Each of you have come a long way on your journey to be literacy
leaders where ever you are now and in whatever role you take on. I'd
like for you to reflect on your growth as a literacy leader from the
beginning of the semester. Revise your self as a literacy leader poster to demonstrate that
growth. When you respond to this blog, embed your link to your poster in
the comment. Also briefly summarize where you think your greatest area
of growth has been and why you think that is your greatest area of
growth. Please do this by Dec. 4 at 5 pm.
Return to this blog after that time.
Using the links provided you, visit the poster of each of the other class
members. What else do you see as their growth? Give one compliment
about the poster in general and one compliment about how they have grown.
Please do this by Dec. 9 at midnight. I'll be visiting as well.
By
the time you read this, I'll have been in Kenya and Uganda for about about 3 weeks. In fact, I'll be flying on my way home.I'm looking forward to seeing what you do.
Over the semester I have gained a plethora of information about Literacy Leaders, who they are and what they do. To my surprise, they are more than what their title suggests as they take on many roles and responsibilities both inside and outside the class house.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I think the areas in which I have grown the most in is my understanding of who a Literacy Leader is and what their responsibilities entail as well as in my ability to reflect as an educator and leader. Literacy Leaders have a lot on their plate, from the mounds of paper work, providing feedback and engaging in observations, to building relationships with teachers and students and ensuring that they are professional, innovative, and strategic among other things. I have realized that Literacy Leaders help others, especially teacher to grow and succeed, and in turn those teachers will help others grow and succeed.
I have gained an immense amount of information that will not only help me to become an effective Literacy Leader in my own respect but a teacher as well. I believe that teachers and Literacy Leaders share a lot in common especially with regard to wearing many hats as they each take on various roles and responsibilities. I am now more knowledgeable about the role of a Literacy Leader and believe that what I have learned can be shared with my future colleagues in order that we may begin to help others.
Here is the link to my Self as a Literacy leader. Please copy and paste into your URL and you should be able to view it.
https://www.canva.com/design/DAB8wY54q54/YyNbsOE3Zl1-Uto91yzYeQ/view?utm_content=DAB8wY54q54&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton
Please press your right arrow key to view the updated version (page 2).
Delete
DeleteKrystie
Your previous poster showed a very general idea of what you thought a literacy leader might look like.
For your updated poster, I greatly appreciate that you kept all the old information and chose to add to it. Doing this shows that as a literacy leader, you are more aware of the fact that you will always have to add to your previous knowledge in order to grow. I think you show how important it is to know where you were, where you are or where you are going to be in your leadership journey. This is what I believe shows your growth.
I also believe that you have learned a lot about who I literacy leader is or the type of leader you want to be as you presented a lot more specific attributes about being a literacy leader.
The pictures bring meaning to your poster especially the arrows that show there is a correlation going on.
The three branches you represented about yourself as a literacy leader were very thoughtful. Being a motivator is crucial to being a great leader. This motivation can be with children, community, and other educators. As an educator people can see you as a professional and expert in your field. I think this helps people feel comfortable sharing thought or ideas with you for collaboration purposes. Additionally, being a helper is vital to building a team of people with a common goal of strengthening literacy in a school. Being a resource to those around you is necessary to team building and leadership. I can see the growth of your ideas as the class proceeded. I also appreciated the fact that you mentioned see yourself as a researcher. Research is crucial to education and often I think it gets a bad rap with some teachers. Ensuring everything we do is research based is critical.
DeleteI enjoyed seeing the growth in your revamped poster. I appreciated seeing your thought process from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester and how both connect together. Your usage of "will" and "must" shows that you are very passionate about achieving those things that you set to accomplish. I liked that you also stated that you will continue to be a learner because as leaders we should continue to grow in our profession and not just educate others. I think that also reflects in your statements of continuing to do research.
DeleteThe area in which I have most growth in would be my overall personal understanding of the literacy and coaching process and the huge contributions literacy coaches bring to a school system. Sometimes I get caught up in thinking that once you are assigned a specific title/job you should be responsible for getting it done on your own with a little help of course. However, I am more aware of the fact that in order to have effective literacy programs, professional developments or coaching, it takes everyone’s ideas and help to get them done. I would never take it for granted that being a leader in any capacity means I always have to get it done on my own. I am more aware and understanding of the fact that sometimes the more people involved including administration, other teachers and community members, the more effective results there will be. Everyone must have the same positive mind-set and be willing to encourage, accept constructive criticism, contribute talents and work hard for the benefit of our students. Right now, that is how I have grown. I am more open minded and can’t wait to start my new journey.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeletePlease see below a link to my new self as a literacy leader poster. Please see page 2 for the revised poster.
