The Instruction Refinement Tool

Why use the Instruction Refinement Tool?

The IRT is designed with four primary qualities in mind—actionable, bite-sized, organized, and holistic. Each indicator on the IRT is an actionable, verb-driven statement that is essential for high-quality instruction. Other tools summarize outputs of instruction rather than instructional inputs, which distances them from having a directed impact on teaching and learning. Each indicator on the IRT is a bite-sized action that can be mastered quickly. Other tools contain indicators that are lofty, complex actions which can overwhelm and mislead, slowing instructional improvement. The indicators on the IRT are organized into seven logical instructional practices that support goal setting, targeted reflection, and focused instructional coaching. Other tools simply list indicators or arrange them by perceived difficulty. The IRT is holistic because it attends wholly to the importance of design, technique, and academic culture. Other tools tend to emphasize design, technique, or academic culture at the expense of