The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) eliminates the Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) provision from the previous NCLB law for teachers. Therefore, federal law reverts to whatever standard states have for state certification of teachers.
It is recommended that states advocate for “full state certification” as a minimum requirement for entry
into the classroom to ensure that all teachers are “profession-ready.”

When teachers identify and communicate clear learning Outcomes, they send the message that there is a focus for the learning activities to come. ... Providing feedback specific to learning objectives helps students improve their performance and solidify their understanding.

Link to Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/3mQgq6SJqsk

Think-Pair-Share (TPS) is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question about an assigned reading. This technique requires students to (1) think individually about a topic or answer to a question; and (2) share ideas with classmates.

Why use think-pair-share?

It helps students to think individually about a topic or answer to a question.
It teaches students to share ideas with classmates and builds oral communication skills.
It helps focus attention and engage students in comprehending the reading material.

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/HlD6tm4HsvA?t=38s

1. Dedication to Student Learning

Educators should make learning and knowledge accessible while acknowledging learning differences and understanding the stages of development. They must also recognize the factors that motivate and/or effect student learning and focus on developing character and civic responsibility.

2. Advanced Knowledge and Pedagogy in Subject Area and Instruction

Effective teachers must demonstrate mastery in the subjects they teach using an experienced skill-set and by employing diverse instructional strategies. They should understand the importance, structure and applications of those subjects.

3. Management and Assessment of Student Learning

Instructors should be versed in a variety of teaching techniques and implement them appropriately to encourage and maintain student motivation and focus. They should structure curriculum to meet educational goals and exhibit efficient classroom management. Knowledge and use of appropriate progress assessments should be used to measure growth and performance of individuals and the larger group.

4. Reflection on Experiences and Application of Effective Practices

Self-assessment and examination of knowledge, educational practice and teaching strategies must be frequently conducted among effective educators. Interest in expanding their skill-set and staying current with educational theories and issues is also necessary.

5. Partnership Development and Collaboration with Others

Teachers need to collaborate and create partnerships with other educators in an effort to enhance both teacher and student learning. Active involvement in the development of instructional curriculum and policy is crucial to meeting state learning standards. Teachers must also know how to effectively encourage parent and community participation in school-related matters.

Instructors find they can have a format change during lecture that only takes a small amount of class time. Preparation is generally easy and takes a short amount of time.
The personal interaction motivates students who might not generally be interested in the discipline.
You can ask different kinds and levels of questions.
It engages the entire class and allows quiet students to answer questions without having to stand out from their classmates.
You can assess student understanding by listening in on several groups during the activity, and by collecting responses at the end.
The fluid nature of group formation makes this technique very effective and popular for use by instructors of large classes.
Full class discussion is generally more fruitful after a think-pair-share and throughout the semester as the frequent use of such activities generally improves student comfort levels and willingness to participate throughout a class period

Ask a question. Be aware that open-ended questions are more likely to generate more discussion and higher order thinking. A think-pair-share can take as little as three minutes or can be longer, depending on the question or task and the class size.
Give students a minute to two (longer for more complicated questions) to discuss the question and work out an answer.
Ask students to get together in pairs or at most, groups with three or four students. If need be, have some of the students move. If the instructor definitely wants to stick with pairs of students, but have an odd number of students, then allow one group of three. It's important to have small groups so that each student can talk.
Ask for responses from some or all of the pairs or small groups. Include time to discuss as a class as well as time for student pairs to address the question.

Flipgrid is a website that allows teachers to create "grids" of short discussion-style questions that students respond to through recorded videos. Each grid is effectively a message board where teachers can pose a question and their students can post 90-second video responses that appear in a tiled "grid" display. Grids can be classes, sections, groups of students, research groups, faculty groups, or any collection of users interested in a common strand of questions. Each grid can hold an unlimited number of questions, and each question can hold an unlimited number of responses. Questions are short, text-based prompts (think Twitter) that can include basic formatting (such as bold, italic) and links to websites or documents.

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/SFnMTHhKdkw