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I’m a first-year teacher. How do I become successful in the classroom?

For beginning teachers, decide what you value and support students as individuals, build a community of learners, and connect with fellow teachers for support

This story was originally published [1] by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters [2].

This is my first year as a teacher and I’m teaching sixth grade, so both my students and I are new to the school. I’m wondering if you have any advice for how to make students feel welcome in a new building? — I’m New Here

Dear I’m New Here,

Congratulations and welcome to the classroom. You are about to learn the magic of classroom leadership. 

You have a toolbox of strategies from your pre-teacher service work. Use them. You will need to try all of those strategies and see which ones work for you.  

I teach 12th grade now, but when I was a middle school teacher, I was constantly thinking of ways to reach students. I felt like I spent more time managing behaviors than teaching. To fix the problem, I planned amazing lessons that would flop because the kids would either stare at me without paying attention or refuse to turn in assignments. I remember being so frustrated and ready to quit. 

Today, during parent-teacher conferences, a parent approached me and asked, “Did you used to teach at Meramec Elementary School?” I could not believe my eyes because this woman looked exactly like a fifth grader from my first teaching assignment. She told me her name and I was transported back to 2001 when this 10-year-old wore two long braids and smiled all the time. 

She shared great memories and told me how much I influenced her life. This now-adult told me my presence meant the world to her. I found her message heartwarming and timely because for me, it was hard to believe my first year of teaching was a good experience for her. 

The truth is when you teach middle schoolers, you feel like you don’t make a difference. I learned from this former student that I was wrong. As a first-year middle school teacher, you can be successful and impact adolescents’ lives. 

Here’s how to get through your first school year

Bad advice abounds, ignore it! When I graduated with my master’s degree in education, there was a popular book that urged teachers not to smile for the first days of school. We were advised not to smile because we needed to send a message that we meant business. The theory was if we wanted respect from students, we had to communicate that we were no-nonsense educators who wanted conformity.

That did not work for me at all. I started smiling on the first day and felt like a total failure. I continued to smile every day because I realized the stern approach does not work for me. 

I finally asked myself what does work. The answer: authenticity. I needed to show up as me. 

Think of the old Bible story of David and Goliath. David was a teenager who wore an adult soldier’s tin uniform. The strange armor and borrowed weapons ended up hurting more than helping him, so instead he threw a stone to slay the giant. 

In the same way I continued to smile and David dropped that armor, don’t be afraid to lose whatever you were told or taught that isn’t working. 

Don’t isolate yourself. Most of the time, you will be alone with 20-30 students. Though you might not feel it yet in the excitement of your first year, being in a classroom with students all day can be tiring. 

If you’re like me, around the third or fourth hour of each day you might begin to question your decisions in the classroom and might even wonder if you have chosen the right career. 

This is a daily occurrence. Having teacher friends reminds you this is normal and to see the bigger picture. We have a big task and teachers support each other. 

In my first year, I made friends by eating lunch in the teacher’s lounge and planning lessons with grade-level teachers.

Decide what you value. Are you a teacher who values conformity over free thinking and expression? 

Someone who values conformity might emphasize strict due dates, teacher-enforced rules and consequences, and lecture-style learning. 

Someone who prefers free thinking in the classroom might tolerate late work policies, student-created rules, student choice teaching [3] such as stations and differentiated instruction. 

Whatever you value as a teacher should be represented in the physical and social environment of your classroom. 

– Physical environment – Consider the systems you will use to communicate your values. If you lean toward a student-centered classroom, a system could be as simple as identifying space in your classroom where students can access basic supplies such as a pencil or Chromebook charger.

What are your non-traditional seating options? I follow on YouTube a middle school teacher, Joy Bazzle [4], who uses spin bikes for desks. She has standing desks and wobble boards. Her classroom has great energy. 

Avoid items in your classroom that can cause bad feelings for students. My high school students have shared with me unfortunate memories of their names being on the board or the color being red on a classroom behavior chart at the end of the day. They recount times of missing recess or not attending popcorn parties. These punishments did not change their behaviors, the students said. They felt targeted.

Will your behavior management system convey feelings of superiority and exclusion? 

– Social environment -How will you encourage students to interact? Consider equitable systems for calling on students to participate in discussions. Trust students by including more movement in tasks where students are only using paper and pencil.

In my own classroom, I use fishbowl [5] strategies to encourage discussions and debates. An easy way to incorporate movement and encourage discussion is to take an anticipation guide [6] and have students move across the room based on whether they agree or disagree. 

Support students as individuals. As teachers, we’re trained to see who’s not doing what we asked or to prioritize finding mistakes. I have found that providing affirmation and validation are worth learning. 

Spend more time finding and acknowledging the ways in which you and your students are growing to help change the narrative that schools are a place of discipline. 

You could use your wall space to provide positive reinforcement and encouragement. If you set up your classroom as a place of cooperative education, it can create an opportunity for additional buy-in, especially from reluctant learners.

Build a community of learners. My No. 1 goal is to help children learn as much from each other as they do from me. I make it clear that everyone in class doesn’t have to be best friends. But as long as we are assembled together in a classroom, we will listen and hear one another, accept each others’ differences, and recognize strengths and how each student can contribute to the classroom environment. 

Sixth grade teachers can also facilitate collaboration. My favorite go-to strategies as a middle school teacher were the annual poetry slam [7] and the million dollar project [8]. There are other ideas to deepen student collaboration. [9]

I’m New Here, teacher programs attempt to imitate the complexities of your first year as a teacher but it is nearly impossible to know what every classroom and every student will be like when you take over your classroom. 

Know that you will survive and what you learn this year will stick with you for a lifetime.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education [1].

Related:
3 ways to bring teacher PD into the 21st century
[10]6 key elements to build a successful coaching program [11]

3 ways to bring teacher PD into the 21st century

Posted By Darren Reed, Head of K12 Professional Development, Stride, Inc. On In Educational Leadership,eSchool Media,Featured on eSchool News,Professional Development,Teacher Professional Development | Comments Disabled
A 30-year veteran educator reflects on the changing education landscape, and how teacher PD can better serve today’s teachers

When I started teaching in the early 90s, I was an eager and very green third grade teacher ready to change the world, one class at a time. My colleagues and I worked hard to build a learning community that met the needs of our students, no matter their circumstances or the resources at our disposal (or lack thereof).  

