Instructional Models
How to Choose One and How to Use One
Your school is doing all the right things. So why won’t student achievement budge? You may be lacking a straightforward yet powerful tools that can work wonders in aligning expectations and talents: an instructional model.
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Research leaves little doubt: Instructional models work. In this book, the authors explore the variety of instructional models available to today’s educators, explain how they can unite teachers and students in identifying–and achieving–classroom goals, and provide a step-by-step process for choosing and implementing a model that’s just right for your school’s contexts and goals.
How we’ve designed this book
This book should be a companion as you implement a schoolwide instructional model. The first two chapters establish why instructional models are so important—and why organizational
challenges can put them out of reach. True to our belief in the power of checklists as do-confirm lists (reminding us of what’s most important), each subsequent chapter will include a series of steps or actions that we recommend for success and tools to help you accomplish them.
◊ Step 1: Choosing the right model for you
We first recommend that you take a broad survey of the instructional models that are available. In chapter 3, we provide a brief overview of several current and classic instructional models and suggestions for the problems they are designed to solve. This book is designed to be model-agnostic—to be used with whichever model you deem most fitting to your current needs. The chapter also provides suggestions for how to
make this choice. One mistake school leaders often make is not getting enough input and perspectives on the choice of model. We see this happening often: A school leader learns of a new model, gets excited about it, and tries to force the model on his or her faculty. What we have found to be much more successful is when a designated team of educators first conducts a needs assessment in order to identify their key issues in instruction, then does a thorough audit of the research and tools that are available to help them solve their problem. This chapter will provide suggested procedures and tools for doing so.
◊ Step 2: Planning for successful professional learning
Another common error is cramming the professional learning into one or two intense sessions. Changing practice and seeing the impact your instructional modifications have on student learning takes time and focus. We have found the most successful implementations have started with a broad overview followed by small, “bite-sized” professional learning sessions, each with time to implement, experiment, and reflect on
what was learned. These are ideally run through professional learning communities that are built around collegial discussions and reflection. So chapter 4 provides a suggested timeline for implementing an instructional model. In this chapter, we will go through the roles and responsibilities of leaders during an implementation, from principal to staff development coordinators to teacher leaders. For any initiative to be successful, your instructional leaders need to be as knowledgeable, if not more so, on the chosen model as your faculty. This chapter will outline suggestions for training your instructional leaders and their various roles as the model is implemented. There is also a section that describes how to implement at a larger level, such as district or systemwide.
◊ Step 3: Managing and overcoming resistance to change
No matter how good the model, how much input you solicit from faculty, or how openminded your educators, there will always be stumbling blocks as you implement change. In chapter 5, we help you identify the reason for the challenge, whether it is from fear of change, lack of knowledge, or a philosophical disagreement. Your initiative’s success will depend on having a critical mass of your faculty on board. This chapter provides steps to help you get there.
◊ Step 4: Measuring progress toward success
Drawing from Covey’s (1989) philosophy of beginning with the end in mind, in chapter 6 we provide suggestions for identifying your criteria for success. We recommend this be a collaborative effort with faculty, instructional leaders, and school leaders. By agreeing as a group on success criteria, leadership teams can set the expectation from the very beginning that the effort reflects a professional learning community holding one another accountable while supporting each other along the way.
◊ Step 5: Building on your foundation
No matter how impactful your instructional model is, there will come a point when either the initiative no longer needs such intense focus because it has become a part of the organizational norms, or you’re ready to adapt the model you’ve adopted, making shared changes to your approach. Or new challenges may emerge that prompt you to recalibrate your priorities in order to address them. Chapter 7 will help you make such decisions with integrity and transparency.