Longmont-area schools get benefit of ‘game-changers’ (Times-Call)

Read original at: http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local-news/ci_30696044/longmont-area-schools-get-benefit-game-changers

The district’s learning coaches promise every first-year teacher with no previous teaching experience a minimum of 24 hours of one-on-one coaching.

A powerful tool in that process can be videotaping both the teacher teaching and the class responding, Hagan said.

“We always want our teachers looking at the data and using that to set goals,” she said.

But instead of just viewing the recording and gleaning something from obvious weaknesses and strengths as Hagan did 24 years ago, the coaching team encourages teachers to use Edthena. The video platform helps teachers reflect more critically on their teaching performance in terms of the ratio of positive to negative interaction; on-task time; student engagement; turn-and-talk student discussion time; and total student participation percentages.

“The goal in all of this is to keep every student engaged in learning. The old-fashioned method of students raising their hands means that the same kids raise their hands. So, we encourage using what we call cold calling because it is one of the most effective techniques,” Hagan continued.

“First-year teachers are afraid to use it in my experience because they didn’t like it when they were students. But it shouldn’t be a gotcha. If we build a culture where cold calling is just expected and it’s a safe environment to do that, they won’t bristle.”

Much like athletic coaches videotaping players to provide helpful feedback, the learning coaches hope teachers who elect to use Edthena will gain the kind of post game day reflection that motivates best practices in the profession and leads to “master teacher” status.

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