Index

This post is an ongoing list of resources referenced in our posts; it will grow as the number of posts on The Literacy Booth increases. 

The post will be linked on the right column of the blog. 

When available, links to the full-text are provided.

Coaching (Literacy and/or Instructional)

• Bean, R. & DeFord, D. (n.d.). Do's and don'ts for literacy coaches: Advice from the field. Literacy Coach Clearinghouse. Retrieved from http://www.literacycoachingonline.org/briefs/DosandDontsFinal.pdf
• Killion, J., Harrison, C., Bryan, C., & Clifton, H. (2012). Coaching matters. Oxford, OH: Learning Forward.
• Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Comments about Comments

Your comments on our posts are important. 

Your comments are what make this virtual space a true professional learning community.

By commenting, you engage in conversation with your colleagues by asking questions or sharing links to resources. Thank you for your collaboration.

By commenting, you let us know that you are out there, reading our writing and thinking. Thank you for making us feel encouraged and appreciated.

The comments on this blog are moderated. We do not censor comments based on political or ideological views. We cannot post comments that:

• are abusive, off-topic, or use foul language.
• contain racist, sexist, homophobic, or other slurs.
• are solicitations and/or advertising.
• contain content that may infringe copyright or intellectual property rights of others.

Send your comments about comments to: barbara.novak@dpi.wi.gov

Note. Comments have been disabled on this post because the intention of the post is to explain how we do business around The Literacy Booth.

Confidentially Speaking

Confidentiality is a critical component of a partnership agreement (Killion, Harrison, Bryan, & Clifton, 2012) or philosophy (Knight, 2007). The work in and surrounding coaching conversations is held confidential by all professionals involved This is a critical part of building and maintaining a trusting, professional relationship. Rita Bean and Diane DeFord write,

"Coaches who talk about what they have seen in classrooms or what they think about a specific teacher will not be welcomed as a colleague. Coaches must maintain confidentiality, not only in talking with teachers but also in their conversations with administrators. Coaches who are seen as a 'snitch' have difficulty convincing teachers that they are there as colleagues to support instruction. Word spreads quickly!" (p. 2).

At this blog, we:

• maintain confidentiality.
• discuss our work in ways that maintain respect and dignity for the colleagues we work with and places we work in.

Each contributor independently decides the amount of details he/she is comfortable sharing with our online community.

Each contributor respects the confidentiality of his/her clients, students, school, and district. Names may be changed and/or details may be modified to respect confidentiality.

Note. Comments have been disabled on this post because the intention of the post is to explain how we do business around The Literacy Booth.

Welcome, Friends and Colleagues

Welcome to The Literacy Booth: A Place for Wisconsin Coaches.

I am so very glad you're here.

We literacy coaches? We're a unique bunch. We're teachers, but we are also mentors. We are coaches, but we we may also be interventionists. We are readers of research. Wait. We are - more than likely - readers of just about anything you put in front of us. We cultivate relationships. We are passionate about literacy. We advocate for teachers; we advocate for students. We are masters at facilitating meetings and designing professional learning opportunities. We are leaders. We are listeners. We are learners. And, those are just the things that we are in our professional lives. . . 

We cannot do this important work alone. We need a place to call our own, and that's just what The Literacy Booth strives to be - a place for literacy coaches.

Specifically, The Literacy Booth is an online professional learning community especially for literacy coaches.

The Literacy Booth will be filled with reflections, practical tips, and conversations built upon the work of eight Wisconsin literacy coaches (along with the occasional special guest) and coordinated by yours truly.* 

Here's how it works (generally):

• A topic is posted. For example, "How do you build relationships with teachers?" Each topic begins with an introductory post.
• Each of the coaches behind The Literacy Booth will write a post related to the topic. These posts will be shared over about two weeks.
• Each post will be open to readers' comments. The conversation that happens in your comments will make this a true professional learning community. Please, please, please comment! Comment to share links to resources. Comment to ask questions. Comment to continue the conversation.
• The cycle repeats. We will write about a new topic about every two weeks.

Please use the comments on this post to introduce yourself. Who are you? What's your job? What are you learning right now? What do you still want to know more about?

*Barb Novak is one of two literacy consultants at Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Having attended public schools from kindergarten (suburban Milwaukee and Eau Claire) through college (UW-Stevens Point) and graduate degrees (UW-Oshkosh and UW-Madison), Barb is the proud product of and an advocate for Wisconsin’s public school system. Prior to joining the DPI in November 2012, Barb worked as a literacy coach, reading interventionist, and reading teacher. She prides herself on being a bit of a professional matchmaker by helping the incredible literacy leaders she meets throughout Wisconsin form relationships to improve professional practice. Barb serves as the coordinator of The Literacy Booth: A Place for Wisconsin's Coaches.