Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

First, I do not think grades are an effective long-term strategy for motivating most students. In his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us , Daniel Pink points out that extrinsic rewards–points, grades, or the promise of a class party for good behavior–are not effective ways to motivate people over time.

Teachers 544

Teachers Motivation Assignments Students 544

Edsurge

APRIL 17, 2024

Referred to as AI-powered reading coaches, assistants or tutors, these tools use generative AI to provide learners with personalized reading practice, stories, feedback and support. Such tools are typically designed to engage and motivate the child in interacting with stories, but don’t always lead children to improve their reading skills.

Coaching 200

Coaching Reading Motivation Feedback 200

Catlin Tucker

MAY 3, 2021

UDL provides a foundation that reminds us that the goal of school is to teach students how to become motivated, resourceful, innovative learners, and help them prepare for the lives they want to live. To meet the needs of diverse learners in flexible landscapes, educators need more than a single framework.

Universal Design 545

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Motivation 545

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 28, 2018

When I lead blended learning workshops or coach teachers implementing blended learning, I get a lot of questions about classroom management. When humans are given the autonomy, especially in a learning environment, it yields higher levels of interest, engagement, and motivation. Researchers have isolated autonomy as a basic human need.

Classroom Management 419

Classroom Management Blended Learning Motivation Coaching 419

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 25, 2019

However, external motivators, as Daniel Pink articulates in his book Drive , are not effective long-term. External motivators may yield short-term results, but ultimately intrinsic motivation in which students are motivated by an internal reward or feeling of satisfaction or accomplishment is much more effective.

Teaching 419

Teaching Motivation Attention Classroom Management 419

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

As I said in my last post, “ Taking the ‘Manage’ Out of Classroom Managemen t,” I’d like to focus more on motivating students and less on managing them, but it’s hard to achieve a student-centered, student-driven experience if there aren’t clear expectations, routines, and consequences.

Blended Learning 420

Blended Learning Learning Coaching Motivation 420

Edsurge

JULY 9, 2019

Years before I wrote my book, “Courageous Edventures,” and helped develop an instructional coaching model used in schools across the country, I served as a district leader supporting instructional coaches. And the time they spent with instructional coaches seemed key to moving the needle.

Coaching 167

Coaching Teachers Change Management Achievement 167

k12 Digest

MAY 19, 2025

Her career spans roles as an elementary teacher, instructional coach, mentor, special education administrator, and elementary school principal. By creating an emotionally safe and supportive learning environment, teachers help students build resilience, motivation, and a growth mindset. Lets examine a few examples from the research.

Science 130

Science Education Motivation Lecturing 130

Catlin Tucker

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

Allowing students a degree of agency in terms of the books they select can be a powerful motivator for even the most reluctant readers. While coaching a teacher in Palm Springs, I developed a digital notebook using Google Slides that teachers can use to facilitate a book club or literature circle unit.

Coaching 409

Coaching Motivation Reading Assignments 409

Edsurge

OCTOBER 8, 2019

Overwhelmingly, I’ve found students open to and interested in tools to help them effectively navigate distractions and promote their social and emotional well-being, and that teachers benefit enormously from professional development centered around technology use, executive functioning skills and intrinsic motivation. But how does that work?

Motivation 167

Motivation Students Mobile Devices Middle School 167

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 22, 2020

To better support shared learning, I’ve partnered with Learning Innovation Catalyst (LINC) to offer learning modules through LINCspring , their online coaching and professional development platform.

Blended Learning 363

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning Coaching 363

Catlin Tucker

MAY 1, 2019

In a coaching session with a second-grade teacher, I suggested we try using Voice Typing in Google Documents to help students track how many words they read in a minute. I hoped that giving them the tools to track their words per minute might motivate them to stay focused on the task of reading a challenging passage.

Reading 419

Reading Teaching Coaching Testing 419

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 28, 2023

Instead of seeing their value as instructors and experts, we explored the teacher’s role as facilitator and coach, guiding individual and small groups of students in their journey toward mastering concepts and skills. Unfortunately, many students are disengaged and lack the motivation to take on this challenge.

