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Strategy of the Week: Practical RTI—Making Decisions Based on Data - June 12, 2013
There are three key proficiencies needed to establish a successful response to intervention (RTI) program. The final proficiency is making decisions about student placement based on data.
Data gathering drives educational decisions in an effective RTI program. When student achievement is shared with students, data-based decisions provide motivation for students to work harder.
To set up their RTI programs, Sanger Unified School District in Sanger, California, developed benchmarks of achievement. Then, they worked with each school to create assessments that would track students’ progress towards that benchmark.
Teachers became proficient at monitoring student progress and used the information they gathered to make decisions that would ensure maximum student success. With these key proficiencies in place, teachers are well prepared to take on the daily work of running an RTI.
Learn more about making decisions based on data by viewing video segments in the Practical RTI program on PD 360.
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Strategies By Topic
Accountability
Accountability for Greater Learning
Parents and community members are taking a more serious approach to the education of their children and are holding educators accountable. For this reason it is imperative that an accountability system is implemented into all aspects of education.
Learn moreData in the Reform Process
With the onset of the accountability movement in education, great disparity in educational success among students has become readily apparent. It is essential that all educators receive the needed training and support to provide an instructional program that guarantees the success of every student regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, language, background or family income. Learn moreWhy Student Outcomes Depend So Much on Teacher Outlook
Apollo Middle School was in trouble.
The school had the reputation of being a troubled school, full of drugs and gang violence. Ray Chavez was hired in May 2007 for a specific purpose: it was his job to transform Apollo Middle School.
Assessment, Grading, and Reporting
Student Progress Reporting that Communicates Effectively
Reporting that communicates accurate and complete information to parents cannot be overemphasized. Ingrid Neitsch elaborates, "We need to let our parents know where our students are in relation to the curriculum and the curricular expectations that come along with that."
If the purpose of the reporting system is to communicate with the parent or student, then the language must be clear. Thomas R. Guskey further describes this point, "A lot of things that we use in education that we thought all parents understand, they just don't. We have a whole series of language and vocabulary that we use that parents have no recognition of whatsoever."
Alternative Methods of Reporting Progress
Report cards, while highly visible to parents, with various teacher notations, grades, or check marks, are not the only way to communicate student progress. There are other methods of reporting and communicating that should also be used. Weekly and monthly progress reports keep parents informed and up to date on their child’s learning. In addition, personal phone calls, letters, and newsletters provide information about the school and student progress. Learn moreAssessments in the 21st Century Classroom
The importance of assessments in the 21st century classroom cannot be overestimated. Thomas Guskey, a professor at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, says that effective assessments change classroom practice and help students take on the responsibility for learning.
Educators must see their classroom assessments as a way to drive learning on a daily basis, rather than an indication at the end of the year that some learning has taken place. Teachers need to develop what Guskey calls “assessment literacy,” which will help them create authentic assessments. They also need support to learn to accurately understand what assessments tell them about student learning.
Changing Assessment Practices for Better Grading
It is necessary to change assessment practices for better grading to occur. All types of assessments must become an integral part of the instructional process. Quizzes, tests, and exams should all be used as learning tools, and not just devices that occur at the end of learning. For students, most testing simply means it’s time to move on, even forget; that whole orientation, toward assessment, and toward testing, all has to change. Learn moreGrading and Reporting Student Progress
A letter grade on a report card seems innocent enough. We use grades routinely and for a variety of purposes, but what do they really represent? Do they accomplish what we intend? Are there other ways to better communicate with parents and portray student learning? Are attempts at changing the traditional report card improving learning? Learn moreGrading as an Incentive
Whatever method of reporting is used, grading should never be a weapon of punishment. Rather, grading should be used as an incentive. Grading students on the curve is a form of punishment; not only to those who struggle in school, but it is harmful to those who assume great success. Learn moreLearning about Quality Assessment
In an age of accountability and an increasingly complex and changing world, educators need strategies that help students meet state standards and become life-long learners. They must provide students with clear learning targets to shoot for and ways to show what they know. To ensure assessment for learning, educators must become assessment literate, understanding the three descriptors of quality assessment: The Why? What? and How? of assessment. Learn moreReporting that Communicates
Reporting that communicates accurate and complete information to parents cannot be overemphasized. We need to let our parents know where our students are in relation to the curriculum. If the purpose of the reporting system is to communicate with the parent or student, the language must be clear. Learn moreStudent Involvement in Assessment
In this increasingly complex and changing world where stricter guidelines for accountability are expected, educators need strategies that help students meet state standards and encourage life-long learning. These strategies must provide students with clear and reachable learning targets and effective ways to show what they have learned. Learn moreThe Student Self-Assessment Classroom
When students become proficient at assessing their own level of learning, they drive the instruction. Jill Gough, the Chief Technology Integration Specialist for the Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia, is passionate about creating effective, student-friendly learning targets and thereby teaching students how to judge their own achievements in mathematics. She demonstrates that when teachers move out of the role of “grader” and become facilitators instead, they help students become responsible for their own learning.
Learn moreWorking in PLCs to Develop Assessments
Related to the work of curriculum planning and development is the work of assessments. PLC members must be skilled in creating, administering, and analyzing assessments so the educators can target each student and meet individual needs.
When designing and administering assessments, PLCs need to be focused on what happens in the classroom and upon current student work. After administering assessments in the classroom on a regular basis, teachers then analyze those results back within their PLCs.
Classroom Management
- The students must want to change.
- They have to know how to change.
- Students must have opportunities to practice changing.
- They need to be conscious of their choices.
- Students need to receive ongoing support.
- The students must want to change.
- They have to know how to change.
- Students must have opportunities to practice changing.
- They need to be conscious of their choices.
- Students need to receive ongoing support.
- The students must want to change.
- They have to know how to change.
- Students must have opportunities to practice changing.
- They need to be conscious of their choices.
- Students need to receive ongoing support.
- Scheduling
- Personnel
- Resource issues
- Introducing change
- Establishing new protocols
- Building consensus
10 Strategies to Prevent Bullying in Schools
The classroom is a model of society, an area where students learn how to interact with peers, develop learning, and implement skills that will impact the rest of their lives. Teachers have a unique opportunity to educate and support students in this society. It is important that students feel safe to develop and learn in an environment free of criticism and bullying. Learn moreApplying the Levels of Fix to Help Manage Your Classroom
Applying the Levels of Fix to Help Manage Your Classroom
With so much happening in schools today and so much urgency around improvement, change, and accountability, it’s often difficult to just stop and decide what to do in response to a challenging situation. However, once you understand the nature of the problem, you can choose the appropriate intervention if you think in terms of the levels of fix.
