Ķvlog

Opinion
Teacher Preparation Opinion

Level Up Your Teacher Preparation With This Medical Practice (Downloadable)

By Heather Bailie Schock — May 27, 2026 1 min read
Photo of a group of professionals gathered in circle engaged in a discussion.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Assistant professor Heather Bailie Schock often modeled teaching strategies for preservice teachers in her University of Tampa classroom, but the lessons didn’t take. Despite all the modeling, the techniques remained largely invisible to the students.

Frustrated, Schock looked for a way she could help the students see the thinking behind her classroom choices for grouping, scaffolding, differentiation—the dozens of micromoves that help classrooms hum with learning. She wanted a structure that would be predictable, unintimidating to beginners, and take little time.

Enter medical huddles.

Medical teams use huddles to promote a shared understanding of a patient’s care among all team members. They review what happened, identify any new challenges, and, most importantly, acknowledge successful efforts.

Below is a primer for starting huddles in a teacher-preparation classroom. For more information on why and how the approach works, read her Feb. 23 essay, “I Adapted a Hospital Practice for Teacher Prep. It Was Transformative.”

Download This Resource

ew downloadable huddles

See Also

Group of diverse people profile view hand drawn silhouettes talking representing a conceptual huddle
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Teacher Preparation Opinion I Adapted a Hospital Practice for Teacher Prep. It Was Transformative
Heather Bailie Schock, February 23, 2026
5 min read

Related Tags:

Events

College & Workforce Readiness Webinar Data-Driven and District-Ready: What EdWeek Research Tells Us About the CTE Market
Discover how to sharpen your positioning in a fast-moving market of CTE with actionable strategies grounded in EdWeek Research Center data.
Classroom Technology Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Rewiring of Childhood With Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan Haidt, Catherine Price, and Adam Swinyard join Peter DeWitt on how to get students off devices and back to the basics of childhood.
Professional Development K-12 Essentials Forum Getting Professional Development to Stick
Join this free virtual event to explore best practices, funding, format, and timing for teacher and principal PD.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Teacher Preparation Inside a State's Yearlong Residency for New Teachers: 'They’re Seeing It All'
The residency model has become a talent pipeline for school districts struggling to recruit teachers.
Marie Fazio, The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La.
4 min read
Aspiring Educator Amaya Mills, top left, is working with Amanda Malpaya, top right, during the First graders' reading class at Ponderosa Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado on Oct. 29, 2024. The Cherry Creek School District launched a new, innovative program that offers future Ķvlog a transformative pathway to become a teacher that is grounded in hands-on classroom experience paired with high-performing mentors. The Aspiring Educator Pathway Program will adopt a model similar to a medical residency program that incorporates a collaborative team-teaching environment with more than 4,000 hours of experience in the classroom, compared to the typical 700 hours.
Aspiring Educator Amaya Mills, top left, is working with Amanda Malpaya, top right, during the first graders' reading class at Ponderosa Elementary School in Aurora, Colorado on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. The Cherry Creek School District launched a new, innovative program that offers future Ķvlog a transformative pathway to become a teacher that is grounded in hands-on classroom experience paired with high-performing mentors.
Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Teacher Preparation Opinion Some Claim Ed. Schools Are 'Woke.' Are They?
Researchers tested claims by Christopher Rufo, a leader of the anti-critical race theory movement.
Misty Gallo & Robert Maranto
6 min read
A figure lifting stack of giant red and blue books. Education, reading, learning concept. Vector illustration.
Education Week + DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Teacher Preparation Aspiring Teachers Aren't Being Prepared to Handle Student Behavior Problems
Teacher-quality group unveils a new teacher-prep framework for managing classrooms.
4 min read
Rogelio Hernandez and Alex Volkov, New Teacher Support Coaches, interact during New Teacher Support Coaches Professional Learning session on November 7, 2025 at Center for Professional Development in Fresno. California.
Rogelio Hernandez and Alex Volkov are coaches who support new teachers in the Fresno, Calif., district on Nov. 7, 2025. Many teachers say they want more opportunities to practice classroom management skills; a new framework has some ideas about how teacher-prep programs might structure these opportunities.
Andri Tambunan for Education Week
Teacher Preparation Education Groups Push $2.5 Billion Plan to Rebuild Teacher Preparation
Teachers' colleges lead push to 'rebuild' after years of disruption and falling enrollment.
6 min read
A look at the state of teaching in Fresno, Calif.
Jose Valadez, a new teacher working towards state certification, teaches his 3rd grade students at Birney Elementary on November 6, 2025 in Fresno, Calif. Groups representing teacher colleges have put out a plan calling for a $2.5 billion federal investment in scholarships and supports for aspiring teachers.
Andri Tambunan for Education Week