Online discussion with Marilyn
Duncan - October 25-26, 2007
Transcript © 2007 by Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc. All rights
reserved.
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Richard Owen
Good evening everyone,
For the next two days the TLN listserve will be host to Marilyn Duncan
for a conversation focused on instructional dialogue. Marilyn was part
of the original TLN group who worked with Jan Duncan to develop the
structure of The Learning Network, including the concept of
instructional dialogue. Marilyn's book, Literacy Coaching:
Developing Effective Teachers through Instructional Dialogue, is the
core resource for exploring the components of instructional dialogue.
I remember very clearly the first time I observed instructional
dialogue. What impressed me was the thoughtful way the teacher leader
guided the teacher learner to the point where learning occurred.
Something important happened. It was like the electrical arc crossing
the gap in a spark plug. And that teacher had added new knowledge to
her theory of teaching and learning. She had taken a small step
forward, one of many that took place over time as the coach worked with
the teacher in classroom observations and instructional dialogue.
Marilyn has led teachers through this process thousands of times in the
fifteen years she has been at this work. She has learned more than a
thing or two. The book offers solid background and carefully presented
concepts to help experienced coaches as well as new coaches build a
model of instructional dialogue that supports teachers to become more
knowledgeable and skilled.
Marilyn, as a way to begin this conversation might it make sense to ask
you to talk about your beliefs about coaching and the impact it has on
the learning of teachers and students? Your comments are likely to
prompt questions from members of the listserve. I urge them not to
hesitate. We only have two days. Let's make the most of the limited
time.
Please welcome Marilyn Duncan to this Online Author Access event.
Richard
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Marilyn Duncan
Dear Richard and friends,
Thank you for inviting me to be part of another listserve conversation.
I have followed all the recent conversations and have found them both
engaging and enlightening. I look forward to this discussion and the
reflection that we’ll have together. I am writing from New Zealand so
there will be some delay in my responses as a result of our time
differences.
As Richard mentioned, I have been involved in literacy coaching for the
past fifteen years. I was trained through The Learning Network as a
“teacher leader” (literacy coach) when coaching wasn’t even cool yet!
There were many things I valued about that training. It was focused in
the first year in my own classroom on the development of my knowledge of
content and my knowledge of teaching and learning. I had the support of
my building administrator who was alongside my coach during much of my
training. I had the opportunity to work with a group of other literacy
coaches in training so our reflection was collaborative – we were in
this together. I was provided consistent feedback (instructional
dialogue) on my own classroom practice and had opportunities to watch
others in instructional dialogue as well. Most importantly, I saw the
impact of coaching on the learning of my students. These experiences
gave me the foundation of my beliefs.
My beliefs about coaching are pretty simple. I believe:
· the outcome of every coaching experience is a change in classroom
instruction leading to improvement in student learning.
· that all teachers are on a continuum of learning and deserve the
opportunity to reflect about their current questions or challenges
around student learning.
· a coach’s feedback supports the teacher in refining his or her
reflection making changes in instruction that impacts student learning.
· coaching is most effective when it is led by the building
administrator and when the faculty has met through collaborative
discussion and come to agreements about how coaching will work in their
school.
Perhaps we begin our discussion by considering the range of skills
coaches should be developing to be effective with the teachers they work
alongside. I welcome your thoughts and questions.
Kind regards,
Marilyn
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Kathy
Hello Marilyn,
I'm thrilled to be able to participate in this discussion. I'm a year
one teacher leader/coach (though not new to TLN practice and
philosophy). I've only had two visits with Geri and I can already see
changes in my classroom practice. (She is wonderful!) We have been
focusing our observations and dialogues on Brian Cambourne's Conditions
of Learning. I'm feeling more comfortable and intentional in putting the
Conditions of Learning in place in my second grade classroom...however
in addition to being a second grade teacher I am also the Professional
Development Coordinator for our district. My understanding is that in
order for teachers to move forward in their learning the COL need to be
in place for them as well. How do I get started putting the Conditions
of Learning in place for the teachers I will be working with as a coach
(and as a PD Coordinator)? Thanks.
Kathy
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Marilyn
Hello Kathy,
Congratulations in your new role as teacher leader/coach. You're lucky
to be working with Geri.
I
was excited about your question because I just had a long email
discussion with an administrator I work with in Colorado about this very
topic. One thing that I love about digging into theory (like the
Conditions of Learning) is that each time I explore this "stuff" I
uncover something I haven't really thought about before.
In this administrator's situation, she has a group of teachers who are
challenged with seeing their students as having strengths. They look at
their outward challenges (poverty, second language, etc.) and are
currently overwhelmed by what they "cannot do." Add this to the
pressures they are under for achievement and it probably doesn't seem
unusual that it feels easier to blame the kids than to uncover their own
challenges as teachers.
So I was thinking about how to respond to her frustration and as I began
to revise my rather blabby, lengthy response, I realized that what I was
suggesting fit really well with the conditions of learning. I thought
about expectation, demonstration, approximation, and feedback.
Expectation
These teachers are being asked to implement a new writing program. They
have had professional development on the writing program and are being
expected to instruct a new genre of writing this quarter. My question to
the administrator was "Are teachers expected to 'do the genre/program'
or are they expected to develop the skills of their writers in this
specific genre?" In other words, are they trying to get the program
"right" or are they focused on the instruction of skills that will
support the development of their writers? Have the teachers set
expectations for what their students will learn in the next three weeks
and how their instruction will need to change?
Demonstration
I
think we would agree that demonstrations are not just something our
students need - teachers need demonstrations as well. But I wonder
if our demonstrations for teachers often focus on how to do something
(how to "do" guided reading) rather than how to support the learning of
students. Do the demonstrations we provide as coaches begin with a
conversation around the data we have collected about our learners or are
they just about how to do something? One reason that I believe strong
content and practice knowledge are so important for a coach is that the
coach has to have the ability to quickly impact learning of kids during
the demonstration. Nothing will convince teachers faster than seeing a
child (or children) whom they have struggled to impact, learn right in
front of their eyes during a demonstration.
Approximation
I
also think that we don't think about the gradual release of support with
teachers. We provide maximal support through our demonstrations and then
we expect the teacher to get it right the next time they face the same
challenge with student learning. Are we providing the opportunity for
some co-teaching where the teacher has the opportunity for approximating
their new skill? Once I have a good relationship with a teacher, I sit
alongside him or her when they are teaching and sometimes suggest the
next question, or comment to kids so that the teacher experiences how it
feels to make a closer approximation than they might on their own.
Feedback
Another thing I'm noticing lately is that many teachers are being
provided high quality professional development around a table, being
provided demonstrations by the coach, but not receiving feedback about
the impact of their instruction once they begin approximating. If the
expectation has been set about the learning we expect to occur, the
demonstration has been provided, some co-teaching has been in place if
needed, then the logical next step is to find out the kind of feedback
the teacher would like and provide it.
It seems as if this process might take a long time - it's going slow to
go fast. The whole idea is being able to support the teacher to see the
impact on student learning.
Hope this is helpful! It's morning in NZ and I'm trying not to
hyperventilate as I see how busy you have all been while I was sleeping.
Please be patient as I type away!
Marilyn
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Freida
Marilyn, I think your comment about “find out what kind of feedback the
teacher would like and provide it” is important, especially in light of
the conversation that we had while you were sleeping! I find that
teachers want to learn more about how to be better at their jobs, and
being respectful enough to ask them what they want to know is important
for making them feel like we are learning together.
I
also like your comment about gradual release of responsibility with
teachers. We forget adult learners need all the same things our
classroom of kids need. Teaching procedures is another thing I think
that we sometimes assume teachers should just know.
Freida
Golden Ph. D.
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Marilyn
I
think the only way to convince teachers that coaching is about their
learning is when it really is about their learning. So while the student
data drives the focus -- the teachers have to be in the driver’s seat
about their questions and the kind of support they want.
Marilyn
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Marcia
Hi Marilyn,
I think your point here and in a later post is key. If a coach is really
tied to the mandated program first, and to the way the data is
portrayed, then in my opinion, the kids and especially the teachers both
lose out. I am in year three of such a program and the Listserve and my
own need to learn with friends away from my building is my lifeline to
growth. My transfer is in but...in the meantime, I'm advocating what is
truly best practices for my kids and for me! (I'll get off my soapbox
now.)
Marcia in Dearborn
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Marilyn
Hello Marcia,
I can't imagine how challenging it must be to be asked to support a
program that conflicts with your core beliefs.
Interestingly, there are some programs that school districts
are adopting that are actually stimulating conversations in a really
good way. Some schools I'm working with have adopted the Units of Study
as their writing curriculum. It's been interesting to see how
this rather challenging resource has put everyone on a level playing
field with instruction. It has motivated rich dialogue and reflection
and challenged the thinking of all teachers. It's fun to watch!
Marilyn
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Wendy
Good Morning Marilyn and all,
I am close by you here in Australia and like you am busy reading all the
interesting postings that appeared while we were sleeping.
I was attracted to your book because of your use of language-this is so
important when we work with teachers (and children). The sub-title said
it all…Instructional Dialogue. Language can be inclusive or exclusive
and I have worked with these ideas through Jan Turbill’s model of
teacher learning. (Jan is a colleague of Cambourne.) Throughout your
book it seems to me your language choices are key. I used to often ask
teachers where they needed help or support but shifting that to “What
are your questions?” is an important shift. In fact I can’t remember a
response that was not positive in terms of us setting an agenda to work
together. Here in Sydney, Australia I work with young leaders who work
with the teachers in their schools. They all have a copy of your book.
Discovering the power of language choice and shifting to "instructional
dialogue" will take time for some. It is all linked to our beliefs about
learning.
