teacher Communication appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Rate

Get honest and realistic about the effectiveness of your current classroom management strategy. Rate your strategy on a scale of 0 -10 (0 is ineffective and 10 is highly effective). Use the following rating system below to evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy:

• 0-2 = misbehaviors and misunderstandings occur consistently throughout a lesson which limits student time-on-task and diminishes length and depth of learning opportunities
• 3-5 = misbehaviors and misunderstandings occur often during a lesson limiting student time-on-task
• 6-8 = misbehaviors and misunderstandings sometimes occur but the teacher is able to get the class back on track for learning
• 9-10 = misbehaviors and misunderstandings are prevented through intentional planning & the teacher manages the class through relationships, routines and roping students in with engaging content

Reflect

Now that you have your rating, reflect on the root cause for the classroom management strategy not being as effective as it could be.

• Walk through the lesson (or the day), making note of every instance that got the class off track.
• Look for trends, like a certain time of day or subject matter that encouraged students to be off task.
• Are there more misunderstandings or misbehaviors occurring?

Prioritize

Your reflection provided a list of potential hot spots in the classroom management strategy that need to be  reinvented. Prioritizing which area to hone in on first is based on which one if repaired will bring about the most positive change.

• Review the list of moments from your reflection where classroom management went awry
• Write numbers next to the biggest offending instances, labeling them beginning with the number 1
• Highlight your top 3 areas needing revision

Plan

Using the three areas you prioritized, develop a plan of attack. Be sure it includes a detailed description for before, during and after a lesson so that the plan is thorough in prevention.

• What procedures need to be in place?
• How will students practice and be held accountable for the new expectations?
• How will your lesson design process change to ensure your classroom management strategy is the most effective it can be?

Feedback

Allow time for the new classroom management strategy to take affect. There may be push back from students who do not want to comply with the new expectations. Or it might take time for students to build the new habit.

• Make note of positive changes you see no matter how small.
• Periodically, ask for student feedback on how they feel as a learner as it relates to the management of the class. This could be an informal question and answer activity or through an anonymous survey.
• If you have an instructional coach or teacher leader, have them observe the change in how you manage the class. Apply any feedback they provide to continue to improve.

Additional Reading:

If you are wanting more information on effective classroom management, browse the previous blog posts listed below:

• 3 Ways to Improve your Classroom Management Practices
• Crack the Classroom Management Code
• Classroom Management: Moving Beyond Compliance
• How to Plan and Prepare a Classroom Management System

By following the suggestions shared in this blog post, you will be able to reinvent your classroom management strategy so that its best for students.

If you’d like to continue to reinvent your instructional effectiveness, read my latest book “Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.” You’ll be provided a roadmap, called “The Teacher Success Pathway,” so that you can improve in lesson design, classroom management, student engagement and student ownership.

GO BE GREAT!

The post 5 Ways to Reinvent your Classroom Management Strategy appeared first on Always A Lesson.

There’s so much that goes into a good lesson. Collaborative planning and resource sharing is a must to make sure students are engaged and learning in the best ways possible. Listen in as Gretchen speaks on the topic of collaboration with colleagues, and explains the best practices to make those planning sessions successful for everyone in the room.

Quotables

• “When we come together and brainstorm, hash it out and come prepared everyone having done their research first, now everyone is ready to actually teach the concept rather than dividing it up.”
• “Personalize, differentiate, add your own flare on top of what’s been planned so that when you deliver it to students, it makes sense for who is in the room.”
• Build on each others ideas.”

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The post 331: Collaborative Planning and Resource Sharing appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post will share a productivity method to make your large workload more manageable. Learning how to manage it effectively is key to keeping your sanity while also producing quality work.

The Technique

Best-selling author, Oliver Burkeman developed a 3-3-3 model to prioritize tasks and manage his time better. He says you can actually do less every day in efforts to accomplish more in the long run. Workloads become larger because of unexpected tasks that arise as well as delays in deliverables from collaborative projects. Both of which you have little control over. However, if you learn how to manage what is coming in, you can continue to operate at high levels.

In a single day, the 3-3-3 method looks like this:

• 3 hours on important tasks
• 3 urgent tasks
• 3 daily maintenance activities

Applying the Technique

Utilizing time management techniques while also setting realistic expectations ensures you are productive in the areas that matter most. If there are tasks that can be streamlined, then make them more efficient. Or if there are tasks on your workload that are not aligned, they can be delegated to someone else.

If you are a teacher, your 3-3-3 method could look like:

• 3 hours grading students work, analyzing data, or lesson planning
• urgent tasks like replying to reviewing a student’s IEP goals or lesson plan copies for tomorrow’s lesson
• maintenance activities like taking attendance, preparing the front board with objectives and homework or responding to parent emails

If you are a teacher leader, your 3-3-3 method could look like:

• 3 hours developing PD aligned to school goals
• urgent tasks like delivering textbooks to teachers with new students or getting teachers logged in to online portals to review data
• maintenance activities like drafting staff newsletters and responding to teacher emails

Next Steps

The following next steps will help you get organized so that you can begin using the 3-3-3 method. It will get easier with time. Just know, you rarely will get through an entire to-do list. However, you will have made headway on what matters most.

• Make a list of all the tasks you need to complete
• Place them in 3 columns- important, urgent, and daily maintenance
• Use a timer to keep you on task for completing 3 hours in the important column
• Once you’ve completed all 3 columns, begin the cycle all over again until your workday is over

Working on prioritizing your large workload and being intentional with your time will decrease overwhelm and increase productivity. To read more about about the 3-3-3 method, click here. I also offer one-on-one coaching if you want to work on bettering your practice.

If you need more resources to help you become an even stronger teacher or coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out other helpful blog posts here. Be sure to also check out my latest book, Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.

GO BE GREAT!

How do you plan to utilize the 3-3-3 method?

The post Strategies for Managing a Large Workload appeared first on Always A Lesson.

In reading the book Impactful Instructional Leadership, a Framework for Success, author Jack Hunter explained six evidence-based practices that are supported by both Hattie and Marzano. Each has large effect sizes signifying their transformative impact in the classroom. (Note– the zone of desired affects begin at an effect size of .40, which equates to one year’s growth during one year’s time. Anything over .40 means more than one year’s growth in one year’s time.)

This blog post will outline each of the six evidence-based practices, noting the effect size next to the strategy name. This will help you prioritize what to try first based on the needs of the school. It is not recommended to try more than one at a time or even more than one in a single year. These strategies take time to teach and implement to experience full results.

Collective Efficacy – 1.57

Collective efficacy means the effectiveness of a group as a whole. This occurs during professional learning communities [PLC’s] where teachers collaborate. These meetings should not focus on “how to teach,” rather the “impact of teaching” through data review and reflection. Having a criteria for success ensures planning for instruction is purposeful and clear. It also makes the data analysis process easier because teachers can reference the success criteria when evaluating student work samples. The talents, ideas, and experience of each teacher enhance the effectiveness of the group, thus positively impacting many classrooms of students.

Read past posts on PLC’s here:

• 5 Ways to Enhance your PLC’s
• Leading a PLC Data Chat
• Making a PLC Productive & Effective

Mastery-Based Learning- 1.79

This method focuses on tracking learning for power standards using a pre and post assessment system. Essentially students can work at their own pace to develop strengths, build confidence, while also receiving remediation and acceleration where appropriate. The goal is to master the standard through repetitive practice and measure growth using similar pre and post tests. Students demonstrate their proficiency before moving on to more complex topics or skills.

Microteaching- .88

Teachers can strengthen their instructional delivery through microteaching. They teach a small group of students for about twenty minutes. By video recording the lesson segment, the teacher is able to rewatch and reflect on the effectiveness of the lesson. They may even elicit feedback from students on the specific skill/process. An instructional coach or peer can also observe and provide one strength and area of focus as feedback for the teacher. At this point, the teacher may decide to reteach the lesson to another small group of students implementing the feedback recently received. When deciding what portion of a lesson to practice and receive feedback on, it is often recommended to focus on the beginning and end of a lesson for the microteaching practice.

Jigsaw – 1.20

Jigsaw allows students to become experts on a portion of a topic and teach it to their peers. It creates deep discussions through transfer of content knowledge. Teachers break students into groups of 5 to 6. They also break the content into sections and assign each student in the group to a particular section. Students leave this group to join a new group that consists of students from other groups who were also assigned the same section to read. Students read and reread together for 5 to 7 minutes. After a quick discussion and debrief on the main points of what they read, students go back to their original group and share out what they learned. Their peers are listening and taking notes. During this time, the teacher is circulating, gathering informal data on student understanding and collaboration. Jigsaw promotes critical thinking and social skills while allowing students of varying ability levels to work together.

Reciprocal Teaching- .74

This is another cooperative learning strategy. It is used specifically to enhance reading comprehension skills but can be used in all subject areas. The teacher provides a grade level passage that is no longer than 2 pages. Students are placed in groups of 5 and each member of the group has a chance to lead the learning. Students preview the passage (ie. title, pictures, captions, headings, etc.), read and reread an assigned section, and stop/jot essential information on a note catcher. Four main skills are practiced: making predictions, asking and answering question, clarifying the text (ie. context clues and decoding), as well as summarizing the passage (ie. main idea, compare/contrast, themes, claims with text evidence).  The teacher can use an informal check list while circulating to determine how well students are comprehending the text using their various strategies learned.

Spiral Review – .82

Spiral review recycles previously learned content into new learning opportunities. This ensures students retain what has been learned in the past while continuing to learn new concepts in the present. Spiral review can also be referred to as spaced practice instead of mass practice. This means that recalling information is spaced out over a period of time instead of learning a specific topic in extravagant amounts during one specific duration, only to never discuss it again. This ongoing reassessment increases transfer of knowledge. The typical flow of spiral review is:

• initial teaching of content
• weekly review during homework or morning work
• test 2 weeks later
• test a month later

The six evidence-based practices will increase teaching ability while also improving student learning outcomes. Learn more about Impactful Instructional Leadership, a Framework for Success written by Jack Hunter.

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here. Also, catch up on other helpful blog posts here.

GO BE GREAT!

The post 6 Evidence-Based Practices to Implement this School Year appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Have you ever heard of time blocking? Listen in as Gretchen explains what it is, how she uses it, and the tips and tricks that may work for you.

Quotables

• “You don’t want to overbook yourself because even though we’re planning every minute of every day you don’t want to tire yourself out.”

• “Over estimate your pacing so you end up with extra time instead of rushing to finish or getting stressed out.”
• “Time blocking is your key to freedom.”

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

• Join here and grab a freebie!

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Gretchen’s latest book, Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success, is now available on Amazon.

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long-lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

• Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
• Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info
• Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best)
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The post 328: Manage Your Time with Time Blocking appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post will cover 4 aspects of student engagement to consider when designing your lessons.

Motivation

Students are not going to be interested in engaging in learning activities in the classroom if the teacher has not taken time to explain how the content relates to their life. When students are motivated to learn, they will not only comply and complete the activity, but they will be willingly engage at a high level. In order to motivate students, teachers must know their students’ interests, hobbies, personalities, etc. This allows the teacher to present the information in an interesting way where students see the benefit for learning the material. Tapping into motivation first, allows students to warm up to the idea of learning and then fully engage during the lesson.

Systems

Engagement can go awry when systems are not in place before the activity begins. Teachers need to plan intentionally, paying close attention to pacing, volume level, movement and expectations for what students are to produce. Once the plan is in place, the teacher must include those details when explaining how students will be engaging with the learning material. Once students engage, the teacher must hold students accountable for meeting the expectations. This ensures the lesson progresses as planned and misbehaviors do not get out of hand. Clear, well planned systems create time time for learning.

Alignment

It can be challenging to pass up on really fun activities shared on social media. The reality is that many activities may be highly engaging but don’t actually align well to the content. This doesn’t mean teachers can’t do interesting activities with students. Alignment doesn’t equate to boring. Teachers can have fun and be creative, but it is only beneficial when it aligns to the content being taught. Carefully choosing engagement opportunities that are aligned mean that the backwards design method is used when planning. Teachers know which standard they are covering, pick a piece of the standard to teach in a single objective, and plan the assessment o determine if students were effectively able to gain the skills taught. Then, it is time to plan activities for engagement. When teachers are clear on “what” they are teaching, the “how” becomes easier to plan. If a fun engagement idea is found but doesn’t align, teachers can save it for another time. It is imperative that how students engage in class allows them to deepen understanding of the concept being taught.

Evergreen

It can be daunting to come up with new and different engagement ideas all year long. The good news is that teachers can use and reuse engagement strategies in all subject areas. The benefit is two-fold. First, teachers save time by reusing an engagement strategy previously used. Secondly, time is saved on the students part because they do not need to learn a new strategy which takes time away from learning. Since students have experience with the engagement strategy, they are more comfortable and confident allowing them to solely focus on learning the content. The new content being taught keeps the engagement strategy feeling fresh!

Next Steps

If you found this post helpful and are wanting to learn more about increasing student engagement in the classroom, read this previous blog post: 3 Tips to Maximize Student Engagement.

You can also learn more about specific student engagement strategies for the classroom in my latest book, Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success. If you are in need of more classroom resources, visit my store here.

GO BE GREAT!

The post 4 Ways to Improve Student Engagement appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This blog post will reveal five ways to improve the lesson design process so that teachers can be more effective in the classroom.

Focus on the design process, not the paper lesson plan.

Turning in lesson plans a month in advance promotes compliance over skillful planning. Requiring all teachers to use a specific lesson plan format emphasizes filling in the requirements instead of relying on teacher personality and expertise to design instruction. The goal of lesson design is to plan effective learning experiences for all students present in the classroom. Breaking out of compliance measures while also providing boundaries, ensures quality planning occurs that produces increases in student outcomes.

Implement a nonnegotiable, quarterly backwards design planning day.

Planning instruction is time consuming, especially if teachers want to do it well. Having a road map for what content to cover, when, and for how long is extremely helpful when sitting down to plan. Dedicating half a day to a full day for a team of teachers to come together to plan the roadmap for the upcoming quarter eliminates the burden of planning being too time consuming to do a thorough job. This needs to be a protected instructional practice for all teachers in every school building during every school year.

Prepare a flexible gradual release lesson delivery format.

Gradual release refers to passing ownership from the teacher to the student during a lesson. Typically a lesson will transition from direct instruction to guided practice and end with independent practice with or without an assessment. Many teachers follow this lesson format religiously; however, it often lacks flexibility. Moving to the next portion of the lesson because pacing says so means students are pushed forward before they are ready, causing lack of understanding and lower performance. Adding flexibility means teachers use pacing in addition to gradual release but build in check for understanding practices to determine when students are ready to move forward in the lesson content. As a result, some lessons will move forward quickly and others will move slowly. Flexibility ensures teachers are using a responsive instruction approach.

Get specific with time management and pacing.

Speaking of pacing, managing time during the planning process aids teachers in successfully executing the learning experience that was designed. Instead of hoping a teacher can get through the content planned in the time allotted, teachers can almost ensure that will happen by properly mapping out the time required for each section of the lesson. (Flexible gradual release can alter this slightly, but within reason.) No more rushing through to finish or allowing students “free time” when a lesson finished too early. This results in better academic outcomes for students.

Highlight both teacher and student actions throughout the lesson.

Being detailed with what both the teacher and students are doing during each portion of the lesson ensures no individual is a sitting duck. Students will misbehave with downtime or unclear expectations. Teachers will revert to administrative duties unrelated to student learning occurring in the moment if no specific action is planned for themselves (ie. pull a small group, 1:1 check ins, confer with teacher assistant or co-teacher, etc.). Deciding teacher and student actions during the design phase maximizes every minute of instruction. This too will positively impact teacher and student performance in the classroom.

What’s next?

Want to learn more about the five ways to improve the lesson design process plus gain even more strategies to become more effective in the classroom? Read Always A Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success.

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger teacher or coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out other helpful blog posts here.

GO BE GREAT!

What does your lesson design process look like at your school?

The post 5 Ways to Improve the Lesson Design Process appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post will explore how to add accountability measures to colleague collaborations.

Accountability as a Power Dynamic

Teams often get into a bad habit of coming together to plan instruction and may even delegate aspects of planning. But this leads them to working alone. Although sharing the workload is a big piece of a collaboration, it lacks input from the expertise of others. Educators can add accountability measures to what they are already doing together in collaboration by including:

• Voice – Allow everyone to share ideas before, during and after collaboration
• Iterations– Make revisions a natural part of the collaboration process, understanding the first copy is not the final one
• Task Matching – Leverage the strengths of each colleague by assigning a task to their area of genius
• Shared Ownership– Pass the baton to various colleagues during the goal achievement process so everyone gets a chance to lead and feel connected
• Established Norms– Get clear on what is expected before, during and after collaborative meetings so that everyone can meet the requirements consistently
• Naming What’s At Stake– Understanding the realities of what happens when goals or agreements within the collaboration aren’t met creates natural consequences for each participating colleague

Setting Up Accountable Collaborations

If you are need to reboot collaborations or are starting from scratch, the following 8 steps will ensure a layer of accountability is mixed into the successful partnership.

1. Discuss the power of accountable collaboration – Share the reasoning behind the intentional partnership as well as expectations for how to hold others and themselves accountable in the work
2. Review student and teacher performance data – This information (informal/formal common assessment scores and teacher evaluation rubric score), reveals areas for improvement
3. Brain dump potential goals– All members of the collaboration should place ideas for potential goals based on data findings on a shared white board or chart paper
4. Outline partnership pathway– Take the ideas for potential goals and prioritize them into a long-term work plan and ensure each team member agrees to the end goal and goal milestones
5. Flush out partnership pathway– Create a robust document outlining the details of the pathway (ie. due dates, task leaders, materials required, etc.)
6. Meet monthly to review the partnership pathway– Review the last month’s milestone goal and action items, make adjustments as necessary, and review the upcoming month’s task details
7. Seek feedback– regularly seek feedback from collaborative partners in regards to task completion, quality of work produced, attitude, and ability to work well with others (this could be built into the monthly review meeting)
8. Celebrate milestones– Acknowledge progress towards goals, even if plans diverged from the original pathway

Examples of Accountable Collaboration

If you are wondering what this might look like in action, below are three examples:

• A third grade team sits down during back-to-school planning to design an end of unit project for their first Social Studies unit. Each team member knew this was the focus of their meeting and brought in ideas they found in magazines, on social media and from former colleagues. This is accountability in showing up prepared with ideas to contribute to the team.
• This same team together determined their end of unit goal for students to be able to know and produce. They then backwards planned the sequence of lessons leading up to the final project. One team member was in charge of reviewing last year’s plans to decide what to replicate, change or omit and presented the findings to the team. Another team member reviewed all unit one assessments (formal and informal) and shared a suggested list of focus questions and ideal answers for each teacher to implement in their lessons. And another team member researched latest best practices in regards to differentiation, presenting options to their peers that can be implemented into lessons for students that needed it. (This is accountability in division of tasks.)
• Finally, this team decided next meeting they would come in with a rough outline for the first week of Social Studies lessons. Together, they would check for alignment between objective, assessment and activities. They’d also review questioning techniques and ideal student answers. One team member wants to talk through student pairings for discussion, leaning on the expertise of their peers. As a result, each member of the team agrees to review standards, draft objectives, review curriculum, and arrive ready to design an effective lesson. (This is accountability in planning, identifying teacher needs, and having a clear plan of action for each meeting.)

As you can see, teachers are collaborating in effective ways and utilizing accountability to produce stronger results for instruction.

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves too! Classroom resources are also available here. Also, catch up on other helpful blog posts here.

GO BE GREAT!

How have you added accountability into your colleague collaborations?

The post The Power of Accountable Collaboration appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This blog post will provide a plethora of information in regards to successfully getting instructional coaching up and running in your building. You’ll be way ahead of the game by combing through the information shared below. It is organized by themed headings to direct your browsing.

I high suggest keeping two things in mind before diving in:

1. Read what is most pertinent to you and begin planning how to implement what you learned (please do not binge read and forget to apply your new knowledge!).
2. If something resonates with you and you might want to reference it in the future, bookmark it for later.
3. You can be successful without mastering everything mentioned below so consume until you hit your limit.

Happy learning!

Tasks:

1. How to Set Up Your Instructional Coaching Space
2. Get Organized for Coaching!

Coaching Cycles:

1. What is it and How do I Conduct one?
2. Starting Coaching Cycles at your School Site
3. Macro vs Micro Options

Skills:

1. Establishing Teacher Expectations of Instructional Coaching
2. 5 P’s of Meaningful Conversations with Teachers
3. How to Cultivate Trust with Teachers
4. How to Help Teachers Engage Students
5. How to Help Teachers Manage a Classroom
6. How to Provide Models of Expert Teaching
7. Building Relationships with a Large Caseload of Teachers
8. Creating Professional Boundaries with Colleagues
9. Guiding Questions that Move Teacher Performance Forward

Seasons of Coaching:

1. Summer Strategy
2. Fall Strategy
3. Winter Strategy
4. Spring Strategy

Supplies:

1. Must Have Supplies for an Instructional Coach
2. Leading PD: Must Haves for Instructional Coaches
3. Resources to Support your Leadership Growth
4. How a Mastermind can Increase Educator Effectiveness

Coach Life:

1. Not Having a Home Base
2. Wearing all the Hats
3. Being Teacher for the Day 

Tips:

1. 10 Tips for Moving into a Coaching Role as a Teacher
2. Tried-and-True Tips for Coaching
3. What I Wish I Knew About Being an Instructional Coach
4. 6 Tips for Instructional Coaches
5. Leadership Tips- Part 1
6. Leadership Tips- Part 2
7. Leadership Tips- Part 3
8. Leadership Tips- Part 4
9. Top 4 Coaching Fears & the Lessons They Teach Us
10. The Teacher Emotional Cycle with Coaching

I hope you found this compilation blog post helpful. If you prefer a community to learn along with you, join our Teacher Leader Mastermind! Wishing you a wonderful year as an instructional coach!

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here.

Go Be Great!

What questions do you have about setting the stage as an instructional coach?

The post I am an Instructional Coach, Now What?! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post provides 10 ways to improve instructional coaching practice for the school year.

Pre-Work Phase

These three steps set the groundwork for the planning phase that comes next. You’ll dig into the current information (data) you have so you can make sound decisions for what to do going forward.

1. Evaluate current practices – Look at your current coaching practices and ask yourself:
   • What does coaching currently look like at your school?
   • What are the teacher support options?
   • How effective are these strategies in improving teacher proficiency and student achievement?
2. Review teacher performance ratings – Look at the performance rubric scores of each teacher on your roster for next year. Creating a spreadsheet is most helpful by placing each rubric domain across the top, teacher name down the side and fill in ratings in the middle. This allows you to sort data as needed.
3. Review student learning outcomes – Look at formal and informal data for students by grade level. Be sure to only use common assessments so you can make an accurate comparison rather than pulling random work samples.

Planning Phase

The following four steps utilize the findings in the pre-work phase to plan and prepare for the new instructional coaching practice plan. They are best completed as an administrative team, but feel free to include instructional coaches as well.

1. Set targets – Based on the data collected, set a vision and end goal. This will provide clarity once you start executing your plan. Then establish milestone markers along the way so you can celebrate progress towards the finish line.
2. Design teacher support options  – There are many ways to support the growth of teachers. Reflecting on what options worked previously, what additional supports could be added? Teachers can benefit from  various modes of learning offered. Common learning opportunities are whole or small group professional development, grade level or subject area professional learning communities, 1:1 coaching cycles, and mentor pairings. Knowing teacher and student data allow you to create options that best suit the needs of your school. (Browse instructional coaching materials here to help you plan your teacher support options.)
3. Compile coaching techniques  – Research current best practices through scholarly articles, national newspaper magazines, and published books. (See a recommended reading list here.) Make note of commonalities and suggested techniques to build into your coaching practice.
4. Plan evidence collection intervals – Now that you know where you are going and how you plan to get there, you need to design a plan to collect evidence. Deciding ahead of time what “look for’s” you’ll reference to know whether or not coaching is working ensures effective use of your time and alignment to your goals. Select how often you’ll want to review evidence and make a list of what you plan to collect (ie. student scores, teacher observation data, anecdotal notes, etc.)

