Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud
Steve Barkley, an education consultant with 35 years of experience, shares insights and reflections on teaching, learning, and school leadership. Drawing from his work with school districts and organizations worldwide, he explores strategies to prepare students for the 21st century. The podcast expands on his weekly blog, offering practical advice for teachers and administrators.
Episodes
More Than Setting a Goal: Turning Professional Growth Plans into Professional Learning
A meeting to establish a teacher’s professional growth plan goal can either be a perfunctory activity to be checked of the “to do list” or the start of a year-long do --- reflect --- apply cycle that generates professional learning. Ask these questions at the end of the planning meeting:
Does the teacher own the goal?
Is there something they're curious about?
Have they identified something they w
Scale-up Leadership Production Behaviors
Kelly Hastings, founder of Enlightening Leadership and author of Leading Change That Lasts shares thoughts on school leaders planning backwards from desired student outcomes to leadership actions. How do leaders involve and empower teachers in the process? What role does evidence of progress, with cautions around “fidelity,” play in supporting an implementation.
Visit the Enlightening Leadership w
Three Questions That Can Change Your School
Schools aren't experienced through mission statements or curriculum guides. They're experienced one interaction at a time.
What are students experiencing?
What are teachers experiencing?
How do we know?
Coaches can help teachers and leaders gather evidence about experiences that often go unnoticed because they have become routine - or even unconscious.
Watch Marcela Andreas Diaz Revultas’ video
Professional Learning: A Key Element of an Eco System for School Change
If professional learning for educators is going to generate increased learning success for students, it needs to be an environment, not an event. Dr. Marisa Ramirez Stukey, co-author of, "Professional Learning Redefined: An Evidence-Based Guide," shares key elements of effective professional learning and the necessary commitments needed from administrators, instructional coaches, and teachers.
Vis
Teachers Engaging with Instructional Coaches to Start the Year
In many schools, it isn’t common to find teachers exploring possibilities and reflecting on observations with instructional coaches early in the school year. Perhaps there is a view that coaching is problem-solving and the idea that coaching around designing is being missed. Hear an example of what that coaching around a teacher’s early planning might sound like.
Find Dan Steele’s post here.
Subsc
The Multiplier Coach: Spotting, Naming, and Growing Teacher Talent
Multipliers, as Liz Wiseman identified ("Multipliers - How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter") don't simply recognize talent—they help it grow and spread. Perhaps that's one of the most important roles of an instructional coach. Rather than identifying what teachers are missing, coaches are on the prowl for the capabilities that are already emerging. Noticing them, naming them and creating op
Why Teacher Conversations Matter More Than Meetings
Teacher to teacher conversations are powerful when they expose us to perspectives we would not generate on our own. Left to ourselves, we tend to revisit familiar assumptions, interpretations, and solutions. We think within the boundaries of our current mental models. Dialogue creates the opportunity for those mental models to be challenged, refined, or expanded. How do instructional coaches, teac
Learning with Wow, Awe, and Wonder
Michael Hernandez, the author of, "Storytelling With Purpose: Digital Projects to Ignite Student Curiosity" and "The Uncheatable Assessment Course," shares insights on authentic learning. How can we create learning tasks and assessments that encourage and strengthen students' curiosity - supporting them in becoming engaged and inquisitive scholars and citizens.
Read Michael's article, When Assignm
Wandering and Wondering for All Learners
"It’s time to treat curiosity as the superpower it is. We can build students’ ability to use this learning power by giving them the tools, time, and encouragement to wield it effectively."
Dr. Teresa Hill, the superintendent of South Holland Schools in Illinois and the author of, "The Instructional Leaders Guide to Closing Achievement Gaps: Five Keys for Improving Student Outcomes," highlights the
Building Your Coaching Impact: Confidence, Communication, Connections
Leadership coach for educators and business leaders, Julie Schniers, shares her insights around coaching others to create opportunities for growth, self- discovery, increased confidence, and a focus to accomplish their goals. She focusses on the importance of communication, connections, and confidence. Coaching curiosity is a key.
Visit Julie's website and connect here.
