Unleashing Student Engagement: How to Finally Defeat the Dreaded Worksheet by Maximizing Instructional Rounds!

Mark Marinoble • Cahn Fellow 2023

Tired of worksheets winning in classrooms? Every school in America is tasked with finding creative and systemic ways to increase student engagement. With the continuous development of technology, software, and Artificial Intelligence, teachers and administrators are faced with new challenges in designing lessons that are engaging and include the necessary rigor to prepare students for the 21st century workforce. The need to develop effective systems that work in schools has never been greater. Instructional Rounds are one essential way to create networks that assist educational leaders in creating meaningful and systemic organizational change. Instructional Rounds at Cedar Point Elementary were utilized as a platform for transformational professional development while providing clarity to instructional practices. The Instructional Rounds Process laid the foundation to create lasting organizational change and increase student engagement on one PWCS campus. A network approach was utilized to improve teaching and learning practices (City et al, 2009). A detailed review of one school’s Instructional Rounds journey is discussed and includes deciding on an area of focus (problem of practice), formulating a network of learners, dedicating time to observe others, debriefing about the process, and determining the organization’s next level of work.