Blended Learning 460

Blended Learning Universal Design Learning Motivation 460

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 21, 2017

As I consider what is causing teachers to be disengaged, I’m reminded of Daniel Pink’s Drive in which he explores human motivation. It challenged me to really think about what motivates my students and how to keep them interested and engaged in their learning. This book was a game changer for me as an educator.

Teachers 420

Teachers Motivation Coaching Curriculum 420

eSchool News

JUNE 30, 2022

students struggled with anxiety, depression, trauma, or attention issues that made it difficult to focus, stay motivated, and learn. Early intervention is critical, or else these students can spiral quickly into avoidance and loss of motivation. anxiety, ADHD, depression, lack of motivation, and trauma).

Motivation 354

Motivation Schools Students Coaching 354

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 5, 2023

When I coach teachers using the station rotation model that combines individual and collaborative learning activities both online and offline , we talk about how to arrange the furniture in the room to communicate the type of task students are doing. Education is one “make it work” moment after another.

Motivation 481

Motivation Learning Outcomes Communication Coaching 481

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 11, 2018

As a result, students enjoy more agency and autonomy which can have a positive impact on their motivation and engagement. I invite other teachers and coaches to share additional routines they have used with success to create respectful and productive classrooms. 8RespectfulRoutines.

Blended Learning 318

Blended Learning Learning Coaching Motivation 318

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

Their primary role is to support the coach in diffusing innovative instructional practices across the campus. This heightened engagement translates into increased motivation, higher teacher retention, and a positive ripple effect throughout the school community. Wondering how to build a corps of teacher leaders?

Teachers 305

Teachers Coaching Culture Math 305

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 22, 2017

My program will allow me to continue teaching and coaching, but it will present some very real challenges for me personally when it comes to balancing my various roles and responsibilities–mother, teacher, trainer, coach, speaker, and author. Sometimes it is a 20-minute walk around my neighborhood, other times it is a trip to the gym.

Coaching 419

Coaching Motivation Attention Blended Learning 419

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 11, 2020

If they request a 1:1 coaching session, they should have work they are struggling with or questions about specific content or skills they want to focus on. Human connection and the feeling of being seen and supported are most likely to motivate students to lean into learning. Then students prepare for their conference.

Blended Learning 531

Blended Learning Communication Coaching Questions 531

Catlin Tucker

MAY 18, 2021

I host a podcast called The Balance and wrote a book titled Balance with Blended Learning because I see teachers struggling with balance in every coaching and training session I facilitate. That’s why the theme of balance has permeated my work for years.

Blended Learning 521

Blended Learning Feedback Learning Beliefs 521

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 7, 2020

My doctoral research focused on the multidimensional motivational construct of teacher engagement in blended learning environments. This is a sentiment I’ve repeatedly heard this year as I work with educators who are teaching online, on hybrid schedules, or juggling the demands of the concurrent classroom.

Blended Learning 420

Blended Learning Learning Coaching Discussions 420

Edsurge

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Competition can be thrilling and motivating to those who choose to engage. They were used as gimmicks and antics to “motivate” students. They believed that students’ motivation should come from within. But we can be thoughtful about the tools we use to motivate students and how we support them in navigating their emotions.

Motivation 164

Motivation Students Middle School Middle School 164

Ask a Tech Teacher

AUGUST 5, 2022

These can be taught individually (through coaching or mentoring), in small groups (of at least five), or as school PD. This is a high-energy, innovative, and motivating class that can be reproduced in a Professional Development setting or with students in your classroom (in fact, you’ll get a lesson plan on how to do just that).

Coaching 158

Coaching Authentic Assessment Writing Participation 158

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

In this way, AI can also assist teachers by acting as a one-to-one coach for students. There are some things that technology excels at, like collecting data, and other things that teachers excel at, like teaching and motivating students. Does it provide teachers with critical data to help them guide students in real-time?