Subscribe to the Steve
Supporting Teacher Wellbeing
Keith Young, a co-author of, "The Teaching Strategy Handbook: 200+ Solutions for Common Classroom Challenges," explores the strategies from the book’s Chapter 8, "Teacher Burnout and Stress." Keith shares the practices individual teachers can implement as well as the roles that teacher leaders, instructional coaches and administrators can play in support of teachers. The impact that effective PLCs
A Coaching Model of Coachability
It’s rather clear to most people that to be an effective coach one needs an appropriate mindset for investing in the growth of others and a set of listening and verbal skills for coaching conferencing. Less often considered are the mindsets and skills needed to gain from coaching input. We might label it as one’s coachability. Robyn Vierra, the Teaching and Learning Coordinator at the American Sch
Real Objects, Curiosity, and Inquiry
Tania Lattanzio from Innovative Global Education examines the impact of real objects and the real environment on student learning:
When real objects and real environments are the starting point:
Curiosity leads the learning.
Questioning feels purposeful.
Wonder is protected.
Understanding grows from evidence.
It communicates that learning is not about receiving information, but about making s
Building Teachers' Trust for AI Adoption
Roney Nascimento, an IB Diploma Mathematics Teacher and AI solutions developer describes his response to this insight.
"Teachers weren’t avoiding AI because they didn’t understand it. They were avoiding it because they didn’t trust it or trust themselves to use it responsibly. They were skeptical and wary."
Gain insights for your professional learning design both in and out of technology adoptio
Coaching Around the Fidelity Question
Have you heard this from school leaders? “We invested heavily in this new curricular program. Teachers were invited to give input during the decision-making process. Resources were purchased. Training was completed. Expectations were communicated. We all want greater consistency across classrooms and stronger outcomes for students. So why aren’t teachers implementing the program with fidelity?” Fi
The Intersection of Curriculum, Technology, and People to Deliver Learning Outcomes
Sari Factor, the Vice Chair and Chief Strategy Officer at Imagine Learning, explores the intersection of curriculum, technology, and people. These questions are explored:
What makes a curriculum high quality?
How can technology best support the teaching and learning process?
What role might AI play in extending this intersection?
How should schools be considering the questions around screen time?
Coachee Driven Coaching
As a guest on another podcast, I was asked what were my thoughts, after all my years in the coaching field, what the ideas and ideals of coaching done well would be? "Coaching done well"
begins with the coachee’s thinking driving the work, and continues with the coach intentionally choosing responses that move that thinking forward. It isn’t about selecting the "right" strategy —it’s about selecti
Rigor and Scaffolding
Rigor doesn’t mean more work, and it doesn’t mean figuring it out on your own without support. It should mean achievement at a level just outside of a student’s ability to do things unaided. Just like temporary building support structures, scaffolds for learners are designed to provide access to rigorous learning for all. We want our learners to have what they need to experience productive struggl
Building Resourcefulness, Resilience, and Collaboration
Resourcefulness, resilience, and collaboration are critical mindsets, and skill sets, for students to develop. For schools to support those outcomes, educators must have the opportunity to develop the same. Mitch Weisburgh, the author of, "Mindshifting: Stop Your Brain from Sabotaging Your Happiness and Success," explores the importance and possibilities.
What’s the role of wellbeing and hope in a
Starting Post-Conference Conversations That Lead to Reflection
What’s one of the first questions you tend to ask a teacher after you’ve broken the ice in a post-conference? Here’s one I hear very often: “How do you think that went?" I cringe a little when I hear that question. The reason is something I learned the hard way early in my coaching career. That question can lead to teachers protecting and the moment protection enters the conversation, reflection
Inside-Out vs. Outside-In Observation
Classroom observations can become overly focused on our unconscious bias toward traditional signs of quality teaching and learning. Observers can focus on teaching moves and the appearance of engagement but miss what matters most: are students making sense of the learning. Experienced educator, Dr. Michael McDowell shares the need to “flip” our view in observation to look past surface signals of t
Building a Culture of Growth With Learning Walks
"When leaders consistently show up in classrooms, not to judge, but to learn and support, they help to create schools where continuous improvement is not an initiative but a way of life." (Dr. Raymond Schmidt)
Dr. Schmidt describes how learning walks can build alignment among a teaching staff and administrative team. He explores elements pre, during, and post learning walk observations that build
School Staff Learning - Increasing Student Success
How does a staff’s engagement in reflection generate increased staff learning that promotes ownership and accountability for student success? Highly experienced school leader, Dr. Matt Horvath, explores leaders work with coaching, PLCs, and professional learning for classified staff. The podcast provides insights and questions to promote your reflection.