Learn moreChoices Help Create a Well-Managed Classroom
Active student involvement contributes to a well-managed classroom. As an educator, it is imperative to give students' brains a complete workout without having them tune out; the key is to keep a good balance between teacher talk and active involvement in the learning. Students don't always have to learn sitting in their seats. They can have choices in the way they learn—this makes it easier for them to engage in the lesson taking place.
Learn moreClassroom Management: When Consequences Don't Work
What to do when consequences don't work may require additional effort despite the incorporation of classroom management procedures, rules, and consequences. It is not easy to change behavior. If students are to change and break the cycle of misbehavior or apathy, five things have to be in place:
Classroom Management: When Consequences Don't Work
What to do when consequences don't work may require additional effort despite the incorporation of classroom management procedures, rules, and consequences. It is not easy to change behavior. If students are to change and break the cycle of misbehavior or apathy, five things have to be in place:
Classroom Management: When Consequences Don't Work
What to do when consequences don't work may require additional effort despite the incorporation of classroom management procedures, rules, and consequences. It is not easy to change behavior. If students are to change and break the cycle of misbehavior or apathy, five things have to be in place:
Creating a Positive Learning Environment in Schools
Students have their own delightful, exasperating, challenging, defiant, charming, lovable, infuriating personalities. Dennis Shirley, Professor of Education at Boston College and author of the books "The Fourth Way: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change" and "The Mindful Teacher," expounds on the principles he believes will aid in educators' efforts to improve schools in his interview with Curtis Linton. Learn moreEffective Classroom Management: Proactive Teaching Through Prevention
Great teachers do more than control their classroom; they have their students passionately engaged in the learning. An essential step to achieving success in the classroom is learning and practicing the art of prevention. Prevention is organized into multiple areas: . . . Learn moreHow to Win Students Over Through Classroom Management
Establishing effective classroom management plans are of utmost importance for the beginning teacher or for any teacher. This program is designed to help teachers learn strategies for bonding and connecting with students, and how to establish successful routines and procedures for managing any size classroom. Learn moreKeeping Consistency in the Classroom
Consistency in the use of procedures and strategies is a cornerstone for all the various aspects of good teaching. Clarity is fundamental to consistency. Being clear to your students is vital to establishing a consistent environment. This includes clarity of expectations; clarity of a lesson and clarity of procedures.
One important principle to be consistent with in the classroom is “no arguing with the ref.” There should be no “arguing with the teacher” and his or her decisions. Violating this creates disruption in the classroom. What teachers need to remember and reinforce is when a student argues with the teacher, the arguing is in itself a disruption.
Learn moreManaging Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom
Managing Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom. The reasons behind a student’s bullying are not always transparent or easily understood. While kids are considered bullies in their classes today, at one point they may have simply been considered a somewhat disruptive child in need of a little help. One method to assist in controlling disruptive student behavior is reality therapy.
Learn moreManaging the Classroom with the Law of Least Intervention
One important element of effective classroom management is learning how to prevent disruption and mitigate any disruptive behavior that occurs. The proactive teacher uses the Law of Least Intervention, a way of managing minor classroom disruptions without interrupting the learning environment. Learn moreOvercoming Response to Intervention (RTI) Challenges
Building an RTI takes vision, persistence, and good communication skills, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges along the way. Common RTI implementation challenges of setting up and running an RTI program include:
Planning Targets of Learning
Real classroom examples of research-guided practices produce results in the classroom. Principal Dennis Sonius comments that, “It’s really, really nice to know the logic behind the strategies, to know the statistics behind them. They know for sure that these strategies work.” Opposed to haphazard teaching of unrelated facts, research-based strategies can be identified and used. Students are impacted and able to demonstrate higher levels of learning when teachers use these strategies.
Learn moreSucceeding with Difficult Students Featuring Rick Smith
Consequences are often a last resort that don’t resort in much. A student in class acts out, we give him a consequence, and nothing seems to change. Many teachers who have this experience come to our workshops on classroom management looking for a mythical, “exotic” new consequence—one that will do the trick every time. Learn moreTeaching Social and Emotional Behaviors from Classroom Management – How to Win Students Over
Many students lack the opportunity to learn social and emotional skills at home. Every educator has the opportunity to and should seek to teach those skills in the classroom. While some students seem to fit right in, others struggle. If we can spend more time in the classroom teaching these skills, we are allowing those students to fit in and bond with their peers. Learn moreUsing Cooperative Learning for Effective Classroom Management
Managing a classroom full of students is not an easy task. Getting through a lesson plan at the same time may be an even more difficult task. One idea to help engage students and keep them focused is cooperative learning. Cooperative learning is very effective when there’s a great amount of information that needs to be given to the children. In a cooperative setting, teachers are allowing the group to find the information, present it, and teach it to the other kids.
Learn moreCoaching
A Powerful Coaching Framework
To be successful, coaches must establish communication, provide constructive feedback, and radiate a positive personality. District leaders with principals have to clearly delineate what coaches must do. For coaches to be successful they must: . . . Learn moreApplying the Mission & Goal of Cognitive Coaching
Cognitive Coaching is a powerful way to help teachers plan, reflect, and solve their own problems. Through conversation, the coach helps the coachee understand his/her own thinking and helps him/her move to where he or she wants to be as an educator. It is imperative that coaches remember the mission and goal of coaching as they mentor other teachers. The mission is to develop self-directedness in others in order to accomplish the goal, which is to develop one’s identity and capacity as a mediator of thinking. Learn moreImproving Instructional Coaching with Jim Knight
Jim Knight’s coaching philosophy acknowledges teachers’ existing skills and abilities. He believes that coaches can empower teachers to improve through helping teachers set their own goals. In addition, he demonstrates how coaches can help teachers tap into their own potential. He shows how coaches can gain the skills of dialogue, reflection, reciprocity, and reflection to help teachers improve their classroom practice. Learn moreIncrease Learning through Instructional Coaching
Coaches are veteran teachers whose primary task is helping other teachers improve their skills in the classroom with the ultimate objective of greater student success. Many coaches and experts attest to the value and fundamental purpose of coaching. School-based staff development coaching is a powerful form of job-embedded professional development that helps teachers on-site and in their classrooms. Learn moreThe What and Why of Coaching
Research has validated that job-embedded, on-site professional development is the most effective and long lasting means of increasing teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Learn moreUtilizing Coaching Tools That Promote Thinking
Cognitive coaching focuses on the internal thought processes that drive teachers’ behaviors. In utilizing the coaching tools it is important to distinguish between cognitive coaching and evaluation. Establishing trust is the first tool and is required if cognitive coaching or evaluation takes place. It is vital that the teacher know in advance whether they are being coached or evaluated. It is also critical that the processes of coaching or evaluating are different from each other. Learn moreCommon Core
Common Core in the Classroom—Character Analysis
The Common Core Standards have not been completely easy to adapt or to implement. However, sometimes the best way to learn is to “dig right in.” In Newark, New Jersey, fourth grade teacher Sabina Bruno dove right in to teach a lesson about character analysis and textual evidence aligned to three Common Core Standards.
