Philosophy & Goals

Coaching Philosophy 

Creative expression, amplification of student voice, and opportunities for student choice are essential elements of an excellent education.  They drive student engagement and understanding, create an environment where everyone belongs and differences can be strengths, and lay the groundwork for innovation and real-world impact for a better future.  Technology is background work and learning, technology is a way to get inspiration outside of and extend the school-room, technology is a versatile creation tool, and/or technology is a way to share, to publicize, or to publish the great work of students and teachers.  I want to help people as much as they want- respecting their time and comfort levels, and I offer my assistance and encouragement to help meet their needs.

Instructional goals come first because you have to know what the desired outcome of instruction is before you design a way to get there. 

In secondary education, there is almost never enough time but there are finite deadlines for credit, AP exams, IB projects, and college or career readiness. To maximize instructional time, you must model learning new things and you have to mix it up-- Innovation and Versatility . This shows students that you are willing to learn alongside them and that it is ok if you do not know something because you can always learn it. Think of the acronym F.A.I.L. first attempt in learning as a motto because it recognizes that "getting something right" is not always a sign of learning. If someone is not willing to risk the vulnerability of failing, then they are not ready to learn. They might memorize data to regurgitate without understanding or go through the motions, but it is surface knowledge at best and faking it at worst. If you can demonstrate what you expect to see in your students, they will almost always reciprocate with effort and Engagement. When learners understand the goal, are comfortable taking risks, and are willing to try... then the learning is actually pretty fast, they have a stake in it, and they will remember it. 

2016 with Carolyn Foote and Michael Hammerstrom




When teachers from different grade levels/subjects, or  talent from various sectors, are brought together with intention, learners get the best of what they all have to offer in a more rounded and robust educational experience.  
A librarian, a teacher, and a leader in non-profit marketing and development walked into a lounge... 

Intentional Innovation

If your instruction will be for groups that bring together people from various departments and needs, then you must intentionally design your instruction to be broadly applicable.  It also helps to diversify your instructors.  A director of marketing may not think there is anything she could learn from a Latin teacher, even if the teacher were to explain how and why she might.  The perception that you have nothing to gain from it is not conducive to learning.  If your learning is designed to teach the same concept or a skill from more than one perspective, however, it becomes easier to see how the content is valuable and, perhaps, even more broadly applicable.
In the always-changing worlds of industry and technology, there is a delicate balance to strike between maintaining excellence and embracing change for improvement and relevancy.  Exciting, emerging technology is a daily occurrence, and most people do not have time to explore and learn what is out there in their busy schedules.  No one likes having to learn a new system or tool that is no better than the status quo.  Even early adopters and technology enthusiasts, like me, bristle at the suggestion to jump on every new bandwagon and abandon hours of work in favor of something new and shiny that does not provide more ease of use, cost savings, or substantial improvements.  Therefore it is crucial that learning experiences are not just designed for the "what" but also the "why."  Adult learners will not embrace new things if they do not have a sense of how it will benefit them and if they do not understand how it will improve their work.


This is a presentation on how to craft a multimedia instructional unit in ThingLink so that it can work in a group setting or for learners to access online at their own pace and convenience. It is a project I have done with students many times before, but the quality of their understanding and the work they produced was never of the caliber it has been since I designed it differently.
2015 with Lisa Johnson

Versatility of Design

ThingLink is a versatile resource to distribute everything in a single, simple-to-access location.  You could include links to resources, documents, video modules, etc. in one screen that can be completely customized.  The background is a photograph I took in Bath, UK with semi-transparent shapes I created in keynote arranged on top.  The banners, colors, font, location & style of buttons can be formatted to suit any instructional need.  
The design should take into account the strengths and growth areas of your learners as well as the desired outcomes of the class, leadership, and/or the learners themselves.  Differentiation of technique, style, delivery, and pace allows you to start with people where they are and help them get where they need to be.  Choice boards or interactive ThingLinks allow your learners to access what they need, go at their own pace, and come back to the material if they should need it later.

2016 at the National ACL Institute





This is from a presentation on how to gamify instruction in a variety of digital formats so that enthusiastic participants may not even realize that they are learning in the process. I love kahoot!

Participant Engagement

Engage your participants through gamification.  Games reduce reluctance to learning new things, and they promote positive team dynamics.  Many digital games are free to use, such as Quizlet Live, Kahoot, Gimkit, Plickers, Quizizz, etc.  If you have the funding for it, you could also make a game of question and response with something like a Q-ball, which is a throw-able cordless microphone.  Having fun with learning does not delegitimize it, and, often, the gaming experience helps adults and youths learn faster and remember what they have learned so that it can most efficiently be applied later.  


This is from a presentation on the National Geo Bee at SxSW Edu in 2017.  Here, a Spanish and Latin teacher are learning new ways to engage students with target-language vocabulary and terms, inspired by Kahoot & National Geographic's work.