My job as instructional coach is primarily to help teachers. I go into classes. I observe teaching. I give feedback. I plan and deliver training. It is quite fulfilling to see a teacher go from a novice to a master teacher through this process. Despite some of the barriers, I think teachers find the support … Continue reading Teaching with Direct Instruction
How to Coach Teachers Without Being Weird About it
I was recently invited to chat with Matt Findlay and Femi Adeniran on their fantastic podcast, Beyond Good. I would absolutely recommend that fans of my podcast add this one to their list. https://open.spotify.com/episode/54wVyOm029JufraUSm5NzB?si=vzYhv0_oQ3iPzGtU1HToEg Much of our discussion revolved around my approach to instructional coaching. I do not claim to have all the answers. I … Continue reading How to Coach Teachers Without Being Weird About it
“I Already Do That”, “That’s So Obvious” and Other Biases in Teaching
For the past year, I have been co-hosting the Middle Leaders' Forum for Think Forward Educators. It's an Australia-based organization that provides some of the best PD available, much of it free. Here is a little sample of some of the work we've been doing. https://vimeo.com/878234376?share=copy If you would like to have me provide evidence-informed … Continue reading “I Already Do That”, “That’s So Obvious” and Other Biases in Teaching
I’m headed to the inaugural USA Festival of Education
I am excited to announce that I will be presenting at the inaugural USA Festival of Education in October. You can see my presentation description below, which is found in the website under the Cognitive Science strand. I think the organizers of USA Festival of Education must be confused about what we do around here in American education. … Continue reading I’m headed to the inaugural USA Festival of Education
Only Dolphins
As the school year starts back up, I'm grateful to have seen those dolphins, among many other things.
Maximizing Learning Through Explicit Instruction with Zach Groshell
A few years ago, the Head of Math at my school confided in me that he was trying to "sneak" explicit instruction into his department. The school was full of romantic ideas about learning and childhood, and anything "teacher led" was seen as top-down, coercive, antiquated, or just plain boring. But my Head of Math … Continue reading Maximizing Learning Through Explicit Instruction with Zach Groshell
10 Popular Yet Questionable Instructional Coaching Dogmas
Last week I was invited to speak about instructional coaching for the always excellent Teachers Talk Radio. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ZuKptgncMuUuD8dTdNrSv?si=jUjYRwu8SvOOHHALXav8qA Much of our discussion centered on the dogmas or conventional beliefs that are often sold as "just good coaching", but that I find highly questionable. Below are 10 of these "dogmas". Importantly, these are are not "myths" … Continue reading 10 Popular Yet Questionable Instructional Coaching Dogmas
The Nascent Field of Instructional Coaching
I have been in the instructional coaching game for a few years now. You can hear me talk about it on The School Leader's Podcast here and with Sarah Cottingham here. During this time, I've encountered a number of conventional beliefs about instructional coaching that, frankly, don't make sense or conflict with what my on-the-ground … Continue reading The Nascent Field of Instructional Coaching
Education Rickshaw 
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