Email Matt: leadershipnexusconsulting@gmai
Learning and Growing in Tutoring
Chris Norwood, the founding director of the Bay Area Tutoring Association, highlights the impact of tutors, parents, students, community members and business leaders collaborating to invest in the future. He explores the preparation of tutors and the rewards for tutors, students, and the community. Consider what can be accomplished through the development of an academic tutoring workforce, extende
Coaching for Happiness: Aligning the Elephant and the Rider
Jonathan Haidt’s, "The Happiness Hypothesis," presents a helpful metaphor for coaching: the elephant and the rider. The elephant symbolizes our emotional, intuitive self—the instinctive reactions that show up when a lesson flops, a student refuses to engage, or a new initiative feels overwhelming. The rider represents our rational, planning, problem-solving self that sets goals, analyzes progress,
Redefining Resistance
"Resistance isn’t refusal. It’s a signal of unmet needs." Becca Silver, the founder of The Whole Educator and the designer of the Resistance Remedy, shares how to diagnosis common unmet needs. Coaches questioning and listening emerges as key to change and commitment.
Visit The Whole Educator website and get in touch with Becca here.
Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTune
Coaches Building a Mattering Ecosystem
Mattering is the feeling that we are valued and have value to add to the world. When we build a mattering ecosystem that helps adults feel valued and significant, we’re creating the conditions for children to feel they matter. What are coaching actions that signal mattering to their coachees and help build an ecosystem of mattering.
Read "Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation
Administrators and Teacher Leaders Teaming Up to Mentor New Teachers
By pairing an administrator with a systems-level view and access to resources with a teacher leader deep in classroom expertise and credibility, a school-based mentor program added support to teachers new to teaching or new to the school. Their partnership sent a message that mentoring isn’t something done to teachers—it’s something we do together.
"The most meaningful growth happens when learning
Observing Classrooms With The Wonder of Learning
Paul Magnuson shares what his feedback to teachers sounds like after he quit trying to point out weaknesses and trying to show that he knew what those weaknesses are; after he quit sitting across from younger teachers telling them what to do. Hear what he can share by picturing himself standing side-by-side with teachers, staring out across an education horizon that is messy, multi-faceted and fab
Creating a Culture of Open Classroom Doors and Informal Collegial Feedback
Many educators know that some of the best, most relevant professional development can happen when teachers observe other teachers instructing their students. But in many schools, there’s rarely time set aside for peer observation. Erika Kersey, the principal of Greenville Elementary School in Virginia and two teachers share how they created structured, low-stakes opportunities for teachers to lear
Powerful Learning Through Entrepreneurial Opportunities
I have been a long-time promoter of engaging students in real-life (project-based) opportunities. That’s driven from my own experiences as a 4-H participant in my elementary and high school years and having observed teachers and students tackling powerful learning through doing live event projects. Those experiences generated my interest to learn more when I was introduced to The Society of Childh
Educators Thriving is Key to Students Thriving
The authors of, "High Five to Thrive: 5 Proven Practices to Unleash Your Passion for Teaching" share their strategies to assist teachers to experience thriving in teaching. Their strategies tackle these issues:
A loss of purpose - Is the passion that once fueled you fading?
A feeling of hopelessness -Have you ever felt like no matter what you do, it’s not enough?
