Resource Type: Instructional Practice

Grey Sketches

Seminar-style teaching

This guide offers a step-by-step collaborative planning process designed to promote deeper and more personalized learning. Explore how Westwood High School educators implement differentiated roles, team-based support and flexible schedules to bring their vision of seminar learning to life.

Dynamic student groupings at Stevenson Elementary (Kindergarten)

Explore some of the ways an educator team grouped and regrouped 100 students over the course of a single day.

Dynamic student groupings at Mountain View High School

Explore how 100 ninth grade students are supported by a core educator team that includes a Spanish teacher, biology teacher and a dual-certified English and world history teacher.

Dynamic student groupings at Skyline High School

Explore some of the ways an educator team grouped and regrouped 100 students over the course of a single day.

Illustration of a Next Education Workforce model on a blue background

Driving Academic Progress

Learn more about how one school system leveraged bus drivers as literacy tutors between driving shifts.

Illustration of a Next Education Workforce model on a blue background

Community Circles

When a child enrolls at Jefferson Elementary, they are assigned to a community circle composed of at least one child from each grade level. Explore this resource to learn more about the program and its impact on learning for students and for staff.

Illustration of a Next Education Workforce model on a blue background

Literacy Accelerators

Two to four times per week, Skyline High School teacher academy students assume the role of community educator at their feeder school, Stevenson Elementary.

Illustration of a Next Education Workforce model on a blue background

Medical Innovations

To gain an understanding of a variety of medical conditions and how they affect the people who face them, the 4–6 grade teaching team assembled ten community educators to participate in interviews with their students.

Dynamic student groupings at Paulo Freire

How Paulo Freire’s team of educators grouped and regrouped 68 middle school students over the course of a day.

Dynamic student groupings at Kyrene de las Manitas

At Kyrene de las Manitas, teams of educators incorporate dynamic student groupings into a shared roster of students.

Dynamic student groupings at Stevenson Elementary (5-6th)

Explore some of the ways an educator team grouped and regrouped 100 students over the course of a single day.

5 tips for community educators preparing to enter the classroom and other learning spaces

These five tips will help community educators prepare and feel ready to enter any learning space, have a successful experience and make lasting, meaningful connections with learners. This resource expands on helpful tips around translating industry expertise, managing the learning space, working with students during the visit and more.

Using collaborative tools to implement data-driven flexible grouping

Explore how educator teams use cloud-based spreadsheets to fluidly and transparently group students by interest and skill.

5 tips for creating an inclusive secondary school learning model

Leverage special educators’ knowledge and skills to increase the effectiveness of educator teams.

Self-organized learning environments

Learn to implement self-organized learning environments, an instructional approach in which students explore complex questions in self-organized peer groups.

Illustration of a Next Education Workforce model on a blue background

Connecting with Community Educators

Community educators can be found simply by asking around your own social networks and community. However, there are also resources made specifically to locate and connect with industry experts who are ready to support your learning environment.

Illustration of a Next Education Workforce model on a blue background

Mock Trial

Activating a lawyer for unit planning support is a great example of a community educator contributing to the distributed expertise of a team. Learn how.

Illustration of a Next Education Workforce model on a blue background

Living Library

The Living Library brought more than 35 community educators — from stay-at-home parents to investment bankers — to connect with high school students struggling to see the importance of learning math.

Bringing mindfulness into the learning space

Educators at SPARK School at Kyrene de las Manitas give students the opportunity to practice intentional mindfulness each day during Student-Selected Mindfulness Time.

Family interviews

Big Picture Learning educators hear multiple perspectives on students’ interests, assets and challenges at the beginning of the year through a process they call family interviews. This is a key first step in meaningfully deepening and personalizing student learning.