February 2026

February brings snowy and icy days that remind us how much thoughtful preparation matters. When conditions are challenging, progress depends on intentional planning and the supports we put in place.

This month’s focus centers on intentionality—how instruction is designed to preserve rigor through thoughtful scaffolding and the modeling of expert thinking.

Effective instruction is not a collection of disconnected strategies, but a deliberate sequence of instructional moves aligned to intended outcomes. When rigor and scaffolding work together, students are challenged without barriers to access.

Across Delaware, educators are putting this intentional design into practice—creating learning environments grounded in purpose, equity, and access. This month, we proudly spotlight Eileen Baker, Supervisor of Inclusive Education in the Cape Henlopen School District, for her leadership in advancing inclusive practices that support meaningful learning for all students.

In this issue, you’ll find:

Educator Excellence Spotlight: Eileen Baker, Cape Henlopen School District

This Month’s Focus: Designing Meaningful Learning Experiences

Leader Action Hub: Preserving Rigor Through Intentional Scaffolding

Professional Opportunities: Statewide learning sessions

Resource Spotlight: Tools for Preserving Rigor and Supporting Access

This month, we proudly spotlight Eileen Baker, Supervisor of Inclusive Education for the Cape Henlopen School District. Nominated by Lisa Morris, Assistant Supervisor of Human Resources, Eileen is recognized for her leadership in advancing inclusive practices that ensure meaningful learning experiences for all students.

Through her work, Eileen consistently prioritizes access without compromising rigor—supporting educators in designing learning environments where students with diverse needs are both challenged and supported. Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to equity, intentional design, and the belief that inclusive practices strengthen learning for everyone.

Know and educator doing great work? Nominate them to be spotlighted in a future issue by completing this nomination form. 

One high-leverage instructional move within intentional learning design is modeling thinking aloud. Although it is one of the least seen and most powerful explanatory devices (Lapp, Fisher, & Grant, 2008), modeling thinking is especially effective when teaching problem solving and multi-step, complex tasks—yet it is noticeably absent in many middle and high school classrooms. [Note: “Explanatory devices” is language used in the DTGSS framework—specifically Indicator 2.2 (Learning Experiences). 

When teachers model their thinking aloud, they engage in a dialogue with themselves in front of students—thinking through a process step by step as a learner would. This includes pausing, expressing uncertainty, making mistakes, self-correcting, and checking one’s thinking along the way. By making this cognitive work visible, teachers reveal decision points, common pitfalls, and strategies for working through moments of confusion—without doing the thinking for students.

Modeling thinking supports access to rigorous tasks by showing students how expert thinkers reason, not just what they produce. In this way, modeling is not a shortcut to answers, but a scaffold for reasoning—positioning students to engage deeply with complex content.

The example below illustrates how a teacher models thinking aloud during a complex reading task—making the reasoning process visible while preserving rigor.

Objective: Students will analyze how an author develops a central idea by citing evidence from the text.

Task: Students analyze a complex text and explain how specific details contribute to the development of a central idea.

Teacher Think-Aloud

I’m noticing that this paragraph introduces a new idea about responsibility.

I’m asking myself: How does this connect to the central idea we identified earlier?

At first, I’m not sure this detail fully supports the central idea, so I want to check my thinking.

I’m going back to the text because I want evidence, not just a feeling.

This sentence stands out because it shows the character taking action.

That helps me see how the author is developing the idea that responsibility grows through experience.

I’ll hold onto that idea and see whether the next paragraph strengthens or complicates it.

Resource: Saphier, J., Haley-Speca, M. A., & Gower, R. R. (2018). The skillful teacher: The comprehensive resource for improving teaching and learning (7th ed.). Research for Better Teaching.

Scaffolding is another essential component of intentional learning design—one that preserves rigor while providing access to complex tasks. Unlike strategies that simplify the work, effective scaffolding maintains the cognitive demand of the task while supporting students in navigating it successfully.

High-quality scaffolds are responsive and temporary. They anticipate common misconceptions, surface critical features of the task, and offer just enough support to keep students engaged in productive struggle. As understanding develops, scaffolds are intentionally faded so students assume increasing responsibility for the thinking.

When scaffolding is designed with purpose, it does not lower expectations or narrow outcomes. Instead, it ensures that all students can engage meaningfully with rigorous content—without the task being altered or the thinking done for them.

Examples of Effective Scaffolding 

1. Providing Sentence Starters: Offering sentence starters can help students express complex ideas mor clearly, aiding their analysis and synthesis of information.

2. Using Graphic Organizers: Using graphic organizers provide a structured framework for organizing thoughts and identifying relationships between concepts, fostering deeper understanding.

3. Modeling Thinking Processes: Teachers need to model their thought processes aloud, demonstrating how to approach challenging problems and develop effective strategies. 

Resource: Resource: Deborah Reed, CEO, Research for Better Teaching

1. Name the Rigor

During observations, identify what makes the task cognitively demanding and how it aligns to the objective—before commenting on strategies or supports.

Leader prompt:
What thinking are students expected to do to meet the objective?

2. Listen for Thinking Made Visible

Attend to moments where teachers model their thinking aloud or use other explanatory devices to make reasoning explicit for students.

Leader prompt:
What thinking is the teacher intentionally making visible?

3. Check the Purpose of Scaffolds

Notice whether scaffolds are intentionally selected to support access without simplifying the task, and whether they fade as students demonstrate understanding.

Leader prompt:
How did the scaffolds support student progress toward the objective while preserving rigor?

Leadership Lift 2025: Sharpening observation and feedback
Principals, strengthen your observation and feedback practice with our new 30-minute quick learning series designed specifically for administrators! These virtual sessions build your skills step-by-step, culminating in a personalized Leader Action Plan to drive teacher growth For more information, view the flyer.

DTGSS sessions for teachers by teachers 
The Delaware Department of Education is offering virtual DTGSS sessions (4:30–5:30 PM) to support educators in strengthening their instructional practices and understanding of the DTGSS process. Each month features a focused theme, with special sessions dedicated to Early Childhood and Special Populations. Participants will earn clock hours toward re-licensure. For more information, view the flyer: DTGSS sessions for teachers by teachers.

DTGSS office hours – Monthly support for observation and feedback
School and district staff are invited to join DTGSS Office Hours, held the third Wednesday of each month from 9:00–10:00 AM, beginning August 20, 2025, through May 20, 2026. These informal, one-on-one support sessions offer space to analyze evidence, refine debrief questions, ask questions about DSC, and strengthen your use of the DTGSS framework. Whether you’re looking to think through feedback or clarify next steps, we’re here to help. Drop in as needed.  Let’s strengthen your DTGSS practice—one thoughtful conversation at a time. We’re here to support you! Join Zoom Meeting here. Contact Angela Socorso.

Tools and references to help you notice and support what matters most in instruction.

 1. Think-Alouds 

Title: Think-Alouds
Summary: This article explains how teacher think-alouds model comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading to help students understand text processing and metacognitive thinking. It includes tips for classroom use with diverse learners.
https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/think-alouds

2. What Is Scaffolding in Teaching?

Title: What Is Scaffolding in Teaching?
Summary: A clear overview of educational scaffolding — what it is, how it supports student progression, and why it’s effective when designed and faded intentionally (especially through teacher support that targets the Zone of Proximal Development).
https://ace.edu/blog/what-is-scaffolding-in-teaching/

3. Helping Young Multilingual Learners Develop Their Metacognitive Skills

Summary: An educator explains how students can more easily access common supports like visuals, sentence frames, and pair-share. 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/helping-young-multilingual-learners-develop-metacognitive-skills