Unhelpful mindset patterns - Do y
Knowing Students Builds Connections
Tim Smyth, a high school teacher, shares his strategies for regularly surveying his students to build valuable connections. Hear some of the questions and approaches that tap information about his students. Tim has experienced knowing students better, having students know him, and at times knowing students who need emotional help. Instructional coaches can use Tim’s voice to spark teachers’ thinki
Building Student Learning Perseverance
Have you witnessed this in your classroom or had teachers share it as a coaching request? "When the cognitive load rises, many students default to learned- helplessness or passive habits. I see it in the quick, 'I don’t get it' before they have engaged with the problem, in the immediate search for confirmation rather than justification, and in the quiet waiting for me to circulate rather than maki
Coaching Facilitation Skills for PLC Leaders
With effective facilitation, individual PLC members come together combining each one’s unique strengths to promote optimal team performance. Without effective facilitation PLC conversations often stray without a focus and disappoint PLC members concerning the payoffs for their invested time. Angela Buckingham and Elena Sammon share strategies for building PLC leaders facilitation skills and model
Observing and Coaching with a Focus on Student Learning Production Behaviors
When a teacher is planning a learning activity, what’s the movie that’s running in their mind? Are they mostly seeing what they are doing as a teacher or what their learners are doing? When teachers, like athletic and performing arts coaches, focus on the student learning actions they modify instructional moves as soon as recognizing that the needed learning behaviors are missing. Coaches can obse
Building the Culture We Want and the One That Students Need
The authors of "Intentional Influence: Harnessing Cultural Mapping to Build Commitment," share their insights that enable leaders to reflect, explore step-by-step processes, and take concrete actions to impact culture and learning across their "spheres of influence.” By employing Cultural Mapping, leaders can create a personnel map of influence and thus support hidden flow of influence, and apply
Some Strategies for Facilitating PLCs
Professional Learning Communities don’t automatically produce collaboration or impact. They often require skilled facilitation to keep the focus on high quality learning for all students and teachers. A facilitator provides the structure, prompts, and emotional conditions that help members engage deeply, share openly, and turn reflection into meaningful next steps. How can facilitators plan for th
Replacing a Punishment with a Connection
What payoffs are possible if students, who were assigned to serve detention, had the option to take a two -hour hike in the woods with a guidance counselor instead? High school counselor, Leslie Trundy, shares her experiences with the” hike as detention” plan. Trundy, guides the hikes including a stop with a view, a snack, and a short poem focused on starting anew. Consider what you want students
Encouraging Teacher Participation in PLC’s
What are the compelling "whys" for teachers to invest their time and vulnerability in professional learning communities? How do professional learning communities differ from professional working communities? When are teachers meeting as a franchise vs meeting as a team with shared accountability? Shared goals and accountability for success are keys to effective PLCs.
Read "Professional learning v
“Leader-Full” Classrooms and Schools
What would be the benefits of ALL students being taught and coached to develop leadership skills?Maureen Chapman and James Simons, authors of, "Leaders of the Class," share the needs, benefits, and processes for students to leverage motivation, perseverance, communication, and collaboration. Consider how to build stronger, healthier relationships with students as they discover their potential as p
Finding Awe While Learning
I heard about a great experience illustrating awe in learning that was shared by a group of middle school students and their teacher in Grand Island, New York. They joined me on this podcast sharing their reflections and insights. As you hear their story consider where these elements of Awe appeared:
Awe occurs when we experience something much larger than ourselves
Awe leads to the need to refra
Coaches Words That Empower
How do the words teachers hear from school leaders, instructional coaches and peers provide an uplift and motivation? Are there time that the words teachers hear create a subtle source of stress, confusion, or disengagement? Our language can be a vehicle through which expectations, emotions, and commitments are transmitted. What we say—and just as importantly, what we don’t say—can directly influ
Making Feedback Matter
How do you ensure your students are reading your feedback, digesting it, and using it to improve? Alexis Wiggins explores the connections between reflection and feedback. She shares her personal experiences around revision-based assessments, AI possibilities, and modeling her use of feedback from student surveys.
Read Alexis’ article, "Feedback That Matters" here.
Watch the "Austin’s Butterfly" vi
Observing and Coaching Classroom Management
Some instructional coaches are starting the year with teachers who are new to the profession—and some with teachers who are entering the classroom without any teacher education background. What do these teachers believe defines classroom management, and where should a coach begin?