I am also interested to read about the use being made of Brian
Cambourne’s conditions of learning. I work with Brian and his work is
not mentioned much here in Australia
now. There is a bit of an agenda about moving on! Mind you I keep those
conditions as a sort of checklist in the work that I do.
Two weeks ago I attended the International ACEL/ASCD conference which
was here in Sydney.
We were thrilled to hear a range of speakers from the USA, UK and here.
The theme was imagining the future. As I listened to these forward
looking speakers embracing new technologies etc., I realised what
underpinned the approach of every single one was engagement, motivation,
risk taking etc. In short the conditions of learning. They were not
mentioned but they were there!
Best go and continue my day-thanks for all your thoughts.
Wendy Bean
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Marilyn
Dear Wendy,
I
think those of us who really embraced Brian Cambourne's work do have the
conditions of learning embedded as a checklist as we work through
processes. What I really find fascinating is when I am thinking through
a challenge and all of a sudden - Wham! - there they are, making the
solution much easier to explain and understand.
I
appreciate your comments about the use of language in the coaching book.
As you well know, determining the language to use when you are trying to
make your meaning clear is so much more challenging when writing than
when speaking. It seemed a little easier for me in the coaching book
than the kindergarten book because I had to think much more clearly
about how I expressed myself when speaking as a coach. One of the
examples I remember distinctly was making a shift from using the word
"I" with the teachers I supported to "we." As Mark mentioned in
his post - "we are all in this together." The use of the word "I" when
coaching made it feel as if the reflection was something I was doing to
them rather than the two of us working through their question together.
It was one of those low leverage, high impact changes. It seemed small
but it had huge implications.
Thanks again for your kind words of support.
Marilyn
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Carla
Hi Marilyn and others,
B. Cambourne’s conditions of learning has been referenced several times
throughout the discussions. I’ve searched several publishers and found
some books by Cambourne, but the book descriptions do not mention
conditions of learning. I’m wondering if anyone has a particular title
or two that focuses on his theory.
I
have taught 20 years in grades 1 through 6. I am currently a title
teacher in an all sixth grade building and have my masters in reading.
Our district does not have literacy coaches, but I strongly believe that
in order to make changes in instruction to improve student learning,
teachers need ongoing support and guidance. However, our superintendent
does not feel the same. I intend to meet with him to discuss the
advantages of literacy coaching. I am wondering if you have any advice
or suggestions for me. (I have read your book and several others related
to coaching and teachers as leaders, and I’ve printed off your key
beliefs in your first post.)
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to have these conversations.
Carla
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Katie
Dear All,
A
pdf file to download about the Conditions for Learning from FLARE -
Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence website:
http://flare.ucf.edu/ProfessionalPapers/FLaRE%20Professional%20Paper%20-%20Conditions%20for%20Learning.pdf
Role of Social Interactions in Learning
Marcia Halpin, FLaRE Area 5 Coordinator
mhalpin@mail.ucf.edu What are characteristics of a classroom that
capitalize on the role of social interactions in learning? Brian
Cambourne (1995), an educational anthropologist from Australia, has been
researching learning, especially literacy learning, since the early
1970’s. He has identified eight conditions or prerequisites that promote
literacy learning.
Immersion - saturating the learner with literacy experiences.
Demonstration – modeling literate behaviors, formally and informally.
Expectation – learners “get the message” that they can and will learn.
Responsibility – learners choose what they will “try out” or explore
intellectually as they are continuously immersed in demonstrations of
literate behaviors.
Approximations – learners approximate literacy behaviors at their own
level of development. They are not required to understand and use all
aspects of literacy appropriately before attempting to use what they do
know.
Employment – opportunities to use and practice what they are learning
alone and with others.
Response – formal and informal feedback.
Engagement – learners must actively participate in literacy experiences.
Learners are more likely to engage in literacy activities when the other
conditions are present.
Don Holdaway (2000), a member of the International Reading Association’s
Hall of Fame, describes similar conditions for learning:
Demonstration – immersion in environments of skill use that lead to
learners’ engagement in approximating what they have observed.
Participation – learners choose which demonstrations (responsibility) to
approximate. The teacher (formally or informally) often responds to
these approximations on the spot.
Role Playing or Practice – Holdaway emphasizes the importance of
self-correction. This is a form of self response that supports the
development of “learning-to-learn” (Holdaway, 2000, p. 15).
Performance – “an appeal for group acknowledgement, not an appeal to be
judged better than the others” (Holdaway, 2000, p. 16).
These conditions do not exist in isolation. For example, a learner’s
ability and willingness to approximate behaviors in which she has not
been immersed and seen demonstrated is unlikely. Both Cambourne and
Holdaway have described conditions for learning in isolation but
emphasize the synergy between them in actual practice.
These conditions provide a foundation for learning that should be woven
throughout all aspects of the classroom environment. Cambourne (2000)
described three elements of the learning environment that impact
literacy learning. They include:
the physical environment, including materials,
interactions between the teacher, learners and the materials, and
routines and events.
Katie Moeller, Coordinator
The Learning Network
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Joyce
Hi All,
Just as students work and learn in cooperative groups; so too do
educators. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Literacy Coaching
because Marilyn does a superb job allowing us to learn as we work with
others. Another interesting book to read is Reflective Practice to
Improve Schools. It too explores the relationships and classroom
expectations through reflection and dialogue.
Joyce Culkin
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Marilyn
Hello Joyce,
Another resource that I have valued over the years is Donald Shon's
book - The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action.
Reading that resource provided a developmental model for some of our
initial work with Instructional Dialogue. Reflection is not a
step-by-step process. Where one phase ends and the other begins is often
hard to determine. My attempt to describe it simply is below.
Shon talks about the need for the "professional" to
describe the situation
The teacher is talking about his or her student data and instructional
practices. The skill of the coach is to listen carefully to what the
teacher is saying to plan support for the teacher's reflection.
analyze the description
The teacher is thinking about what the data is telling him/her. The
skill of the coach is to listen and ask the kinds of questions that will
lead the teacher to deeper analysis of the information.
challenge
their thinking about what they know and
what they need to know
The teacher is coming to understand the changes that need to be made in
instruction that will improve student learning. The skill of the coach
through skillful questioning is to keep the teacher's focus on student
learning and how instruction will change.
reconstruct - change the instructional
practice based on what they now have learned
The teacher makes a commitment to the change in practice and can
articulate how this will happen and why it's important. The skill of the
coach is having the knowledge to support this articulation and the skill
to provide feedback when following up the implementation in the
classroom.
This developmental cycle is one more support as coaches begin to think
about how support can be provided.
Marilyn
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Wendy
Thanks Marilyn, It sounds like that would be a good read along side
yours. Sometimes we need to find different paths to the same outcome. I
love Carol Rodgers' work too who teaches us to see without judgment which
is also your message.
She wrote an article which I have used a lot called: “Seeing Student
Learning: Teacher Change and the Role of Reflection.” Her work is based
on Dewey.
Wendy
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Debbie
Most of the articles I have of Brian Cambourne’s are from NCTE
publications. He's also published a book called something like Responsive
Evaluation dealing with assessment.
Debbie
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Shelley
The Whole Story by Brian Cambourne is one text and he has written
several articles for the Reading Teacher Journal from IRA.
Shelley Levy
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Wendy
Hi Carla,
Brian C did a good article in the Reading Teacher November 1995. Vol
49 No 3. Many are saying how relevant his work is on the
conditions of learning.
Wendy
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Marilyn
Hello Carla,
It's a beautiful and chilly spring
morning here in New
Zealand and I have been excited to wake up and read all of your great
posts. I see that you've had lots of support while I was sleeping in
sourcing information about Cambourne's Conditions of Learning. My
favorite is still
The Whole Story.
It's been hard to find over the past few years but it's always a great
read and reread.
In my experience, the best way to get a superintendent's attention in a
meeting is with compelling data. When I meet with the superintendent I
usually precede the meeting by sending the superintendent a brief (1-2
page paper) around what I want to talk about. I have learned through the
years that if it's more than two pages most people won't read it. I
bring with me data (prepared in color, with graphs what will quickly
allow me to tell the story I want to tell).
What information would I bring to the table with this superintendent?
- Chapter 8 in my book gives an overview of the research that supports
instructional dialogue (Qualities of Effective Instruction, Job-embedded
professional development, Teacher choice in their own learning,
Reflection, and Feedback).
- You might also look at the Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse website (NCTE
and IRA sponsor this). There is a library where you can search
research. http://www.literacycoachingonline.org/library.html
- There are some data examples on the Richard C Owen website from
schools supported by The Learning Network that might be of interest to
your superintendent http://www.rcowen.com/TLN-Making%20News.htm
- There is also compelling data from Boston Public Schools about their
Collaborative Coaching model http://www.bpe.org/research.htm
- Here's another article written by Theresa Deussen and Marsha Riddle
Buly http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/12-01/brief/
I think we all realize there is not enough research to directly link the
impact of literacy coaching on student achievement but maybe some of you
on this listserve have additional data to share.
I wouldn't bring all of this information to the superintendent but I
would pick one or two items to share that I could talk very convincingly
about. And if you have stories of the impact of approximations of
coaching through your work (with teachers and the impact on kids) I'd
share that as well. Many researchers say that good research is really
supported by good stories.
Good luck!
Marilyn
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Judi
Carla, In order to make a sound proposal for using coaching, I would
encourage you to look up the work of Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers.
Their research makes a strong case that other forms of professional
development e.g. demonstration, modeling, information (like a workshop
etc.) basically do not get at any capacity building. Only when a
coach is involved in supporting a new innovation, can the innovation
take hold and become part of a culture.
Hope this is helpful.
