Managing GrapeSEED Teachers for Optimal Success

What can I do as a manager to help my teachers?

That depends on how many teachers you are managing at your school. Ideally you will want to plan regular teacher meetings for sharing not only difficult situations your teaching team is facing, but also to share successes. If teachers share classes, regular meetings are an opportunity to share critical information about specific students and find out how other teachers deal with specific students. If your classes all run smoothly and there are not generally any big issues, this time can be used for professional development; specifically, watching each other’s lessons or brainstorming ideas about how to increase your fidelity of GrapeSEED implementation. Managers should encourage teachers to self-reflect and think about ways to improve by giving them the time and resources to do so.

How can I support my teachers’ professional development?

Everyone has a desire to learn and grow professionally, but time is often a limiting factor. Providing your teachers with the time, support, resources, and environment where they can grow professionally is a long-term investment that always pays off. Doing so tells them that their development is important to you and sends the message to parents that your organization is truly invested in student success at acquiring English through GrapeSEED.

What are some professional development initiatives I can propose?

Professional development takes on various forms depending on the teacher and the school. Find out what is important to your teachers and align that with the educational goals of the school and work together. One initiative to consider is setting up time monthly for teachers to practice teaching with one another after watching sample videos on the GrapeSEED training site.

My teachers received coaching, what’s next?

For certain types of coaching, you and your teacher will receive a coaching summary with recommended next steps. Discuss these steps together and provide appropriate support so they can succeed at implementing increasingly effective GrapeSEED lessons. Start the conversation by asking your teacher, “Is there anything I can do to help you implement these recommendations?” Reach out to a coach if anything is unclear or if you as the manager need curriculum support as well.

I don’t see any change after coaching. Why? What can I do?

Changes do not happen overnight and for students and teachers to change, a willingness to want to change also needs to be in place. Is the teacher making efforts to implement new ideas and try new ways? If yes, great! Keep encouraging that behavior and be open to continue providing support for your teacher. If not, find out what obstacles are hindering positive change. Does the teacher want to make changes but isn’t sure where to start? Are the steps too hard? Does the teacher not feel the need to change? People make changes when they see a need and a reason. Help provide that WHY to your teachers and watch them grow.

My teachers don’t see the value in meeting with a coach. What should I do?

Encourage, encourage, encourage! Just as your students cannot be forced to do REP, teachers also cannot be forced to engage in coaching. Find out what their experience has been with coaching and why they didn’t feel they got the support they needed. Are they averse to recording and sharing lesson videos? Would they prefer simply brainstorming with a coach? We are extremely flexible and dedicated to providing the kind of support you need and that you’re comfortable with.

How do I get coaching for my teachers?

Scheduling GrapeSEED teacher coaching is very easy!

Providing these various types of services allows you to get the type of curriculum help you need, when you need it.

Why should my teachers get coaching?

We believe that teaching, like any worthwhile professional endeavor, requires a growth mindset. The most effective teachers are ones who never stop learning themselves. GrapeSEED coaches provide not just guidance on how to use the curriculum for maximum impact on student language acquisition, but they are also experts at helping teachers find the next step of professional growth that is right for them, whether they are just starting out or have been at it for years.

How often should our teachers get coaching?

There is no magic number for coaching because it depends on each individual teacher and their specific needs. Some teachers might want to meet with a curriculum coach once every school term or maybe whenever they start teaching a new unit. Other teachers with more confidence and experience might want to check in with a coach every six months. Additionally, coaching does not simply mean lesson video analysis with a feedback report. Please check out our coaching website for more details on the types of coaching we offer.

Should we stick with one coach?

Teachers should feel comfortable with who they meet with. However, we encourage teachers reach out to different coaches. To ensure that we are on the same page with one another, we often ask each other for ideas to share with teachers and we spend time calibrating among ourselves so that our message stays the same no matter which coach is doing the coaching. With that said, every coach is still a little different in their mannerisms and how they explain things. By reaching out to different coaches, even for the same question or topic, you will find that you will gain a whole new perspective!

My teachers are veterans at teaching GS. Should they get coaching?

Yes! Coaching is not just for beginners. Learning and growing is a lifelong experience, especially in the field of education. Through GrapeSEED teacher coaching we are able to inspire educators to self-reflect and continue to strive for ever increasing student success.

What do GrapeSEED teachers need for effective lesson preparation?

To first get the big picture of the “why” behind the GrapeSEED Lesson Plans, teachers should navigate to the Lesson Plan Front Matter for the unit(s) they are teaching. This can be found in the same tab in the portal content site as the individual lesson plans.
The Front Matter outlines key information such as steps on how to prepare to teach lessons effectively.
The Lesson Preparation Pages are also provided as a helpful supplement to the Lesson Plans. These contain auxiliary teacher resources including lesson enhancement ideas, reminders about target language, and reflection questions for teachers.
Encourage teachers to rehearse their lesson plans before teaching them in front of students. Ask them to think carefully about how they use gestures to convey meaning, how they utilize the illustrations on the teaching cards, and how students may respond.
You can also ask teachers to look at the Teacher Manual for the unit(s) they are teaching, in particular the Learning Objectives & Quick Checks for each component. These detail the purpose behind every component and can help teachers more deeply understand the Lesson Plans.
There may be times when the questions and activities in the Lesson Plan don’t perfectly meet the needs of every student. Teachers should try the instructions in the Lesson Plan first. If students are confused or are unable to respond, teachers should be ready with alternative questions that are aligned similarly with the Learning Objectives & Quick Checks.
It is important to consider providing a budget for teachers so they can acquire or create props to enhance their lessons.

If your teachers have difficulties with the Lesson Plans, encourage them to meet with a GrapeSEED coach.

How much time do teachers need to prepare for lessons?

While the exact time depends on the teacher, we recommend at least 30 minutes to 1 hour of preparation time. Teacher with many classes will need more. This is a topic that should be discussed between teachers and managers since the amount of time it takes to prepare for lessons varies depending on teaching experience, units being taught, and school expectations.

What are the appropriate steps when we get a new teacher?

When a new teacher joins your team, the first thing to do is set them up with a GrapeSEED portal account. You can invite new teachers from your “Manage School” dropdown menu on your portal main page by entering their name and email address. Once they accept the invitation and create their own portal account, they will get a welcome email from GrapeSEED (with you as the manager copied) with instructions on how to get started with the teacher training as well as how to get in touch with a coach when they need help.

What do I need to remember to do when a teacher leaves our school?

When a teacher leaves your school or is no longer involved in your GrapeSEED program you should deactivate their portal account. This is important because after they leave your school they will still have access to sensitive student information as well as licensed curriculum materials if you don’t remove them from the system.