Execution Phase

The final phase of 3 steps puts all the pre-work and planning into practice.

1. Train instructional coaches –  Review the teacher support options coaches can implement to support the growth of teachers and students. Discuss what these options look like in detail and create a system to hold them accountable for implementing the strategies as intended. The best way to do this is through mock practice with feedback. Then coaches can perfect their use of techniques prior to working with teachers. Check out these practice scenarios here.
2. Roll out to teachers – Growth requires assistance from all parties. Coaches cannot force teachers to grow. Including teachers in the discussion about the plan for supporting their growth in the coming school year ensures they know all options available to them. Informing them of the accountability measures for growth increases the likelihood that they take advantage of the support options.
3.  Review and revise – Each quarter or semester, review the instructional coaching program strategy and revise as necessary. You can collect and review evidence prior to these points in time, but try not to make adjustments too quickly. Make revisions slowly and intentionally, allowing the process to work.

By following these 10 steps, you will improve your instructional coaching practice and experience tremendous returns on your investment.

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here. Also, catch up on other help instructional coaching blog posts here.

GO BE GREAT!

What other ways would you add to improve instructional coaching practices at your school?

The post 10 Ways to Improve Instructional Coaching Practice this Year appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This blog post will outline ways to advocate for teachers, specifically in getting started, advocating while on site at schools and going beyond the boundaries of the school building.

Get Started

• Establish expectations – Meet with administration to set expectations for the vision and daily operation of coaching, including advocating for teachers
• Set boundaries – Explain to teachers that what is communicated or experienced while partnering together is confidential, unless it goes against school/district guidelines.
• Make the ask – Create space and time to have teachers share what it is they desire for themselves to be successful in their role and what support they need to get there

Advocate On Site

• Represent teachers – When meeting with administrators share the needs and wants of teachers as well as possible solutions to remedy them
• Set the tone – During planning and collaboration, speak up on behalf of those who don’t and hold each other accountable for doing their part
• Engage students – Remind students of the value of their education and the hard work of their teacher, bringing to light that teachers are doing their best to help students be successful

Go Beyond

• Share with parents – Be sure to share all the positive contributions teachers have had on students and the learning environment with parents to increase their understanding and support
• Make requests – Reach out to the community for items teachers need or want to enhance instruction while also sharing positive impact teachers are having on students and the community
• Show up and support – Come to school board meetings and share the great things happening in classrooms because of teacher dedication, knowledge, risk-taking, and growth in skill

Instructional coaches can implement these tips at their school sites to create safe, supportive places for growing skills in both staff and students. If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here. Also, catch up on other help instructional coaching blog posts here.

GO BE GREAT!

How do you advocate for teachers?

The post Tips for Advocating for Teachers as an Instructional Coach appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Don’t miss this enlightening episode with Gretchen as she delves into the realm of tech integration in education. Discover invaluable tips for effectively assessing the level of student engagement versus mere compliance when utilizing tech tools in the classroom.

In this episode, Gretchen shares practical planning strategies and essential considerations to enhance your instructional practices and ensure that lessons are accessible to all students, regardless of their learning styles or abilities.

Unlock the power of technology to foster genuine student engagement and facilitate meaningful learning experiences. Tune in now for expert insights that will revolutionize your teaching approach and empower you to create inclusive and impactful lessons!

As highlighted in this episode, Gretchen’s latest book, Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success, is now available on Amazon. Dive into this invaluable resource for a wealth of additional insights on increasing student engagement and fostering academic success!

Quotables

• “We couldn’t finish the Engagement Series without touching on technology, because a lot of what folks think engagement is includes some sort of tech activity or game…”
• “…really it’s less about check the box, I used tech today, and more about when I use tech it makes all the difference in student understanding.”
• ”We can’t assume that every tool is going to produce the same high levels of engagement.”

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

• Join here and grab a freebie!

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College
• Pre-Order: Always a Lesson

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long-lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

• Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
• Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info
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The post 316: Technology Integration appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The Discovery

Throughout my years as a classroom teacher, I helped numerous students become successful learners through  rigorous content delivery, preventative management of the environment via procedures, interesting and aligned collaborative activities and appointing student leaders to run various aspects of the classroom.

As a teacher coach, I helped teachers develop systems to find success in the same way I had. However, some teachers struggled. I realized the four essential aspects of instruction were correct, but the results (student learning outcomes) varied depending on the order in which I helped teachers work on their instructional planning and delivery.

The more I paid attention to what instructional aspects we worked on and what sequence had the greatest impact, the “Teacher Success Pathway” was developed. When teachers improve their instruction in the specific sequence mentioned in this pathway, student learning and teacher proficiency soar.

The Details

In the section below, each of the four aspects of instruction will be discussed in the suggested sequence that allows for greatest results. To improve your instructional impact, self-reflect on which aspect is the root of your obstacles. Making these adjustments will allow teachers to experience classroom and career success.

For example, you might want to incorporate more engaging learning activities but students cannot follow directions or meet behavior expectations. Therefore, you have to move to the layer below (classroom management) to attack the root of the issue. Let’s take a look at the teacher essentials below.

Lesson Design

Do not confuse design for planning. Regardless of what planning document a teacher uses, it should include components that allow for a thorough plan of how the lesson will flow. This requires teachers to pay attention to the details. It is not enough to just write down the standard, objective, assessment and activity for a lesson. Teachers need to script higher level questions, pace each portion of the lesson, pre-assign student pairings, pinpoint ideal answers to key points in the presented material, decide how students will transition around the room and gather necessary materials, etc. A lot of preparation goes into a lesson start to finish. A lot of obstacles teachers face when executing their lesson comes from the lack of planning of the lesson that occurred. Prevention of misbehaviors, clarity in assignment directions, differentiated support options available as needed and more allow for the other aspects of instruction to be successful, but they are planned for in the design phase. This is the foundation for which all other aspects rely.

Classroom Management

Classroom management is not the same as behavior management. We cannot control other people. When we try, it results in frustration and feelings of safety diminish. Therefore, we focus on what we can control- the classroom environment. The procedures and routines we set up in our classroom allow students to be successful learners. This requires thorough planning throughout the lesson so that during the delivery of the content teachers can be present to support the unique needs of students. If teachers are spending the majority of their lesson execution managing behaviors then is being reactive instead of proactive. Go back to the lesson design phase and put procedures in place to provide boundaries and clarity to the expectations for learning activities.

Student Engagement

This is usually the area of focus for most teachers. They want to do more fun activities with students, but have a hard time getting children to be motivated enough to want to participate. Speaking of, participation is not the same as engagement. Participation is low level interaction (thumbs up, yes/no questions, head nods, etc.). Engagement is high level interaction where students collaborate with peers, ask and answer questions with the teacher, and dig deep into the content of the text with intention. The goal for improving this aspect of instruction is not on the actual engagement activity, rather the design of the engagement opportunity. Again, all of this planning is done in the design phase. Is the engagement opportunity aligned to the standard and objective? If not, there is no reason to place it in the lesson. If it is aligned, are expectations planned out to the detail, including procedures? A breakdown in engagement rarely has to do with the students and more to do with the design of the lesson on the teacher’s part. Focus more on how students will engage, rather than on what.

Student Ownership and Accountability

The highest level of instructional success is a self-run classroom. Students are in charge of administrative tasks around the classroom, like greeting guests at the door, answering the class phone, working the overhead projector, manipulating the timer for activities, reading school announcements, taking attendance, explaining activity directions, demonstrating exemplars, and so on. This frees the teacher up to focus solely on teaching students and not on running the classroom. Students become more invested in learning because they feel like they have a part to play in the classroom. Their opinions are taken into account, they have access to leadership opportunities and feel valued for their skillsets. Although most teachers desire this type of learning environment in their own classrooms, it is not possible if the other three aspects are not strongly in place first.

Next Steps

If you’re wanting to learn more about the four teacher essentials to improve classroom and career success, click here.  Gretchen can also visit your school and provide training and coaching on the Teacher Success Pathway, email gretchen@alwaysalesson.com to learn more. Don’t wait, get started on the teacher essentials today!

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here.

GO BE GREAT!

Which aspect of instruction is going to be your focus this school year?

The post Teacher Essentials for Classroom & Career Success appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Learn

Before you know exactly what type of leadership position you want to hold and what type of leader you want to become, learning as much about leadership as possible will guide your steps forward.

• Instructional Best Practices– Familiarize yourself with the idea of peer collaboration and modeling through learning walks, increasing student ownership in the classroom, asking higher order thinking questions throughout a lesson, provide authentic feedback with actionable steps to teachers, how to effectively manage a classroom as well as design and deliver engaging PD opportunities that can mirror engaging instruction in the classroom. If you are going to help teachers adhere to best practices, you need to know develop clarity on what the techniques are and how to implement them in the classroom.
• Teacher Leader Interview Preparation– Review common interview questions, interview tips, and plan ideal responses. As a leader you will sit in on various interviews, so it is essential you are familiar with the strategy for hiring new and veteran teachers as well as teacher leaders like yourself.
• Instructional Coaching Scenario Practice– Leading peers can be challenging. Learning about common obstacles in coaching teachers and ways to move through them effortlessly will allow you to remain focused and confident in your role as a leader.
• Influence Growth– Learn quick tips for how to empower colleagues to grow and reach their goals. If you cannot build connection and understand their struggles, it doesn’t matter how many great strategies you have up your sleeve to promote their growth. Spend time knowing your people before diving into the work.

Lead

Now that you have learned about leadership, it’s time for action! Growth, even for you, is a process. Don’t expect perfection, rather allow yourself room to make mistakes so you can grow quickly.

• Data Collection & Analysis– Create processes for teachers to design seamless, practical data collection procedures in their classrooms as well as facilitate data analysis meetings to adjust future classroom instruction. Once teachers have a system in place, they can pass ownership to students and allow them to set goals and track their own academic progress. When we prioritize responsive instruction, we are able to catch misconceptions early leading to increases in student achievement.
• Teacher Observation– Getting into classrooms often will ensure you are providing timely support to the changing needs of teachers. Whether these visits are formal or informal, brief or extensive, building relationship with students and teachers is essential for learning growth. Having a predictable process for pre-observation, observation and post observation allows teachers to experience success time and time again. Each piece of the observation cycle is integral to planning and delivering quality instruction on a consistent basis.
• Mentorship & Coaching– Whether you are helping teaching partnerships thrive like those of a cooperating teacher and student teacher, or enhancing collaboration between colleagues in a mentorship pair, or delivering support to teachers as an instructional coach, having systems and areas of focus will ensure the leadership strategy is effective in producing growth. (Grab all the resources I created and use as an instructional coach here.)
• Professional Development– A big part of your role as a teacher leader is helping others grow through targeted learning sessions. You will need to have a vision for the year in terms of what areas teachers need to grow in. Create a yearly PD calendar, require teachers to track their learning sessions, provide choice in how teachers learn the material, and collect feedback to make adjustments for future PD sessions. Preparation for year-long learning ensures these PD sessions are aligned to a bigger goal and are productive and informative.

Now you have an arsenal of support to continue your growth as a leader. Take your time consuming the information and putting it into action. Sometimes, simple is best.

If you are need of more resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here.

GO BE GREAT!

Which resource are you most excited to try out?

The post Resources to Support your Leadership Growth appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Dive into an enlightening conversation with Gretchen as she unveils the keys to effective differentiation and personalized learning for optimal student engagement. Learn how to refine your teaching methods by eliminating inefficiencies and prioritizing strategies that deeply connect with your students. Tune in now to unlock powerful insights and transform your approach to teaching!

In this episode, Gretchen unveils the concept of “Swiss Cheese Understanding” and its profound implications for educational planning. Tune in to gain valuable insights that will revolutionize the way you structure your teaching methods!

Don’t miss out on this transformative episode that promises to enhance your teaching toolkit and empower your students. Tune in now and embark on a journey towards more effective and impactful teaching strategies!

Quotables

• Every level of what I’m gonna call “The House of Learning” is build with the support necessary so that new learning above it can actually stick.
• It’s not that kids can’t understand on their grade level. They need to work with the material long enough to make sense of it.
• …the point is…they understand where they’re going and why they need to have these skills…”

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Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
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• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College
• Pre-Order: Always a Lesson

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long-lasting effect on our future.

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The post 313: Differentiation & Personalization appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This blog post will explore the what, how and why of data collection.

What is data collection?

Data collection refers to the process a teacher implements in their classroom to informally or formally gather information to measure the achievement level of students. There is no one way to collect data so teachers have flexibility to try various data collection procedures until they find one that works best for their teaching style and preference. Data that teachers collect can relate to academics and/or behavior. Analysis of the information can make all the difference in how well the student succeeds in that teacher’s classroom.

How can you collect data?

It does not need to be a tedious or complicated process.  For example, when informally assessing students on classroom assignments, teachers can use a student roster and label content objectives across the top of the paper. After teaching a concept when students are working independently, teachers can walk around and peek at student work. They may even have a quick conversation to glean more information. Based on the evidence of student work (and response), teachers can notate on the roster the level to which students understand. For example, a simple 1-2-3 system can be used (1= limited understanding, 2= partial understanding, 3= full understanding).

This same system can be used with formal assessments, like tests, quizzes or projects. Teachers can grade student work and follow the same process for small group instruction for students that need additional practice. For example, teachers can translate percentage scores into the 1-2-3 system. It might look like 0%-49% equals a 1; 50%-79% equals a 2; and 80%-100% equals a 3.

Why should you collect data?

Data collection is one way teachers can ensure they provided targeted instruction to their students. When teachers have factual information (data) to reference as they plan and execute lessons, they can better meet students needs. This allows students to achieve grade level expectations and standards.

Teachers can use their student roster with their 1-2-3 system to create small learning groups to reteach or reinforce a concept. The goal would be that with additional targeted instruction, the students coded 1 and 2 will reach the mastery of a 3 before moving on to the next content objective.

Data also alerts the teacher of trends occurring in the classroom due to their instructional choices. If a lot of students are struggling, instead of pulling small groups the teacher can teach the lesson again in a different way in hopes of bringing clarity to student understanding. If a lot of students are excelling, the teacher can implement enhancements to challenge student thinking.

If the same student is continuing to struggle or excel, teachers can differentiate all future lessons to accommodate the learning needs of those students. This preventive planning helps the teacher intervene ahead of learning obstacles and support students to be successful in the classroom.

Next Steps

If you are looking for tools to help you with data collection, download this resource. This is a great tool to include students in on the data collection process. They are able to track their own performance visually so they can better understand how far their current performance is from mastery.

No matter your system, be sure to collect data consistently and use it to inform how you teach your students! Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here.

GO BE GREAT!

How has this post helped you alter your data collection processes?

The post Data Collection: What, How & Why appeared first on Always A Lesson.

It’s the last podcast of the year! In this special episode, Gretchen reflects over the behind the scenes work of the podcast. She talks about who she intended the podcast for: new teachers, teachers in a slump and teacher leaders and how it has evolved over time. Gretchen shares how she has used the head, heart, hands strategy to plan every episode- a strategy that will serve you well in planning for professional developments that you may lead. Be sure to tune into this fun episode of the Empowering Educators Podcast.

Quotables

• It’s important that you hear from other people what’s working. 

• Am I being true to what I originally intended?

• If you revisit your mission statement and your core values, that might light that fire back up. 

Podcasts Mentioned:

Melissa Emler Episode 20

Melissa Emler Episode 210

Gretchen Has a New Book Coming Soon!

Pre-order Gretchen’s NEW book HERE

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• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
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• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long-lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

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• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
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The post 307: Behind the Scenes of the Podcast appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post will outline the characteristics necessary to have a strong mentor in your teacher mentorship program.

Logistical Non-Negotiables

• Same grade level or subject area (or only one grade level removed)- Understanding the content area and idiosyncrasies of teaching similar aged students will allow the mentor to provide the most accurate and effective guidance
• Available to meet during the day (similar planning/lunch periods)- Teachers should not be required to meet outside of contracted hours, so finding time during the day is important and easier if schedules line up
• Interested in supporting the growth of another teacher– Sometimes potential mentor candidates don’t have mental, emotional, or physical capacity to support the growth of someone else, so ensure a mentor is interested, invested, and eager to participate

Desired Attributes

• High performing on evaluations– It will be hard for a mentor to guide the performance of another teacher, if they are not able to reach a high performance themselves
• Leadership potential or interest– Just because a teacher is strong in the classroom, does not mean they are capable of helping someone else develop their skillset (leadership)
• Patient, positive attitude– Growth takes time, so a mentor should naturally be patient and remain positive no matter how quick the growth occurs, so the mentee feels encouraged to keep trying
• Strong communicator–  Mentors will be giving constructive feedback to help the teacher grow, so the need to be able to deliver clear, succinct directives
• Good listener– Teachers will face struggles and mentors need to be able to listen well enough to determine what those areas are in order to help them problem solve

Helpful Resources

Now that you are able to identify the characteristics needed in potential mentor candidates, review the following resources related to mentorship for additional support in designing your teacher mentorship program.

• Podcasts

  • 234: Why Your Mentorship Program isn’t Working

  • 229: The Future of Mentorship

• Blog Posts

  • 5 Mistakes a Teacher Mentor Makes

  • Tips for Making the Most out of Teacher Mentorship

  • Fire Your Mentor, Hire Your Idol

  • The Power of Mentorship

  • Being an Effective Mentor with Paula Rutherford

  • New Teacher Gift Ideas

  • 10 Ways to Lead Others as a Classroom Teacher

• Printable Resources

  • Teacher Mentor Kit

  • Mentor – Mentee Discussion Dice Activity

  • Experts in Education

  • Effective Teacher Mentorship

GO BE GREAT!

What characteristics did you admire most about your teacher mentor?

The post Characteristics of an Effective Teacher Mentor appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Tune in as you listen to this special Summer Series episode on the Empowering Educators Podcast. In this episode, Gretchen interviews Ashley Hubner. You will feel empowered as you hear Ashley’s story of being a classroom teacher, instructional coach and curriculum specialist. You’ll love her advice on how to reignite your passion, listen today!

Quotables

*All quotables are from the interviewee 

• In education today, you have to be very flexible and adaptable.

• There are so many good educators everywhere in the world. If we were to collaborate a lot more outside of our own little silos, we could make education great.

About Ashley

Ashley has been an Instructional Coach and Curriculum Specialist since 2013. Her background contains experience in systematic planning, curriculum design, professional development, and intervention. She provides quality professional development at the campus and district levels to improve classroom instruction within schools. Ashley is dedicated to impacting student growth by building capacity within schools through coaching, mentoring, and professional development. She enjoys working with stakeholders to build instructional effectiveness within classrooms while cultivating a positive school culture. Ashley started ACCESS to impact the success of students. She believes education is an ever-changing world, so as educators, we must be life-long learners. We must be prepared to meet all learners’ needs as education changes. Together, we can find student-centered solutions that will give all students access to a profound learning environment, every day.

Purchase Ashley’s book she mentions here: https://coachingaccess.net/sales-landing/

Connect with Ashley:

• Facebook @coaching.access
• IG @coaching_access
• Twitter @coaching_access
• Linkedin @accesscoach
• Website: https://coachingaccess.net/

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

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Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long-lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

• Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
• Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info
• Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best)
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The post 294: Reignite Your Passion with Ashley Hubner appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Chat with Colleagues

Before you begin, it is helpful to chat with some colleagues who are also instructional coaches. Ask them what systems and processes they use. You don’t have to replicate what they use and how they use it, but it helps keep you from starting from scratch if you don’t have to. Plus, they’ll have helpful tips so you can avoid common pitfalls in terms of organization. If you have ideas of your own, this is the perfect time to run those by your colleagues. They can point out things you haven’t thought of or support your idea and encourage you to implement it for your teachers.

Design Your Work Space

If the space you operate in is messy, your brain will also become messy. This will keep you from completing tasks in a timely manner, decreasing the impact you can have with teachers. First, take stock of what furniture is available to you in your space- table, desk, chairs, bookshelves, etc. Think about how you plan to use those things.

• Chairs- Teachers can relax while they chat with you
• Tables – A planning space for collaboration
• Bookshelves- Store manipulatives for lessons, PD books to check out, binders of standards and pacing guides, etc.

Next, decide how you want to operate in the space. How can teachers reach you if you are not in your work space? Where should teachers drop off materials to you? What furniture placement makes the best use of space while also contributing to an inviting atmosphere?

Lastly, think through how you will store your items for easy reference and confidentiality.

The organization in your workplace sets the tone for the organization in how you show up and serve teachers.

Gather Materials

Whether you plan to use digital or hard copy materials, you’ll want to gather them in one place.

• Digital- Google drive or a schools hard drive is a good place to house all of the materials you will need to coach teachers. Create folders for grade levels, content areas, assessments, lesson plans, feedback forms, etc. The more you can niche down in topic for a folder, the better. You’ll want to make sure you can access these documents no matter where you are coaching, so choose wisely!
• Hard Copy- Grab a large binder to house master copies of coaching forms and materials. You can use manila folders or small binders per grade level/subject area or even teacher. Keep these binders nearby as you’ll need to reference them often, especially to make copies.

Ask your colleagues for templates of coaching forms they use, or browse here. You’ll want to gather or design coaching forms that walk teachers through the growth process from start to finish. This means you’ll start with interest surveys to get to know your teachers better before you dive into working with them, as well as more meaty materials like lesson observation, reflection questions, and/or growth plan documentation. (Some common categories are data, observations, and professional development.)

Not every form will be used with every teacher, but it is essential to have a support document to meet each of your teachers right where they are. This is why binder storage is essential so you can grow your resources year after year!

Develop Systems

The last part of organization has to do with systems. Your workspace and material stash is set up and ready to go, but what do your operations look like? How do teachers sign up for coaching cycles? How do you deliver feedback? How can teachers check out materials? Where will you create your calendar to track meetings, appointments, PD sessions, PLC collaborations, etc.?

Think through working with teachers from start to finish, just like you did when you gathered materials. Each interaction should have a simple process to follow for efficiency. This allows you to deliver high quality coaching support to teachers. Some systems you’ll think of ahead of time (documentation delivery) and others you’ll realize after the fact (colleague learning walks). Your systems do not need to be perfect, but you do need to have a streamlined plan.

Don’t be afraid to make adjustments as you go. Being responsive to changing student and staff needs is a superpower! Once you master organization, coaching gets a whole lot easier.

GO BE GREAT!

How do you stay organized for coaching?

The post Get Organized for Coaching! appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The previous posts in the series described:

• Fall Coaching Strategy (read it here) – foundational skill building
• Winter Coaching Strategy (read it here) – more complex instructional techniques
• Spring Coaching Strategy (read it here) – revisit data and spiral skills

Just because the school year ends, does not mean your coaching work does. Summer is a time to rest and relax. The heat forces us to eliminate extra clothing as we go about our day. When it comes to a summer coaching strategy, eliminating extra’s is essential. Simple is best. An intentional, bare bones approach is appropriate during this season.

Grab the “Creating a Coaching Strategy Checklist” to help you prepare to implement the ideas below. Below are two steps to follow to create an effective summer coaching strategy.

Step 1: PD for yourself

Sprinkle in professional development for yourself that fits into your schedule so that you can continue to grow your craft. You can listen to a podcast, tune in to a virtual conference, subscribe to an educational magazine, or collaborate with other teacher leaders. Plus, all that can be done poolside or while on vacation. You do not need to accumulate lots of hours of learning, but short bursts on a consistent basis will keep your mind fresh.

Step 2: PD for teachers

It’s also time to begin thinking about the back-to-school season, planning PD that is restful and collaborative for teachers. They will be coming off of a summer break so making the learning transition seamless is important. Teachers will want to go at a slower pace than during the school year, have more movement incorporated into activities, and have plenty of time to chat with peers. You can create an impactful PD while still honoring their tired minds and bodies. It’s about warming up their brains and building comradery among colleagues, all while setting the stage for the upcoming school year.