Many instructional coaches are also hearing highly experienced teachers say, “I’ve never had a student like this befor
Supporting Teachers in Turbulent Times
Jennifer D. Klein, the author of, "Taming the Turbulence in Educational Leadership: Doing Right by Learners Without Losing Your Job," shares the need for leaders to support teachers who frequently struggle with false dichotomies like knowledge vs skills or play vs academics. Teachers and leaders often feel isolated and threatened in their efforts to prioritize what learners need most. Change work
Supporting New and Untenured Teachers
Amber Chandler, the author of "Everything New Teachers Need to Know But Are Afraid to Ask," shares a program her district implemented to address that 140 out of its 478 teachers have been with the district four years or less—and the ranks of untenured teachers are expected to swell to 250 in the next five years. That’s approximately half of the teaching staff needing support, not just in year one,
Supporting Emotional and Social Well-Being for School Staff and Students
The Executive Director of Counselling in Schools, Kevin Dahill-Fuchel, explores the environments needed for students to thrive in school and survive in life. A key to that environment is a staff that can manage their emotions personally and be resilient so that they support students authentically. What role do instructional coaches and school leaders play in supporting teachers’ emotional safety a
Belonging - Honoring Each Student
Every educator sends signals to students that, consciously or unconsciously, determine who experiences belonging—and who doesn’t. When students perceive they do not belong, they are at risk for a host of adverse consequences. Conversely, when students feel a sense of belonging, it can lead to an abundance of positive personal, social, and academic outcomes.
How can instructional coaches and school
Start the School Year with Awe, Wonder, and Curiosity
Research tells us that awe increases motivation and connection to learning, enhances critical thinking and careful information processing, encourages empathy and prosocial behavior, and supports creativity. What’s the plan for teachers and students first days of school? Are you more likely to hear ‘wow” and “awe” or “ Oh, no.” Explore some possibilities.
Find Steve's book "WOW! Adding Pizzazz to T
Students and Teachers Maximizing the Value Feedback
Feedback doesn’t create learning by itself—learning happens when students reflect on, act upon, and integrate feedback into their work. Teachers don’t cause student achievement. Students do. Our role as educators is to design environments, tasks, and relationships that enable students to produce the learning behaviors that generate achievement. One of those critical learning behaviors is knowing
Coaching Teacher Leaders
Instructional Coaches and school administrators should be continuously mapping out how they support teacher leaders in their schools. Teacher leaders at grade levels or department chairs for curriculum, along with teachers leading programs or projects and those serving as mentors to new staff are all key to a school reaching its mission and vision of maximizing student success. Too often, there is
Plan for Playfulness, Connection, and Flow
Planning for the start of a new school year, we should intentionally design for playfulness, connection, and flow—the elements that are core to fun and joy. It’s not just about better lessons— but better experiences. Experiences that students will remember, that teachers will find energizing, and that build both engagement and joy. Whether it’s a surprise horse outside a classroom window or a re
Coaching Conversations that Promote Coachability
"Coachability is a crucial mindset that builds individual and teacher efficacy and thus student success. Coaching conversations should have a human connectedness built on hope, trust, gratitude, strength, and purpose." (Jennifer Fraser, 2025, Leading with Hope and Kindness)
Listen for human connections in a sample coaching pre-conference.
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Preparing Students for Their Future
Listen as an experienced post -secondary professor and Dean of Computing and Data Science shares her insights as she assumes the position of the Head of School at a 7-12 independent school, the New England Innovation Academy. Dr. Durga Suresh-Menon provides a definition of innovation and discusses the need for curriculum and instruction to be continuously relevant. How do students prepare for what
Instructional Systems Feedback: A “Moneyball” Approach
Patrick Mongrain, an experienced teacher and teacher coach, shares a message comparing the use of data to drive smarter decisions in the movie Moneyball to providing teachers with data to analyze their instructional classroom moves. He describes the role of 8 high level strategies such as building community and relationships, providing opportunities to respond, and positive and corrective feedback
Coaching, Leading, and Learning From Gen-Z Teachers
Dr. Meagan Booth, the Supervisor of Employee Relations at Knox County Schools in Tennessee, explores our need to learn about and from our Gen-Z teachers. She suggests the need to move from “just trust me” leadership to “here’s what you can expect” leadership providing consistency and transparency that build trust and respect for Gen Z. How do we make mental health “a way of being” to create system
Learning Through Listening and Creating: Podcasts in the Classroom
Teachers looking for a strategy to increase students’ engagement in learning and instructional coaches looking to support those teachers can find ideas and encouragement from Katie Brooks. She shares her experiences that led her to say:
"By making podcasting a part of my ELA curriculum, I’ve seen students finally comprehend complex materials, have a blast learning and using their creativity, and t
A Path to Standards-Based Grading
Hear a principal’s firsthand experience in facilitating a staff’s implementation of standards-based grading. Explore some of the “bumps” and how they worked through them.