Sabina Bruno begins by asking her class what a detective needs in order to do his job. After the students provide answers, such as binoculars, a duster, magnifying glass, etc., she reminds them that the focus for the day is to be able to describe in depth a character and events in a story to defend their ideas of the character.
Common Core Lesson: Argumentative Writing
Diana Zipperer is an eighth grade teacher from Campbell County Middle School in Alexandria, Kentucky. Addressing the topic of the influence of advertising in their lives, Ms. Zipperer's students work to complete a graphic organizer that facilitates their development of an organized argument that is substantiated with quotes and evidence.
Learn moreCommon Core Lesson: Identifying the Main Idea and Supporting Details
The Common Core Standards are playing a major role in classrooms across the US, but it can be hard to know what Common Core implementation looks like in the classroom. Ms. Angie Todd demonstrates Common Core classroom implementation as she guides her students in using contextual evidence to identify the main idea and supporting details of a science text about water striders.
Learn moreCommon Core Lesson: Proportional Relationships
Ms. Melissa Hurt, a 7th grade teacher at Houston Middle School in Shelby County, Tennessee, relates her lesson to the technology in her students’ lives and aligns it to the Common Core Math Standards.
Learn moreEveryday Heroes in Informational Texts—A Common Core Lesson
Diana has chosen a text about a woman who has cancer, and the book relates stories from the woman's family. This text gives students the opportunity to analyze relationships between individuals and ideas, which is a skill described in the standard Reading Informational Text 8.3.
Learn moreSetting High Expectations of Learning for All Students
Students respond to clearly set expectations. Rather than keeping those expectations low for students with poor classroom performance, raising them to high expectations brings everyone in the class to higher levels of performance. While students often enter the classroom at various learning levels, educators should always determine the level of the child when he or she enters the classroom and then work up from there. Learn moreThe Common Core Begins with Commitment to Students
One key element to making the Common Core Standards effective in the classroom is commitment to each student’s capacity to learn. A commitment to students and their learning begins with understanding how they learn and ensuring that knowledge is accessible to children of every learning style. Learn moreDifferentiated Learning
Differentiated Instruction
Differentiated Instruction is a method of planning and teaching that meets the needs of all students. Differentiation is unlike the traditional approach to teaching in which all students are expected to perform exactly the same. Differentiation is a philosophy that enables teachers to plan strategically in order to reach the needs of diverse learners in classrooms today.
Learn moreStudents Choose in Differentiated Learning
The differentiated classroom is one of continuous teacher facilitation, monitoring, feedback, re-teaching, and redirecting student learning. When differentiating for “How will students learn?” it is necessary to consider learning choices, adjustable assignments, and flexible groups.
Strategies empower teachers with the ability to engage students in learning. As students have learning choices—even small ones—they are exhilarated with the possibilities. Even highly specific strategies, including note taking techniques or thinking maps, offer continuous choice-making on the part of students as they have to think and write.
Learn moreUnderstanding The Basics of Differentiation
The basics of differentiation begin with understanding the “what” and “why” of differentiation. When it comes down to it, differentiation is responding to the needs of kids; it’s looking at what kids need to grow as fast and as much as possible and then doing the best to provide that for them. Learn moreEquity in Education
Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate Helps Students of Color Reach Their Potential
Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) is a program targeting students of color who have untapped potential in our school system. Their mission is to identify those students early enough that they can build supportive relationships with them to help them reach their fullest academic, social, physical, and emotional potential over time.
Kids from different backgrounds bring issues into the classroom, and they feel it every moment of every day. So, if teachers are not explicit about it, then they're not addressing it at all.
Learn moreBuilding the Complete Person in Every Student
Schools aren’t just teaching kids to read and write; they are building the “complete person” in every student. Every school has its own challenges. Whether it is establishing a cohesive curriculum or learning to instruct an ever-expanding diverse student population, teachers must discover how to address the challenges their students encounter. Learn moreClosing Achievement Gaps to Create Equity in Schools
There is no excuse for the perpetual achievement gaps that persist for minority students in schools today. Regardless of race, ethnicity, language, and economic background all students can succeed at high levels. Any school can close their achievement gaps regardless of the community they serve with no special help or funding. Learn moreClosing the Achievement Gap
A significant achievement gap exists between students of color and their white counterparts. The following PD 360 segment statistically establishes the reality of this gap while exploring it in greater detail. It will give you the tools to help engage in Courageous Conversations about race, gain new insight into equity, and help you adjust classroom practices.
Learn moreCreating True Equity in Schools
Creating true equity in schools will bridge racial cultures and hasten the closure of the achievement gap. Creating true equity in schools is “Raising the achievement level of ALL students while narrowing the gap between the highest and lowest achieving student populations, and eliminating the racial predictability and disproportion of which student populations occupy the highest and lowest achievement categories.”
