Quality Instruction: The Most Important Classroom Variable
The instruction that you provide to your students is the most important variable regarding student achievement. Good instruction can deliver up to two years growth for some students. The opposite, Jennifer Allen writes, “focus on improving the quality of instruction that (you are) providing to all students...student achievement would improve if we focused more energy on supporting classroom instruction as opposed to putting all of our resources toward supporting individual students”
You are one of the most important variables in your classroom. So, what are some easy ways to improve the quality of your instruction? One easy way to impact your instruction is to have a desire to want to get better. Is there an area where you feel you could improve your instruction? Set a realistic, professional goal for yourself, and write it down! Take small steps. For example, setting a yearly goal of implementing strategy groups for small group reading instruction is a lot more realistic than expecting yourself to implement strategy groups in one nine weeks.
If you have an instructional coach, use him or her. I can’t think of one professional athlete, singer, or entertainer that does not have a coach. They recognize the importance of having someone available to improve their craft. Your coach is available to you to help you improve in any area that you wish to strengthen. A coach’s primary goal is to bring best instructional practices to you. I will note that they are there to push you, too. :)
Attending professional development is another action to improve instruction. Professional development can be provided through your school district (for free), or you can attend professional development on your own through different webinar series. Following blogs and educational leaders on social media are a quick and easy way to keep abreast on new educational topics.
Also, we can’t omit assessments from this discussion. Your assessments drive your instruction. Assessments are your foundation. Without them, your instruction will be fragile. Your assessments will give you insight on where the learning process breaks down for your students.
I have a few questions for you to consider when supporting students on the bubble.
Are you tracking student growth? If you’re not tracking student growth, you don’t know if your students are moving or not moving.
How many touches a week do your bubble students receive? Remember, these students still need consistent teacher support. So, checking in with them once a week is not enough support for these students. Children need to practice a skill or strategy at least eight times before they begin to internalize it.
How often do you reflect on the effectiveness of the support provided for these students? This is a good opportunity to ponder about what strategies are working and not working. Be honest. There is no need in wasting precious time on a strategy that doesn’t work. It may be helpful to rely on a teammate or coach. It’s always helpful to have someone to bounce ideas or get another opinion.
As teachers, we have the daunting task of finding the key that unlocks the door to reading. This is a process. It may take a year, or two, or three for a child to become successful in their reading. Know that the strong foundation that you provided will lay a path for that child’s reading success