BetterLesson Instructional Strategies

BetterLesson Instructional Strategies provide ready-to-use resources and step-by-step guidance to help education professionals grow in their practice.

Classroom Culture and Design

Develop a collaborative classroom culture in which all students feel safe, respected, and empowered to drive their own learning
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Classroom Culture and Design
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Circle Up supports students to engage in structured conversations that promote character development and classroom community
By defining student roles in group work, the teacher can support each student to be successful and support a steady work pace for each group
Utilizing student input to develop shared work time expectations is key to successful learning task management
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Formative Assessment and Feedback

Provide students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding, track their progress, and guide their future learning
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Formative Assessment and Feedback
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Microgrouping to Provide Feedback supports students to receive targeted feedback specific to their learning needs
Provide students with clear criteria to self-assess effectively
This strategy supports students to create a plan for remediating their missed mastery objectives and work towards re-taking the assessment
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Student Ownership and Agency

Build opportunities and systems that empower students to take ownership and agency over their learning process
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Student Ownership and Agency
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Choice boards give students autonomy and choice in their learning while allowing teachers to differentiate, observe, and assess in real time
By defining student roles in group work, the teacher can support each student to be successful and support a steady work pace for each group
Engage students in kinesthetic learning opportunities where they see, think, and wonder as they circulate the room
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Meeting the Needs of All Learners

Support students' diverse strengths and needs so they can grow and thrive in their learning environments
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Meeting the Needs of All Learners
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Use data to analyze gaps in student learning and create a personalized learning plan for students
A general educator can unpack a student's IEP to help them meet their goals and a special educator can support them to do so
Learn how to welcome EL newcomers into both the classroom and school community
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Social-Emotional Learning

Prepare students with the self-awareness, relational, and decision-making skills needed to succeed in school and in life
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Social-Emotional Learning
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Teach students to talk about themselves and their work using a growth mindset
Have a conversation with a student to collaboratively identify solutions to prevent challenging behavior
Students use self-regulation strategies like mental breaks, body and movement breaks, fidgets, and self-talk to maximize their learning
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Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning

Ensure students from all cultures and perspectives have full and equitable access to learning
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Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning
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Being culturally responsive involves learning about your own perceptions of students & then creating equitable learning experiences for them
Effective classroom management creates a welcoming learning environment that supports all learners, even when they experience challenges
In order to enjoy truly collaborative learning communities, students need identify blind spots and develop proactive responses to bias
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Blended Classroom Design

Leverage technology tools and strategies in the classroom to support personalized pathways for learning
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Blended Classroom Design
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Taking intentional steps to launch new digital solutions in your classroom will lead to effective implementation for student success
Students receive timely, personalized, and actionable feedback as teachers utilize digital assessment tools
Clear goals, strong modeling, and ample opportunity for reflection turn fun games into highly effective learning tools
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Mastery-Based Progressions

Create personalized learning paths that allow students to progress toward goals and demonstrate mastery in flexible formats
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Mastery-Based Progressions
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In a self-paced or mastery based learning environment, building a mastery map and a network of student experts can help
A pre-assessment is the foundation of a Mastery-Based Progression as it allows students and teacher to focus on what is most needed
A Mastery-Based Progression unleashes students to work at their own pace so creating and monitoring a simple pacing calendar can help
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Project-Based Learning

Engage students in real-world, inquiry-based tasks to develop deep content knowledge, critical thinking, and communication skills
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Project-Based Learning
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Driving questions initiate and focus the inquiry and learning throughout a project while creating an interest and challenge for students
Starting a unit or project with the end goal in mind helps teachers to authentically integrate all content and plan the steps to achieve the
Student contracts is a student-centered approach to setting expectations for collaboration and contribution during group work
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Curriculum Implementation

Implement a new curriculum strategically to support rigorous student-centered learning
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Curriculum Implementation
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Explore these templates to begin the process of differentiated planning in your classroom
Students need an inclusive curriculum in order to enjoy a full learning experience
Identifying and celebrating strengths equips students to effectively adopt a growth mindset and set learning goals
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Student-Centered Math

Create engaging mathematics classrooms where students discuss frequently, problem-solve creatively, and think critically
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Student-Centered Math
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Fill in the gaps supports students to review assessment data and set goals for improvement over two days in which they work to fill the gaps
2,4,6,8 Collaborative Problem-Solving supports students to engage in independent and collaborative thinking to effectively problem solve
This strategy supports student pairs to coach one another through problems and questions
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Student-Centered Literacy

