Juliana Finegan—Teacher Onboarding

[00:01] Justin Baeder:

Welcome to Principal Center Radio, bringing you the best in professional practice.

[00:06] Announcer:

Here's your host, director of the Principal Center and champion of high-performance instructional leadership, Justin Baeder. Welcome, everyone, to Principal Center Radio.

[00:15] Juliana Finegan:

I'm your host, Justin Baeder, and I'm honored to be joined today by Juliana Finnegan, who is managing partner at The Learning Accelerator, where she leads their practitioner learning work. As an expert in blended and personalized learning and a Title I educator for almost a decade, Juliana specializes in adult learning, designing tangible resources for practitioners, and engaging partnerships and networks to build strategic support throughout the ecosystem.

[00:41] Announcer:

And now, our feature presentation.

[00:43] Juliana Finegan:

Juliana, welcome to Principal Center Radio.

[00:45] Juliana Finegan:

Thank you so much for having me.

[00:46] Juliana Finegan:

So we are here today to talk about a topic that is often overlooked, often an afterthought, or often perhaps reduced to some tech training, and that is teacher onboarding. What is teacher onboarding to your organization, and why is it so important?

[01:04] Juliana Finegan:

So onboarding, we actually see as how are you bringing new teachers and veteran teachers alike to bring them onto your school? Basically, how are you ensuring that they're both ready to be successful and implement the practices that are what makes your school your school? So really, this actually came up as a big challenge area. I work with, it's called the IDN or the Innovation Directors Network, which is made up of 18 directors of innovation, of personalized learning, of whatever it's named in their district or CMO. And we kind of said like, what is one of the biggest challenges you're currently facing? And they said, you know, onboarding new teachers into these innovative schools or into any schools in general, because a lot of that was falling on their shoulders in the system level side.

[01:53]

And so everyone's reinventing the wheel, everyone's working in silos. And so they kind of said like, how can we pull some of the best practices we're doing and kind of align them across the board and really learn from each other so that one, it can build their capacity to do this work and also make sure that they're just doing it well and onboarding teachers in the best way they can so that they're setting them up for success when entering the classroom on day one.

[02:16] Juliana Finegan:

And I think back to my own onboarding. I was a first year teacher in Seattle Public Schools, you know, very large district. And I don't honestly remember a ton of it. I think there was some professional development, but I remember it mostly as a whirlwind of like, here's your password, and here's how you request a sub, and here's the printer you can print to, and don't break the laminator, and okay, good luck. And not really the transmission of culture that I'm hearing you kind of describe. And it seems like maybe innovative schools, schools that recognize that they are different and unique in some way, recognize a stronger need to do that kind of onboarding where we're really transmitting our culture to and through our new hires.

[02:58]

But why do the rest of us, for the most part, ignore it? Why does the rest of the education profession just overlook the critical need for onboarding new teachers?

[03:06] Juliana Finegan:

I don't know if it's necessary. Like I was a new teacher in Los Angeles Unified, which is also a huge district. And similarly, I feel like I got my keys and we're like, so these are your rosters, go. I feel like it's just like that constant need for more time. So when you're thinking about beginning of the year professional development or professional learning, we're trying to fit in so much and so little time that a lot of times that onboarding of new teachers ends up being like one day. And so we end up going to like the vital pieces of like, hey, this is where X, Y, and Z is.

[03:42]

And forget that the only way that they can use all of those pieces is if they really understand, like you said, you know, the culture of the school, the culture of the community in which they serve. And really like, why is this school implementing education in this way? And like, what was the challenge that they were facing? And really understanding the nuts and bolts of that school. Like, where do you go for support? Who helps with coaching?

[04:06]

Like, what are some of the competencies that you're working towards as a new teacher? Because I think sometimes we forget that we need to slow down to allow change. That's speeding up later on because otherwise we're just setting them on a trajectory that can be like, I know for myself, like, you know, for a few months I was pretty lost, both like literally and figuratively. And so I'm really trying to make sure that we're setting them up on like the right trajectory when starting school.