Judi Gottschalk
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Geri
I'd like to explore the idea of putting Conditions for Learning at a
bit deeper level as we apply them to our work with adults-both in the
coaching sessions and the area of professional development. I so often
see that when we start planning professional development at a district
level for adults, our understanding of using The Teaching Learning
Cycle and the Conditions of Learning suddenly seem to go underground.
Across the country, I still see mostly "one size fits all" for
professional development. These constructs of Conditions of Learning
and The Teaching Learning Cycle and the Reflective Process are part of
my soul, so it's easy for me to see the vision of how they are used at
all levels at all times. I'm struggling with the application of these
ideas at the district level and would love to dig a bit deeper into this
notion.
Geri
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Marilyn
Hello Geri,
I think this is a great topic. I would bet that anyone who sits very
often at district level meetings would whole heartedly agree with you. I
still believe that facilitation of large groups of adults is the most
challenging professional development that I've experienced. And I
believe that many people are put into the role of facilitator without a
lot of facilitation experience. I think that planning meetings for these
district experiences often focus on the content but seldom focus on the
facilitation.
When I think about high quality professional development at the district
level, I think of what might make up the qualities for successful
professional development.
Content
- Clearly stated outcomes based on identified needs of
participants
How often are district meetings planned around the idea that the
facilitators are responsible for the learning of participants? What do
we want these folks to learn and how will that learning be evidenced in
their work?
- Time for reflection on research, theory, content
Do we provide opportunity for participants to read and reflect on
information that links directly to the outcome? What information are
we using to help deliver the content?
- Time for reflection on the participants "real work"
What data will participants be asked to bring that will link what they
are learning to what they are doing in their schools? How can we ensure
the data brought will be manageable and meaningful?
- Commitment made by participants to implement new learning
What will we expect people to be able to do when they go back to their
jobs? How will we provide feedback? How will we know that what we have
taught has been learned? What evidence are we looking for on the job?
- Reflections about the quality of the content and facilitation by
the participants
What evaluation questions will help us evaluate the effectiveness
of this meeting (both content and facilitation)? What do we want to
know?
Facilitation
- Agenda with outcomes and expectations of learning available to
participants
How transparent are we about what we want folks to learn and how would
we like them to apply that learning?
- Careful planning for how time will be used
What information will need to be delivered to the whole group?
Where will we provide time for personal reflection?
What might be the advantage of working in pairs?
When will small groups be effective and why will we group this way?
How will people be asked to share information from the groups they work
with?
What opportunities might present themselves for people to go out and
practice what they are learning in small groups in their schools, then
come back to debrief? If we can't get out into buildings, what other
tools can we use to make the practice more meaningful?
- Opportunity
to debrief facilitation and plan to collect feedback around the
effectiveness of this meeting
How will we use this information from the evaluation to plan for our
work with these people?
What does the evaluation tell us about changes we might need to make in
either content or facilitation or both?
What do you think?
Marilyn
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Gen
Your coaching training is similar to mine. I totally share in your
philosophy as well. However, when all is said and done, the teachers
still don’t want to be coached!!! I have tried to allow teachers the
flexibility to sign up for coaching times and pick areas they want some
support. It finally comes to the point where I just say, “I am assigning
this time.” I have done most anything and everything to make the
experience positive and non-threatening. I find that many teachers do
not feel a need to be coached. As hard as I try to convince them that we
are in this together for the sake of the children, it continues to be an
issue. I want it to be a professional dialogue around student learning.
The teachers know that coaching is an expected component of our
professional lives but they sure seem to struggle with the concept.
Any suggestions?
Gen
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Katie
the teachers still don’t want to be coached!!!
The above statement is very true. However, a big difference in the model
of coaching the Learning Network has designed over the years and what I
see school districts adopting is a structure that includes a role for
administrators. Marilyn does a nice job describing that structure in
her book on pages 77, 78, and 79.
Many districts simply adopt coaching and it is up to the teachers and
the coach to figure out how the process is going to work. There has to
be development of the structures and "way of work."
It is the leader's role to help the faculty understand that being
coached is a process of learning that is part of the culture of the
school. It is the way we do things around here....is the message that
becomes part of what the school is all about.
Unfortunately because of historic experiences, people tend to think
being coached means being in need of improvement. Therefore the fears
have to be addressed, structures have to be put in place, roles have to
be defined and the leader has to lead! :) Coaches can not work in
isolation; they work with the administrator and the teachers to help
support effective teaching and learning.
Regards,
Katie
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Marilyn
Hi Gen,
Katie hits the nail on the head when she says, "Coaches can not work in
isolation; they work with the administrator and the teachers to help
support effective teaching and learning." Coaching is not a job you can
do by yourself.
Chapter 7 in my coaching book talks about the process one school used to
determine the focus for coaching. And the focus was all around student
achievement data. In this example, the school's data shows that less
than 25% of students have achieved proficiency in writing on the state
assessment. This data ends the conversation about whether coaching is
needed or not. The data provide the brutal facts about writing in this
school and the need for the staff (as a group) to solve the challenges
students are facing.
In schools where I'm currently working, many of
the personal challenges that
teachers face with student achievement come out of discussions in grade
level meetings. When the conversation begins with current challenges
around student learning, teachers are sometimes more willing to open up
about where they are stuck and the kids they are stuck with. Even though
that conversation may be focused around what certain kids can't do, the
coach can often turn those comments into a good professional development
question.
For instance, one group of teachers I was working with recently were
sure they could not use the new resources for reading instruction
because their second language kids had "no background knowledge."
After a long discussion among the team about what the kids didn't know
-- I said, "So it sounds like our question is - What kind of questions
do we have to ask to determine the background knowledge our students
have?" I'm not sure they were all convinced that was the question they
had - but they couldn't argue that background knowledge was their issue.
We discussed strategies for tapping into kids’ background knowledge by
planning for some shared reading instruction. I demonstrated with kids
and they all watched. We found that these kids knew a lot more than the
teachers expected them to know. Following that demonstration they were a
little more willing to give the resources a try. We talked as a group
about what we'd try individually, we talked about how we'd be provided
feedback, and we talked about the data we would bring when we came back
in two weeks to the next grade level meeting.
So whether or not you are determining the focus of coaching with an
individual or a small group, I think there are structures that are
helpful.
Expectation - The building administrator sets the expectation that the
focus of coaching will be around the gaps in student achievement.
Regular - The work with the coach will be regular (grade level meetings,
individual coaching happen on a regular basis).
Systematic - There will be a system to the way we work (we review
student data, we look for personal challenges to instruction as a result
of that data, we determine the kind of support we need with instruction,
we plan for that support and the impact our commitment to changing
instruction will have on student learning - what do we expect to see in
2/3 weeks).
Focused - It's all about changes in instruction that will impact student
learning.
Hope this is helpful.
Marilyn
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Yvonne
One of things I always ask when working with teachers is: "What can I do
to help you do your work better?" Another important question to ask
teachers is: "Was that helpful? Why or why not?"
Another important aspect of coaching is following the teacher's lead. I
think that some teachers may be resistant to being coached because they
think it's just more work and nonsense. How teachers are approached and
how the coaches interact with them are crucial. This is why I always
follow the teacher's lead.
Yvonne Siu-Runyan, Professor Emerita
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Marilyn
Dear Yvonne,
Thanks for your thoughts. One thing they remind me of is how
good teaching is good teaching regardless of who you are working with.
When I'm challenged with a teacher I support, I often go back to what I
know about good teaching with children. While I am ever mindful of the
differences in working with adult learners, one thing is not different
and that is "following the learner's lead."
Marilyn
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Lenny
Hi Yvonne,
I agree that "following the teacher's lead" is important. Do you mind
describing what aspect(s) of it you are referring to? I'm wondering
about the different ways that a person can go about doing this.
Thanks,
Lenny
12a |
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Yvonne
Hi Lenny,
Great question, Lenny. What I mean by following the teacher's lead is as
follows.
One of things I learned is that sometimes coaches provide information
teachers are not ready to hear. For example, one of the teachers with
whom I worked asked me about rehearsal in writing. I answered her
question about why rehearsal in writing is so important, and how she
might go about helping her students rehearse before they draft a piece
of writing. Unfortunately, I did not stop there. I went on and on and
made suggestions about helping students draft, revise, edit, and how
using literature is an important part of the writing process. This
particular teacher's eyes went blank. I could see that she was not
engaged, but I kept on talking AT her. That evening, I asked my husband
a question about the computer. My husband knows computers, and so he
answered my question and went on and on and on, like I did in the
situation I described above. I tuned out my husband, and he was a bit
upset with me. I then told my husband that he was giving me too much
information and it was confusing me. I immediately remembered the
teacher whose eyes went blank when I gave her too much information.
So, the next day, I trotted myself to this particular teacher's
classroom, knocked on her door, and asked her if I could chat with her.
She graciously said, "YES." I apologized for my insensitivity. This
teacher was astonished that I apologized to her. She told me that she
just tuned me out after awhile. We had a good chuckle about the
situation, and then discussed the importance of following the learner's
lead in any learning/teaching situation. I sure learned a lot from this
experience. Had I not gone back and apologize for my insensitivity and
my need to throw information at her, I would have lost this teacher.
When I was working as a consultant for one of the school districts in
Colorado, I informed the principals of the 5 schools with whom I worked,
that I did not have a "canned" program for their schools. They were
shocked at first. When we discussed how I wanted to approach the
teachers with the principals, they were supportive. So, when the
principals introduced me to their teachers, each of the principals told
their teachers that I was there to help them with their agenda and
needs. I could see the teachers sigh with relief. The teachers didn't
want a "know it all" to be helping them. So, what happened is that each
of the principals would have one, two, or maybe more floating subs. I
did some of the following at the teachers' request.
1. Demonstrate lesson(s) for one or more teachers while they watched.
After we would debrief.