Deletehttps://www.canva.com/design/DAB82dOnYeY/w2clq2YccBd6e0jhwgzx_A/view?utm_content=DAB82dOnYeY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton
You literacy leader poster looks so fun and lively! Even though it wasn’t directly mentioned in our class, I think that placing “show love” at the top of your list is the first priority. In all of our endeavors this needs to be first, especially with children. The additions you made to your poster were great. I can see that you adapted the new information into what you already had in your poster. You mentioned “showing interest in who someone is” as important. I think without it building an effective team of literacy leaders is difficult. One thing that stood out to me that you also mentioned on your poster was the importance of being reflective in regards to the literacy program. This reflective process is continual, and I am continuing to discover that this practice is crucial to developing into a strong literacy leader. You have a nice foundation to become a strong literacy leader in your school.
DeleteKrystal,
DeleteYour revamped Self as a Literacy Leader poster is very clear and is a good representative of your teacher personality. It shows your thoughts about your understanding of Literacy Leadership in an easy to read point-by-point format. Your poster shows that before you were looking at yourself in the whole picture format as a Literacy Leader. Now, you have expressed your role as a Literacy Leader on a micro level. You have grown by identifying that you know that a Literacy Leader’s role is more than just a leader or facilitator who helps but a leader or facilitator who helps, researches, encourages and does more than what others may think they do. Good job on showing both your first and second posters together as it was easier to read.
Krystal,
DeleteI appreciate you putting growth and reflection in your revamped literacy leader poster. I think it is so important to always allow reflection in our practice so that we continue to grow as leaders and learners. I think they naturally go hand in hand. I am glad that you put that in your poster! I also appreciated that in your poster you put "In addition..." instead of completely ignoring all the great things you put at the beginning of the semester because I think they are still show great qualities of a good literacy leader.
This semester has flown by incredibly fast and I have gained so much insight on the true role of a literacy leader. In addition to understanding all the roles a literacy leader takes on, I think the area in which I feel that I have grown the most is seeing the different types of professional development a literacy leader can take a role in as well as a literacy leader’s role in the coaching cycle.
ReplyDeleteI have recently had the privilege of being not only a mentor to other teachers in my building but beginning to take on the role of having graduate students in my classroom. Being able to learn about the coaching cycle and understanding ways to support other teachers was really helpful for me. It made me see different ways I can use the right kind of questioning, ways I can help teachers make smart goals and how I can support and help them grown in their teaching practices. It makes me feel good that I can pay it forward for all the times other teachers have taken me under their wing.
Also, who knew professional development can be more than just a workshop style class! Well, I think I knew that all along but this course helped reassure me that there are so many other forms of professional development and that literacy leaders play a critical role in guiding PD in a building. I think it was important for me to understand the role of a literacy leaders because I don’t always see how much our reading specialist does in our building. Her role is much more than just working with tier 3 students. I also appreciated how much this course helped me reflect on whether or not I am ready to take on this role. I can honestly say that I am much more confident in one day becoming a literacy leader then I was at the beginning of the semester.
Hi Y'all,
DeleteI took a picture of my poster project and posted it on the google drive since I didn't know how to upload it here. Sorry for any inconvenience!
The picture of your first great team is so cute. You all look like you enjoy what you do. The organization of your poster was very thought provoking. Your “as a literacy leader: can, have, are” statements are simple but impacting. I feel like this list could be added to or changed slightly as you develop and change. It allows for reflection in your practice as a literacy leader. Being able to identify the things that you can control is so important. I think this allows you to stay positive and to continually be able to look for ways to improve. Establishing a positive climate within the building is something each of us can control. Though we can’t control others, we can look for ways to focus on the positive even during difficult times. I know you will continue to be a great leader in your school.
DeleteKatheryn
DeleteYou put more thought into extending yourself as a literacy leader and being aware of what you need to do shows your growth. The calendar was a great idea first time around, however, now that you have removed it, it shows you to be more flexible. As a literacy leader, I think flexibility is an important attribute to have. It is important to remember that scheduling is good but it doesn’t always work out the way we want it to.
