9/7/2023 0 Comments Photocopy effectEffectively implemented, data-driven instruction centers on setting clear outcomes for student learning, frequently assessing pupils’ progress towards mastery of the knowledge and skills they need, and thoughtfully planning and tweaking short- and long-term plans in response to the needs of the students. That is why data-driven instruction is hard to do well, but also why it can be so powerful in the hands of a skilled teacher. When fidelity to a program becomes the goal, the program itself becomes a distraction rather than a catalyst for great instruction. In other words: In schools, the chef is at least as important as the recipe. That’s because, as so many educators know all too well, getting results in schools is about much more than implementing a program, it is about the knowledge, skill, and commitment of those doing the implementing. These tactics are not meant to provide a “step-by-step guide” to great instruction. Indeed, what Lemov outlines are tactics aimed at improving the skills and techniques of teaching. The strategies in Teach Like a Champion are suggested only to the extent that they serve the goal of improving student achievement. Too many ideas, even good ones, go bad when they become an end and not a means. The result to aim for is not the loyal adoption of these techniques for their own sake but their application in service of increased student achievement. …starts with and is justified by the results it helps teachers achieve, not by its fealty to some ideological principle. Understanding the limitations of simple replication is one of the many things that sets Doug Lemov’s book Teach Like a Champion apart from so many others. Unfortunately, when fidelity to a program becomes the goal, the program itself becomes a distraction rather than a catalyst for great instruction. What’s more, feedback in replication schools is too often aimed at how well the program is being implemented, rather than on whether-faithful to the model or not-teachers are driving outstanding achievement. In replication schools, however, that focus is too often diverted from student outcomes to the faithful implementation of “proven” programs, systems, and tools. In the high achieving schools and classrooms so many seek to copy, teachers and leaders work together with their eyes firmly trained on the goal of improving student achievement. In education, the Xerox effect often stems from a shift in focus. It ends up more like an old-fashioned Xerox, where each new copy is a little fainter and blurrier than the one that came before. Too often, though, replication falls short of these high expectations. If something is working, why not replicate it? Copying success doesn't always lead to success. We should multiply success and shun failure. “scaling.” A charter school is high achieving? Turn it into a CMO! A curriculum is achieving big results? Bring it into every classroom in its district! An instructional strategy is clicking with teachers? Take it nationwide! In theory, this makes sense, best practices and all that. Perhaps the most seductive trap in all of education reform is the idea of replication, a.k.a.
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