Since then, I have served in various roles in public education and the private sector and have witnessed innovations in curriculum, instructional design, classroom design, and more. But amid all this change, one area has remained relatively static in public education. When it comes to training and developing teachers, we have been letting opportunity to leverage technology pass us by. Instead of a place to break new ground and match the demands of the modern classroom, professional development programs remain a pain point for teachers.

More than half of teachers have expressed wanting to leave the profession, with many citing a lack of quality development and support as a contributing factor. Teacher PD feels obligatory, generic, time-consuming, and for many, out of reach.

So, what can we do? I propose three ways to address the professional development needs of teachers today:

Increase Teacher Choice

As a former principal, I know that data and district mandates can determine the focus and timing of professional development. The increased focus on social-emotional learning as we emerge from the pandemic is a great example school and district PD requirements. Administrators are right to equip their teams with SEL trainings and resources, but teachers also face myriad challenges unique to their classrooms that aren’t being met in the moment.

According to a 2014 study by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [12], 38 percent of teachers cited “learning that is not customized enough” to the content they teach and the skills they need as a barrier in their professional learning. However, teachers who choose all or most of their professional learning opportunities are more than twice as satisfied with professional development as those with fewer options.

Related:
AI’s pivotal role in authentic PD
[13]Is your PD missing this key element? [14]

Teachers need the ability to create a personalized teacher PD experience that not only serves their school or district goals but also helps them best support every student in their classroom.

Offer Resource-Efficient Solutions

According to reports [15], many teachers say that outside of a handful of in-service professional development days provided by their districts, they have to pay for their own professional development. Some even have to take personal or sick days to get the PD they want or need. Consider, too, that they spend more than 65 hours annually on these activities.

As technology has infiltrated our lives and our classrooms, we have not adequately leveraged it to support the growth and development of our teachers. We need teacher PD that doesn’t pull them away from their students and families, and that doesn’t force them to dig deep into their own pockets. By delivering content online and on-demand we can reduce time teachers are spending out of the classroom and give them the flexibility to meet their PD goals in ways that serve them, and their students.

Improve Relevance and Timeliness

Today, teachers juggle an ever-growing list of demands on their time and energy: curating lessons, preparing for standardized tests, and serving as counselors, coaches, and confidantes, all while navigating staff shortages, COVID protocols, and cultural discord the likes of which my generation never confronted in the classroom. Despite this, 50 percent of all teachers feel current PD does not improve outcomes There’s a sense of urgency and timeliness to get teachers what they need to serve the kids they have.

Rather than having to wait for the next teacher workday to address what they’re facing in the classroom this week, teachers should have real-time access to diverse topics in the form of on-demand, personalized teacher PD content with a focus on preparation and planning, data-driven practices, instructional environment, and building relationships

A lot has indeed changed in education over the past three decades.  We must innovate the ways in which we support and develop our teachers. Communities across the country are already grappling with teacher shortages. If these challenges are left unaddressed, it could lead to further exodus from the profession at a time when the nation needs quality teachers more than ever. We cannot shy away from this for another 30 years.

6 key elements to build a successful coaching program

Posted By Jason DeRoner, CEO and Co-Founder of TeachBoost On In Educational Leadership,eSchool Media,Featured on eSchool News,Professional Development,Teacher Professional Development | Comments Disabled
When a coaching program is done right, it works to help support teachers and students, and build stronger districts.

A successful coaching program can have an extraordinarily positive impact on teachers, students, and schools. A recent national survey of educators [16] showed that most districts agree — 75 percent see the connection between coaching, teacher growth, and student achievement.

Here are 6 key elements of successful coaching programs that can serve as a roadmap for building and sustaining a successful instructional coaching program.

1. Create a strong vision for the coaching program

The most effective coaching programs are the ones in which the leaders are intentional about building and designing them with teacher support and student outcomes in mind. As a district, ensure that there are conversations about the ultimate goals of the program. What will look and feel different in a school that has a coaching program? What are the resources needed to invest in the program? What is the timeline for implementation? How will you measure coaching work to make sure the program is meeting your objectives?

2. Get the right people in the right roles

People are the key factor in any successful coaching program. Selecting the right people as coaches is very important in creating credibility, particularly with other teachers. When selecting coaches for your program, district leaders need to determine the process for selection as well as who will be involved in that process. What role will the district play? The school? How will you ensure the program is inclusive of diverse backgrounds and perspectives?

Related:
Using online modules to strengthen teacher leadership programs
[17]How teachers like me can use AI to improve their teaching [18]

3. Foster a positive, reflective learning environment that keeps equity at the forefront

At its core, coaching is about equity — it improves teaching practice for all students which in turn improves student outcomes. When building a coaching program, equity should be at the forefront in terms of the initiatives that are chosen, the coaching application process, and outreach to potential candidates, just to name a few.

4. Be clear about the processes and structures for implementation

In order for a coach and therefore a coaching program to be successful, the expectations for the coach have to be clear: Who are they coaching? What is the coaching schedule? What is the process to debrief the visits? Establishing these processes up front will help boost efficiency and effectiveness.

5. Communicate frequently with all stakeholders

To ensure all stakeholders are clear on expectations and implementation timelines, frequent communication is key.  This could take the form of weekly emails, an online coaching and communication platform, or regular newsletters. You can use these frequent communications to highlight best practices and spotlight coaches doing great work in your schools.

6. Measure the right things and adjust as needed

To ensure a coaching program is producing the intended results, districts need to constantly collect and evaluate data. In the TeachBoost 2022 Coaching Impact Report [16], which was compiled from a survey of education leaders from districts around the country, only 21 percent of respondents say they always use data to drive coaching decisions, and 57 percent say they often use data but would like to have more. Once you collect timely and relevant data on your coaching program, you’re able to make changes so that it is positioned to achieve the intended results—this may mean more time for observations or feedback, more focus on specific district priorities, better/clearer communication, or better alignment of how coaches are prioritizing their time.

Research [16] has shown that when coaching is done right, it works to help support teachers and students, and build stronger districts. District leaders can maximize the potential of a coaching program by following a few key steps to improve educator effectiveness and job satisfaction so that they can help their students achieve their full potential.

