School districts across the US are creating new teacher evaluation systems that are supposed to better identify ineffective teaching and, in some cases, tie a teacher’s rating to student performance. My quarrel is not with the evaluation systems themselves however. My quarrel is with how they are being implemented. Here are three of the most [...]
Life is funny. I have spent the last month talking to administrators and instructional leaders about the importance of strategic conversations with teachers. I have urged them to commit to speaking the truth and to remaining engaged even when it is difficult. And, I have been adamant that they try to work with every person on [...]
The problem is that many professional development workshops, books, classes, and trainings are driven by five pervasive lies. And if we buy into these lies, we will set ourselves up for failure.
The problem is that many professional development workshops, books, classes, and trainings are driven by five pervasive lies. And if we buy into these lies, we will set ourselves up for failure.
On the sixth day of Christmas, Mindsteps sent to me six things I look for when I visit a classroom, five of the biggest mistakes I made as a new teacher, four differentiation mistakes to avoid, three ways to survive the December crunch, two Webinars, and a free video of Robyn.
On the second day of Christmas, Mindsteps sent to me two Webinars, and a free video of Robyn.
Recently, I conducted a workshop for instructional coaches who wanted to learn more about how to promote and support rigorous instruction in their schools. I had about 150 k-12 instructional coaches at the training and we started the day by looking at some classroom video footage. I asked the coaches to watch each five-minute slice [...]
This blog post is part of the Day of National Blogging for Real Education Reform. You can find other post like it here. One of the most disturbing trends in education right now is the assumption that anyone can run a school. With rising support for alternative certification routes like Teach for America whose members [...]
Robyn Jackson is a leading expert on holding strategic conversations in the education community. Here are some tips for having those types of conversations in the classroom. Also consider her book, The Instructional Leader’s Guide to Strategic Conversation with Teachers. A leadership tip sheet: Strategic Conversations