2. Have a small group discussion.
3. Meet one on one with a teacher.
I also would have my car packed with professional materials so that if
teacher(s) wanted to read a book, an article, etc. about a particular
topic, I had the resources readily available for them.
I believe that all learners (our students and the teachers) know what
they need, if we asked them, and then honor them.
This is a good online conversation.
Yvonne Siu-Runyan, professor emeriti
12b |
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Freida
I
usually save these in a file to read later because this semester has
been so busy with three new hires in my field in our department.
However, I find I must reply to this comment.
People react to us according to the way we approach them.
If teachers are reacting negatively to you as a literacy coach, then ask
the question, what am I doing that makes them react in this way?
Are you trying to tell them what they are doing wrong? Begin with what
they are doing right and then ask if you can share something that you
have found helpful. As a university person I find that I often have to
prove that I still have the classroom abilities before teachers respect
me, perhaps that is the problem. There is a wonderful book, Change the Way You
See Everything Through Asset-Based Thinking by Kathryn Cramer that
can help you see things in a different perspective.
I am not saying, just tell them good things, but teachers learn just
like our students; Vygotsky, zone of proximal development, what are they
almost doing right. That is what you want to work on, and then praise
them when they get it right.
Freida Golden Ph. D.
Tarleton
State University
Curriculum & Instruction
Howell 308
Stephenville, TX 76401
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Marilyn
Hi Freida,
I
think the best way for teachers to identify what they are doing "right"
is to start with students they are being successful with. That is often
where I start in individual or grade level meetings that I referred to
in a previous post. I usually ask them to bring a student they are
having great success with. We look at those kids first and determine
what in their instruction has caused the growth in the student.
This is so hard for teachers to talk about -- they will attribute the
parents, the teaching assistant, the amount of time the kid reads at
home, the quality of the water :) -- before they will give themselves
credit for what the kid is doing. When they go through the litany of
reasons for growth, I just keep saying -- "And what else?" until I can
get them to think about their own strengths. Then I often list what they
have done as teachers to make the impact (at the same time bringing in
things I have noticed in the classroom).
By doing this, I hope they can see that it's the teacher that makes the
difference. If they are able to see what they've done to make it work,
then they are more likely to wonder what they need to do when it's not
working.
Marilyn
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Freida
You are so right. Teachers do make a difference, I see it every day.
Great idea to help them see the differences they make.
Freida Golden Ph. D.
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Debbie
"As a university person I find that I often have to prove that I still
have the classroom abilities before teachers respect me, perhaps that is
the problem." I really agree with what you say, Frieda, but I think
it might be more than that...I'm thinking that sometimes we all feel
threatened by what we consider to be more knowledgeable others, those
who operate from and can articulate a different theoretical and
practical framework to use in the classroom, and the like. On the other
side, teachers have been really bashed lately through policies like the NCLB, the almost total focus on standardized test results, and low
graduation rates...Teachers have been bashed from all sides. While
I've not been as thorough as Katie or you, Frieda, one thing seems clear
- all of us respond better when focus is placed on what we do well and
we're treated with respect. Literacy coaching as Marilyn has written
about is a positive way of reinforcing a respectful relationship with
each other (coaches, mentors, university person, and teachers...and
students). Other good resources on coaching (sorry Richard) are Cathy
Toll's books on literacy coaching.
Debbie
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Marilyn
Hi Debbie,
I
also think the federal mandates have put a whole different twist on
teaching. The pressure for student performance is much more intense than
it was when I first started coaching. Also, I believe that many more
districts have adopted "programs" as their answer to improving student
learning. The result (while not intended) is that the focus shifts to
the program and not to the student.
Sometimes when I am walking through classrooms with administrators and
coaches and everyone is focused on whether the teacher is doing it
"right," I'm tempted to stand in the middle of the room and yell -- "But
is anyone learning anything???" Instead I quietly say, "What learning
is occurring in this room?" and they usually look at me and say -- "Oh
yeah -- learning...."
I'm being a bit facetious but I do think that we can lose sight of what
is really important really quickly.
And by the way, I read every coaching book that I can get my hands on. I
think Cathy Toll's work (along with many others) always give a balanced
perspective to what I'm trying to figure out!
Marilyn
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Debbie
Hi Marilyn,
Great to talk to you! I feel that when I teach my university students
that coaching is really what I'm doing and all for the reasons mentioned
here. The focus has to always be on the students and their learning.
Thanks for the reminder.
Debbie
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Freida
I
agree that teachers have been the focus of much disrespect and that is
why those within their own profession as curriculum directors, literacy
coaches, administrators, university people who work with cooperating
teachers for student interns must show them utmost respect. In
addition, if you think that as a university person we don’t face the
same political firestorm that K-12 schools do, then you misunderstand
what education programs actually do, because we are here for the
schools. NCLB has hurt us all. If someone feels threatened because
they think I know more than they do and I was hired to help them in
their classroom, then the first thing I must do is build a relationship.
The statement from Marilyn’s book, “It is a process of learning that is
the culture of the school.” When everyone understands we are all in
this together and we are all learning together, then no one should feel
inferior. I can learn something from you; you can learn something from
me. We learn from each other.
I
learn new things each year from my students.
Freida Golden Ph. D.
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Suzanne
I
couldn't agree more! I have had the privilege of being a coach on a
campus for the past seven years. I began the position as a half day
teacher and half day coach. Being in the trenches with
teachers--working along side of them in my own classroom--helped me earn
their respect as a fellow educator. They knew that I was trying to
improve my practices right alongside of them.
It is only the last two years that I have become a full time coach--due
in large part to the staff seeing the need for my position to be more
than part time! I believe the supports that have been in place from
the beginning are the development of the understandings of my
position/role with the staff and working in an environment where staff
development is not an option--it is part of our daily practices.
Suzanne
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Marilyn
Hi Suzanne,
To me, the important point you are making in this post links right back
to a comment made in previous post.
"I often have to prove that I still have the classroom abilities before
teachers respect me."
Your work for seven years (five where you were half time in the
classroom if I understand correctly) in the trenches proved to the
teachers that you were facing the same challenges they were facing with
student learning. I'm sure that you provided a model of reflection on a
daily basis. That model enabled you to move out of the classroom to a
full time coaching position.
The other very important point you are making is that you have been
doing this for seven years. There are no quick fixes out there - and
coaching relationships develop over time.
Marilyn
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Kathy
I
think the unease professionals often feel makes it even more important
to be sure the Conditions of Learning are present. I know whenever I
attend a TLN conference or institute I walk away feeling empowered even
though I am surrounded by more knowledgeable others. (Katie also
suggested that they also keep in mind Maslow's Hierarchy of needs, and I
know they plan for our Zone of Proximal Development.) So....how do we
begin to put all of those in place for such a large, diverse population?
Kathy
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Debbie
Absolutely! We begin by exploring our beliefs about teaching and
learning and by starting the conversation like we have here. You know
this feels a lot like being open to having a conversation - sort of like
Eco's thinking about open and closed texts - Open conversations that
start with what everyone has been saying...it is all in how we approach
things and it takes time - a lot of time to build up these
relationships. This is a never-ending endeavor though - it is not a
checklist that we complete - but rather an ongoing, reflective,
thoughtful act based on the needs of the teachers (their school
culture)...this conversation is really giving me food for thought!
Debbie
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Debbie
I
learn things all the time from my students with some of them
highlighting areas I need to reflect on myself. I do not believe that
university teachers are facing anything different than preK-12 teachers
do as that is the nature of education and the job of education
programs. However, I was looking at it from the perspective of some of
the teachers who felt comfortable enough with me to share some of their
fears and concerns with me. I obviously should have been more clear
about this part. 
Education is all about relationships...life is all about
relationships...but education as an institution has always tried to
divide and conquer - teachers are not excluded from this at any
level. And it often is a mirror of our society, or culture, if you
will.
Debbie
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Gen
Frieda,
If you only knew how much I praise them and look for the strengths.
Thank you for the advice, but I would say that in this case, the comment
does not apply. I do also work three hours a day IN the classroom so I
certainly understand the struggles.
I
am very cognizant of Vygotsky's work.
Our district typically does well on standardized test scores and thus,
there is less desire to change since things seem to be working well.
Gen
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Marilyn
Hi Gen,
I
think you face a very different challenge - when standardized test
scores are high. It's hard to convince teachers that school-wide
practices need to change when the data doesn't really show it.
My experiences in districts like you describe have been to look at the
bottom quartile of kids. In my experience the students who begin in the
bottom quartile are the kids who stay there for their school careers. So
the conversation often focuses school wide on the question - Do we know
how to teach our hardest to teach kids?
Another subgroup we focus on in schools with higher student achievement
are the kids at the top. Are we meeting the needs of our students who
are the ones we don't worry about? What do we need to do to extend their
learning?
I
hope these thoughts give you a few more ideas to open the doors.
Marilyn
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Gen
Marilyn,
Thank you. Your points are well taken. Our literacy team is just now
having that conversation, so your comments are timely, appropriate, and
affirming. I like your question and will definitely bring that to the
discussion table.
Part of me feels that teachers are being asked to put so much on their
plates that they are not given the time needed to reflect on best
practice or application. We meet during prep time and lunch time…or
after school when everyone is already brain dead. Coaching almost
becomes “another thing” to do. I believe…teaching mandates time for
reflection and thoughtful planning…both of which are often times
treated as a luxury instead of a necessity.
Gen
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Katie
Dear Gen,
Complacency creeps in doesn't it? Recently I drove to a small town in
Florida (New Port Richie) to meet with the principal and teachers. What
amazed me about this school was their deep desire to learn and grow.
Why? This school is an A+ school. They have received over four
hundred thousand dollars over the past few years for being an A+
school. They appear to lack for nothing in terms of the physical plant,
materials, etc. And yet they were asking me to visit because they want
to continue to grow and learn. Many educators if placed in their
position would be quite happy with their results and go on auto-pilot.
