Did you know it’s Banned Books week? I did, and I’ve spent some time reflecting on the whole notion of banning books….and blogs….and wikis…and Ning….and a whole slew of other things in schools this week….in the name of protecting children.
It’s interesting what we ban and what it is we allow, isn’t it?
Our notions of what [...]
Establishing a vibrant Personal Learning Network can serve literacy coaches well in so many ways. When coaches connect to others with intention, the quality of their learning may be enriched, their access to helpful resources often increases, and they may even find themselves pursuing increasingly complex questions relevant to their work. This is hardly surprising [...]
This year, I’m excited to be sharing a monthly newsletter with those that I coach. I thought I’d share here as well–feel free to take a peek and pass along. Thanks for inspiring me to use Scribd, Nancy! You may also download the “clickable” document here: octobercoachingnewsletter
October Coaching Newsletter
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Before I spent most of my days literacy coaching, I spent most of them facilitating workshops. Sometimes, I’m asked my opinions about which sorts of learning experiences make the most difference for teachers, and I always stumble over my response. It depends on the purpose of the learning, I guess. It also depends on the [...]
Speaking of the need for protocols….a few weeks ago, I was chatting with a friend who decided to put a group of students in charge of selecting pieces for their annual student anthology last year. He imagined that these kids–true student leaders in every sense of the word–would be eager to share what they knew [...]
Just as teachers rely upon a gradual release of responsibility model to ensure effective instruction, many coaches begin moving toward similar models once they’ve established agreed-upon learning targets for their efforts with teachers. I was first introduced to this model through my study of Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey’s work and then again when I [...]
Why do skilled facilitators of adult learning experiences encourage the use of structured protocols? In my experience, protocols enable participants to better understand the purpose of the work that they are engaging in. They also ensure equity, provoke deeper study of identified texts and practices, and provide a safer framework for rigorous and even uncomfortable [...]
Coaches travel around a lot during any given day. I know I’ve spent the last two days chatting up the importance of assessment, but gearing up to do this sort of work also includes simple things….like ensuring that you don’t have to borrow materials from the teachers you are working with. This is how you [...]
Carol left a comment on yesterday’s post which left me thinking again about vision and action. I’ve written about this before, because in my experience this is as essential as it is complex. Defining literacy is no easy task, and articulating a vision for supporting the development of it within a district is a tremendous [...]