Instructional Improvement Platform

Jacob Tucker

When thinking of instruction and the type of instruction that truly engages students, I

think back to my 5th grade teacher Mr. Schogren. He was by far my favorite teacher because I

knew that he liked me and cared about me, he made the class fun and enjoyable by doing

activities and lessons that 5th graders cared about, and he held me to high expectations around

learning. To this day, I still remember certain concepts from his 5 th grade classroom, and it’s his

teaching that has formed my opinion on what good instruction looks like, which is teaching that

incorporates relationships, relevance, and rigor.

I remember Mr. Schogren would always stand outside the door every morning and greet

me by saying, “good morning, Jake!” He did this every morning, for every student. Although it

doesn’t seem like much, calling me by name and taking the time to say hi showed that he cared.

Not only that, but he got to know me as a person before getting to know me as a student. He

knew what sports I liked and introduced me to the juggling program at the school. Smith, Fisher

& Frey, 2015 write that “when students care about the relationships they have with others,

they work to keep those relationships healthy and to repair any damage” (pg. 24). It is my firm

opinion that I learned more in Mr. Schogren’s class because of the relationship I had with him,

and the same can be said for our current students. They will be more willing to learn from

someone that they like and they truly believe cares about their well-being.

While relationships are what start learning off with a success, having healthy

relationships with students without effective teaching simply isn’t enough. Smith et al., 2015

continues by saying, “when students have positive relationships with their teachers, they are

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willing to try paying attention out of respect for their teachers. But if instruction isn’t engaging,

they are still at risk.” Quality instructions stems from student relationships, in order to make

the curriculum relevant. Highly effective teachers are able to utilize the relationships they have

built and use them to make their instruction have meaning to their students. Murphy, 2017

notes that students have voiced a need for (1) sufficient time to engage in material and be in

conversation, (2) multiple types of classroom activities, and (3) an understanding that these

activities can be accomplished in non-isolating, collective ways. “When teaching is boring nearly

all other characteristics of the teacher as well as the curriculum elude discernment” (Murphy,

2017, pg. 59). There are so many ways to engage students in their learning, but mostly students

want to see that the material applies to them in some way. I remember one specific project in

which Mr. Schogren demonstrated this perfectly. We were asked to create a U.S. book, in which

we made an informational page about each state. Of course I had to include the basic facts such

as population, the flag, state animal, etc. But I remember that Mr. Schogren met with each

student individually to discuss how each student was going to make their project unique to

them. When he met with me, we decided that I would also list every major sports team that

existed in each state. I remember at the end of the project we compared state population to

the amount of sports teams each state had.

Finally, students want to feel academically challenged. Effective teaching utilizes

relationships to provide relevant instruction that is rigorous for each student. Murphy, 2017

explains that students are well aware of non-verbal expectations of teachers, and many feel

that “adults have given up on them” (pg. 57). It is well documented and researched that

teachers have, through differential treatment and minimal demands, communicated low

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expectations to students, and that more importantly, students have accepted these

expectations. Quality instruction should do the opposite. Quality instruction should emphasize

a high expectation on students and a belief that each student can achieve it. This can be

accomplished by providing students with high level thinking opportunities and increased

student discourse.

Based on my experience as a student in Mr. Schogren’s class, I firmly believe that quality

instruction is centered on relationships, relevance, and rigor. Van Soelen, 2016 identifies four

categories of competence and consciousness, where educators strive to become consciously

competent. He explains that “the goal is Conscious Competence, a space where educators are

clear about what they are doing and why they are doing that” (pg. 26). This is our goal. It may

not be reached this year, or even next. But we will purposefully and positively reflect and

respond to the relationships in our classrooms, how we utilize those relationships to make our

current curriculum and instruction relevant to our students, and how we will provide all

students with the belief that they are capable of rigorous academics.

References

Murphy, J. (2017). Professional standards for educational leaders. Corwin Publishing Company.

Smith, D., Fisher, D., Frey, N. (2015). Better than carrots or sticks : restorative practices for positive

classroom management. ASCD.

Van Soelen, T. M. (2016) Crafting the feedback teachers need and deserve. Routledge Press.

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