However this staff is ready to start a rigorous process of further
renewal and self-examination. It was an amazing experience. I know you
are right....there are those who are comfortable with the student
performance data they have achieved and feel like "all is well." We
have to create an unending thirst for exploring our collective and
individual "unknown."
I
believe that starts with leadership. The very young principal of the
school I visited leads his entire faculty in the quest for continuous
improvement. As a result they are the first secondary school in Pasco
County to achieve AYP...and they are not stopping.
Katie
27a |
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Lori
I struggle
with this a bit as I work with first year teachers (among others) and
this year have two extremely tough teachers in terms of the challenges
they present. Frankly, their practice is so poor, I struggle to coach.
They seem to expect me to write their lesson plans for them (and I am
working with over 100 teachers) and what does happen in the classrooms
flies in the face of district expectation, best practice and the reality
of their situation.
As an example, they recently completed the DRA2
assessment (not normally required of students in the age groups they
work with, but written into their school improvement plan) and
discovered their middle school aged students to be successful in terms
of decoding and accuracy at a 4-5 level, and able to comprehend at much
lower levels. I assisted in this assessment, as the tool is new to
them, so I can tell you that I believe this to be a pretty honest
accounting of the situation. We met afterwards to discuss the testing
and the implications for classroom practice, as well as how this might
be impacting classroom behavior plans. We talked about how it would
still be possible to teach to the standards (a big push for them, part
of an alternative certification program), but to do so through materials
which offer this group of readers more of an invitation. And today (two
weeks later) I arrived to watch a lesson fall apart before my eyes as
the students were being asked to do a round robin, cold-read of The
Cask of Amontillado. I don’t know where to start!!
Lori
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Marilyn
Dear Lori,
First of all, working with over 100 teachers sounds daunting enough
without the additional challenges you describe.
Here's what I'm thinking. I think it's terrific that the teachers have
the DRA2 data because it probably confirms what we know about older
struggling readers - that meaning is usually the issue. From what you
have said, it seems that understanding reading is a huge issue for the
teachers as well.
I'm wondering if these teachers have seen reading instruction where
meaning is the focus. Is there someone they can watch or is there
someone who could come in and work with some of their students with a
focus on just a small component of meaning making - like predicting and
confirming? It seems to me that observing a demonstration with readers
who are struggling with meaning-making, debriefing what they saw and
planning for their next two weeks of instruction would be a good start.
If they used short pieces of text (that someone else helped them select)
where the kids are doing the predicting, thinking, and confirming and
the teacher is doing the reading (planning when and where to stop for
conversation) you might see an impact on the learners and the teachers.
If you are only seeing them every two weeks, is there someone who can
provide them feedback on this very small step in the meantime?
I
have done a lot of work with beginning teachers in the past couple of
years. We actually came up with a structure of what we expected them to
take on in the first week through the sixth week of our work with them.
It was very structured and seemed like very small steps but it had a big
impact on management and initial instruction. It enabled them to see the
need to group their students differently by the end of the six weeks but
it meant that they were getting a lot of support from their coaches.
What I'm suggesting is determining some very small steps that will
benefit both the teacher and the learner (making and confirming
predictions), providing some demonstrations with students who are
similar to the ones they are challenged with, and then setting
expectations for regular instruction focused on the same objectives for
teacher and student.
Hope this helps,
Marilyn
29 |
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Lori
They have observed (and poopooed what they saw, for lack of a better
word). Because my background is in elementary literacy, I sought help
from one of my building coaches. (Some buildings have coaches, some
don’t.) I had thought perhaps working with someone closer to their age,
who has the same alternative path to teaching and who works
(successfully) with our most troubled readers at the high school level
might help, but my fellow coach got the cold shoulder. Because I am in
this building every other week, I worked to get them access to a
statewide network of curriculum maps (which are linked to lesson plans).
One teacher did download and review some, the other did not. Resources
are an issue, as is isolation. And though I have a coach in the
building, she is a coach in name only. She has a class of her own, is
spread thinner than thin and truly pretty much collects things, spreads
the word about district deadlines, that sort of thing. I have attempted
to establish some email support for them. Our middle school coach (one
large middle school, does not serve the entire district) has offered to
meet with them, but they would have to go to her. I also contacted
their regional program director and have met with him twice. He is also
very concerned and is reaching out as well.
Today I took a textbook series out to them, one that we are previewing
for our high school. It is a sound text (as much as I am not a textbook
bandwagon sort of person), well laid out with a balanced approach to
literacy that includes writing, reading, speaking and listening with an
emphasis on social learning. However, the stories are written at a
significantly lower reading level (without sounding as if they are!).
The audience is limited English learners, second language or severely
delayed readers (we hit two out of three there—LEP, delayed readers).
The primary appeal, IMO, is that the text looks like a high school
text. It addresses NCTE standards through literature that is
invitational. I have a preview set from another company designed for
middle school arriving on Monday and the principal is ready to sign the
purchase order. I have suggested that we consider the text as a general
structure for their teaching, with a plan to stay a bit closer to the
bones, so to speak, until they feel more comfortable with the curriculum
at this level.
In their defense, putting poorly prepared first year teachers into the
most challenging positions is just not fair to anyone involved. And it
helps to just think this through by having a conversation with you!
Lori
30 |
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Marilyn
Hi Lori,
Somehow, I thought that you would have already tried what was suggested.
I
think the idea of a textbook series is a good one. Sometimes the
supports provided are what a new teacher needs when a coach cannot be
alongside as often as we might like. The only suggestion I would add is
that the expectation about the use of the resource is tied to student
learning and that message comes from the administrator. (Because of the
use of this resource as a support for you, we'll expect your students
will learn ___ in the next three weeks as evidenced by ____.) What they
are looking for as evidence of learning could be part of the support
from you or another coach and should be rather obvious because of how
the resource is probably organized.
I
concur with you whole heartedly about the challenges brand new teachers
face in difficult situations. I believe if we are going to be providing
alternative certification for teachers to work in challenging schools,
we need to have a very strong plan for the support they will receive.
Marilyn
31 |
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Jane
Hi Everyone,
Several years ago the state where I am employed, was one of the first to
adopt reading coaches as a way to improve professional development in
reading/writing. We were assigned to schools that did not show
improvement in their AYP for three years and there was at least 15% of
the school population who did not score at the proficient level.
Needless to say, when I first met with the school administrators they
were on guard and thought that I may be a "spy" for the state dept. of
education. The teachers also could not understand why I would be
working along side of them to model effective strategies to teach
reading.
My most important job was to convince the teachers that I had no
evaluative role and that I was there to model effective strategies
and serve more as a team teacher along side of them. This took awhile
and I found it more effective to spend my time with the teachers who
regarded me as an ally with the hope that my presence in their classroom
would create a ripple effect to convince their colleagues to come on
board with the rest of us. I feel that your most important ally in this
role is your principal. If the principal is not an instructional leader
and can't get past the fact that there are great research based
strategies to help all teachers grow in their pedagogy it almost becomes
a lost cause. Of the three schools where I coached, the only school that
advanced its learning (both teachers and students) was the school where
the principal took the leadership role, supported me, and attended all
of our collegial discussions, book studies, etc. The two other schools
just were not receptive to even consider that on-going learning among
professionals is both necessary and productive. There are teachers out
there who have not taken courses since their bachelor degrees and as
many of you have already stated- they don't want to be coached. The
trick is to make them feel that we are all in this together.
Jane
31a |
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Lenny
Hi Marilyn,
I
appreciate your description of how you think about the conditions for
learning in your work (and our work) with teachers. It's always helpful
to be reminded of some of the "bsics" that we should be keeping in
mind! In your introductory email, you mentioned that one starting place
for this discussion could be to talk about some of these basics or
"skills" that are important for coaches to understand as they engage
in instructional dialogue. In thinking back to when I was first
learning how to conduct an instructional dialogue, one tension I always
faced was "when to listen, when to question, and when to tell." I know
that you raise this issue in your book, but I am wondering if you could
elaborate on this in this discussion. What guides you as you
make decisions in when to listen, question, and tell?
Thanks,
Lenny
32 |
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Marilyn
Hello Lenny,
I
have these fond memories of you in teacher leader training with Vicki
Weseman and a great discussion we had about spelling. Hope you are well.
Thanks for asking about the key components of instructional dialogue
that I talk about in the book (Knowing when to listen, Knowing when to
question, Knowing when to tell). There is a description of those
components in Chapter 5.
Knowing when to listen
I
learned a lot about listening by not listening early in my coaching
experiences. I would work alongside a teacher in the classroom,
determine what the teacher "needed," and plow head on into the dialogue
determined to make sure the teacher got what she needed. It was only
when I received feedback on my instructional dialogue that I realized I
wasn't listening at all to what the teacher really wanted out of this
opportunity for reflection. Since then I have had the opportunity to
provide feedback to coaches on many instructional dialogues and my
informal research has shown me that if the coach just listens, teachers
will usually reveal their real challenges in the first few minutes of
the conversation. I am always reminded of the great Marie Clay quote,
"Teaching is likened to a conversation, where we listen carefully to the
speaker before we reply." Once I learned to really listen, then the rest
of the dialogue was much more meaningful to both myself and the teacher.
I listen carefully to confirm what the teacher already knows and to
determine what the teacher can learn next with my support.
Knowing when to question
Another skill I learned through my experiences in instructional dialogue
was to ask questions that encouraged the teacher to talk (which in turn
provided me the opportunity to listen). I might jot down a few
questions while I am working alongside the teacher but the next
questions come from what the teacher has said. I try really hard to ask
questions that are on the cusp of the teachers learning (Vygotsky) in
order to scaffold the new learning I expect to occur. I frame my
questions as often as possible around something concrete (the work of
the student and the teacher). We might bring student work to the
dialogue. I might take notes while watching instruction of student and
teacher responses. We might be looking at the resource the teacher has
selected or at the teacher’s instructional plan for teaching.
