Cathy Lacey

Professional learning must disrupt ineffective habits and create clarity, not just add noise. Without a shift in thinking, no amount of strategy will lead to sustained change, and that means student learning & outcomes won’t change either! #ProfessionalLearning #EdChat #EduCoach

If you need students to put things in order - whether it is a timeline for history or parts of a sentence in language class - you can do that in @Quizizz.bsky.social! This is an example of a timeline my students learned in French 4. @alanacolabella.bsky.social #youcanwithQuizizz #langchat

snoW much fun!

BetMGM | #FlyEaglesFly

Cover of the book Harnessing the Science of Learning: Success Stories to Help Kickstart Your School Improvement by Nathaniel Swain, PhD. The cover features a vibrant blue background with a yellow lightning bolt in the center, symbolizing energy and innovation in education.

I read this over winter break. I highly recommend!

A slide titled "Scaffolding Benefits All Learners" featuring five interconnected boxes that highlight key strategies for effective scaffolding. Teach to the Top (top left): Icon of a mountain with a flag at the peak. Text: "Start with high expectations and aim for excellence with scaffolding." Design for Inclusivity (top center): Icon of a puzzle piece. Text: "Macro scaffolding ensures that learners can meet those high expectations. Access!" Start Small, Think Big (top right): Icon of a tree with roots and a small sprout. Text: "Implement scaffolding in a practical, step-by-step manner." Use Formative Assessment (bottom left): Icon of gears. Text: "Adapt in real-time by assessing where learners are and adjusting micro scaffolds." Gradually Remove Scaffolds (bottom right): Icon of a bicycle. Text: "Celebrate learner independence while remaining flexible to reintroduce support." The diagram emphasizes a flow of actions, beginning with setting high expectations and designing inclusive scaffolding, followed by implementing scaffolding in small steps, using formative assessments to adapt, and gradually removing scaffolds to encourage independence.

A promotional graphic with a green background announcing two major education events coming together in 2025. The text at the top reads, "Two Great Events Coming Together in 2025!" Below it, text in pink says, "I'm Presenting at," followed by logos for the 2025 ASCD Annual Conference and ISTE Live 25. The tagline reads, "Spark Joyful Learning," with the event dates, "June 29–July 2," and location, "San Antonio, Texas," displayed at the bottom. The design features subtle sunburst patterns in the background, emphasizing energy and excitement.

A promotional image for the "2025 NCMLE 'Middle School Matters' Conference," taking place March 23–25, 2025, in Charlotte, NC. The graphic features a large starburst highlighting "2024 NC Teacher of the Year Heather Smith" alongside her photo. Surrounding her are photos of other featured speakers, including Cathy Lacey, Dr. Frederick Buskey, Dr. Chris Culver, Jamie Brown, Erik Francis, and Dr. Marie Moreno. Each speaker's name is displayed in white text on a blue circular banner around their photo. The hashtag #MSMatters2025 is centered at the bottom. The design emphasizes collaboration and excitement for the conference.

Excited for 2025! I’ll present at #ASCDAnnual & more on #Scaffolding strategies that empower all learners. Equity First: scaffolding isn’t just support—it’s a pathway to access & excellence. Honored to be a featured speaker at #MSMatters2025 - thank you @heroichistory22.bsky.social! #EduCoach

When administrators fail to confront toxic behaviors, they pave the way for valuable staff to depart; no teacher or employee will thrive in an environment where toxicity is allowed to flourish. #DrHSpeaks #EduSky #BlackEduSky #EduMatch

All week I was looking forward to sleeping in Saturday (we had a half day Friday and are on winter break). I woke up at 5 AM this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. Why does this always happen when I can sleep in?

A vibrant graphic with a blue background and diagonal pattern featuring the text “Spark Joyful Learning” in large, colorful font. Below it reads, “Two Great Events Coming Together in 2025!” with event dates “June 29–July 2” and location “San Antonio, Texas.” The bottom section includes the words “PRESENTER” in bold, alongside the 2025 ASCD Annual Conference and ISTELive25 logos.

I’m presenting at ISTELive+ASCD Annual Conference 2025 in San Antonio! 🎉 My session, Boosting Student Success: Effective Scaffolding Strategies Across Disciplines, explores visual, verbal, & written supports to engage all students & elevate learning. ✨ #ASCDAnnual #ISTELive25 #ISTE25 #Scaffolding

I love using the ATLAS Protocol to explore data with teachers. This approach creates a safe, collaborative space to focus on describing, interpreting, & identifying actionable next steps. It’s all about equity, reflection, & meaningful decisions to inform future instruction. #EduCoach #EduSky #Data

Day 1/25: Need accessible color combinations that actually look good? This fantastic colour generator by @erikdkennedy.bsky.social helps you create beautiful, WCAG-compliant colour pairs in seconds!
Try it here: www.learnui.design/tools/access...

PowerPoint slide on ‘Lack of Evaluation’ in Professional Learning: Emphasizes the importance of using tools like surveys, data collection, and observations to measure the impact of PL and encourage teacher reflection.

Without evaluating, how do we know if #ProfessionalLearning is making an impact? 🤔
📋 My go-to for measuring- Guskey’s Framework:
1️⃣ Participant Reactions
2️⃣ Participant Learning
3️⃣ Organizational Support
4️⃣ Use of New Knowledge
5️⃣ Student Learning Outcomes
What tools do you use to evaluate PL? #EduCoach

Sometimes the best way to move forward is to let go. Release the weight of those who don’t understand your vision or add toxicity to your space. Surround yourself with collaborators who inspire, uplift, and share the journey. Keep riffing with possibility. #LeadershipRiffs #EduSky

🚨 NEW BLOG 🚨

‘Disciplinary talk’

“Disciplinary talk is a recognition that mathematicians, scientists, and geographers, communicate in subtly different ways, and that talk routines can be well matched to curriculum content in those different areas.”

alexquigley.co.uk/disciplinary...