What’s missing from your professional development?

Posted By Stacee Johnson, Director of Professional Learning & Grant Acquisition, Waxahachie ISD On In Educational Leadership,Professional Development,Teacher Professional Development | Comments Disabled
Professional development is often overlooked and is an afterthought—especially with concerns around students’ mental health and well-being.

The importance of professional development in education cannot be overstated. In fact, according to research [19], when teachers receive well-designed professional development, an average of 49 hours spread over six to 12 months, they can increase student achievement by as much as 21 percentile points.

Yet, professional development is often overlooked and considered an afterthought—especially with pressing concerns around students’ mental health and well-being, gaps in reading and math skills, and so much more. The COVID-19 pandemic shook up professional development, encouraging schools and districts to rethink what this process looks like and how to best set their educators up for success and, in turn, their students.

At Waxahachie ISD in Texas, we’ve implemented professional development through the use of video, and lean on self-reflection and personalization that is naturally part of the video process to transform how our educators learn, collaborate and grow.

Here’s why.

Enhanced self-reflection

Self-reflection is challenging, but crucial in any career and especially in education. A report from RAND [20] notes that collaborative professional development activities provide opportunities for teachers [21] to engage in informal mentoring with more experienced and more effective colleagues, experiment with new instructional approaches, and co-construct understandings of policies and practices—which, in turn, can shape teaching practice.

When a teacher watches themselves teach through video, they often notice things they missed in real-time. For example, perhaps a teacher is using their hands to explain a concept, but find when re-watching their lesson that the hand movements were distracting and took away from the lesson as a whole. Video enables teachers to capture real moments in their classrooms and pick up on little things that can otherwise go unnoticed. There’s a reason sports teams dedicate so much time to watching film on their opponents and themselves. Video allows teachers, much like sports teams, to reflect on their practice and note areas of improvement. They gain a new perspective, and their craft is further enhanced.

Related:
AI’s pivotal role in authentic PD
[13]Do your teachers think PD is a dirty word [22]
? [22]

Video also provides insight into how students learn and react. Perhaps there’s a student in the back of the classroom who raised their hand, but the teacher didn’t see it. Those little moments are visible with video and enhance a teacher’s awareness of their classroom and what, or who, to pay close attention to during their next lesson.

When a teacher uses video to review their instruction in a classroom and is made aware of habits that can be improved—such as using their hands too much, talking too fast or keeping their back turned to the class—they can correct themselves and improve their practice. That self-awareness helps teachers become stronger educators and greatly impacts the student experience for years to come.

Personalized feedback from colleagues

It’s difficult for district-level leaders to give teachers the dedicated time needed to provide actionable feedback on their instruction. Video allows teachers to share their strategies and gather valuable feedback from their colleagues.

With teachers pulled in so many different directions, dedicated time for self-reflection can fall short. However, when using video, educators can record themselves and continue teaching. Then, when teachers meet with their colleagues, it’s an engaging process, rather than a passive conversation.

Personalized feedback not only supports new teachers, but veteran educators as well, by providing an opportunity to discuss new and worn-in techniques, an avenue for authentic dialogue, and a chance for educators to truly collaborate and learn from one another. The time spent discussing and reviewing classroom video with others creates a nurturing environment where teachers build trust, share experiences and foster relationships with their colleagues,

Those interactions are key to student success and translate to tangible, real-world benefits [23].

Actionable next steps

Connecting, collaborating, and sharing teaching strategies strengthens instructional approaches and creates more effective teachers—which leads to more confident, successful students.

Through video, educators can see themselves in a new light, sparking self-reflection and conversations with their colleagues. Those important discussions lead to actionable next steps that can be applied the very next day in the classroom. From taking a moment to pause for questions, to learning a new instructional approach from a colleague, video helps teachers improve their craft [24] and set students up for greater success.

What matters most for our special education teachers?

Posted By Angela Nelson, CEO and President, Stages Learning On In eSchool Media,Featured on eSchool News,Innovative Teaching,Professional Development,Special Needs,Students with Special Needs,Teaching & Learning | Comments Disabled
It is crucial to provide special education teachers with learning opportunities that will help them succeed in making a difference in students’ lives

We all know the problem. There is a frightening shortage of special education teachers and it’s getting worse. Even prior to the pandemic, 98 [25] percent of school districts and 49 states reported that they had a shortage and a recent RAND report [26] found that six months into the pandemic over one-third of school leaders were experiencing special education teacher vacancies.

Compounding the problem, the number of students receiving special education services is predicted to increase sharply as students who are overdue for evaluations seek help and others who have fallen behind during COVID will need additional assessments and revised services. Increases in diagnoses, particular in children diagnosed with autism, are also having an impact. Today 1 in every 44 children in the US have autism and students with autism now account for 11 [27] percent of all students in special education, more than double the rate of a decade ago.

The Special Education Legislative Summit Council of Administrators of Special Education [28] has called for “all hands on deck” in addressing the shortage. Speakers at the Summit highlighted three crucial areas that need to be addressed: competitive pay, stronger recruitment, and more effective professional development. But what does effective PD look like for special educators? Is it different from what other teachers [21] need? What works? What kind? How much? And, most importantly, what types of PD will support these educators and keep them from leaving the profession?  

We now know a great deal [29] about what types of PD can not only support our special education teachers but help them thrive. In this new era of inclusive education — a positive development — we still need to focus on helping special educators by affirming the passion and caring that led them to enter the field in the first place. The big takeaway is that we need PD that helps these teachers affirm their professional identity, develop deeper understandings of the norms, language and routines of their profession, and helps them succeed in what matters most to them — making a difference in the lives of their students. Specifically, they need learning opportunities that are classroom-embedded, specialized, ongoing, and flexible.

Classroom-Embedded PD

Special educators report [30] that they have had good training experiences outside of the classroom, but they also say that when the time comes to implement this new knowledge into their classrooms there is a big disconnect. The theories taught are important, but practical strategies for executing them into daily classroom experiences are missing.