Develop students' literacy skills by supporting student ownership of evidence-based reading, writing, speaking, and listening
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Student-Centered Literacy
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An Interactive Word Wall helps students build conceptual understandings between words and meanings using words, visuals, and graphics
Students need explicit norms, processes, and models to participate in productive classroom talk
Engage students in kinesthetic learning opportunities where they see, think, and wonder as they circulate the room
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Leading Through Change

Lead the improvement of teaching, learning, and overall school climate to enhance student achievement and success
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Leading Through Change
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Transform student data into educator action
Setting group work values first leads to more productive and satisfying meetings
Do more by collaboratively sharing the guidance and direction of a school
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Instructional Coaching

Provide teachers with personalized coaching cycles that support them to grow and develop their teaching practice
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Instructional Coaching
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Coaching observations focus on using objective classroom data to identify the impact of a teacher's actions on student learning
Change teaching and learning one step at a time using the BetterLesson coaching model
To improve our coaching practice we must reflect and develop next steps
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Collaborative Professional Learning

Develop a collaborative professional culture to support student-centered teaching and learning
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Collaborative Professional Learning
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Change teaching and learning one step at a time using the BetterLesson coaching model
In the months leading up to a coaching year, so many details can be planned ahead of time for a successful launch into coaching
Regular analysis of student work puts the spotlight on what's actually happening in a school's teaching and learning
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Open Up Resources 6-8 Math

Strategically implement Open Up Resources 6-8 Math curriculum to create engaging, student-centered mathematics classrooms
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Open Up Resources 6-8 Math
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Increase opportunities to hear students' voices, support them to demonstrate learning, and receive feedback
Support students to enter the content by engaging in the I Notice/I Wonder protocol
Use Poster Sessions or Group Presentations to allow students to share their work, and use questioning, discussion, and reflection skills
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EL Education K-8 Language Arts

Strategically implement EL Education K-8 Language Arts curriculum to create engaging, student-centered ELA classrooms
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EL Education K-8 Language Arts
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Utilizing student input to develop shared work time expectations is key to successful learning task management
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
Explore these templates to begin the process of differentiated planning in your classroom
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Newsela Learning Domain

Supercharge reading engagement across content areas using Newsela tools
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Newsela Learning Domain
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A Gallery Walk heightens engagement by allowing students to move around the room, engage in discussion, and have choice in their learning
Each student becomes an expert on an article then teaches the group so that the group can draw connections based on what they have learned
Explicit, individualized feedback allows students to more effectively develop central ideas and support them with text evidence
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Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning: Master Teacher Project

Ensure students from all cultures and perspectives have full and equitable access to learning
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Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning: Master Teacher Project
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Teachers should reflect on how their decisions and discretion impact students' views of themselves and others
Shared classroom values are a first step toward understanding what students value and need to feel safe in your classroom
Strategically plan to ensure all students have equal access to advanced courses
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Distance Learning

Deliver equitable, engaging, and student-centered instruction and create supportive learning communities in a remote or hybrid model
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Distance Learning
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Students receive timely, personalized, and actionable feedback as teachers utilize digital assessment tools
Creating a backchannel and empowering students to own it requires careful planning but helps to build a student-centered classroom culture
Teacher-created learning videos support students to work at their own pace, with personalized embedded supports and checks for understanding
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Adobe Learning Domain

Empower students to think creatively and communicate expressively with Adobe tools
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Adobe Learning Domain
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Students develop a deep understanding of semicolons and colon by creating an Adobe Spark Post
Students create a how-to video from scratch that demonstrates knowledge of a given subject area
Students design a destination poster highlighting local attractions without naming the destination
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Meeting the Needs of All Learners: Master Teacher Project

Ensure that teachers can equitably meet the needs of all of the learners in their classrooms and at a distance
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Meeting the Needs of All Learners: Master Teacher Project
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Welcome English Learner student newcomer students into the school with a personalized photo book
Discussion tools to support students to develop, revise, and reframe personal and collective connections to a text
Level the playing field by introducing content prior to the lesson
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Algebra for All

Inclusive and equitable algebra strategies created for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Algebra 1: Balance the Equation Grand Challenge
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Algebra for All
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Use the CRMT-TM Lesson Analysis Tool to reflect on strengths and areas for improvement in how a math lesson promotes thinking and equity
Integrate social justice into mathematics
Small moves that help challenge societal beliefs about math and ability help create a culture of equity
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