NEXT STEPS:

1. Read the other blog posts in this series: Fall, Winter, and Spring.
2. Want help closing out the school year while still employing effective seasonal coaching strategies? Grab the printables for each step mentioned above in the Coaching End of the Year Resources.
3. If you’re looking for guidance and feedback while you begin to implement your seasonal coaching strategy, join the Teacher Leader Mastermind! It’s a community of coaches nationwide that meet virtually to chat through obstacles, celebrate wins, and cheer each other on as we grow our leadership skills.

GO BE GREAT!

The post Seasons of Coaching Blog Series: Summer Strategy appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Having a seasonal coaching strategy ensures you are responsive to the growing needs and wants of teachers. It also continues to build momentum in teacher proficiency and student achievement. Grab the “Creating a Coaching Strategy Checklist” to help you prepare to implement the ideas below.

The previous post in the series described the fall coaching strategy. (Read it here.) Much of the fall coaching strategy is foundation building, setting the tone for a successful teacher-leader partnership for the year.

Just like the winter months bring in the cold weather, we bulk up and add layers, both in clothing and instructional support. Teacher leaders can layer in new instructional techniques on top of the foundation that was built in the fall. Because winter is made up of shorter days of sunshine, you have to be intentional with your time. The same is true with the winter coaching strategy. You must be intentional with your support, choosing how to support a teacher that provides the biggest “bang for the buck.” This is high level strategies that will have a domino effect in helping other areas the teacher might be struggling in, not just the main focus they are working on with you.

The following three steps show the trajectory a teacher leader would take to help the teacher grow in strength in the classroom.

Step 1: Lesson Design

Start here with teachers who struggle to write thorough lesson plans, experience a disconnect from what they planned and how they executed the plan, or teachers who need to think through the logistics of their lesson from start to finish. Designing a learning experience for students is more than filling in a lesson plan template. It’s like putting on a play, with lots of stage directions and behind-the-scenes prep. Do not move on until this is mastered, or the next stages will not be successful.

Step 2: Classroom Management

The next level of support is to focus on routines, structures, and systems for the classroom. Help teachers move beyond being reactive by solely managing behavior, to proactive by implementing boundaries for success. Systematizing a classroom takes vision, planning, execution, reflection, and revision. This can take many weeks to figure out what works best for a teacher’s personality, skill level, and classroom climate. Do not move on until this stage is mastered, or the final stage will not be successful.

Step 3: Student Engagement

Finally, teachers have the basics of the classroom in motion and are ready to layer in student engagement. This is accounted for in lesson design and thoroughly planned out in the classroom management stage, but now it’s time to execute the plan. Start small with simple ways for students to engage with the content, the teacher, and each other. Once students master the simple engagement techniques (ie. turn/talk or stop/jot), you can experiment with more elaborate opportunities (ie. four corners or gallery walk).

NEXT STEPS:

1. Read the other blog posts in this series: Fall, Spring, and Summer.
2. Join the virtual coaching summit this winter break to learn specific micro strategies you can employ to help teachers maximize their growth in the classroom. I am sharing more about seasonal coaching strategies in my session called “Hot Spot Coaching- Providing Targeted Support to Teachers.” Be sure to grab your ticket!
3. If you’re looking for guidance and feedback while you begin to implement your seasonal coaching strategy, join the Teacher Leader Mastermind! It’s a community of coaches nationwide that meet virtually to chat through obstacles, celebrate wins, and cheer each other on as we grow our leadership skills.

GO BE GREAT!

The post Seasons of Coaching Blog Series: Winter Strategy appeared first on Always A Lesson.

What’s the Deal with PD?

Historically, PD sessions have been lengthy, rarely applicable, “sit and get” meetings. This is an ineffective way to equip teachers with instructional best practices and current pedagogy knowledge. Teachers need to learn in bite-sized sessions that apply to their current circumstances while incorporating movement and collaboration with their peers. However, this recipe for success is an art. Teacher leaders have to practice their craft of delivering high quality, engaging PD.

So how do they do it? This post will share 5 ways to better lead PD for teachers.

Plan

• Make a Long-Term Plan– Planning PD sessions as if they are solos is unproductive and does not translate to increased performance for teachers. PD sessions should be multiple sessions that align to one another and grow the teacher session by session, like building blocks. This takes intentionality and thorough planning. (Try this PD Planning Guide & Calendar.)
• Have Teachers Track their Learning– Build ownership into the learning process, by showing teachers the year long learning game plan. They’ll understand the end goal and how they will get there each step of the way. When teachers track their PD sessions, this can be used as an artifact for their performance review at the end of the year, as well as confirm any earned credits towards their licensure. (Try this PD Record.)

Execute

• Empower Teachers to Teach Each Other – Teacher leaders cannot be everywhere. Delegating learning opportunities is a way to maximize the impact a single teacher leader can have on an entire staff of teachers. Essentially, a PD huddle provides the team leader of the grade level or subject area the learning content to teach to their peers in a quick learning huddle. (Learn more about how to implement a PD Huddle.)
• Give Teachers Choice in What/How They Learn– Another way to build buy-in for learning is to provide choice in what teachers can learn (content topics) and how they learn it (listen to a podcast, read a blog/article, interview a high-performing teacher, watch video clips, etc.). (Try this PD Choice Board.)

Reflect

• Allow their Experience to Guide You– Although you have a thorough plan and put forth your best effort, sometimes the PD session doesn’t go as planned or it is so transformative teachers leave energized and thankful. You’ll want to know WHY it went either way so you know what to replicate and what to not incorporate in the future. (Try this PD Feedback Survey.)

As a bonus tip, you’ll want to hone your craft so that you gain efficient and effective PD planning strategies. Click here to listen and watch how to do just that.

If you found these recommendations helpful, you can grab them all in the PD Mega Bundle.

GO BE GREAT!

How else can you get better at delivering PD for teachers?

The post 5 Ways to Better Lead PD for Teachers appeared first on Always A Lesson.

There are a variety of ways to show up and support teachers, but below I share 10 tried and true ways teacher leaders can assist teachers during the back to school season.

1. Share a Tasty Surprise– Teachers are tired and starving so if you’re able, provide a tasty treat and maybe some caffeine to keep them going.
2. Assess Classroom Needs– Ask teachers what they need, make a list, and chat with the admin team to see what you are able to take care of for them.
3. Deliver & Confirm Student Rosters– Class lists change constantly and teachers are ready to label classroom items, so continue to provide up-to-date rosters to teachers as often as necessary (sometimes multiple times a day!).
4. Print and Pass out Paperwork– The school will often require parents to fill out necessary paperwork the first few days of school, so print and pass out those documents for teachers to share with parents during Open House/Meet the Teacher events.
5. Disperse Curriculum Materials– As a teacher leader, curriculum is one of your largest foci. Organize, track and disperse curriculum materials to each teacher in the building.
6. Check in with Team Leaders/Department Chairs– Ensure teacher leaders know how to support their team throughout the year by talking through what to discuss with colleagues, common and effective leadership strategies, and general Q/A.
7. Goal Set with Teachers– Meet 1:1 with teachers to find out what they want to accomplish this year, unrelated to what the district or school says they must achieve.
8. Provide Training and Learning Opportunities– Professional development is another large focus so plan, develop, and deliver all required trainings to staff.
9. Facilitate Quarterly Planning Meetings– Teachers not only need to set up their classrooms, but they have to plan for the upcoming quarter. Instead of just planning day one or week one, teachers should plan “big picture” for what’s coming and how to approach meeting all of the standards. Provide a lengthy block of time with appropriate curricular materials to help teachers plan.
10. Lend a Helping Hand– Jump in wherever you can doing whatever you can. Ask “how can I help?” on repeat!

No matter how you are supporting teachers during back to school, as long as you are prioritizing their needs and providing solutions to timely obstacles, your efforts are beyond helpful. Making the back to school season a smooth ride for teachers is a feat you should be proud of!

Need some resources to help support teachers? Browse theses professional development resources to build into your trainings on educational best practices for teachers as well as over 100+ instructional coaching forms to help you support the growth and development of teachers.

GO BE GREAT!

How do you support teachers during Back-to-School?

The post Supporting Teachers During the Back to School Season appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Teacher leaders can be part of a mental health awareness, prevention, and management initiative at their school sites. This post will help you develop a plan.

Better Understand Mental Health

• Research symptoms and solutions (mentalhealth.gov is a great place to start)
• Uncover funding options schools could utilize to better support teachers

Evaluate Mental Health Supports Available at School

• Reflect on what your school currently offers to support teachers with their mental health
• Decide what initiatives, programs, or supports are working and not working
• Revise current offerings so that they are more effective and personalized

Design Mental Health Supports

• Create a mental health team or committee to lead the charge
• Get input from teachers to ensure supports meet their needs
• Design a road map so teachers know how to recognize their triggers, name their feelings, and advocate for the support they need
• Involve all stakeholders in the process (administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community members)
• Overhaul the school culture so that everyday mental health practices are woven into how the school operates

Execute Mental Health Supports

• Provide training on mental health diagnoses, triggers, solutions, etc.
• Offer resources to educate and support staff with mental health
• Check in on teacher mental health during all partnership opportunities (ie. professional development, professional learning community meetings, monthly mentor meetings, coaching cycles, etc.)
• Pair teachers with accountability partners as a safe place to go when needing mental health support

Tips for Effective Mental Health Support

• Listen more than you try to solve a problem
• Be consistent in what you offer
• Be honest about what supports you are able to provide and help teachers find alternative options if you cannot meet their needs the way they request

Want to know more specifics about how to support the mental health of teachers? Tune in to this Clubhouse Chat Replay with Charle Peck.

Looking to bring a mental health PD opportunity to your school? Check out this Leading Professional Development Bundle to get a start on planning!

GO BE GREAT!

What mental health supports do you want schools to employ?

The post Creating Mental Health Supports for Teachers appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The end of the school year can get a little crazy, which is why now more than ever, it is important to remember that classroom management is a year-round thing. Take the time to check in with your teachers and start planning on how you can better support them in the fall. Listen in on this Clubhouse Chat where classroom management expert, Celeste, shares strategies for establishing strong classroom management routines and how you can support teachers and keep them accountable.

Quotables

• Focus on classroom management as a lever to getting to the content.
• Classroom management is a year-round thing.
• Reflection makes you an effective teacher.
• Classroom management doesn’t have to be super complicated, but it needs to be consistent and appropriate.
• Classroom management is not a one size fits all.
• Think through all of the hiccups that can happen while teaching, and plan ahead on how to avoid them.
• Think outside the box.
• The end of the year is the perfect time to plan how you will support teachers in the fall.

Connect with Celeste

• Instagram: @msceleste_online
• Youtube: Your Co-Teacher, Ms. Celeste

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

• Join here and grab a freebie!

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

• Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
• Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info
• Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best)
• Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast
• Click ‘Send’

The post CH Bonus: Coaching with a Classroom Management Lens appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Prepare for your learning by setting some boundaries like:

• Set aside time weekly
• Learn in short spurts
• Take notes to reference later
• Grab a buddy and learn together

Now you’re ready to begin the learning process. Below are 10 ways teacher leaders can learn over summer break:

Read

1. Books and/or Book Study– Cozy up with a good book and a highlighter (book suggestions here)
2. Magazines– Subscribe to paper or online magazines on leadership (ie. edweek or ASCD Ed Leadership)
3. Newsletters– Subscribe to an organization or teacher leader who sends out a weekly or monthly newsletter of tips (ie. Always A Lesson, Simply Instructional Coaching, Cultivating Teacher Leaders)
4. Blogs– Follow education blogs that will provide new ideas and inspiration (Always A Lesson, Edutopia, The Compelled Educator)

Listen

1. Podcasts– Listen to audio blogs called podcasts while you’re busy on the go! (ie. Empowering Educators, Buzzing with Ms. B, Truth for Teachers, Cult of Pedagogy, Simply Instructional Coaching)
2. PD Videos for Licensure Credit– Earn credit towards your license by listening to professional development on the latest trends and best practices in education (ie. Professional Learning Board)

Engage

1. Conferences and Workshops– Attend virtual and in-person conferences to connect with other leaders and gain knowledge and strategies (ie. Simply Coaching Summit and National Education Association)
2. Grow your own Professional Learning Network (PLN)– Find other teacher leaders in your area or online to connect with regularly (ie. Facebook groups like Women in Ed Leadership, Instructional Coaching Connection, Simply Instructional Coaching Support)
3. Social Media Chats– Join in on Twitter or Clubhouse Chats on all sorts of education topics (ie. Twitter Chat Schedule and Instructional Coaching Club on Clubhouse)
4. Conduct Research for a School Project– Find out from your administrators what initiatives will be implemented the following year and conduct your own research over the summer to prepare to teach staff (scholarly articles found here)

Looking for something to help you grow during the school year? Join my Teacher Leader Mastermind! You’ll virtually meet twice a month with other teacher leaders around the nation. Gain knowledge and fresh ideas, broaden your perspective and grow your skillset. We’d love to have you join us. Limited spots. Grab your seat here now!

Looking for more coaching resources? Grab this MEGA BUNDLE to start planning for next year!

GO BE GREAT!

How do you learn over summer break?

The post 10 Ways to Learn Over Summer Break as a Teacher Leader appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The suggestions below are ways to support teachers prior, during, and after parent-teacher conferences.

Prior to Parent- Teacher Conferences

1. Provide a runway of prep activities– Create a calendar weeks ahead of the parent-teacher conference window outlining tasks teachers should begin preparing and tips to be successful
   • gathering student work samples
   • drafting conference announcement email/newsletter
   • sending date/time reminder slips etc.
2. Get input from teachers – Poll teachers for what they liked and disliked about past conference events and create solutions to ensure an even more successful event this year
3. Get students involved– Invite students to take an active role in the conference by stopping into classrooms and sharing the variety of ways they can take the lead
   • choosing their best work samples
   • setting and reviewing goals
   • practice presenting skills etc.
4. Share expectations for conference flow– Model what a successful parent-teacher conference should look like, especially if having teachers implement new elements they haven’t tried before
   • a checklist is a good way to provide this outline too
5. Add a virtual option– Set-up a virtual platform that parents can log into to join in on the conference that they might have otherwise missed during the work day and share tips to make the experience just as engaging
6. Provide reminders to parents – Send an email to all parents announcing parent-teacher conferences, hyping up how hard students have been working to lead the conference conversation, share tips and strategies so they can get the most out of the experience, provide directions for how to access the virtual option, and let them know you are available to troubleshoot any issues that arise
7. Track milestones– Hold teachers accountable for accomplishing preparation tasks by providing reminders of what they should have completed and what to begin working on next
   • a calendar on a bulletin board in the copy room would provide a helpful visual teachers would see often

During Parent-Teacher Conferences

1. Check in on teachers– Be available in the hallways during conferences to assist teachers in whatever way possible
2. Greet parents and direct traffic– Acknowledge all school guests so that they feel welcome and guide them to the appropriate location for their conference
3. Set up a table for parent involvement opportunities– With so many parents entering the school building, it’s a good time to ask parents to volunteer their time or donate money to help the school become it’s best
4. Refuel tired teachers– provide inspiring words and a special treat in teacher mailboxes during the long days of conferences

After Parent-Teacher Conferences

1. Co-create action plans– Meet with teachers to create ongoing support plans for students to track their progress and catch difficulties quickly (this can also be shared at the next conference)
2. Survey teachers for feedback– Ask teachers to share their experience with you so you know how to better help them in the future
3. Thank parents– Write an email to all parents extending gratitude for their participation and pride for how the children stepped up to lead the conference

As you can see there are many tasks you can do behind-the-scenes to support teachers during the busy season of parent-teacher conferences. Although you might not complete coaching cycles, you can still have an impact by providing structure and expectations for the event.

Grab all of the resources mentioned in this post at a discount here.

Looking for even more coaching resources? Check out this MEGA BUNDLE!

GO BE GREAT!

What ways can you support your teachers during parent-teacher conferences?

Get access to more instructional coaching resources and professional development resources below:

The post Supporting Teachers During Parent-Teacher Conferences appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Light Teacher Leadership Options

• Build Community Partnerships– A great way to give back to the school is to build partnerships with community members. These members can be volunteers or donate items or finances for events. When a community supports a school, all stakeholders thrive.
• Gather Lesson Resources– Teachers need help planning and delivering lessons. Offer assistance by meeting with teachers to know what content topics they will be covering and research online or scouring curriculum resources for activities to support the lesson.
  • Browse resources for Literacy, Math, Science, & Social Studies
• Organize a Schoolwide Event– Meet with stakeholders to determine upcoming schoolwide events and to brainstorm new potential opportunities. Offer to lead a portion of the event or the entire event if possible. Review the budget to plan accordingly. Reach out to the community for donations or partnerships. Appoint colleagues to help.
  • Read these blog posts for how to lead schoolwide events: Leading a Teacher Appreciation Event , Leading a Take Your Child to Work Day , Leading a Read Across America Day , Leading Teachers Through Black History Month

Medium Teacher Leadership Options

• Deliver PD– Meet with your administrators to find out potential upcoming topics needed for professional development. Offer to plan and lead the learning session. Keep a record of all PD that you offer to teachers.
  • Get ideas for what learning opportunities to offer teachers by browsing here
• Facilitate a Data Dig- Facilitate the data discussion during a professional learning community (PLC) meeting. Review data points prior to the meeting to plan questioning prompts and develop a conversation flow. Be sure to follow all PLC protocol.
  • Grab these resources for a data dig
• Lead a Committee– Teachers come together in committees to help the school be successful. Examples include: PD, safety, recycling, health, celebration, etc. Choose a committee you are passionate about. Then, get permission to set a vision, actionable steps, and lead committee meetings.
• Set up Learning Walks– Learning walks allow others to see each other teach live in front of students. It is a great way to see teaching strategies in action and to gain new ideas to bring back to your own classroom. Share the opportunity with staff, offer a sign up sheet, and create a schedule.
  • See these past posts on learning walks: How to Set Up Learning Walks, The Secret to the Most Effective PD, and 3 Tips to Get the Most Out of Learning Walks
  • Also grab these learning walk resources

Heavy Teacher Leadership Options

Looking for more resources? Grab everything you need with this instructional coaching MEGA BUNDLE!

No matter what option you choose, you can still lead others as a classroom teacher. Gain various leadership experiences so that when you are ready to transition full-time, you’ll be a strong candidate.

GO BE GREAT!

The post 10 Ways to Lead Others as a Classroom Teacher appeared first on Always A Lesson.

As educators, we want to continue to hone our craft by staying up-to-date on the latest best practices. We also want to know where we measure up in comparison to the expectation for our role. Seeking feedback helps us know what we are doing well and where we are missing the mark.

Surprisingly, educators are swimming in feedback and not all of it is effective. It may be confusing, unrelated or even outdated. Whether you are an educator seeking feedback or a teacher leader providing feedback to teachers, the following characteristics will enhance the type and method of feedback you’re providing so that it translates to teacher success in the classroom.

Quick Feedback Format

When you are providing quick feedback to educators, you can follow the recipe below:

• What are they doing well? Praise for success. Although feedback seems to only be for – what to do better, first and foremost, it is to celebrate what is going well. Feel free to list as many as you can to boost confidence and encourage motivation to continue working.
• What improvements need to be made? Even though there might be growth, there are still areas to improve. Share one change to implement that will have the biggest impact on student learning.
• Are they on the right track? Be specific as to what they did and where that is in relation to the goal. Even if they did not reach the goal, if they made improvements in the right direction, it’s worth noting.
• What is the overall performance? Take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the teacher’s performance and provide a rating based on a rubric. This rubric should outline clear indicators of success along a continuum. (Need one? Use this one.)

Effective Feedback Characteristics

When you are not under time constraints, you can take the original feedback recipe above and expand on it. Here are elements to consider:

• Actionable– Provide next steps so educators know what they must do going forward
• Deepen understanding- Share background information or additional insight to help educators continue learning and growing their knowledge base
• Non-evaluative-For feedback to translate to implementation, ensure feedback is meant as suggestions instead of directives related to formal evaluation (ie. you can reference a rubric (ie.”this is where you would have scored if this was an official observation”), but it should not actually count)
• Ongoing- One and done feedback is not enough touch points to support a learner so provide multiple opportunities for feedback as the educator applies feedback and tries again
• Opportunity to revise- For immediate implementation, build in time for educators to make revisions with you based on your feedback (and potentially receive follow-up feedback)
• Personalized- Avoid one-size-fits-all feedback and personalize it to an educator’s personality, skillset, knowledge, etc.
• Related to learning goals- Tie feedback to what the learning goal is instead of choosing an area of focus that will not lead to success of meeting the learning target
• Specific- Providing clarity in who, what, where, when, why and how will allow educators to understand why your feedback is important and how to implement it
• Timely- For feedback to be helpful and relevant, follow-up with feedback immediately so educators can make changes without doing things ineffectively for too long

Feedback Resources

Add these resources to your feedback system for educators:

• Lesson Plan Feedback Template
• PD Feedback Survey
• Classroom Observation Feedback Slips
• Authentic, Actionable Feedback: Creating a Feedback System for Teachers Video

Looking for more great resources? Grab everything you need with this instructional coaching MEGA BUNDLE!

GO BE GREAT!

What changes are you planning to make to your feedback system?

Get access to more instructional coaching resources and professional development resources below:

The post Qualities of Effective Feedback for Educators appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Planning as a team is essential. Many times, though, we find that time to plan is not on our side. Listen in on this Clubhouse Chat as we discuss how to structure collaborative planning teams with teachers!

Quotable

• Sometimes conversations need more time. Splitting up that time throughout the week allows for those deeper conversations.
• Modeling – practicing those activities in team meetings.
• Practicing and perfecting – we know it’s as efficient  as it’s going to be, and as accurate as it’s going to be, and helpful to students learn and achieve.
• Change our mindset to truly collaborate – give everyone a voice.
• It can organically work out, without taking work home.
• Do the pre-work: come prepared with a resource or something for that particular content area.
• Don’t be afraid to slow down.

Stamp of Approval

To connect with Inga Parker on Instagram: @love_lead_literacy

To connect with Denise Newsome on Instagram/Twitter: @MsNewsomesNotes

To connect with Melissa via email: mdmillig@ga.aliefisd.net

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

• Join here and grab a freebie!

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

• Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
• Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info
• Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best)
• Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast
• Click ‘Send’

The post CH Bonus: Collaborative Planning Teams appeared first on Always A Lesson.

If the goal of PD is to support the ongoing learning of teachers, then the way we provide these opportunities need to yield the intended results. If teachers are not learning and growing, we have to change our approach to professional development.

Alternative Options

The 10 options shared below are to motivate and encourage teachers to grow their craft.

Behind-the-Scenes

1. Survey teacher needs– Find out specifics about your teachers’ perceptions of their own abilities. This will allow you to create targeted learning opportunities to meet those needs. (Need a survey? Try this one.)
2. Pause extras – To increase the learning capacity of teachers, meet with the administrative team to pause initiatives or requirements that are non-essential. This will help lessen the workload and stress of teachers.

Light Support

1. Newsletter blasts– Cultivate a consistent weekly or monthly newsletter sharing 1-2 tips and strategies to try out in their classroom.
2. Flyer PD- Allow teachers to learn at their pace by providing short PD snippets. Teachers  can read and implement these snippets throughout the week (ie. email newsletter, potty/copier PD).
3. Mini PD menu– Limit PD learning to decrease overwhelm by creating a mini menu of 3-4 options of topics teachers can learn instead of a typical 3 x 3 or 4×4 menu.

Medium Support

1. PD huddles– Empower teacher leaders (instructional leadership team/grade-level or department chairs) to lead mini PD with their colleagues. PD huddles should include 1 instructional strategy to implement that week.
2. Micro Videos – Record 3-5 min videos of instructional techniques and provide teachers with homework for implementation and accountability (ie. journal entry, discussion board, lesson plan, etc.).
3. Teacher work time– To provide realtime support, build in time for teachers to work with you by their side as they plan lessons, create assignments, etc.

