Authentic and Job-embedded Training

Mark has worked with administrations in our district for several years. I have had the distinct pleasure of being with Mark regularly for six of those years to learn more about effective teaching and to determine if teachers are utilizing these strategies as intended so they can achieve the best results.  Mark taught me to record what I see when I observe in a classroom and make special notes of teaching practices and how students respond to the teaching.  He taught me to analyze the data I collected and to facilitate reflective conferences with teachers so they can self assess their teaching and reflect on ways to improve.

Working with Mark was an enjoyable experience.  He used easy-to-remember techniques, modeled strategies and provided in-depth learning about effective teaching and ways to measure student learning. Our work became very authentic when we would walk into classrooms, record what we noticed and then debrief our observations before rating the performance.  The observations, discussions and feedback were truly job-embedded professional development and helped to calibrate administrative scoring on the evaluation instrument our district uses.  I credit Mark and the professional development he provided with enhancing my knowledge of quality teaching and increased student learning at my schools.  

​Debra Snyder
Educational Research School Principal 
St. Lucie County Public Schools