Wow! What a great conference!
I always look forward to going to the TEKS Resource Conference in San Antonio. Tons of new information, meeting up with teachers I taught with in the past and getting excited about the next year are all things I need!
This year I got to listen to John Wink. He speaks about things teachers really need- support and encouragement. As an instructional coach, most of the time we focus on student learning. We talk to teachers about rigor and engagement. What I learned in this session is we need to meet the teacher at their level. Mr. Wink compared the levels of teaching to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need. Something all educators are familiar with.
The first level teachers need are resources. They have to know what resources they have on the campus and how to use them. We assume that they know, but they don’t! Technology is a big one here- If they don’t know how to use Google Drive or One Note and we put everything in these locations we are asking for trouble! This year during summer planning sessions I will make sure the teachers I work with know how to use all of their resources.
For Example: The TEKS Resource System is full of great resources that make life easier for a teacher! Question banks are important, but the breakdown of the standard and the models on how to use the manipulatives is critical to teacher success. Eduphoria for data analysis- awesome reports, but the ability to make small groups based on data is essential for RTI.
The second level is classroom procedures. I don’t know how many times I have heard admin say, “If the teacher would add more engaging lessons so the kids are not bored, they would not have trouble with management.” This is not true! You can’t get to engagement or even let them out of their chairs if you don’t have rules and procedures in place to support the environment. When I was in the classroom, I wrote down all of my rules and procedures in the form of CHAMPS. When I work with teachers that are struggling in this area, I give them mine and we go through it to make the changes they need for their own classroom. I wish I could meet with the new teachers before school starts to make sure these are in place and they know how to role them out!
Here is a copy of my “Performance Procedures”
The third level is Relationships! I’m lucky to work for a district that believes in Capturing Kids Hearts!
There are more levels, but mastering these bottom three get us to engagement.
Check out John Wink at johnwink.com His new book Creating Excellence in Every Classroom will be out November 2016!
