Quick Win Toolkits

Did you know I have a coaching secret weapon? I do. It’s my Quick Win Toolkit. And now, you can have one, too.

A quick win toolkit is a collection of articles, blog posts, videos and helpful resources to share with teachers quickly and easily when they request a resource, tool or idea. By having a toolkit already filled with vetted content, you can quickly connect teachers to what they need when they need it. Hence the name, the quick win toolkit.

Why is it my secret weapon? Because it supports ME. In the past, if a teacher asked a question or for a specific resource, I’d have to search for what I wanted to share: a file I saved on my computer somewhere, a website I may or may not have added to my Favorites or a resource that I liked somewhere on social media and then promptly forgot about it. Sound familiar?

A Quick Win toolkit removes all of those challenges and keeps my most treasured resources and impactful ideas on hand so I can access and share them instantly. And the best part? Each coach can choose the format of the toolkit based on how they work and their own personal preference. You might try any of these platforms to curate your collection:

• Google Doc or Drive
• Google Keep
• Padlet wall
• Smore
• Browser Favorites Folder
• Wakelet
• Twitter Hashtag
• Instagram Hashtag
• Private Google Site

My current Quick Win toolkit is a combination of the above. I have a Padlet wall that is organized into topics and I also have Google Keep notes where I house ideas, too. This way, I can easily add a resource to my toolkit whether I’m on my laptop or a mobile device. You’ll find a glimpse of my Padlet wall below:



Do you see how I have it organized into coaching topics? Now, when teachers request an idea, I can head to one place on my computer, browse my favorites that I have saved and easily send it off through email to the teacher. YES.

Now, I often give you my own tools and templates so you can make them your own, but I cannot share my personal Quick Win Toolkit. Why not? Well, we all have different philosophies of coaching, leading and teaching and we all practice within unique schools and districts. This means that what works for me and my teachers might not work for yours. We need to vet our own resources to share with teachers to be sure it connects with our work and that we are 100% confident in the match between teacher and tool, which means our Quick Win Toolkits are incredibly unique.

Are you ready to build your own Quick Win Toolkit? Here’s the step by step:

1. Choose your platform. Choose something you already work with or know will be easy for YOU to curate and access. There is no single right answer here.
2. Add current resources. Take an hour and add your current favorite resources to share with teachers: articles, blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, lesson links and more.
3. Browse professional organizations. Head to the website of your favorite professional organizations and browse. What are your go-to resources from that site? Save them.
4. Scroll social media. There is SO MUCH to learn and find professionally on social media. Let yourself scroll with a ‘Quick Win’ lens and add resources to your toolkit. Just don’t stay on your feed for too long….and stay focused! =)
5. Harness Facebook groups. Take a look at what you have in your Toolkit and identify any gaps. Head to Facebook and type that gap into the search bar of the professional Facebook groups you are part of (and if you are not part of one yet, join mine!) and see what appears. Save what you love in your newly-created Toolkit.
6. Schedule updates. This is important! Sure, it’s fine to update your Toolkit on-the-fly, but it’s even better to schedule a half-hour block each month to purposefully replenish it.

Here’s one more important note: Teachers will NOT see your Toolkit. Remember I said this was my secret weapon because it was for ME? This is your collection to pull from, but ultimately, you’ll share your resources with teachers individually and will never link them to your toolkit (they’d be a bit overwhelmed!). So now, you have a secret weapon, too.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the topic AND learn about PD Toolkits, content bursts and more related to designing professional development for teachers, take a look at my on-demand Designing Teacher Learning (aka I Love PD!) series of sessions to level up your PL planning skills! Now, go get started creating your Quick Win Toolkit!

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