Overview
We have identified patterns in the actions teachers take in classrooms where students are growing as leaders of a better future. These transformational classrooms have shown that growing students in this way calls for more relational, student-led, discovery-oriented teaching and learning.
Discover
Check out this compilation of clips from some of the teachers, students, classrooms, schools, and communities that were part of our Global Learning Loops. What do these classrooms have in common? What key strategies do you see?
Learn
Our studies suggest that five families of actions (which we are calling “strategies”) distinguish transformational classrooms. Under each of these, you will observe five specific actions (for a total of 25 actions) often found in these classrooms.
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Love & Connect |
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Build relationships |
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Foster belonging |
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Nurture culture |
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Know yourself |
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Be human |
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Listen & Envision |
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Broaden perspectives |
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Host dialogue & discussion |
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Partner with families & community |
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Critically examine history |
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Collectively envision success |
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Learn & Design |
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Build critical knowledge |
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Plan backwards |
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Value learner variability & ownership |
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Expect higher-order thinking |
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Leverage learning theory |
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Facilitate & Challenge |
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Facilitate effectively |
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Manage norms & rituals |
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Foster collective discovery |
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Flexibly adjust course |
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Monitor learning & progress |
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Reflect & Grow |
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Take care of yourself |
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Pause & reflect |
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Find & foster allies |
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Seek feedback |
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Learn & unlearn |
“It turns out, if you are a teacher working to help students improve their lives and their communities’ futures, you do things very differently than teachers who are working to raise test scores.”
— Franco Mosso, CEO & Co-founder, Enseña Perú
“It turns out, if you are a teacher working to help students improve their lives and their communities’ futures, you do things very differently than teachers who are working to raise test scores.”
— Franco Mosso, CEO & Co-founder, Enseña Perú
Do
Explore an emerging toolkit of strategies for developing student leadership designed for teachers and teacher coaches, and other recommended resources:
TACL
How Do We Work With Adult Learners?
This video from 2015 features staff members of Teach For Bangladesh, Enseña por México, and Teach For America discussing innovations in their approaches to programming. As you watch, consider what adult learning principles might be influencing their ...
TACL
Choose to connect
In this 2013 video, Teach For America alumnus Isaac Pollack tackles the seemingly impossible task of transforming Carver High School in New Orleans. Faced with academic gaps and skepticism from students in impoverished, violent neighborhoods, Isaac g
TACL
Growth, Not Perfection
This video from 2014 shows how Teach For America alumnus Isaac Pollack, Principal of Carver High School in New Orleans, led his school guided by the simple belief that “it’s OK to make mistakes, just be better tomorrow than you were today.” This beli...
TACL
Bring Your Strengths to Life & Live More Fully
Character strengths are the positive parts of your personality that make you feel authentic and engaged. You possess all 24 character strengths in different degrees, giving you a unique character strengths profile. Discover your greatest qualities an
TACL
Shayla Yellowhair: Understand Our History
In this video from 2017, Shayla Yellowhair, systems leader and Teach For America alumna explains why teachers who are coming to work in Native communities need to first understand the history and be willing to learn from the community.
Pagination
Share
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Our Glossary
In our attempt to capture the real spirit of the classrooms we have studied, we have sometimes intentionally used words and phrases in a slightly unusual way.
We invite you to learn more about our language choices by exploring our Glossary.