Students 337

Students Coaching Intelligence Ethics 337

eSchool News

DECEMBER 25, 2024

In this way, AI can also assist teachers by acting as a one-to-one coach for students. There are some things that technology excels at, like collecting data, and other things that teachers excel at, like teaching and motivating students. Does it provide teachers with critical data to help them guide students in real-time?

Students 311

Students Coaching Intelligence Ethics 311

eSchool News

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

“As we talked with EmpowerU students, we realized how much they valued the daily support of their EmpowerU coach—and they wanted an integrated way to access their feedback and encouragement. Integrated communication tools create close collaboration between the school team and the EmpowerU coach. Our new platform does just that.

Coaching 269

Coaching Counselling Learning Students 269

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 22, 2021

The issue of grading and motivating students to see value in work that is not graded is complex and multifaceted. Without going into the weeds debating the value of grades in general, I want to propose a flowchart that I use when coaching teachers to help them evaluate where to invest their time and energy resources.

Blended Learning 535

Blended Learning Teachers Learning Grades 535

eSchool News

JUNE 8, 2018

Teachers in the survey are all coaches for student teams participating in the MathWords Math Modeling (M3) Challenge, a national online contest SIAM organizes. The survey of more than 400 high school math teachers comes from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).

Math 261

Math Teachers Motivation Coaching 261

Edsurge

JUNE 28, 2017

They motivate and guide their students to accomplish their goals. Since we’ve discovered that teaching is mostly about motivation, that matters because for faculty, motivation was usually not the primary problem. The fitness coach can’t exercise for you. What is it that motivates you? You have to do the work.

Coaching 134

Coaching Lecturing Teachers Motivation 134

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

At Mira Mesa High School in San Diego, California, which has launched an esports program, teacher Brandon Trieu has proven through the success of the team he coaches, the Mira Mesa Marauders, that esports are a valuable addition to the classroom. Most of all, it’s essential that efforts are led by a motivated coach.

Coaching 321

Coaching STEM Students High School 321

eSchool News

MAY 21, 2020

Kaye hosts the show along with my zany friend, Gerdy Giraffe (a puppet character played by Faith DeWerd, one of their Training Coaches). Students are motivated and inspired as they interact with 26 virtual zoo. Each episode introduces a zoo animal, a letter, and letter sounds using 3D Augmented Reality technology. About Alive Studios.

Mobile Devices 328

Mobile Devices Learning Distance Learning Coaching 328

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 29, 2021

When coaching teachers in a 1:1 environment where all students have devices, I encourage teachers to balance the online and offline learning activities to give students a much-needed break from the screen. Agency and autonomy can yield higher levels of motivation over time.

Blended Learning 535

Blended Learning Critical Thinking Communication Participation 535

Faculty Focus

MAY 4, 2023

Many instructors have observed variability in students’ motivation to learn and grow. In other words, can we foster greater motivation? Positive academic mindsets motivate students to learn Mindset science has uncovered actionable insights into the academic behaviors of students. Every student learns at a different pace.

Beliefs 116

Beliefs Motivation Instructors Students 116

eSchool News

JULY 29, 2022

That said, the competitive gaming aspect of the program was certainly a highly motivating factor for students. At first, I provided no coaching or guidance, but instead allowed students just to play. After all, everyone loves to play!

Gamification 342

Gamification Game-Based Learning Education Coaching 342

Catlin Tucker

JULY 8, 2021

If our goal is to cultivate expert learners who are resourceful, strategic, and motivated, they need opportunities to drive their own learning. 4 Hyperdoc Lesson + Teacher Time Coaching Station. Then the teacher is freed to run a help desk or coaching station. 1 Student-Paced, Free-Flow Station Rotation Lesson.

Universal Design 367

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Feedback 367

eSchool News

JANUARY 5, 2021

With EmpowerU, student growth happens one day at a time, one small step at a time through engaging, online skill-building lessons supported by daily 1:1 motivational coaching. More than 88% of students complete the program, compared to 5-30% completion rates with other programs. More than 98.5% About EmpowerU.

Coaching 223

Coaching Mobile Devices Motivation Students 223