Learn moreEquity and Innovation in Schools
Creating equity and innovation in schools can be difficult, especially if those implementing both equity and innovation are unsure of the best approach for implementation. The new PD 360 program, Equity and Innovation, features four story pieces that introduce extraordinary turnaround schools and the educators who are making real differences in the lives of their students. Learn moreHelping Students of Limited English in the Regular Classroom
"I don't understand!" This statement takes on a very literal meaning for students of limited English proficiency in a regular classroom setting. Teachers can be equally frustrated by the formidable challenge this presents. To help break down learning barriers, educators have discovered that mainstreaming English-language learning students into the classroom is the best way to help them acquire necessary language skills. Learn moreImproving School Climate with Equity and Innovation
Apollo Middle School in Arizona was rated as underperforming for two years—only one small step away from total failure. In this inspiring video, you’ll meet Principal Chavez and see how he changed the school from a place where eighth-graders were being asked to color cartoon characters into one where they are challenged and driven to succeed. Learn moreIncreasing Achievement for Special Needs Students
The mandate for improved academic performance has been amplified in recent years for all students. Under the demands of current legislation, greater focus has been placed on exceptional students with special needs in order to bring each one to a higher level of achievement. Learn moreIncreasing Equity in the Classroom with Bonnie Davis
Bonnie M. Davis, educational expert and author on the topic of equity, discusses how Common Core Standards can help increase equity in the classroom because they provide clear instructional focus. Learning targets and good curriculum design are critical, she says, in building an equitable classroom. Learn moreLearning to Engage in Conversations About Race from Glenn Singleton
One of the most difficult conversations to have in education is about the racial impacts of the achievement gap. In his new online course, Glenn Singleton guides educators through the process of addressing the achievement gap intentionally, explicitly, and comprehensively. Learn moreTeaching Social Justice - Dr. Beverly Cross
Dr. Beverly Cross—educator and holder of the Moss Chair of Excellence in Urban Education at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee—defines social justice as an approach to education that allows students to understand their identities and how they are produced. Social justice helps students grasp the reality of social stratification and gives them the tools to rectify it. These tools are especially important in urban environments. Learn moreProfessional Development
- Theory
- Demonstration
- Practice
- Coaching
- Focus—"the what"
- Alignment—"the how"
- Feedback—"the how we make it better"
Applying the Four Key Elements for Effective Professional Development
To close the knowing—doing gap between staff development and classroom practices, it is necessary to create good designs of all professional development experiences. According to Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers, there are four key elements for effective and implemented professional development. Learn moreApproaches to Job-Embedded Professional Development
Job-embedded professional development takes many forms. One of its benefits is its flexibility: when professional development is deeply embedded, individual educators can access the resources they need. According to an article by the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, job-embedded professional development takes one of three forms and is always centered on issues of actual practice. Learn moreCreating Challenge in Learning-Focused Relationships
No teacher in the early years of teaching should be left alone to fail. Mentoring provides a vital resource for teachers who are in their first, second, or third year of teaching. Through learning-focused conversations, the mentor becomes a growth agent who guides the novice teacher, resulting in successful student learning... Learn moreDealing with Change in Schools
As new technologies, new staff, and new standards circle through every district’s education system, change is truly inevitable. While teachers and administrators are approached with changes, appropriate response is vital for successful implementation. Learn moreDeveloping Characteristics of Good Teachers
Most teachers have felt frustration with the challenges of managing a classroom. One sterling characteristic of good teachers is the ability to take a positive and proactive stance in regards to students. Pouring positive energy into teaching and the student-teacher relationship invigorates and renews the educator. Learn moreEquity and Innovation in Schools
Creating equity and innovation in schools can be difficult, especially if those implementing both equity and innovation are unsure of the best approach for implementation. The new PD 360 program, Equity and Innovation, features four story pieces that introduce extraordinary turnaround schools and the educators who are making real differences in the lives of their students... Learn moreEvery Teacher—An English Language Teacher: Seeing the Big Picture
As teachers plan learning units, it is important to realize that English language learners will do better if they can see the “big picture” first, or an overview of the whole concept, before learning the details.
Donna Jones, 3rd grade teacher at Miami Elementary in Lafayette, Indiana, explains the approach is “here’s the big picture, and now we’re going to take it apart and show you how we’re going to reach that big picture.”
Such practices help students develop background knowledge, which propels English language learners into greater understanding of the details in the concept being taught, and an increase in learning.
Learn moreFour Key Elements to Designing Good Professional Development
To close the knowing-doing gap between staff development and classroom practices, it is necessary to create good designs of all professional development experiences. According to Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers, there are four key elements of effective and implemented professional development:
How Parents Can Help Create Successful Schools
Anne Foster, the National Executive Director of Parents for Public Schools, is an advocate for parents playing an active role in the schools their children attend. Parents can and should be involved in public schools, Foster argues, at the classroom level all the way up to school boards. They should know how school districts work and how state accountability processes function. If parents hold school boards accountable for implementing policies that lead to student success, they can have a great impact on their children’s education. Learn moreHow to Utilize Whole-Faculty Study Groups
With the objective to increase learning for all students, Whole-Faculty Study Groups (WFSGs) focus the entire school on implementing effective teaching and learning practices in the classroom. Three to five educators represent the same or different grades, or disciplines. The various study groups in a school tackle issues and research practices that will increase student learning. The work of each study group benefits the entire school. Learn moreImplementing a Response to Intervention (RTI) Program
A functional RTI program helps educators identify those students who are at risk for low achievement. With RTI, educators provide the differentiated instruction that students need, monitor their progress, and use the data they gather to help those students progress. Experts and practitioners agree that RTI programs are fundamental to increasing student success. Learn moreImplementing Professional Development
Supporting Implementation is to support the educator in applying professional learning in the classroom. In order to effectively support this implementation, administrators need to construct mechanisms that guide and assist teachers in their day to day teaching improvement efforts. This begins with educators positively embracing professional learning. Learn moreImplementing The Frazzled Educator's Health and Wellness Plan
Stress in the school culture can overwhelm educators which in turn negatively impacts student achievement. As educators manage their stress, they will improve their personal health thus increasing their professional performance in the classroom. Student rapport will improve while teachers suffer less burnout. Learn moreJob-embedded Professional Development
Job-embedded Professional Development substantial research shows that effective professional development has a measurable positive effect on student achievement. Teachers who engage regularly in their own learning are better able to help their students succeed. Job-embedded Professional Development is a way for that to happen easily with low cost.
Learn moreJob-Embedded Professional Development for Teachers: Benefits for Students
Job-embedded professional development does not automatically ensure better results for students. When engaging with PD 360 as part of their learning plan, teachers and administrators need to maintain a steady focus on results rather than just on logging a certain number of hours or filling out a certain number of reflection questions. Specifically, educators need to make sure that their learning leads to changes in teachers’ practice and results in the classroom.
Learn moreLearning How to Evaluate Staff Development
According to Learning Forward (formerly NSDC), “Staff development that improves the learning of all students uses multiple sources of information to guide improvements and demonstrate its impact.” A straight forward definition of staff development is: A systemic, purposeful process of studying, reviewing, and analyzing data gathered from multiple sources in order to make informed decisions about a program. Learn moreLearning the Why of Action Research
Research finds truth; action research finds meaning. The “why” of action research defines itself in the value of teachers doing research in their own classroom. If change is to occur in schools that benefit students teachers must look thoughtfully and critically at their own practices. The action implies that action researchers do something differently on behalf of students in their practice or in their schools. One reason why action research is so valuable is because it has validity. Learn moreLearning-Focused Relationships
No teacher in the early years of teaching should be left alone to fail. Mentoring provides a vital resource for teachers who are in their first, second, or third year of teaching. Through learning-focused conversations, the mentor becomes a growth agent who guides the novice teacher, resulting in successful student learning. This program will train educators to become highly-effective mentors. Learn moreParticipating in Effective and Practical Walkthroughs
As a natural extension of PLCs, walkthroughs allow teachers to go beyond just focusing on student data; they take the focus to the classroom to observe what actually helps to foster greater student learning. The new Practical Walkthroughs program presents an effective protocol for conducting walkthroughs and examines the benefits of such a practice... Learn moreSelf-Assessment in Formative Assessment
Research tells us that students who are taught to self-assess and self-evaluate on a regular basis become more responsible. Sharing and working with learning targets provide opportunities for students to self-assess continuously so they can see what they need to do to achieve and hit specific goals. Learn moreSetting the Stage for Successful Professional Development Implementation
Schools set the stage for the successful implementation of professional development in the classroom when they determine improvement efforts based on what actually happens in the classroom. Effective educational leaders are always focusing on student learning and goals and looking at the kinds of changes in instruction, curriculum, assessment, or programs that are going to serve all of the students. Learn moreSix Common Drivers Leading To Student Success
During the spring of 2012, five different teams from Battelle for Kids made three-day, on-site visits with the leaders of the highest-performing school systems in the world. While there remain great differences within and among the systems, there were six common drivers leading to student success.
