When it comes to instruction in education over the course of history, it often seems we ride the pendulum that swings between freedom and bondage. There once was a time when we could stop mid science lesson and take a spontaneous field trip to the pond out back where we could quickly and practically learn the difference between a toad and a frog, observe their life cycles, explore the aquatic biome and discuss the food chain as it relates to the local wildlife. I truly believe, and I will dare to say, that if it isn’t meaningful, it isn’t worth teaching! In order to improve instruction at our school, we must ensure that content is meaningful, relevant and engaging for all students, and we must continually learn from one another.
Learning from one another to improve instruction involves building relationships. In order to do so, we must take a collaborative approach to both teaching and evaluation. Fariña and Kotch (A School Leader’s Guid to Excellence, 2008) explain that collaborative methods such as participatory lessons involve a range of outcomes, from increasing collaboration and reflection to improving differentiation and better meeting the needs of students. Planning and implementing lessons together gives the principal a chance to ensure school wide consistency, understand some unique challenges of individual teachers and determine what can be done to support each teacher’s professional growth.
Learning from one another means spending time in each other’s classrooms. With so many incredible teachers on our staff, it is vital that not only our administrative staff, but the entire staff should be able to benefit from watching our resident experts in action. Fariña and Kotch suggest peer coaching, which promotes a depth of collaboration that helps teachers to be committed to not only their own success, but to the success of their peers.
Visiting classrooms also helps us to focus on overall practices and school wide areas of improvement. In the article written by Elizabeth A. City (2011), Learning from Instructional Rounds, she explains the many benefits of peer observations through a protocol similar to doctors’ rounds. Her method requires that teachers focus on why a problem of practice exists and then determine a plan of action that can be observed when classrooms are revisited. Group observations, a specific strategy for improvement, and a network of educators working together and holding one another accountable are what make this practice powerful. As teachers observe what is happening in other classrooms, they learn what’s effective, it reduces variability between classrooms, and it provides a way to choose a focus of improvement that can also determine future staff development.
Participating in instructional rounds also helps us to shift our attention from the teacher to the students and the tasks they’re engaged in (City, 2011). We begin to notice what content and which instructional strategies are cultivating the most student engagement. We also find that when our students understand the “why” behind what we are teaching, they are more likely to engage and connect with the content. We learn how successful teachers are making the content accessible by using proven best practices, and we find ways to replicate those practices in other parts of the building
The kinds of best practices we hope to observe involve instruction, curriculum and assessment. Effective teachers provide support, scaffolding and differentiation for all students in order to meet the needs of every individual learner. They use methods and materials that promote deeper thinking and practical application. They continually assess their students, provide timely and effective feedback, and then reflect on both the teaching and the learning in order to improve instruction.
Instructional improvement is a never-ending endeavor, and collaboration is the key. Charles Darwin said it well, “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” When we collaborate effectively, we learn from one another and, in turn, improve our practices. When we improvise effectively, content is meaningful, students are engaged, and learning is happening at every level; students, teachers and administrators alike.
REFERENCES
Farina, C. & Kotch, L. (2008). A school leader’s guide to excellence: Collaborating our way to better schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
City, Elizabeth A. (2011). Learning from Instructional Rounds. Educational Leadership, 36-41. http://www.ASCD.org
Darwin, Charles (1859). The Origin of Species. Retrieved from http://www.theleadermaker.com/ the-origin-of-species-charles-darwin/
Learning from one another to improve instruction involves building relationships. In order to do so, we must take a collaborative approach to both teaching and evaluation. Fariña and Kotch (A School Leader’s Guid to Excellence, 2008) explain that collaborative methods such as participatory lessons involve a range of outcomes, from increasing collaboration and reflection to improving differentiation and better meeting the needs of students. Planning and implementing lessons together gives the principal a chance to ensure school wide consistency, understand some unique challenges of individual teachers and determine what can be done to support each teacher’s professional growth.
Learning from one another means spending time in each other’s classrooms. With so many incredible teachers on our staff, it is vital that not only our administrative staff, but the entire staff should be able to benefit from watching our resident experts in action. Fariña and Kotch suggest peer coaching, which promotes a depth of collaboration that helps teachers to be committed to not only their own success, but to the success of their peers.
Visiting classrooms also helps us to focus on overall practices and school wide areas of improvement. In the article written by Elizabeth A. City (2011), Learning from Instructional Rounds, she explains the many benefits of peer observations through a protocol similar to doctors’ rounds. Her method requires that teachers focus on why a problem of practice exists and then determine a plan of action that can be observed when classrooms are revisited. Group observations, a specific strategy for improvement, and a network of educators working together and holding one another accountable are what make this practice powerful. As teachers observe what is happening in other classrooms, they learn what’s effective, it reduces variability between classrooms, and it provides a way to choose a focus of improvement that can also determine future staff development.
Participating in instructional rounds also helps us to shift our attention from the teacher to the students and the tasks they’re engaged in (City, 2011). We begin to notice what content and which instructional strategies are cultivating the most student engagement. We also find that when our students understand the “why” behind what we are teaching, they are more likely to engage and connect with the content. We learn how successful teachers are making the content accessible by using proven best practices, and we find ways to replicate those practices in other parts of the building
The kinds of best practices we hope to observe involve instruction, curriculum and assessment. Effective teachers provide support, scaffolding and differentiation for all students in order to meet the needs of every individual learner. They use methods and materials that promote deeper thinking and practical application. They continually assess their students, provide timely and effective feedback, and then reflect on both the teaching and the learning in order to improve instruction.
Instructional improvement is a never-ending endeavor, and collaboration is the key. Charles Darwin said it well, “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” When we collaborate effectively, we learn from one another and, in turn, improve our practices. When we improvise effectively, content is meaningful, students are engaged, and learning is happening at every level; students, teachers and administrators alike.
REFERENCES
Farina, C. & Kotch, L. (2008). A school leader’s guide to excellence: Collaborating our way to better schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
City, Elizabeth A. (2011). Learning from Instructional Rounds. Educational Leadership, 36-41. http://www.ASCD.org
Darwin, Charles (1859). The Origin of Species. Retrieved from http://www.theleadermaker.com/ the-origin-of-species-charles-darwin/