---
title: Should Teachers Be Gatekeepers or Coaches?
description: Whether a teacher acts as a gatekeeper of content or a thoughtful coach can mean the difference between effective development of proficiency in students or not.
image: https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/slide8-May-29-2024-07-59-21-8593-AM.jpg
---
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/347944/f56bee57-133e-4975-8055-799f1f23588b)
[Teacher Login](https://app.knowatom.com/signin)
[](https://www.knowatom.com/)
x
[KnowAtom Feed](https://www.knowatom.com/blog/rss.xml)
# Should Teachers Be Gatekeepers or Coaches?
Written by [Francis Vigeant ](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/author/francis-vigeant) | Feb 4, 2017 |
[Leadership](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/topic/leadership)
Should Teachers Be Gatekeepers or Coaches?
3:49
The difference between an effective classroom and an ineffective one is whether the teacher acts as a *gatekeeper* of the content or a *coach*. You can see in the model above that the role of the teacher has changed significantly; they are no longer standing in between the student and the content. Instead, the role that the teacher is playing here is as a very skillful coach. They're trying to strengthen the connection between the students and their science and engineering practice skills, as well as the connection between students and content.
**
*The next generation model of science instruction removes the teacher from the gatekeeper role and puts students on the front lines. Instead of modeling, demonstrating and so on, the teacher tunes the inquiry environment to make content more accessible, encourage independence and keep students on track. Students interact with content, use their science and engineering practice skills and connect ideas using crosscutting concepts.*
The key here is that students are developing and using the content by ***solving problems and answering questions***, just as scientists and engineers do. The teacher is helping gradually adjust the supports for the students. They're helping the students understand how to engage appropriately as well as redirecting and monitoring this lab environment. Note that "lab environment" doesn't automatically mean a high school setting or a wealthy middle school with black-topped tables and hoods; students can "do" science and engineering just as well at lunch tables or on the floor.
Here, the student is no longer in a situation where the definition of proficiency is rote recall. The definition of proficiency is now very different. Rather than being about their ability to recall, proficiency is about students' ability to demonstrate that they can develop and use the content, that they can [use science and engineering practices to solve problems and answer questions](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/effective-curriculum-helps-students-to-learn-as-scientists-engineers), and that they can form relationships between ideas, understanding and describing dynamic interactions between different areas of content. These are not accidental developments—the new Next Generation Science Standards actively call for them.
*Each standard is broadly defined and then broken down into the science and engineering practices students will use, the disciplinary core ideas that will be called upon (the content), and the crosscutting concepts that will link various disciplines together.*
The new standards showcase students' new multifaceted role very clearly. Looking at it, you can see how these three foundations come together to support the overarching performance of each Next Generation Science Standard. In the example above, for instance, students might pursue questions about how temperature affects the water cycle, how it in turn affects the rock cycle, how both impact ecosystems and how those determine which animals can or cannot live in particular areas. You can see that rather than calling for one particular rote "skill" as in the old standards, these new performance expectations call for practices, content and crosscutting concepts.
Often highly effective teachers have been using this next generation model for a long time. The problem isn't that it hasn't existed, but rather, that teachers as a whole have not been widely clued into it via educator preperation or PD programs. Now they are being forced to switch to this model because the [next generation of standardized test assessments](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/next-generation-science-standards-could-refocus-standardized-testing) are going to require students to demonstrate understanding rather than simply remember a fact. Students will be tested not for recall, but for their ability to use the real world skills they'll need to succeed later in life.
[ ](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/author/francis-vigeant)
## [Francis Vigeant](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/author/francis-vigeant)
“Growing up, I wanted to be an inventor, solving problems that would help people have better lives. Every day at KnowAtom is an opportunity to invent solutions that give thousands of students and teachers a better experience doing science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM). Providing educators with professional satisfaction and students with the opportunity to understand the world we live in is my way of helping people have better lives.”
##### Sign Up for Our Blog
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/347944/17a9319a-99ba-4386-9769-efb3e8bfcd3e)
### Posts by Topic
- [Teaching Tools & Strategies (72)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/teaching-tools-strategies)
- [Next Generation Science Standards (63)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/next-generation-science-standards)
- [Learning Methods (46)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/learning-methods)
- [STEM / STEAM (41)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/stem-steam)
- [Leadership (30)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/leadership)
- [Curriculum (23)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/curriculum)
- [State Standards (13)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/state-standards)
- [School Administration (11)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/school-administration)
- [Testing (11)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/testing)
- [Professional Development (8)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/professional-development)
- [Socratic dialogue (1)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/socratic-dialogue)
- [socracircle+ (1)](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/tag/socracircle)
[see all](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/should-teachers-be-gatekeepers-or-coaches#)
Related Posts
- [ Innovation in EdTech AI: SocraCircle+ and the](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/socracircle-and-the-power-of-human-connection)
- [ Cultures and Thinking in Action - Mindset 7:](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/learning-occurs-at-the-point-of-challenge)
- [ Learning and Thinking Are as Much a Collective](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/learning-and-thinking-as-a-collective-enterprise-mindset-6)
- [ Cultures of Thinking in Action Mindset 5:](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/learning-is-a-consequence-of-thinking-mindset-5)
- [ Cultures of Thinking in Action - Mindset 4:](https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/students-learn-best-when-known-valued-respected-by-all-mindset-4)
Quick Links
Resources
Sign Up for Our Blog
### Sign Up for Our Blog
Connect with Us
-
-
-
-
© 2026 KnowAtom LLC • 10 Brady Drive Unit 3 • Ipswich MA • 01938 USA
[DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION](https://www.knowatom.com/do-not-sell-my-personal-information) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.knowatom.com/privacy-policy) | [Terms of Use](https://www.knowatom.com/terms-of-use)
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "Francis Vigeant",
"url" : "https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/author/francis-vigeant"
},
"dateModified" : "2025-05-14T19:36:26.160Z",
"datePublished" : "2017-02-04T05:00:00.000Z",
"headline" : "Should Teachers Be Gatekeepers or Coaches?",
"image" : [ "https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/slide8-May-29-2024-07-59-21-8593-AM.jpg" ],
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/should-teachers-be-gatekeepers-or-coaches",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/images/KnowAtom%20Logo.svg"
},
"name" : "KnowAtom, LLC"
}
}
```
```json
{
"@context" : "http://schema.org",
"@type" : "Organization",
"address" : {
"@type" : "PostalAddress",
"addressCountry" : "USA",
"addressLocality" : "Salem",
"addressRegion" : "MA",
"postalCode" : "01970",
"streetAddress" : "27 Congress Suite 410"
},
"alternateName" : "KA",
"areaServed" : {
"@type" : "GeoCircle",
"geoMidpoint" : {
"@type" : "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude" : "+42.5182274",
"longitude" : "-70.8877569"
},
"geoRadius" : "150 km"
},
"description" : "Next Generation Science STEM Curriculum",
"email" : "fvigeant@knowatom.com",
"image" : "https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/KA-GSD.png",
"logo" : "https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Knowatom-2017/Image/logo-1.png",
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://www.knowatom.com/teaching-phenomena/should-teachers-be-gatekeepers-or-coaches",
"@type" : "WebPage",
"description" : "Whether a teacher acts as a gatekeeper of content or a thoughtful coach can mean the difference between effective development of proficiency in students or not."
},
"name" : "KnowAtom",
"sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/KnowAtom", "https://twitter.com/KnowAtom", "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS0rbN0RfqaU1xaISrdVpTA", "https://plus.google.com/110709105138117096940" ],
"telephone" : "(617) 475-3475",
"url" : "https://www.knowatom.com"
}
```