An Honest Assessment of Best Practice Implementation

Today we are going to discuss the implementation of instructional best practice in the classroom.

We do a big disservice to our staff, our peers and ourselves when we start the discussion of best practice implementation with any preface along the lines of, “Now guys, this is really just a review because you know we already do this.”

The reason why this is a disservice is because it is a falsehood. We may be aware of best practice, but as a profession we implement it at neither high frequency nor high quality.

Ouch!

Now I do not present this lightly, nor am I attempting to “poke the bear.”  I’m just tired of the lip service.  Either we are willing to work to improve our craft, or we need to admit that we believe that we have arrived.  Just be honest.

Now to back up my claim.  If you were to conduct, let’s say 100,000 classroom observations across the country over the past 5 years you would find that the lower-yield instructional practices of whole group instruction, lecture and worksheets are highly over-represented.  In excess of 90%, 70% and 50% respectively.  That’s not good. 

But I’m sure we make up for it with the implementation of best practice. 

That same best practice, “That we already do everyday.”

Except when you take the data from those 100,000 classroom observations and look for the highest of the high-yield instructional practices; the written identification of similarities and differences, written summarization, recognizing academic success and reinforcing academic effort, you will find next to no representation.  Less that 5% for each one.

Which means that as a profession we either have a lack of knowledge issue, a lack of honesty issue, a lack of urgency issue, or a lack of will issue.  But the cause of the issue is really immaterial. 

What really matters is what are you going to do about it?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
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