What Are You Reading: April 2015

One. Barb recently finished listening to I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. Amidst plenty of YA-style drama, Nelson uses some amazingly beautiful language to describe the relationship between twins, Noah and Jude. I'll Give You the Sun would appeal to high school students, especially those struggling with sibling relationships and sexuality. The book is set in contemporary California, and both main characters are artists.

Two. Lisa, Andrea, and Barb recently read Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School by Andy Hargeaves and Michael Fullan. The authors describe their work as being "about a collective transformation of public education achieved by all teachers and leaders in every school." Hargreaves and Fullan believe in the power of educator expertise to transform learning for every student, writing, ". . . transforming our public school system isn't magic: It comes from supporting all educators to 'teach like a pro.'"

Three. Barb also read Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. Barb explains, "My favorite kind of fiction is a book with many perspectives about the same situation that all come together in the end. This quick novel did just that. Set in the 1970s, Everything I Never Told You, explains the events leading up to the death of a Chinese-American teenager. It delves into the secrets of families, feminism, and pressures faced by immigrants."

Four. At the recommendation of Donalyn Miller, Heather just started The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Heather says, "The story is about a gorilla who lives in a cage at a mall.  I just started the book, so I do not more much more than that yet."

Five. Heather is also reading Better Learning Through Structured Teaching, 2nd Ed. by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey. Heather writes, "Fisher and Frey discuss the framework for the gradual release of responsibility.  Our district is focusing on GRR this year and I especially wanted to see what they they said about collaborative learning and homework."

Six. Jaimie is reading Linda Dorn and Carla Soffos's Teaching for Deep Comprehension.

Jaimie says, "I just started reading Linda Dorn’s,  Teaching for Deep Comprehension.  I picked up this book after attending the Waukesha School District presentation at WSRA on how they are using Linda Dorn’s Comprehensive Literacy Model.  I am most interested in the use of 'Thoughtful Logs.'"

Seven. Carrie is reading a blog! She says, "Recently, I've been reading a blog resource focusing on close reading by author Christopher Lehman (Falling in Love with Close Reading). The blog is a compilation of close reading resources. This discovery is thanks to a WSRA tweet!!"

Eight. Julie is reading In Defense of the Read-Aloud by Steven Layne. Julie writes, "This book reinforces readers’ confidence to continue the practice of reading aloud and presents research to defend the practice in grades K-12."

What are you reading? Use the comments to join the conversation.

Q: What terrifies you?

Q: What terrifies you?
A: Teaching aerobics

I was recently deep in an amazing kind of professional conversation - the kind that gives you the strength and energy to continue doing difficult work - with a favorite and inspiring friend and colleague. 

We were talking about a school goal that, despite careful planning and support, has not yet been embraced by the entire school.

I tried a few different questions to better understand the situation:

• What is keeping your colleagues from moving forward with this goal?
• What do those who have moved forward with the goal have in common?
• What might those who aren't moving forward not be telling you?

We arrived at fear as a thing that could be preventing people from moving forward - not just general fear of change, but fear related to this specific goal.

I started to think about something that is totally terrifying to me:

teaching aerobics 

If I was part of a school whose data demonstrated that teaching aerobics for five minutes at the beginning of class on a daily basis would increase student achievement, I'm not sure there is anything that could be done to get me to participate in implementing that goal.

It wouldn't matter how much I read about teaching aerobics or if I practiced in a small group or if I watched videos or if a coach came in and modeled for me or if I was offered a financial incentive to teach aerobics. This idea is something that makes me feel so insecure that I'm not sure I would ever be able to actually do it. Maybe I would put on a YouTube video of someone else teaching aerobics while I sat in the back of the room and graded papers. 

And, I don't think I would ever admit that my resistance had to do with fear. I would make a million excuses. I would have a bad attitude during meetings. I might lie. I might even say terrible things about the people asking me to implement the change.

Why is this important?

Imagining myself teaching a room full of kids to do aerobics helped me better understand the incredibly legitimate reasons our colleagues have for choosing not to do something. It helped me reframe what is sometimes called resistance as something much more complicated. It helped me develop some empathy.

It helped me think about all the things our colleagues choose to never say aloud. As a coach, I might ask, "What is holding you back?" or "What obstacles are you facing?". I never before considered that people probably don't answer questions like these entirely honestly. Time, supplies, or people to collaborate with are easy answers. Fear, insecurity, or anxiety might be honest answers.

So, next time you are wondering why your colleagues won't just __________________, think of yourself doing something that really, really terrifies you. What is causing that fear? What would it take for you to move past that fear? 

Materials from Face-to-Face Meeting

AGENDA

Part 1. Focus on Literacy Knowledge
Discussions using "Rule of Two Feet"
Questions for Table Discussions

Part 2. Focus on Coaching
Handout from guest, Cathy Toll

Use this survey to provide feedback about the face-to-face meeting and future Statewide Literacy Coach Network events and work
Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LitCoachMarch

Collaborate with literacy coaches from throughout Wisconsin on our Google+ community.

New Resource: Speaking & Listening

I'm super excited to tell you about a new professional learning resource about Wisconsin's standards for speaking and listening.

The module, designed to meet the needs of literacy and/or English teachers at all grade-levels, discusses

• listening,
• collaborative conversations and discussions, and 
• presentation of knowledge and ideas.

Each topic includes an overview of research, exploration of what students know and should be able to do (Wisconsin's standards), and ready-to-use instructional and assessment strategies.

The materials definitely lead to a better understanding of standards; however, participants are also asked to really think about the ways in which speaking, listening, and discussion can lead to a better understanding of self and some of the skills needed to change the world. 

