"There's not enough time!" "How am I going to cover all the content AND give my students the help they need?" These concerns are common to the coaching conversations I have with teachers who want innovative ways to structure instruction that balances teacher direction and student ownership. Because I believe that effective teachers are not the sole owners of learning in the classroom, I aim to help teachers solve the specific challenge of balancing time for direct instruction/whole group learning and time for small group, individualized, or student-driven learning. Two teachers I coached this year particularly demonstrate what this challenge looks like in the classroom, and the thoughtful solutions that teachers can apply.
As the digital learning coach, it was natural for me to work alongside Elizabeth and Dee because we would be addressing how to leverage technology to maximize instructional time.
However, I found that, more important than my guidance in choosing the right digital tool, was my coaching when it came to foundational pedagogy. These teachers are not using digital resources haphazardly—every move they make is calculated, down to the smallest detail, with consideration of digital and non-digital resources. Elizabeth and Dee have never lost sight of their instructional focus, which has been the students' work and learning outcomes. These types of decisions and implementations can only happen when teachers are freed from the constraints of direct instruction and allowed to refocus instructional time on meeting each of their students' needs. Here are Elizabeth and Dee's stories.
From Elizabeth Lott, high school math teacher:
My initial idea to maximize instructional minutes in an 80-minute class period was to create a flipped classroom and require students to track their own progress. Because I would not be spending class time assigning and collecting work, I would have more to conference with students individually or in small groups, and students would have more time to practice new skills. Students would complete a note catcher while watching a video provided by the textbook, followed by a review of the concepts, a check for understanding, and then independent textbook practice or practice work in an adaptable digital platform. Students would track individual assignments on a tracker form.
Within those first few weeks, assessments told me my students needed different direct instruction. While I did not want to go back to traditional lecture, I knew the "flipped" part of my classroom was not working. I decided to replace the textbook videos with 15–20—minute minilessons taught by me. When I made this change, I also restructured my class: minilesson, check for understanding, and then independent practice.
At the end of the first nine weeks, examining the student tracker forms revealed that several students were struggling with time management during the 40–45 minutes of independent practice. I wanted my students to own their learning, but I knew they also needed more structure. Again, I reordered my class structure while maintaining student ownership of learning: 15 minutes of independent practice, a 15–20—minute minilesson, 2–3 checks for understanding on different skills, then independent practice for the remainder of the class. I also shifted quizzes to an online format, using our learning management system and giving students control over which quizzes needed to be completed within a certain timeframe.
Although I have struggled this semester to find the perfect formula, I believe I have landed on one that works for me as a teacher and facilitator of learning. This latest class structure maximizes the instructional minutes in my classroom and provides time for common learning via direct instruction, but also allows me to personalize and facilitate student ownership of learning.
From Dee Pukl, high school science teacher:
As a science teacher, maximizing instructional time is constantly challenged by the amount and complexity of content that needs to be covered. Do I need to be the one in control of the content? Are students receiving the right level of content? The traditional structure of teacher-centered lecture was not working for my students, especially those who were struggling with the content and sitting passively while becoming more confused. I knew I needed to shift my instructional practices to provide more content exposure while also attending to individual student needs.
After some experimentation, I adopted a class structure combining digital delivery, small group lessons, and one-on-one conferencing. These elements do not have to be linear in structure but can move fluidly, daily. Rather than sit for a lecture, students learn new material through digital platforms or in small group instruction. I found this to the be most efficient use of my time because I can accurately gauge student understanding in groups of 2–4 and clarify misconceptions as I go. Shifting to independent work and small group "table talks" allows me to focus on asking clarifying questions and monitoring academic discussions.
In addition, shifting how content is delivered has freed my time to do differentiated, extremely focused lessons with students who need the most support. Now, I spend about 60 percent of my class time doing one-on-one instruction, whereas I used to spend 20 percent of my time one-on-one. For my students, this one-on-one conferencing has been an essential lever for their success with rigorous content. These changes weren't easy to implement, but the shift to personalized instruction and the benefits that come with being a better steward of my instructional time have made a world of difference in my students' ownership of their learning.
