Week 15 Revisiting yourself as a Literacy Leader

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 May 4 at 7 pm.
Return to this blog after that time.  Using the links provided you, visit the poster of each of the other members of your group. 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 May 9 at midnight.  I'll be visiting as well.
Don't forget that your grant proposal in a final form is due May 1 at 11 pm.

While you  are working on and uploading those posters and finishing up coaching as per our discussion in class, I'll be in Uganda planning with women peace advocates for a grassroots women's peace conference to occur in June in Northern Uganda. I'll have some internet access but not enough to download your coaching projects until I return.  I'll get the grant proposals downloaded and graded as I travel. Thanks for your patience with me.

I have enjoyed working with each of you this semester, and look forward to seeing some of you again in the Fall!

Week 14 Advocacy

The topic this week is advocacy--advocacy for education, literacy, children.  You have all had a good dose of advocacy during the teacher walk-out and found how difficult it can be.  Now that the walk out is over (or so OEA says), you will need to stay active in advocacy.  For your response to this blog, tell me about your advocacy efforts during the walk out.  What were some positives? Some challenges?

You will be reading B&D 17 about policy implementation and B 11 about proposal writing.  For your own blogs, make connections on the policy implementations to your own school districts.  What kinds of policies have been implemented?  How? Discuss the factors in Figure 17.1 in relationship to your own policy implementation.  You might also look at the Engagement activities at the end of the chapter.  Also think about proposal writing and what was in the chapter that was new or surprising to you? How will the hints help you write your own proposal?

We are meeting on April 28 from 1-4.  Don't forget to upload your individual activity plan before you come to class.  Come with an idea for a grant that is related to your PD plan as well as an idea for where you would submit the grant since you will want to use the guidelines of the donor.  We will be talking about the final response to my blog as well as the revision of your Self as a Literacy Leader poster and issues around the coaching assignment.......flexibility is key here.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Have a good week.

Week 13 Communication and collaboration with multiple stakeholders

WOW!  What great discussions about working with diverse students and how your own schools match up to what you read about.  Thanks for your thoughtfulness in the midst of the craziness of the walkout.  You all are awesome in supporting your students by advocating for education for all Oklahoma  children. I am proud to say that you all are my education colleagues.  I am sorry that OEA feels the need to end the advocacy, and have read that some districts are sending delegations of teachers to the Capitol to continue.  I think you all sent an important message to lawmakers, although I'm not so sure they interpreted that message very well. I've seen Facebook posts with parent groups taking over the fight, so I hope the pressure at the Capitol continues.  As a citizen of Oklahoma, a taxpayer, and a fellow educator, thanks for your advocacy and for what you do each day to support the future through a quality education for all children.


This week you will be reading about working with different stakeholders within and outside of the school.  These stakeholders include parents, principals, community members and volunteers, outside institutions, and paraprofessionals.  What does your school do to communicate and collaborate with parents?  Some of the other stakeholders? What do you hope to learn this week?

For this week, everyone should read B&D 6 which is about the role of the principal as a literacy leader.  As you read, think about your own situation?  How does your principal fit in with the characteristics of an instructional leader? How could you, as a reading specialist, support him/her?

The other three chapters (B&D 16, B 10, WSQ 16) focus on both parent involvement, but also the involvement of the other stakeholders I mentioned above.  If you are a group of three, each of you read one of the chapters and then share and make connections across the chapters.  If you are a group of 4, two of you read B10 and the other two each read one of the other chapters.  Then make connections across the chapters.  Please make sure to discuss/compare the following terms in your blog discussions: differentiated parenting, parental appropriateness, funds of knowledge, parental role construction, parental self-efficacy, distributed leadership, parental involvement, outreach, external agencies.  The reflection questions 1-3 at the end of WSQ 16 and at the end of B10 would make good questions to discuss as you share what your chapter says.

I'm looking forward to reading your revised PD plans, and will work to have them to you early in the week with feedback and points earned.  I'm keeping up on the rubric and will plan to send it completed to you with your grant proposal.

Have a good week!

