Skip to main content

The Coach’s Take

UJH is only as great as the conversations had by its teachers!

Search This Blog

Resources

Posted by Drew

Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

Instructional Coaching Program

UJH Instructional Coaching Overview
UJH Instructional Coaching Model
UJH Instructional Coaching Model at a Glance

Instructional Coaching Resources

Student-Centered Cycle Planning & Reflection Guide
4 Shifts Reflection and Assessment Guide (McLeod & Graber, 2018)
Student-Centered Cycle Schedule
Professional Growth Plan Template

Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Authentic Engagement: A Byproduct of Deeper Learning, Student Agency, Authentic Opportunities, and Technology Integration

Authentic. Perhaps there are no two greater buzz phrases in K-12 education than authentic learning and authentic engagement. First and foremost, these two terms must be looked at in isolation as they are different. For this post, let us take a closer look at authentic engagement. Through the lens of a reflective teacher, it is more than frustrating to be excited to roll out a lesson than to have it fall flat with your students. As a teacher, you can instinctively feel it as is happening, and we hope we can pivot mid-lesson. It is even more frustrating for an instructional coach at a junior high to allow that same lesson fall flat 3 more times throughout the day and perhaps the next semester or the next year. Such a circumstance requires reflection on what needs to happen for that lesson to be successful. The following 4 questions can provide teachers with a current picture of reality, and a strategic plan on how to address the lesson’s shortcomings (McLeod & Graber, 2019)

Reading and Writing in Social Studies

Reading and Writing in Social Studies When I was an undergraduate, my educational psychology professor said something to me that I have carried into my professional and personal life. He said, “Drew, sometimes you don’t know what you think until you write it down and see what you have to say.” This resonated with me on many different levels. I have been fascinated by and have studied Abraham Lincoln my entire life, and it reminded me of what he used to do when faced with a challenging situation. He would write about it. For example, when George Gordon Meade abandoned his pursuit of Robert E. Lee after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln was furious. He felt as though Meade had let the end of the war slip through his fingertips. Lincoln sat down and pinned a harsh letter to General Meade offering a scathing critique of his performance. He took that letter, put it in an envelope, and he filed it away in his desk next to other letters in which he had taken the same action...no action.

Impact Cycle in Math & Engaging Real World Math Projects

When I was in school, I was never a “math guy.” However, I know that if I would have had the two math teachers that are at UJHS they may have persuaded me to think otherwise. I am continually impressed when I walk into a math lesson at the way that our teachers make the skills seem so simplistic while challenging them to meet rigorous standards. Last month, Ms. Todd invited me down to do some observation for an impact cycle. In our initial meeting, I asked her the question that I ask every teacher when we begin an impact cycle, “what don’t you like about how your courses are going right now. What is really hitting you in the gut that you would like to change.” I have found that when I phrase this question this way, I get more authentic feedback than what I used to get when I asked teachers the question, “so how are things going.” The typical red-blooded American teacher answer is the response, “fine!” At times it seems like this has become just an automatic response, just as o

Powered by Blogger

Drew Witherell 2019