Each driver of success is addressed through a systemic approach grounded in three things:
Supporting Implementation of Professional Development
Supporting implementation is to support the educator in applying professional learning in the classroom. Blanch Linton, former teacher and co-founder of School Improvement Network, says, “I truly believe that 99% of teachers want to do a good job and want their students to be successful. I think there’s been a lot that has brought them to points of being very much demoralized. The pressures for accountability are intense for teachers; it’s a difficult time for them.”
As teachers experiment with the best ways to teach their students, it can be easy to discouraging. This is why support from coaches and leaders is so vital. Say a teacher tries a new idea and it works, but the next week they try a different idea in the classroom and it doesn’t work. If the teacher can share that “defeat” with a colleague and discuss why one approach worked and one didn’t, the experience becomes more of a learning experience than an actual defeat.
Learn moreThree Critical Elements of Professional Learning
Professional learning, as advocated by Learning Forward, takes many forms and draws on the perspectives of all educators. When discussing professional learning, it is important to remember to focus on the outcome—the learning that is going to improve the quality of an educator’s practice for the benefit of students—rather than the process. While engaging in daily conversations about teaching and learning, educators need to maintain a focus on three critical elements of professional learning:. . . Learn moreUnderstanding and Using Action Research
Traditionally, teachers have been the subjects or consumers of others’ research. Action Research, however, involves teachers directly in researching their own practice through topics they select to explore. The purpose of action research is to help teachers improve their instructional practices by reflecting deeply on their work. Learn moreUnderstanding Change
School districts spend millions of dollars annually on professional development even though data shows that as little as five percent of this new knowledge is actually applied in the classroom. Educators face a knowing-doing gap between what they learn and what they use in the classroom. In order to close this gap, educators need to focus their efforts on applying and supporting the use of best practices in the classroom. Learn moreUsing Action Research to Develop Improvement Plans to Benefit Students
Action research is a process by which educators develop questions regarding their practice; collect and analyze data; and through collaboration in action research groups, they refine their knowledge. When empowered through action research, educators can inaugurate improvement plans that really work for the benefit of students. Learn moreUsing Action Research to Develop Improvement Plans to Benefit Students
Action research is a process by which educators develop questions regarding their practice; collect and analyze data; and through collaboration in action research groups, they refine their knowledge. When empowered through action research, educators can inaugurate improvement plans that really work for the benefit of students. Learn moreProfessional Learning Community
Curriculum Planning in Professional Learning Communities
Often, schools find that the intended curriculum is not the same as the implemented curriculum. Highly functioning PLCs, through collaboration and sharing, ensure that all teachers are effectively addressing state and local standards. Students benefit when teachers work collaboratively to make sure that what goes on in the classroom is closely aligned with these standards.
Within the area of developing curriculum planning, educators first need to ask themselves the fundamental question, “What do students need to know?” This serves as the main process question.
Effective Curriculum Planning in PLCs
Often, schools find that the intended curriculum is not the same thing as the implemented curriculum. Highly functioning PLCs, through collaboration and sharing, ensure that all teachers are effectively addressing state and local standards. Students benefit when teachers work collaboratively to make sure that what goes on in the classroom is closely aligned with these standards. Learn moreEstablishing Faculty-Based Learning Groups
Positive change happens best with peers, but for faculty-based learning groups to succeed, teachers must work together and build capacity so they can all become teacher-leaders. Principals can help lead the groups by giving the group permission to focus on strategies they think are crucial, and they can help the group by modeling good learning.
Linda Munger, Senior Consultant for Learning Forward and author of Change, Lead, Succeed, suggests that in order for school teams to operate effectively, the team needs norms, roles that are evenly distributed and rotated, accountability of monitoring their work, and some form of written record of that work.
Learn moreEstablishing the Foundation of a Professional Learning Community
To have a successful professional learning community requires planning, hardwork, and understanding to create an environment in which the professional learning community can flourish. The foundation of a successful professional learning community is based on four assumptions for educators: . . . Learn moreFour Essentials for Effective PLCs
Schools that are looking to set up or improve their Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs, often face a number of challenges. In creating effective PLCs, administrators and teachers learned these four essential lessons: . . . Learn moreThe Importance of Teamwork, Data, and Goals
Traditionally, the application of data in education has been limited to small groups of professionals. Access to data in today’s schools must be available to everyone if real student achievement is to be realized. Today’s teachers and administrators need to maximize the use of data through effective teamwork and by setting meaningful student achievement goals. Learn moreStudent Learning
- Identify the instructional purpose
- Determine the content focus
- Select the cognitive level
- Consider wording and syntax
Instilling Ownership and Responsibility in Student-Centered Learning
In student-centered learning environments, students at the center of their learning are often engaged in a variety of activities both relevant and complex. It is here where the focus is driven by student choice rather than what the teacher dictates.
Ali Johnston-Hull, an upper elementary teacher at J.A. Rogers Elementary, shares her experience with student-centered learning:
“We spent a reasonable amount of time at the beginning of the year explaining student-centered learning to the kids, and we did a lot of brainstorming and webbing around what they thought it should look like. One of the little girls finally just said, ‘It’s all about us finally. We’re going to learn something. It’s all about us.’ So that says it all in my mind.”
Creating Conversations of Learning
When students learn teachers are invigorated and renewed in their calling. By using strategies to create conversations of learning, students are actively engaged in the process of making meaning with one another in new learning. Paired-discussion strategies allow for the kind of inference and conclusion that leads to enduring understandings. Strategies that create conversations of learning include: . . . Learn moreCreating Engaging Work for Students in the Classroom
Children should be involved in engaging activities and quality content, in every classroom, every day. In the actively engaged classroom the lessons have purpose and draw students in. For them it is exciting, rewarding, and captivating. At the core of drawing students in is designing engaging academic work for students and leading them to success in that work. Learn moreCreating Performance Tasks for Concept-Based Curriculum
To give students the opportunity to show the depth of learning gained from concept-based curriculum, a culminating performance task is given. Dr. H. Lynn Erickson explains the purpose behind the performance task:
"You really want to find out with a performance task not only what do they know as far as the fact base, but what do they understand."
