Last month, Bill Ferriter invited his readers to join him in an online study and conversation relevant to Kelly Gallagher’s book, Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It (which he made available for free download)! I’m hopping on a plane with my daughter Laura bright and early Saturday morning, and I plan to spend a good chunk of that flight digging into this piece so that I’m ready to talk…
Some of the teachers that I am working with are excited by the quality of work emerging from their newly launched cooperative learning and literature circles groups. Most of them began by defining specific roles and guiding group discussion, but some are eager to begin supporting students in their creation of own quality questions. The role cards and job assignments that are sometimes used early in this work are only intended as a temporary scaffold. Some teachers prefer…
Caroline uses Twitter to connect experienced teachers with schools who appreciate their expertise so that students from low-income communities can benefit. Last week, she suggested that I craft a post about professional development for teachers who work in low-income schools, and ironically, a regional opportunity is taking shape here that might provide a bit of inspiration. Several weeks ago, Scott McLeod shared a compelling four-part series of posts titled Beware the Outside Consultants, and as I…
Laura, Jenny Luca, and I have been really happy to see our membership growing at Working Together 2 Make a Difference. As a newbie to ning administration, I could use a bit of feedback from others though. We’re eager to encourage membership and make this space valuable to those who join, but I don’t think that any of us wants to have more of a presence in this space than any other member. We truly…
A comment from Steve Shann on my last post: I strongly agree with what you say about the link between real learning and standards. And scores too? Would that depend on whether the scores were really linked to the standards? Is there any research about this that you know about? (I’ve just come from a teacher meeting that was all about scores and not at all about learning and standards. Ugh.) Can you say some…
In my corner of the world, I don’t bump up against too many teachers who are resistant to tech integration, particularly as it concerns the work of literature circles. I know kids who circle up around blogs rather than books, and I know teachers who build literature circle roles around the tech skills they want their students to practice. Everyone is getting started in some way, shape, or form it seems. I admire the willingness that many teachers…
When we invite students into literature circles, we commit to teaching processes and skills rather than hyperfocusing on the surface features of any one title. Literature circle work provides teachers the opportunity to discover and leverage so much about their individual students and the strengths that they bring to the table. There is space to discover how we can help kids grow as learners too. This happens through effective formative assessment practices. Formative assessment is…
Linda Clinton is a literacy coach in East Detroit Public Schools. She keeps up with much of what I write in this space, and I can always rely on her to provide insightful comments, meaningful feedback, and ideas that enhance the work that I get to do with teachers each day. As I began this series on literature circles several days ago, she sent the following message my way. It provides a great example of how…
As students engage in the work of literature circles, teachers assume a variety of roles. Early in the process, roles and behaviors require defining. Teachers who take the time to demonstrate how they want their students to behave as cooperative learners are often rewarded by higher quality discussion, comprehension, and group engagement. In the beginning, mini-lessons might focus on any number of topics, depending on the diverse needs of your students. Starting a dialogue rather than stating…
Most of the teachers that I work with have inherited students who are not yet accustomed to the cooperative learning structures and processes that drive effective literature circles. As a result, the honeymoon is often over far too soon as teachers begin confronting the reality of this learning environment: it’s a bit messier than what happens when we seat kids in rows, ply them with paper, and direct them to keep quiet unless they raise…