What Do I Get To Do?

Andrea contributed this post. Click here for more of Andrea's thinking.

After another year of attending the Wisconsin State Reading Association Convention, I leave with an abundance of new thinking to reflect upon.  I’m still challenging myself as to what direction I plan to take with this information, for I have quite a collection of quotes, questions, reminders and comments to think about.  Below I have listed those that made me the most reflective. The first quote is the one I’m thinking about the most.  What DO I get to do?   I’m leaving them here for you, my dear colleagues in education, and ask you to read them and use them to challenge your own thinking.

When we leave a conference like this, we should not only think about what we got, but also about what we get to do. -Kathy Short.

What are you doing to make the changes you want to see happen?  To be an indelible leader? -Barb Novak

Indelible leaders: your job is to develop a collaborative culture to the point where you become dispensable. -Michael Fullan

We believe all students can learn, do we believe all teachers can learn? -Michael Fullan.

The principal’s new role: to lead the school’s teachers in a process of learning to improve their teaching, while learning alongside them about what works and what doesn’t. -Michael Fullan

Collective Efficacy has a 1.55 effect size. -Michael Fullan quoting John Hattie research.

The learning of the school needs to drive the agenda, not a personal agenda. -Michael Fullan

The heart of the school is dependent upon the number of elephants in the room. -Sara Ahmed quoting Lucy Calkins.

Teaching reading is not about increasing test scores; it’s about teaching our students to engage with the world. -Tony Evers, Wisconsin State Superintendent

When we teach kids, we should feel that they are endlessly fascinating.  -Katherine Bomer

When a child doesn’t “fit” expect to be delighted.  Expect that there will also be difficulties. -Katherine Bomer

The best way to teach grammar and punctuation is through wide reading. Pay attention to the author’s intention, so you’ll read it a certain way. - Penny Kittle.

Students need to notice language first, name what they see and stand on the shoulders of better writers. -Penny Kittle

Culturally Responsive Teaching is something you practice with yourself and with your students. -Teaira McMurty

It’s okay to have bias for right now, but you have to learn to get away from it. -Teaira McMurty

Bring out the best in each student. Not getting there in the time we have is a POTENTIAL gap. -Decoteau Irby

We have an obligation to make our kids feel visible when they feel invisible.-Sara Ahmed

Best first teaching is the best intervention. -Regie Routman

Fight for the thing that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you. -Regie Routman

We must be prepared to take calculated risks for our students. -Regie Routman

Worry about more depth and quality than about getting it all in.  This is true for both professional learning as well as for student learning. -Regie Routman

Fidelity must always be to the child, not to a program. -Regie Routman

A New Year---Same Focus

Andrea Reichenberger contributed this post. Click here for more of Andrea's writing and thinking.

Although a new year is different than a new school year, an extra breath of educational vitality usually stems from an extra long break. This school year has been one of “focus” for our district and I have adopted this goal for myself as well. In the spirit of resolutions, below is a list of what I am going to continue to focus on this year.  I hope you can glean something from my learning.

Ask the question, Is it within my sphere of Control? In a time in which we could look at more educational uncertainty, I have made it a point to no longer focus on the “what ifs?”  It will drive you crazy and will pull you away from what you should be focusing on.  Stay informed and do what you can within your sphere of control.  Remind yourself why you went into this profession to begin with.

Maintain the “One at a time” mantra. I’ve never been one for avoiding my favorite past time, but lately I find myself in a reading rut. This is because I have such a large pile of professional books in front of me to be read that I get overwhelmed and, as a result, put it off altogether. It might be healthier for me to cut back a bit on my Amazon purchases as well. Those who know me best know that this is me:

Get back to basics. Sometimes it is hard to convey the bigger picture,  but it is the most important thing we need to do as coaches and coordinators every day.  As we go through various stages of implementation and reviewing our current processes, it’s important to remember to communicate how everything fits together.  You cannot have a viable curriculum without a solid understanding of the standards and you cannot have a solid understanding of the standards without collaboration and formative assessment.

Whole Class Novel: Part Deux

Andrea Reichenberger contributed this post. Click here to read more of Andrea's thinking.

Click here to read Andrea's previous post about the whole class novel.

A few months ago I shared my thoughts about using the whole class novel in the ELA classroom.  Although I’m certainly not a proponent, I argued that it could be done, but only when used in the correct context.  Recently, I had experiences with two different schools asking me the same question: Should the whole class novel be used in a science and/or social studies classroom?

Admittedly, the teachers’ hearts are in the right place.  Of course we want to encourage students to read and of course we want teachers to incorporate literacy into their classroom instruction, but using a whole class novel--especially in science or social studies isn’t the way to go about it. There are more authentic ways to promote literacy within these areas.  