A simple format for creating a performance task is to prepare the students to answer the questions what, why, and how. "What is it you want them to do, why do you want them to do it, and how do you want them to demonstrate their understanding? I usually say start with a thinking verb that just engages the student with the topic—either analyze, evaluate, investigate is a wonderful word to use," says Dr. Erickson.
Learn moreGuiding Students through Learning with Math Tasks
At Rose Springs Elementary in Stansbury Park, Utah, Shonie Guymon uses math tasks aligned to the Common Core to help her 2nd grade students learn and apply double-digit addition and mental division. Shonie's lesson is aligned with the second-grade Common Core Math Standards 2.0A.1, MP.1, 3, 4,and SL.2.2 & 3.
Shonie Guymon’s lesson includes a story problem with multiple steps for the students to take to reach the answer:
“Mrs. Guymon’s class and Miss Mehler’s class are having a class pizza party. Miss Mehler told us she has 27 students in her class. Each student receives one slice of pizza. How many slices of pizza will we need for our party, for our class and f
Helping Students Make Learning Connections Through Experience
Experience helps students in making essential connections. The challenge is we have to experience it personally in order to make it connect. Educators must help students make connections from experience to experience. The brain needs to be active to make connections. Whether the connections are made from one semester to another or between subjects, connecting a new experience to a past experience will help students retain what is being taught in the classroom. Learn moreHow Students with Special Needs Benefit from Research-Proven Programs
All students, and predominantly those with special needs, are the fortunate beneficiaries of schools and school systems that invest in research-proven programs. Students that have mastered literacy skills become independent learners, decision makers, and contributors to society.
The keystone of all of the building blocks is the higher order thinking that is stimulated by the activities and behaviors of all the other building blocks. A powerful asset for student learning is found in the consistent application of common language, common strategies and routines across grade levels, across the curriculum and throughout a building.
Learn moreHow to Identify Student Readiness
Identifying student readiness will help engage students by understanding their place in the readiness spectrum as it relates to content knowledge and process skills. To ascertain where students might be on the readiness spectrum, teachers need to query and probe students: Have students been exposed to the topic? Do students have learning materials within their home? Do students have breakfast in the morning? Learn moreIncreasing Student Learning in Standards-Based Schools
In standards-based schools students are grouped according to ability level rather than grade level. Using a curriculum that is informed by the Common Core Standards, teachers help students create and reach mastery goals. Through these processes, students achieve at their own pace and learn to manage their own education. Learn moreInitializing Asset-Based Education
Every child has a gift; the challenge is helping them discover that gift. Asset-Based Education includes Discovery, Recognition, Utilization, Enhancement, and Reflection. This strategy focuses on the students’ abilities rather than inabilities. As students understand what they have to offer, they can focus on their abilities to accomplish tasks in any subject area. Learn moreManaging and Monitoring Student Learning
Striking a balance of pedagogy and content for every learner is the goal—and the challenge—in high-quality teaching. High-quality teaching begins when teachers understand where students need to go with their learning, and are able to take them there when each student is ready.
However, managing and monitoring student learning goes beyond just presenting information; instructors are looking closely to see how well the students are receiving the information and making adjustments within the lessons.
Learn morePreparing Questions to Improve Learning and Thinking
Good questions, effectively delivered, can facilitate student learning. They serve to motivate and focus student attention while providing opportunities for practice and rehearsal. Questioning functions as a yardstick of how well students are processing information at deeper levels.
To make learning truly effective for all students, teachers must do the following:
Student Engagement Equals Student Achievement
Getting students to pay attention is the first step toward getting them to learn, says author and educational consultant Mary Kim Schreck. Ms. Schreck is passionate about teaching educators, and she has conducted active research into how to engage those students who are difficult to reach.
Learn moreTaking Time to Meet the Needs of Every Student
J. Erik Jonsson Community School in Dallas, Texas, is built around a holistic view of a child. They’re looking at the social, physical, personal, and academic performances of the children they teach.
Every morning, teachers at the school greet their kids at the door and conduct a morning meeting with the students. Morning meetings give the students time to ask questions and comment on the questions of their peers. The process and procedure of having a morning meeting is the same across the school.
The 15 Guiding Principles of Student-Centered Learning Communities
The student-centered system is facilitated through a blended learning model organized by instructional level rather than grade level. These 15 principles act as a guide for schools implementing student-centered learning communities:
Learn moreThe Art of Guided Reading
As teachers of reading, we know that to guide our students to success, we must incorporate many important skills and strategies; phonics, comprehension, decoding, and most importantly, the development of a lifelong love of reading. The key to student success lies in building a foundation of knowledge about written language, helping children access their knowledge, and then guiding them in the transfer of this information to text. Learn moreThe Role of Writing in the Classroom
Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening are the language skills that provide the foundation for quality education. Certainly, reading and writing receive considerable focus, especially in the primary grades. Unfortunately, after third grade many such programs fade into curricular oblivion. Listening and speaking are no less essential as an anchor of success.
To make writing a rich part of students’ lives, it is essential that they practice writing, all forms of writing.
Understanding the Impact of Graphic Organizers
Improved student academic performance is sought by educators everywhere. While the wish is pervasive, achievement is elusive. Many feel the key lies in learning, laden with high-level cognitive thinking. Students engaged in learning saturated in meaning and depth are a hallmark of successful schools. See how visual tools such as graphic organizers help students to map their thinking with specific focus. Learn moreUsing Effective Questioning to Produce Higher-Level Thinking
Good questioning skills are essential for any twenty-first century classroom. Beth Sattes and Jackie Walsh are renowned educational consultants whose research shows that good questions can help students and teachers tap into higher-level thinking skills, and aid students in becoming active, rather than passive learners. Learn moreUsing Scaffolding to Create Enduring Understanding
Every day, students are presented with information in multiple subjects and are expected to understand and remember everything taught. While some might naturally retain each lesson, one method to help students have an enduring understanding of the lesson is to use the scaffolding technique. Scaffolding contains three levels: . . . Learn moreUsing Visual Tools in the Classroom
Improved student academic performance is sought by educators everywhere. While the wish is pervasive, achievement is elusive. Many feel the key lies in learning, laden with high-level cognitive thinking. Students engaged in learning saturated in meaning and depth are a hallmark of successful schools. See how visual tools such as graphic organizers help students to map their thinking with specific focus. Learn moreTeaching Methods
- Determine how and when students will work independently
- Determine how and when students will work in groups
- Decide the format in which students will record and present their work
- Plan how the task may be approached in different ways by students at varying levels of understanding
- Goals
- Standards of success
- Indicators of success
- Theories of change
- Logic models
- Goals
- Standards of success
- Indicators of success
- Theories of change
- Logic models
Essential Tasks for a Working Response to Intervention Program
Response to intervention (RTI) refers to a specific initiative that is designed to ensure student success. RTI programs are built on the assumption that all students can learn and can achieve standard benchmarks for each grade.