Heavy Support

1. PLC/PD mash up–  Provide a mixed learning opportunity of a traditional professional learning community (data dig, long-term planning, etc.) with a hands-on and bite-sized professional development session. Allowing teachers to learn, plan, evaluate and collaborate.
2. PD in a box- For teachers who want to go above-and-beyond requirements, provide an option for them. Create a box of learning materials they can receive with instructional strategies they can implement throughout the month.  After implementing, they can invite you into their classroom to showcase their new learning.

Want to get more in-depth information for how to provide these options? Listen here to the Clubhouse Chat that inspired this post.

Next Steps

• Follow the Instructional Coaching Club on Clubhouse
• Browse some PD videos to help you better support teachers
• Grab everything you need with this Instructional Coaching MEGA BUNDLE

GO BE GREAT!

What alternative PD options do you offer your teachers?

Get access to more instructional coaching resources and professional development resources below:

The post 10 Alternative Options for Professional Development for Teachers appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Effective time management is the secret of success; prioritizing our tasks can help us achieve better education quality and better teaching results. As an educator, we should always be looking ahead and planning. Join today’s bonus Clubhouse episode, listen to our guest educator – Tammy- share her experience and tips with us!

Quotable

• “It’s essential for us to learn this habit of looking ahead, planing ahead, prioritizing, getting in the calendar”
• “When you take the time before you take the time to really know what’s coming, then you can really maximize your time away”
• “We prioritize tasks over our time, something I have been getting better at is being really really thoughtful of how I use my time”
• “When we are thinking about prioritizing our time, and really focusing on things that we need to do that require the quality time and effort and focus, we should have those time to decide in larger chunks”

Stamp of Approval

To connect with Tammy Musiowsky-Borneman on Twitter: @TMus_Ed

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

• Join here and grab a freebie!

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

• Search for my show on iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
• Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info
• Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best)
• Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast
• Click ‘Send’

The post CH Bonus: Prep, Priorities, and Plenty of Rest over the Holiday Break appeared first on Always A Lesson.

In the past, professional development sessions have been “sit and get,” meaning teachers sit and receive learning. This passive formula diminishes the success rate of teaching applying their new learning in their classroom. Teachers need to learn best practices in addition to planning and practicing what those will look like in their classroom.

This post will walk you through five aspects of providing quality professional learning sessions for teachers.

Learn It

Instead of providing lengthy, rarely applicable, “sit and get” meetings for teachers, learn how to lead an efficient and engaging experience. The old, out-dated professional development session is an ineffective way to equip teachers with instructional best practices and current pedagogy knowledge. Take time to research best practices in sharing learning so that you can:

• Equip teacher leaders with efficient and effective professional development planning strategies
• Plan, prepare and execute an efficient and engaging professional development session

Create a Plan for Leading Efficient & Engaging Professional Development Sessions by learning all the necessary pieces that make an effective learning experience.

Plan It

Once you know how you want to present the new learning to teachers, it’s time to create a Professional Development Calendar & Planning Guide. Take the time to map out an entire year of meaningful & engaging professional development for your colleagues. Be sure to thoroughly plan, thinking through session topics, descriptions, purpose, and logistical details. A calendar will keep you on track to meet your goals in improving teacher proficiency. Teachers will appreciate knowing what learning opportunities are coming and when. This will build excitement throughout the year!

Track It

Teachers should track their learning. This information can be submitted during a performance evaluation as evidence of continual learning. By providing a Professional Development Log , teachers can keep track of all the professional development sessions that they attend. It should include the date, session title and a quick summary of learning. Including additional pages for detailed notes taken during the professional development session would be helpful.

Deliver It

Give teachers a choice in what and how they learn. Create a Professional Development Choice Board offering a variety of choices in learning opportunities. Voice and choice are two characteristics of building teacher autonomy that have a positive impact on school culture. These options could be micro learning sessions teachers could complete on their own. For example, you might record short videos on topics or provide researched resources for teachers to use and implement.

Perfect It

Once you provide professional development sessions to teachers, ask for feedback. Send out a Professional Development Feedback Survey. Their responses will allow you to provide more personalized, effective learning sessions in the future. Teachers will appreciate you asking for their input and you will appreciate their ideas for making the learning sessions more applicable and valuable to them.

Grab all of the resources mentioned in this post here to help you lead quality professional development sessions for teachers.

GO BE GREAT!

What is your biggest obstacle leading professional development?

The post Leading Quality Professional Development for Teachers appeared first on Always A Lesson.

What support opportunities included in coaching cycles is not black and white. Instructional coaches and other teacher leaders have the flexibility to create support options tailored to the needs of their teachers. Plus, as the year progresses, these options might change as well as teachers grow their instructional proficiency. Flexibility in how coaches support teachers is key.

Not all teachers need or desire to be coached. They also have varying needs and require different level of support. It is important that coaches design options that are relevant and timely for those they serve. Providing both Macro and Micro coaching cycles are a way to differentiate support for the varying needs of teachers.  (There is also no “right” way or recipe for what is included in each type of cycle.)

MACRO CYCLES

Some teachers need a full, thorough coaching cycle that includes supports like co-planning, modeling, lesson observation, debrief conversation, lesson execution practice, PD sessions, data digs, curriculum mapping etc. These additional layers of support are great for new or struggling teachers. Coaching cycles that contain this type of intensive support is considered a “macro cycle.”  It encompasses numerous touch points of varying foci with teachers on an ongoing basis. Teachers usually remain in a coaching cycle for two months and may continue engaging in multiple coaching cycles after the initial one.

MICRO CYCLES

On the other hand, some teachers only need a mini version of a coaching cycle. We call this a “micro cycle” since it only pulls the essential components from the Macro cycle, like observation and debrief conversation with feedback. It may occur quarterly or a handful of times throughout the year, rather than ongoing participation like a Macro cycle. This is often reserved for stronger performing teachers who need to check-in from time to time.

However, with schools changing their instructional model to online or hybrid models, instructional coaches created more flexible support models for teachers. A Micro cycle is the perfect way to support teachers with the limited time and resources available during the Covid-19 era in schools.

A Micro cycle can include any support instructional coaches and teacher leaders deem necessary for their teachers. The length of time of a session or between sessions can vary.

Next Steps

1. Meet with the admin team to discuss a plan for coaching support at your school site
2. Decide if you prefer to roll out micro, macro or both types of coaching cycles for your teachers
3. List out the supports included in the coaching cycle of choice
4. Note which specific teachers are eligible for coaching cycles
5. Roll out the coaching cycle(s) to teachers, explaining its purpose and components
6. Begin coaching cycles

Additional Support

• Read past blog posts on Starting Coaching Cycles at your School Site and Coaching Cycles- What is it and How do I Conduct One?
• Download Coaching Cycle forms (visuals, tips for success, resource guide, tracking sheets, intro letter, etc.) OR grab the bundle of ALL coaching forms

GO BE GREAT!

What do you include in your Micro vs. Macro coaching cycles?

The post Coaching Cycles: Macro vs Micro Options appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Emotional exhaustion is off the charts and job satisfaction has hit an all time low in education. Schools are left spinning their wheels brainstorming ways to lift the spirits of their staff before it’s too late.

There was a survey published recently by the EdWeek Research Center that showed teacher morale plummeting nationwide:

“In a November survey of a nationally representative sample of 817 teachers, nearly three-quarters of teachers say their morale is lower than it was before the pandemic, and 85 percent say overall teacher morale at their school is lower now…42 percent of teachers say the coronavirus pandemic has made them feel less motivated at work…[and] 88 percent of middle and high school teachers say the coronavirus pandemic has made their students less motivated to do their best at school.”

In efforts to retain the staff that remains, we need to pull out all the stops to:

1. Acknowledge their tireless effort
2. Lessen workload of non-essential compliance tasks
3. Celebrate the great things happening in schools because of the teachers

To better support the mental, emotional and physical health of our teachers all stakeholders play a role. Tips for administrators, instructional coaches and teachers themselves are listed below.

Administrators

The ideas shared below are merely ideas that could help validate teacher feelings, show appreciation, and reduce their feelings of overwhelm. Adjust them to fit the needs of your teachers as necessary.

1. 1. Duty Coverage– Release teachers from their lunch, recess, carpool duties etc.
   2. Limited Staff meetings– Re-prioritize training and information being shared with staff; condense essentials into a newsletter bulletin, email or announcement
   3. Increased Planning Time– Adjust instructional schedules to allow for additional solo or collaborative planning time
   4.  Limited Extracurriculars– Remove the requirement for teachers to lead extracurricular clubs on campus
   5. Team Building Events– Create opportunities to build rapport as a staff and school community
   6. Teacher Treats– Bring in a catered lunch or bring a drink/snack cart around campus
   7. Casual Passes– Allow staff earn passes to dress casual
   8. Themed Days– Create fun themed days (ie. spirit week) for staff to dress up
   9.  Music– Play popular music over the loud speaker after hours as teachers work or dismiss early
   10. Early Release Days– Create a schedule to allow each staff member to leave school immediately after students
   11. Community Donations -Collect classroom/teacher supply donations from the local businesses in the community
   12. Reduce Paperwork Requirements– Revise compliance requirements for teachers so that only essential tasks are being checked
   13. Shout Outs– Design a staff shout out board for peer accolades; write specific, personal notes highlighting teacher strengths and showing appreciation

Instructional Coaches

The ideas shared below are ways to help administration support teachers while creating relationships among staff.

1. 1. Socialization– Create opportunities for teachers to socialize with each other to build camaraderie and diminish feelings of isolation
   2. Mentorship– Assign partnerships among teachers to receive mentorship in areas of weakness to better their classroom performance, seek advice, etc.
   3. Teacher Awards– Design an award for each teacher based on their strengths and have an award ceremony to celebrate their talent
   4. Phone-A-Friend– Offer to lend a hand in classrooms by reading, leading an activity, or meeting with a students
   5. Common Space Decor– Liven up common areas with uplifting quote posters, colorful decor, plants etc.
   6. Fellowship – Host a monthly meet up for staff to come together and unplug while building relationships with each other
   7. Self-Care Activities– Advocate for and model self-care measures (ie. rest, exercise, read for pleasure, etc.)
   8. Giveaways– Host giveaways for teachers to earn products and services in the community

Teachers

The ideas shared below are ways in which teachers can get the support they need from other stakeholders.

1. 1. Encouragement– Provide encouragement to peers as you both navigate similar obstacles
   2. Listening Ear– Offer to listen to your peers vent so they can get their frustrations out and process their emotions before returning to work
   3. Laughter– Take time to lighten the load and laugh with colleagues
   4. Connection– Meet new colleagues, build friendships, find commonalities among staff members to build a sense unity across campus

Tools

These tools are ways in which to connect with and support teachers.

• • Catch them being amazing– Stop by teachers’ classrooms and provide them with recognition for what they do well and share it with staff
  • Reward and encourage – Give teachers incentives for working hard by giving out coupons for redemption
  • Get their opinion– Provide teachers with a survey to find out more about how they view their practice and how they wish to be helped & get their feedback after providing a PD session so you can continue to meet their needs
  • Give them options– Share ways in which teachers can get support by providing a menu of support to choose from
  • Watch peers in action– Allow staff to get inspired by each other by going on learning walks to see each other teach live in front of students
  • Set their own goals- Give teacher’s voice and choice in what they want to accomplish as professionals by engaging in a goal setting meeting together

Teachers are the root for which all students flourish. We must take care and nourish the root so that it blossoms for generations to come. These tips are sure to boost teacher morale at your school site!

Go Be Great!

How are you improving teacher morale at your school site?

The post Tips to Boost Teacher Morale appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I was recently reading about four shifts needed in education to have a bigger impact on student achievement. Each shift builds off the previous one, leading to transformational change in the classroom. I wholeheartedly agree with these four shifts and wanted to share them with you.

Deeper Thinking and Learning

We need to push kids to deeper levels of thinking. This means spending time building their critical thinking and analysis skills. It is still imperative to reference Bloom’s Taxonomy when designing a lesson and line of questioning. However, we can’t continue to have the bulk of the lesson remain at lower levels of Bloom. We must help students develop a new habit of thinking at deeper levels. This takes significant practice, support and encouragement. Teachers must design lessons knowing the end goal is to operate at the deepest of levels for longer periods of time. When students become deeper thinkers, they better understand concepts from a variety of angles. Then, are able to transition through sequence of topics seamlessly, therefore, achieve at higher rates.

Teacher leaders can help teachers by reviewing lesson plans for deeper thinking and learning, record higher level questioning and activities during observations, and provide high quality professional development on creating lessons that move authentically through Bloom’s Taxonomy.

It’s important to note that the goal is not to race a lesson towards deep thinking if students aren’t ready. That leads to frustration and decreases student motivation. Instead, design each lesson to push student thinking deeper so that overtime the majority of the lesson is spent in the higher realms of Bloom.

Authentic Work

It’s no secret that creating multiple lessons a day for students takes a long time for a teacher to prepare. However, utilizing numerous worksheets to demonstrate student learning is not pushing student thinking to deep levels and doesn’t accurately evaluate their levels of learning.

Creating opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning through authentic work is necessary. This means less busy work and more unique assignments. It most likely will require students longer periods of time to create, but the outcome will be a stronger depiction of how well a student understands a particular concept. For example, instead of completing a page full of math word problems, students could be given a scenario to solve using the same math skills. [bctt tweet=”It’s best to go deep with less than wide with more.” username=”gschultek”] This means guiding student thinking deeper with skills on one problem than shallow thinking on multiple problems. When teachers provide flexibility in how students complete their work, student engagement and critical thinking is high.

Teacher leaders can help teachers design authentic work opportunities by modeling, sharing examples, and using professional learning communities [PLC’s] to create varied student outcome options. Authentic work takes longer to create for both students and the teacher. Knowing this, lesson pacing should be adjusted and teachers should begin the design process ahead of time. For example, teacher leaders can provide quarterly planning days where teachers design authentic work opportunities for assessments and assignments for the upcoming quarter.

Student Agency and Personalization

The flexibility teachers build in to student work options makes room for student agency- voice and choice in how to demonstrate learning. This means students have the opportunity to decide how they want to show what they know. It also means teachers know their students well to be able to offer options that meet their needs (ie. personality, learning style, interests, etc.). When students can use their strengths in the classroom they are more motivated to go above and beyond the requirements to showcase their knowledge.

Teacher leaders can help by analyzing student work with teachers, paying attention to which assignments students gravitated towards and which ones demonstrated student knowledge the strongest. This analysis will help teachers become better designers of learning opportunities and prompt additional conversations with students to get to know them better. A student learning survey is a great way to collect intel. (Get parents involved too by allowing them to share insights on their child through a letter of recommendation to the teacher!)

Technology

It’s important that teachers move away from implementing technology just to get credit for using it. Instead of randomly picking a tech device or tool, teachers should strategically choose their instructional instruments. [bctt tweet=”If technology does not enhance learning, it doesn’t need to be used.” username=”gschultek”] For example, if teachers are using a Smart Board only as a white board or are having students complete worksheets on an iPad, tech doesn’t need to be used. Technology should be used when it does something the teacher cannot do alone or that without it’s incorporation into a lesson, students won’t fully understand a topic.

Teacher leaders can help teachers select appropriate tech tools that align and properly assess learning objectives. They can host a tech festival where teachers can get exposed to a variety of tech tools, play with a variety of options to see the capabilities, and have time to choose a few to incorporate into future lessons. Teacher leaders should consistently support teachers in their tech choices to ensure it is enhancing student learning.

Each of these four shifts build on one another resulting in enhanced student learning. Teachers who provide personalized learning opportunities to students and incorporate technology that enhances learning creates an environment where students are thinking at deeper levels and producing authentic work. This is how you transform classroom instruction.

Are you in need of some support for enhancing student learning at your school? Grab these resources below:

• Instructional Best Practice Guides
• Leading Impactful PD Sessions Guide
• Unlock Teacher Potential Leadership Guides

Get access to more instructional coaching resources and professional development resources below:

GO BE GREAT!

How will you incorporate these four shifts into classrooms?

The post 4 Ways to Transform Classroom Instruction appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Background Information on Coaching Cycles

A cycle refers to the repeated process of meeting, observing and serving teachers. For example, a simplified coaching cycle could look like a trio observation: pre-observation, observation, and post-observation debrief. This simplified cycle can easily be extended by adding goal setting meetings, professional development sessions, peer observations, tape recording and reflection exercises, etc. (These options could be outlined in a coaching menu like this one.)

There are generally two tracks in the coaching cycle model: on and off-track. On-track means the teacher is receiving the right amount of support resulting in an increase in their skill set. These teachers can graduate out of the coaching cycle model to a more hands-off approach like short, pop-in classroom visits and ad hoc meetings to brainstorm or answer questions. If an instructional coach needs to provide more ongoing or intensive support to a teacher, they will employ the off-track model. This means they continue to repeat the extensive coaching cycle until the teacher improves.

No matter which coaching cycle is utilized, the goal is the same: improve the skill of the teacher and achievement of the student.

Get Organized

Now that you have a better understanding of coaching cycles, it’s time to plan your own. Getting organized is a great first step. Grab your teacher roster and note which teachers would be willing participants and which are assigned to you from administration. These two groups of teachers will enter your coaching cycles first. Then, you’ll want to survey them to find out their skill level (Here’s a survey example.) This information will help you determine where they view their own skill set and what areas they want to strengthen.

Are you in need of other beginning of the year coaching resources? Click here.

Set the Stage

After getting organized, you’ll want to set the foundation for coaching. This is an opportunity to meet with teachers to introduce yourself and your role. Walk teachers through the coaching cycle model, explaining the purpose of each support. You might even want to model portions as necessary. Don’t forget to allow teachers to ask questions.

It’s important to note, when beginning coaching cycles, you will build the process slowly. For example, for the first month to month and a half, you’ll simply plan with teachers and observe them. You will not complete a full cycle until month two and beyond. This allows time to build relationships and rapport with the teacher and students in the classrooms you are visiting.

Dive in

Wahoo! It’s time to dive in and begin working hard with teachers. You’ll move from building relationships and establishing a presence in classrooms to fully partnering with teachers. Your initial planning meetings with teachers will help you know who is in your cycle, which intensive model they are partaking in, and where they are within the cycle framework. It might be helpful to have the coaching cycle visual enlarged and placed on a wall. You can use post-its with teacher names or notations to easily move them through the cycle.

You can now begin mini or whole group coaching sessions as well as professional development and practice rounds. When you notice common trends among staff you can address the whole roster of teachers. When you notice similar struggles among individual teachers, you can bring together smaller groups to focus on those areas. Most importantly though, practice should be essential in your support options for teachers. Running drills during practice helps teachers build muscle memory. Acting out specific teaching skills repetitiously increases the likelihood the skill will translate into the classroom.

Next Steps

1. 1. Design your varied coaching cycle tracks from less to more intensive models
   2. Get yourself and your space organized
   3. Meet with teachers to explain all of the partnership opportunities (grab an example coaching cycle visual and all observation forms...or just snag the entire instructional coaching binder)
   4. Start working with teachers!

Coaching cycles are a fantastic way to help teachers get better faster and in a more focused way. The hard work between the teacher and yourself will pay off!

Get access to more instructional coaching resources and professional development resources below:

Go Be Great!

How do you start your coaching cycles?

The post Starting Coaching Cycles at your School Site appeared first on Always A Lesson.

It is time for a new year and that means it is time for engaging professional development that will help teachers learn and grow.  When we create professional development sessions, we want them to be beneficial for teachers and to create buy in among our colleagues. This podcast episode discusses 5 ways to boost engagement, create buy in and have a successful year of professional development. Tune in!

Quotables

• Start your PD off knowing that you set the tone.
• Teacher input can be helpful in planning. You may not be able to control the content, but you can control the mode in which teachers participate.
• Voice and choice goes a long way in teacher buy in.
• Sit down with your administration team and prioritize requirements and see how much time you have left for what teachers want to do.
• A PD committee can be a great voice and move everyone in the building in unison towards the same goal for PD.
• Decide ahead of time what the requirements are for teachers so they know exactly what is going to happen pre, during and post PD.

Stamp of Approval

• Connect with Erica Harrell on IG: @ericaharrellconsulting

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

• Join here and grab a freebie!

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

• Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
• Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info
• Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best)
• Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast
• Click ‘Send’

The post 246: Kicking it off with PD appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Teachers often write these objectives on the board to share them with students. Administrators look for them when they enter the classroom to know what students are working on without having to interrupt the lesson.

One of the major problems with learning objectives is the way they are written. Using convoluted academic language is not easily understood by students. Objectives can tend to lack tangibility from a students’ point of view. They become something written on the board, never to be referenced or understood.

In order for lesson objectives to accomplish their purpose of driving student achievement, there are three things teachers need to consider:

Awareness

First, teachers need to make students aware of the learning objective. This means drawing attention to it on the board or at the beginning of the lesson to set the stage for the learning that will take place. Instead of jumping right into a lesson, teachers should begin by explaining the end goal (objective) of the lesson. Using student friendly terms will help students digest the meaning of the academic language often found in objectives. When a guest enters the room and asks a random student what they are learning, all students should be able to share what they are working on or towards in their own words.

Association

Second, teachers need to build on the awareness by explaining to students why learning the objective matters to their personal and academic life. By connecting content to real life, students are more invested in their learning. They see the relevance of the material on the outcome of their daily lives. This association is powerful in motivating students to pay attention, try their best, complete their assignments, ask questions, and deeply engage in the lesson. By creating the connection from self to content, many classroom misbehaviors will also dissipate.

Achievement

Third, teachers need to be explicit for how students will master the objective. Students need to know what they are working towards throughout the lesson so that they can remain on track for learning that skill and for knowing when they have met/not met it. By laying out the roadmap of what students are learning and how they are going to learn it, they feel safe to begin the learning journey.

By following this simple formula of awareness, association and achievement, students will be more successful in the classroom. They will know what skill they are working on, know how it applies to their life, and know how to successfully acquire it. This brings clarity to all learners, boosting confidence and investment in their own education.

Next Steps

• Meet in Professional Learning Communities [PLC’s] to review how objectives are integrated throughout the lesson. Grab a PLC leadership guide here to lead more productive PLC’s.
• Complete Learning Walks around the school to see how other teachers are implementing the three pronged approach to learning objectives. Get the details for running effective learning walks here!
• Access other lesson planning materials to support teachers such as a lesson plan checklist, lesson plan feedback slips, and lesson planning visuals.

How are you increasing student awareness and investment in daily learning objectives?

Get access to more instructional coaching resources and professional development resources below:

Go Be Great!

The post Learning Objectives: 3 Things Students Must Know appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Spencer is currently a full-time instructional coach at a K-5 elementary school and a teacher wellness mentor. She is also a former teacher. Spencer taught 2nd grade, 5th grade and 6th grade before becoming an instructional coach. Her time as a teacher taught her so much about what she wanted in life and also a lot about the role burnout plays in our health and wellness. Spencer’s goal is to help teachers feel seen as a human first and create a space and community where they can turn to to receive empathy, empowerment and personal development tools. She recently got married to her long-time best friends, Tim! She has two dogs, Layla + Vladdy. Spencer was born and raised in Livonia, Michigan and then moved to Arizona after college graduation. The move sparked her love for travel, if she could live anywhere it would be on an island. You can usually find her working on mentorship, binging Schitt’s Creek, or planning her next adventure !

Quotables

• If you put yourself out there, the fact that you put that energy out there, everything is going to come back tenfold.
• If you want to connect to more likeminded people, you have to put yourself out there and find your tribe.
• You can create your own reality.
• Imposture syndrome can rule your life, especially for new teachers.
• Watching other teachers and learning walks are a great learning tool.
• Self is more than taking a few minutes for yourself. It is prioritizing yourself.
• Setting boundaries, creating powerful routines and mindset are tools to help overcome or avoid burnout.

