I recently shared a blog  that reviewed  the preparation I had done to assist a staff in looking at how to build innovation into the  opening of a new high school. As I explored the topic further I found a video  of Tony Wagner that examined five elements he identified as crucial for teachers to […]

I was asked to facilitate 15 elementary coaches’ reflections on their past year’s experiences and gather direction for the next school year. I think that the questions I used can be helpful to others who are leading instructional coaching teams. If you are an instructional coach you can use the questions individually for personal reflection. […]

One of the elements of a growth mindset is the understanding that mistakes or failures (coming up short) are part of the pathway to learning and success. Eduardo Briceno, CEO at Mindset Works, posted a blog titled, Mistakes are Not All Created Equal: “An appreciation of mistakes helps us overcome our fear of making them, enabling […]

I’ve recently been engaged in several conversations concerning students not approaching learning activities with the necessary mindset to be successful learners. At the elementary level it was about students not engaging seriously in learning centers or independent activities. At a middle school it was round students not doing homework because in standards –based grading, homework […]

Often when working in schools with PLC’s, the topic of data and what to do with it and about it emerges. I frequently find that lots of instructional coaches’ time is spent scheduling assessments to gather data, entering the data, interpreting the data, distributing the data, and reviewing the data with teachers who respond with […]

I often explore the role of vulnerability in coaching relationships. I need to make myself vulnerable with my coach for me to gain maximum growth from coaching input. As a coach I need to share my own vulnerability in supporting the person I’m coaching. Brené  Brown, the author of The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings on […]