[04:30] Juliana Finegan:

Yeah, and I guess I agree that there is a tension there that, you know, there's an urgency to starting school. You know, here are your keys, there's a copier, go. You know, in tension with that need to really kind of help people understand, how do we do things here? What's our purpose as an organization? And it seems like some of that almost could be shifted back into the hiring process. Do you see, especially schools that have an innovative model, doing any of that at the recruiting and hiring process well before school starts?

[05:00] Juliana Finegan:

Definitely, I see some of that happening where they're looking for teachers with specific competencies or, you know, maybe comfort with a little bit more movement in the classroom or being innovative or having an innovative mindset or like the role awareness in which you're going to shift multiple times during the day. So definitely looking at like the competencies of like, are they able to build a culture of student agency in their classroom? But it's really hard to nail down all those pieces. And honestly, like with innovative teaching and innovative schools, like a lot of it's just good teaching, right? So we're still trying to hire teachers who, and individuals who are like strong educators and are able to build that strong culture and know their content well. So you can definitely look at it from like an HR perspective of like, how do we hire the right teachers that will hopefully be successful?

[05:47]

But I still think there's that like connection piece of how are we setting up the right pieces to like allow that translation of like what we saw in the hiring process and what we're hoping to see in the classroom. And then also I would just say like, it doesn't have to just be new teachers. I think that's something we forget too. So when we talked about onboarding, we looked more focused at new teachers because it's easier to define what do new teachers need when they walk in on day one, right? But it's also important to think about all of your teachers and that all teachers need to be supported in different ways. So like certain teachers may have a strength here and may have like a growth area here.

[06:25]

So like how are we supporting all of the teachers to really like continue being learners and be ready to enter that school year, like trying to work towards something, really like set those goals as both a learner and an educator. So I think like that's something that we forget as well. We're like, oh, they've been here. They know X, Y, and Z. Well, how can we make sure that they're getting like a deeper understanding so that we can kind of all work as a collaborative unit?

[06:49] Justin Baeder:

Yeah.

[06:50] Juliana Finegan:

And I was looking on your website at learningaccelerator.org, and you have several kind of big things that teachers need to know as they enter a school, as they enter an organization, maybe a CMO, as they enter a community. What are those three big kind of pillars that either new teachers or teachers who are new to the organization need to be onboarded into?

[07:09] Juliana Finegan:

So when we talked to the IDN, we said, okay, so what are the key pieces that you see that being like those like vital components for success, you know, starting on day one, like, what do you need new teachers to know before they walk in the door? And so we kind of identified those in three pillars of first, really understanding the why of the school of the district of you know, that particular model of the school that they're implementing. So like really understanding like what was the instructional challenge and how are they leveraging technology to address that challenge and teach students better? Like what is the vision of that school and really making sure that they not only understand it, but they're bought into it because that's going to be a piece that's going to engage and excite when looking at the curriculum and trying to do that within their own classrooms. The second piece was really knowing the school.

[08:01]

So that could be, you know, what programs people are using, but also like really where are the coaches? Who should they lean on if they need instructional help? What are the teacher competencies that they're working towards? And all of those pieces that make the school the school, like are classrooms doing different models classroom by classroom? Is it whole school implementation? Is it whole district implementation?

[08:24]

What does that look like once they enter the doors? And then the last piece is really understanding the community in which they serve. So that can mean, how do you build relationships with the families? in the community? How do you understand like the history of the community? You know, what has this school looked like 10 years ago?

[08:41]

Why does it look like it does today? You know, how can you leverage some of those pieces? And then also what community partners may exist within that school area. So how can you leverage some of those pieces to actually build your capacity and understanding, you know, are there different organizations working on social emotional skills? Are there different people you can call about rec leagues? You know, how can you really just understand all those pieces as well?

[09:07]

So kind of nailed it down to knowing the why, knowing the school, and then really knowing the community.

[09:12] Juliana Finegan:

I like that, and I think that covers the big areas pretty succinctly. Now, I have to ask, as you've worked with lots of different districts and CMOs around kind of designing their onboarding process, I know your organization, The Learning Accelerator, partners with many types of education organizations to design onboarding processes. what are some of the ways that organizations have successfully scheduled that and rolled that out in terms of format and timing? Because, you know, I, I feel like as a teacher, I might prefer to just get a brochure rather than attend, you know, a six Saturdays in a row, you know, kind of a kind of onboarding training. Like what, what are some of the formats knowing that time is tight, knowing that probably a brochure can't do the whole job in terms of transmitting the culture of the school and the unique model and all the different resources that are available. you know, like we've all been given the staff handbook binder and told this is five years out of date, but it's mostly correct.

