The Power of a Nudge | Professional Development

the power of a nudge

Intern Kristen Hutchison gains confidence during her year of on-the-job training with a master teacher.

When her second-graders start trickling into the classroom to launch another day at Hayden Meadows Elementary School, Judy Bieze is ready. She makes the rounds as students hang up jackets and settle into chairs. She hears about one girl's birthday party and another's new baby brother. With a touch on a shoulder here, a pat on the back there, and quick smiles all around, she starts them on a warm-up math problem to get them thinking.

As soon as the pencils are busy, Bieze is out the door, turning the room over to her intern. Bieze stakes out a quiet corner in the staff lounge to work one-on-one with a student from another second-grade class. The girl's teacher is puzzled about why she's struggling. By doing an individual assessment, Bieze hopes to learn enough information to explain why the girl is getting stuck, and suggest some teaching strategies to help her move forward.

Almost 20 years after she started teaching, Bieze, 51, stays interested in her work by "learning new ways to help my kids." Last year's Teacher of the Year for the state of Idaho, Bieze considers teaching an opportunity for lifelong learning. (As part of the National Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic Inc., each state education agency selects a Teacher of the Year who is exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled at helping all students learn.) The turning points in Bieze's career have come about when she has bumped into a new concept or wrestled with an unexpected challenge. Early in her career, for example, she learned about the Reading Recovery method or helping struggling students succeed in reading. "That moved me off where I sat," she says. "It opened my mind to change, and I have pursued it ever since."

The lead teacher program "is a way to nudge people off the status quo," Bieze says. "We're providing opportunities to help people move off base — if they're ready."

Lead teachers use all sorts of methods to nudge their colleagues into considering new ideas for the classroom. They might meet in small groups before or after school to debrief after a workshop or talk about a particular concern. If a teacher asks for individual help, the lead teacher might do an assessment to better guide instruction, or model a word-study lesson, or cover the other teacher's class so she can go observe an effective practice in another school. Often, the leads pass along good resources or research they have gleaned from meeting with other lead teachers.

The leads don't model one right way to teach. "We all have different styles," acknowledges Bieze, as unique as the decorations on their walls, the cadence of their voices, and the facial expressions that let children know when they've done something wonderful. But they do share a view of education that puts the child first. "When I was in school back in the '50s," Bieze recalls, "you plugged the child into your framework. Today, we lead from the child — what he knows and can do." When a child isn't succeeding, that means the teacher needs to try a different method to help him learn. "You need a marriage between personal style as a teacher and the individual needs of the learner," Bieze says.

Principal Pam Pratt credits the program's success to the lead teachers' diplomacy, people skills, and patience. "They wait for the right moment to suggest ideas," she says. "They aren't pushy. They know how to honor their colleagues." Not only are lead teachers expert at working with children, adds administrator Hazel Bauman, "but they know how to teach adults."

Classroom change hasn't been sudden or sweeping since the lead teacher program started. Instead, it evolves one little step at a time. "Teachers might pick up a nugget from talking to me," explains Bieze. "They'll get one new little piece, take it back to their classroom, and try it out. They might come back to me with more questions, then go try it again. Improvement is a process. I know," she says with a grin, "because I do the same thing myself."

One young teacher praises Bieze for always framing her feedback in a positive way, "even if I'm doing something wrong." That takes some of the risk out of asking for help or leading a lesson in a different way.

Of course, some teachers are more open than others to considering new ideas. Lead teachers work hard to keep their relationships with other teachers collegial. "We're not here to evaluate," Bieze stresses. "That's not part of our job, and we've tried to make that clear from the beginning." The leads don't carry tales back to the principal, don't file teacher evaluations with the front office, don't step into supervisors' shoes. "And it needs to stay that way," Bieze says, "so other teachers will feel comfortable chatting with us."

Still, some teachers hesitate even to consider an approach that might upset their familiar applecart. "We do have some reluctant teachers," admits Raina Bohanek, "and they present our most difficult hurdle. I don't want to force my way into their classrooms. But when I see someone struggling, and I have ideas of how to help, based on research and experience, it's hard. Why are some so willing to learn, and others resist it?" In her own journey as a teacher, Bohanek recalls specific experiences with the right mix of school climate, collegiality, support, and information that helped her learn and grow. "If you're tuned in, those opportunities can open a new path for you as a teacher," she says.

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