Let’s start with the standards themselves. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are very content-driven and if you’ve looked at them, there are a significant amount of topics to cover.

 

If you use the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS), you are lucky, as the C3 framework clearly outlines the connections to the literacy standards. However, the ELA standards also clarify specific literacy skills in that should be addressed in science and technical subjects as well as in History and Social Studies.

(History and Social Studies) ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

(Science and Technical Subjects) ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

Novels are not primary sources or technical texts, but maybe we need to remind teachers that literacy isn’t just about reading.  The reading-writing connection also needs to be addressed in all disciplines. The writing standards for both science/technical subjects and history/social studies are the same. What types of text should we use in science and history when we review the writing standards listed below?  

ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

There are better ways to promote literacy in the science and social studies classrooms.  Do a book talk. If you are a reader, share the books you are reading with your students (both novels and informational texts). If you read The Martian and 1984 and think they would be great books for students to read as an extension--share that with them!  If you find an excerpt that ties in with your content, take a few minutes and read it aloud or provide a copy and have the students write a response or reflection and then talk about it!  Collaborate with an ELA teacher or literacy coach in your building if you need more ideas.

As a science or history teacher, you could certainly use a novel excerpt that aligns with a topic in your content area. Use it to create a close read with text dependent questions.  Then have the students do a close read of an informational text (maybe something from their textbook) on the same topic to make intertextual connections. Develop questions that align with both the literacy and the discipline standards.

I strongly encourage teachers to use authentic mentor texts from within their content area.  Scientists don’t use novels when researching.  The discussion about the texts we use needs to begin with not only the type of text, but also with the standards.  There is so much to choose from!  Photographs, video clips, research documents, journal articles, charts, graphs, diagrams, polls, law documents, personal accounts, newspaper articles, artifacts, and the list goes on and on.  A rich literacy experience can be created within any classroom without using a whole class novel.

We Get What We Plan For

Andrea Reichenberger contributed this thinking. Click here to read more about Andrea's work.

I’m a planner. Others will argue that I overplan, but I’m comfortable with that.  First, I think about the end goal and then I think about what evidence I’m going to use to assess whether or not I am getting close to that goal. Lastly, I plan the baby steps I need to implement along the way.  As it turns out, this is the philosophy of “Backwards Design.”  I love the concept of Understanding by Design (UbD). Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins have developed a thoughtful format that guides teachers to purposefully plan for student understanding.  Get it?  Understanding. By. Design.

What I’ve learned over the years is that when I don’t plan, I don’t get the learning I want to see from my students.  As I work with teachers through backwards design, I am reminded of how important it is to think through the goals of our planning and ask ourselves if they are meaningful and authentic.

What is it that we want the students to know and be able to do by the end of our units?  

What standards are we REALLY covering?  Which do we need to put more focus on within the unit?

How will we plan our assessments and performance tasks so they lend themselves to transfer those learned skills and knowledge outside of the classroom?

What daily goals or learning events do we need to plan for in order to guide our students toward that understanding?

How will we provide our students the effective feedback they need along the way?

I have to remind teachers that the planning process isn’t linear. I found myself modeling my thinking in front of one English teacher and then again in front of a class of 26 teachers from around the district. Not only did I need to think through the Big Ideas or Enduring Understandings (Students will understand that…), the essential questions, the standards, and the assessments all at the same time, I also needed to make sure I was using them all to keep my focus.  As I did, some of them changed.  I did not create my end of the unit activity and hope that everything aligned. I ended up revising, deleting, and creating several times along the way.

This work has resulted in many “aha” moments.  We are learning that we don’t plan a unit around a textbook or around the title of a book. We need to design them around the skills and the understandings we want students to come away with. Essential questions need to be open-ended and thought provoking. We are also discovering that when we don’t plan with big ideas or enduring understandings in mind, it is almost impossible to differentiate our instruction for those who require it.

Even though UbD provides several tools for teachers to use, we don’t have to use them. I encourage teachers to use the tools which work best for them. It is more important that they take the time to think through the plan.  It is exhausting, but well worth it. It hurts my heart when I hear teachers say “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” or “Can’t we just buy a textbook?” We went into this profession for a reason.  What kind of messages are we sending to our students if we decide that we are done planning our curriculum units or that we don’t want to think too hard?

If we think through our planning for student understanding, we will get exactly what we planned for.

Aligning Our Goals

Andrea Reichenberger contributed today's thinking. Click here for more of Andrea's posts.

