Read, Write, Lead: Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

Reminder: This year I'm in a book study focusing on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead with literacy specialists. I'm reflecting on them here. The ASCD created a study guide with thought-provoking questions. We were encouraged either to choose one question from guide and react, or to choose a resonating quote and explain why it struck us. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

"Discuss ways that you are encouraging students and teachers to become self-determining learners and why that matters."

Most of my lessons begin with some tiny speech about how "we're going to do hard things, you're going to make mistakes, and that's GREAT because it's the only way to grow your brain." Growth mindset fostering is my number two goal. My number one goal is to love my kiddos and make sure they know it.

With that comes the expectation that things are going to hurt in order for them to grow. It will get worse before it gets better, and if that happens, you're on the right track. My goal in doing this is to allow my kiddos to see struggle as a signpost for motivation, perpetuating their self-determination.

In general, I don't engage in gossip or complaining in my school environment. I try to encourage as much positive thinking as possible and often reword a teacher's complaint to focus on the silver-lining. Hopefully I don't come off as a judgemental Pollyanna....

I've also decided to create a bulletin board in the office hallway called "Overheard." The goal is for teachers to write and post quotes from their teammates that shows their passion for this art form we call teaching!

Read, Write, Lead: Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

Reminder: This year I'm in a book study focusing on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead with literacy specialists. I'm reflecting on them here. The ASCD created a study guide with thought-provoking questions. We were encouraged either to choose one question from guide and react, or to choose a resonating quote and explain why it struck us. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

"When the culture shifted to kids first, the finger pointing which put everyone on the defensive stopped."

I want this at my school! It often feels like teachers of all positions are constantly looking for a way to prove that they work harder, work longer, teach better, and complain more accurately than everyone else. We need to focus on the kids and how to help them as a team, rather than spending so much energy talking behind other teachers' backs. This culture brings all to a defensive position: hardly the best vantage point for improving literacy.

Read, Write, Lead: Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

Reminder: This year I'm in a book study focusing on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead with literacy specialists. I'm reflecting on them here. The ASCD created a study guide with thought-provoking questions. We were encouraged either to choose one question from guide and react, or to choose a resonating quote and explain why it struck us. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

"Self-reflect on the characteristics of leaders. Where are you strongest? What might you choose to work on to increase trust and professional relationships with your colleagues?"

I am strongest at keeping key questions in mind. Gratefully, my parents raised me to constantly ask questions and the skill compounds over a lifetime. My goal as a teacher in my school team is to find solutions to the problems we face as a unit. The course of action to solving those problems is to ask questions from all angles and I find myself constantly asking and trying to answer those questions.

I choose to work on following through with focusing on the big picture of literacy. Many teachers rely on me as an instructional coach for ELL best practices. Often I fall short on that goal and I need to follow through.

Read, Write, Lead: Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

Reminder: This year I'm in a book study focusing on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead with literacy specialists. I'm reflecting on them here. The ASCD created a study guide with thought-provoking questions. We were encouraged either to choose one question from guide and react, or to choose a resonating quote and explain why it struck us. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

"A major problem with such assessments is the misuse of valuable time for teachers and students--time that could go toward actually teaching reading and having students read meaningful texts." and "In the early grades in particular, partner reading is a terrific way to accelerate important aspects of reading progress--fluency, word recognition, comprehension, and enjoyment."

This strikes me because of my current obsession with the latest PD I attended: ExC-ELL. The PD focused on a structure and method for teaching ELs (which would work for all students) and which emphasizes instructing with close reading methods, on grade level texts, with rigorous speaking and writing expectations, and partner reading. 

I realize now that I was putting too much focus on the DRA (our assessment tool), as if it was a method for improving student reading and academic achievement, instead of seeing it for what it is: an assessment. It is not the focus, the kids are the focus. 

And two ways to achieve an academically striving student is through partner reading and learning through writing. I wanted to pull a quote from the chapter about high quality writing instruction as an approach for improved reading skills, but I already chose two quotes out of the one suggested. ( :0) )

Read, Write, Lead: Chapter 3

Checking in with the book study on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead again :) I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Chapter 3

Reminder: This year I'm in a book study focusing on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead with literacy specialists. I'm reflecting on them here. The ASCD created a study guide with thought-provoking questions. We were encouraged either to choose one question from guide and react, or to choose a resonating quote and explain why it struck us. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

"Examine the quality of the texts being used at your school. Are they of the highest quality by excellent authors or are they mostly texts from published programs? Why does this matter? Are you providing a healthy balance in your classroom and school libraries of outstanding and relevant fiction and nonfiction texts? How can you ensure a balance?"