Related:
Special education students need a whole child approach
[31]A fresh perspective on VR in special education [32]

Classroom-embedded PD helps teachers immediately apply and practice what they are learning directly to their classroom experiences. As they try out new skills they can receive immediate feedback, reflect on their teaching, and continuously adjust and improve their practices in real time. Expert facilitators need to have a deep understanding of each school and classroom’s unique challenges and culture and use data-based strategies to target specific needs, model evidence-based practices, and provide opportunities for hands-on work to build teachers’ skills, knowledge, and confidence.

Specialized Learning Opportunities

Special educators report [29] on PD experiences that are overly generic and are aimed at the larger school or district environment and fail to provide them with what they need to be effective in reaching their specific goals within their own unique classrooms. Professional learning needs to be connected to the curriculum with specialized and relevant content that will serve to develop and deepen teachers’ ability to effectively implement the curriculum.

PD that focuses on strategies connected to specific curriculum content directly transfers [33] into more effective teaching practices. Learning can drill down to focus on immediate and specific needs such as implementing data management systems and reviewing the fidelity of an implementation. Trainers can also step in and help teachers create individualized assessments, progress monitoring and progression planning as well as develop recommendations for tailoring IEP goals to align with student capacity and grade-level standards.

Ongoing Support

The majority of special education teachers report [34] that their PD experiences were brief and typically take place during conferences. These one-off sessions present few opportunities for reflection, fail to deepen skills or pedagogical knowledge, and infringe upon the teachers’ time for planning.

Darling-Hammond [33] and her colleagues report that the duration and intensity of professional learning has a clear and positive association with student achievement. They found that PD programs that included an average of 49 hours per year resulted in a 21 percent increase in student achievement. They emphasize that the number of hours spent and the duration of time — typically spreading out PD over the course of a school year — are crucial to seeing significant improvement in teachers’ abilities and student success.

Flexible Options Using Technology

Intentional use of technology can provide flexibility, facilitate access, and save schools and teachers time and money. Teachers andschool administrators report [35] that they want the flexibility of virtual PD, but they also find that in-person options result in greater engagement and learning. We know that in-person training lends itself to being classroom-embedded and tied to specific curricula — all factors outlined above that result in effective outcomes. At the same time, in person is expensive, sometimes difficult to implement, and lacks the flexibility of online options.

But perhaps we can have our cake and eat it too? Webinars and videos that supplement classroom-embedded PD can serve to deepen learning. In addition, some promising new technologies can provide options that can approximate classroom-embedded PD. One example is eCoaching and BIE (Bug-in-Ear) technologies that have been shown to effectively [36] provide performance feedback to teachers and specialists without a coach being physically present. Rural schools, in particular, could greatly benefit from this type of learning experience due to the challenges of getting trainers out to remote areas.

It is important to reduce pay disparities and create more robust recruitment strategies for special educators, but the bottom line is that if these teachers find that they don’t have the support they need to be effective in the classroom, they will continue to leave. Let’s focus on what matters most and provide them with learning opportunities that we know can help them succeed in making a difference in their students’ lives.

How teachers like me can use AI to improve their teaching

Posted By Summer Workman, 7th Grade Language Arts Teacher, Keller Independent School District On In Edtech Trends,Featured on eSchool News,Professional Development,Teaching & Learning | Comments Disabled
AI coaching aligns with a focus on action-oriented professional development and is far from traditional sit-and-get professional development.

It is easy, as an educator, to get stuck in a rut. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to avoid at some point or another during the school year.

Throughout my 17 years of teaching, I’ve found myself asking questions like, “Is my instruction still engaging and fun?” and “Am I really helping my students become independent thinkers?”

I’ve even found myself feeling hesitant at times to use new technology. It can be time-consuming and, in some cases, intimidating.

That said, when I had an opportunity to try out a new professional learning platform – one that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help teachers improve their instructional practices [13] – I wanted to push myself and try it out. At the least, it would help me step outside of my comfort zone and take a closer look at my teaching.

Engaging in action-oriented professional development with AI coaching 

My district, Keller Independent School District (ISD) [37], was one of the first districts in the nation to pilot AI Coach by Edthena [38]. Using the platform, teachers [21] are guided by a virtual coach as they reflect on videos of their classroom teaching and work through coaching cycles focused on specific areas of instructional practices. This includes developing goals and strategies for improvement [39] based on teachers’ own self-reflection. 

I’ll admit, I was nervous at first – this process meant I’d have to rewatch myself teaching and then really reflect on that teaching.

However, I soon realized being able to complete this coaching process independently would give me the time and flexibility to gather some real insights about my own practice before I shared them (or my videos) with my coach or colleagues as part of our ongoing professional learning.

The AI Coach process also aligned well with my district’s focus on action-oriented professional development. It’s far from traditional sit-and-get professional development, that’s for sure.

Becoming a more reflective teacher with AI coaching

As I started the AI-powered coaching process, I recorded a 12-minute mini lesson with my 7th graders, making sure my camera captured all of my actions, students, and conversations during the lesson. Since I was the only person who would see the video, I wasn’t worried about a special lesson.

Related:
AI’s pivotal role in authentic PD
[13]Is your PD missing this key element? [14]

I then uploaded the video to the AI Coach platform and started the self-reflection process. The virtual coach asked me questions and helped me home in on specific aspects of my practice that I wanted to improve upon, such as managing student behavior and my questioning techniques.

I realized in my mini lesson, which involved a group discussion, that some of my students were getting lost in the shuffle. Seeing this on video reminded me how important it is to stay aware of all of my students’ behaviors and to ask more prompting questions to increase participation and engagement.

Continuous teacher improvement using AI

It is a game-changer getting to see yourself in action, whether it is noticing how often you say certain things, or when you miss prime opportunities for questioning, or when you simply knock a lesson out of the park. Being able to watch myself, and honestly reflect on what I saw, has had such an impact on my teaching.

Of course, it’s possible to record yourself on your phone, but the reflection part is hard to do on your own. Working with the virtual coach, driven by AI to personalize the experience to my learning needs, really made the difference. It provided the extra layer of support I think all teachers can benefit from.

The self-reflections and insights I have garnered through the AI coaching process have already helped me in my lesson planning and delivery. Lessons I have (or feel like I have) taught a million times are now looking different and having a stronger impact on my students. I am more deliberate in what – and how – I teach now. 

