1. Direct-Reach Teachers
Using Instructional Strengths
Advance preparation for this session:
Please print out or make electronically available:
Handout: Direct-Reach Teachers Tools: Self-Assessment
Handout: Direct-Reach Teachers Action Planning Template
Objective of this slide: provide an overview of the session for attendees
Estimated time: 1 minute
Facilitator says (throughout the slides, put this in your own words):
Welcome to session 3! This is an extension of session 2—we’ll think about how we can use the tools and resources of the DRT role to use our instructional strengths and reach more students with excellent teaching.

2. Marshmallow Tower: A Friendly Competition
Energizer Activity
Marshmallow Tower: A Friendly Competition
Objective of this slide: Lead an energizer activity for participants to build team.
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Facilitator says:
This is called the Marshmallow Challenge. Each table has a brown paper bag with all of your supplies. The goal is to create the tallest free-standing tower using only these items. The marshmallow must be on top. Feel free to compare with other teams, because that’s your competition! You have only 10 minutes for this.
[click to begin timer]
[Facilitator should be watching the groups as they work, making note of detailed interactions that can be focused on later.]
Thank you all for participating in this friendly challenge.
Think about these questions:
In your group, who participated? Was there anyone left out?
Was there a clear leader? Did you share leadership? If so, how?
When you think of the shared leadership norms that were demonstrated by your group just now, what was missing?
10 min
End
©2017 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

3. Learning Objectives During this session, participants will…
Explore the tools of the DRT role and how they can help use instructional strengths to meet student needs.
Identify which tools they feel most confident using and create steps to develop using less familiar tools.
Begin to create plans to use the tools of the DRT role to reach more students.
Objectives of this slide: provide the learning objectives for this module
Estimated time: 1 minute
Facilitator says:
These are our three learning objectives for this session. We will:
Explore the tools of the DRT role and how they can help you use your instructional strengths to meet student needs.
Identify the tools you feel confident in and create some development steps to grow in less familiar tools.
Begin to create plans to use the tools of the DRT role to reach more students.
©2017 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

4. What are the Tools of the DRT Role?
What resources and strategies can DRTs use to reach more students with excellent teaching?
Technology
Reach associate
Flexible grouping and scheduling
Extra planning time
Personalized assignments
Student data analysis programs
Find alternative spaces for students to learn
Objectives of this slide: Participants discuss the resources and strategies (“tools”) they can use to reach more students with their excellent teaching. DRTs should understand that they should use their strengths and other resources to reach more students and personalize learning to meet student needs.
Estimated time: 5 minutes
Facilitator says: During this session, we are going to think about the tools or resources that can help you use your instructional strengths to reach more students with excellent teaching.
[Click to animate] For example, you may excel at using technology-based learning to personalize instruction for every student, in which case technology is a tool that you definitely want to continue using in your new role.
Thinking back to the examples of DRTs we heard about in the previous session and the resources you know you have in your new role, what tools, resources, and strategies can DRTs use to reach more students with excellent teaching?
[Listen for: reach associate, flexible grouping and scheduling, extra planning time, tracking student data, extra planning time, personalized learning, “where to learn/work.” Click to animate these onto slide after the discussion.]
©2017 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

5. Using DRT Tools Confidence Level Technology
Will/could you have access to this resource/
strategy?
Have you used this resource/
strategy before?
Confidence Level
Not Confident
Somewhat Confident
Confident
Very Confident
Technology
Reach associate (paraprofessional)
Flexible grouping/scheduling
Extra planning time
Personalized assignments
Alternative learning spaces
Objectives of this slide: Participants reflect on their experience and comfort with the tools of the DRT role
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Facilitator says:
Now let’s take some time to think through the tools and resources that are available to you in your role, your use of these tools in previous positions, and your confidence in using them.
This is the first step in starting to plan how to pair your instructional strengths with the tools at your disposal to meet student needs.
Take about 10 minutes to use the Direct-Reach Teachers Tools: Self-Assessment to assess your access to resources/tools, your prior experience with these resources, and your confidence in using them.
Time for this activity: 10 minutes
©2017 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

