B.A.S.I.C.

Building A Sustainable Instructional Core

The B.A.S.I.C. Non-negotiables

Visit Classrooms EVERYDAY;

Coaching, mentoring, in-class coaching & administrative feedback are all necessary;

Low inference quick-walks;

Classroom Environments;

Neat and orderly environments;

Furniture organized in a way to foster collaborative learning and discussions (no more rows);

Use human capital resources that have different lenses;

Hold PLC time as sacred;

PD informed by: PLCs, feedback, focus walks, student voice.

Leveraging Professional Development as a change agent must be done at two distinct paces. Fast paced efforts can create flash shifts. These are important and should not be ignored. Long term change must be purposeful, involve stakeholder input and, at its most influential level, include student choice.

Creating a successful B.A.S.I.C. instructional model requires research-based strategies. We use the work of professionals in the field such as Richard Elmore, Michael Fullan, Robert Marzano, Heidi Hayes Jacobs to build the foundation. Specifically, Rick DuFour describes PLCs as teams, not groups. B.A.S.I.C. reaches to the core of teamwork for change. The foundation is matched with gaining teacher insight, students' input towards engagement and expectations to, ultimately, inculcate a sense of instructional responsibility and growth at all levels.

The B.A.S.I.C. process includes purposeful interactions, specific one-on-one interviews with stakeholders, observing teaching & learning, taking inventory of personnel & material resources and accounting for all other factors specific to each school community.

The plan includes:

  • Steps towards reaching all learners

  • Easily accessible Professional Development

  • An array of strategies across contents

  • Identifying a dedicated space to develop teacher talent and function

  • Dedicated time for teacher led Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

  • Teacher-created lesson plans

  • Lesson studies being conducted across content areas

  • Creation of monthly themes for professional learning

  • Using feedback loops that include "look-fors" and "its just a post-it"

Learn how to create teams that build on each other's strengths.