Why do skilled facilitators of adult learning experiences encourage the use of structured protocols? In my experience, protocols enable participants to better understand the purpose of the work that they are engaging in. They also ensure equity, provoke deeper study of identified texts and practices, and provide a safer framework for rigorous and even uncomfortable dialogue. As a literacy coach, I’ve spent the last year researching, selecting, and modifying a variety of new protocols that…
Coaches travel around a lot during any given day. I know I’ve spent the last two days chatting up the importance of assessment, but gearing up to do this sort of work also includes simple things….like ensuring that you don’t have to borrow materials from the teachers you are working with. This is how you might end up writing on a brand-spankin’-new white board with permanent marker or pulling off some other equally horrifying feat…
Carol left a comment on yesterday’s post which left me thinking again about vision and action. I’ve written about this before, because in my experience this is as essential as it is complex. Defining literacy is no easy task, and articulating a vision for supporting the development of it within a district is a tremendous collaborative effort. In the beginning, coaching experiences can help teachers define what they are eager to know and accomplish for…
Literacy Coaching is relatively new to our region, and while schools outside of our area may have established coaching models long ago, the opportunity to support teachers in this capacity is something that many districts in our area are just beginning to make happen. It’s exciting to be on the ground floor of this work in WNY. This week’s strand of posts have been written at the request of teachers and administrators who are interested…
One of the things that I am most excited about this year is returning to my work as a literacy coach. Over time, I’ve found myself doing fewer and fewer single-event workshops and devoting more time to sustained initiatives like coaching because they provide me the opportunity to create consistent, job-embedded learning opportunities for teachers without removing them from their classrooms. I find that coaching keeps me grounded as well. The strategies and practices that…
I’ve been spending this morning planning my literacy coaching work for the year ahead, and I’m realizing that the way I approach technology integration as a coach has everything to do with how likely teacher efforts might truly improve student learning. Those in my learning network often question the effectiveness of leading these efforts by focusing on tech tools first, and I couldn’t agree more. Facilitating processes that enable teachers to identify the learning needs…
I arrived at the Communities for Learning Summer Institute Sunday evening, just in time to welcome my friend and new fellow, Ellen Gray. I met Ellen earlier this year, and over the last few months, I’ve come to enjoy the perspective she lends to the work that I do as a professional and as a mom. Spending a week immersed in thoughtful planning and discourse with her and with all of the fellows who are…
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…
Taking on the role of an instructional coach has been the most challenging and the most rewarding professional decision I’ve made over the last seventeen years. Although I still provide stand-alone workshops and value them for specific purposes, I’ve realized that asking teachers to embrace change without providing them necessary support is often a waste of valuable resources. As a professional development model, coaching may seem fairly new to some, but the processes involved are often very common…
Several weeks ago, I posted a reflection of a demo lesson that I had recently completed. This lesson coached students in their ability to identify main idea and supporting details, and one of my professional goals was to model the process of formative assessment that I am encouraging the teachers that I am working with to adopt. I used this process myself in my work with the students, and it guided my instruction along the…