In this episode, host Amy Berry talks with Stephanie Salazar, an instructional leadership consultant, coach, and former assistant principal who founded Sanctuaries of Learning. Stephanie works with school leaders and teachers across Australia to strengthen coaching practices, teaching, and student engagement.

Key Discussion Points:

The Engagement Problem Stephanie shares insights from her work facilitating instructional rounds across 25 schools in New South Wales. Despite focusing on various teaching improvements (feedback, learning intentions, questioning), she found that challenges always traced back to a fundamental issue: most schools equated engagement with compliance and behavioral management rather than genuine learning investment.

Discovering the Engagement Continuum After encountering Amy's engagement continuum, Stephanie found it resonated immediately with educators. The framework provides clear, student-friendly language that helps everyone—teachers, students, parents, and leaders—develop a shared understanding of what engagement truly means beyond surface-level compliance behaviors.

Real Impact in Schools The conversation highlights powerful examples from schools using the engagement continuum:

• Faulconbridge Public School increased student belonging from 39% to 71% over three years and won a NSW State Award
• Valentine Public School created a video with their students demonstrating and explaining the engagement continuum for their school community
• Schools developed new definitions of engagement emphasizing student agency, curiosity, and active participation rather than compliance

Practical Implementation Strategies Stephanie emphasizes starting with teachers themselves as learners, asking them to reflect on their own engagement experiences. She advocates for:

• Piloting with willing early adopters who are motivated and can lead the way for others
• Making small tweaks to existing initiatives rather than complete overhauls
• Using creative approaches like drama activities to explore the continuum with staff and students
• Capturing shifts in beliefs and attitudes as evidence of impact

The Teacher-Student Partnership While students need to develop self-regulation skills, teachers play a crucial co-regulatory role. The continuum helps teachers design lessons from students' perspectives and opens conversations about how both teachers and students can work together to enhance engagement.

The episode concludes with Stephanie's top tips: see lessons from students' perspectives, check in genuinely about engagement, and reflect on your own professional engagement as a teacher.

 

Want to learn more?

Join us in The Engagement Hub, our online community for educators interested in supporting engagement and empowering learners. You can connect with Amy and many of our guests there.

Thanks for listening!