The Innovative Teacher

The Innovative Teacher is part of the The Partnership for School Innovation

Innovative teachers prepare students for success by emphasizing 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration. They motivate their students by creating authentic learning experiences that are grounded in core academic content and enhanced through technology.

The Innovative Teacher is a professional development model comprised of on-site coaching and off-site teacher institutes, directed at helping educators redesign their instruction, engage their students and improve student outcomes.

coaching cycle

On-Site Support

Phase I: Assessing Needs and Planning Instruction

Examining desired student outcomes and existing curricula, teacher and consultant develop a problem- or inquiry-based learning experience that allows students to learn and apply academic content and skills to real situations. They also develop alternative assessments designed to capture more complex learning.

Phase II: In-Class Coaching

Teacher and consultant set individual goals to improve practice in one or more of the following critical areas: instruction, use of new technology, classroom management, and alternative assessment strategies.

Phase III: Reflection and Revision

Teacher and consultant collaboratively review student work and/or video clips of classroom teaching to assess how change in practice has achieved desired outcomes.

Teacher Institutes

Complementing the coaching cycle, our Teacher Institutes give teachers multiple opportunities to learn and share best practices with their peers and to engage in hands-on learning experiences they can use in their classrooms. Teaching Matters offers a number of institutes that help teachers move toward learner-centered pedagogy supported by new technologies.

Innovative Teacher Institutes Include:

Enhancing Research & Classroom Inquiry with Blogs & Wikis
Guiding Classroom Inquiry with Google Docs
Supporting Inquiry, Collaboration & Learning Management with Moodle
Using TrackStar to Organize Inquiry
Encouraging Creativity with Digital Media (Podcasts, Digital Videos)
Creating Performance Assessments to Promote 21st Century Skills
Using SMARTboard for Differentiating Instruction.

Customized workshops are available on request.

Standards for Student Success

The Innovative Teacheraddresses student outcomes aligned with the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NET•S) and Performance Indicators for Students.

While increasing already impressive rates of ELA progress, PS 52 earned an “A” on the NYC DOE Progress Report.

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PS129 turned to Teaching Matters to help her faculty advance instruction through innovations made possible by technology and to improve students’ overall performance.

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A 2009 study conducted by EDC's Center for Children and Technology showed significant gains in writing ability between struggling students at 216Q enrolled in Writing Matters

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To help improve its already enviable 2008 ELA scores, principal Daniel Garcia partnered with Teaching Matters and implemented Writing Matters along with Voices & Choices.

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