Teacher-turned-LXD insight: Stop 'selling' PD. Inspired by biomimicry, I see it as an ecosystem where we learn from each other. Districts get expertise, I gain new perspectives—natural growth, not forced sales. The best relationships emerge organically! #LXD #TeacherPD #SystemsThinking #L&D

I’ve been learning from Blake Harvard for years-his blog posts have challenged me to rethink outdated practices I learned in undergrad. Know better, do better! His insights have made me a better teacher. It was incredible to learn from him at USA Festival of Edu, and I can’t wait to read his book!

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Multitasking in School Multitasking sneaks into our classrooms and interferes with learning, and it happens in ways you may not even notice.

New post and podcast episode on how multitasking sneaks into our classrooms and messes with learning.

www.cultofpedagogy.com/multitasking/

Can Metacognition reduce mind-wandering? | InnerDrive Mind-wandering is a common challenge that can hinder students’ ability to engage fully with learning. Find out how the use of metacognition can help reduce this.

⭐️ New Blog ⭐️

Can metacognition help reduce mind wandering? A new study looked to find out…

www.innerdrive.co.uk/blog/metacog...

Stevie’s point ⬇️ about tailoring goals to each school’s context is spot on! 💯 #ProfessionalLearning must consider the school culture. Leveraging your school’s unique identity ensures PL resonates w/ teachers & addresses their real challenges. How does your school’s culture shape PL💬? #EduCoach

Smart approach, Stevie! Tailoring the goals to each school’s context ensures you’re recognizing & addressing their unique needs 💙. That’s a great way to build trust & relevance while prioritizing what matters most for each school. #EduCoach

Thank you for sharing, Roxi! Your collaboration w/ content coaches to align PL w/ district goals is such a powerful way to reduce the ‘noise’ for teachers. By prioritizing what’s most important & ensuring clarity, you’re helping teachers focus on practices that impact student learning. #EduCoach

Thanks for sharing this resource! EIIR provides a streamlined approach on instructional coaching, especially with its phases like Empower and Engage. The emphasis on RISE goal-setting resonates with my work in aligning professional learning to broader school visions. #EduCoach #EduSky

. #ProfessionalLearning is most impactful when it aligns with a school’s overarching vision. Coaches play a major role as change agents, inspiring equitable, high-quality learning experiences.
What’s your coaching vision? How do you ensure your PL aligns with strategic goals? #EduCoach #EduSky

Happy birthday, Kylie!

When you’re in the moment of teaching, it’s hard to fully evaluate what’s happening. That’s why non-evaluative observations are invaluable. A trusted colleague observing and debriefing with you can reveal insights you might otherwise miss. Feedback is key to meaningful reflection! #EduCoach #EduSky

I haven’t used it in a while - but at the time I downloaded, it for free from the App Store.

Clubhouse or a voice channel in Discord

The image is by Cathy Lacey and titled "Scaffolding in ELA" with three columns for Visual, Verbal, and Written Scaffolds. Visual Scaffolds: Includes aids to help students break down texts, organize ideas, and understand literary elements. Examples provided are: Character relationship maps to explore connections, conflicts, and dynamics in complex texts. Thematic concept maps linking themes with textual evidence and character actions. Annotated text examples with marginal notes highlighting literary techniques and themes. Comparative Venn diagrams to analyze similarities and differences in literature, focusing on themes and author style. Verbal Scaffolds: Focuses on verbal prompts that guide discussion and analysis. Strategies include: Reteaching strategies for reading comprehension, like summarizing or making inferences. Guiding questions such as: "What can you infer about the character’s motivation based on this paragraph?" "Why do you think the author chose this setting?" Prompts for analyzing literary devices like: "How is figurative language used here to enhance the description?" "How does the author use symbolism to reinforce the theme?" Written Scaffolds: Includes written supports to structure writing and develop ideas. Examples are: Sentence starters for essays, like "The theme of this story is..." or "In the text, the author uses [literary device] to convey...". Graphic organizers for essay planning (e.g., outlines for argumentative or compare-and-contrast essays). Word banks with academic vocabulary such as "analyze," "infer," or "symbolism." Exemplar paragraphs showing well-structured responses, highlighting topic sentences, evidence, and analysis. The table has a green header for the title and background colors for each column: light blue for Visual Scaffolds, light green for Verbal Scaffolds, and light yellow for Written Scaffolds. Icons represent each category—a lightbulb for Visual, a speech bubble for Verbal, and a notebook for Written.

This quarter, I’m focusing on ELA-specific #Scaffolding. Effective #ProfessionalLearning thrives on specificity—empowering edus w/ content-specific, actionable strategies rather than general ideas. When Ts can visualize clear steps, implementation becomes realistic & impactful. #EduCoach #EduSky

I can’t wait to share with you our successes and the feedback from teachers and administrators (my principal and assistant principal of instruction are also participating in this book study).

Yes, I can!
Powerful ✊
Easy 🫰
Emotionally Compelling 🫶
Reachable 🫲
Student-focused 👉
I now use PEERS goals regularly when working with other teachers for achieving small, quick wins. #MicrosoftCertifiedCoach

In this collaborative book study, we build “PEERS” goals—✨ Powerful ✅ Easy to implement ❤️ Emotionally compelling 📈 Reachable 👥 Student-focused. These goals are our guiding success criteria. It's all about making #ProfessionalLearning targeted and meaningful! #EduSky #EduCoach #BookStudy