High-Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching

by Jim Knight

Small changes can lead to big results! Best-selling author Jim Knight presents the high-leverage strategies that make the biggest difference in student learning. Featuring checklists, numerous observation tools, and online videos of teachers implementing the practices, this revolutionary book focuses on the three areas of high-impact Content planning, including using guiding questions, learning maps, and formative assessment Instructional practices such as the use of thinking prompts, effective questions, challenging assignments, and experiential learning Community building, in which you shape a classroom culture that promotes well-being, creativity, learning, and high expectations

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development, Nonfiction, Ebooks, Leadership

371 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2012

Reviews

[Brenda Benedict]

This book is like being in a small group with Jim Knight. His ability to synthesize current research from several disciplines and apply it to the field of education distinguishes Knight from other educational writers. Highly recommended!

[Shaeley Santiago]

Another book to come back to from time to time as I gain more experience with instructional coaching.

[David Doty]

This is an outstanding resource for teachers, administrators, and anyone interested in understanding "what works" in education. Author Jim Knight, a research professor at the University of Kansas Center for Research and Learning, states in his conclusion: "I wrote this book to make sure that teachers know there is hope, that there are practices that can make a difference, and that if teachers commit to learning, experimenting, and mastering these practices, if they strive for personal bests, they will feel the joy of learning, and so will their students.

[Morgan]

Read for school. It has a lot of good, useful information, though I feel like it aligned more with things I was learning in my assessment and management classes than with the literacy class I was reading it for. 🤷‍♀️

[Stephanie]

I really love this book. As a long time teacher it gave me many ideas, made me think and overall increased my understanding of being a teacher and leader. I've recommended this it so many of my teacher colleagues. What a great read.

[Sally Hanan]

This book is excellent in so many ways--well thought out before it was even written, content is given in a variety of ways, stories provide great examples of the main points, and chapters are summarized.

Not even that is enough for this author; he uses every instructional method up his sleeve to make sure that the information he conveys is understood and learned well. Each chapter covers a way to either engage students or teach more methodically or raise scores, and his content is very obviously given as a result of his own years of experience in the classroom and with teachers and school leadership teams. Diagrams, bullet points, text boxes; nothing is sacred in this book, and nothing should be when it comes to creating the best possible learning environment in our schools. Buy it. You won't be sorry.

[Lynn]

A very handy resource for all the of trendy terms, techniques, and teaching strategies. Wish I'd had this twenty years ago. Good teaching is just good teaching, and this provides details of what good teaching looks like. Enough research (well, maybe a bit too much)to lend credibility, gives even experienced teachers an opportunity to take inventory of their current practices to see where they can hone their skills to an even sharper delivery.
I especially found the chapters on classroom management helpful. Having a plan in mind but also involving students to create that plan is indeed useful.
This book was a required text for a CAS course on Common Core, and I'm still trying to make the connection since CC was not mentioned in it.

[Tenille Shade]

Jim Knight's books are practical and user friendly. I plan to create several learning maps for my students to use next year. The chapter on expectations is powerful, and I plan to include both students and parents in the process of developing classroom systems that work. I need to do a better job of providing authentic learning experiences fort students, and hopefully the high impact guidelines will keep me moving forward.

[Jessica]

I reread High Impact Instruction with our admin team as our teachers are reading the book for the first time in book study groups. This book is a great resource for professional learning to impact learning in schools!

[Kathryn Allen]

This resource is full of easy to understand ideas to implement in classrooms. It is designed to be of use for teachers, coaches, and principals and could serve as a framework for professional development.

[Rosemarie]

Great book for educational leadership! Provides a flexible framework that leaders can customize to fit working styles and individual experiences. Very helpful to use in creating checklists for coaching and school improvement efforts!

[Marsha]

Jim Knight writes in such an easy to read and understand format. He shares simple, but powerfully effective ideas and clearly explains how to implement these strategies resulting in improved student learning.

[Rich]

A great book for educators.

[Angela Stewart]

A great resource for teachers, coaches, and administrators!

[James Craig]

Great book for beginning coaching cycles in your school.