To begin, educators place students within one of three tiers in RTI programs, with the understanding that those students will move within the three tiers. Because students' instructional needs change, educators need to develop a process by which students are constantly monitored, assessed, and supported within the tiers.
Communicating with Parents about Their Child's Education
Report cards, while highly visible to parents, with various teacher notations, grades or checkmarks, are not the only way to communicate with the parents of students. It’s imperative that communicating with parents includes the positive as well as the negative updates of their children. Some forms of communication such as a phone call to a parent or a letter sent home expressing how Amy did well on her test or how Jason shared his markers with one of the more shy kids in the class can make all the difference in the parent’s approach to the school or—more importantly—to their own child’s education.
Learn moreCreating a Positive Learning Environment
Schools may be, in many places, one of our very last hopes for rescuing and reinventing a basic sense of community in and beyond the school for the young people within it. However, many schools have significantly neglected developing positive relationships with their parents and communities.
Students are obviously affected by more than just the interactions they have at school. Community interactions are very important in their lives. For schools, this means opening up the gates and the walls of the school to people outside, seeing those individuals as allies and not as enemies or as critics.
Learn moreDesigning Lessons for Student Engagement
This useful five-step model for lesson design provides the framework for effective classroom management and engagement, which reduces the need for behavior intervention. Learn moreDesigning Quality Work to Engage Students
Designing quality work begins with understanding the design qualities. The design qualities are derived from research and theory related to what students need in the way of the work they are provided. There are ten design qualities, including: . . . Learn moreEmpowering Learners with Visual Tools
Improved student academic performance is sought by educators everywhere. While the wish is pervasive, achievement is elusive. Many feel the key lies in learning, laden with high-level cognitive thinking. Students engaged in learning and saturated in meaning and depth are a hallmark of successful schools. Learn moreEnsuring Student Involvement In the Classroom
Active student involvement contributes to a well-managed classroom. If the students are engaged in learning, there is little time for disruption. In fact, students need to be active to be learning. After three to five minutes of the same type of activity the brain starts to fade. The teacher’s job is to give the student brain a complete workout without having it tune out. The key is to keep a good balance between teacher-talk and active involvement in the learning. Learn moreEstablishing Procedures and Routines for a New School Year
Establishing "procedures and routines" at the beginning of the school year, then maintaining them throughout the year is essential. Routines are important for students. No matter what teachers do, if they can keep the day the same in terms of increments of minutes and have them paced so that the students know what to expect, the teacher is going to deal with fewer problems over the long run. Learn moreExperience Helps Students Make Connections
Experience helps students in making essential connections. The challenge is we have to experience it personally in order to make it connect. Educators must help students make connections from experience to experience. Dr. Eleanor Renee Rodriguez explains:
We’re requiring kids to climb up a very steep mountain. You might say, “You had that in fourth grade. You should know that now; it’s fifth grade. I don’t have time to go back to that third grade stuff. You had that in Mrs. Smith’s room. How come you don’t know it now? It was just a semester ago.” Well, they were exposed to the stuff, but they didn’t connect it, or they didn’t have experience with it. So our challenge is to connect what we’re teaching to the students’ experiences.
Learn moreHelping Students to Generate and Test Hypotheses
Students when challenged can produce meaningful projects that can help them learn to generate and test hypotheses.
Generating and testing hypotheses requires students to reason inductively and deductively. Through inductive reasoning, students move from an understanding of different facts to a generalization about those facts. Much the opposite, deductive reasoning moves students from an understanding of a generalization to ideas about the facts that create the generalization.
Homework as an Effective Education Tool
Homework is an effective tool when used as a form of practice designed for application of knowledge. It's important that the students are aware of the skills that they need to be able to possess before they go home and do it with homework. Many parents might not be available, or might not know how to actually help them with the concept, or may do it differently. So it's important that teachers know that the students understand the concept before they send them home with the practice. Learn moreHow Action Research Improves Classroom Instruction
Traditionally, teachers have been the subjects or consumers of others' research. Action Research, however, involves teachers directly in researching their own practice through topics they select to explore.
The purpose of Action Research is to help teachers improve their instructional practices by reflecting deeply on their work. Cathy Caro-Bruce, a staff development specialist, explains why it is vital for educators to have a clear understanding of what Action Research is
Learn moreHow Every Teacher Can Be a Language Teacher
More than ever before, schools today have a greater responsibility to prepare students for success in every aspect of life. It is the basic language skills or reading, writing, speaking, and listening that will enable them to achieve that success. These language skills need to be taught kindergarten through 12th grade both vertically up through the grade levels as well as horizontally in all subject areas in every classroom. Learn moreHow to Best Influence Student Achievement
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) recently released a study, The Road Less Travelled, How Developmental Science Can Prepare Educator to Improve Student Achievement: Policy Recommendations. Data shows that teacher performance is the single most important school influence in improving student outcomes. The teachers who best influence student achievement: Learn moreHow to Create and Teach Math Tasks
When creating tasks to support learning aligned with core mathematical standards, the planning is the big part of the task. Start by asking, "What's my mathematical objective?" Then in planning a math task, teachers identify and make available appropriate tools and resources for students to choose from:
How to Create Concept-Based Curriculum for Deeper Understanding
Teachers are often faced with the problem of trying to cover too much content. A curriculum organizes the learning for students and is best structured by concepts. Instead of sacrificing depth of understanding in order to cover more material, educators must start teaching to depth of ideas and use content to help students understand ideas at increasingly sophisticated levels. Learn moreHow to Evaluate Your Professional Development Program
The staff development evaluation process is divided into three big phases. Phase one is the planning phase. The planning phase assures that the staff development program that will be evaluated has a high likelihood of being successful due to being "well-designed" and thought-out.
Before evaluating any professional development program, the evaluator needs to ask whether the program is feasible, clear, and sufficiently powerful to produce the intended results—is it worth doing? Specifically, evaluators need to look at the following measurements:
How to Evaluate Your Professional Development Program
The staff development evaluation process is divided into three big phases. Phase one is the planning phase. The planning phase assures that the staff development program that will be evaluated has a high likelihood of being successful due to being "well-designed" and thought-out.
