Cal Wysocki is the founder of Fulcrum Education Solutions, a company dedicated to improving the quality of instruction in our schools.

 

In this discussion with Cal, we focus on the strategies and tactics that he uses to elevate the processes by which schools improve their own teachers. This is not a simple discussion of a few "quick tips." Instead, Cal is thinking in multi-year processes surrounding building trust with staff, getting quick wins for teachers in the classroom, building trust with students, developing consistency in order to change the dynamic of feedback in a school's culture, and integrating all of this with long-term professional development strategies.

If you're enjoying the show, why not a leave a review? It makes a difference in terms of other people finding the show.

Check out more from Cal and Fulcrum Education Solutions

• Website: Fulcrum Education Solutions//Class Dismissed Podcast//The Decisive Element Challenge
• Podcast: Class Dismissed Podcast on iTunes

Show Notes

• [2:13] Teachers having meltdowns and abandoning children due to improper feedback
• [6:36] When tactics fail - why building trust before implementing changes is paramount
• [8:54] What is the process that Fulcrum Education Solutions uses to work with schools? And how do you actually improve teaching performance?
• [17:30] How do you build trust and cut through skepticism with teachers since you're an outside consultant"?"
• [22:37] What are some of the typical quick wins" that you see work well for teachers to immediately improve the quality fo their instruction?"
• [28:42] Using role-playing to practice skills of classroom management with teachers.
• [36:00] What is the assessment process for figuring out what a teacher needs to work on - and what a school needs to work on asa  whole?
• [45:47] The nuts and bolts of the observation and coaching process for improving teacher performance.
• [59:28] How do you coach teachers to handle students who are disruptive or who push back?
• [1:04:06] Creating systems for deliering feedback effectively to create behavior change - and avoiding resentment and mistrust
• [1:16:46] The many parallels between the fitness industry and education consulting.

Resources and Individuals Mentioned

• “I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”-Haim G. Ginott