The groundhog may have predicted six more weeks of winter, but that just means more guilt-free reading time before the weather changes. 🤓 Start here by learning five strategies to help everyone make the most of online instruction, how to close student learning gaps with co-planning, a few ways teachers can harness their reflection skillset to improve their practice, and more!

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Quick E-Learning Best Practices You Can Use Today

Belinda Hill offers five strategies to help everyone make the most of online instruction.

"Taking control of e-learning is a marathon, not a sprint. As educators and coaches, we need to continue to support teachers we work with by providing them with articles, professional development, praise, and encouragement to keep their heads up high and continue doing amazing things in the classroom. . . .  The key to making this all work is you!"

Co-Planning Sessions

Julie Steele believes that when a coach and teacher plan lessons together built on rigor and engagement, student learning gaps will shrink.

"Co-planning is one of the core practices that separates Student-Centered Coaching from other instructional coaching approaches. Our belief is that all students can learn at high levels and that the practice of co-planning allows coaches to 'get their hands dirty' and co-create rigorous and engaging instruction by assisting teachers to make responsive decisions during the learning process."

Leaders Modeling Professional Learning

Chad Dumas encourages leaders to not just talk about professional learning but do it too by getting in the trenches with teachers.

"The second key idea around modeling learning with your staff is that of distinguishing between leadership and management. Deming noted that leadership is meeting the needs of everyone. Management, on the other hand, is about meeting the unique individual needs of each person. Another way to say it is that leadership is working on the system; management is working in the system. School leaders who are modeling learning distinguish between these two types of activities, and then act accordingly–varying their personal and organizational learning needs depending on the issue."

Pandemic Schooling is Overwhelming

Kara Newhouse highlights how one Alaska school successfully restructured its online learning processes and curriculum based on student and teacher feedback.

"Gallaway didn't make those changes alone. She said that having a common prep period every day enabled West Valley teachers to collaborate within and across departments more than in the past. Social studies and English teachers, for instance, used that time to tackle shared challenges, such as how to facilitate fishbowl discussions, debates and student dialogues online."

The Benefits of Developing a Reflective Routine

Megan Collins shares three ways teachers can harness their reflection skillset to improve their practice.

"In order to thrive in these uncertain times, it's essential for teachers to gain a sense of agency and control. . . . It's easy to recognize what didn't work in your lesson. It's much more challenging to then turn these struggles into reflective questions to improve your practice. Creating guiding questions is one way to begin this deeper work."

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