One of the things I love most about my new school district is the work that I do with my new colleagues.  Discussions are a lot easier when we are all on the same page, have a similar mindset, and are working toward the same goal.  We are also comfortable enough to challenge each other’s thinking in a professional manner that won’t impede our work. As is the goal of any district, ours is to improve our overall instructional practices. My two closest partners in crime are the Director of Curriculum and Instruction and the District Technology Coordinator.  

District Technology Coordinator? Why would I work so closely with the technology department? If departments such as ours don’t work toward the same goals, our work and initiatives become a barrier to improving instruction. It is imperative that technology coaches and coordinators work closely with our instructional coaches and continue an open dialogue about best practices. We are always talking about grade level standards, literacy, math, assessment and unit design. One of our technology integration coaches has been working to model lesson design with the ELA standards in mind and then incorporating technology to promote authentic assessment and reflection through an online portfolio!

We all need to understand sound instructional practices, so we can use technology to support learning and instruction. Technology isn’t meant as a substitute or a replacement for teaching and learning. The ISTE professional standards for teachers related to integrating technology into the curriculum remind us that it should facilitate and inspire student learning, allow us to design and develop digital-age learning experiments and assessments, promote digital citizenship and responsibility and allow us to engage in professional growth and leadership. Recently, our technology department released a district online newsletter/magazine and it contains questions that challenge teachers to think about why they are using technology. One of my favorites is:

If your students can accomplish mastery of the content using the 4 C’s (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity) without  technology, then why are we using technology?

This is an important question to reflect on as we continue to encourage incorporating technology to create rich, collaborative learning environments that foster group inquiry, research investigations, critical thinking and problem solving. This is what we try to accomplish and encourage with our instruction in all areas--especially literacy.

Fan of Choice

Andrea Reichenberger contributed today's thinking.

Those who know me well know that I am not a huge fan of the whole class novel being used in the English/Language arts classroom--at any level. We strive to develop a love of literacy in our students by offering choice at the younger grade levels. Why do we want to take those choices away in the upper grades?

Much has changed in what we know about literacy instruction, but much has also changed with the students who walk into our classrooms everyday. Therefore, we need to rethink our practices.  I don’t believe that we MUST teach what may be considered a classic or the canonized literature that is so often a part of many high school curriculums. Don’t get me wrong.  I LOVE Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Crucible, Catcher in the Rye and every Shakespearean comedy I’ve ever seen performed. If I really thought about why I loved these particular classics though, it was because I had a specific connection with each one. Because I love them, I have read them several times over and dug deeper with each read because I WANTED to and because it was my choice.  But I HATED (loathed might even be a better word) The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, Crime and Punishment--no matter how passionate my English teacher was. I didn’t care to read them, so I bought the Cliff Notes. (We didn’t have the Internet to access SPARK notes in the “old days.”)  I think it is also fair to say that my opinion of what constitutes a “classic” may differ from that of a teacher who is significantly older or younger than me. A novel that was released within the last 10 years MIGHT just be considered a classic. This could be true of many titles by authors like Gary Soto, Jacqueline Woodson and Chris Crutcher just to name a few.

When discussing curriculum, coming to agreements about titles can become a means of contention among teacher teams.  But these agreements shouldn’t be about us, they should be centered around our students. Who are those kids sitting in our classrooms? What choices can we offer that they will be able to connect to?  We have to think about those choices, and although many classics contain universal themes, we also need to think about whose perspective we are analyzing and why. My suggestion is to shift the conversation--instead of talking about titles,we should discuss how to incorporate deeper themes, how to address text complexity and accessibility, and how to create authenticity.

Before I begin to receive hate email, I should clarify that I do believe that teaching a whole class novel can be done--if it is done well.  Unfortunately, rarely have I witnessed a novel being taught really WELL except when used as a mentor or anchor text.  When used in this capacity, it is much more purposeful. I’ve seen too little planning and too many fill-in-the-blank worksheets.  I’ve seen too many unit tests on a novel with a wide array of low level recall questions that do not push the students’ thinking.  I’ve seen too many teachers having discussions where they are doing all of the talking and asking questions of the students in a manner I refer to as the “guess what I’m thinking” game. I’ve also seen too much reading with no writing and too much writing with no reading. If the whole class novel is going to be used, I believe that there needs to be significant instructional coaching and learning in order to be implemented in a way students can appreciate, embrace, and truly learn from.

We need our students reading and writing more, not less. Whole class novels can pull us away from that goal if we aren't careful. One of my favorite videos was created by Penny Kittle with her students in 2011.  I meant to make my own when I asked some of my former students the same questions. You shouldn’t be shocked that they had the same answers and responses.  

