I spent the better portion of last week on Long Island, introducing Studio to junior and senior high school teachers and exploring writing instruction and practice with them in a variety of settings. Part of our work unfolded in workshop sessions, there were several conversations with diverse groups, and we spent extended time coaching in [...]
I’m very excited to be spending this evening with local teachers, administrators, and literacy coaches at a meet and greet session of WNYLIT–a new forum for current and potential literacy coaches in Western New York. If you are interested in joining us at the Carrier Center in Angola, New York tonight or in the future, [...]
I’m looking forward to many new adventures and learning opportunities in the coming year, some of which are documented inside of this month’s Coaching Connection. These newsletters are designed specifically for the WNY teachers that I coach, but others might enjoy them as well. Glad to be back! Here’s to a happy, healthy, and productive [...]
I began shifting away from light coaching about three months into my first coaching experience. Doing so was frightening. I was afraid that insisting on evidence-based goals, using formative assessment to inform our work, and saying no to requests that were not aligned to students’ needs (which was our purpose) would increase levels of resistance [...]
On page 21 of his new book, Coaching: Approaches and Perspectives, Jim Knight begins outlining critical differences between what he defines as coaching heavy and coaching light. I appreciated the clarity provided from the outset around the notion that coaching light is often our entry point into this work with teachers. Coaching in this way [...]
When groups of learners come together to collaborate, the honeymoon is usually pretty sweet–and oftentimes, short lived. When I first began facilitating group learning experiences, I sometimes found myself thrown off-guard by shifting group dynamics and the uncomfortable challenges that these changes entailed. I learned that it was all pretty normal and healthy though. Whether [...]
My learning and my work as a literacy coach is significantly enhanced by the people of the web. Here are some of my favorite tools that allow me to connect with them. Where did I learn about them? Online, of course!
My blog is a vehicle for communicating with those that I coach. Posts are often [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]