For my first blog post of this school year, I'm recycling a bit and stealing largely from my final blog post of last school year. So, if this sounds familiar to you loyal readers, that's why!
As I'm sure many of you have, I've been using some time lately to reflect on what my goals and hopes are for this year. I've even begun thinking about what my SMART goals might entail. I'm already getting excited about my plans, which include developing and implementing a more formal coaching model for our school district, which I believe will help me ensure my coaching is as effective as it can be, benefiting teachers and students alike. After two years of coaching, I feel ready and energized to tackle this goal!
If you're having trouble reflecting and thinking about goals (SMART or otherwise) for this year, I suggest turning to the Teaching Rubric that's part of our new education evaluation system here in Massachusetts. This rubric is designed to aid in your reflection on your practices and in your goal-setting. But it can feel a bit cumbersome and verbose, can't it? To better navigate it, try considering these questions as you skim through the indicators (I'm going to focus on Standards I & II here, since they're so instructional in nature and that's my thing, y'all!):
Standard I:
- How rigorous are the tasks you engage students in? Are students working within their zone of proximal development (ZPD)? What assessment practices do you use that help you to determine where each student's ZPD is?
- How often do students learn through differentiated experiences in your class, whether they be differentiated by interest, learning style, or readiness?
- How comfortable do you feel with your lesson planning formats and structures? Do you consistently include challenging, measurable objectives (and do these objectives end up being "lived objectives" during the lesson)? Activators? Summarizers? Opportunities for assessing student understanding during the lesson? Opportunities for all students to practice and to receive feedback during the lesson? Is pacing ever an issue? Are there built-in opportunities for students to receive support during the lesson should they need it, or to be challenged with extensions should that be their need?
- How often do you use formative assessment data (this could be informal or formal) to inform your instruction for the next day(s)? Are you able to do this on a regular basis (weekly or even, ideally, daily)?
- What types of assessments do students experience in your class? Is it a wide range?
- Are students provided exemplars and rubrics that help them understand assessment criteria and expectations? Do you model as often as possible? Do you use a "gradual release of responsibility" (I Do, We Do, You Do) so that students are scaffolded towards success?
- How engaged are your students during lessons? Is time on task an issue? Are all students given chances to practice during lessons (not just those who raise their hands)?
- How often do you tier your instruction in order to meet the needs and readiness levels of all your students? Do you feel comfortable planning tiered instruction based on formative assessment data?
- Do your students clearly understand your expectations of them? Could they describe them to someone else? Are your expectations so communicated and enforced (through rituals, routines, and appropriate responses) that students eventually "own" them as well?
The above questions don't cover everything Standards I & II delve into. But I think they are a great starting place for examining our instructional practices and determining where we'd like to improve. As you do so, please consider working with me as your instructional coach. The coaching model I'll be developing and implementing this year will help me to even better guide the teachers I work with towards the efficient, effective meeting of their goals.
Here's to a great school year!!