When teachers are designing units, they should not be designing a (insert any novel title here) unit. Units should be based around essential questions or universal themes in literature. So, in a sense, units shouldn’t be units---they should be more focused on inquiry.

Units should be designed in a way that enables reading, writing, speaking, and language use to work together hand in hand. We shouldn’t separate these skills but rather think about how they can be integrated together.

We should be designing units that offer authentic literacy instruction with real-world purposes that are relevant to all of our students. (I would also argue that this should happen in all content areas.) We should teach with the standards in mind and make sure we understand them, but not necessarily use them as our starting point.

Yes, we need to find powerful literature to incorporate into our units, but we also have to incorporate a wide variety of text types to help support our essential questions that will build students’ skills in different venues. This may include choosing video clips (but not entire movies), speeches, poems, songs, short stories, informational texts, and even picture books.

Lastly, we need to offer choice. In Regie Routman’s book, Read, Write, Lead, she cites the research of  Peter Johnston and Gay Ivey and well-known teacher researchers/practitioners including Nancy Atwell, Donalyn Miller, Kelly Gallagher, Penny Kittle, Donald Graves, and Lucy Calkins.  Choice is often the game-changer for elementary, middle school and high school students who are not thriving as readers and writers. Choice increases student engagement.  Student engagement is something I am a HUGE fan of!

Be Better

Andrea Reichenberger contributed today's thinking.

As a fairly new member (and huge fan) of the Fox Valley Writing Project (FVWP), I love that I am able to connect with teachers who are excited about learning from their colleagues, want to learn, and want to be better. One clarification, the FVWP isn’t just about writing; in fact, as part of the National Writing Project, it refuses to define itself as any ONE THING.  It’s about learning, sharing, reflecting, and honoring teacher leadership.

After some great discussions at our gathering last week, I was saddened to hear about my Fox Valley Writing Project peers’ struggle to drum up interest from their colleagues. It is difficult for me to grasp as I as so thankful to be exposed to such a wealth of knowledge together in one room at the same time. Our rich discussions and sharing of ideas have been invaluable. Basically, we’ve created our own true Professional Learning Community.

Reflecting always leads me to questions, many of which I struggle to answer, but apply to many districts in which I have worked or consulted.

• Why wouldn’t we model ourselves as learners for our students? What is our ultimate reason for choosing this profession? Who are we here for?

• Why don’t ALL teachers want to learn and be better?  What are our excuses for not trying to learn?  What’s getting in the way? How can we remove any obstacles?.

• Did we begin to abuse the label of Professional Learning Community (PLC) (as we often do with other labels in education) and cause the term to become meaningless? Is it now a cause of contention in some of our schools? If so, how can we change that?

• Who should we trust as the experts? How can professional learning communities be used to honor and develop educator expertise (as labs for action research) instead of turning to other experts (or kits and scripts) to tell us what to do?

• When we recognize that our teachers are struggling, how do we, as instructional leaders, help coach and lead them toward success with the right tools and resources to improve their instruction? How do we send the message that it’s okay to struggle and that we are here to help you? How do we provide meaningful and appropriate feedback?

• How can our system promote the need for and allow teachers the time to have professional conversations, create common assessments, dig into the data, or just to learn from and plan together?  When we start to take this step, will it rebuild the trust we used to place in our teachers?

• How can we be more patient?  Change takes time and persistence; however, some changes are more urgent and not making them can do more damage than good.  How do we prioritize?

• Does being too comfortable lead us into to deeper chasms that put us further behind rather than move us forward?

• Are we promoting the mentality that because this the way it has always been done is a good enough reason to keep doing what we are doing?  Do we just want to be good enough or do we want to continue to strive to be better?

Unfortunately, I don’t have the answers--only more questions.  The ultimate question being: what can we control? We CAN control and communicate the message or vision, but the vision needs to have a clear purpose. We can also control the expectation. We can model our own learning and inquiry from investigating, listening, and asking the questions. We can control making the effort, providing the resources, and being willing to have the crucial conversations. We can seek out and create experiences, such as the Fox Valley Writing Project, or form our own PLC.  We can control whether or not we want to be better teachers for our students.

Confessions of a Learner

Andrea Reichenberger contributed today's post.

When given a choice, we often prefer to live and make decisions that keep us within our comfort zone. After working in one school district for over 17 years, I was offered a position with another. There were several factors that led me down this path, but ultimately I made the decision in an effort to force myself out of my comfort zone and to challenge myself to grow from this new endeavor. So far, my plan is working. :) You will probably hear a lot about this over the course of this blogging year!

