The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A checklist for staying focused every

day
by Brian Goodwin & Elizabeth Ross Hubbell

Item What It Looks Like

Use standards to guide every Research supported
learning opportunity resources, ideas, and
examples for unpacking
standards and using them as
an approach for creative
lesson planning and self-
directed student learning.
Ensure students set personal Research supported
learning objectives for each resources, ideas, and
lesson examples for helping
students challenge
themselves by setting
ambitious long-term goals
for learning and short-term
learning objectives. Evident
that you begin with the end in
mind, using learning
objectives to guide the
planning of lessons and units.
Peel back the curtain and Research-supported
make my performance resources, ideas, and
expectations clear examples for using
performance rubrics and
other methods to ensure
students know how their
performance will be judged.
Measure understanding Research-supported
against high expectations resources, ideas, and
examples for ensuring that
course grades reflect actual
academic performance,
including critical thinking and
high expectations.
Engage students’ interests Research supported
with every lesson resources, ideas, and
examples for hooking student
interest at the start of the
lessons and using a variety of
techniques to motivate
learning throughout lessons
and units, including providing
choices and framing lessons
around novelty.
Interact meaningfully with Research-supported
every student resources, ideas, and
examples for interacting with
students, getting to know
them, and demonstrating
interest in them as individuals
and as learners.
Use feedback to encourage Research-supported
effort resources, ideas, and
examples for providing
students with frequent and
timely feedback that links to
learning objectives. The
feedback is also actionable
and tailored to individual
student needs.
Create an oasis of safety and Research-supported
respect in my classroom resources, ideas, and
examples for establishing
clear rules for behavior and
consequences for
misconduct, ensuring that all
students feel safe to learn
and contribute to classroom
discussions
Make the most of every Research-supported
minute resources, ideas, and
examples for planning
lessons to ensure bell-to-bell
 learning for students.
Help students develop deep Research-supported
knowledge resources, ideas, and
examples for introducing new
knowledge by helping
students connect it to prior
knowledge. Includes helping
students connect information
into coherent patterns to
deepen knowledge.
Coach students to mastery Research-supported
resources, ideas, and
examples for using frequent
checks for understanding to
know which concepts or skills
students are struggling to
master and ideas for ways to
reteach as needed to help all
students develop mastery.
Help students do something Research-supported
with their learning resources, ideas, and
examples for structuring
classroom discussion and
writing assignments to help
students extend their
learning through the use of
project-based learning and
problem solving by applying
new knowledge in novel
situations.