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 glog to demonstrate that growth. When you respond to this blog, embed your link to your glog 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. 3 at 5 pm.
Return to this blog after that time. Using the links provided you, visit the glog of each of the other class members. What else do you see as their growth? Give one compliment about teh glog in general adn one compliment about how they have grown. Please do this by Dec. 7 at midnight. I'll be visiting as well.
By the time you read this, I'll have been in Kenya for about 10 days working with teachers there. Part of our job is to help them become teacher leaders in early literacy. If I can, I'll upload pictures, or I'll add to this blog about my experiences, and what I am learning about myself as a literacy leader.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Week 14 Thinking about your learning
There is only one more week after this one in the semester. I have seen each of you grow as a literacy leader through your projects and blogs. I know I have grown in my understanding of what it means to rethink teaching and learning using new literacies as tools for thinking, collaborating, communicating. I've learned new things about myself as a teacher as well, and changes that have to come to my view of scaffolding, discussion, and time as well as what values I hold about teaching and learning that I don't want to change. I'd like you to think a bit about what you have learned, and about how this format has helped or how you may have had to change views of what it means to take a class when it doesn't meet face to face each week. So this week, while I'm in Africa, I'd like for each of you to respond to these questions:
1. What are the 3 most important ideas that you learned about literacy leadership and coaching this semester? Why are each of them important to you? How will they inform your practice as a literacy leader, either as an informal one or as a reading specialist/literacy coach/director?
2. Which new literacy practices were supportive to you of your learning? Which ones do you think I need to modify and how to better support your learning?
Respond to these by 11/23. I appreciate your input and feedback.
Have a great Thanksgiving. I am thankful for each of you and for the work you do to support the learning of the children that you teach.
1. What are the 3 most important ideas that you learned about literacy leadership and coaching this semester? Why are each of them important to you? How will they inform your practice as a literacy leader, either as an informal one or as a reading specialist/literacy coach/director?
2. Which new literacy practices were supportive to you of your learning? Which ones do you think I need to modify and how to better support your learning?
Respond to these by 11/23. I appreciate your input and feedback.
Have a great Thanksgiving. I am thankful for each of you and for the work you do to support the learning of the children that you teach.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Week 13: Advocacy, Collaboration, Professionalism
This week you are only responding to my blog as we are meeting on Friday, Nov. 14 and Saturday, Nov. 15. chapters this week are related to advocacy, collaboration, and professionalism. All three are key to being a successful literacy leader. Think about your context. What opportunities are there for advocacy? As I write this on Nov. 5, I'm getting ready to be an advocate for research based reading instruction that is based on assessment of learners and is designed to meet their needs, and for teaching this in my undergraduate classes. I will spend tomorrow afternoon with other professors and other stakeholders in a meeting to discuss "scientifically based reading methods" to teach children who may have dyslexia. I am an advocate for the preservice teachers and for children to ensure we are not mandated to teach one particular curriculum to teachers that they would unthinkingly use with all primary grade children. Next, think about collaboration. Why is it important? What does it mean to you? Finally, how do you define professionalism? I am going to have to try hard to remain professional tomorrow afternoon as I know we will be bombarded with messages about what others think should be taught in teacher education classes as well as the idea that if a curriculum package is good for some children with special needs, it is good for ALL children, and that it isn't really necessary to assess children to meet their particular needs. Before reading, think about why advocacy, collaboration, and professionalism are important to a literacy leader. Write about what you think, and how you are defining each of those terms. Then, when you read, compare what you said with what you think the authors are saying, and think about how what you read for the coming week is related to those concepts.
There are a number of chapters to read this week. In the L&T book, everyone should read all of the chapters. In the WSQ book, half of you should read chapter 15 and half chapter 16. Finally, the EP&L part 5 has 6 sections, each of which has a reading specialist/literacy coach addressing challenges that a literacy leader or literacy coach might encounter as they are doing their job. I'll list below what the challenges are. You should each choose a different one to read. Be prepared to work with the other 2 people who read your WSQ chapter to share key ideas from your chapter and tie them to the concepts of advocacy, collaboration, and professionalism. Be prepared to describe the EP&L challenge you read about and answer questions about it.
Previews to help you choose:
WSQ 15: What are new literacies/New Literacies? This chapter defines both of these concepts and provides principles for helping others integrate them into classrooms.
WSQ 16: This chapter discusses the role of parents in a literacy program, how to keep them involved adn how to connect to the community.
