As someone who has worked extensively with teachers on Classroom Instruction That Works strategies for almost nine years, I understand how a new CITW book with different terms and structures might seem overwhelming. However, at the heart of it, the latest edition sets out to create a bridge, connecting proven teaching strategies with our understanding of how the brain processes and retains new information, known as the science of learning.
McREL
Our expert researchers, evaluators, and veteran educators synthesize information gleaned from our research and blend it with best practices gathered from schools and districts around the world to bring you insightful and practical ideas that support changing the odds of success for you and your students. By aligning practice with research, we mix professional wisdom with real world experience to bring you unexpectedly insightful and uncommonly practical ideas that offer ways to build student resiliency, close achievement gaps, implement retention strategies, prioritize improvement initiatives, build staff motivation, and interpret data and understand its impact.
Do you plan for teaching or plan for learning? Or asked another way, when you look at your planning document, who do you see? Your students or yourself?
While teaching and learning may seem like two sides of the same coin, when it comes to lesson planning, your intent and focus matters a great deal.
Ensuring equitable learning experiences for all students is a high priority for educators everywhere and, based on our research, using strategies outlined in The New Classroom Instruction That Works can help teachers make that goal a reality. Many of the studies supporting the new CITW strategies were conducted in classrooms and schools that served diverse populations and helped close or reduce performance gaps.
By some estimates, students fell many months behind in their learning during the pandemic. And National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) scores and ACT scores have fallen for the first time in decades.
In order to improve student achievement, close gaps and ensure equitable outcomes, educators should focus on providing best first instruction every day, in every classroom.
Student-centered learning has shown great potential for increasing student interest and engagement in school. Actively involving student voice and choice in what, how, and when they learn—in effect creating personalized learning opportunities—can lead to increased academic success.
Unhappy families can derail a school’s best laid plans. And after the challenging past few years of pandemic-related disruptions to school routines, some parents and caregivers may be feeling disconnected or dissatisfied with their child’s school. In the September issue of Educational Leadership magazine, Bryan Goodwin and Tonia Gibson from McREL share three priorities schools can focus on to restore parent confidence and satisfaction.