But as I reflect back on my past experiences and use them to connect with my new experiences, I realize how often I had to encounter discomfort and embrace it in order to learn from it.  I wouldn't be where I am today without those feelings and challenges.  It's humbling and I'm almost ashamed to admit where I used to be in some of my thinking and mindset and I am going to confess them for all of the world to see.  I hope my reflections on my own growth will help provide that little push for my fellow educators.  

I used to...	Now...
be scared of any type of diversity in my classroom.  This included special education students, English language learners and students of any color. Born and raised in small town Wisconsin, I hadn’t met a single person who wasn’t Caucasian until I was a sophomore in high school.	I am passionate about learning and doing what is best for ALL of our kids. I have worked with a students who provide a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.  I truly believe that every student can learn and have been witness to it.  Over the years, I also came to the realization that teaching shouldn’t be all about ME, it’s about THE STUDENTS  and what they need. In order to be a better teacher, I had to set aside my ego and admit that I had a lot to learn. I began reading and seeking out professional conversations with those whom I trusted and obviously knew more than I did.  There is no shame in asking questions. We need to model ourselves as learners for our students.
not worry about how to meet the needs of ALL of my students.  If my Hispanic students didn’t understand what I was teaching, it was a language issue and since these students didn’t speak the language I was teaching in--there was nothing I could do, right? If I had a special education student in my class, it was the special education teacher’s job to teach that student.  If no one was holding me accountable, what difference did it make?	I have learned that if a student is literate in his or her own language, he/she can be literate in another.  It takes patience, time and a little extra preparation when thinking through our learning purposes and assessments.  There are no “my students” and “your students’ there are only OUR students. Planning is the key, but you have to know the purpose behind everything you are doing and why you are having students doing it.  We must make accommodations and modifications and put scaffolds in place so that all students can reach the target. And yes, we may have to assess those students a little bit differently.
not speak my truth.  I didn’t like to take risks and I wasn’t always honest about my thoughts, feelings, and opinions.  I often said what I perceived my colleagues or administrators wanted to hear.	I know that if I don't ask the tough questions or have those crucial conversations, change cannot happen. I probably don't always use the best approach and maybe I'm not always right, but I’ve learned from these experiences and will continue to improve my skills.
not worry about what the data says.	I recognize the importance of data but also have to remain cognizant of the balance required in how we use it. We cannot make excuses for what it tells us though.
believe it was okay to just “wing it.”	I realize how not okay it really is. Many of us complain about the little amount of time we already have with our students.  Every minute of learning should count and students know when they are getting fluff. This is how teachers get a bad rap.  We need to take control of the narrative of teachers as professionals and administrators as instructional leaders.
not know what I didn't know.	I know and I continue to make sure that I know. I collaborate, I read, I attend conferences, I participate in Twitter chats, and webinars. I seek out opportunities to connect with my educational colleagues all around the world, but most importantly, those who are down the hall or just a building or district away!
see my student through only one lens--my lens.	I have learned that we cannot pigeon hole students based on who WE think they are or who WE think they should be. No student is any ONE thing.

Bio: Andrea Reichenberger

Andrea Reichenberger is the District Literacy Coordinator (4K-12) for the Ashwaubenon School District.  In her past life she was an Instructional Literacy Coach and 6-12 English/Language Arts Coordinator for the Menasha Joint School District. She has worked with students and teachers PK-12 and began her career as an elementary library media specialist and spent 13 years as a middle school English/Language Arts teacher and teacher leader.  Because she loves learning, she prides herself in the professional learning network she has created as she is connected with some of the smartest people in education, not only in the Fox Valley, but also across the state. They inspire and continue to push her so she can be better for all kids.  Andrea is also a member of WSRA, ASCD, WASCD, NCTE, ILA, and AWSA and most recently experienced the pure joy of the Fox Valley Writing Project. She is also an adjunct instructor for Concordia University and does consulting work for area districts.

Andrea is very proud of the fact that she shares a birthday with Elvis, as she is a huge fan, but has yet to visit Graceland. Making the trip is on her bucket list. She loves to read, shop, walk/jog (more walking then jogging), and watch clever television. Andrea lives in Appleton with her husband and two tween daughters, who are also readers. Phew!

Some of Andrea’s favorite educational minds (i.e. Rock Stars/Professional Crushes)  include:  Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, Kelly Gallagher, Cris Tovani, Penny Kittle, Jim Burke, Rick Wormeli, Jeff Zwiers, Jim Knight, Peter Johnston, Doug Buehl, Sarah Brown Wessling, Donalyn Miller, Myron Dueck, and Peter DeWitt.