Week 12 2018 Meeting the needs of diverse learners as a reading specialist

I'm sitting in my office writing this on Friday afternoon.  I spent the morning at the Capitol, hoping to get in to see my legislators but at 8:15, the building was full to capacity with teachers from all over the state.  And even in the cold and drizzle, they just came coming all morning. I tried to find people I knew, and hung out with a friend and former student as well as teachers from Jefferson Elementary School here in Norman (the school I go to on Fridays).  You all who are there (and those who can't be), you are supported!  I hope you all hang in there until they do their job and fund education!

This week is focusing on meeting the needs of diverse learners as a reading specialist.  Those diverse learners include special needs students, linguistically and culturally different students and English language learners.  What do you hope to learn about how a reading specialist meets the needs of these students?  What do you see happening in your own schools?

Everyone this week will read WSQ 14 which discusses Response to Intervention.  Do you have RTI in your setting?  How is what you have similar to or different from the information in the chapter?  Think about discussing one of the reflection questions at the end of the chapter.

Divide up the other 4 chapters, so each of you will read only 1 other chapter.  Each of you will have to summarize the key points of your chapter for the rest of the members of your group.  Make comparisons and connections across the four chapters.  How does what you read fit in with RTI as a way of supporting the learning needs of diverse children?

Remember that you need to complete the Virtual Check In by Wednesday evening, please, so I can get back to you with answers to questions.  Set up a small group meeting to brainstorm and review each other's Task 3 beginnings as well as Task 2 revisions.  I'm glad to participate via Canvas or Google Hangouts if you invite me.  Tuesday evenings are the only time I"m unavailable as I teach then.  Task 2 final drafts are due to Canvas by 11 pm on April 14.

Stay strong! I think support for teachers is strong. I'm with you in spirit and will try to make it to the Capitol again at least once more if I can. 

Week 11 2018 Program Improvement: Materials and Assessment

You will be reading this blog after our face to face class.  So the key piece for this week is to think about what we talked about and did in class.  What are the 3-4 takeaways from class that you found key from discussions, class activities?  Why are they important to you?

The topic for this coming week is is the role of materials, technology and assessment in program improvement.  Before you read, what do you think is the role of materials, technology, and assessment in program improvement?  What do you hope to learn?

You will remember from class that the readings will be jigsawed this week, and that some of you have specific readings assigned while other groups can work it out for yourself.  With the Jigsaw, it makes some changes into how your blog will work since those who read specific chapters that others did not read will have to summarize key points of the chapters for the rest of your group.  In addition, the leader will need (after everyone has posted about their chapters) to bring the pieces together, mostly in the questions that they pose. That means that everyone will need to post about their chapters to your group's blog by WEDNESDAY so that there can be a discussion by Friday morning on all of the ideas in the readings. I'll be asking what you learned from others in my blog for Week 12. The reflection questions and engagement activities may offer a way for each person to starting a discussion, as you need to discuss all of the chapters, not just post on your chapters.

Have good week, and know that I support each of you in your important work as teachers (whether or not you choose to participate in the walk out).  I'll be at the Capitol on Monday morning.

Week 10 2018 Program Improvement: Instruction

I have just finished reading some really interesting blog discussions!  I really appreciated those groups that took the opportunity to practice giving feedback to the teacher vignettes from the readings.  I like how many of you offered to co-teach or demonstrate how to do either the anticipation guide or work with a group so the teacher could really observe what was happening during the flexible grouping time.  And thanks to those who read the position statement from ILA on models of coaching and discussed that in the blog as well.  I know we are coming up on or you are finishing up on spring break as I write this on Friday, March 16 in the morning. We are moving on to other aspects of program improvement for Week 10 after spring break and we will be meeting together right before the probable teacher walk out.  I don't completely want to leave coaching since you have that assignment to complete, so please bring to class questions about coaching models, the coaching process, etc.

I had a question about just exactly how many meetings with the teacher you are coaching you need to have.  It depends.  You need to meet with her to set goals for your coaching.  Based on those goals, you will need to decide if you need to do a demonstration lesson, do co-planning, do co-teaching.  Then  you will need to determine when you will observe and do a pre-observation conference to set up parameters of the observation and your focus (you can't watch everything at once!).  Of course, you both need time for reflection--you may want to provide some structure for the teacher you are coaching--and the post observation.  Don't forget that you need to be keeping a journal of the the coaching activities and then there will be a final reflection. 

