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A New Take on Classroom Observations

“There are two types of Principals. One who focuses on Operations or one who focuses on Instruction.  You want to be an Instructional Leader if you want to change instruction and ultimately classroom results.” –John Hollingsworth, Co-Author of Explicit Direct Instruction  Administrators Can Become More Effective Instructional Leaders Instructional Leadership programs usually involve a series…

The Death of Homework

How Chat AI will end homework and make classroom instruction more important  Let’s begin with the purpose of homework; Educators assign homework for different reasons and purposes. Homework is assigned either as practice, preparation, extension, or integration of grade-level skills and concepts. Practice Homework reinforces learning from the skills and concepts already taught in the classroom.…

Learning Objectives vs Standards

Learning ObjectivesvsStandards Standards are often confused with Learning Objectives. Standards are the content and skills students need to know by the end of a school year. Learning Objectives are the content and skills students need to know by the end of a lesson. Perhaps most importantly, a Learning Objective defines the purpose of the lesson,…

Expert Teachers vs. Experienced Teachers: What’s the Difference

Expert Teachers vs. Experienced TeachersWhat’s the Difference? In John Hattie’s 2012 book, Visible Learning for Teachers, he makes the statement that Expert Teachers are different from Experienced Teachers – and he backs it up with some research. Let’s take a look at the differences and then point out ways to develop more expertise. Schools ValueInspired…

The Left and Right Hand of ELD Instruction

Designated and Integrated ELD – the Left and Right Hand of ELD Instruction Since a high percentage of students in American schools these days are English learners, there has been an ongoing debate about how to meet their educational needs. One state, California, adopted its ELA/ELD Framework for instruction in 2014. It recommends a comprehensive…

Distant Learning Do’s and Don’ts

Distant Learning Do’s and Don’ts Today we invite teachers to explore online learning possibilities. This is the first in a series of messages to help teachers and administrators do just that. There are many web-based tools and apps available, and admin/teachers are encouraged to investigate what they offer. Of course, we particularly recommend using Educeri…

Remote Learning

Closed Schools Need Remote Learning Due to concerns about the coronavirus, many teachers are searching for ways to help students learn at home. This means many of you right now are making photocopied worksheets for packets (or units of study) to be sent home with your students. However, there is a critical component missing — First-Time…

The EL Roadmap

The California EL RoadmapNavigating the EL Roadmap through your use of Instruction The English Learner Roadmap was adopted by the California State Board of Education in July 2017. It is a document that encompasses many needs of the English Learner. The Roadmap consists of 4 main principles, each of which forms a pivotal part of…

The Secret to Differentiation with EDI: Making Better Decisions at Choice Points

The Secret to Differentiation with EDI:Making Better Decisions at Choice Points Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI), an interactive teaching strategy developed by Ybarra and Hollingsworth, involves the use of specific lesson delivery and lesson design components. The goal is for teachers to develop automaticity with the teaching strategies so they can focus more on how students…

EDI and Hattie’s Visible Learning

EDI Activates 18 of the Top 30 Influences on Student Achievement, As Measured by Hattie John Hattie, a professor of education from Australia and New Zealand, published Visible Learning in 2009 (with additional books in 2012 and 2015).  The purpose of his research was to identify what works and what doesn’t in education in statistical…

Checking for Understanding by Calling on Non-Volunteers

Checking for Understanding by Calling Non-Volunteers. When addressing the idea of selecting non-volunteers for the purpose of asking students questions, one needs to consider two things: 1) Do students know the answer? and 2) Are they ready to give the answer? Here’s why we should NOT call on students who raise their hands. Typically, teachers…

What Makes a Good Lesson for Designated ELD?

What Makes a Good Lesson for Designated ELD? In previous articles, we’ve discussed the differences between Integrated ELD and Designated ELD. We made the point that Integrated ELD instruction is sharpening the focus on language in regular lessons in all content areas. Designated ELD instruction is a separate time set aside in the school day…