[10:03]

And ask me if you need anything, go. What are you finding to be some of the successful approaches logistics wise and implementation wise?

[10:09] Juliana Finegan:

Yeah. So, and I also want to just like add the caveat that onboarding is like the start of the ramp. Like we say, it's kind of like the ramp up, right. And then there should be supports that are happening throughout the school year that kind of spiral back to those pieces and help teachers continue learning throughout the year. So like, It doesn't, all of these pieces, like it doesn't have to, it's not like a finish right on day one, right? So there may be a little thing sprinkled throughout the year that support mastery of all of these pieces.

[10:37]

So with that being said, one district, for instance, Dallas ISD, they actually do a different, really exciting way to kick off their school year. So like one year they did PL cruise. So all of the teachers actually joined a quote unquote cruise, not a real cruise. That would have been awesome. But a quote unquote cruise where they got to make their own itinerary and figure out where they were going to learn about what. So like different teachers had different itineraries and different prerogatives and different focus areas.

[11:08]

And so it was done in an engaging way because they really leveraged, you know, like what is good adult learning? There should be like active learning components. There should be mastery-based learning. There should be like rigorous content. So giving them that ability to engage in different ways so that it's not like a sit and get, not like a brochure, but they're actually learning. And then also they had ways to show that they've mastered different pieces.

[11:28]

So- That's like one way and very, they also did a World Cup one year, like they're all about creativity and just making it an exciting experience. And so they actually have the new teachers along with the veteran teachers. So everyone just has a different pathway. So utilizing that time during that week, there is one district that I work with that does pajama PD for some of these components. where you do it at home asynchronously, but then there's certain connection engagement activities where you'll meet in like a small meetup group after doing that like online component at home, and then being able to like actually chat through it with other teachers in person. Because I think it's really important to like, bring those two components about like an online and in person component to really kind of set the stage for what that means in action.

[12:13]

along with doing that maybe independent learning.

[12:16] Juliana Finegan:

Kind of a flipped learning model there.

[12:17] Juliana Finegan:

Exactly. And I think that like, that's what we've seen districts do is kind of look at the whole piece, like we have a week, okay, so how much time do we need for onboarding? How much time do we need for like certain like HR pieces? How much time do we need for this? Now, let's do it in a creative way so that it doesn't feel like we're just making it through, but that you're actually giving opportunities for some flexibility and choice within those as well. So I think there's a lot of different ways that I've seen this done.

[12:45]

And also, again, like bringing it throughout the classroom time. So like once the school year started, like how are you continuing those conversations? Take some of that onus off like that first week and saying like, hey, we're going to continue to spiral back to this. But here's the introduction to it.

[13:02] Juliana Finegan:

Makes total sense. And I love that, you know, that note that you put in there that this is an ongoing, this is just the beginning, right? Onboarding is just the start of, you know, bringing someone into an organization, bringing someone up to speed, and it does need to continue beyond the first weeks of school. What are your thoughts on what we might need to kind of give new teachers a pass on and say, you know what, we'll bring you into that, but this is not the most important thing for you to work on now. I feel like with the start of any new school year, everybody is slammed with so many different initiatives and tasks to get ready for school and different projects to advance strategic priorities. Are there any things that you have seen or that you might recommend that schools kind of hold off on having their new teachers go through and say, okay, if you've, if you're a returning teacher, yes, work on that.

[13:49]

If you're a new teacher, actually, we want to pull you aside and have you work on, uh, you know, some of these things that'll get you up to speed quickly and anything like that pop out at you.

[13:58] Juliana Finegan:

So one more thing about innovative models, right? You automatically think of technology and we're kind of like, okay, technology needs to happen on day one. Um, I don't think it needs to happen on day one. Because you need to really set the classroom culture and figure out like how you're going to utilize space and make sure that the students and you are ready to implement technology effectively. And then it doesn't become like a glorified typewriter. So sometimes they say, like, you know, make sure that new teachers are really like feeling confident.