6. Using DRT Tools to Drive Learning
As a direct-reach teacher, you should use the tools and resources available to you to:
Focus on and use your instructional strengths
2. Meet student needs
… Always with the goal of bringing excellent teaching to more students.
Objectives of this slide: Look at tools to help use instructional strengths and meet student needs
Estimated time: 1 minute
Facilitator says:
In your DRT role, you should plan to use the tools and resources available to you to focus on and use your instructional strengths, ultimately to meet student needs and bring excellent teaching to more students.
©2017 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

7. Tools to Help Use Your Strengths
DRT Strength Tool Plan
Differentiation
Technology
DRT in middle or high school will use a blended-learning model where students spend half of their time with teacher and half doing independent work aligned to their ability level and learning needs.
Small-Group Literacy Instruction
Objectives of this slide: Participants explore how DRTs can combine their instructional strengths with the tools of the DRT role to create learning approaches that extend their reach to more students.
Estimated time: 5 minutes
Facilitator says:
So let’s think through how we can match your instructional strengths with the tools of your role to plan to bring excellent teaching to more students.
For example, [click to animate] strong teachers know how to differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. If they have access to [click to animate] technology and flexibility in where students learn, the [click to animate] DRT can use a blended-learning model. Similar to the model we heard about from Scott Nolt, students spend half of their class time with the teacher in the classroom, and half of their time doing independent work either at school, the library, or even at home.
At the elementary level, some schools choose to extend the reach of a teacher with strong [click to animate] small-group literacy instruction skills. With the tools of [click to animate] flexible grouping and a reach associate, the DRT can track student data to flexibly group students and lead small-group instruction, while the reach associate supports whole-group independent practice or other classroom activities.
Flexible Grouping + Reach Associate
DRT will track student data to flexibly group students and lead small-group instruction daily ,while the reach associate supports whole-group independent practice.
©2017 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

8. Using Tools to Meet Student Needs
Student Need Tool Plan
I need more time for one-on-one student instruction.
Technology
Students will be engaged in digital learning on devices while DRT meets individually with students.
My students have a wide range of abilities and levels.
Technology + Personalized Assignments
Students will be assigned a weekly “playlists” of independent practice tasks tailored to their learning needs.
Objectives of this slide: Participants explore how DRTs should select tools based on student needs to create plans that will meet student learning needs.
Estimated time: 5 minutes
Facilitator says:
Another way to look at this is by considering student needs first, and how tools and strategies of the DRT role can meet those needs.
For example, a teacher may analyze students’ data and see a need for more time to meet with students one-on-one to provide individual, targeted instruction. With technology, the teacher can schedule time for students to be engaged in digital learning while the DRT meets individually with students.
If students need more small-group time, the DRT could use a reach associate and flexible grouping to track student data and group students by ability to provide targeted small-group instruction while the reach associate works with students during independent practice time.
Finally, many teachers have students across the spectrum of ability. With access to technology and the ability to create personalized assignments, a DRT teacher could assign students weekly “playlists” of digital learning activities that meet each student’s needs.
These are just a few examples of how DRTs have used their instructional strengths and the tools and strategies at their disposal to reach students with excellent teaching and meet student needs. But there are many creative ways of using your time and resources and structuring your class to provide an engaging, relevant, and rigorous learning experience for your kids.
©2017 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org

9. (use data to identify need) Instructional Strength
Planning Time
Create an action plan for how you will the tools of the DRT role let you use your strengths and meet student needs.
Student Need
(use data to identify need)
Instructional Strength
DRT Tool
Plan
Objectives of this slide: Provide time for participants to reflect on what they’ve learned and create plans for how to use their strengths and the tools of the DRT role to meet student needs.
Estimated time: 30 minutes
Facilitator says:
We want to give you some individualized planning time now, to reflect on what you’ve learned over the past three sessions and start to plan key aspects of your approach to your role.
We’ve provided an action planning template that you can use, or you can use any other planning resources that are best for you. Feel free to plan individually, with your administrator, or other participants.
You have about 30 minutes of planning time. The facilitators will be available to discuss and brainstorm with you.
Time for this activity: 30 minutes
©2017 Public Impact OpportunityCulture.org