Knowing when to tell
Another skill I learned the hard way was that sometimes teachers just
need you to tell them what they might try next. Nothing is more
frustrating to a teacher than being asked question after question
(louder and louder sometimes) and not having any idea where the coach is
going. Many times the teacher is able to come to new learning through
individual reflection and skilled questioning but when asked by the
coach -- "What will this look like tomorrow in your classroom?" I have
had many teachers say to me -- "I have no idea." That's one time when I
know that it's important to tell.
I
want teachers I support to leave our instructional dialogue with the
answers to the questions they have posed. I'd like those answers to come
as a result of my thoughtful listening, and careful questioning. I'd
like the teacher's reflection to result in their not only knowing what
to do differently but why (what's the theory behind the practice) they
would make those changes. And I also want them to have some tools to
know how to make it happen in their classroom.
Marilyn
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Lenny
Marilyn,
Yes, I too remember that conversation! =) In fact, moments like those
linger into the conversations I have today with the undergrads that I
work with. Just today, we were talking about the issues of "teaching"
spelling. Even though I believe I "know" more than I did, it is still a
continual cycle of learning for me right along with them! It's so
much fun! In regards to your response, thank you for sharing your
insights on how you consider when to listen, question, and tell. It
makes me think about how these components of the instructional dialogue
provide a time for the coach (or whomever) and the teacher to reflect on
what the teacher knows, reveal what the teacher might also consider,
and then determine a plan of action in response to the dialogue. Your
book certainly highlights the intricacies of this process which can be
so difficult to navigate at times, yet is so crucial.
Thanks again for your time with this discussion!
Lenny
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Marilyn
Wow, Lenny - where were you when people were reviewing my book? I love
this description...
“It makes me think about how these components of the instructional
dialogue provide a time for the coach (or whomever) and the teacher
to reflect on what the teacher knows, reveal what the teacher might also
consider, and then determine a plan of action in response to
the dialogue.”
Thanks - that's a great analysis!
Marilyn
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Lenny
Thanks for your kind comment, Marilyn.
That is very nice of you. =)
Honestly, this discussion has prompted me to think more about what is
really going on amongst all of the transactions that are taking place
between the teacher and the coach, such as the ones that were mentioned
- questioning, listening, and telling. It seems that if the dialogue is
to transform a teacher's understandings and practices, then the dialogue
needs to be grounded in a context of reflecting, revealing, and
reacting. Of course these are happening in a multitude of ways,
but what is important is that both the teacher and the coach are
engaging in each of these processes. They are reflecting on, revealing,
and reacting to what they know themselves and most importantly, what the
children know. I'm sure there are many more "R's" to consider =), but I
found that situating instructional dialogue in this context helped me to
consider what some of the foundational goals are. So, Marilyn, thanks
for stirring these ideas up and providing me an opportunity to continue
thinking about the significance of instructional dialogue!!
Looking forward to more discussion,
Lenny
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Mark
Marilyn,
Thank you for being with us today. I have been an instructional coach
for the last three years and see great value in my work. My question to
you is, how do we help staff members to see the value in using their
planning time for dialogues?
Mark
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Marilyn
Hi Mark,
This is a really great question and links to what Gen has also said in
her last post.
"Part of me feels that teachers are being asked to put so much on their
plates that they are not given the time needed to reflect on best
practice or application. We meet during prep time and lunch time…or
after school when everyone is already brain dead. Coaching almost
becomes “another thing” to do. I believe… teaching mandates time for
reflection and thoughtful planning…both of which are often times
treated as a luxury instead of a necessity."
I
think we have to go back to the role of leadership in the school and the
opportunity for the staff to define what "planning time" really means.
If planning time is seen as free time in a building, then it will be
hard to convince teachers that using that time regularly for coaching is
a good use of time. So the discussion and expectation of how time is
used will be helpful before that decision is made. When the model of
professional development in your school is coaching, the fact that it is
regular will be non-negotiable. But how it might be structured will
depend a lot upon teachers' needs - so flexibility is key. Sometimes the
questions teachers have are individual, so the coaching is 1:1. At other
times grade levels may have similar questions so it makes more sense to
meet in a group. It's important that teacher and student needs drive the
coaching schedule - not the schedule itself.
It's also the responsibility of the coach to ensure that the "planning
time" used for coaching is actually impacting instructional planning. I
always ask myself if the outcome of my coaching includes time for the
teacher to plan what he or she will do tomorrow based upon what we
learned during this coaching session. So if I have worked with a teacher
on small group reading instruction with a group of low achieving kids,
what will the instruction look like when I meet with them the next time?
What resource will I use and what learning will I expect to occur? If
the teacher regularly leaves the dialogue knowing they are well planned
for the next bit of instruction, then the time will be well spent.
Also, I believe that less is more. So if the teacher has 30 minutes of
planning time, I try to make certain that our dialogue and reflection
last no longer than 15 or 20 minutes. This means that we will only be
working on one small change to instruction which does not worry me
because I know that the coaching structure in the school is regular,
systematic, and focused. (I will live to coach another day!) Teachers
are much happier because they are not only planned for another teaching
episode but they also have time to gather materials for their next bit
of instruction -- and go to the bathroom!
All of this sounds wonderful but is continually fraught with challenges
in the real world of school and to make it work, it takes lots of
patience and practice on the part of the coach and the teacher.
Marilyn
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Mark
Marilyn,
Thank-you for such a wonderful response to a very "loaded" question.
What resonated most with me is your response about "When the model of
professional development in your school is coaching, the fact that it is
regular will be non-negotiable." This is creating that culture of
professionalism that expects and encourages growth in every staff
member. The value comes in knowing that the culture is safe and yet
demanding in professional growth. This comes with the assurance that
"we all are in this together" in the growth and learning about what
works best in our teaching practices. I am very transparent (thanks to
my coach) about sharing what I am working on to make teachers feel that
we are growing and learning along side each other. I show the
staff members that I am coaching what my focus plan is for coaching
before the session starts. This way they know that I value their time
since the focus is about how I can use my time in dialogues to best
serve them during their planning time. Staff has appreciated this
transparency. This also allows staff members to recognize that they
need to do less describing and analyzing and quickly move the discussion
to what are the challenges. This helps staff members get to the
reconstruction and next steps more efficiently. Like you said though
Marilyn, this is in an ideal world, and many times things are not always
ideal in the school setting.
Mark
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Sally
Mark,
I'm interested in hearing more about this section of your post. Please
tell us more about what this looks like and sounds like for you.
"I am very transparent (thanks to my coach) about sharing what I am
working on to make teachers feel that we are growing and learning along
side each other. I show the staff members that I am coaching what my
focus plan is for coaching before the session starts. This way they
know that I value their time since the focus is about how I can use my
time in dialogues to best serve them during their planning time."
Thanks,
Sally
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Mark
Sally,
Every month our coaching team meets with our District Learning
Facilitators (DLF) to work on improving on our best practices in
coaching. The DLF team asks that every member of our coaching team
write a focus plan for their session when they observe us at work
coaching teachers in our building. I have used my last focus plan as a
way to communicate to my caseload of teachers I am coaching what I am
currently working on. This models for them the idea that we are "in
this together." I show my focus plan (i.e. How can I get staff to feel
the value of their planning time for instructional dialoguing and have
the staff feel that their planning time is honored and the dialogue time
was useful? ) My question is open ended but allows staff to see that I
value their planning time and I am working on (by telling them and
showing them my goal) being more efficient in my questioning during
dialogues. I have used teacher planning time for different types of
support as well, like goal setting for the year, and reading student
work.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you need further explanations
Mark
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Kathy
Marilyn,
I have a question I have been pondering...
I see my coaching experience as a continuum...early on, people are very
interested and comfortable with my planning along side them and modeling
lessons. As we move into in our work together, this really becomes a
more shared experience.
The real power I have seen is when I am able to work with a team on a
similar theme - planning, shared instruction and debriefing with the
entire team. I see my role here as an active participant more than a
facilitator. That team continues to work together and sharpen one
another's practices as they reflect together upon the work they are
doing. That is when the amazing learning happens; for kids, teachers
and for me as a coach!
In the past this has happened almost by magic. Any suggestions on how
to further the depth of the work a team can do together...facilitating
the growth of a team as they begin to explore their practices together?
Thanks,
Kathy Porterfield
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Marilyn
Hi Kathy,
It's certainly been a very long time since I've seen you! You saved my
life as I was a fledgling facilitator in some of the summer institutes
years ago. Thanks for that!
I think I said yesterday that I often go back to my
classroom experiences when I'm thinking about planning for coaching. One
of the skills I had to learn as a classroom teacher was managing
the learning of my students. What support could be provided to kids in
whole group, what support would be needed for small groups, and what did
I need to do with individuals. I have found that it is really
no different when working with adults.
It seems to me that what you are describing --- "I am able to work with
a team on a similar theme" - is what I mean but perhaps I have become
more overt in planning for that to happen (not depending quite so much
on magic. :) I sit with the school leadership team regularly (the
building administrator, teacher leaders/coaches, and other key staff)
and we review our current student achievement data based upon goals we
have set at the last data meeting. We talk about the impact our
professional development (whole, small, individual) has had on teacher
and student learning since the last time we had this conversation and
the direction it needs to go next. We make decisions about how
professional development will be delivered. What support needs to be
provided for the whole staff, what support will be provided in small
groups, and who will we support individually? Then the coaching
schedule is determined from there. The decisions to work with a team
usually come because of a common question/challenge that the team is
facing. Why would we address that 1:1 when we all need that support?
