I recently watched an outstanding soccer coach running an unsuccessful drill. He was teaching players to position themselves defensively and react to an opposition player with the ball who was trying to turn. He explained and modeled how to do it right. He asked them whether they understood. Then he sent them off to practice. Most…
The Wall Street Journal has an occasional feature called work and family mailbox. A question today from a wheelchair-bound reader about how to project more dynamism and confidence at social events provoked a fascinating response that seems eminently useful for teachers. Here’s the exchange with some itals for emphasis and further comments from me in bold….
At our workshops we often talk about the importance of shared vocabulary–the power of being able to communicate accurately, quickly, without ambiguity about technical aspects of performance. This is true whether you are a teacher (“That was great but what if you unbundled your questions a little more and added a “Stretch It”) or a principal;…
Andrew Stephenson is a friend and colleague at Uncommon Schools. He’s a former fourth grade teacher—a very accomplished one—who’s training to be a Director of Operations—a job that essentially means co-leading a school alongside a principal and doing all the organizational stuff so the principal can be locked in on curriculum and instruction and just about…
Another guest post from Erica Woolway this evening… this one with an amazing video accompaniment. Check out this clip from Josh Gardner (TNTP seasonal staff and KIPP NOLA Math Teacher) in New Orleans as he teaches his fellows to practice using non-verbal directions until they become automatic. We have worked with TNTP for the past…