The virtual coaching process with the AI-powered coach has also helped me feel more prepared for conferences with my coaches and administrators. I know what I want to discuss with them in terms of my areas of strength and my areas in need of growth. 

My advice for fellow teachers looking to strengthen their practice (and maybe get out of a rut)? Lean on new technology and coaching methods that support your development. Watch yourself and reflect on your practice. And, most importantly, be inspired by moments and opportunities where you can grow as an educator. For me, AI coaching has given me the opportunity to do all of the above as I continually work to be the best educator possible, for both myself and my students.

Using online modules to strengthen teacher leadership programs

Posted By Matthew Finster & Amy Lamitie, Region 5 Comprehensive Center On In District Management,Educational Leadership,Featured on eSchool News,Professional Development,Teacher Professional Development,Teaching & Learning | Comments Disabled
West Virginia school districts are leveraging digital resources to help manage teacher leadership programs

Teacher leader programs offer opportunities for teachers to assume leader roles and leverage their expertise in teaching without leaving the classroom. Despite some of the potential and promise of teacher leader programs, new programs often struggle with problems that stem from mismanagement that limits their effectiveness.

As teacher leader programs become more prolific across the country, there is a growing need for district- and school-level staff to design policies and practices to select, develop, support, manage, compensate, and retain teacher [21] leaders. While there is a plethora of literature on teacher leadership that addresses these components, the information is not accessible to educators in a manner that allows them to easily and efficiently digest all of the different approaches and lessons learned to adapt to their context.

To make the literature on teacher leadership more accessible and engaging, we chose to develop interactive online modules—Managing Teacher Leadership [40]—that cover nine components critical to managing teacher leadership programs. The modules focus on increasing awareness and understanding of how to design, implement, and evaluate a teacher leader programin a school building or district. 

The nine modules correspond to components of talent management and present big ideas that distill essential information from the literature and offer readers relevant approaches to the specific work described in each module, varying from general guidance and exercises to relevant tools and resources. The online modules are designed to engage educators and make the approaches and lessons learned more accessible, to help school districts design and implement teacher leader programs on their own and at their own pace.  

Related:
How to build relationships with instructional coaches
[41]Is your PD missing this key element? [14]

In West Virginia, the 2019 Board of Education Fall Listening Tour [42] identified a need for opportunities for teachers to be able to assume leadership roles without leaving the classroom. Following the Fall Listening Tour, the West Virginia Legislature passed House Bill 4804 in 2020, directing the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) to help county school boards design and implement a Teacher Leadership (TL) Framework to support teacher induction and opportunities for professional growth.

The goals of the TL Framework are to 1) disseminate effective teaching strategies through collaboration, 2) develop stronger and more positive school and district cultures, and 3) increase student achievement via shared leadership structures.  The WVDE requires all TL frameworks adopted by county boards to create specific roles and responsibilities; provide regular, targeted professional learning opportunities; provide time and opportunities for teachers to collaborate; monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the TL program, and include teacher leaders in the school-improvement planning process.

Well-designed teacher leadership initiatives can improve conditions for learning and the quality of instruction, accelerate progress toward district and state goals, and establish sustainable and effective leadership systems (Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, 2019). But given multiple pressing priorities, it can be challenging to develop well-designed teacher leadership initiatives.

Many newly designed programs struggle with common barriers that can inhibit teacher leadership, including a lack of vision and goals, poorly defined TL roles and expectations, ad hoc selection criteria or “anointing and appointing” by the principal, unsupportive school climates, undifferentiated teacher leader evaluation processes, poorly articulated teacher leader and principal leadership roles, a lack of financial incentives, and ineffective TL program evaluation processes, and tools.  

In collaboration with WVDE, the Region 5 Comprehensive Center (R5CC) developed interactive online modules to support district-level staff, building-level leaders, and teachers who are interested in designing and managing formal teacher leadership programs to support school improvement.  After introducing the concept of teacher leadership and its benefits, the resource presents nine sequenced modules that describe components critically important to managing a teacher leadership program.

Each of the nine modules is organized into four sections: 1) The Big Idea, which distills essential information explored in each module 2) Practices, which offers readers relevant approaches to the specific work described in the module, varying from general guidance and exercises to relevant tools and resources; 3) Focus and Fit Tips, which reminds readers to ensure the work remains focused on teacher leadership competencies and all the practices fit together in a mutually supportive and reinforcing way; and 4) Your Turn, which provides actionable next steps to deeply engage in the work outlined in each module using the Engagement Guide.

During the 2022-23 school year, WVDE and R5CC staff will collaborate to disseminate and highlight sections of theonline modules to county stakeholders to increase awareness and use of the resource. The intention is to provide support in each component throughout the year by developing peer-to-peer opportunities to explore topics of common interest and, if requested, providing additional support to counties to help design and implement their teacher leader frameworks.

Overall, Carla Warren, Ed.D., NBCT, the Director of Educator Development and Support Services in the Office of Teaching and Learning at the WVDE commented, “I am extremely pleased with the support the department is receiving around teacher preparation and teacher leadership at this time.”

While designing and implementing teacher leader programs can be challenging, there are common lessons and approaches from the literature, including the use of online educational resources, that can support these initiatives. For more information and support, contact the Region 5 Comprehensive Center [43].

How online tutoring helps us close learning gaps and support teachers

Posted By Neal Kellogg, Director of Education Technology Services, Oklahoma City Public Schools On In District Management,Educational Leadership,Featured on eSchool News,Professional Development,Teacher Professional Development,Teaching & Learning | Comments Disabled
Having an online tutoring structure in place has been especially helpful for newer teachers in the district, who can direct students to tutors for additional support

A report [44] published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirms that the pandemic greatly impacted students’ academic progress across all grade levels and instructional models.

Oklahoma City Public Schools [45](OKCPS) has leveraged pandemic relief funds to invest in additional resources for our district community. In addition to enhancing [46] our summer school program, we are helping teachers support their students—and close learning gaps—by providing access to online, high-impact tutoring services. 

While we originally implemented online tutoring for our virtual school only, we were so impressed by the results that we decided to scale the service across our district. Now, every student has unlimited access to high-quality tutors—regardless of their grade level or academic standing.

Here’s how high-impact tutoring benefits students, families, and educators.

