We probably all can remember one teacher who really changed our lives and, when we think
about that teacher, what we think about is the relationship they had with us, how they
motivated us, how they pushed us, how they supported us and it's really those teachers
and those experiences that can be life-changing.
Interactions matter!
Interactions matter because they engage kids, they draw children to the resources.
Interactions matter because research shows that children who are in warm supportive environments
have better improvements in academic skills as well as social skills.
We found Teachstone to bridge the worlds of research and practice, to take those evidence-driven
tools particularly focused on interactions between kids and teachers and get them into
as many classrooms as we could.
We work with state leaders, curriculum specialists, and Head Start, as well as local teachers.
I think if you look at all of the resources and services that Teachstone offers to the
field, they really fall into these three categories; Learn, Measure, and Improve.
We want people to learn about interactions, we want them to transfer those skills into
being able to measure those interactions, and ultimately to improve them.
We see that when teachers change their practices in these ways that are aligned with the CLASS,
that students actually learn more.
The CLASS is the most researched tool for observing teacher-child interactions.
When I was first introduced to the CLASS model, it was exciting because I felt like someone
had been following me for all of my years of teaching and had gotten it.
This is what good teaching is all about.
I look up the latest research and this tool captures all of that.
When I use this tool and meet with the teachers, I'm giving solid feedback to the teacher to
make sure that the student is learning in the classroom.
The CLASS is being adopted on such a large scale because organizations are looking for
tools that can improve learning that are based in research.
We work with organizations and help them unpack very complicated research that comes out of
universities and apply it to the real world.
Ensuring that each observer is a reliable observer is essential to the process.
"What we're going to do is start that next video and give you and opportunity to practice
your note taking.
You're going to be looking for the specific behaviors of the teachers and the students
who are in the video.
You're going to be noting objectively those behaviors that you're seeing."
It's objective.
It's not me saying "Well, maybe you should have done this."
It's going down saying "this is research based and here's what I see".
Any time we measure classroom interactions, the goal is really to help improve.
Effective teachers are the ingredients of learning.
Being able to quantify interactions provides a really powerful lever for change.
When teachers change their practices in these ways that are aligned with the CLASS, students
actually learn more.
The CLASS is having an impact at large organizations at the state level through QRIS systems and
Head Start but it's also having an impact at smaller organizations.
We have seen results with the kids in those classrooms.
It's like finally somebody has decided to do what we need to do.
Ultimately, everything that happens in classrooms is about interactions.
I think we all have a responsibility to ensure that every child has access to the most effective
teacher possible.
I hope someday it's a guarantee.