Join the Always A Lesson Newsletter

• Join here and grab a freebie!

Connect with Gretchen

• Email: gretchen@alwaysalesson.com
• Blog: Always A Lesson
• Facebook: Always A Lesson
• Twitter: @gschultek
• Instagram: Always.A.Lesson
• Linkedin: Gretchen Schultek Bridgers
• Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Connect with Spencer Cotter

• Twitter: @spencercotter
• IG: @spencercotter
• Email: hello@spencercotter.com
• Website: https://www.spencermegan.com/

Leave a Rating and Review:

This helps my show remain active in order to continue to help other educators remain empowered in a career that has a long lasting effect on our future.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/always-lessons-empowering/id1006433135?mt=2

• Search for my show in iTunes or Stitcher.
• Click on ‘Ratings and Reviews.’
• Under ‘Customer Reviews,’ click on “Write a Review.”
• Sign in with your iTunes or Stitcher log-in info
• Leave a Rating: Tap the greyed out stars (5 being the best)
• Leave a Review: Type in a Title and Description of your thoughts on my podcast
• Click ‘Send’

The post 245: Teacher Empowerment with Spencer Cotter appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Communication

District personnel, school building administrators, teacher leaders, classroom teachers, students, parents and community members are considered important stakeholders. It is essential to create systems to communicate with each group of stakeholders as it relates to their role in education, meaning what you communicate to parents is very different and what you share with the principal.

This post focuses on communication between the instructional coach (also called facilitator, teacher leader, curriculum developer, specialists, etc.) and the classroom teacher. Below are 10 aspects of communication to consider as the instructional coach:

1. Assign Team Roles– To ensure all voices are heard during meetings (planning, PLC and data digs, PD sessions, etc.), assign team roles. They can alternate each meeting, but ensure everyone has a role when it comes to communication. Examples include: Presenter, Synthesizer, Note-taker, Question Asker, etc.
2. Ask Better Questions– To get to the root of any problem, you have to dig deep. The only way to go deep is to continue to ask good questions. Remove judgment and assumption.  Listen intently and collect information to help you better support teachers.
3. Be a Bridge– You are a connector between administration and classroom teachers. Be a bridge so communication remains clear and all voices are heard and understood.
4. Build Connections– Authentic connections allow you to truly get to know teachers as people first and professionals second. It removes barriers to trust and willingness to receive help. Communicating in a natural way builds strong connections with stakeholders.
5. Create a Communication Pathway- Over-communication can create overwhelm for receivers and the message often gets distorted, just like a game of telephone. Design the pathway for who shares communication with whom and in what order. This structure will ensure clear communication is delivered every time.
6. Develop Norms and Non-Negotiables– To facilitate strong communication among all stakeholders, establish norms and non-negotiables to hold each other accountable. Items could include professionalism (prompt arrival, polite discourse, proper dress, etc.), regular contribution (share suggestions, strategies, and ideas) and more!
7. Facilitate, Don’t Dictate– As a teacher support, you are a guide to their professional development. When you tell teachers what to do and how to do it, they begin to resist. When you facilitate (ask questions and make suggestions), you are able to push them in the right direction instead of push them to do something your way on your time table.
8. Provide Input– The role of a instructional coach is to guide teachers to reach their growth potential. There are very few times you’ll provide direct feedback (ie. observation). The majority of your support will be sharing input in the forms of questions and suggestions rather than necessary next steps or performance ratings.
9. Seek to Understand– My friend Andrea Battle called this teacher leadership skill an “understanding undershirt.” It is underneath everything you do in supporting teachers. When you operate from a place of understanding, you are respected and are able to produce results because you access the root of the problem and work up from there.
10. Utilize Communication Frameworks– Develop discussion starters, sentence stems, and guiding questions so when you meet with teachers you can use your energy to be present in the conversation rather than thinking about what to ask and how to ask it.

NEXT STEPS

• Continue to follow this blog series for more leadership tips for instructional coaches (Read Part One, Part 2 & Part 3).
• If you’d like to dig in on a deeper level, you can gain professional development (and credit towards your teaching license) through the “Teachers Who Lead” course bundle.
• Get access to more instructional coaching resources and professional development resources below:

Go Be Great!

What leadership advice do you have for instructional coaches?

The post Leadership Tips for Instructional Coaches- Part 4 appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The role of an instructional coach is to grow and develop teachers so that students achieve success in the classroom. There are many ways to support instruction, but 10 best practices are shared below:

Learning Strategies for the Teacher

1. Bite Size Tips– Avoid overwhelming teachers with a long to-do list. Share small action steps they can implement to become more successful in the classroom. Keeping it simple with easy-to-implement steps ensures teachers feel successful faster.
2. Data Wall– Make a habit of tracking student achievement data. This can be done individually in a notebook or online spreadsheet or by grade level on a bulletin board in the planning room. Mark student data with a numerical system instead of names to protect confidentiality. Teachers should use this data to plan instructional supports for their upcoming lessons. They should also mark any changes in the data so that they are always making informed decisions based on current data. These Data Tracking Sheets will be helpful for teachers.
3. Follow Up– Teachers are busy, but it doesn’t mean you should let their action steps slide.  Follow up with them to ensure they implemented their next steps and make note of how well they did so. Their improvement will skyrocket if you follow up with additional feedback after they implement the original suggestions.
4. Learning Walk– Allow teachers to grow and learn from each other. Set up a system where teachers can observe their peers teaching students live. They can walk into a handful of classrooms for 10 minutes to see a snapshot of instructional best practices. It is helpful to see a variety of teaching styles demonstrating strong instructional strategies to the same student population within the same school building. It is the strongest mimic strategy to improve teacher proficiency. This packet will help you make learning walks successful in your building.
5. PD with a Purpose– Provide learning opportunities to teachers that are meaningful. PD topics should align to state, district and school goals. They should compliment any current initiatives being implemented. PD topics should also meet the needs or wants of teachers. This ensures the learning time is well spent in an area that is important. (Don’t forget to add in time for teachers to practice their new knowledge to increase the likelihood it will be implemented into the classroom.) This PD course will help you plan and lead an inspiring PD session.

Leadership Strategies for the Coach

1. Co-Teach– Helping teachers teach more effectively live in front of students can be powerful. Co-plan a lesson, decide who will teach what part, hone in on an aspect you will be demonstrating, and then teach together in front of students. Seeing a technique implemented live in front of actual students helps the teacher visualize what it will look like when they give it a try on their own later.
2. Follow Through– A powerful way to build trust is to mean what you say and say what you mean. If you promise to do something for someone, be sure to follow through. When you repeatedly follow through on your commitments, you become reliable, dependable and trustworthy. This builds strong long-lasting relationships with teachers.
3. Model, Ask, Expect- Follow a simple 3 step process when working with teachers. Model the expectation. Ask teachers to practice it in a mock setting with peers. Then, expect them to replicate it in their own classrooms. Repeat this process with any new expectation required of teachers.
4. Observe with a Purpose– When going into classrooms to observe, choose your focus ahead of time and only take notes and provide feedback on that one area. Overwhelming yourself with all aspects of instruction will cloud the clarity of your feedback and derail the progress in the focus area. A good note taking guide will help you stay focused.
5. Turn Problems into Action Steps– Help teachers overcome obstacles by asking questions to determine the root of the problem. Then, instead of allowing teachers to vent and complain about the problem, swiftly move the conversation into problem-solving mode. Together, create action steps to overcome the obstacle. This is an efficient use of time, keeps the conversation on track, and translates into teacher improvement instead of teacher dissatisfaction.

NEXT STEPS

• Continue to follow this blog series for more leadership tips for instructional coaches (Read Part One & Part 2).
• If you’d like to dig in on a deeper level, you can gain professional development (and credit towards your teaching license) through the “Teachers Who Lead” course bundle.
• Get access to more instructional coaching resources and professional development resources below:

Go Be Great!

What leadership advice do you have for instructional coaches?

The post Leadership Tips for Instructional Coaches- Part 3 appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This leaves the coach wondering what their role looks like, how to fill their calendar or even spend their time. Before testing, the coach is preparing the school building to host the exams and ensure teachers are set up for success to run the tests. Once testing comes, it’s time for the coach to pause their support and let teachers and students showcase their skills. After testing, many teachers are finishing up loose ends to close out the year.

With all the changes happening at the end of the school year, a coach may even wonder “What do I do with my time?” The structured teacher support they’ve been providing is no longer happening and everyone seems to have altered schedules for various reasons. Although coaches aren’t working as closely with teachers as they have been all year, there are still plenty of productive tasks to accomplish with extra pockets of time.

The tasks listed below are productive uses of time and will help get ahead for the upcoming year.

Organizational Tasks

• Clean Up Shared Drive– Go to physical or virtual common areas where teachers share materials and organize it for efficiency
• Spruce Up Planning and Meeting Spaces– Create community spaces that encourage collaboration in seating and table arrangements as well as fill the spaces with all necessary supplies

Learning & Creation Tasks

• Design a PD Schedule– Map out next year’s PD on a calendar with topics based on current areas of improvement and future initiatives
• Record Micro PD Videos – Think about upcoming professional development needs and batch record all of the mini learning sessions for teachers
• Design Anchor Charts for the Planning Room– Set up the planning room so information is easily accessible for teacher reference, including making and hanging anchor charts of pertinent information
• Draft Monthly Newsletter Formats– Knowing consistent communication methods build trust and community, set up a template to communicate updates monthly with teachers
• Develop a Feedback Survey– Create a paper or digital survey that asks teachers what they want more or less of, how you can best support them, and additional comments they wish to share

Administrative Tasks

• Create a Materials Wish List– Knowing school funding allotments arrive at specific dates throughout the year, have your wish lists already curated and ready to go when funds arrive
• Create Next Year Master Schedule & Class Rosters– Help the admin team create a rough draft master schedule for all grade levels and content areas as well as begin rough drafts of next year’s class rosters
• Collect School/District Owned Materials– Visit teacher classrooms to collect any materials owned by the school or district and place them in a safe storage location
• Offboard/Onboard Staff Members- Make the transition easier for teachers leaving the school by collecting their materials and completing necessary paperwork while simultaneously onboarding new staff members by helping them acclimate to their new position
  • Relevant Blog Posts: The Importance on Onboarding and Support a New Hire at your School
  • Printable: End-of-Year Effective Off-Boarding

Tips From Coaches in the Field

• Kara H. from New York: I try to have a end of semester data sharing meeting with administrators where we share the student teacher data we have been collecting from the formal observations as well as the informal observations I do with the Cooperating Teachers, and discuss areas of strength and areas where we need to grow for next year, and steps the schools can take and that we at York can take together to help that happen. I need to schedule that meeting for the end of May and start putting the data together for the meeting
• Lauren G from Iowa: One task I need to accomplish is to figure out the best way to support new teachers to the district (depending on if is their first year here, first year teaching, etc.). I want to have some questions ready for teachers to reflect on before school starts, as well as plans in place to meet with the new teachers at least once during the PD schedule at the beginning of the year.
• Adina M from New Jersey: Find ways to celebrate our wins for the year. After graduation, we host an end of year staff PD for all members of the team who will be returning next year and we revisit the year’s goals and discuss how we hit our goals for the year. We name our wins and celebrate the effort that it took to get there.
• Jenna K from Illinois: Make and send out a survey. We need feedback on how our individualized learning sessions have been going and also just coaching in general so we can reflect on this year and help us better prepare for next year.

There are plenty of ways to still have an impact as an instructional coach at the end of the school year. Your role might look different, but your impact will remain the same! As you prepare for the upcoming school year, check out all my instructional coaching resources and professional development opportunities.

Go Be Great!

What tasks do you complete at the end of the year as an instructional coach?

The post 10 End of Year Tasks for Instructional Coaches appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Creating a strong math culture is a topic we have been discussing recently here on the blog based on a discussion I lead on the Clubhouse app.  Over 20 educators (classroom teachers, administrators, school board members, instructional coaches, and content area specialists) came together to share ideas and ask questions about how to increase the math culture in their buildings.

I am sharing my takeaways here on the blog. This is a three-part post on increasing math culture in your school building. [Click to read post 1 and post 2.]

Today’s question is:

How can we impact math culture as teacher leaders?

Involve Parents

Parents want to participate in their child’s education. They also are curious whether or not their school provides a top notch education, especially in content areas like reading and math.

Create events where parents can see their child’s math work showcased. This gives parents an idea of what goes on in their child’s classroom and they can see how their child is performing.

Teachers can share ideas for how to support mathematical instruction at home in everyday life scenarios (ie. geometric shapes around town, keeping time on a clock throughout the day, etc.).

Parents can get a sense of the math culture in a school just by what is sent home for homework. Is it a scripted curriculum assignment or critical thinking opportunity (ie. solving one difficult problem with many methods accepted versus a worksheet of twenty simple problems to complete with the emphasis on correct answers).

Standards of Mathematical Practice

Create opportunities for teachers to understand the Standards of Mathematical Practice. These are the requirements provided by the state for quality learning in Math. Teachers need to understand what the standards are and how to deconstruct the large skills of the standards and put them into lesson objectives. This is a difficult skill and will require lots of practice and feedback for teachers.

Review state standards with teachers. Place an emphasis on how the standards connect throughout grade levels. Teachers can pull out key terms and discuss various ways to teach the standard, planning for students who get it quickly and those who do not.

Rating Scale

Complete a mathematical proficiency rating scale for every teacher and for the school as a whole. Create the scale from 1 to 10 and assign each number a characteristic that describes confidence and competence of teaching and understanding mathematical concepts for their grade level. This reflective piece encourages transparency and serves as a reality check for the school as a starting point. You can only grow when you know where you are beginning. Honesty is key.

Track Standards

Math is a subject that highly relies on the grade level before it as a foundation for future learning. Most often, there is no way to communicate to the next teacher when students are missing skills or have weak sub skills. Students get even further behind (and even more frustrated). Create tracking sheets and make time for updating and reviewing these sheets periodically to inform instruction. Teachers should track standards taught for each student and mark the proficiency level (not mastered, partially mastered and mastered). This tracking sheet can travel to the next teacher to help inform instruction during the planning phase.

Assist in the Process

There are many moving parts to teaching math. Assist in all aspects (lesson planning process, delivery and execution, designing assessments, reviewing student data, etc.) to catch teacher misunderstanding or negative mindset. Teachers need to know how to plan a thorough lesson that differentiates to a variety of learners. But they also need to plan multiple strategies if students get stuck along the way to present learning in a new way, with multiple opportunities to practice. Knowing what to do when students get hung up helps teachers gain confidence in the content and they can then model perseverance in problem solving to students. Continue to provide support throughout the year as there will be moments of ease and frustration for teachers as they grow their math competency.

If you need leadership resources to help you grow and develop teachers, snag this bundle of coaching forms or watch these quick, actionable “Teachers Who Lead” course modules.

Suggested Resources for Building Math Culture:

• Math Tools & Activities
• Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler
• Elementary and Middle School Mathematics (Teaching Developmentally) by Karen Karp

If you found this helpful, be sure to check out the first and second post in the series.

Go Be Great!

What action will you take to create a stronger math culture in your building?

The post Creating a Strong Math Culture at your School [Part Three] appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Schools should encourage students to participate in Take Your Child to Work Day. Not only is it an opportunity for children to bond with their parent in a new way, but it exposes students to the professional world way before they enter it. This gives students a chance to think about future careers, assess what skills are necessary to attain jobs and get a better idea of how to manage a full-time job. These life lessons are paramount for maturation and an increase in academic focus. Many students see important characteristics in action such as resilience, hard work, and leadership. They also begin to realize that all of the subjects they have been learning will come to fruition in their career, especially math and literacy.

The following steps outlined in this blog post will ensure you lead a successful Take Your Child to Work Day at your school site.

Announce the Event

Give ample time for teachers, students and families to plan their participation in the event. You can announce the event in an email to staff or during a more formal meeting. First, share the purpose of the event and how it benefits students. Then, share expectations for what teachers need to provide their students for the learning experience as well as deadlines for when teachers need to share and pass out resources. This might mean teachers need to track where their students are going and with whom. Regardless, parents will need to be notified followed by ongoing communication with the teacher prior to the event.

Ensure Access for All

Not all students will be able to shadow their parent for a variety of reasons – security clearance won’t allow it, travel, lack of a job, no present parent, etc. In these cases, students should still be able to access a Take Your Child to Work Day experience.

Reach out to local community members to volunteer for a child shadow. You can also ask parents if they are willing to take additional children to their workplace (if it allows). Securing volunteers takes extensive orchestration (planning, permission slips, etc.) so be sure to start early.

If volunteers cannot be lined up for all students, create a mock Take Your Child to Work Day in your school building. Transform a large room (auditorium, gymnasium etc.) into a job fair or mock career experience. Students can rotate through the simulation to gain exposure to the inner workings of various jobs. Although it would be a micro version, it is important that all students are included in the event.

Align and Assign Work

It is paramount that there is a distinct lesson aligned to the event so that it is not just a day off from school. Teachers should be speaking with students leading up to the event to share expectations of behavior, intention of the experience, requirements for participation etc. When handing out assignments to accompany the experience, teachers should ensure all students comprehend what is being asked of them while they are on the job. Students should share these requirements with their parent ahead of time so that expectations can be met. If teachers are unsure of what to assign to students, here are Take Your Child to Work Day activities and project ideas.

Follow Up

After the event, teachers should have students report back on their experiences. If the curriculum aligns, teachers can continue to integrate the experience into their future lessons. This reminds students that it was not just a day off from school, but a life lesson for what is to come in their near future. They will be better prepared for life on the job as well as begin the process of thinking about possible career paths.

Whether you create a smaller or bigger scale event at your school site, know that all students deserve the opportunity to experience the work force in a supportive way. The better prepared they are, the better the future for all of us.

Go Be Great!

How do you celebrate “Take Your Child to Work Day” at your school?

The post Leading a Take Your Child to Work Day at your School Site appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Creating a strong math culture is a question we have been discussing recently here on the blog based on a discussion I lead on the Clubhouse app.  Over 20 educators (classroom teachers, administrators, school board members, instructional coaches, and content area specialists) came together to share ideas and ask questions about how to increase the math culture in their buildings.

I am sharing my takeaways here on the blog. This is a three-part post on increasing math culture in your school building. [Click to read post 1 and post 3]

Today’s question is:

How can we increase teachers’ content knowledge in math?

Ongoing Learning

We must offer teachers ongoing learning opportunities to deepen their understanding of their content area. Research local or online conferences teachers can attend. Maybe even provide classroom coverage or funding to attend if needed.

Give teachers plenty of time to practice their new learning. Have teachers participate in learning walks where they watch their peers teach math to gain ideas and strategies for working with their population of students, grade level content, etc. You can also create peer mentorships based on instructional skills that are math specific. A stronger peer can mentor a less confident peer. This breeds camaraderie among staff.

No matter which ongoing learning opportunity, following up and following through will ensure teachers apply what they are learning. Otherwise, teachers are passively learning but not growing stronger (and students aren’t growing either).

School Agreement

Create a school agreement that outlines expectations and norms for math. This will help align and calibrate staff to a high performing level. Consistency is an important part of building a math culture. By creating a common language around instructional best practices in math will lead to less reteaching year to year. This saved time allows for deeper learning throughout the year and brings clarity in expectations to teachers.

Reflection

Teachers need time to digest their new learning, process next steps and adjust their game plan as they implement. Reflection is a large part of the growth process. We can’t expect teachers to teach and learn without time to think through how it’s working. Reviewing student data and reflecting on their day’s lessons before moving forward ensures mistakes don’t get repeated and growth happens quickly.

Carve out time during planning for teachers to have quiet reflection before moving forward. Making time and space for reflection will lead to stronger math instruction around the school building. Provide topics, sentence stems or prompting questions to ponder. Check out this reflection resource  and this video reflection resource to help guide this conversation with teachers at your school.

Depth of Knowledge (DOK)

Helping teachers deepen the complexity of their instruction means they need access to a Depth of Knowledge (DOK) framework. Each level requires proficiency at the level before it and takes intentionality in the lesson planning and delivery process. Just like a staircase, the DOK levels rank mathematical tasks based on difficulty level. Teachers need to be familiar with how the DOK works, how to use it to plan, and how to differentiate for students as they move through the levels of understanding at a different pace. This is a long-term focus and should not occur overnight.

Provide an in-depth professional development session on the DOK. Allow teachers to interact with the framework in a variety of ways to solidify their understanding. Then provide time for teachers to plan future instruction by implementing the DOK.

Suggested Resources for Building Math Culture:

• Math Tools & Activities
• Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler
• Elementary and Middle School Mathematics (Teaching Developmentally) by Karen Karp

If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out the first and third post (coming soon) in the series.

Go Be Great!

What action will you take to create a stronger math culture in your building?

The post Creating a Strong Math Culture at your School [Part Two] appeared first on Always A Lesson.

I recently lead a discussion on creating a strong math culture at your school on the Clubhouse app under the Instructional Coaching Club. Over 20 educators (classroom teachers, administrators, school board members, instructional coaches, and content area specialists) came together to share ideas and ask questions.

The power of social media to connect educators in real time while providing timely professional development is an outstanding, underutilized tool.

Since this was such an empowering discussion, I decided to share my takeaways here on the blog. This is a three-part post on increasing math culture in your school building (part two and part three).

Today’s question is:

How can you tell if your teachers or school value math?

Time Study

Rating your school on a 1-10 scale might be hard if you’re not sure what to look for as evidence of math culture. Conducting a time study is a good first step. Simply write down what content areas are taught and how long each learning session lasts per subject. This will bring clarity. Wherever time is most allocated is where there is a priority. Is it the content area of math? If not, redo your schedule so more time can be devoted to math instruction.

Available Materials

Do a materials inventory to take stock of all math manipulatives or other instructional materials available in the building or teachers’ classrooms. First, make note of missing or broken materials for replacement. Second, calibrate teachers’ supplies so that they have identical sets. Lastly, make a list of additional supplies you would like to purchase or have donated. Having numerous learning supports is a beginning step to increasing the value of math in your building.

Modeling

Walk through classrooms to get an idea of how much teacher modeling is happening during math instruction.  What percent of the time is spent modeling mathematical concepts during a typical math  block? This could be demonstrating problem solving, formulas and processes, referencing past knowledge etc. As a leadership team, decide the ideal percent of a lesson that should be dedicated to modeling or demonstration for your building. Then, average the percent of time teachers spent modeling during an entire lesson of all the classrooms visited. Lastly, develop a plan for increasing that percentage if it is below your ideal number. Modeling math thinking for teachers is a great way for them to feel comfortable modeling in their own classrooms.

Planning Habits

Attend planning periods to get an idea of how teachers plan their math instruction. Are they focused on developing strategic questions to uncover student misunderstandings or are they simply noting page numbers and topics in a planner? How we think about teaching is often how we end up delivering instruction. If we think at low levels we will deliver at low levels. To break the bad habit of planning pages and topics to cover, provide teachers with sentence stems to aid in deeper collaboration. Focus on breaking standards down into objectives, student work exemplars, differentiated structure, etc. Use this resource to guide you,

Evidence

Walk the halls of the school. Look at student work samples in classrooms. Are students simply memorizing math facts and being tested on their fluency? Or are they presented with rich problems to solve? Are students doing a lot of math talk or is the teacher dominating the conversation? We want students to fully utilize math language. We must help them recognize vocabulary, begin to use it correctly and then showcase it fluently. This continuum is similar to learning a new language, the more you immerse yourself in it, the more it becomes part of your vernacular. If you cannot find much evidence, decide what evidence you want to see among grade levels and prioritize that during the math instructional planning phase.

Suggested Resources for Building Math Culture:

• Math Tools & Activities
• Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler
• Elementary and Middle School Mathematics (Teaching Developmentally) by Karen Karp

If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out the second and third post in the series (coming soon).

Go Be Great!

What action will you take to create a stronger math culture in your building?

The post Creating a Strong Math Culture at your School [Part One] appeared first on Always A Lesson.