So, for Week 10, you are reading about instruction and the role of the literacy leader.  You will be reading about differentiation, the instructional role of the reading specialist as a collaborator with classroom teachers, RTI, and how to develop your instructional role in your school to work with struggling readers.  What do you know or see in your school about the instructional role of the reading specialist? What do you know about differentiation and RTI?  What do you hope to learn as you read B&D 11 and Bean 2 and 3? 

As you blog over this content before I see you on March 31, there are several activities you might consider:  Bean Chapter 2 Reflections 1 and 3 and Activity 3 at the end of the chapter will help you apply that information.  Bean Chapter 3 Activity 2 will as well.  What do you think about the steps for differentiation discussed in B&D chapter 11? What do you think about push in vs. pull out programs for struggling readers?

I'll be in Texas for most of spring break with my elderly mother but will have email and answer it if you want me to take a look at PD plans or anything else.  The University is closed March 19 and 20 for electrical maintenance but we have been assured the IT infrastructure will still be working.  I'll see you on March 31 at 1-4 pm for our next face to face class.  Bring questions on assignments, a draft of your PD plan for my feedback, and please have decided which activity on that plan you will be writing up in detail.  My blog for Week 11 will go live after class.

Week 9 2018 Program Improvement: Coaching 2

I can tell that you have been thinking quite a bit about coaching roles, models, and key ideas to make you an effective coach. Thanks also for making the connections to your practice.

This coming week you will be reading B 7 and WSQ 3.  This two chapters will be more focused on the How To of the coaching work, including describing the coaching cycle as well as how to do observations, how to give feedback, and how coaching is different from supervision.  Before you read, how do YOU think coaching is different from supervision? What do you hope to learn about the nuts and bolts of how to be a coach?

As you read, pay attention to specifics of what a coach does with a teacher, and how a coach gives feedback after an observation. Think also of how to lead a reflection, the types of questions you are posing, and formats for scaffolding a teacher after a lesson observation or as a teacher prepares to make change in her classroom.  I'd suggest that you all practice in the blog posts giving feedback as described in Activity #2 at the end of the Bean chapter.  There are two scenarios, so give it a try and give each other feedback or suggestions on what to say.

As I write this entry, only 3 people have completed the Virtual Check In.  Please complete it by Sunday if you want credit for participation points.  I know everyone is busy but this is how I can make sure everyone is on track and provide help as needed. 

Have a good weekend and a good week.  I'll post the blog for Week 10 next Friday, but I know everyone will be having some much needed rest over spring break.  Check the revised schedule posted in the notes from the February face to face meeting about what is due--you need to have a small group online meeting to share the beginnings of your PD program with each other.  Please let me know when that is occurring, and send me a summary of the discussion.  There was a question on if you had to follow the format of the examples of the PD program that I posted.  The answer is NO, you don't.  Those are just 2 ways to organize the program out of many possible ones.  You pick one that will work for you.

Happy Daylight Savings over the weekend!

Week 8 2018 Program Improvement:Coaching 1

This week we begin reading about and thinking about program improvement, both ways to go about program improvement but also what aspects of the literacy program need attention, and what are characteristics of those aspects.

This week you are beginning the readings on coaching.  So I'd like you to think about this topic by using a modified version of a KWL chart.  So for your response to this blog, first write what you know about coaching---what is it, who does it, how does it occur.  How it it different from mentoring?  After you write about that, consider what you want to learn about coaching.  What questions would you like answered?

As you read, consider the questions that you have identified as well as how coaches support program improvement, what their role is, and what they do.  Think about differences between the role a coach takes on in elementary schools vs secondary schools. Which coaching model fits best with your setting and your personality/skills?  What did you find as key ideas in the chapters you read so far that will help you do the coaching part of your job?

Please complete the Virtual Check in form at the end of the week, and let me know if you have questions or want to talk.

Week 7 2018 Program Development Adolescents/Secondary Grades

Although I'm actually writing this blog on Friday morning before class, I know we will have a productive class.  Your Task 1 Needs assessment should be uploaded already.  My plan is to read them on Monday and get you feedback on them.
So for this week, reflect on class on Saturday afternoon. What are your key take-aways? What are your goals for yourself in relationship to your Task 2 plans for the next 2 weeks?