“There were bumps everywhere. We shifted the ground between kids and families’ feet. Most of us go through school with the same grading systems our parents did. This was no different. We had to explain what, why, and how. We also
Planning for Impact: Why Goals Alone Won’t Do The Job
Its that time of year when many school administrators and teacher leaders are engaged in setting school improvement goals focused on increasing student learning. But goals alone aren’t enough. Real change happens when we identify and support the behaviors that lead to those goals: the consistent learning behaviors students will need to be engaged in, the teacher actions that are most likely to gen
Trust-Based Observations
Most school leaders and teachers give a rather low rating to the value of teacher observations regarding increasing teacher effectiveness and thus student learning. Many find the process actual interfering with building a trusting learning culture in a school. Craig Randall, the author of "Trust-Based Observations: Maximizing Teaching and Learning Growth," has developed a transformative model of t
Why Focus on Deeper Learning for All Students
What is deeper learning and how does it meaningfully engage students, preparing them for success beyond the classroom? How can teachers incorporate deeper learning into their classrooms? Dr. David Reese, from Defined Learning, explores these topics and identifies the six critical competencies that are important to all students’ for success. These competencies are often framed within the context of
Professional Development That Impacts Teacher Learning and Student Success
What should teachers expect from school leadership in the support of teacher growth? What expectations should school leaders have of teachers in their investment in professional growth? Katherine Hamilton, vice president of programs for Ensemble Learning explores these questions with Steve. Designing for teachers as professionals is key to generating educator learning that impact student success.
Coaching Teachers to Fail Successfully
Just as students benefit from developing a positive, growth-oriented approach to failure, teachers thrive when they are supported in the same way. Instructional coaches and administrators can play a critical role in fostering this mindset. Teachers need opportunities to embrace challenges, experiment with new ideas, and persist through setbacks, in a safe environment. Too often, professional learn
Teacher Leaders in PLCs
Chad Dumas, the author of, The Teacher Leader Handbook: Simple Habits to Transform Collaboration in a PLC at Work, explores the mindsets, skills and strategies that generate team collaboration. Chad describes the important mindsets of “Seeing in others what they don’t yet see in themselves,” Being humble with a posture of learning, and "Spreading the contagion of joy." How should school leaders su
Coaching to Leverage Hardiness
How do coaches assist teachers in reframing stress from something to be managed to a catalyst for growth and improvement? How can understanding the roles of commitment, control, and challenge build teachers’ hardiness? Highly experienced coaches, Lana Cecil and Angela Buckingham, share the application of Stein’s and Bartone’s work in Making Stress Work for You to Achieve Your Life Goals to the wor
A District’s Focus on Inspiring and Creating Joyful Experiences
What happens when a school system makes four promises as their mission: joy, connection, growth, and success and consider joy as the lead to the others happening? "If we want people to be present, engaged, and thriving, joy can’t be an afterthought. It must be a priority." (George Philhower, Superintendent Eastern Hancock Schools in Indiana) Hear about their summer Joy Jam conference for educators
Building Coachability for Myself and Others
“Coachability is not just teachability. It’s not just a willingness to learn. It’s a willingness to unlearn and change. Coachability is a moral capacity that allows a person to accept feedback, acknowledge faults, limitations, and deficiencies, and to act on that new information.” (Timothy Clark)
As instructional coaches and school leaders, we can play a big role in shaping culture of coachability
Situating Responsibility With Students: Enhancing Learning
Barbara Smith, the editor of Urgent Care for Schools: Situating Responsibility as an Engaging Way for Students to Transform School Cultures, explores providing meaningful, memorable, and fulfilling learning experiences by situating responsibilities with learners.