EP&L profiles: working with administrators (1), building credibility and relationships (2), working with resistant teachers (3), staying positive and involved (4), embedding literacy coaching in all of your other duties (5), becoming/staying organized (6)
Finally, bring a draft of Task 3 of the PD program development for peer review. Bring a few ideas about possible grants as well, but remember, we will draft those in class. I would suggest that if you are in a school district that you look up your school foundation for grant requirements, and we will look for other sources as well. You won't be writing a blog this week as we will be together in class. Be sure to bring questions, ideas, etc. I have chocolate for you.
See you all soon!
There are a number of chapters to read this week. In the L&T book, everyone should read all of the chapters. In the WSQ book, half of you should read chapter 15 and half chapter 16. Finally, the EP&L part 5 has 6 sections, each of which has a reading specialist/literacy coach addressing challenges that a literacy leader or literacy coach might encounter as they are doing their job. I'll list below what the challenges are. You should each choose a different one to read. Be prepared to work with the other 2 people who read your WSQ chapter to share key ideas from your chapter and tie them to the concepts of advocacy, collaboration, and professionalism. Be prepared to describe the EP&L challenge you read about and answer questions about it.
Previews to help you choose:
WSQ 15: What are new literacies/New Literacies? This chapter defines both of these concepts and provides principles for helping others integrate them into classrooms.
WSQ 16: This chapter discusses the role of parents in a literacy program, how to keep them involved adn how to connect to the community.
EP&L profiles: working with administrators (1), building credibility and relationships (2), working with resistant teachers (3), staying positive and involved (4), embedding literacy coaching in all of your other duties (5), becoming/staying organized (6)
Finally, bring a draft of Task 3 of the PD program development for peer review. Bring a few ideas about possible grants as well, but remember, we will draft those in class. I would suggest that if you are in a school district that you look up your school foundation for grant requirements, and we will look for other sources as well. You won't be writing a blog this week as we will be together in class. Be sure to bring questions, ideas, etc. I have chocolate for you.
See you all soon!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Week 12 Program Improvement 3--Strategies for small groups for program improvement
The previous 2 weeks have been broad strategies for whole school improvement and supporting change. Sometimes, however, literacy leaders and coaches need to work with small groups for improving instruction, supporting achievement/learning, planning curriculum. Before you begin reading, review the guidelines for supporting adult learning from the E-P&L book and the L&T book that you read and we discussed earlier in the semester. For the first part of your entry responding to this blog entry, apply them to what you have learned about program improvement as a way of thinking how they might be used to facilitate that improvement. The four strategies for program improvement that you will read about for this week include creating implementation guides, using assessment data and student work to plan and reflect on instruction, and reflecting on units of study for revision to enhance student learning and engagement. Have you ever participated in any of these activities at your school? The second part of your response to this blog should include how you think these terms fit in with program improvement or one of the strategies you will read about: essential questions, data, student work, unit of study, academic vocabulary, standards, assessments, rubrics.
Everyone should read all four of the Strategies for coaching small groups for program improvement this week. However, each person will be responsible for leading the discussion or application activity for 1 or 2 of them, so be sure to negotiate who will do what in your blogs. I will describe what I'd like you to do/discuss below, and you can, of course add to what I am suggesting if there are key points that you would like to bring up or discuss with everyone in your group. This is also a reminder that Task 2 of the PD plan is due by Nov 3. Please upload it in the PD plan dropbox folder on D2L.
Strategy 8: Be the coach/facilitator to create an implementation guide together using the form in the book for either literacy related early learning standards OR a set of PASSkills from Grade 5 in the ELA section (like vocabulary or research skills or comprehension).
Strategies 9 and 10: How do you think these strategies support each other in program improvement? What are the strengths and challenges of doing each, do you think, in your setting? How would they help the faculty you surveyed to make change?
Strategy 11: Describe a unit of study that you have taught this semester. What were The essential questions you wanted the students to be able to answer? What were some of the ways you would respond to the questions in the reflection form in the book? What feedback would you like from your group?
Happy Halloween!
Everyone should read all four of the Strategies for coaching small groups for program improvement this week. However, each person will be responsible for leading the discussion or application activity for 1 or 2 of them, so be sure to negotiate who will do what in your blogs. I will describe what I'd like you to do/discuss below, and you can, of course add to what I am suggesting if there are key points that you would like to bring up or discuss with everyone in your group. This is also a reminder that Task 2 of the PD plan is due by Nov 3. Please upload it in the PD plan dropbox folder on D2L.
Strategy 8: Be the coach/facilitator to create an implementation guide together using the form in the book for either literacy related early learning standards OR a set of PASSkills from Grade 5 in the ELA section (like vocabulary or research skills or comprehension).
