Meeting the social and emotional needs of young people is difficult when school is driven by compliance instead of engagement. That’s why Inspired Teaching has spent a quarter century transforming the role of the teacher from information provider to Instigator of Thought. Such a shift is essential in order for students and teachers to thrive. This tool is one way to get there.
Through 25 years of program implementation and research (see https://inspiredteaching.org/our-approach/impact/) we have observed the benefits to the social and emotional well-being of students and teachers when schools prioritize student engagement. The “Meeting Student Needs” tool provides a simple yet clear guide for “learning walks” where stakeholders within an educational community can look for and identify examples of the Inspired Teaching approach. When we train ourselves to see examples of good teaching in action, we have a better idea of how to implement it in our own contexts.
Teachers can use this tool to reflect on their own classrooms, and school leaders can use it as a way to create change across a whole school community. Parents can play an important role as advocates for engagement-based instruction - and the tool can also be shared with them as a way to explain the goals of the school and serve as a bridge for approaches families can take at home.
Our aim is to make engagement-based teaching the norm, and to make our approach available to all. Our work includes professional learning for teachers, schools, and districts, a demonstration school, new teacher training, and many online resources.
The global pandemic highlighted the need for engagement-based approaches in the classroom, online and in-person. Over the past two years, we shifted our professional learning entirely online, and received overwhelmingly positive responses from teachers and school leaders across the globe.
Inspired Teaching's innovative work has won national and international recognition from the LEGO Foundation, Ashoka, and the National Writing Project in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation and John Legend's Show Me Campaign.
Start by observing your students and truly listening to them.
Then download a copy of the "Meeting Student Needs" tool: https://bit.ly/3wm
Next, consider the question: Which of these elements can I find in my classroom or school? In the areas where you seek improvement, access the many professional learning resources in our Instigator of Thought Challenges: https://www.instigatorofthought.org/