From her experiences in public, independent, charter, and international schools, Barbara explores expanding the student identity to incl
Radical Listening in Coaching
How can coaches’ use of radical listening generate teachers’ reflection and increase a sense of teachers’ empowerment? Examine some of the obstacles to and strategies for radical listening from the work of Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener and Christian Van Nieuwerburgh authors of Radical Listening: The Art of True Connection. As coaches, when we resist the urge to jump in with comparisons, advice, or quic
A Thriving School Culture Through a Path of Student and Teacher Responsibility
From her career as a teacher and school leader in public, independent, and international schools and having opened three new schools, Barbara Smith proposes the importance of situating responsibility with students and teachers. She describes why change is urgent and needs to be transformative. Just as teachers need to be facilitators of student responsibility to create their learning, school lead
Coaches Listen to Guide Self Discovery
What skills do coaches practice to communicate being fully present in coaching conversations? How do those conversations support a growth-oriented environment where teachers feel valued, heard, and empowered to take ownership of their professional learning? Consider your use of questions and paraphrases in coaching.
Find "The Leader's Guide to Coaching in Schools: Creating Conditions for Effective
Building Coaching Skills and a Coaching Culture
Rory Courlander, IFC Certified Coach, high school administrator, and experience learning and teaching coach, explores building a coaching culture from no coaching to an embedded collaborative coaching culture. He and Steve discuss coaching skills and coachability.
Find Rory’s Coaching Culture Continuum and connect with him on LinkedIn here.
Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast
Supporting Teachers in Supporting Students’ High Performance
How do instructional coaches and instruction leaders support teachers in maximizing students’ high performance? How should we be preparing teachers to identify possible indicators of high talent and to create opportunities for talent and giftedness to flourish? Steve Arnold, the Head of Gifted and Talented at GEMS Education explores these questions and identifies the importance of adaptive teachin
Sharing the Listening Path with Students
Listening is a crucial skill for students to develop for school and life success, yet we rarely purposefully approach a plan for students to learn the skills. Christine Miles, the creator of The Listening Path highlights the why and how for teachers to provide students the tools and practice to develop their listening capabilities. Consider the impact of a listing culture on classroom dynamics and
Why Invest in PLCs
Time spent in PLCs should produce increased student learning. Listen in on thoughts from several experienced school leaders who have interacted with Steve and shared indicators that suggest your PLCs are on the right track or might need modifications to increase their impact on student learning.
Subscribe to the Steve Barkley Ponders Out Loud podcast on iTunes or visit BarkleyPD.com to find new e
Building a Co-Constructed School
How can a focus on teacher agency, strategic planning, and professional growth transform a school into a thriving ecosystem where leaders, teachers, parents, and students create dynamic, inclusive, and purpose-driven learning communities? School leader and the author of The Co-Constructed School, Ann Lautrette, shares her experiences, research, and case studies that demonstrate the processes and r
Seeking and Building Students’ High-Level Talent
What role do teachers play in generating opportunities for the key elements of high performance: deliberate practice, motivation/inspiration, and master coaching? Steve Arnold, the Head of Gifted and Talented at GEMS Education illustrates teachers’ roles. He identifies the impact of the "required curriculum" and teachers’ options like the use of disruptive questions.
Contact Steve Arnold: steve.a
Pushing Through: Embracing Growth Through Discomfort
"I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” (Marissa Mayer)
How do administrators, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders foster such a mindset?
Research on psychological safety underscores the importance of cre
Creating Joyful Transformational Experiences
For young children, curiosity and questions abound. Adults are often interested in learning connected to their lives, jobs, and hobbies. Somehow though in between those times the joy of learning may be lost as curiosity is replaced with isolation. Dr. Jennifer Gallagher, superintendent of Long Beach School District, NY, explores how to focus on nurturing more joy in learning in our schools. What i
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