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!