Strategies 9 and 10: How do you think these strategies support each other in program improvement? What are the strengths and challenges of doing each, do you think, in your setting? How would they help the faculty you surveyed to make change?
Strategy 11: Describe a unit of study that you have taught this semester. What were The essential questions you wanted the students to be able to answer? What were some of the ways you would respond to the questions in the reflection form in the book? What feedback would you like from your group?
Happy Halloween!
Friday, October 24, 2014
Week 11 Program Improvement 2--how to support and sustain change
Thanks for your suggestions for my presentation in Slovakia. Adding some reflection on what their students might say really involved the participants. I brought you all chocolate which we will have when I see you Nov. 14-15.
This week the readings focus on how to support and sustain change in a school's literacy program, regardless of the level of the school. The example will be from elementary schools, so those of you in secondary (high school or middle school) need to think carefully how it applies to you. WE have gone through several changes in our undergraduate literacy program and in our graduate one as well. Change for our undergraduate students was not easy as they had preconceived ideas (from listening to their peers) about what would be happening, and the change, even if for their own improved learning, made them uncomfortable. I think it is easier for our program to make change because there are 4 of us and we collaborate to think about new standards and how to build and enact the curriculum. In your school settings, there are many more faculty to involve. Think about a change in your schoolwide or grade level/team/department's program that was discussed adn our implemented. What are some things the literacy leader or school leaders did that facilitated the faculty making the change? What are some things that got in the way? Tell me about them.
You will be reading a chapter (WSQ 5) that focuses on whole school curricular change to improve student achievement. The second chapter (WSQ 11) is specifically about evaluation and change in a school program and the role of the literacy specialist. You will all read both chapters. I'm going to provide 3 different prompts for your own blogging and discussion this coming week. I hope it will make the blogs more like discussions. I read blogs on Wednesday, so please make sure your blog is up by the day and time you decided on and you have responded at least once to the other 2 people's blogs by Wednesday evening and then remember, you need to go back again for the discussion aspect which I will read and respond to on Thursday afternoon.
I appreciate your involvement in this class as we all work to figure out how a hybrid class works and is different from a regular face to face class that meets weekly. When I see you again on Nov. 14 I"ll be asking for advice on how to make things smoother.....I'm learning too.
Now for the prompts for your own blogs.....remember, you need to divide them up so each is addressed by someone in your group.
1. Respond to the reflection questions in the gray box on page 83 of WSQ 5
2. Also on page 83 of WSQ 5 is a second gray box titled Project Assignment. It sets up a scenario with three questions for you as a literacy leader. How would you answer them?
3. On page 163 of WSQ 11is a table that describes the 10 guiding principles that will help a literacy leader support change in a school. Choose the 2 that either you find the most challenging for your setting or that are most germane to supporting change in your setting. There are self-reflective questions with each one. Respond to those questions for the 2 principles that you chose.
Remember to respond and provide suggestions to each other about what the blogger wrote in response to the task. Let me know if you have questions..... (note: make sure you have notifications enabled on your blog so you know when someone responds to your blog....)
Hope your week was good.
This week the readings focus on how to support and sustain change in a school's literacy program, regardless of the level of the school. The example will be from elementary schools, so those of you in secondary (high school or middle school) need to think carefully how it applies to you. WE have gone through several changes in our undergraduate literacy program and in our graduate one as well. Change for our undergraduate students was not easy as they had preconceived ideas (from listening to their peers) about what would be happening, and the change, even if for their own improved learning, made them uncomfortable. I think it is easier for our program to make change because there are 4 of us and we collaborate to think about new standards and how to build and enact the curriculum. In your school settings, there are many more faculty to involve. Think about a change in your schoolwide or grade level/team/department's program that was discussed adn our implemented. What are some things the literacy leader or school leaders did that facilitated the faculty making the change? What are some things that got in the way? Tell me about them.
You will be reading a chapter (WSQ 5) that focuses on whole school curricular change to improve student achievement. The second chapter (WSQ 11) is specifically about evaluation and change in a school program and the role of the literacy specialist. You will all read both chapters. I'm going to provide 3 different prompts for your own blogging and discussion this coming week. I hope it will make the blogs more like discussions. I read blogs on Wednesday, so please make sure your blog is up by the day and time you decided on and you have responded at least once to the other 2 people's blogs by Wednesday evening and then remember, you need to go back again for the discussion aspect which I will read and respond to on Thursday afternoon.
