Mapping Professional Practice: How to Develop Instructional Frameworks to Support Teacher Growth (Learn How to Use Instructional Frameworks to Accelerate Improvement Across Your Organization)

Put into action, instructional frameworks help teachers locate their current level of fluency, focus on the key dimensions of professional judgment, and take their practice to the next level. Discover how to accelerate teacher growth by taking the “insider’s view” of practice, articulating key dimensions of professional judgment to create clear growth pathways for teachers at every level of fluency.

• Identifying the most promising areas of focus
• Drafting and piloting an initial framework
• Getting input and feedback from teachers
• Articulating a vision for exemplary practice
• Building momentum and overcoming resistance to change

Heather Bell-Williams is the principal of Milltown Elementary School in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. Her focus during her twenty years in the principalship has included academic, social, and community interventions to promote community growth and wellness. Heather has been in education since 1988 and has served as a classroom teacher, resource teacher, vice principal, district coordinator, and elementary school principal.
Heather has facilitated leadership development modules; professional development at the district, provincial, and national levels; and professional development for not-for-profits. She is a member of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association In-School Administrators Committee and a former member of the New Brunswick Provincial Principals’ Advisory Committee. In 2019, she won the Vince Sunderland Memorial Award for Outstanding Educational Leadership. Heather is a certified life coach and a trained Fierce Conversations facilitator and has completed numerous courses and programs to foster the integration of special needs students in the general classroom setting. Heather has contributed to her professional associations’ publications and has been a presenter at the Canadian Association of Principals Conference and at Learning Forward.
Heather received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from York University; two bachelor of education degrees from York University, with specialties in primary-junior and reading education; and a master’s degree in educational administration and leadership from the University of New
Brunswick. Heather resides in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, with her husband, Garth. They have two adult sons, Connor and Kenton.
To learn more about Heather’s work, or to contact Heather, visit consultHBW.ca.

Justin Baeder, PhD, is director of the Principal Center, where he helps school and district administrators build capacity for instructional leadership. Driven by the belief that leaders belong in classrooms, he created the Instructional Leadership Association to help school leaders confidently get into classrooms every day, have feedback conversations that change teacher practice, and discover their best opportunities for school improvement. The Instructional Leadership Association now has thousands of members in more than forty countries. Prior to starting the Principal Center, Justin served as a teacher, head teacher, and principal in Seattle Public Schools, finishing his ten-year career in Seattle as principal of Olympic View Elementary.
He has contributed to School Administrator, Principal, Principal News, Principal Navigator, and Education Week. Justin presents regularly at state and national conferences, including the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Learning Forward, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and has spoken at numerous in-person professional learning events in the United States, Canada, and El Salvador, as well as at countless virtual events.
Justin holds a PhD in educational leadership and policy from the University of Washington, where he is a graduate of the Danforth Educational Leadership Program. He holds a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction from Seattle University and a bachelor’s degree in science education from Harding University. He resides in Heber Springs, Arkansas, with his wife, Amy, and two daughters, Vivienne and Genevieve.
To learn more about Justin’s work, or to contact Justin, visit PrincipalCenter.com or follow @eduleadership on Twitter.