This week you will be reading about adolescents and the secondary grades. I think most of you have taken adolescent literacy already, so you have some background in what the needs of middle and secondary students need in terms of literacy.  Use that information as you read, and use the following questions as a guide to your own blogging:

What do you think are the key differences between a literacy program for adolescents and one for early childhood and/or elementary children? How does the role of a literacy leader change when working in a middle or secondary school or with secondary teachers?  How does the information in WSQ 12 about writing apply specifically to adolescent learners?
Go into the Google doc that we worked on in class about characteristics of effective literacy programs and add information about programs for adolescents/secondary schools.  Add to the section that you and your partner/group worked on in class.

Have a good week!

Week 6 2018 Program Development PreK through Elementary Grades

I think you all got many important take-aways from the readings for this week.  The key pieces that I read about in your blog that you want to make sure to include in your plans for Task 2 include collaboration, follow-up for implementation, research based strategies, and looking for how what was learned in PD impacts student learning in classrooms.  I heard/read some good ideas for all of these points that we can share in class on Feb. 24.

Just a note about the blogging discussions:  I really appreciate those groups that really have discussions, where each person responds separately to the blog leader's post but also responds to each post of the other members in the group.  I can tell you are really thinking about the ideas that you read about and applying those ideas to the key standards for reading specialists and to the class tasks which are aimed at helping you practice some of the important jobs of the reading specialist.  We don't get together to discuss face to face, and I really need a window to how you are understanding and applying the information.  It is not just about posting 3 times on the blog---that is a minimum and not enough. Remember, this is supposed to be a discussion.

This week you are beginning to think about program improvement, specifically in PreK through the elementary grades.  What is the relationship, do you think, of program improvement and the professional development plans that you are creating? What are key aspects that you predict will be important to program improvement?

As you read this week, think about the key ideas about early and elementary literacy programs that make a program effective, as well as key ideas about how to improve a program in an elementary school.  How do these ideas tie into what you found out in your needs assessment survey about what is already happening in your school?  Look at the reflection questions on p. 83 of the WSQ book.  How would you respond to them for your setting? Or you might want to look at the engagement activities at the end of B&D chapters and respond to one of them.

We will be meeting for class on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1.  I'll be in the building at 9 that morning if you want a space for your online 9-12 class with Dr. Ruan.  Please upload your Task 1 to Canvas before class.  You will begin to collaborate on the creation of your PD plans as we wind up the discussion of adult learning theory and effective professional development as well as thinking about the relationship of program development to PD and program improvement.  Please bring questions that you have about the coaching assignment, especially if you want to get ahead of the game and are already working with someone.
I'm including a link (thanks Mykal) to a PDF file on adult learning theory.  Please download it adn read it so we can connect the ideas to your PD plan.  Adult learning theory article

My blog for Week 7 will not open up until after our class on Saturday.

Have a good week next week!  I"m looking forward to getting together.

Week 5 2018 Professional Development Part 2

I have enjoyed reading your discussions and descriptions of your own PD in your schools as well as your responses to my ideas of what to think about as you read.  Before we jump into the readings for Week 5, I was asked in the VCI about the format of the report for the Needs Assessment survey.  While there is not a set format, you do need to provide information to me (and other readers) about your context and what you did to collect the data.  And you need to present your results in a ways that makes it easy for you and for others to use the results to prioritize and plan the professional learning plan for your school.  So I'll make some suggestions, but feel free to modify as needed.
1.  Begin with a description of your school context (information for me and the others in your small group), including the number of teachers, the grade levels, how many teachers at each level, resources teachers and administrators.
2. Tell how the survey was distributed to those teachers/administrators, if you did any followup in terms of re-sending the survey link for example, and how many people returned the survey (give a total but break down by grade level/area as well so that the conclusions you draw can be contextualized to those teachers).
3. Put in tables or charts of the survey results.
4. Write a narrative summary of what you found out.  What are the key ELA standards that they say they are implementing and which ones seem to not be implemented as much? What do they say they are knowledgeable about and which ones were not checked as much? What did they say they would like to learn more about and which were not checked so much or were not checked?  What types of formats were most popular?