How to Lead a Read Across America Day Celebration

Hosting a successful school wide event requires thorough planning. The four-part system listed below will help you deliver an unforgettable experience for staff and students.

1. Set the Intention- Explain the importance of the event by providing an example of your expectations
   • Choose a mentor text
   • Pull out a key focus
   • Model best practices for reading
2. Provide the Road Map– Share expectations for what teachers are to do
   • Give teams time to plan (choose a book, pull out key focus, align daily activities)
   • Carry the book theme throughout all content taught during the day
   • Create interactive bulletin board displays to showcase learning
3. Jump In
   • Hop into classes and model strong reading habits
   • Participate in special reading activities with all grade levels
4. Celebrate the Learning
   • Make announcements on the loudspeaker throughout the day to keep the energy going
   • Praise students with a “Caught Being a Great Reader” certificate
   • Announce winners for reading contests

Ways to Celebrate Read Across America Day

The following list of ideas can be implemented at your school site to foster a love of reading and expose students to a variety of books:

• Scholastic Book Fairs
• Book Reading Contests
• Peer Reading Buddies
• Host a Book Club (chapter book recommendations included)
• Pair Students for a Text Talk
• Favorite Book Character Costumes
• Reading Themed Days (if a week long celebration)
• Book Tasting
• Local Author Visit
• Author Study
• Mystery Guest Readers
• Bulletin Board Contests
• Special Activities
  • Peer Book Reviews (“Book Buzz”)
  • Book Hunt (+ Text Features)
  • America Reading Day Response Activities

Book Suggestions for Read Across America Day

There are lots of great books to showcase during the reading event. Coordinating chosen texts across grade levels will ensure students are exposed to a variety of books. Reorganizing your literacy block for efficiency and effectiveness can make this a smooth event.

A few text suggestions are listed below:

• Favorite Picture Books:
  • Giraffes Can’t Dance
  • Where the Wild Things Are
  • Corduroy
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
  • The King’s Foot (How Big is a Foot?)
• Favorite Book Series:
  • Mr. Men 
  • Berenstain Bears
  • Dr. Seuss
  • Curious George
  • Roald Dahl 

In honor of Read Across America Day, come grab some swag!  Click the picture below to grab it in various sizes or colors:

Go Be Great!

How did you lead teachers through Read Across America Day?

The post Leading a Read Across America Day at your School Site appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The tips outlined in this blog post will help develop the habit of reflection, but specifically hone in on the virtual instruction element.

Daily Reflection Habit

Routines create a sense of safety and predictability. Days that are rooted in repeated practices often increase satisfaction, as if checking off the boxes on a long to-do list. A reflection habit is no different. Spend a few minutes each day thinking back on virtual instruction- what went well and what didn’t. Problem solve for the next day. A daily reflection habit allows for tweaks in approach at a faster rate. That intentional responsiveness is a characteristic of any elite educator.

Weekly Reflection Habit

Similarly to a daily reflection habit, looking back on your virtual instruction with a weekly glance allows for more clarity in decision making. Sometimes a single lesson flops, but in the greater scheme of things, the virtual instruction strategies are moving in the right direction. Zooming out during a weekly reflection allows for perspective, which then creates sound decision making. Think about problem solving big hiccups and celebrating forward momentum.

Monthly Reflection Habit

Virtual instruction continues to change as different platforms emerge for schools to explore. Looking back at the previous month before planning the next month ahead allows for greater understanding in the flow of instruction. Did you meet or exceed academic goals this month? Why or why not? Did you hit your learning targets this month? Why or why not? Thinking big picture backwards and forwards keeps you aligned and on track.

Quarterly Reflection Habit

Great educators plan backwards to ensure each day of instruction adds up to the greater goal and vision for the quarter and year. Evaluate the success of instruction as mini milestones leading to grade level proficiency. What projects, assessments and activities clearly and fairly demonstrated student understanding? Which ones lead to confusion, frustration and poor performance? Pay special attention to high engagement opportunities and positive feedback from students.

Yearly Reflection Habit

As a school year or calendar ends, it presents a hard break – a perfect place to pause and reflect. Review all high’s and low’s of that year, making note of what to replicate and what to change out. Uncover reasons for success and struggle. Create an intentional plan to build off the hard work of the year.

Reflection Habit Tools

Below are tools I use in the classroom to build a successful reflection habit. Grab what you need:

• • Teacher Video Reflection– Watch yourself teach! Then use these guiding questions to reflect on the effectiveness of your instruction.
  • Teacher Observation Reflection– After you get observed, reflect on your performance before meeting with your observer. This allows you to process how things went and bring your thoughts to the discussion. These guiding questions will transform your instruction.
  • New Teacher Reflection Journal– Track all of your aha moments- good, bad and ugly!
  • Student Work Reflection– Before students turn in their work, require them to self-assess. This extra glance helps students catch errors and increase the quality of their work. Great for all subjects!
  • Student Behavior Reflection– After a misbehavior occurs, ask students to reflect on their choices prior to speak with you the teacher. This allows them to gather their thoughts and words before discussing the incident. It also serves as a good paper trail of behavior intervention.
  • Student-lead Book Club Reflection Sheet– Create groups of readers that come together to discuss a common text without you the teacher. The reflection sheet serves as a assessment to keep students accountable for their actions and interactions.
  • End-of-Year Parent & Student Reflection– The best way to hone your craft is to ask your best customer- students and their parents! Their perspective is important to understanding learners in the environment you cultivate. They truly are the best partners in improvement.

No matter the frequency, I hope you begin to develop a reflection practice that is productive in making you a more effective educator, virtual instruction and beyond!

Do you want to go through the reflection process with a thought partner? Hop on a coaching call with me to peel back the layers of your year and plan for better instruction ahead!

Go Be Great!

How do you plan to incorporate a reflective practice with virtual instruction?

The post Creating a Successful Reflection Habit with Virtual Instruction appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This series of posts will outline ways to communicate with various stakeholders (parents, administrators, and students) during digital learning as well as share what type of information to communicate.

Although digital learning looks different for everyone right now during Covid-19 shutdowns, the truth is no one is exempt from digital learning in some form or fashion. Distance learning is here to stay for the foreseeable future which means we better figure out how to make it successful.

Enhancing communication is essential to continue on a path of learning and growth for stakeholders like administration, colleagues, students and parents.

Enhance Communication with Colleagues

• • Ask what’s working and watch to replicate– Great teaching strategies shouldn’t be a secret. A student in one room should not be at an advantage or disadvantage depending on the teacher in front of the room. Great teachers collaborate. Ask what other’s in your grade level or subject area are doing. Catch a video demonstration so you can replicate it in your own instructional methods.
  • Planning and brainstorming sessions– Come together often with your colleagues to plan upcoming lessons, brainstorm ideas for future instruction or overcoming specific challenges. [bctt tweet=”A collective mind is more powerful than an individual one.” username=”gschultek”] Be sure to swap materials that you are using and finding success with as well as any new learning you have acquired.
  • Group chat sessions– It’s acceptable to chat with each other in more informal situations. Create a way to stay in touch with your colleagues to vent, share and celebrate each other. The support you provide each other is immeasurable to your sanity and growth.
  • Invite to collaborate– You might be the leader in your classroom, but that doesn’t mean you have to lead alone. Invite another teacher into a lesson if their expertise could be of benefit. Co-teaching or spotlighting a guest speaker could bring new life to a classroom. Students will love learning from someone else for a change.

Consistent, on-going communicating with stakeholders during remote learning is of utmost importance to make the school year successful for all. Using communication tools like Google Meet, Skype, Zoom and FaceTime are great for connecting face-to-face in a virtual world. Using Voxer, email, and text are helpful to staying connected on a daily basis through voice or print.

Whatever tool or strategy you employ, enhancing communication during remote learning is the goal to success for everyone involved.

Need resources for communicating with colleagues? Click here.

How are you communicating with colleagues during remote learning?

The post Enhancing Communication during Digital Learning with Colleagues appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The goal of every lesson is to drive students towards understanding. If we strip away all of the glam and technological jazz currently being used in lesson design, what is left behind is the teacher’s natural ability to share value and meaning.

• Value is the information required for students to reach mastery at their current level.
• Meaning is the teacher’s ability to make that content relevant to students.

Students who excel academically do so because of the opportunity they encounter to digest and apply their learning. Every student is capable of interacting with higher order thinking questions at the deepest of levels. Teachers just need to make them accessible to all students.

The process teachers follow to develop and deliver higher order thinking questions in the classroom is quite simple. It is one that can be repeated for every lesson on any subject each and every day.

Plan and Prepare Higher Order Thinking Questions

First, when drafting lessons plans, questioning should be sprinkled throughout instruction to gauge student understanding. The backwards design method is essential in planning such lessons because all the activities and questions asked within a lesson should take the student on a journey towards a specific outcome. Without knowing where students must end, it is impossible to align all activities and questions to get them there.

Questions should start at a basic level and become more complex as students move through the lesson. The questions can be asked orally in a student discussion or written in an assignment or on a presentation slide. Teachers can even assign specific students to questions, taking into account their zone of proximal development.

Deliver Higher Order Thinking Questions

Next, once all questions are planned, the teacher must execute them live with students during a lesson. Having questions prepared ahead of time allows the teacher to be mentally present in the moment. Teachers will have to make adjustments to the questions or the lesson in real time as student responses occur. Sometimes students will move through the questions quickly, so teachers find some of the questions unnecessary to ask. Other times, students will struggle in between questions and the teacher will have to create a question on the fly to bridge the gap. Either way, being responsive in the moment is the key to delivering high quality instruction through questioning.

It is important to note that the teacher must provide ample support for the student to arrive at the final outcome (ie. specific answer or concept). This means the students have enough context to make meaning of the question asked, access to additional information to make connections, and plenty of time to formulate a response. Although this takes up time during a lesson, it is time well spent. Students will leave the lesson with a deeper understanding of the content while also feeling successful in the classroom.

Reflect & Collect Data of Higher Order Thinking Questions

Then, great teachers reflect on their lessons, especially on the questions they ask during a lesson. it is important to collect data in the moment to aid in a reflection after the lesson is over. Teachers can simply write on their lesson plan next to the pre-developed questions, taking note of student responses, struggles, aha’s, etc. These informal data pieces will help design better higher order thinking questions for future lessons.

Once the lesson is over, the teacher can review their notes on how successful students were able to digest the new content and make meaning from it. Teachers can look for trends or outliers and even notice areas of opportunity for next time.

Revise Student Success Strategy of Higher Order Thinking Questions

Lastly, every lesson should include higher order thinking questions. It is the most effective way to develop student understanding. Therefore, teachers should continue to hone their question making and delivery methods daily to better meet student needs. As teachers better understand their content and their students, the revision process should shorten in time.

There will be students who need additional opportunities to grapple with the content where others are ready to use it as a springboard into learning something new. Differentiating questioning for these students is one way for teachers to revise their questioning strategy for future lessons. Repeat what worked and tweak what didn’t.

This four-part questioning system is one every teacher should utilize. It is easy to implement and has a tremendous impact on student learning. No fancy materials needed, just the teacher’s creativity and knowledge.

Do you need more details and practice with adding higher order thinking questions to your lessons?

Grab the mini PD here.

GO BE GREAT!

How do you implement higher order thinking questions into your classroom lessons?

The post How to Ask Impactful Higher Order Thinking Questions appeared first on Always A Lesson.

[bctt tweet=”Obstacles are only problems that you haven’t figured out how to work around yet. ” username=”gschultek”]

Necessity of Virtual Connections

Virtual connection is more essential than ever. In 2020, parents are required to be more heavily involved in the schooling of their child. Not only do teachers need to continue to communicate student progress, but they also need to discuss logistics, tips, strategies, and troubleshoot technology issues. This is a mix of traditional communication topics with parents and those discussed with substitute teachers.

These conversations are new both for the parent and the teacher. Therefore, it’s important to be transparent with the adjustment as well as ask for feedback to continue making it a positive and impactful experience.

[bctt tweet=”Virtual connections pave the way for successful student learning, even in times of crisis. ” username=”gschultek”]

Virtual Connections for Various Models

The three most discussed learning models for the Fall of 2020 school year are distance learning, homeschooling and a hybrid option. Virtual connections can occur in each of these models, although they might look different.

• Distance Learning– With students working from home via various online platforms, the teacher is still directing the learning. Parents might check in from time to time to make sure students are logging in during specific learning times and completing assignments. Although this might be more involvement for parents than traditional models, they are still relying on the teacher to communicate with them about their child’s progress (ie. overall performance, learning support options, academic struggles or concerns, missing assignments, etc.). Teachers can also share tips for learning at home, such as managing time, prioritizing tasks, and more.
• Homeschooling– Teachers will pass the instructional baton to parents in this learning model. Although teachers will prepare learning materials and deliver to students’ homes, the parents are in charge of carrying out the learning and completion of the materials. Schools might collect these materials or require students to submit only certain assignments online for grading purposes. Some school districts might even do a pass/fail system with no specific grades. Some ways teachers can make themselves available to parents is to hold office hours to answer live Q/A’s, respond to emails in a timely manner, create a reference website for common obstacles or examples of quality instructional techniques and outcomes, etc.
• Hybrid Learning– Hybrid simply means a mix of in-person and online learning. Teachers and parents will partner together in the learning of the child in all hybrid models. Parents and teachers will communicate virtually in the same ways mentioned in both distance learning and homeschooling models shared above.

Parent-Teacher Conferences via Virtual Connections

It is important to conduct the ongoing communication ideas mentioned above, but there can still be more formal opportunities to chat live with parents, like during virtual parent-teacher conferences.

Oftentimes with ongoing communication, messages are shared in passing without both parties being available at the same time to have a more thorough discussion. By setting aside a common time to virtually meet, parents and teachers can get caught up on the progress of the child, answer questions, clarify expectations and requirements, etc. Hosting live virtual chats with parents is a great way to bring clarity and comfort to the partnership. Click the photo to get all the tips!

GO BE GREAT!

How are you virtually connecting with parents?

The post The Importance of Virtual Connections with Parents appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The post Virtual Classroom Management appeared first on Always A Lesson.

As someone who has completed an interview in education for countless teachers and administrators in various districts, I can tell you that there are certain trends that appear in most interview situations. The tips I share in this post are from my own personal experience in partnering with a wide variety of schools with different needs.

The following three sections describe an effective system for nailing your interview in education!

Gather Interview Intel

First, you’ll want to do your research on interviewing for a position in education. Research the district, school, and grade level you’re applying for. Then, research the general flow of interviews for positions in education.

I suggest reading the following two blog posts for some quick interview advice:

• 3 Tips to Prepare for an Interview Demo Lesson
• “Please, DO NOT Do That” Interview Advice

Gathering interview intel will take the anxiety out of the equation. You will be well versed for how the interview will play out and will be armed with stellar interview tips!

Prepare for the Edu-Interview

Second, it is time to begin the preparation phase for the specific position you are applying for. Follow the steps below:

1. Review common and potential interview questions
2. Think through your own responses
3. Revise and repetitively practice your answers

By following the steps above,  you will speak intelligently, purposefully and with confidence during your live interview in education.

Grab common questions, tips and planning guides below:

• Video + Printable Resource: Preparing for an Education Interview Video + Printable Resource
• Video: Keys to Effectively Interviewing for a Position in Education
• Specific Questions for a Teacher Leader,  Veteran Teacher or New Teacher (or grab all the planning guides here)

Get Personalized Support

Lastly, after researching and preparing, it is time to get personalized feedback. By practicing with a veteran educator and interviewer, you’ll receive ideas for adjustments to your approach and prepared answers to common questions. This will set you up for the greatest success!  Nervousness will subside, your confidence will shine, and you will be able to showcase your best self.

Two options to get personalized support include:

• Professional Document & Review Feedback – Get feedback on your professional documents like cover letter, resume, curriculum vitae, etc.
• Edu-Interview Practice & Feedback– Get feedback on your responses to common interview questions, confidence and demeanor, as well as overall presentation during a mock interview.

Best of luck… You’ll do GREAT!

What tips would you suggest for educators to nail their interview?

The post Tips for Nailing an Interview in Education appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Included:

• 3 Key secrets
• Planning Space
• Action Steps

The post 3 Keys to Unlock your Teaching Potential Professional Development appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Included:

• 3 Key secrets
• Planning Space
• Action Steps

The post 3 Keys to Unlock your Teaching Potential PD [Teacher Leader Edition] appeared first on Always A Lesson.

What is an entry plan?

An entry plan outlines the tasks and duties that will be completed during a certain time period- usually a 30, 60 or 90 day plan. Administrators might delegate a few tasks for you to complete, but generally you as a teacher leader will decide what and how to spend your time.

Creating a plan maximizes your time on campus, working on the tasks that matter most, and showcasing your leadership skills and knowledge base.  Administrators will feel rest assured that you have things handled, giving you time and space to work productively.

Why have an entry plan?

Creating an entry plan creates a smooth transition into the school year for all. Without a clear plan of action, an instructional coach can waste a lot of time on the job waiting for directives from administration. The Back-to-School time can be extremely overwhelming, so jumping into action will alleviate some stress for all stakeholders. Most importantly, having a big picture view of what to accomplish allows you to work backwards to create a daily to-do list of tasks to complete.

What is included in an entry plan?

An entry plan often includes a calendar of planned tasks as well as a description of what the task is and how it will be carried out. This mimics both a pacing calendar and lesson plan that teachers create. Many of the tasks on the list take multiple days or weeks to accomplish, so consulting the calendar while working on tasks simultaneously is suggested.

Common tasks include: creating professional development sessions, developing an onboarding system for new staff, designing a coaching space, developing working relationships with community members that might become partners for the school, etc.

Note- Before implementing an entry plan, instructional coaches should get their plan approved by an administrator. Many school sites have unique needs that could alter what tasks appear in an entry plan. Plus, there might be additional tasks to add, some to eliminate or new deadlines to consider.

Next Steps for Instructional Coaches

If you are starting from scratch (or just want ideas), then grab my First 30-Day Implementation Plan. This entry plan shares common tasks for instructional coaches to plan and execute during their first month on the job, beginning with tasks prior to school starting and continuing during the first few weeks of school being in session. It includes 30+ task descriptions, an overview 30 day calendar of tasks, note taking space and various planning pages to design your own entry plan.

Speaking of scratch, if you are an instructional coach without a clear support plan, grab my Coaching Forms Bundle of over 100+ printable, digital and editable forms, including the 30 day implementation plan!

GO BE GREAT!

What tasks would you add to your first thirty days on the job?

The post Instructional Coach Entry Plan: First 30 Days on the Job appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This post will give you plenty of options for how to support a new teacher while showing appreciation and encouragement for their new journey into the educational profession.

New Teacher Gift Ideas

1) Book: Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

• • Print
  • Kindle 

2) Printable Resources

• • Student Teacher Kit
  • Mentor Kit
  • Interview Questions, Tips, & Planning Guide

3) T-Shirts

• • #NewTeacher Life
  • Learning the Ropes
  • Teacher Under Construction

4) Freebies

• • List of Must Have Supplies
  • Planner Dividers
  • New Teacher Journal

Need more new teacher gift ideas?

Here’s a List of my Edu-Must Haves.

What new teacher gift would you add to the list?

The post New Teacher Gift Ideas appeared first on Always A Lesson.

What is a “Teacher Leader?”

Teacher leader is an umbrella term that refers to educators in the roles such as:

• • Instructional Coaches
  • Peer Mentors
  • Cooperating Teachers for Student Teachers
  • New Teacher Induction Program Coordinators
  • Curriculum Coordinators
  • Professional Development Presenters
  • Content Specialists
  • Grade Level Leaders
  • Initiative Directors
  • Administrators

I reached out to my “teacher leader” audience to learn more about their official role title, the work they do daily, and the impact it has on our profession. (Thank you to all of the contributors!)

Rose, an instructional coach from New Jersey said, “A teacher leader is someone who is self motivated and is willing to put him/herself out there for the betterment of others. A teacher leader supports other teachers as well as acts as an advocate for students.”

Danielle, a curriculum and gifted resource teacher from Florida adds, “Teacher leader is someone that cultivates a collaborative culture and supports the improvement of instructional practices and student outcomes. Teacher leaders are seen as a leader of the school and an expert in their field. Teacher leaders provide mentorship and peer support to colleagues.”

I agree whole heartedly with these definitions. Although the official title of both of these teacher leaders differ, the commonalities of how they support teachers is strongly aligned.

What does a “Teacher Leader” do?

As mentioned above, the variety of roles that fall under the category ‘teacher leader’ is lengthy, but the common thread of these roles is supporting teacher development. These teacher leaders are working towards the same goal of improving teacher proficiency so that student achievement increases as a result.

Let’s pull back the curtain on typical teacher leader duties, regardless of their official title:

• • Create on-going professional development sessions
  • Observe live teaching with classroom visits and provide feedback
  • Act as a liaison between teachers and administrators
  • Participate in grade-level lesson planning
  • Available to answer questions and trouble shoot obstacles
  • Meet 1:1 with colleagues on a consistent basis to plan, provide feedback and problem solve
  • Model best practices through lesson delivery
  • Share resources, tips and strategies for quality instruction
  • Plan, design and implement curriculum programs or initiatives with fidelity
  • Plan school-wide programs for families, staff, and students
  • Collect and analyze student and teacher performance data
  • Develop an expertise in a content area
  • Attend training to remain up-to-date on initiatives
  • Be a listening ear and encouraging voice

Why is the role of a “Teacher Leader” so important?

It is clear that teacher leaders are essential for teacher development, student achievement, and overall school success. They are veteran educators with expertise that can change the trajectory of school performance with enough time, space and collaboration with leaders at the state, district and school level.

However, many of these positions are created at school sites through special funding sources. This means, when budget constraints occur, the various roles of teacher leaders are removed. Sadly, this negatively affects the growth of teachers and students.

I asked my teacher leader audience why they thought these roles were essential and here are just a few of the responses they shared:

• • “A school cannot be run by a principal alone. Teacher leaders are key to building collaborative cultures that support the vision and mission of the school leader. Teacher leaders are able to facilitate professional development and foster professional growth amongst grade level or subject area teams.”
  • “They help the administration by leading and guiding within the grade level, taking some of the pressure off of administration.”
  • “Teacher leaders are essential because teachers are in the trenches and we know what is needed in order for our students to be successful. Teachers need advocates and people on their side.”

Essentially, teacher leaders are an extension of both administration and teachers. They fill the gap from running the school at a high level overview to down in the trenches of what’s going on in classrooms daily. The bridge they create between these two stakeholders is where the magic happens.

Teacher leaders:

• • Lighten the work load
  • Have their ear to the street and a close eye on the inner workings of the school
  • Provide clarity, direction and support for teachers and students to thrive

[bctt tweet=”We can’t afford to NOT afford the essential role of a teacher leader at every school.” username=”gschultek”]

Resources for “Teacher Leader” Development

It is evident that teacher leaders are important figures in the support of teacher development. But who supports the development of teacher leaders? After all, everyone is a learner who needs guidance and support to grow.

There are three options I provide to guide teacher leaders towards excellence. These options meet teacher leaders where they are in terms of how intense of a support model they desire and how much time they want to invest in their development. It’s their choice where and how to jump in:

• • Teacher Leader Course – A do-it-yourself model where teacher leaders can gain research-based techniques and tools to boost teacher performance and proficiency in the classroom. This is great for busy teacher leaders who need to learn at their own pace and time table.
  • Teacher Leader Mastermind – A collaborative model where teacher leaders learn and lead in a community of other teacher leaders. Personalized support is provided, but the power is in the group dynamic. Learn from others’ struggles, roadblocks and successes.
  • Teacher Leader 1:1 Coaching – An individualized model where teacher leaders receive 1:1 encouragement, support and guidance. This is an intimate experience with full attention, time and investment from both myself (the coach) and the teacher leader.

