The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day

by Bryan Goodwin, Elizabeth Ross Hubbell

Overview

Checklists help us work better. They help us manage complex tasks more effectively and ensure we apply what we know correctly and consistently. They've become indispensable for airline pilots and doctors, but can this low-tech approach to planning and problem solving demand a place in the teacher's toolkit? Teaching is complicated, with challenging decisions and important consequences, but it's in the most complex situations that a straightforward checklist can be the most useful.

Goodwin and Hubbell present 12 daily touchstones—simple and specific things any teacher can do every day—to keep classroom practice focused on the hallmarks of effective instruction and in line with three essential imperatives for teaching:

* Be demanding: Align teaching with high expectations for learning.

* Be supportive: Provide a nurturing learning environment.

* Be intentional: Know why you're doing what you're doing.

If there were one thing you could do each day to help one student succeed, you'd do it, wouldn't you? What about three things to help three students? What if there were 12 things you could do every day to help all of your students succeed? There are, and you'll find them here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416616016
Publisher:	ASCD
Publication date:	08/19/2013
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Section 1: Be Demanding: Articulate and Maintain High Expectations for Learning

Item 1: I use standards to guide every learning opportunity

Item 2: I ensure students set personal learning objectives for each lesson

Item 3: I peel back the curtain and make my performance expectations clear

Item 4: I measure understanding against high expectations

Section 2: Be Supportive: Provide a Nurturing Learning Environment

Item 5: I engage student interest with every lesson

Item 6: I interact meaningfully with every student

Item 7: I use feedback to encourage effort

Item 8: I create an oasis of safety and respect in my classroom

Section 3: Be Intentional: Know Why You're Doing What You're Doing

Item 9: I make the most of every minute

Item 10: I help students develop deep knowledge

Item 11: I coach students to mastery

Item 12: I help students do something with their learning

Conclusion

Appendix

References

Index

About the Authors