"Video will completely change the way we do professional learning."
―Jim Knight
To improve our teaching methods, we must understand what our current teaching methods are. And this is impossible to do this based only on our own perceptions or even feedback from observers. A classroom is a dynamic environment and there is always a lot going on that can be missed in the moment.
The solution, according to renowned professional development expert Jim Knight, is video. In Focus on Teaching, Knight turns to the vast and disruptive potential of video recording to reach new levels of excellence in schools. This book builds on Knight’s prior bestsellers to show how every classroom can easily benefit from setting up a camera and hitting "record". The book includes
- Strategies that teachers, instructional coaches, teams, and administrators can use to get the most out of using video
- Tips for ensuring that video recordings are used in accordance with ethical standards and teacher/student comfort levels
- Protocols, data gathering forms, and many other tools to get the most out of watching video
With Jim Knight’s expertise and the latest in video technology, positive change in your classroom will be immediate and long-lasting.
"This book provides a blueprint for any school or district to continuously enhance the instructional prowess of teachers. Concepts like ‘video-enhanced professional development’ are revolutionary in their intent, yet consummately simple, clear, and practical."
―Robert J. Marzano, CEO
Marzano Research Laboratory
"While many advocate for using video to improve teaching and learning, Jim Knight combines the rationale and strategies that compel us to take action."
―Stephanie Hirsch, Executive Director
Learning Forward
Join Jim Knight and other experts at the 2014 Instructional Coaching Conference to explore how whole school reform is enhanced when principals, teachers, and coaches use collaborative planning and effective Instructional Coaching techniques to improve student learning.
Dr. Jim Knight, Founder and Senior Partner of Instructional Coaching Group (ICG), is also a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. He has spent more than two decades studying professional learning and instructional coaching. Jim earned his PhD in Education from the University of Kansas and has won several university teaching, innovation, and service awards.
The pioneering work Jim and his colleagues have conducted has led to many innovations that are now central to professional development in schools. Jim wrote the first major article about instructional coaching for the Journal of Staff Development, and his book Instructional Coaching (2007) offered the first extended description of instructional coaching. Jim’s book Focus on Teaching (2014) was the first extended description of how video should be used for professional learning. Recently, writing with Ann Hoffman, Michelle Harris, and Sharon Thomas, Jim introduced the idea of instructional playbooks with their book on that topic.
Jim has written several books in addition to those described above, including Unmistakable Impact (2011), High-Impact Instruction (2013), Better Conversations (2015), The Impact Cycle (2018), and The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching (2021). Knight has also authored articles on instructional coaching and professional learning in publications such as Educational Leadership, The Journal of Staff Development, Principal Leadership, The School Administrator, and Kappan. Jim is also a columnist for Educational Leadership and.
Through ICG, Knight conducts coaching workshops, hosts the Facebook Live Program, “Coaching Conversations,” and provides consulting for coaching programs around the world.
