This week’s tip: Improving Practice Goes Beyond Evaluation.
Improving teacher practice requires thoughtful coaching. A good evaluation structure can help... but only if there is a strong coaching component.
SAMs usually schedule their principals to be in classrooms daily. With remote delivery in most schools the SAM and leader must be creative to stay connected with teaching practice. Participating in an online lesson gives the leader an opportunity to better understand, and help, teachers improve.
Frequency, the number of times a principal connects with a teacher, is a strong indicator of success. It is unlikely you will get much improvement if the space between interactions is long. Your TimeTrack gives you a running record of the time you spend and the frequency of interaction.
A conversation with each teacher about their frequency of contact with students is a good start. Keeping the conversation non-directive will likely increase the chance teachers will be open to talking about how to best connect with students remotely. Celebrating the teacher’s success, no matter how minor, often allows new ideas to bloom and encourages the trying of new ideas.