Teachers Improve Practice and Teach to Mastery: Scenario

Teachers Improve Practice and Teach to Mastery: Scenario

Principal Jo and Coach Bethany have set the school improvement goal that all teachers will apply evidence-based learnings to improve effective teaching. They are using the school’s reading and maths mastery test data as an outcome measure for their work.  

Jo and Bethany use observations to identify the effective teaching techniques that are being used in classrooms, as well as the techniques that teachers need to work on. Bethany uses observation data to engage teachers in coaching conversations around how their practice impacts student engagement, participation and learning.  

Through coaching conversations, Teacher Emily identifies that she is not using signals effectively. She is not following through on signals and, as a result, is not getting in-the-moment feedback from more than half of her students. Based on that evidence-based learning, Bethany observes a lesson and demonstrates using signals. Emily and Bethany work together until Emily is confident at using signals.  

At their next coaching conversation, Emily brings student mastery data. Bethany and Emily discuss how Emily’s improvement in the use of signals has given her more accurate information about student mastery, and how that contributed to higher student mastery.  

Jo celebrates Emily’s improvement at the next school professional conversation, highlighting the change in the classroom and how Emily’s improved use of signals has impacted student participation and Emily’s ability to teach to mastery.