Identifying the need

Throughout the pandemic, OKCPS has focused on maintaining communication with students, families, and teachers to ensure they have the tools they need to be successful.

In March 2020, one of our first priorities was to roll out a one-to-one device program and implement a new learning management system (LMS). While these initiatives can take two years or more to fully scale, our district’s program was up and running by August—just in time for the 2020–2021 school year.

Instructionally, we pulled in a variety of tools to help our teachers [21]—including TutorMe [47], an online tutoring platform. While this has been a valuable resource for all students, it has been especially valuable for families who may not have had the money for tutors and related services. It’s not just about closing learning gaps—it’s about equitable opportunities for academic advancement.

Supplementing instruction with online tutoring

In a poll conducted by the National Education Association (NEA) [48], 55 percent of educators indicated they are ready to leave the profession. The NEA has termed this situation as “an unprecedented [school] staffing crisis across every job category.” The well-being of teachers directly affects the quality of their teaching, and online tutoring can reduce some of their workload. And, for educators who are teaching across several grade levels within one classroom, tutoring alleviates much of the work that must be done to differentiate instruction for individual students.

Having a tutoring structure in place has been especially helpful for our newer teachers. They appreciate that they can direct students to tutors for additional support—especially in specific subject areas—and that the tutors are equipped to meet the needs of English learners.

This structure has also helped our district streamline teachers’ standard review process. With support from our tutoring partner, OKCPS launched a Writing Lab—saving teachers time (and red ink).  Through the Writing Lab, students drop off their papers and essays for asynchronous review, and academic writing tutors provides feedback within a few hours.

Measuring success and closing the gap

One of our current priorities at OKCPS is setting usage targets that will measure the success of providing online tutoring in our schools. For example, we are tracking the percentage of students who are using our online tutoring platform during the school year, and when students are interacting with tutors. We are also tracking how many students are using the platform at each school.  

In addition, we are tracking interim benchmarks, beginning-, middle- and end-of-the-year growth measurements and state assessment comparisons across school years to ensure we are on track to reach our goals and milestones. This also ensures we are able to justify continued investment in online tutoring beyond pandemic-related funding.

At OKCPS, we recognize [49] our responsibility to eliminate past, present and predictable barriers to student success by ensuring that all students have access to the resources—people, time and money—they need to engage in high-quality learning. Through online tutoring, we are equipping teachers (and students) with the resources they need to be successful.

8 questions for educators as they use assessments to support student learning

Posted By Chase Nordengren, PhD, Principal Research Lead for Effective Instructional Strategies, NWEA On In Curriculum & Assessment,District Management,Featured on eSchool News,Innovative Teaching,Professional Development,Teaching & Learning | Comments Disabled
Targeted questions can help educators better understand an assessment’s real purposes--and ensure that students get the most value from it

For assessments to be used effectively in schools, it’s important for districts and schools to consider what assessments are intended for and how the data gained from the assessments will be applied to support student learning. Building and maintaining a balanced assessment system is essential for schools, but the process can be complicated. 

Asking these eight questions can help school district leaders who want to make sure they’re using and administering formative, interim, and summative assessments at the right times and in effective ways. Considering these key questions can help districts build assessment systems that better support student learning [21] and improved outcomes.

1. What is the purpose of this assessment?

An assessment’s purpose includes the intentions of the designers who created it, as well as the district’s intentions in selecting it. To understand what a given assessment is meant to do, take a careful look at the materials that accompany it and any pertinent communications from the district. When in doubt, ask questions. The right questions can help those around you achieve the clarity they need to fully understand what an assessment is designed to accomplish.

2. What does that purpose mean for how I should use this assessment?

In contrast to an assessment’s purpose, its use refers to the real-world utilization of an assessment by teachers, support staff and specialists, and building or district administrators. With all these different stakeholders doing all sorts of different things to help students learn, no single assessment is going to meet everyone’s needs. To understand how an assessment might be useful to you, pay close attention to how those around you talk about it and use it.

3. Is there a disconnect between an assessment’s purpose and use?

When the way an assessment is used runs contrary to how it was intended to be used, that’s a major red flag. For example, if a formative assessment is being used for grading [50], this disconnect between purpose and use can interfere with students’ motivation to learn, it can reproduce existing inequities, and it can be confusing for students and families. Inappropriate uses for assessments lead us to make bad or poorly supported decisions that ultimately inhibit learning. Once you’ve identified an assessment’s purposes and uses, compare them side by side, carefully looking for any uses that might ask an assessment to do something inappropriate.

4. What resources do I need to use this assessment for its intended purpose?

Sometimes we can’t use an assessment for its intended purpose because other elements of a teaching and learning strategy get in the way. For example, a teacher focused on a strict scope and sequence for instruction for every student may have difficulty using an interim assessment like MAP Growth to differentiate instruction [51] based on students’ individual learning needs. Look for a match between an assessment’s intended purpose and your teaching and learning strategies, and advocate for change where other policies, procedures, and common practices prevent you from using high-quality assessments to their full potential.

5. What can this assessment provide to our school that other assessments cannot?

Different assessments are better at different things. Formative assessment [52] processes are ideal for proposing evidence of student learning in the moment and supporting students in becoming self-directed learners. Interim assessments like MAP Growth [53] help teachers identify student needs across a content area, help teachers and administrators gauge progress toward learning goals, and help predict performance on state-mandated assessments. Purposeful summative assessments [54] allow students to demonstrate what they’ve learned while providing administrators with important information about student learning overall.

When choosing new assessments, start by examining the gaps in your current assessment strategy. Having a clear understanding of those gaps will help you identify the types of assessments you may need in the future.

6. How will my students understand and use this assessment?

Students react to the assessment process in many different ways. Many students relish the challenge of demonstrating what they know, and they welcome opportunities to improve on their past performance. For other students, however, assessments can trigger fear, self-doubt, frustration, or even panic. These students may not understand how the assessments will be used, and they might even worry about how the assessment will reflect on them as individuals. How you talk to students about their assessment results and use them in instruction [55] plays a big role in whether their experience is positive or negative.