No. 

The read-aloud, mentor texts the teachers often pick are typically high quality because many of the teachers know the value of that quality in encouraging joy of reading. 

However, most of the guided reading texts we have are from several structured programs. The older books in our library room focus on a phonemic skill and build a "story" around it. These are helpful for phonemic skill building, but they hardly teach comprehension with quality story-lines and far from inspire joy of reading. Others are "tower books," accompanying the basil program. 

I want to ensure a balance through selecting classics, like Routman's grandmother, and constantly rotate genres and styles. High quality literature is the path to students excitement about reading. I want these kids to desire to wrap themselves in a book like their favorite quilt.

Read, Write, Lead: Chapter 2

This book study on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead has been helpful, but I wish I could spend more time drinking in the tips and anecdotes!

Chapter 2

Reminder: This year I'm in a book study focusing on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead with literacy specialists. I'm reflecting on them here. The ASCD created a study guide with thought-provoking questions. We were encouraged either to choose one question from guide and react, or to choose a resonating quote and explain why it struck us. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

"If we ask ourselves questions focused first on the learner and second on the content ..., we are more likely to reach in on students' needs and interests -- all of which will enable us to accelerate learning and teach with urgency, enthusiasm, and authentic purpose." Page 39

This is the thesis for what I gleaned from chapter two . Every point Routman makes from this point on ties back to the concept of the self-assessing teacher. We need to ask ourselves if our task is authentic and would be found outside of school.

Are we planning with the Virginia SOLs (Standards of Learning) in mind or are they our starting point? 

If not the first, then we'll find we're not reaching the students nor meeting "them with urgency, enthusiasm, and authentic purpose." Our small group interactions will be more meaningful and potent if we're constantly reflecting on data and student progress, rather than simply worrying about pacing. Additionally, the choices we give our students, so long as they're fitting within structure, will both provide data and lead to student progress.

Furthermore, the only way the Optimal Learning Model (OLM) becomes effective is if you know your students' progress enough to know how much responsibility to release. Self-reflection is directly linked to learning, both for the teacher and his or her students.

Overheard

I'm creating a bulletin board to encourage a literacy and kid-focused culture at my school. I might have tried too hard....

Are these ears tacky, creepy, or too weird? This is going on a teacher-eyes-only bulletin board. I feel like I'm trying too hard... pic.twitter.com/Jf7zUps30I

— Elizabeth (@StartlingtheDay) November 4, 2016

I'll keep you updated about how it's going!

ExC-ELL: Instructional Obsession

When was the last time you felt like exploding because of a new instructional practice?

For me, it has been about a month and the fire has only built up since then.

Read, Write, Lead: Chapter 1

Literacy should be a topic of giddy gossip in every teacher's lounge. We should be delighted to show our students the way to learning. Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead can give us tips to readjust our school culture to bring this to reality.

This year I'm in a book study focusing on Regie Routman's Read, Write, Lead with literacy specialists. That's right! I'm sneaking in there and poking my ESOL head into the literacy specialist's camp. I want to throw open that door and connect our departments!

The ASCD created a study guide with thought-provoking questions. We were encouraged either to choose one question from guide and react, or to choose a resonating quote and explain why it struck us. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

"Examine the infrastructure and the culture at your school. What is already in place to support a school-wide focus on instruction and learning? What's missing? What's the priority for improving your school's infrastructure and culture?"

Our principal has made it clear that he values high-quality instruction, which seems to communicate that teaching is an art form. This impacts teacher morale and, at least for me, makes teachers want to improve. There is already a habit of writing high quality, detailed lesson plans because of prior years of being on warning, impacting the culture of instruction across grade levels. Right now, teachers are not required to turn in plans regularly, but I suspect the culture of high-quality preparation has survived. Part of what is missing is an ongoing conversation and passion for sharing how to plan high quality instruction and learning. I rarely overhear conversations about that, but perhaps they are happening in team meetings when I'm not there. The priority is to integrate memorable structure into instruction (hooks, multi-sensory, peer interaction, and more).