A BIG *thank you* to the teacher leaders who contributed to this blog post- Paula (Texas), Jenny (Georgia), Rose (New Jersey), Amy (Wisconsin), Amanda (Arkansas), Danielle (Florida) and Angie (Texas). You teacher leaders are the real hero’s in transforming schools one teacher and student at a time! Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here.

GO BE GREAT!

Are you a teacher leader? Share the details of your role below!

The post What is a “Teacher Leader” Anyway? appeared first on Always A Lesson.

A virtual coaching call is a 1:1 discussion a teacher leader has with a teacher that focuses on goals, implementation steps and follow-through.

This post will help teacher leaders turn coaching conversations into productive, empowering virtual discussions. After all, teacher leaders want to continue to develop relationships while ensuring teachers are implementing district and school initiatives with fidelity. They also want to help teachers reach personal and professional goals while ensuring students are making progress or meeting grade level expectations.

Virtual coaching calls will help teacher leaders meet their goals for having a positive impact with those they serve daily, especially during this unprecedented time in our nation’s history.

How does a Virtual Coaching Call Differ from Traditional Debrief Conversations?

The two discussions are similar in that they focus on the development and proficiency of the teacher in the classroom. One is held face-to-face, usually after an observation. It is rooted in evidence of quality instruction based on the lesson observed. The virtual coaching call, however, occurs by use of technology to connect with teachers in how they are planning, developing, delivering, and assessing instruction.

Both are powerful ways to support teachers in improving student achievement in the classroom.

How do you Lead Virtual Coaching Calls?

1. 1. Prepare-  Get organized, gather the necessary materials and set up the call
   2. Execute– Use the virtual coaching calls guide to help you plan, lead and track your discussions with teachers
   3. Follow-Up–  Keep accurate records, place next steps on your calendar, and contact the teacher during the pre-determined follow-up time frame

What Resources are Available for Leading Virtual Coaching Calls?

• • Get the step-by-step guide for how to effectively implement these with the virtual coaching calls guide
  • Or grab all of the forms I use for instructional coaching (over 100 pages!) in printable, digital and editable formats here.

Virtual coaching calls are a great way to continue supporting the development of teachers and students during this time of remote learning. It can also become an extension of support for teacher leaders who want to have high touch points with their case load of teachers. Either way, using virtual coaching calls is a successful strategy in improving teacher proficiency and student achievement.

GO BE GREAT!

What challenges are you facing with virtual coaching calls?

The post Making an Impact with Virtual Coaching Calls appeared first on Always A Lesson.

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 ran at their school sites. She was feeling that the current set up in her building was ineffective and wanted input on how to make improvements.

This blog post is an effort to answer those same concerns that other teacher leaders might be experiencing about what constitutes “effective” PLC practices.

The Purpose of a PLC

As stated earlier, a PLC is a structure and support schools put in place for teachers to collaborate with each other on their instruction. It operates as a professional think tank where educators can calibrate instructional pacing and content topics among their peers while also problem solving current obstacles.

However, how schools set up their PLC’s vary greatly. Some schools use this time for teachers to plan lessons together, others use it to dive into assessment data to make plans of action for student support, while some use it for everything else in between. The varying uses of a PLC is what leaves teachers and administrators frustrated. Unclear expectations and lack of results hinder productivity and effectiveness.

The Structure of a PLC

• • Need a PLC guide to help structure and run meetings? Grab the Meeting Minutes Guide or the Data Chat Guide or snag the PLC & Data Bundle!

The Benefit of a PLC

• • Hear what other teachers are doing in their classroom
  • Gain new ideas for ways to reach students more effectively
  • Receive support in areas of weakness
  • Develop a short and long term game plan for instruction
  • Hone in on what is happening in the classroom and why
  • Locate student achievement trends among grade levels or content areas
  • Build camaraderie and relationships among peers

We must protect our teacher talent by supporting the development of their creativity and skill. A PLC can do just that, if implemented with intention.

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here. Catch up on my latest blog posts here.

How does your school implement a PLC?

The post PLC: Making A Professional Learning Community Productive & Effective appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This is the third post in the Coach Focus Series. (Catch up on the first and second posts.)  Also, a recent post for teachers entitled, 3 Tips to Maximize Student Engagement, is a helpful read for teacher leaders to pass on to those that they support.

Student engagement is the third pillar in creating a classroom climate that promotes learning. When teachers first design lessons instead of planning them and second manage a classroom instead of student behavior, the foundation for true student engagement is created. This means it is essential that teachers leaders help teachers set up live and behind-the-scenes structures to operate within so that the opportunity for students to truly engage is available.

The same is true when it comes time to implement engagement strategies. Teacher leaders can help classroom teachers set up time, space and structure for students to move from interaction to engagement. It requires planning, intentionality and follow-through.

Planning for How to Engage Students

It is no longer enough to ask students to interact with each other. As educators, we have to provide the structure and support to encourage engagement. Instead of head nods, eye contact, or asking and answering questions, we have to help teachers create time and space for students to move beyond the superficial in the learning experience. When teachers take time to plan for specific ways for their students to contribute to their peers’ learning while also digging deep into their own processing, student achievement soars.

Teacher leaders can provide a professional development session or quick exercise during a planning period to note which actions they use regularly fit under the “interaction” or “engagement” category. This eye-opening experience helps teachers notice the missed opportunities to go deeper with students as they learn.

After an introductory activity deciphering interaction from engagement, teacher leaders can meet individually or in small groups with teachers to talk through their upcoming lessons using the lens of engagement. By turning up the dial in how students engage with each other and the content, it will translate to higher rates of learning. But teachers need the time to plan for them as well as a partner to talk through potential pitfalls and work through rolling out the new requirements to students.

This preparation ensures teachers better understand how to engage students while giving them the support to bring it to life in their classrooms.

Intentionality in How to Engage Students

Attention to detail is what separates good teachers from great ones. Teacher leaders can demonstrate intentionality when providing the initial professional development opportunity. This is a way to showcase how to think through a lesson from the mountain top down to the ground floor. By zooming in and out of a lesson, teachers have a better idea of how every engagement builds on top of the one before it, increasing in rigor and deepening in understanding.

No longer can we just place interactions back to back and hope it helps students decode their new knowledge.

[bctt tweet=”We have to intentionally create engagement opportunities, layering them in such a way that it supports students from the obvious to the inference.” username=”gschultek”]

Teacher leaders can provide examples and practice opportunities for classroom teachers as they learn how to sprinkle engagement throughout a lesson while stretching students’ thinking.

Follow-Through for How to Engage Students

Engagement is not just something a teacher plans and students do. It’s a three tier system: teacher offering, student engagement, teacher follow-through. The follow-through is essential in providing feedback to students, guiding their thinking out of dead ends or troubled spots, and praising students for going deeper and wider than ever before. The follow-through is what celebrates growth and motivates students to continue doing the challenging cognitive work.

Teacher leaders can provide sentence stems or prompts for teachers to use as they begin to follow- through on various engagement opportunities with students. As the new habit forms, teacher leaders can provide feedback to classroom teachers on other ways they can follow-through to build a varied tool kit of support for students.

As a reminder, student engagement is not the same as student interaction. Teachers need support from teacher leaders to implement these changes into their instruction. It is not an overnight change, as the way teachers plan and deliver lessons are very much ingrained in muscle memory. Teacher leaders can provide the latest knowledge, practice opportunities and personalized feedback to increase awareness and skillset in classroom teachers. Overtime, teachers will strengthen their muscle memory and develop new habits in designing, delivering and maintaining authentic engagement strategies in their lessons.

Resource Suggestions

• Help teachers plan for authentic engagement in the classroom (Grab those materials here).
• Provide the necessary support to guide teachers towards achieving their goals with student engagement (Grab those materials here).
• This freebie on “The Top 5 Ways to Drive Authentic Student Engagement in the Classroom” is helpful too in getting teachers to plan for what they desire in their classroom with engagement.

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here. Also, catch up on other help instructional coaching blog posts here.

How do you help teachers engage students?

The post Coach Focus: How to Help Teachers Engage Students appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Control is not the same as manage. To take it a step further, to manage a CLASSROOM is more effective than to manage student BEHAVIOR.

When teachers focus on what they can control (structuring the learning environment) rather than what they cannot control (someone’s behavior), they avoid frustration and loss of time on task for students. What a win-win!

How a Teacher Leader can Help a Teacher Manage a Classroom

This is the second post in the Coach Focus Series. (Catch up on the first post here.)  Also, a recent post for teachers entitled, Classroom Management: Moving Beyond Compliance, is a helpful read for teacher leaders to pass on to those that they support.

Managing a classroom has more to do with putting structure in place so students can successfully operate within those parameters. Teachers need to think through their expectations, routines, and habits. By being intentional and specific with every moment of instruction allows teachers to focus on operating the classroom rather than trying to control student behavior.

Classroom Management Support Process

The following process is designed for teacher leaders to best support teachers in how to successfully manage a classroom:

Pre-Observation

Stop by the teacher’s classroom at various times of the day to observe classroom instruction, student interaction, and overall classroom climate. Gathering a sample of snapshots provides a more reliable data set. This will create a baseline to begin supporting a teacher from how to manage behavior to how to manage a classroom. (Click here for an example.)

Debrief

Meet with the teacher 1:1 to discuss observation aha’s, findings, trends, etc. By laying data on the table, the teacher will be able to see their classroom from another perspective. This conversation is honest and hopeful. Being objective ensures the teacher feels motivated to make changes instead of defeated before they even begin. (Click here for an example.)

Teacher Reflection

Allow the teacher time alone to take the information you shared about your observation and create some goals for what they want to accomplish with their classroom management system and style. A few hours or days should be sufficient to reflect and goal set. (Click here for an example.)

Planning Meeting

Meet 1:1 with the teacher again to help them take their goals and turn them into reality. This meeting is mostly lead by the teacher who shares what they like and dislike about their current classroom management style.  Prompt with questions and make suggestions, but the ownership in on the teacher to decide the plan of attack. It is helpful to walk through a typical day and lesson from start to finish and note areas that require, or could benefit from, structure (ie. where to turn in homework, what level of voice to use during turn-talk, what route to take to transition in centers, etc.).

[bctt tweet=”Misbehaviors are less likely to creep up when the environment is structured in a way for student learning success to occur. ” username=”gschultek”]

Follow Up Observation

Observe the teacher’s classroom management strategy after a few days of them implementing changes to reach their goals. This increases accountability that the teacher will actually put their ideas into motion. It also builds trust as you partner together to establish a strong classroom management approach.

Follow-Up Conversations

To ensure long-lasting change, continue to meet with teachers 1:1 on a consistent basis (ie. monthly, quarterly, etc.). Feedback, encouragement and additional planning will occur during these conversations. The follow-up is essential in tweaking the classroom management strategy so that it increases teacher proficiency and student achievement.

When teacher leaders support teachers in this way, classroom environments become breeding grounds for learning and success. This process empowers the teacher to envision the classroom they desire, create the change required, and be fully in charge of their own transformation. The mental and physical change that occurs because of this process is long-lasting, sure to impact generations of students.

When a teacher begins to manage a classroom instead of behavior, they open up the possibility for students to operate at their full potential. Teacher leaders have the opportunity to impact change school wide by implementing this process with those that they lead.

Teacher leaders, it might be helpful to share the “How to Successfully Manage a Classroom” Guide with teachers. Or if you need further help supporting those you serve, grab a slot on my calendar to talk it through. Sometimes we need more than just tips; we need specific guidance in the unique situations we are facing. If that is you, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Go Be Great!

How do you help teachers better manage their classrooms?

The post Coach Focus: How to Help Teachers Manage A Classroom appeared first on Always A Lesson.

• 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 in the facts.
• Alignment refers to teachers being able to locate the appropriate standards to teach while also using those standards to create daily lesson objectives. The internal alignment between the lesson components is essential is designing an effective lesson (ie.standard, objective, assessment, and activities).
• Impact refers to teachers being able to design a learning experience for students that is memorable so that the new knowledge can be easily referenced in the future.

(A recent post for teachers entitled, 5 Tips for Designing a Memorable Learning Experience, is a helpful read for teacher leaders to pass on to those that they support.)

The tips below provide clarity for teacher leaders in how to help teachers design lessons with accuracy, alignment and impact.

Design Lessons with Accuracy

Teachers need to be masters of their craft. The first step is to ensure they are able to internalize the information they are teaching. When they understand the content they teach on a deep level, they are able to deliver it in a variety of ways for their learners. When their understanding is limited, so is the way they deliver it. That means not only will they struggle to deliver accurate information, but they will struggle to say it in a multitude of ways because of their lack of understanding.

Therefore, teacher leaders need to help teachers digest the content they are teaching while providing room for them to collaborate on methods of delivery.

• Prior to a unit, sit with teachers to talk through the major concepts
  • Role Play sticky parts by having teachers deliver a mini lesson with the content with you or their colleagues to help build comfortability with the content
• Pop in for informal observations and listen to the words the teacher uses to convey the information
  • Share feedback on thorough explanations and/or confusing sections

Design Lessons with Alignment

Many teachers deliver accurate lessons, but their lesson flow can still lack alignment.

Backwards design will help teachers start at the finish line and work backwards to the start line. When they know what they want students to know and be able to do at the end of the lesson, it is much easier to create a learning experience that guides the students towards that end goal. This requires teachers to plan in a new way and build new habits for how to design instruction.

• Run a professional development session on backwards design so that teachers get plenty of practice with:
  • Locate the appropriate standards
  • Pull key skills out of the standards to create objectives
  • Create assessments that determine how well students understand the new concepts
  • Plan activities that allow students to grapple with the new content while also working towards the end goal
• Set expectations for how to plan a lesson using backwards design
  • Leave examples in the planning room or provide a template to follow
• Provide feedback on lesson plans with specificity on which parts are or aren’t aligned and why

Design Lessons with Impact

Then there are the teachers who deliver accurate and aligned lessons but lack the impact necessary for students to be successful with the new knowledge in other capacities. This means students learn it and do not apply it in other situations or they forget it altogether once it is learned.

Being intentional with how the lesson will impact students’ future success is important. Teacher leaders can help guide teachers through the transformation of just writing lesson plans to actually designing them. This is how a lesson becomes effective.

The questions listed below will help any teacher think through how to maximize the impact of their lesson.

• Will the uniquely designed student experience help solidify the newly learned knowledge or skills?
• Is the lesson material presented so that students do the heavy lifting in thinking and applying?
• Are students making connections without the teacher explicitly presenting them?
• Can the knowledge and skills obtained help students in other disciplines or outside the classroom?
• Will the lesson help students grow as individuals and collectives?

If you need additional lesson planning materials to assist teachers in designing memorable learning experiences for their students, click here.

Teacher leaders, if you need further help supporting those you serve, grab a slot on my calendar to talk it through. Sometimes we need more than just tips; we need specific guidance in the unique situations we are facing. If that is you, don’t hesitate to reach out!

GO BE GREAT!

The post Coach Focus: How to Help Teachers Design Lessons appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Traditional teaching programs focus on the theory of teaching with a sprinkle of actual techniques for how to teach. Part of that how-to process is writing a lesson plan. The emphasis is on all of the components necessary to fill out a pre-structured lesson plan outline, rather than on the art of designing a learning experience.

We need to move from compliance to creation. That means we put down those pre-structured lesson plan outlines in exchange for employing our knowledge and expertise to create a memorable learning experience for all students every day.

This post is the first in a series of posts (1 of 3) to help teachers grow one instructional strategy at a time.

5 Tips for how to Become a Lesson Designer instead of a Lesson Planner

Tip 1: Design a Learning Experience that Moves Students towards Independence

The goal of a lesson is to teach students a new skill. This is followed by allowing them ample time to practice that skill in a variety of settings to build muscle memory. These two steps lead up to the culmination of the lesson where students are able to showcase the skill on their own. This formula is often referred to as the I Do – We Do – You Do cycle, meaning the teacher models the skill, the students practice with the teacher, and finally they can do it on their own.

Tip 2: Design a Learning Experience that Provides Structure

Students thrive in a routined environment. Therefore, teachers should provide structure to not only how they deliver a lesson, but how students interact during it. This means the teacher designs learning structures throughout the lesson (ie. morning work, gathering materials, transitioning to centers, etc.). Although the procedures for these learning structures remains constant daily, the work students do within those structures changes. Students are able to become more successful because they are familiar with the structure, allowing them to use their brain power to focus on content rather than on logistics. In turn, this frees up the teacher to focus on providing more individualized learning support to students rather than helping them navigate the structures.  Also, because the content changes within the structures, students do not become bored with the repeated routine.

Tip 3: Design a Learning Experience that Guides and Supports

It is no secret that students learn at all different rates and in a variety of ways. This means the teacher has to design a learning experience that allows for differing student needs. Differentiation is a way to guide and support students along their learning journey.

There are three ways to do this:

1. Differentiate Content – Teach content based on the achievement level of the students. Data collection will help determine where students are in relation to grade level expectations. Although you are teaching to their personal level, be sure to mix in grade level content so that they will be ready to progress at the end of the year.
2. Differentiate Process– Teach the same content to all students, but the strategy you use to teach it will differ. Some students might need learning aides like math manipulatives or reading sight word cards. Learning styles help teachers choose the most effective teaching process necessary for students.
3. Differentiate Product– Teach the same content in the same way, but allow students to showcase their learning in a variety of ways. Teachers can supply a choice board for students to select the method in which they will present their learning. Students get excited to use their strengths to demonstrate their learning (ie. diorama, speech, PowerPoint presentation, etc.)

Tip 4: Design a Learning Experience that Challenges Students’ Skillsets

As mentioned earlier, students progress as learners at different speeds. Some students will be ready for an extension of the learning opportunity before the end of the lesson arrives. These early finishers have learned the skill, demonstrated the skill successfully and are ready to use that skill in a new way to continue their learning. By providing a menu of challenge options for those that need it will not only help keep them on task, but also enhance the learning experience for those students as well.

Tip 5: Design a Learning Experience that is Planned to the Detail

This last tip is crucial and often forgotten. Many lesson plan outlines do not even require teachers to think through the nitty gritty details of the lesson and that is what trips up teachers when it comes time to delivering their instruction.

It is imperative that teachers walk through the lesson from start to finish to ensure they leave no stone unturned. This means thinking through every teacher and student action (FYI: a T-Chart works best). Teachers should know what they are saying and doing at every point in the lesson as well as what students should be saying, doing or producing. This kind of detail ensures the lesson moves smoothly and at a rigorous level. (No, it does not have to be written verbatim as a script, but highlighting those details throughout the lesson ensures it is designed to the detail!)

Next Steps

Ready to give your lesson planning process an overhaul so that you can begin designing learning experiences that stick? Grab a slot on my calendar to chat 1:1 about your specific students and instructional needs or reach out to me personally at gretchen@alwaysalesson.com.

GO BE GREAT!

How do you create memorable learning experiences in your own classroom?

The post 5 Tips for Designing a Memorable Learning Experience appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This is one post of many in the Instructional Coach Blog Series. Catch up on the series below:

• Preparing the behind-the-scenes tasks of an instructional coach
• How to set up your instructional coaching space
• Conducting a classroom observation with clarity and precision
• Providing models of expert teaching through coaching
• Coaching cycle– what is it and how do I conduct one?
• Advice to a first year instructional coach
• A day in the life of an instructional coach

The best kind of leaders in education start out as teachers. As they gain experience in the classroom, they begin demonstrating their skills and strategies to their peers. They are often given student teachers and colleague mentees to oversee. Some even strengthen their leadership skills so much so that they eventually get promoted into an instructional coach, specialist or administrative role.

Being an instructional coach is very rewarding, as you not only help students reach their potential, but teachers as well. Although it might feel like you are navigating new waters, what you might be overlooking is how all of the skills you were honing in the classroom will come fruition in this new role. These transferable skills will allow you to tap into your tool belt of strategies and repurpose them in a new way. How exciting?!

Without knowing you personally, I can confidently say you have the potential to do a phenomenal job leading teachers in your school building. Let me share with you 10 ways you can use what you already know and can do as a teacher to be an impactful instructional coach.

1.Stylish Spaces

Just like a teacher decorates their classroom, instructional coaches get to decorate their working space. The same materials can transform an empty room into an inviting office. Bulletin board paper and borders, personalized decor, inspiring posters, office supplies, etc. all reappear to showcase your style and personality as a teacher leader in your new space.

2. Paperwork Organization

The paperwork does not stop coming once you leave the classroom. In fact, it might even increase. But, that is okay because you are a master paper organizer! You have an efficient sorting and filing system from the moment a paper arrives in your hands until the minute the task it discusses is complete. This will save you sufficient time as you navigate your new duties.

3. Ongoing Communication

Staff, students and parents are relying on your communication to stay up-to-date on everything happening at school. As a teacher, this comes second nature to you as you communicated constantly with your students’ parents about what was happening in your classroom. You are using those same systems and routines to communicate with a larger audience.

4. Collaborative Circles

The best thing about teaching is the support network you create with your colleagues. You share ideas, swap lesson materials, brainstorm and problem solve anything that comes your way. You become each other’s cheerleaders and #1 fans. This same collaborative nature exists for teacher leaders too- they just might not all work at the same school site. This is actually a benefit because although you are going through similar situations, you are working with different staff, students and parents. That perspective allows you to offer sound advice and genuine encouragement to one another. You will find and build your tribe one individual at a time as you attend district meetings, connect on social media, etc.

5. PD Seeker

Leaving the classroom does not excuse you from attending professional development. Since this is a new role, it is imperative that you attend as many sessions as possible so that you can learn all the tricks of the trade. Life-long learning is something you have preached to your students, and something you will ask the teachers you lead to do as well. Modeling being a PD seeker is a great way to get teachers on board with learning from you! Grab a PD calendar and planning guide here. Need ideas for PD topics? Grab the instructional best practices mega bundle here.

6. Lesson Planning Hacks

Classroom teachers are master lesson planners. But sometimes when you teach the same grade level year after year, you get stuck in your ways of doing things. Being a teacher leader allows you to watch multiple grade levels plan their lessons. You start to tuck away every tip, trick and hack you can so that you can share it with the remaining staff members. Over time, you will have quite the arsenal of ways to approach instruction for a variety of learners. Grab resources for supporting teachers with lesson plans here.

7. Instructional Delivery

Speaking of instructional approaches to instruction, you are a master at that too. All of those years standing in front of students helped you solidify a style, demeanor and technique that is bar none. Luckily, that won’t go to waste. You will use those same skills as you deliver professional development to staff members. Just like students, adult learners require the same tactics to solidify their newly learned knowledge. Be sure to allow for movement, collaboration and gradual release of responsibility! Grab the instructional best practices mega bundle here.

8. Tiered Support

One of the hardest parts about teaching is to make sure every student is successful. This requires a lot of planning time as you take a lesson and provide a multitude of supports for the learners in your classroom. Luckily, this habit of brainstorming followed by trial and error is engrained in your teacher muscles. As you support teachers in their own proficiency development, you will employ the same supports. Some teachers need a lighter approach and some need an intensive approach. You’ll set up a schedule and meeting itinerary such that you can model skills, watch teachers in action, provide feedback, and so much more. Need a teacher support roster? Try this one here. Then, grab a teacher support plan checklist here.

9. Data Tracking

Those paper organizational skills are coming back around again! All that tiered support requires you to document all the interventions you are implementing for teachers. You can even use all of your old structures, files, and systems. Then, just like you passed the ownership to students to track their own data, you will do the same with teachers. Grab a teacher/student data tracking tool here.

10. Can Do Attitude

[spp-tweet tweet=”Absolutely no one can be successful if they don’t first think that they can be. “]

Although this is a new role, you are more than equipped to do the job. It’s the same old tricks just on a new platform with a new audience. YOU GOT THIS! Now, go be great!

If you are in need of resources to tackle all things coaching, snag my very own binder of forms here. If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here. Also, catch up on other help instructional coaching blog posts here.

What tip would you give to a teacher as they tackle their new role as an instructional coach?

The post 10 Tips for Moving into a Coaching Role as a Teacher appeared first on Always A Lesson.

