Feedback Archives - The Torchbearer

Coaching & Feedback / Instructional Coaching Posted on: March 20, 2016

The Compelling Case for Instructional Coaching

The Compelling Case for Instructional Coaching San Francisco, NAIS Annual Conference 2016 It may have been fortuitous that a few weeks after being given the opportunity to create two new instructional coach positions with our team, I found myself in a breakout session at NAIS called, “The Compelling Case for Instructional Coaching” by Matthew Horvat, Brenda Leaks, Gerald Buhaly, and Jessica Hanson from The Overlake School. The presentation provided key insights from the perspectives of the IC (instructional coach), a teacher and the principal. I hope to get the actual slides, but for now I’ve shared a few slides I […]

Thanks for the Feedback

Thanks for the Feedback Our team has recently discovered this fabulous book, recommended by Meredith Monk from Folio Collaborative. The authors outline the 3 types of feedback we all need and receive as human beings: appreciation, coaching, and evaluation. None of these concepts are new, but the clarification of each one, as well as the interconnectedness of them are providing important insights for us. Just the summary from Chapter 1 alone has given us great fodder for discussion and reflection. “Feedback” is really three different things, with different purposes: Appreciation – motivates and encourages. Coaching – helps increase knowledge, skill, […]

Coaching & Feedback / Reflective Practice Posted on: June 29, 2013January 25, 2015

#5 Why Conduct Student Surveys?

Why should teachers solicit feedback from their students at the end of the semester? The answer is simple. Growth. Our team and our school promote this practice in our five year strategic plan as well as the standards of professional excellence by which we coach and evaluate our teachers. Seek feedback and measure attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of students about their work and contribution within the classroom environment. -iPlan17 We also highly value the idea and posture of Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset. (For more on this concept, see post #6 of the #60-60-60Challenge tomorrow.) Here are some key thoughts for […]

Coaching & Feedback / Instructional Rounds / Teamwork Posted on: April 23, 2013January 25, 2015

Tear Down Classroom Walls With Learning Walks

One of the most untapped and useful resources available to us is the experience, practice, and expertise of the professional colleagues on our own campus. Learning Walk are a fun, inexpensive way to immediately impact your own educational practice. As lifelong learners, we seek professional and personal growth through many avenues including conferences, webinars, articles, in-service workshops, presentations, twitter, blogs, etc. These are all elements of our PLNs (Professional Learning Networks). Learning Walks are another powerful, yet underutilized element. This practice is one key towards establishing a professional learning community. Each teacher is expected to complete one learning walk per […]