7. How can I talk to students’ families about the purpose and uses of this assessment?

Families are among the most important stakeholders in the assessment process. Because a student’s caretakers can’t sit in your classrooms every day, assessments serve as a valuable source of information on how their child is doing and what they can do to support their learning. Make sure that families have what they need to prepare their students for assessments [56]understand the data they see [57] from assessments, and build skills alongside their student over time.

8. How will this assessment support student learning?

The objective of every assessment should be to support student learning. The more you know your assessment tools [58], triangulate data between assessments, and provide students with the support they need to do their best, the more helpful assessments will be in meeting your most critical needs as an educator.

When you find yourself lacking clarity on how best to use the formative, interim, and summative assessments in front of you, try asking these eight questions before you get too far into the assessment process. They can help you not only better understand an assessment’s real purposes and uses, but also ensure that your students get the most value and meaning from it.

Educators are turning yoga into a vehicle for school and community change

Posted By Laura Ascione On In Educational Leadership,Featured on eSchool News,Professional Development,SEL & Well-Being,Teacher Professional Development | Comments Disabled
Teacher burnout and the need for SEL and mental health support among students are at all-time highs--but wellness practices can help

After a tumultuous few years teaching during a pandemic, some educators are embarking on a unique approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) training this summer: They’re pursuing a virtual wellness, SEL, and yoga training course.

Graduates of Breathe For Change’s 200-hour program [59] will be certified to teach inclusive yoga classes to both adults and young people and lead SEL and wellness experiences in their schools, districts, and organizations.

“Our whole approach is a community-wide wellness approach–the home-school connection matters deeply,” said Dr. Ilana Nankin, Breathe For Change’s founder and CEO.

The certification program is designed specifically for educators who can use their SEL and yoga education for teacher well-being and student SEL.

Educators were stressed, overwhelmed, and overworked before the pandemic escalated things, said Nankin, a former PreK teacher, who focused on this topic in her dissertation. When Nankin used her research and teaching experiences to create Breathe For Change in 2015, educators who participated in the program saw transformations in their students, from an SEL perspective, but also from an academic perspective.

It reveals “how powerful SEL and wellness practices can be for students’ lives, in school and in an educational context,” she said. “Then, as educators, how do we utilize wellness, SEL, yoga, and mindfulness as vehicles for healing and social change across our whole community?”

Educator graduates have taken their training and started mindfulness programs in their schools, established yoga clubs for kids, are leading family wellness nights, hold SEL and well-being PD for their colleagues, and are transforming school culture and climate.

Breathe For Change’s SEL training component is split into various components, including breath awareness, mindful movement, community connection, and creative expression. Educators integrate these practices into their instruction while also weaving them together to facilitate wellness workshops and professional development.

The program also adds an “F” to turn SEL into SEL*F. That “F” stands for facilitation, and the training equips educators to lead wellness and SEL practices and programs in their schools and districts.

“It’s so critically important to embody, live, and breathe the practices and SEL competencies we hope to teach our kids,” Nankin said. “Training starts with a focus on transformation of self–educators first and foremost should take care of their own well-being and prioritize their own self-care so they can do the essential work of giving themselves to their communities.”

This summer’s educator participants draw attention to two growing issues: teacher burnout and the increased need for SEL and mental health support among students.

A nationally representative survey [60] of teachers by RAND Education and Labor in late January and early February 2021 found that educators were feeling depressed and burned out from their jobs at higher rates than the general population. In the survey, one in four teachers–particularly Black teachers–reported that they were considering leaving their jobs at the end of the school year. Only one in six said the same before the pandemic.

A January 2022 study [61] published in JAMA Pediatrics confirmed what many educators, administrators, and support staff already knew: School closures, disrupted learning, and a pandemic year have coalesced to create an alarming mental health crisis among teenagers.

The study found that up to 60 percent of students are experiencing “strong distress,” including anxiety and depression. The results echoed a recent American Psychological Association (APA) report, which found that more than 80 percent of teenagers experienced “more intense stress” during the pandemic.

How to build relationships with instructional coaches

Posted By Steven M. Baule, Ed.D., Ph.D., Faculty Member, Winona State University & Natalie Ulloa, Instructional Coach, Grades 8-12 On In District Management,Educational Leadership,Featured on eSchool News,Professional Development,Teacher Professional Development,Teaching & Learning | Comments Disabled
As educational practice becomes more collaborative, instructional coaches play a pivotal role in helping educators hone their skills.

Teaching at any level can often be a solitary occupation. Even with a classroom full of students, teachers often work in isolation from peers. Teachers rarely receive instruction on how to work with co-teachers or teacher assistants in their pre-service teacher education programs. Therefore, it is often difficult or awkward for teachers to ask for help or effectively collaborate with others. Instructors often don’t know how to accept help from the instructional coaches, even when they would like to.

Educational practice is shifting from isolating practice to collaborative efforts, and creating healthy and productive team dynamics is often a challenge. Instructional coaches can positively impact these relationships, but the trust must be in place for it to occur. Even in systems where working with a coach is expected, building those initial relationships can be challenging.

Instructional coaches, instructional designers, and even assigned co-teachers often struggle to establish working relationships [62] with individual classroom teachers. Librarians regularly complain that they spend more time clearing jams from printers instead of assisting students with reference questions. However, clearing that paper jam can help the student see the librarian as a resource. In the same way, the instructional designer might start to build a relationship by helping an instructor properly format hanging indents for a research paper. One instructional coach started building a positive relationship by making copies for classroom teacher. Just like the proverbial salesman who had to get a foot in the door, sometimes the first step is a small one.

Just as teachers rarely learn about collaborating with others in their classroom, instructional coaches and others of their stripe are often trained to focus on analyzing student learning data or the technical skills. However, that is only one facet of the coaching role. Gathering and analyzing data is an important aspect of instructional improvement, but it is rarely successful as the first facet.

Instructional coaches need to begin by building relationships with those instructors they are assigned to support. Building a supporting and trusting relationship with those coaches is essential. Coaches have to be able to keep confidences with those they work with. Building trust is essential for coaches and co-teachers to be able to collaborate fully and honestly. It is easy for instructional coaches to be frustrated when asked to complete mundane tasks, but those mundane tasks might be the conduit to building an initial relationship with an instructor.

