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.