I appreciate your involvement in this class as we all work to figure out how a hybrid class works and is different from a regular face to face class that meets weekly. When I see you again on Nov. 14 I"ll be asking for advice on how to make things smoother.....I'm learning too.
Now for the prompts for your own blogs.....remember, you need to divide them up so each is addressed by someone in your group.
1. Respond to the reflection questions in the gray box on page 83 of WSQ 5
2. Also on page 83 of WSQ 5 is a second gray box titled Project Assignment. It sets up a scenario with three questions for you as a literacy leader. How would you answer them?
3. On page 163 of WSQ 11is a table that describes the 10 guiding principles that will help a literacy leader support change in a school. Choose the 2 that either you find the most challenging for your setting or that are most germane to supporting change in your setting. There are self-reflective questions with each one. Respond to those questions for the 2 principles that you chose.
Remember to respond and provide suggestions to each other about what the blogger wrote in response to the task. Let me know if you have questions..... (note: make sure you have notifications enabled on your blog so you know when someone responds to your blog....)
Hope your week was good.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Week 10 Program Improvement 1
As you are reading this, I am in Slovakia and am probably presenting my workshop there. Thanks for your feedback before I left on my description of my presentation. I'll bring you each something from my travels to have on our next weekend together.
As you all noted on our Adobe Connect class on Sept. 29, Program Improvement is all about making what you have better. In the case of literacy, it is about improving the school wide literacy program, including how literacy is taught across the disciplines.Think about your own involvement in program improvement. What strategies do you think helped support change and improvement? Literacy programs should be a collaboration of the educational community in and around the building. It should be built around common goals and expectations for all children, and be comprehensive so that in addresses all aspects of language and literacy. Program improvement, you all noted, is ongoing across all age levels in your educational institution. It is systemic and not just aimed at a classroom or a teacher. Before thinking about how to improve your program, you need to think about the aspects of a program that you will need to look at to see if or what needs tweaking, adjusting, or transforming. Those aspects include the following: the curriculum (what is taught and learned), instruction (how literacy is taught and learned), assessment (how learning is determined), materials (what is used for teaching and learning, such as books, technology, manipulatives, real life materials, games, etc.), the organization and environment (what happens when with whom, time, grouping, staffing, PD, school and classroom climate), and parent and community involvement in the program.
An important piece of program improvement is PD. It can either precede plans for improvement or it can be an integral part of the improvement process. Describe what you think is the role of a literacy leader (whether a reading specialist or a regular classroom teacher) in program improvement?
There are 7 chapters to read for this week in WSQ. I've divided them up into 4 pairs of chapters. You will need to decide (and let your group know via this blog) which of the 2 chapters each of you will read. Each pair of chapters needs to be read by one member of your group.
A) WSQ Chaps 4 adn 6 which discuss programs for early learners and adolescents
B) WSQ chaps 7 adn 12 which discuss materials and writing in literacy programs
C) WSQ Chaps 13 and 14 which discuss programs for linguistically diverse and learning disabled students
D) WSQ Chaps 10 an 14 which discuss issues of achievement, assessment , and children needing RTI
When you write your own blog, you will need to discuss the key points of what you read,connecting the 2 chapters together and relating them to the aspects I listed above of literacy programs. Please ask for questions about the topics and for your group to make connections to their own chapters. Remember that you will have to return to your blog several times before Thursday to check if there are questions and to respond to any that are there. You will also have to visit the blogs of others to see what the answers to your questions are and perhaps ask for clarification. Think of this as a jigsaw discussion.
Even though I"m out of the country, I'm on e-mail and will be back late Monday. If you need anything or have questions, send me an e-mail.
As you all noted on our Adobe Connect class on Sept. 29, Program Improvement is all about making what you have better. In the case of literacy, it is about improving the school wide literacy program, including how literacy is taught across the disciplines.Think about your own involvement in program improvement. What strategies do you think helped support change and improvement? Literacy programs should be a collaboration of the educational community in and around the building. It should be built around common goals and expectations for all children, and be comprehensive so that in addresses all aspects of language and literacy. Program improvement, you all noted, is ongoing across all age levels in your educational institution. It is systemic and not just aimed at a classroom or a teacher. Before thinking about how to improve your program, you need to think about the aspects of a program that you will need to look at to see if or what needs tweaking, adjusting, or transforming. Those aspects include the following: the curriculum (what is taught and learned), instruction (how literacy is taught and learned), assessment (how learning is determined), materials (what is used for teaching and learning, such as books, technology, manipulatives, real life materials, games, etc.), the organization and environment (what happens when with whom, time, grouping, staffing, PD, school and classroom climate), and parent and community involvement in the program.