Share your charts/tables in the small group online discussion that you need to have during week 5 to help each other with the summaries. 

This week you will continue to read about professional development and learning.  In the Research on PD piece, parts 2,3,4,5, you will read about processes and approaches to PD, effective environments, what and how to evaluate PD programs, and indicators of effective PD.  In the Guskey article, there are new issues around PD that will be brought up, and the Hobbs et al article discusses a type of PD around digital and media literacies.  Before you read, what do you hope to find out in these readings this week that is new to you?  What ideas do you already have that you hope will be reinforced?

In your blogs this week, discuss the key ideas that you have gotten out of these readings that you think will be important for you to remember as you are creating your own school-wide professional learning plan?  Why?  How do they match up with adult learning theory? How will you integrate a plan to assess the effectiveness of your program? What might be some challenges you will have as you make your plan? Why?  How can you help each other to try and address those challenges? Be sure to include the following concepts/terms in your discussion: learning environment, mental model, principles of learning, design principles, evaluation, technology, time, collaboration.

Remember that you will need to find a time for your blog group to get together online to share your results of your survey this coming week.  Let me know if you would like for me to join you (Tuesday is a day I teach from 7-10 so couldn't join any group then).
The write up of the needs assessment needs to be uploaded to Canvas during Week 6 before the face to face class on Feb. 24--I'll remind you again.  We will spend some time in class working on starting your Task 2 and making sure you all know what needs to go in there.

Stay warm this weekend, and Happy Valentine's Day on Wednesday!

Week 4 Professional Development Part 1

All three groups had interesting, but different discussions on your blogs.  Thanks for your heavy thinking and making connections to your own situations.  One thing I'd like for you all to think about and that is the difference between a core reading program and the reading and language arts curriculum.  The two are NOT the same thing.  The core reading program should be chosen to support the curriculum already in place in your school.  For most of us in Oklahoma, that is the ELA standards.  Some districts may enhance those standards with additional curricular topics.  So see the core reading program as only one of the possible materials that could be used to support your teaching of the literacy curriculum.

This week you will look at research on effective professional development, elements and guidelines for successful site based PD and some principles of adult learning, as well as some tips for developing PD.  What do you think are characteristics of effective PD? Tell me what works for you.

First , read section 1 of the uploaded piece on research on effective PD, thinking about what effective means and the characteristics of effective PD from the research.  Then read the other three chapters, one from each of the books.  Begin also to note different types of PD and compare it to the types of PD article uploaded on Canvas.  Take notes for yourself about what you want to remember as you begin to put together the professional development plan for your school.Think about these questions or activities for your blog:  What is the difference between professional development and professional learning?  Which do you want to focus on in your plan? Look in the Bean chapter at the Think about This questions on 114, 120, and 121.  Pick one to respond to for yourself.  The blog leader may talk about the one she did and ask for your input on the ones that you did.  What is your understanding about adult learning theory mentioned in the B chapter figure 5.1 and alluded to in WSQ p. 131 and Bean page 122?

Don't forget that this week you need to complete the Virtual Check In form you can find on Canvas.  I'll be checking it on Wednesday and again on Friday, so if you have needs/questions for me, earlier is better than later.

Have a good week!

Week 3 Comprehensive literacy programs

You will reading this blog after we have spent all day Saturday together.  Beginning this week, you will be responding to my blog before you read the chapters for the week.  I'll try to target some key vocabulary that you need to pay attention to as well as to help focus your reading and your own blog discussions.  Some weeks I'll also tell you how to jigsaw read the readings for the week (on weeks that there is lots to read).

Since we have just finished a face to face class, I'd like for you to reflect on what we did in class. What are your key take-aways from class? why are they important to you? What are you hoping to learn about comprehensive reading literacy programs?