You also ask about how to further the depth of the team
working together...I think that feedback is the key here. I'm not sure
how you structure your reflection but many times I see teams
happily meeting around the table and then going off and working on their
own in their classrooms. My friend Dianne Kotaska refers to this as
"comprehension at the literal level."
I believe the important part about teaming at a deeper level is
providing the opportunity for teachers to receive quality
individual feedback on their instruction while still working in a team.
This happens with the folks I'm supporting in different ways. Sometimes
we dig into our group question/challenge together, look at student
work, determine what we'd like to see change and what we'll try,
and determine what it will look like when the students have learned.
Then the teachers go off and work on it (usually it's about 2 weeks).
At the same time, I'm working alongside them individually in
their classrooms. Sometimes co-teaching, sometimes observing,
sometimes demonstrating, always collecting data about their progress and
their student's progress toward the goal. When we meet again,
we essentially have a group instructional dialogue.
The skill I'm trying to master is knowing when to bring out the student
work that is similar in each of their rooms (e.g., the student you've
had the most success with) and facilitating the conversation so that
everyone is talking and discovering the similarities or differences in
what the students did, what they learned, and why. It seems to me that
when the reflection is grounded in student work the conversation is much
deeper. At the same time I'm trying to figure out when it's most
effective for me to share examples of what I've seen in the individual
rooms so they are getting feedback around what works and questions that
cause reflection.
I do think in the most magical :) of situations the reflection is at a
really high level.
Other strategies we are trying have involved videotaping one or
more teachers and all watching the tapes and reflecting around that.
We've observed each other and reflected on that. We've watched
an instructional approach, debriefed about the approach, then gone
back and tried it with another teacher. We've learned a new assessment,
seen it demonstrated, then gone in and tried it. The possibilities are
endless.
This has been my focus this year - to try to figure out how to make
reflection just as meaningful with small groups as with
individuals (I'll talk more about it in my response to Katheryn). I
intentionally put in a session proposal to CCIRA (Colorado)
on this subject to make me figure it out.
Good luck with your efforts!
Marilyn
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Mark
Kathy,
This is a wonderful question. We have teachers in our building (HS)
working together on Freshman Teams. They share common planning and are
able to talk about common struggles in dealing with kids in transition
from Middle School. This model is our first attempt to collaborate in a
big group. Each team has at least one teacher from a different content
area (Math, Science, English). Coaches have worked with teams last year
in a different capacity, but this is the first year we have tried this
model. As a coach, the larger the group, the more difficult it is to
coordinate the visits and dialogues. We have attempted to dialogue as a
team and encouraged teams to write common focus plans. This has worked
with some teams, and not worked at all in others. If the group has a
common area of action research it is easier to develop a common focus
plan. If the group does not have a common area of action research, the
common focus plan falls short.
Mark
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Marilyn
Hi Mark,
You make an excellent point about the common focus. I have had
experiences with groups where the individuals in the groups have
individual questions/challenges and it ends up being a 1:1 dialogue with
6 people. It reminds me of watching teachers in writing conferences
where kids all sit around a table and the teacher talks to one
individual after another while the others just wait.
This is why the planning part of it is so important. And this is why
figuring out the real question of the group is so important.
Marilyn
43a |
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Katheryn
Hi,
I work with teams as well (we call it department coaching) and struggle
with the transfer of everything I know about individual instructional
dialogue to a group setting. We create common learner outcomes,
criteria for student work and plan scaffolded instruction (I do, We do,
You do together, and You do alone) and then we analyze student work and
plan from there...basically the Teaching and Learning Cycle in action.
So we have a common plan and focus. But my question is how do you
collect data on the effectiveness of the collaboration. How do you
monitor if change in understandings and practice are really taking place
at a deep level? I know student work is one way, but I'm thinking more
of teacher understandings. I want transformational change to take place
(the kind I went through when I was coached) so how do I assess and
evaluate if that is happening? I hope you understand the nature of my
question...it seems like group coaching is the new things and has come
from the need for us to coach more people in less time. I want the
outcome of coaching to be the same. I know that it can be, but would
love your point of view.
Katheryn
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Mark
Katheryn,
Your question regarding quantifying collaboration is a good one. This
can be tricky. I am not clear if it is something that is possible to
collect data and have results from. It just feels right-it is
instinctually a good fit and the team is functioning well together. If
you have done enough teams to see how it doesn't work, it is easy to
spot a team that is working well.
Mark
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Marilyn
Hi Katheryn,
You asked, “How do you collect data on the effectiveness of the
collaboration? How do you monitor if change in understandings and
practice are really taking place at a deep level. I know student work
is one way, but I'm thinking more of teacher understandings. I want
transformational change to take place (the kind I went through when I
was coached) so how do I assess and evaluate if that is happening?”
This is an excellent question. One that I'm grappling with in my
work this year as well.
When I go back to think about what made my training transformational, it
was certainly the changes in student learning. When my students learned
at a level they hadn't learned before, I was convinced! There were also
changes in my practice but sometimes my practices didn't look all that
different. It was what was underneath the practice that was
transformational. I could talk about why I was making the professional
decisions I was making and I was able to articulate how my instruction
was impacting student learning and I knew when my instruction was not
impacting student learning as well.
So I'm wondering if we ask ourselves...
- Is the teacher able to articulate why they are making
particular instructional decisions?
- Is the teacher able to articulate how the instructional
decisions he/she is making are impacting student learning?
- Does the teacher know when the instructional decisions have
not impacted student learning?
- Does the teacher make changes in instruction based on the
above question?
The tricky bit might be where you find the evidence to answer these
questions. The individual instructional dialogue gives us the gift
of time for talk. So what kind of conversation are you perhaps planning
for during department coaching? Does there need to be some time for some
personal (perhaps written) reflection around those key questions at the
beginning of your meeting? Do you need to schedule individual dialogues
with each person once during the quarter? What are other possibilities?
I think back to a time when I was in Lawrence, Kansas, at Prairie
Park School. There were a group of people observing instruction with me
in a classroom. The teacher was involved in small group instruction. As
soon as she finished the reading group, she turned to me
(totally oblivious of the people sitting with me) and began to reflect
on her selection of resource, her questioning, the responses of certain
children, and what she would do differently the next time. The observers
were stunned at the level and quality of her reflection.
I know that's what we're looking for as we work through our work
in teams. Let's continue the conversation of where we see it happening.
Marilyn
45a |
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Roxann
Marilyn,
As far as instructional dialogue goes, what are your thoughts about
when to use the steps (describe, analyze, challenge and
reconstruct).
For example, I know someone who when she first became involved in
instructional dialogue with a literacy coach – she was very excited
about this professional development opportunity. But one problem she had was that it seemed that all of her conversations
with her literacy coach began to turn into instructional dialogue.
One day she got a new student in her classroom and she was so excited
when she read a draft of a story he had written in his draft book. This student was a very gifted writer and she was excited (as a reader)
to share his story and she was also excited to have this powerful
writing example in her learning community. When she ran next door after school to her colleague (and literacy
coach), she said, “You’ve got to read this story!” The literacy coach
read the story and said, “So what do you think his next step as a writer
is?” This was not the conversation she was looking for. Was she going to
choose a teaching point for her as a writer? Yes. But at that point, she
just wanted to celebrate this child’s writing success. She felt as if
the connection she once had with her colleague had become “scripted” in
a sense and not as genuine as before. She wanted to have instructional
dialogue where her understandings were challenged – but she just didn’t
want to have these kinds of conversations each time she spoke with her
colleague.
As someone who has done some literacy coaching from both sides of the
fence, I know that as you get involved in instructional dialogue and
reflective practice, it can impact the kind of professional
conversations you have – but I also think that needs to be balanced with
a human connection.
As an educational consultant and university professor, I sometimes
wonder about when I should go into the instructional dialogue steps. Should instructional dialogue be used only when the process is
transparent and agreed upon by both participants? I
have pondered this question for some time and I’m interested in hearing
your perspective on this. What are your thoughts on this?
Roxann Rose
Western Washington
University
Bellingham, WA
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Marilyn
Hi Roxann,
Interesting question...
I certainly think that any school that uses coaching as their model of
professional development has to have some clear understandings and
expectations of what coaching/instructional dialogue is and how it
works. If we think back to chapter 7 in my book, where we talk about
agreements, the staff understands that coaching in the school will be
regular (scheduled with consistency), systematic (preceded by the
teacher coming up with his or her own question to explore around student
learning, include an opportunity for the teacher and coach to work
together, and be followed by a reflective conversation), and focused (on
the teacher's question around student learning). The process is clear
and everyone understands their responsibility within that process.
Having said that -- conversations in a school focused on learning is not
like us being at a family picnic. :) We are in a professional, collegial
environment where we expect kids to be learning. So when you were
describing the question the coach/colleague asked the teacher, I could
easily hear myself asking the same question. It would not have been
because I expected to have an instructional dialogue with that teacher
but I would have probably genuinely (especially if the child was such a
gifted writer) wanted to know what the teacher was going to do next. So
I guess I just think it's normal for conversations around the school to
be both celebratory and rigorous.
I think that anyone I work with would tell you that I think in
questions. It comes from 15 + years of doing this work. At the same
time, I don't expect every question I ask to end up in a formal
conversation. It's just how I think when I'm in schools. Schools are
places where we should have fun and share our successes but the purpose
for us being there is that students continue to learn in ways that we
can measure their progress.
Marilyn
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Roxann
Marilyn,
Should a staff discuss how their professional conversations may run even
when it is not “instructional dialogue”? It seems like if this is part
of the agreement up front, it will be less likely for
miscommunications to occur.