An important piece of program improvement is PD. It can either precede plans for improvement or it can be an integral part of the improvement process. Describe what you think is the role of a literacy leader (whether a reading specialist or a regular classroom teacher) in program improvement?
There are 7 chapters to read for this week in WSQ. I've divided them up into 4 pairs of chapters. You will need to decide (and let your group know via this blog) which of the 2 chapters each of you will read. Each pair of chapters needs to be read by one member of your group.
A) WSQ Chaps 4 adn 6 which discuss programs for early learners and adolescents
B) WSQ chaps 7 adn 12 which discuss materials and writing in literacy programs
C) WSQ Chaps 13 and 14 which discuss programs for linguistically diverse and learning disabled students
D) WSQ Chaps 10 an 14 which discuss issues of achievement, assessment , and children needing RTI
When you write your own blog, you will need to discuss the key points of what you read,connecting the 2 chapters together and relating them to the aspects I listed above of literacy programs. Please ask for questions about the topics and for your group to make connections to their own chapters. Remember that you will have to return to your blog several times before Thursday to check if there are questions and to respond to any that are there. You will also have to visit the blogs of others to see what the answers to your questions are and perhaps ask for clarification. Think of this as a jigsaw discussion.
Even though I"m out of the country, I'm on e-mail and will be back late Monday. If you need anything or have questions, send me an e-mail.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Week 9 Professional Development 3
This week is also about professional development, but it is a time for you to discuss with your group the program you are developing, and what,if any feedback you have gotten on it. I also have been working on a presentation/workshop combination for my conference next week in Slovakia. I"m going to detail my plan for you below. Use what you know about powerful and engaging professional development, and give me some feedback on what I'm doing. I'd like to include the materials I've created but I can't attach them.
The purpose of my workshop/presentation (and it is a combination of the two) is to introduce the concept of a knowledgeable engaging teacher and have participants reflect on their own status as a knowledgeable teacher. I also want to share what children in my research said about what knowledgeable teachers do to provide opportunities for engaged literacy learning. My plan is to ask them to pair discuss what they think a knowledgeable teacher is and what engagement in learning looks like. Then I will share the theory and research. Then I'll have pairs interview each other with some question prompts about who they are as engaged knowledgeable teachers and we will share what they learned about themselves. We will focus on what the children in my study said about knowledgeable teachers and what they did to provide opportunities for engaged literacy learning. Finally, I'll ask them if they would like to participate in the knowledgeable teacher research that I"m starting with a group of international colleagues.
I know that the description is pretty brief....but what do you think is 1 thing that might make this an engaging presentation? Do you have any questions or suggestions for me?
I have uploaded a video describing the different roles a leader can take on in a PD session/program. Please view it this week and integrate the roles into the descriptions of your activities in your overall plan. It is in the Planning and Creating PD programs section on D2L.
For your own blog, Talk about where you are in your PD program planning process and in your coaching practice. You might want to solicit input from your group and talk about feedback you have gotten. You might also want to start talking about which one of the activities on your plan you intend to plan in detail and how that would relate to your grant proposal.
Have a good week!
The purpose of my workshop/presentation (and it is a combination of the two) is to introduce the concept of a knowledgeable engaging teacher and have participants reflect on their own status as a knowledgeable teacher. I also want to share what children in my research said about what knowledgeable teachers do to provide opportunities for engaged literacy learning. My plan is to ask them to pair discuss what they think a knowledgeable teacher is and what engagement in learning looks like. Then I will share the theory and research. Then I'll have pairs interview each other with some question prompts about who they are as engaged knowledgeable teachers and we will share what they learned about themselves. We will focus on what the children in my study said about knowledgeable teachers and what they did to provide opportunities for engaged literacy learning. Finally, I'll ask them if they would like to participate in the knowledgeable teacher research that I"m starting with a group of international colleagues.
I know that the description is pretty brief....but what do you think is 1 thing that might make this an engaging presentation? Do you have any questions or suggestions for me?
I have uploaded a video describing the different roles a leader can take on in a PD session/program. Please view it this week and integrate the roles into the descriptions of your activities in your overall plan. It is in the Planning and Creating PD programs section on D2L.
For your own blog, Talk about where you are in your PD program planning process and in your coaching practice. You might want to solicit input from your group and talk about feedback you have gotten. You might also want to start talking about which one of the activities on your plan you intend to plan in detail and how that would relate to your grant proposal.
Have a good week!
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