Blog

Each spring semester, the seniors in our student-teacher program complete the edTPA assessment. This performance-based test requires teacher candidates to submit an unedited video recording of them teaching a lesson in the classroom. The recording is part...

It’s no secret that implementing new initiatives in schools can be challenging. And it’s our own fault. We’ve spent decades watching the latest new things come in and out of classrooms with little (if any) impact. And the increase in tech in schools has...

Beginning in September each year, cohorts of 10-12 teachers across Boston schools gather together for monthly feedback sessions, led by a facilitator from DIY Coaching. At these meetings, teachers engage in coaching conversations guided by their chosen...

Coaching is critical to the long-term development of various skills, and the practice of teaching is no exception. If you’re in education, you’ve probably seen the benefits of coaching for teachers and leaders anecdotally. Fortunately, there’s a growing...

By Patty Hagan, Teaching and Learning Coach, Karen Smith, Teaching and Learning Coach, and David Baker, Professional Development Coordinator One of the underlying assumptions that we hold in St Vrain is that continuous learning and reflection lead to...

By Diane Lauer, Ed. D. I work with teachers, the most incredibly driven, confident, passionate people on the face of the Earth. Teaching demands these qualities—it’s not a career for the weak. To be successful a teacher must effectively orchestrate...

In an era when technologies evolve at breakneck speeds, individuals are poised for their quick adoption and implementation. However, when an organization’s goals include comprehensive adoption of feedback techniques such as video, we must transcend a...

Let’s say you work at a school. You’ve recently learned about the power of video as a tool for feedback and reflection, and you’re excited. You see the potential of this practice. You’re ready. You’ve all but grabbed your camera and headed into the...

Middle School English teacher Cinnamon Gardner knows the value of video in the classroom. As a professional teacher with years of experience, Cinnamon has history using video to critically reflect on her instruction. And she’s not alone. All across the...

A Moonshot for Reading Comprehension Teaching reading is harder than rocket science. That’s what READS Lab Principal Investigator James Kim learned as one of the 130 researchers on the Reading for Understanding (RfU) Research Initiative, a five-year...