By Leigh Buettler, M.S.Ed. and Elizabeth Keenan, M.Ed.
Figuring out what works for our students, and what doesn’t, is part of the art and science of teaching. All practicing educators have experienced a time when a thoughtfully designed lesson doesn’t result in the student learning we intended. At other times, we may see that a lesson was effective and resulted in learning, but we can’t pinpoint exactly what made it so successful, making it hard to replicate the same conditions in the future. How can we know exactly which student behaviors we want to see in response to foundational reading skills instruction, so we can plan for and support those positive learning behaviors?
It’s vital to look at our own teaching behaviors and those of students as we strive to grow everyone’s success ratios. In my team’s coaching practice, we’ve gained significant insights through the process of recording ourselves while we teach and then watching our videos to reflect and identify specific ways to level up our effectiveness. Sometimes we might ask another educator to observe us in action and give them a focus area on which we’d like to receive feedback so we can improve our craft.
Providing students with opportunities to integrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing during foundational skills instruction is key to student engagement and learning. We also want to plan for multiple opportunities for students to respond during direct instruction – as many as six to nine times during each minute of instruction, according to Dr. Anita Archer – so that students stay engaged and focused on the target skill. Additionally, we want students to have the opportunity to apply new learning in context, to make it relevant and support generalization of that skill to authentic reading and writing experiences.
But what tools can help us plan for and assess all these behaviors we want to see from our students? Our Student Behaviors Checklist is a tool that can help you to pinpoint and reflect on desired student behaviors during foundational reading skills instruction. You can reference it while you plan your lessons to ensure students are engaging in practice that will lead to skilled reading and writing. It can also be used to guide your reflections as you watch your own instructional videos, and the observations of colleagues who you invite to watch you teach.
The Student Behaviors Checklist is just one of the many tools that Stern Center coaches use with teachers when reviewing lesson plans, reflecting on instructional videos, and identifying strengths and opportunities to enhance successful teaching of reading. To learn more about the Stern Center’s coaching support, visit the Coaching page on our website.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Transform Your Teaching: Build Affirming, Trauma-Sensitive Classrooms with These Powerful Courses
Join us for upcoming workshops and courses focused on social cognition and how to integrate neurodiversity-affirming practices in education. These offerings will explore strategies for enhancing social cognitive development and equipping educators with the skills needed to support diverse learners effectively.
Trauma-Informed Social Learning Course
Embracing Neurodiversity: Affirming Practices in Education
Updated Approaches for Neurodiversity-affirming Social Cognition
