Be an Instructional Leader in 3 Easy Steps

Have you ever been to an amusement park and found that your favorite ride was closed? You have that feeling that you missed out? If you did not attend the 1:00 p.m. session on day one, “Be an Expert in Instruction in 3 Simple Steps” you would have that same feeling. Don’t worry, though! Read on to find out what you missed.

Presenter Sean Cain gave each participant a well-designed booklet was given to to record ideas and thoughts. Cain offered a welcoming environment to help participants be ready to learn his three simple instructional leadership steps. The three steps include:

1. Teach. You have to teach and demonstrate credibility to your staff.
2. Observe a lot of instruction. Include at least 30 minutes of observation every day.
3. Coach with accountability. Sounds simple right? Well, you have to:

• Know your people so you know how to coach your teachers;
• Make sure your staff sees you enough to trust you; and
• See the instruction. Teachers are busy teaching. You have the expertise. You have the pedagogy for instruction.

Bottom line—it's on us!

Want to learn more? Check out Sean Cain's book in the NAESP Bookstore, The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction, and visit him at his book signing (he will play a round of poker; you can win great prizes; and he’ll sign your book). Jump on the ride to be an effective instructional leader through great instructional techniques.

—Adam Drummond

Drummond is blogging from the 2014 Annual Conference in Nashville. Read his other posts, and see updates from Nashville, on 2014 Conference News.