To say that there is a great deal of pressure on educators today is a gross understatement. It is shared with me during conversations that they feel it is difficult to catch their breath and keep up with all that is expected of them. While this has led to an increase in stress and anxiety, it is always made clear to me that they want to grow and improve. I shared the following piece of advice recently on social media:
Educators are overwhelmed and an endless array of initiatives, ideas, and strategies will do more harm than good. Meaningful change to improve learner outcomes can/will still happen with a moderated approach. Less is MORE.
As I shared in Disruptive Thinking, consistency and continuity far outweigh the sheer number of different ways to get better. The most essential element in learning is the teacher in the classroom. It is here where leaders can provide support through clarity, examples, feedback, and professional learning that focuses on concepts that can truly move the needle when implemented at scale. In this piece of #EDvice I discuss how the Rigor Relevance Framework can be used to lessen the number of balls in the air while zeroing in on just two critical aspects of learning.
It is important to keep in mind that this framework is geared to help educators evaluate where their current practice resides and then make needed shifts to improve. This could come in the form of questioning techniques, assessment development, prioritizing standards, and creating performance tasks or projects.
My main point here is twofold. You don’t need to throw out the baby with the bath water when it comes to improving practice and learning outcomes. Most importantly, success relies on doing a few things really well where there is a natural alignment to what goes on in classrooms daily.
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