One recent instructional coach exclaimed to a class full of graduate students, “Please tell everyone to take that first step, even if it is to make copies. It just might be the important first step.” It might be those copies that were the first step to an instructor telling the coach, “Ok, I will try that, because it is you.”

Beyond the need to build relationships, instructional coaches need to ensure they help the instructors focus on the impact they are having on students. Instructors almost universally want their students to be successful. Once the coach has built a trusting relationship, then they can begin to suggest technical changes based upon the data and best practice. Here again, balance is important. Asking instructors to make wholesale changes will not be nearly as effective as working on a couple of specific high value items. After experiencing cooperative success, the coach can then push forward a few more suggestions. Pushing too much at once can turn an instructor off. Even with the most struggling instructors, instructional coaches should always look for bright spots where they can help instructors build confidence–particularly in those cases where the instructors have been directed to work with the coach due to performance concerns.

Effective coaching is a three-faceted process. Coaches need to build relationships with the instructors they support, then work to collaboratively analyze the relative data in light of the goal of impacting student achievement or otherwise supporting student success. All three facets of the coaching process need to be given adequate attention to build strong successful partnerships to improve the teaching and learning process.

One instructional coach articulated her process in this way: I started my process in an optional fashion, meaning my teachers choose “to work with me.” This has been a challenge that made me come up with ideas to get the foot in the door, made me feel sometimes ineffective as an instructional designer, but now after seven years, it has really made me appreciate the value of that journey.

As mentioned, instructional coaching is a multi-faceted process. There are many layers in it. The emotional wellbeing of your team is essential to build a foundation for further work. The small steps are key ingredients to start any coaching program and finding a framework to plan for structure and next level of practice. A coach starts with small tasks, but we need to be prepared to move our practice toward alignment with building goals, refine the work, and this is what a coaching framework provides.

AI’s pivotal role in authentic PD

Posted By Laura Ascione On In District Management,Educational Leadership,Featured on eSchool News,Professional Development,Teacher Professional Development,Teaching & Learning | Comments Disabled
When AI is used in PD, educators can better reflect on their instructional practices and target areas for improvement

Many people envision artificial intelligence’s (AI) role in education with a sci-fi twist, but in reality, AI is already embedded in promising new tools that address student learning, real-time feedback, and continuous professional development (PD).

AI-powered learning tools can offer students immediate feedback and a customized learning experience. And when used in PD, time-strapped educators can better reflect on their instructional practices and target areas for improvement.

Edthena, a provider of video-powered PD tools, is harnessing AI in its new AI Coach platform. The solution helps schools and districts give teachers [21] access to supportive coaching to improve teaching effectiveness. AI Coach uses artificial intelligence to guide teachers through coaching cycles aligned to common growth areas.

Using AI Coach platform, teachers connect with Edie, their virtual coach. Edie asks teachers about their professional goals, and then teachers analyze and reflect on videos of their classroom instruction by adding time-stamped comments.

Edie takes a guide-on-the-side approach to help teachers summarize the evidence found during video analysis and develop action plans to increase impact with their students. As part of their conversation with Edie, teachers develop a short-term goal, identify a strategy for change, and commit to a timeline for implementation. This evidence-based process enables teachers to receive many of the benefits of instructional coaching even if an in-person coach is not available.

“In the conversational AI space…you’re fundamentally able to have a conversation with the computer on the other end. That’s really exciting,” said Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena. “What it means is that we’re able to take the ideas of some general-purpose technologies people are becoming familiar with and translate those techniques to professional learning for teachers. High-quality coaching is essential to helping teachers succeed in the classroom. However, ensuring that a coach is available for every teacher on a regular basis to support ongoing reflection was a near-impossible task until now. The AI Coach platform is a support tool for teachers that complements the efforts of school leaders and instructional coaches.”

The AI Coach platform helps school leaders and instructional coaches support teachers’ continuous learning and growth.

“Ideally, we’d have enough coaches and time to go visit every teacher in-person, but that’s just not possible, and it means that some teachers are getting ongoing support of a coach while others aren’t,” said Valerie Minor, coordinator of professional development and leadership at Keller Independent School District in Keller, Texas. “I see great value in being able to offer all teachers access to AI Coach which can guide them through cycles of self-reflection and empower them to continue their professional learning.”

Trained by experienced instructional coaches, the AI Coach platform personalizes the coaching cycle for each teacher’s self-identified focus areas. For example, if a teacher indicates they are interested in observing for “checks for understanding,” the AI Coach platform provides related observation tips for the video analysis. Then, when it’s time for the teacher to develop a strategy for making progress against their goal, the platform offers curated content to help the teacher learn more about “checks for understanding.”

“AI Coach by Edthena is not meant to replace existing coaches,” said Geller. “Instead, the platform is meant to help every school and district provide more coaching and feedback than they can deliver today due to not having coaches or not having enough coaches.”

And in the future, AI’s capabilities will bring more professional development opportunities to educators.

“We’ll continue to build out the ability of the AI to suggest things in a more nuanced way,” Geller said. “When it’s time to suggest more resources, maybe those resources will become more nuanced over time. Maybe the way the back-and-forth interaction works can become even more open-ended.”

Using AI in professional development is in its infancy, but its potential is great.

“I think we’re really at the beginning of the next generation of teacher professional learning tools. What it means for teachers is more personalized experiences that feel more streamlined, more integrated, and in some ways, invisible–more magic, because the best technology is the one that feels like magic,” Geller said. “I think where we’re headed is that teacher professional development tools will have the same delight and the same ease of use as when you pick up your phone and ask the phone’s digital assistant for the weather.”

AI Coach by Edthena is in continued development and testing with teachers this spring. Schools and districts will be able to share the AI Coach platform with all of their teachers starting in fall 2022.

“I think that idea that what AI will do is take technology for PD to this place that it feels invisible, magical–I think that’s the type of experience we’re trying to provide. Technology shouldn’t make people feel disconnected from each other; it should make them feel connected,” Geller said. “It shouldn’t feel like something extra; it should feel like something that’s streamlined. As we’ve built this tool, we’ve built something that helps prepare people to be better collaborators with their colleagues, their stakeholders, and their community while also making it easy to use.”

To learn more about the AI Coach platform and to join the waitlist for access, visit www.YourAICoach.com [63].