We want our students to improve. We want scores to rise. We want to see a turnaround in achievement, but what most do not realize is most of that happens when you overhaul what Tier 1 instruction is in the classroom.
I read a great quote today, “Districts and schools cannot buy or intervene their way out of poor-quality Tier 1.” Dr. Tessie Bailey said this at a recent MTSS presentation. It holds true. Low achieving students cannot be supported with any type of intervention effectively if schools and teachers do not get Tier 1 instruction mastered.
What does this mean then? We HAVE to quit teaching, like the title of the website says. Teaching in the traditional sense does not work and has not been working for our students for some time. Teaching is adult-centric, adult-convenient and adult-driven, and that’s why we adults want to keep doing it that way. It’s what we know. It benefits us more than the students. And best of all, we are the ones in complete control of it all.
But learning is different. Learning is student-centric, student-convenient and student-driven. That’s why it works, and works well. Why do we build schools and pay teachers and provide resources in the first place? Is it to teach? No. We are in the learning business, and we must change how we do business for no other reason than it is what our students deserve.
You might think your classroom or your school has it down and that all is working just fine the way it is. Stop and reflect. Video your best lesson. Go out and visit other classrooms in the building. When you do, look for evidence of LEARNING, not teaching. Here’s what that looks like:
Teaching looks like a room that is quiet and orderly. The teacher presents some information to the students. Students are seated, taking notes, reading or working. They raise their hand if they have a question. They continue to work and turn in their accomplishments of the day to the teacher. Question: How does anyone in the room know that anyone learned anything? Wouldn’t it be great if the students could walk out of a classroom and KNOW (and support with actual physical evidence) that they learned in class today?
Learning is a different mindset. The teaching above is about compliance over competence. Learning takes preparation. The teaching above can be shot from the hip at a moment’s notice. Learning takes purposeful design, nothing more and nothing less. And THAT is the only way to change a broken, or even seemingly working, Tier 1 system of instruction into one that excels at the one thing we are here to produce: Learning.