As you read, make connections to your own school and the comprehensive literacy program there.  You will be finding out about what needs the the teachers in your school have to make changes in the literacy program through professional development.  Think about these terms and what they might mean for you as a literacy leader:  standards, curriculum, teacher beliefs, teacher knowledge, change, CBAM, stages of concern, assessment.  Think about these questions as possible starters for your blog posts and discussions: B8 has guidelines for choosing a core reading program.  Compare those guidelines to what you remember happening in your district the last time you adopted a core reading program. How did that affect your comprehensive literacy program? How does assessment fit in a comprehensive reading program? in WSQ on page 162, respond to #3 in the reflection questions. Choose one of the "Think about This" questions in the Bean chapters to discuss.

Remember to let me know if you want me to address something in your blog.  I"ll be reading twice a week, and will make a few comments.

Have a good week, stay healthy!

Week 2 Literacy Leadership 2018

I'm writing this blog from Germany where I'm teaching this week.  I got up this morning (Saturday) to snow covering everything including my rental car.  So I was scraping ice before I drove to class.  I'm envious that I am missing the warm weekend in Oklahoma!  I haven't read your blog entries for Week 1 yet but am looking forward to getting to know those I don't know a bit through your posts, and reacquainting myself with those I do know.

This week, your readings will focus on building community of learners in a school.  Some topics that you will read about include roles of teacher leaders in a school and how to work with different stakeholders, some elements of effective professional development that supports communities of learners, how to lead groups and collaborate with others, and how to develop a school literacy program.

This week, respond to this blog after you read the chapters.  Which characteristics of effective leaders are a strong point for you? A challenge?  What did you take away as a commonality of working with each of the different stakeholders that a reading specialist or literacy leader needs to collaborate with? Which of the types of collaborative PD in Appendix 18.1 have you experienced? Which would you like to experience?

Respond to each other, comparing your answers to theirs.

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, Jan. 27.  We will begin working on your big assignment that is broken up into four tasks, by creating a needs assessment survey together to use to determine the needs, desires, and activities already in place of teachers in your educational setting.  We will also begin the creation of your personal learning plan.  I'm really looking forward to seeing/hearing about your Self as a literacy leader posters!

See you soon!

Week 1 Literacy Leadership 2018

Welcome to EDRG 5903  Literacy Leadership! As you know, the purpose of this course is to examine effective literacy leadership and the role of the reading specialist in an educational setting.  Aspects of leadership include supporting teacher growth, designing professional development, and contributing to an effective whole school literacy program.   I’ve included a short video introducing myself and some of my expectations for the class so follow the link to watch it Welcome video. For those of you who have had a class with me before, these expectations are not new to you.

Just so you know, I’m in Germany this first week of class, teaching military members and teachers about Educational Research.  I’ll have access to email so if you have questions about the syllabus, the assignments for this first 2 weeks, or the readings, send an email.  I’ll get back to you when I can—just remember that I am 7 hours ahead of you timewise, and am teaching every evening and during the day on the weekend. 

This week, please respond to these questions  before you read, and then to each other after you read.  For this week, respond to each other by Saturday evening.  For Week 2, follow the directions in the syllabus for the blog.  We will set up your blogs in the face to face meeting on Saturday, Jan. 27. 

The focus for this first week is for you to begin to think about who YOU are as a literacy leader right now and what you think literacy leadership is all about.  So, before reading, what do you think are key aspects of literacy leadership?  Which of those aspects do you think are ones you have already begun to develop?  

When you return to respond to your classmates, integrate what the readings say about being a literacy leader and compare them to what the person said about themselves.

You will be creating an interactive digital “poster” to share with all of us on Jan. 27 that uses print, pictures, audio, video, other graphics.  Try to stay away from PowerPoint as your platform unless you have not been involved in other digital platforms.  My video was made on my iPad using Explain Everything, but you could make an iMovie or Adobe Spark video, do a Prezi, create a Glog, use Book Creator online to make a book, or some other digital platform.  Either upload the link before Jan. 27 or the actual item.

I’ll have Week 2 post up by next Friday, so you might want to visit it before you do the readings for Week 2 to help you focus your reading, and to prepare for our face to face class.
Have a good first week of the semester!  I’ll see you on Jan. 27 in Rm. 334 of Collings Hall.  Please bring a laptop or iPad or other tablet to class.  We will use them to set up blogs and try out other New Literacy tools for you to use for the online portion of the class.