This post is the fourth in a series about research and writing in Heather Bitka’s kindergarten classroom. To learn more about this project’s purpose and outcomes, you might want to read the first post. If you are interested in understanding how this project enabled the teachers and coaches involved to position themselves as learners, you can click through to the second post. This post demonstrates the beginning of instruction, where researchers applied strategies that helped…
On my Kindle this week: The Power of Collective Wisdom and the Trap of Collective Folly by Alan Briskin, Sheryl Erickson, John Ott, and Tom Callanan. Forward by Peter Senge. Highlights: “I believe there is no more telling indicator of the absence of collective wisdom that the inability to learn as we go. It is characterized by rigidness and dogma. It is characterized by low trust and the inability to talk about difficult subjects where…
When I first became a professional development provider, much of what I was capable of doing was limited to speaking engagements, short-term projects, and workshops. I worked on a team that served over 25 different school districts, each comprised of multiple buildings. I was one of two literacy specialists in my department. Resources were tight. Time was tighter. I knew I had a lot to learn, and I knew that if I were ever going…
Internship Coordinator Sheri Barsottelli and Monica Wrobel, Studio Fellow and Intern When I stand in front of a group of teachers and advocate for change, I tend to connect with those in the crowd who speak my language. When I coach inside of schools, I tend to learn a great deal from those who are eager to accomplish the same. When I facilitate Studio sessions, I find myself in the company of those I…
“Some of my former students came back to see me this year,” she said. “They graduated a couple of years ago. When they were here, they really struggled, but they wanted to do well, and they listened to me when I told them I could help them. I helped them read. I helped them write. I gave them strategies that got them through the tests. When they complained, I promised it would be worth it.…
Listen. It’s not just about the kids. We don’t get to choose the teachers we work with either. We don’t get to pick the ones who meet our ideal. We are called to serve the educators who walk through our door each day, so they may serve their students well. Want to help them? Watch them. Listen to them. Think about them. Create for them. Let them create for you and for others. We need…
Listen. You don’t get to teach the kids you prefer to teach. You don’t get to pick the ones who meet your ideal. That isn’t who you were hired to serve. You were hired to serve the kids who walk through your door each day. Want to help them? Watch them. Listen to them. Think about them. Create for them. Let them create for you and for others. Teach them, and quit comparing them to…
It’s been interesting, what I’ve learned about the schools and the kids and the teachers that I’ve worked with since I’ve made walk-throughs a fundamental part of planning professional learning experiences and assessing the impact that the work might be having. Might is an important word. I began asking to walk through buildings and visit classrooms prior to beginning staff development a couple of years ago, when I realized that I needed more information before…
One of my friends retired recently, and while we were out celebrating her new future, she got to thinking about the number of kids she taught during her thirty year career. Her estimated total hovered somewhere around 3500, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she still remembered every student’s name, where they went on to work or learn or play later in life, and what their favorite books were. She was this kind of teacher,…
WNYLIT is a forum for local literacy coaches and leaders held four times a year at the Carrier Center in Angola. Eager to meet and learn from those who share my passion and interest in literacy and instructional coaching, I began facilitating these sessions last year at no cost. Despite the beating our districts sustained budget-wise, we’ve managed to keep moving forward as a group and even grow our membership a bit. I’m looking forward…