This is one post of many in the Instructional Coach Blog Series. Catch up on the series below:

• Preparing the behind-the-scenes tasks of an instructional coach
• How to set up your instructional coaching space
• Conducting a classroom observation with clarity and precision
• Providing models of expert teaching through coaching
• Coaching cycle– what is it and how do I conduct one?
• Advice to a first year instructional coach
• How to transition from a teaching role into a coaching role 

Since the role of an instructional coach is somewhat new for many schools and districts, how they are utilized vary campus to campus. Regardless of the variety of duties, student achievement and teacher proficiency are top priorities for any instructional coach.

This post aims to answer what tasks typically occur daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly for instructional coaches. (Note: This post is based on my experience as an instructional coach for new teachers across a large K-12 school district in Charlotte, North Carolina.)

Typical Daily Tasks

Although each day looks slightly different based on unforeseen variables (ie. impromptu meetings or weather delays) or where that particular day falls on the calendar (ie. deadlines etc.), a day in the life of an instructional coach can look like the following:

• Duty (carpool line or bus lot, greeting staff and students, etc.)
• Classroom observations
• Observation debriefs
• Team planning meetings
• Technique instruction, demonstrations and discussion
• Admin check-ins
• Clerical work (review appointment calendar, check emails, confer to-do list, etc.)
• Office hours

(To see a visual description of how coaches spend their time daily click here.)

Typical Weekly Tasks

There are some tasks that do not occur daily, but must be completed weekly. Examples of those are:

• Teacher lesson plan review and feedback
• Co-teaching or live modeling
• Material and resource organization and check-out systems
• Professional development sessions for staff
• Admin debriefs on teacher performance and trends
• Task planning and preparation
• Staff meetings

Here is a snapshot of my schedule:

Typical Monthly Tasks

There are some tasks that do not occur daily or weekly, but must be completed monthly. Examples of those are:

• School wide data digs
• School newsletter
• Parent communication
• Content or technique training
• District meetings
• Student test administration
• Student clubs
• School website updates

Typical Quarterly Tasks

There are some tasks that do not occur daily, weekly, or monthly but must be completed quarterly. Examples of those are:

• Teacher performance level discussions + goal setting
• School wide event planning, management and execution
• Text book accountability
• Grant writing
• School goals documentation

A Quick Note

There will be tasks that you are asked to complete that have very little to do with your coaching role. In fact, many contracts are written such that “other duties assigned” will cover any last minute requests from administrators. Examples would be providing tech support for staff and students, overseeing student discipline, running errands, substituting or writing lesson plans for a substitute teacher, answering front office phones, providing first aid, etc.

Resources

• If there are a variety of individuals in your school building that support teachers, you might be wondering how to divvy up those duties. Click here for a list.
• You might even want to just share with teachers what the role looks how and how you will interact with each other. Click here to access that list of responsibilities.
• If you are in need of coaching forms, you can click here for the bundle as well as peruse them individually.

What does a typical day look like for you as an instructional coach?

The post A Day in the Life of an Instructional Coach appeared first on Always A Lesson.

How to Prepare a Classroom Management System

First, you need to decide what type of classroom environment you want to create. If you could label a “vibe,” what would you call it? This will help guide you to developing a system that will ensure that vibe becomes a reality.

Second, the foundation of every classroom management system is structure. This structure is created by having rules and procedures. Be sure to keep your rules clear, simple and limited to only the most important. A laundry list of rules will be hard for students to remember and for teachers to uphold. (Examples could include: keep hands to yourself or show up daily ready to learn with your mind and materials.) Procedures should also be clear, simple, and created only for the most common classroom tasks and routines. (Examples could include: sharpening pencils, using the restroom, or checking out a book in the classroom library.)

Thirdly, classroom management is strengthened when teachers plan their lessons with that structure in mind. They write specifically what students will do and how they will do it. By planning lessons with this in mind, teachers can prevent misbehaviors. When you can envision how your classroom will operate, it is much easier to create a system to make sure that happens.

How to Implement a Classroom Management System

Once you have thoroughly planned your classroom management system, it is time to roll it out! Introduce students to your expectations by explaining the purpose behind having structure in the classroom. You need students to be invested in the rules and procedures so that they will not only follow it themselves, but they will hold each other accountable too.

Students are visual learners and will want to see what these things looks like in action. Modeling rules and procedures will ensure students are on the same page with what you expect of them because you explicitly showed them what and how to do it.

It’s important that students get active in the learning process too. Have them stand up and practice those common routines or act out rule followers vs. rule breakers. Not only is this highly engaging but it helps students process the information.

It is important to remember that you have to continue reminding students of your classroom management plan, especially after a long break from school. Rewind and refresh rules and procedures often. You don’t have to spend as much time as you did initially, but you do have to dedicate time to review.

Lastly, the greatest way to ensure students continue adhering to the classroom management structure is to shout out students adhering to rules and procedures. Students want to be caught doing great things and this is the perfect way to do that.

• Student Behavior Contracts
• Classroom Coupons- Praise & Rewards
• Student Behavior Reflection
• Behavior Management Color System Visual
• “I Promise” Student Behavior & Academic Contract

Or click on the image above to grab the classroom management guide!

The post Classroom Management: How to Plan & Prepare a System appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Not every coaching space is identical in size and shape. Most commonly, instructional coaches utilize an empty classroom or office.

The tips below outline the thought process a coach should engage in when setting up their coaching space.

Outside the Coaching Space

Teachers need to be able to easily find you. Not only does that mean that your coaching space should be easily identifiable with signage, pops of color, etc., but a communication system should be available letting teachers know where you are when you are not in your coaching space. A mini white board attached the the wall or door with a white board marker is a great system for two reasons: 1) the coach can write where they are and what time they will return and 2) the teacher in need of help can write a quick note about their needs and where/how to contact them back.

If you have more wall space outside of the coaching room or office, design a bulletin board where you can share tips or showcase teacher talent, like a “shout out” board. As an instructional coach, you want to build capacity within the building in any way you can. Even if a teacher does not meet with you 1:1, they can still learn how to hone their craft by consuming information that you share out.

Inside the Coaching Space

What happens inside the four walls of the coaching space can be extremely powerful and meaningful for a teacher’s personal and professional development. Just like a teacher sets up a classroom to be a safe place to learn and take risks, the same is true for what an instructional coach wants to do for their coaching space. Teachers should feel welcome, safe, and encouraged to think out of the box.

On the Walls

One way to create a welcoming environment, is to place motivating and informative posters/decals around the room. When teachers visit the space or are knee deep in working through instructional strategies they want to try, having colorful motivational images and words surrounding them will help.

You will also want to personalize the space so teachers can get to know you. Hang your education degrees and certificates on the wall as well as any personal photos of family, friends or experiences that are appropriate to empower teachers.

Additionally, you might be able to get permission from the school district to paint the walls and then contact the art teacher to create a beautiful mural on the wall.

Around the Room

There will be a variety of coaching activities happening in this room so it is important to have designated spaces for those to occur. Just like a teacher sets up centers or areas in their classroom, a coach will do the same in their coaching space.

Teachers will often want to learn about teaching techniques. If the coach has books on teaching techniques that they are willing to lend out to teachers, they can set up a coaching library and teachers can check out the books.

Coaches will want to have private conferences with teachers about their performance in the classroom. The conversations could take place at an office table with a chair on each side or in two arm chairs side by side. No matter what furniture is available to use, it is important to make sure that it is inviting and comfortable.

Modeling instructional techniques is a common practice between a coach and a teacher. Setting up a mock classroom where there are a few student desks and white board will help teachers visualize how the practice session with the coach will look in their own classroom.

Teachers often plan together and coaches want to ensure they are present to answer questions, be a sounding board for ideas, and guide the conversation about curriculum to deeper levels to best help students. Having an area for teachers to plan is important. This space should have curriculum and standards organized by grade level (possibly in binders on a book shelf), plenty of desk or table space to spread out materials and work, and maybe even access to a large desk calendar for long-range planning purposes.

Regardless if your coaching space is in an office or a classroom, you can set up your space to accommodate the various activities coaches and teachers engage in together. As long as the space is inviting and allows for productivity to breed, you are on the right track!

[spp-tweet tweet=”All coaching spaces can be designed for efficiency and effectiveness, whether the space is big or small.”]

Continue reading blog posts from the Instructional Coaching Series here:

• Preparing the behind-the-scenes tasks of an instructional coach
• Conducting a classroom observation with clarity and precision
• Providing models of expert teaching through coaching
• Coaching cycle– what is it and how do I conduct one?
• Advice to a first year instructional coach
• How to transition from a teaching role into a coaching role 

GO BE GREAT!

How do you set up your coaching space?

The post How to Set Up Your Instructional Coaching Space appeared first on Always A Lesson.

The following 10 tips are tried-and-true strategies veteran teachers use to prepare for the upcoming school year over the summer months. (And not to worry, there is plenty of time left over for vacation getaways and working second jobs.)

Upgrade Your Knowledge Base

• Review standards and curriculum– It is important for any teacher to be knowledgeable in the area that they teach, regardless if they are new to the subject area or grade level. Spending time going through curriculum and standards help solidify the content ideas that are most important to get across to students. It also allows teachers time to digest information in a deeper way than before so that they can better break it down for students later.
  • The same method is true for reviewing your previous year’s lesson plans. If you jotted down notes on your lesson plans of things that went well and things to tweak for next time, you can keep those notes front of mind as you begin to plan for the upcoming school year.
  • Grab lesson planning materials here.
• Research instructional techniques to implement- One way to ensure you get stronger instructionally every year is to invest in professional development. An easy method to try is to read books, blogs, newsletters or just peruse the web. You can research instructional strategies and techniques in your area of weakness so that you become more proficient. Or you can hone in on your area of interest and become the master of your craft. Either way, take the time to research best practices so that you can implement them in the new school year.
  • My favorite teacher book recommendations are: Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov, Essential 55 by Ron Clark and The First Days of School by Harry Wong.
  • My favorite teacher leader book recomendations are: The Art of Coaching by Elena Aguilar, Get Better Faster by Paul Bambrick Santoyo, Better Conversations by Jim Knight and Simply Instructional Coaching by Nicole Turner
  • Enroll in bite-sized PD courses
• Connect with other educators to create a support system- Finding a community where you can safely encourage one another while exchanging ideas that work in your classroom is a powerful way to propel your own growth. This professional learning network [PLN] will encourage you to show up on hard days,  pour into others, and build relationships that last a lifetime. You will learn more from your companions than any textbook ever written so take time to build your PLN.

Devise a Plan

• Plan first day of school activities – You can guarantee that the first few days of school will be spent getting to know your students and vise-versa. Therefore, you can easily plan some engaging activities that can be sprinkled throughout the first week while you build in time to review classroom procedures and safety drills (tornado, earthquake, lock down, etc.). As the beginning of the school year approaches and details are shared from your principal for what is expected on the first day of school, you can take the activities you have planned and plug them into some downtime moments in your day.
  • If you need some ideas, check out what I have used in my own classroom here.
• Plan furniture set up- You might not be able to get into your classroom just yet (or even know how many students will end up on your final roster), but you can begin to plan furniture placement. Just ask the principal or secretary about what furniture is available in each classroom as well as the dimensions (size and shape) of the classroom itself. Once you have that information at your fingertips, you can draw up furniture placement plans so that students and yourself can easily move about the classroom and access materials. This is your chance to be an interior designer!
• Write welcome letter to students- Inevitably, your principal will ask you over the summer to submit a welcome letter to students that will be mailed home with other important school information. You will want to write a letter that shares information about yourself (personally and professionally) as well as specifics of Back-to-School night and supply lists. When you are drafting your letter, keep it light and fun so students are excited to meet you and return to school.
  • Here is an example of the letter I wrote to my own students.

Get Organized

• Organize teaching materials & student manipulatives- If you can get into your classroom over the summer, you can begin to organize your teaching materials. I used clear white bins and labels so that I could easily see what was where when I needed it. As your instructional stock pile grows year after year, you’ll have to re-organize or upgrade your storage solutions. Even if you cannot get into your classroom, you can take your supplies home so that you can go through the same organizational overhaul. It might take a significant amount of time initially, but it will save you time in the long run. There is no one right way to place your items, so think about what materials naturally go together (centers, subject areas, etc.) and pile everything out on the floor. Then look at the size of the pile and match it with a storage container. Many stores have back-to-school sales when college students are heading back to campus, and you can grab a lot of those items at a discount.
• Organize written materials- However you prefer to place written material together, the summer is the time to get ahead of the messy paper pile. Just like you organized physical materials above, lay everything out on the floor and place items in a pile by similarity (subject, topic, or assignment). Then secure items by paper clip, staple, hole punch, etc.

Ready Yourself

• Purchase necessary items – There will be an endless amount of supplies and materials you will want at your fingertips as a teacher. The summer is the perfect time to shop around for the perfect item to compliment your teaching style and needs. Some items you will want to be on the look out for include a teacher bag, scheduler/organizer, correcting pens, student rewards, and personalized desk items. Many stores have marked down items just for teachers as the school year approaches. Take time now to decide what you want so you can spot it when it is available in stores.
  • Check out my must have’s for teachers and teacher leaders.
• Assemble your teaching wardrobe – I talk about this idea in my book Elementary EDUC 101: What They Didn’t Teach you in College. Be sure to find outfits that can be versatile so that you are comfortable during direct instruction and while at recess. You will move around a lot as a teacher, so purchasing flexible fabrics is a must. Shirts should be long enough and pants should be high enough so that when you bend over, you do not expose anything inappropriate. Shoes should be comfortable to walk, run, dance, etc. Like I said, you move around A LOT. I highly suggest keeping your wardrobe simple so you can mix-and-match items to create even more outfit combinations. Go through your closet to see what you already have that follows the guidelines above. Then, make a list for what you need and want. Finally, go shop!

How do you prepare for the upcoming school year during the summer months?

The post 10 Ways to Prepare for the Upcoming School Year during the Summer appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Teachers need opportunities to develop their craft, just as students need opportunities to learn and grow. The intention of a PD session is to provide ongoing learning for teachers. But, not all PD sessions are created equal. There are many out there that are high energy and inspiring. Those type of sessions give teachers the confidence to go back into their classrooms and apply their new knowledge. Knowing what hasn’t been working and what to do differently will empower teacher leaders to revamp their current professional development practices.

Plan a Professional Development Session

Just as we expect teachers to thoroughly plan a lesson for their students through backwards design and differentiation, we as teacher leaders must follow the same rule of thumb. In order to give teachers what they need and how they need it, we have to do our homework. That means sitting down and designing an efficient and engaging learning experience. We can’t just jot down some notes and turn those into PowerPoint slides for a riveting rendition of “sit and get” learning. [spp-tweet tweet=”No matter how great your message is, poor delivery can mute it’s potential. “]

When planning for a professional development session, follow these three tips:

1. Get to know the audience’s needs. Give teachers a survey to fill out prior to working with them that asks them to rate their proficiency in a list of instructional best practices. You can locate patterns for weak areas to target for growth and strong areas to pass the baton for expert teachers to lead the learning. You also are able to cypher out pockets of teachers who have niche needs and group them together for a differentiated learning opportunity. [spp-tweet tweet=”Nothing is worse than a whole group session that only a quarter of the audience needs. “]
2. Prioritize the areas of need. Now that you have the survey data, look at the bottom 3 areas of need. Choose to design a professional development session on the strategy that will have the biggest impact on student learning in the classroom. Educators have limited time, so to maximize that time, you must go after the heavy hitter with gusto.
3. Script out your take aways for the session. After knowing your audience’s needs and prioritizing the skills for the most bang for your buck, get to work designing the actual session. Write out what you want the teachers to walk away from the session being able to know and do. This is just like writing lesson objectives for students. Everything else you design in the session should be centered around these take-aways.

Prepare a Professional Development Session

Planning and preparing may sound like similar actions, but they are actually very different. To plan means you have the forethought for what you will be doing where as to prepare refers to the action of getting everything together to make it happen. [spp-tweet tweet=”Planning is for the mind what preparation is for the body. “]

Follow these three tips to prepare for a professional development session:

1. Rehearse your delivery. Just like teachers know the flow of the lesson and what comes next, so should a teacher leader as they deliver a professional development session. You don’t want to fumble through your notes because you haven’t prepared effectively. [spp-tweet tweet=”The learning experience for teachers should be focused on the content you are delivering and not on your ability to deliver it. “]
2. Gather the necessary materials. Take time to ensure you have everything you need plus extras. After you gather the materials, be sure to rehearse portions of your session where you are explaining the use of the materials as well as passing out or collecting materials. This will create smooth transitions during your session so that, again, the focus in on the content you are sharing rather than on you delivering it.
3. Sprinkle in audience engagement. An engagement break allows the brain to digest the information chunk by chunk to then send it to long term memory. Every 5-10 minutes, the audience needs to be involved. Whether they write, talk or move, learners need to process information. [spp-tweet tweet=”Movement and collaboration are essential elements for turning newly learned knowledge into habits.”]

Execute a Professional Development Session

It’s showtime! This is the moment teacher leaders have been planning and preparing for over recent months. All of the hard work is about to pay off. You want to deliver a session that is an efficient use of the teachers’ time and provides professional development on effective instructional best practices in the classroom.

Allow teachers time to do these three things during your professional development session:

• Understand the concepts. Teachers need time to connect with the information on a cognitive level. They have to be able to understand what is the concept they are learning and why it matters or applies to them. This usually occurs through a mini lesson of content on your part.
• Practice use of the strategy with an expert as a guide. In order for teachers to be able to put the new concept into action, they need time to practice. This allows them to take risks and make mistakes before trying the concept live in front of students. The teacher leader is available as the guide to provide feedback and model the concept again if necessary.
• Plan how to implement the new concept into their routine the very next day. Just like teachers needed time to process the concept cognitively, they need time to plan how it will look in their classroom instruction. This requires quiet reflection time. Teacher leaders should be available to answer questions and help brainstorm so that teachers will find success in implementing it into their classroom.

Next Steps

Learn more on how to create and deliver PD that is not only effective but will excite teachers in the process! Watch this webinar on Leading Efficient and Engaging PD Sessions and say ‘so long’ to those boring PD sessions and say ‘hello’ to being inspired and engaged!

The webinar covers topics such as:

• the purpose behind providing professional development
• the historical PD approaches and why they haven’t worked
• an ideal PD session agenda, including materials
• engagement strategies to try

There is no reason to continue to provide PD the way we always have. As educators, we strive to do our best so our students can be their best. The same is true for teacher leaders- they want to design learning opportunities for the teachers they serve to the best of their ability so that those same teachers can go back into their classrooms and do their best for their own students. It’s a way to pay it forward.

Don’t feel embarrassed that what you have presented in the past is no longer considered a best practice. Learn from it by acknowledging that you did the best you could with the knowledge you had at the time. Then, take the appropriate steps mentioned in this post to do better now that you are equipped to do so. Shake it off and move forward. Teachers and students await!

What tricks do you use to make your PD sessions engaging?

The post How to Lead an Efficient & Engaging Professional Development Session appeared first on Always A Lesson.

More often than not, a single snap shot observation does not show the whole picture of what happens in a teacher’s classroom. There are too many elements in that equation that can paint an incorrect picture of what happens on a daily basis- maybe a student is acting up, technology breaks down, a fire drill occurs, a child gets sick, etc. Using a single observation to rate a teacher’s effectiveness is unreliable data. Therefore, conducting additional observations throughout the year helps even out the data and get a more reliable idea of a teacher’s proficiency in the classroom.  But, there is one more step instructional coaches can take to not only ensure the data remains reliable, but that the process is encouraging for teachers as well:

[spp-tweet tweet=”Having a thorough process in place to ensure every classroom observation is performed with clarity and precision is key to a fair evaluation process that can inspire growth in teachers. “]

This is the third post in the Instructional Coaching blog series. We have previously talked about preparing the behind-the-scenes tasks of an instructional coach, how to plan and manage coaching cycles, and how to provide models of expert teaching. Today we will talk about conducting a classroom observation with clarity and precision.

Gearing up for the Observation

Instructional coaches should meet with teachers prior to an observation. This is helpful for newer teachers or teachers needing intense support to increase their proficiency in the classroom. There is no reason to observe a teacher if they are not going to be adequately prepared to showcase their abilities. A pre-observation conference helps a new teacher learn lesson planning best practices, collaborate with an expert educator, and proactively address potential hiccups with a specific upcoming lesson. It is also helpful for a teacher needing support because they need that same level of discussion and planning practice as a new teacher. Eventually, a pre-conference can be faded out of the equation as a teacher showcases their ability to conduct a solid lesson without the support of a coach.

Utilizing a pre-observation note taking system ensures the lesson objective is appropriately aligned to the standard, gradual release of responsibility is used to take students from direct instruction to independent practice, as well as provide a list of common aspects to consider for successful lesson delivery.

Instructional coaches can then set up the classroom observation date and time. Appointment cards are a great reminder tool to place in teacher mailboxes or slip under their door the week or day before the observation.

Conducting the Observation

When the day of the observation arrives, the instructional coach should grab a teacher performance evaluation rubric so that there is a common language tool to reference while watching a teacher teach. This does not necessarily need to be shared with teachers, but it is something that should be used across the administrative team. Such a rubric is aligned to school and district goals, current instructional initiatives, and teaching best practices.

During the observation, the instructional coach is taking down detailed classroom observation notes. This is helpful when rating a teacher based on evidence found in the lesson delivery, as the coach can go back to the script at a later date and see the data with fresh eyes. This can also be shared with the teacher as a means to provide feedback or professional development.

Speaking of feedback, it is recommended to leave the teacher with a short, written piece of guidance in the moment. For example, the coach could use feedback slips to leave a sentence or two outlining something great they saw the teacher do during the lesson and something to try or tweak for future lessons. More formal feedback will come later, but the observation itself can be nerve wracking for a teacher, so to receive a quick piece of feedback and encouragement in the moment helps ease anxiety.

Along with the feedback slips, an instructional coach should leave a teacher self- reflection sheet that the teacher can use to reflect on their lesson in detail prior to meeting again with the coach to discuss the results.

Closing up the Observation

After an instructional coach observes a teacher in the classroom, they need to meet again to discuss how things went. This step is crucial for future improvement towards goal mastery. Prior to this meeting, the instructional coach should gather their pre-observation and observation documents to review the goals for the lesson and the actual evidence towards those goals collected during the observation. They also should review the teacher self-reflection to gain perspective on the degree to which the teacher believes they met their goals. This helps the instructional coach hone in on mindset or personal goal attributes that can be discussed during the final meeting. Using a debrief planning guide will help coaches streamline the planning process for the post conference.

During this meeting, having a structure and flow for how the discussion will go not only ensures an efficient use of time, but it keeps the discussion on course. Using a debrief discussion format will help keep the conversation focused on essential components for improvement while also celebrating successes.

Remember, having a thorough process in place to ensure every classroom observation is performed with clarity and precision is key to a fair evaluation process that can inspire growth in teachers.

[spp-tweet tweet=”Instructional coaches are guides on the side and it is important that their position is used to help improve and inspire teachers instead of belittle and discourage them. “]

Are you looking for more instructional coaching materials to better support teachers? Snag the bundle here. Or do you prefer to gain research-based techniques and tools to boost teacher performance and proficiency? Watch the webinar here.

What tips would you add for conducting classroom observations as a coach?

The post Conduct a Classroom Observation with Clarity & Precision appeared first on Always A Lesson.

Included:

• clear definition & suggestions on how to implement
• benefits of implementation
• materials needed
• note taking sheet with classroom organization, management and content delivery “look for’s”
• logistics information
• tips on planning and organizing your time
• thank you letter

The post Learning Walks- A Peer Observation Tool appeared first on Always A Lesson.

INCLUDED:
– 3 sets of 20 interview questions + rationale for every question
– planning space for each interview question
– interview tips for a demo lesson + planning space
– Top 10 “Do’s and Don’ts” for interviewing

The post Preparing for an Interview in Education appeared first on Always A Lesson.