The ‘can’ ‘have’ ‘are’ sections show specificity in your thinking. They let me believe and understand that you are now more aware of who you have to be and what you really need to do as a literacy leader.
Your extended to do list also shows growth as you realize there are other beneficial things to do for your teachers and not so much yourself. Being a literacy leader is working for and helping to improve others and literacy programs.
Katheryn,
DeleteIn your revamped Self as a Literacy Leader I certainly see that you have grown in your thoughts as it pertains to what a literacy leader is and who you are as one. Your bullet points under your headings show that you have learned a lot from our class discussions and readings. The one point that stood out to me the most and shows me that you have grown however is the point that says that you CAN “lead the change for change.” I think this one point sums up all the others points you made because as a Literacy Leader the simplest doings can be seen as a change.
Ooops... I posted my link on the last blog. I am reposting it here. Here is the link:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.canva.com/design/DAB9BvRqctw/oYHhnw7QcTqGSi0TWKn3wg/view?utm_content=DAB9BvRqctw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton
Cathy,
DeleteFor some reason Krystie and I are unable to zoom in to your poster. We tried doing so on each of our computers and it wouldn't zoom. I can tell you however, when we do zoom, the white part attached to the poster zooms in as the poster itself gets smaller. We can't read your print unless we zoom in. I also tried saying it, but that didn't work either.
Can I just e-mail you all the file? I don't know why it won't let you zoom in. Thanks, Cathy
DeleteCathy
DeleteIn your updated poster I think pinpointing three specific areas in which you would like to focus on shows your growth. This is because, as literacy leaders, we wear various hats. Sometimes we get so caught up with everything we fail to commit and follow through with any one specific task. I think focusing on certain ideas will help you achieve your goals faster.
I like that you also identified professional development and funding areas you would provide for teachers to help support them in their development. Both professional development and funding tie together well and I think that wanting to provide these important and beneficial components for success definitely shows your growth.
What you wrote overall based on your professional and school culture topic (area 3) for this poster is a great addition or continuation from the previous poster. Your ability to help other teachers in your school this semester shows your growth as a literacy leader as well.
Cathy,
DeleteIn your Self as a Literacy Leader poster I liked that you distinctively discussed what you learned and observed about yourself using sections of statements. Your organization makes for a very easy read. In your revamped poster you point out how it is important for a Literacy Leader to ensure that funds are provided to support teachers and how you hope to write grands to help teachers. I think this part of your poster shows your growth the most because you are willing to embark on a difficult journey to help others while you try to grow as a Literacy Leader as well. Helping other teachers is such a crucial aspect of being a leader, more over a Literacy Leader and I think that as you put time and effort into helping others you will learn, grow and flourish as a literacy leader. As a result, you will be able to show other teachers how to write grants and in turn more teachers benefit from your Literacy leadership.
Cathy,
DeleteI really appreciated your new poster and your ideas on Standard-Based Change. I think it is so important to always keep in mind that literacy leaders also need a team of people who will help support them. Your statement about teacher buy in is critical. It has a lot to do with motivating teachers in a building. I think that is something that any kind of leader should always keep in mind. I liked that you also put areas in which you want to continue to grow in your Professional Literacy Leadership area. I think it showed that you reflected on the course as a whole and thought about what you can improve on. I think that it is important to always be reflective of our practice in order to continue to grow as educators.
This semester has been full of useful information. I think we could have spent more time covering the material and still locate many nuances that we hadn’t noticed before. I think there are three main areas I have grown in: professional development, coaching, and literacy leadership. I know that it is difficult to separate PD and coaching, but I wanted to show growth in both areas. In regards to PD, I feel like I could actually organize a program of development that a school might actually want to implement. Additionally, I think I have to tools to ensure that the staff would be engaged in the PD process through differentiation. I had very little experience in the area of coaching. I think that going through the process of working with another professional really opened my eyes to the power of coaching. It kind of seemed out of reach before this class, but now I could see myself filling that roll. Lastly, I never really considered myself a literacy leader in my school. Now, I have the tools to develop as a literacy leader working with a literacy team in a school setting.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the comments on each other's posters.
ReplyDelete