One of the shifts I have long encouraged teachers to make—especially in their PLCs—is to consider how much of their attention is focused on teaching and how much is focused on student learning. That’s not because teaching isn’t important. Teachers need strong instructional skills, thoughtful planning, engaging strategies, and deep content knowledge. But teaching […]

“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” Whether or not Dewey wrote those exact words in that exact form is debated, but the concept runs throughout his work. Experience alone does not guarantee learning. Reflection turns experience into learning. Inquiry begins when we encounter uncertainty. This diagram from the Great […]

Many educators know that some of the best, most relevant professional development can happen when teachers observe other teachers instructing their students. But in many schools, there’s rarely time set aside for peer observation. Erika Kersey, the principal of Greenville Elementary School in Virginia and two teachers share how they created structured, low-stakes opportunities for […]

Here is a slide that I frequently display at the start of facilitating a learning opportunity for school leaders, instructional coaches, and teachers. I personalize the statement with a look at myself. “There is no mountaintop in learning mastery as an educator. One needs not worry about reaching mastery prior to retirement. Having passed the […]

Matt Renwick recently posted a blog on MiddleWeb titled, “Observing Instruction with a Curiosity Mindset.” Matt is the author of Lead Like a C.O.A.C.H. and has previously joined me on a podcast. He identifies these keys to leading like a coach: Create confidence through trust. Organize around a priority. Affirm promising practices. Communicate feedback. Help […]

Drew Perkins provided this explanation of pushing or pulling for learning outcomes: “When pushing learning, teachers can feel like a ‘pushy’ salesperson desperate to convince students that what they’re selling is worth buying. Some of those techniques include dangling grades and using points as an incentive in learning, trying to convince students they’ll need this […]