Just a quick post on the fly this morning, really–but one that I’ve been formulating in my head for some time now. I’ve spent a good portion of this fall working with over 150 teachers of grades 3-12 who have been capturing formative assessment data about their students as writers during guided and independent practice. They have also been gathering information and reflecting on their instructional practices as teachers of writing. Just this week, they’ve…
Well, if you are at least thirteen years old and you’ve written a young adult novel, you are invited to participate in this first-ever Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition. It’s hosted by Gotham Writers’ Workshop, Serendipity Literary Agency, and Sourcebooks.
What is the NaNoWriMo Young Writers’ Program all about? Program Director Tavia Stewart-Streit shares portions of their inspiring manifesto right here:
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this month? Are your students? I’m in! So are the writers of the WNY Young Writers’ Studio. We’re connecting around this inside of our ning and hoping to support each other along the way. If you are a member and want to participate, head over there and join our group. Need some tips for getting started? Here are four for the opening week:
At NYSEC last week, I had the good fortune to drop into Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski’s session. Listening to these men speak to the joy they were able to reclaim for themselves as they worked on a project that made them feel 13 again was beyond inspiring. I took away something much more important though–I was provided some guidance around my own work with writers, based upon their varied experiences. As you might imagine,…
Wow–what a busy few weeks it’s been! I know I haven’t been around these parts (or others) often enough lately, and I’m missing that. I’ve been off keeping up with my own learning and the lives of my family and friends recently. Do you ever notice how the lessons you learn through very different life experiences begin to intertwine? That’s what learning has been like for me lately. I’m hoping I can make it all…
John Harmon and Victor Jaccarino, leaders of the New York State ELA/ESL Standards Review Panel, offered an overview of the revision process and addressed questions at the annual New York State English Council conference in Albany today. Those of us who were in attendance were also able to take a peek at the drafted document, learn more about the vision behind this work, and receive an update about the timing of the official release. We…
I began shifting away from light coaching about three months into my first coaching experience. Doing so was frightening. I was afraid that insisting on evidence-based goals, using formative assessment to inform our work, and saying no to requests that were not aligned to students’ needs (which was our purpose) would increase levels of resistance and decrease teachers’ willingness to engage as equal members in a collaborative relationship. None of this happened as we transitioned…
On page 21 of Coaching: Approaches and Perspectives, Joellen Killion begins outlining critical differences between what she defines as coaching heavy and coaching light. I appreciated the clarity provided from the outset around the notion that coaching light is often our entry point into this work with teachers. Coaching in this way allows us to build relationships, establish credibility, and meet the needs of those who are interested in adopting new practices. The same can happen if…
When groups of learners come together to collaborate, the honeymoon is usually pretty sweet–and oftentimes, short lived. When I first began facilitating group learning experiences, I sometimes found myself thrown off-guard by shifting group dynamics and the uncomfortable challenges that these changes entailed. I learned that it was all pretty normal and healthy though. Whether we’re inviting students into cooperative learning groups, facilitating learning communities, or working with others in collegial inquiry groups, as people…