Instructional Coaching | Differentiation | Teaching with Empathy | Standards-Based Grading
PARTNERS IN HELPING SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS SUCCEED
MEET LISA WESTMAN
LISA WESTMAN
Founder and President
Lisa Westman is an author, speaker, and consultant who regularly works with school systems internationally to provide professional learning on student-driven differentiation, empathy as the foundation of our instructional practices, standards-based learning, and implementing instructional coaching programs. Before becoming a consultant, Lisa taught 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade (gifted humanities, English language arts, social studies) and was an instructional coach specializing in differentiation in Skokie, IL.
Her publications include Student-Driven Differentiation: 8 Steps to Harmonize Learning in the Classroom (Corwin Press, 2018), Teaching with Empathy: How to Transform Your Practice by Understanding Your Learners (ASCD, expected August 2021) and frequent contributions to Education Update (ASCD), Education Week, Education Week Teacher, and Edutopia.
Lisa is married to an educator, is the parent of a sixth-grader, a ninth-grader, an 8-year old Pomeranian Rat Terrier, and an 18-month old Border Collie. She enjoys the Bar Method, loves music and the City of Chicago!
SERVICES
I work with clients, providing exceptional consulting services that are catered specifically to their needs. Take a look below at the services I offer and get in touch to achieve immediate results.
KEYNOTES
Setting the Tone
KEYNOTES ARE DELIVERED TO ENSURE THAT STAKEHOLDERS ARE HEARING A CONSISTENT MESSAGE THAT IS BOTH INSPIRATIONAL AND MOTIVATIONAL.
WORKSHOPS
Hands-on and Targeted
WORKSHOPS ARE DESIGNED TO EMPOWER PRACTITIONERS WITH THE TOOLS AND STRATEGIES REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT INSTRUCTIONAL INITIATIVES WITH FIDELITY.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
A dream without a plan is just a wish
INSTRUCTIONAL INITIATIVES REQUIRE THOUGHTFUL PLANNING AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT BEFORE THEY ARE ROLLED OUT TO SCHOOL STAKEHOLDERS.
“Lisa’s work is a game changer for us in our district. While the concept of Differentiation is certainly not new in education, Lisa’s ideas of how to incorporate it into classrooms that are now filled with diverse learning styles is new. Lisa’s work with us is making us think and talk in different ways. I can’t wait to see the shift in our district over time as we continue working with her.”
Dr. Pam Gould, Superintendent of Schools, Sandwich Public Schools, Sandwich MA
"Targeted, adaptive, personalized, and immediately impactful. Those are the things that first come to mind when I think about the professional development experience Lisa Westman provided for our district."
Neil Lesinski, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, District 155, Crystal Lake, IL
"Lisa, thank you for your very enlightening deep-dive session at the ECIS Student Support Conference two weeks ago.
Through it, I gained a much deeper understanding of how differentiation can be efficient and truly tailored to individual students’ needs without being (overly!) time-consuming.
I particularly appreciated that the practical approach you present is immediately and easily applicable in class. I also love the way focusing on learning intentions and success criteria gives students choice as to how they can show and share their learning and how much more engaged they become once the real-world applications of skills developed in class are made clearer. Many thanks, again!"
Emmanuelle Meurier
Lower School French Teacher
International School of Luxembourg
"Lisa will really take the time with you to figure out what ways will work best for your classroom. My first thought was “this is going to take a lot of work” and was a bit overwhelming, but Lisa showed me how to start small and just manipulate what I’m already doing into a differentiated method. I have already seen some big changes with my students in the small amount of time that I have been implementing these strategies."