[14:30]

And how they've set up their classroom, how they set up the culture, how students are able to move, you know, having them work in like small groups, really setting up those nuts and bolts and like key pieces of just good teaching before you drop like a ton of devices in that classroom. Because that's going to add like a whole other avenue of challenges around just like, I mean, if you've ever had 30 kids logging onto computers, you've experienced this. Where it's like, that's like, I mean, chaos, right? Trying to get everyone to like log in and the tech problems. And like for a new teacher, I mean, for a veteran teacher, that can be like super stressful, right? So saying like, hey, let's set up the classroom culture.

[15:11]

Let's make sure you and your students are ready to like work independently, work in small groups, like have small group time, like that you can organize your lesson plans that it allows for like some, you know, multiple pathways, right? before you bring in those devices into like that instructional means. Because then you're going to see like why you're using it and the students understand why they're using it. And it's like a buy-in across the board. And it's also like not just in another piece that you're going to have to try to figure out in like two days. Because it can feel extremely overwhelming.

[15:45]

And you always have kinks at the beginning of the school year. Let's be real. Wi-Fi always goes down for some reason. At least it did with me.

[15:53] Juliana Finegan:

So Juliana, I understand you have a website at practices.learningaccelerator.org. Tell us about some of the resources that are there and how you envision educators using those.

[16:03] Juliana Finegan:

So the Learning Accelerator, everything we share is free and open for anyone to use. We firmly believe that the only way to scale best practices is to have teachers and leaders have the ability to access strong vetted resources. And learn from each other. So we don't want people to reinvent the wheel, which is why we actually publish these user guides or problems of practice around onboarding. Because we just really think it's so important for leaders and teachers to learn from each other and like be able to like see it in action in other places and say, oh, that could work for me. Or, oh, you know, that couldn't.

[16:38]

And also making sure that you're not like copy and pasting anything. really making sure that it resonates and it works for you and your students in meaningful ways. So we actually have captured and codified practices from 12 different schools across the country, trying to figure out, you know, how can we enable educators and leaders to see like what's happening in different schools across the country, since we obviously don't have time or the means to like just fly across the country and see everything. So we went to different schools and actually filmed and said like, hey, what is your secret sauce that enables you to be successful? And you'll be able to see all of those practices online and things like a student learner profile. And so you'll get to hear why a student learner profile is important.

[17:16]

A little like summary of like, what did the student do in it? What does the teacher do? What does the device do? And then also actually download a Google Doc. That's the template example. And like figure out like, how can I iterate this to match my needs in my classroom, but really trying to push that idea of like not reinventing the wheel and really seeing what other folks are doing.

[17:35]

So you can actually go on the website and see all of those components. And we also have resources for leaders around conditions, like what are the conditions that make this all possible, but it's really fun. We're firmly, we love being able to share like what amazing work is happening across the country. So. That's what we have. So we actually just released with EdSearch a website that shows what is good adult learning in the asynchronous space.

[17:59]

And it kind of boils down within the research around six quality drivers of platform quality, rigorous content, mastery learning, active learning. And then are there components that are building in pieces of connection and personalization? And we looked at, you know, about 50 different platforms across different spaces, including education and even fitness. So how are you looking at Peloton? Why do people keep coming back to it? With the idea of how can we actually share some of this information with leaders and educators?

[18:29]

And so there's actually a tool on there where you can go in and review different asynchronous platforms around what you need. So maybe you have great in-person components within your current professional development, but you need more rigorous content around specific subjects. So maybe you're looking for an asynchronous platform that has different content and courses that you can use for teachers to work on at home. So kind of trying to make sure that you're finding the right asynchronous platform to leverage and build capacity for you and or your school district CMO so that you can kind of build those in and weave those in within your professional development program currently.

[19:11] Juliana Finegan:

We'll post specific links in the show notes at principalcenter.com. And Juliana, thank you so much for joining me on Principal Center Radio.

[19:19] Juliana Finegan:

Thank you so much for having me.

[19:20] Announcer:

Thanks for listening to Principal Center Radio. For more great episodes, subscribe on our website at principalcenter.com slash radio.