Before evaluating any professional development program, the evaluator needs to ask whether the program is feasible, clear, and sufficiently powerful to produce the intended results—is it worth doing? Specifically, evaluators need to look at the following measurements:
How to Implement Action Research
Traditionally, teachers have been the subjects or consumers of others’ research. Action research however, involves teachers directly with research in their own practice and in topics they select to explore. Action research is a process where teachers, principals, and support staff examine their own practice systematically and carefully, using the techniques of research. Learn moreIdentifying Best Practices with Andy Hargreaves
What are the best practices in education reform? Andy Hargreaves—educator, author, and holder of the Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education at Boston College—suggests we can overcome the educational problems that plague the United States by asking this very question. Dr. Hargreaves explains that with a new approach to educating students—an approach based on key principles, a different way forward, that’s not all about the markets and bureaucratic imposition, but involves more community—real, positive change can occur within schools. Learn moreIdentifying the Best Practices in Your Classroom
At the end of the day, a best practice is defined not by whether you like it; it is defined by whether or not it is effective. One important way to determine what is working best in the classroom is to practice the discipline of documenting what you do. Learn moreImplementing the First Steps of Practical Lesson Study
Practical Lesson Study is a course of action where teachers work together to plan classroom lessons, observe the teaching and learning experience during the lesson, analyze the content and delivery, and then make changes in the lesson to make it better.
The foundation of Practical Lesson Study is based on teachers collaborating with one another to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. It is a process that evolves slowly over time.
The first step includes educators evaluating how lessons are currently being taught. Fran Herrin, a principal in Key West, Florida, explains, "Lesson Study actually has been an evolution in our school. We started out with learning about reflective practice, looking at our own teaching and trying to reflect on lessons."
Practical Lesson Study begins by asking two important questions: How can we improve our practices? What can we do differently in our classrooms to meet the needs of students?
Instructing with Enthusiasm in the Classroom
Enthusiasm from the teacher is the catalyst that finally makes learning really happen. Irrespective of preparations for exposure to information, hands-on experience, high expectations and seeking for enduring understanding, without enthusiasm, student learning can still be dismal. Learn moreLearning Effective Brainstorming with Marcia L. Tate
Commonly known as the "dendrite lady," Marcia L. Tate delivers to educators 20 strategies that engage the brain in her new interactive online course. The first strategy she addresses is Brainstorming and Discussion. One instructional activity she advises teachers to use is the DOVE strategy. Give students a content-area question to which there is more than one appropriate answer. Students brainstorm as many ideas as possible in a designated time while complying with the following DOVE guidelines: . . . Learn moreMonitoring Student Progress for Greater Student Achievement
Making plans for RTI (Response to Intervention) within a school or district can make all the difference for student achievement. As Marc Johnson, superintendent for Sanger Unified School District in Sanger, California, stated, “Schools aren’t underachieving because of the needs of the kids; schools are underachieving because the adults have failed to meet the needs of the kids.”
Learn moreProviding English Language Learners Comprehensible Input
Students must be provided “comprehensible input” so they are “making meaning” and developing “fluency and accuracy.” Teachers of English language learners can benefit from understanding the important research of Dr. Stephen Krashen.
Traditionally language has been taught by teaching grammar, providing extensive practice, drill, and structure. When Dr. Krashen talks about comprehensible input, he describes using more visuals.
Providing English Language Learners Comprehensible Input
Students must be provided “comprehensible input” so they are “making meaning” and developing “fluency and accuracy.” Teachers of English language learners can benefit from understanding the important research of Dr. Stephen Krashen.
Traditionally language has been taught by teaching grammar, providing extensive practice, drill, and structure. When Dr. Krashen talks about comprehensible input, he describes using more visuals.
Providing Experience Through Mediated Learning
Mediated learning nurtures real learning in the classroom. It goes beyond simply being a facilitator. The facilitator may make things happen in the classroom, but a mediator assists students to make things happen for themselves in the classroom. When the students are given the opportunity to arrive at the answer, they feel a sense of accomplishment and are more likely to remember it. Learn moreQuestioning to Stimulate Learning and Thinking
Questioning is the foundation of teaching and learning. This program features the QUILT model: Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking. Through effective questioning, student learning and achievement increases if teachers will, Explore techniques for questioning to promote learning and thinking, Help students develop skills of inquiry and the ability to ask more questions, Consider how to write questions that are purposeful and clearly focused, present questions effectively and prompt responses to enhance learning, and much more. Learn moreReaching All Students Using Practical Lesson Studies
Lesson study is an embedded, peer-to-peer learning strategy where the teachers, as a team, plan the lesson together. Lesson studies help ensure that all teachers are learning from each other and are constantly working to improve their instruction. It’s based on the concept that all students can learn, and all teachers can improve. Participating teachers work together throughout the four main elements of this protocol, which are: . . . Learn moreSMART Goals Bring Focus to Teacher Instruction
SMART Goals have the power to create increased focus and attention on the greatest concerns with student achievement in every school and district. SMART goals are goals that are: . . . Learn moreTeaching in a Technology-Infused Classroom
Using technology in the classroom lends itself well to a learning style called inquiry-based learning. In an inquiry-based learning environment, the teacher becomes the facilitator, rather than a lecturer. Shifting roles from lecturer to a facilitator in a technology-rich environment requires teachers to develop a new skill set. In a technology-based student inquiry-driven classroom, teachers facilitate peer collaboration and students develop real world skills. Learn moreTeaching Social/Emotional Skills in the Classroom
It’s true that as an educator you are often responsible for more than just the academic knowledge of the children in your classroom, or even entire school. While some students seem to fit right in, others struggle, bringing with them social and emotional issues. This is where teachers and leaders have the opportunity to assist these children.
Julie Kent, kindergarten teacher in Cincinnati, Ohio, explains, "each child is an individual. Each child needs something different, and that’s probably one of the hardest jobs of becoming a teacher, or a parent, is changing hats for each child because they all need something different. And you’ve got to be aware of what those needs are."
Learn moreThe Six Steps of Practical Lesson Study
Learning from one another is basic to the power of education regardless of where it takes place. Japanese teachers fully embrace the concept of learning from each other and have developed a process of teaching that strives to figure out not only what is in the student’s mind, but how the student is thinking. This process is called “Lesson Study.”
Learn moreUsing Consequences Effectively in the Classroom
It is better to have consequences than punishments. Consequences are teaching tools that teach kids something very important; they teach kids that students have the power of choice. Students need to understand that each choice bears a consequence, whether negative or positive. When teachers use consequences and not punishments the consequences do the talking so the teacher doesn’t have to get upset. Learn moreUsing the Five Approaches to Curriculum
Various curriculum approaches facilitate differentiation by widening the options available for students to learn and be assessed. With a variety of approaches, students react with creativity, enthusiasm, and greater knowledge retention. Five of these approaches include: . . . Learn moreUtilizing the Big Ideas from Charlotte Danielson
In the third module of her new online course, Talk About Teaching, Charlotte Danielson presents four "big ideas" to form the foundation for professional conversations among educators. Learn moreUtilizing the Six Priniciples of Mathematics Teaching
There has never been a greater need for teachers to be more competent and confident in their ability to effectively teach mathematics. To assist teachers in this effort, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has provided these six principles to guide the process of math instruction: . . . Learn more
