(Guest Blog – Tessa Dodson) Tessa Dodson, Senior Writer of Classrooms.com, explores the need for students to develop the learning behaviors of seeking and using support from others. She suggests actions teachers can take to build these skills and mindsets. Instructional coaches can explore the benefits to students and teachers of building these empowered learning […]

(Guest blog, Timothy Montalvo) Tim Montalvo is an assistant principal at Fox Lane Middle School in Bedford, New York, and an adjunct professor at Iona University and The College of Westchester. A former social studies teacher and teacher leader, Tim’s work centers on middle-level education, belonging, student voice, literacy, inclusive practice, and Tier 1 systems […]

Jonathan Haidt’s, “The Happiness Hypothesis,“ presents a helpful metaphor for coaching: the elephant and the rider. The elephant symbolizes our emotional, intuitive self—the instinctive reactions that show up when a lesson flops, a student refuses to engage, or a new initiative feels overwhelming. The rider represents our rational, planning, problem-solving self that sets goals, analyzes […]

“Resistance isn’t refusal. It’s a signal of unmet needs.”  Becca Silver, the founder of The Whole Educator and the designer of the Resistance Remedy, shares how to diagnosis common unmet needs. Coaches questioning and listening emerges as key to change and commitment. Visit The Whole Educator website and get in touch with Becca here. Subscribe […]

Dr. Mark Williams, an Australian cognitive neuroscientist and author of, “The Connected Species: How the Evolution of the Human Brain Can Save the World,” frames connection as a fundamental social and neural bond that shapes how we perceive, think, and learn. Connection changes how we hear and see others. People whom we feel connected to […]

I recently read Jonathan Haidt’s, “The Happiness Hypothesis” and pondered several times how elements from his work apply to coaching teachers. When might increased teacher happiness lead to increased student learning? What role can coaching play in that connection? Haidt presents a metaphor that can be helpful in a coaching approach: the elephant and the […]