I
could see a staff agreeing on regular, systematic, focused instructional
dialogue without understanding the impact this may have on day-to-day
communications. The colleague whom I refer to was embracing
instructional dialogue but I don’t think she was prepared for the
changes in the day-to-day conversations and in the relationship she had
with her literacy coach. I could see how a discussion about collegial
vs congenial relationships would have been helpful. I agree with you
that we want teachers who are participating in coaching/instructional
dialogue to go into the process with their eyes wide open and fully
informed.
Should this be part of the agreement or is this something you really
can’t prepare for – it’s just part of the process and hard to predict
if/when it will become an issue?
I
think what happened is that the coach had made reflective practice part
of her pedagogy and it felt normal to her to talk in this way.
But the teacher who approached her was at a different place and she saw
instructional dialogue as something you do at certain times…she saw this
kind of dialogue as having a place and time – not yet as a normal way to
converse about student learning.
Now, with time and experience, this dialogue may start to feel more
normal to her.
The coach had the opportunity to be immersed in instructional dialogue
many more times than this teacher – so it wasn’t automatic to her yet.
This reminds me of the message Yvonne (if my memory serves me correctly)
just posted about the importance of not giving too much information and
overwhelming our colleagues.
In a sense, maybe we can overwhelm colleagues when we use “instructional
dialogue” protocol/jargon in our day-to-day conversations.
Maybe we could use the gradual release of support model to help our
colleagues move in that direction?
Has anyone else had similar experiences? I’d love to hear from anyone
who addressed this issue in an agreement or in a list of consistent
practices.
Thanks again for your insight, Marilyn.
Roxann
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Marilyn
Hi Roxann,
Anytime we can open up the conversation about what it means to change
the culture of a school is a good thing. But as you said, it's not like
it would be easy to determine when the change happens. I sometimes think
we make things harder than we need to but I also think we can easily
damage relationships if people are taken by surprise.
It's often easy for teachers to forget the continuum of learning that
coaches are on as well. If we could all just be named a coach and then -
poof - be a good one, wouldn't that be terrific? But we're also on a big
learning curve at the same time the teachers we support are and we need
to be forgiven for not being able to closely monitor people's reactions
to our new found zealousness for learning.
I used to travel a lot with The Learning Network supporting my
colleagues who were coordinators in the schools and it would often be a
year or so before I'd see the same school again. Many times I was
astounded in the change in the culture of the school. It was almost as
if I was in a different place. That was really exciting but it did not
occur without its share of bumps along the road.
It would be nice if we could get it right all the time. I guess we just
have to be on the quest to get it "righter."
Marilyn
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Roxann
Marilyn,
Your posting makes me think about an article written by Pam Pottle, a
Learning Network literacy coach and teacher of primary learners. It can
be found here:
http://www.ncte.org/library/files/Publications/Journals/pv/0093-jan01/PV0093Process.PDF
This article was part of a 2001 NCTE Primary Voices issue where we
focused on Coping with Mandated Practices.
Pam writes at the end of the article:
Michael Fullan’s (1991) work suggests that we can’t have a learning
society without learning students . . .and we can’t have learning students without
learning teachers. Mandates continue to appear in education from the national, state,
or district level, and the biggest coping strategy I have is my ability
to decide which of the mandates I will embrace immediately, prioritizing
the nonnegotiable mandates with the mandates I can work with to achieve
a productive compromise. Mandates are less troublesome now because I can
process them in a reflective manner. I choose to focus my energy, trying to
understand one mandate deeply before thinking about another. These are
the challenges I am willing to accept in order to ensure that my
students’ needs come first.
Pam’s article does a great job of describing the continuum of learning
for a literacy coach!
Marsha Riddle Buly and I wrote the introductory piece for the issue. In
it, we wrote:
Change is a process, not an event. It takes time. The decision to
implement and the initial implementation do not constitute change—they
constitute early steps in a long process. Change processes have been
delineated in many ways. Fullan (1991) suggests that these processes can
be categorized into three broad phases. The first phase consists of the
process that leads up to and includes a decision to adopt or proceed
with a change. The second phase involves the first experiences of
attempting to put an idea or reform into practice and usually extends
through the first two or three years of the implementation. The third
phase determines whether the change continues or disappears (Fullan, 1991).
The entire article can be found at
http://www.ncte.org/library/files/Publications/Journals/pv/0093-jan01/PV0093Mandates.pdf
This ties right in with how you wrote that becoming a literacy coach is
not a “poof”/immediate change.
Katie Wood Ray and Lester Laminack acted as editors for the issue where
they wrote:
We believe that as teachers we must have a sound knowledge base—a
thorough working knowledge of how children learn. We must be articulate
about this knowledge base, ready to explain at any moment how what we
know informs what we are doing.
The entire article can be found at
http://www.ncte.org/library/files/Publications/Journals/pv/0093-jan01/PV0093Editors.pdf
Marsha and I ended our article with:
These teachers have come to view teaching as a continuing
expedition of self-discovery.
I think this ties right in with what you say about being on a quest to
get it “righter”.
Roxann
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Marilyn
Roxann,
Thanks for the links to the article. I'm a big Pam Pottle fan! As I
recall, you authored the article with her?
Marilyn
50a |
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Roxann
No, Pam authored the article on her own-
I
was just her cheerleader to convince her that she had something valuable
to share with educators/readers.
I, too, am a huge Pam Pottle fan. It’s been great to see her back in
the classroom.
Roxann |
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Kevin
So there has been talk about how to engage teachers in the process who
may not see a reason or a value to be a part of the coaching process. I
am wondering about those building administrators who may not see a
reason or a value in being a part of the coaching process. As a
district coach, how do I support administrators in this type of
situation?
Kevin
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Marilyn
Hello Kevin!
When we think about the conversations around engaging teachers in the
process we talked about a couple of things:
- teachers owning their work, the questions they are focused on belong
to them
- the leadership in the school values the coaching process and has
worked with the school to set expectations for coaching and bring
clarity to everyone's role
When we think of the building leadership, we can use the same criteria.
I'd ask...
- Does the building administrator own the work? Have they determined
their needs and are they linked to the school improvement plan or
blueprint document that the administrator is being held accountable to?
- Does the leadership at the central office level value the process?
Have expectations been set by central office leadership for the
administrator's support and is everyone (Central Office Administrator,
Building Administrator, and you) clear about their roles?
I believe once those things are in place, then your role becomes easier.
It is then your job to listen, ask the kinds of questions, and provide
feedback as you do the work in the school to keep the administrator
engaged in his or her outcome.
Make sense?
Marilyn
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Richard
Good evening folks,
It is 9:30 pm
in New York and I can see that activity on the listserve has slowed
considerably. Time to get off the computer, eh? It is the middle of
the day in New Zealand, and I can see from Marilyn's recent responses
she is still full of energy. I suggest that we officially close this
conversation as of 11:00 pm EDT so if you still have a question or two
that you want to post for consideration, it is time to get it to the
listserve. Marilyn has said she will do her best to respond to any
unanswered questions by mid day tomorrow.
I am pleased we have so many coaches subscribed, and I am pleased by the
involvement of so many of you--coaches, teachers, administrators, and
all--during the last two days. Great questions, engaging conversation.
My thanks to Marilyn for her willingness to give up time over the last
two days to meet with us and for her stimulating and challenging
responses. My thanks to all of you for being here and for your
contributions. You all know so much. Thank you for your participation.
As before we expect to have the transcript at the website within the
week. Do make use of it.
Here's a thought: How about if each of you pick one or more of the
exchanges and present them to a group you work with--coaches or
teachers--for purposes of talking through the implications for classroom
practice or coaching practice. Put the conversation to use with people
you work with. And if you own
Literacy Coaching: Developing Effective Teachers through Instructional
Dialogue,
bring it with you as a resource. If you don't have a
group to share with, start one.
Here's another thought: If any of you want us to send it to an
administrator, write to me. I will be happy to pass it along. You
never know what kind of conversation it might promote.
And keep in mind that we have other author conversations coming up
soon. Yetta Goodman is returning on November 6-7 for a discussion
focused on miscue analysis. David Matteson and Deborah Freeman will
join us November 12-14 to take a closer look at early literacy. And
Jan Turbill and Wendy Bean will be with us November 26-27 to explore
writing instruction. It's going to be a great month!
We hope you will stay with us. But if you have to unsubscribe, please
follow the directions at the bottom of the page or contact me directly
at
richardowen@rcowen.com.
Thanks Marilyn! Thank you all!
Richard
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Marilyn
Dear Richard and all,
It's a beautiful spring Sunday morning down here in Wanaka. The sun is
shining, the snow is still on the mountains, and the trees are all
blooming. I have a feeling it will look a little different when we
arrive in Colorado in a few weeks. I guess that change is the best part
of life.
It's no different in education these days. I am challenged and
frustrated by the changes I see in education. At the same time, I'm not
ready to give up but working harder to try to figure out how we can cope
with all of this and at the same time keep children at the heart of what
we do.
Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you all. I enjoy these
discussions immensely. They make me think deeply and force me to
reaffirm what I believe. I'm always richer for the experience. Thank you
to Richard for providing these opportunities.
Best wishes to everyone who is coaching or being coached. Feel free to
contact me if you ever have something you'd like to discuss.
Warm regards,
Marilyn
54 |
Literacy
Coaching
The
Kindergarten BookThis
indispensable resource is by an exemplary primary educator and staff
developer. Kindergarten teachers, those preparing to teach kindergarten,
and faculty in early literacy programs will find that each accessible
chapter is packed with real-life examples and anecdotes from a classroom
where assessment truly drives instruction. A case study of a
kindergarten class from the beginning of the year through the seventh
month of school is skillfully woven throughout the book. The
teaching and learning of individual children and a whole class of
learners comes to life.