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.

Week 15 2016 Revisiting your view of 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 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.

Week 12 2016 Program Improvement 3

We are winding up thinking about program improvement this week and also beginning to think about collaboration and professionalism and what that all entails. How do you differentiate cooperation and collaboration? What role do you think the literacy leader should have in evaluating a whole school literacy program?  How do you define professionalism? What do you think is the role of parents and community in improving the reading program?

WSQ chapter 11 is specifically about evaluation and change in a school program and the role of the literacy specialist.  Chapter 15 discusses principles for integrating New Literacies into literacy instruction.  Chapter 16 discusses the role of parents and community. The L&T book is about collaboration and especially advocacy and professionalism.

As you read, think about how you responded to the questions above and compare you responses to the ones that you read about.  I"m giving you a bit of direction this week for your blog:

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.  Reflect on the key ideas about collaboration and professionalism for school improvement.

Have a good week and I"ll see you on Nov. 11 at 3:30 in Rm. 223.

Week 11 2106 Program Improvement 2

 A few reminders about literacy programs to think about before you read the chapters on Program improvement that deal with assessment, incorporating writing, thinking about linguistically diverse learners and Response to Intervention for those who are struggling.

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.

So think about those topics I mentioned at the beginning of this blog. What do you think the role of a literacy leader for each of the topics?  I look forward to hearing your thoughts now and to reading your discussion on your blog.