The module  includes a ready-to-use PowerPoint (including detailed speaker notes), all necessary handouts, and supplementary videos. The module could be used as-is for a very interactive day-long professional learning experience. It could also be broken into smaller sections for use in staff meetings or professional learning communities.

The materials are available on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's English language arts page.

Coaching Despite Differing Values

Barb Novak, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Literacy Consultant, contributed this post.

Recently, I found myself in the middle of a coaching session and incredibly offended. What the client shared with me was in direct conflict with some of my most deeply held beliefs, and I was really, really stuck about how to proceed with the session. 

In "real" conversation, I would have used "I-statements" to describe the behavior and why it was problematic for me. I would have politely but firmly walked away from the the conversation if the behavior continued.

That didn't seem like the best way to conduct myself during a coaching conversation.

I did manage to stop myself from doing a few things (and am still patting myself on the back for these choices):

• Proposing a solution (my first instinct)
• Selecting a line of questioning to help the client see what I perceived as the problem with the thinking

And, I ended the conversation as quickly as possible. The client seemed satisfied; the conversation ended with a solution the client seemed committed to from the very beginning of the session. 

I felt awful, though.

I jumped to conclusions about what was motivating the client's thoughts and words. I made judgments about the person based on what I heard. I didn't have the coaching skills I needed to navigate the situation.

So, I had a conversation with a colleague who is a masterful coach. 

She didn't coach me (I wasn't looking for coaching), but she did offer some techniques to apply in coaching situations where the client's values conflict with the coach's values.

First, recognize your triggers. As a coach, what types of language, attitudes, or beliefs are likely to make you feel conflicted (or uncomfortable or furious or enraged)? Negative assumptions about students (especially traditionally under-served students) and colleagues make my right eye twitch.

Second, have some techniques and questions in your repertoire for times when something the client says offends you:

• Repeat the client's words and ask for clarification. I heard you describe students as "lazy and deceitful". Can you tell me more about why you chose those words?
• Prompt the client to consider what data supports conclusions. You said _________ is in support of this decision. How do you know that? 
• Use questioning to encourage the client to consider other points of view. What do you think is motivating ________'s actions and attitude? What else could it be?
• Use questioning to encourage the client to consider other solutions. What else could you try?

I decided not to a specific follow-up with the client, who seemed satisfied with the outcome of the situation. The discomfort is mine. I'm dealing with that discomfort by reflecting on the conversation and committing to doing better the next time I find myself in this situation.

Writing in Process

Marci Glaus, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction consultant for English language arts, contributed this post.

Today, writing takes place in many modes and spaces. Whether individually or collaboratively, with pen and paper or online, writing is a complex process that takes time and thought. As a writer myself, I have been fortunate enough to share some of my writing processes with others, even though the spotlight is usually on the finished product. For many students, the finished product is also the main focus. However, pausing for a moment to take note of the amazingly sophisticated moves we make as writers before, during, and after a writing process, can be an effective way to reflect on instructional choices we make.

As a way to think through what takes place during a writing process, I created a video to capture the recursive nature of writing. The video provides an in-depth look into the principle-based definition of the writing process, a think-aloud of an actual writing process, and the research base to support teaching writing as a process: http://tinyurl.com/lowduka.

While this example is from an adult perspective, it showcases the idea that writing is not a lockstep three-part model. As educators, sharing our own writing processes with students is a great way to teach and talk about planning, translating, and revising throughout an entire writing process in any genre. It is also an effective method for modeling ownership over writing and keeping an audience in mind.

So where do we begin when it comes to teaching writing as a process while addressing specific student needs? As educators and teacher leaders, there are several key questions we can ask to start the conversation:

•      What do you already know about your students as writers?

•      What supports do students need?

•      How much time do students actually write?

•      What is the required writing task?

•      What is the purpose for the writing task?

•      Who is the audience? Can the audience be authentic?

Based on the answers to some of these questions, we can address any gaps that may surface, and then, based on an actual writing task, plan for explicitly teaching the appropriate writing skills necessary. The first three questions above are really formative practice and directly connect to the rest of the questions regarding how particular writing lessons can take shape. They provide a built-in structure for reflecting on where students are, how to incorporate time for writing based on a particular task, and what it means to establish an audience for writing based on purpose.  

What is Guided Reading? Really?

Jaimie Howe contributed today's post. More of Jaimie's thinking can be found here.

I’m not sure how many definitions or interpretations there are for guided reading; however, I do know that in most cases it is considered a small homogeneous group of students previewing, reading, and discussing a text.  It is pretty much the same thing with all students except using a different leveled text.  In many cases, there isn't a specific purpose or strategy being modeled, practiced, or taught. We fail to connect the guided reading lessons to the other components of a balanced literacy framework.  Students have hard time transferring the literacy knowledge they gain in one lesson to the next because skills are taught in isolation. The instruction in a guided reading format needs to be more intentional, purposeful, and connected to strategies and skills used during shared reading and writing -- even science and social studies. 

To me, the term “guided reading” encompasses so much more than just previewing, reading, and discussing a text with a homogeneous group of students.  Guided reading can and should include heterogeneous strategy grouping, individual conferring with students, and, most of all, have a purpose - a purpose that meets the needs of each individual student and that is connected to all other areas of literacy.  

Burkins and Croft say, in Misguided Reading, that, “Guided reading is not really about levels, benchmark texts, or offering the right prompts to students when they struggle with words.  Rather, guided reading is. . . about supporting students as they develop strategic approaches to meaning making.”

“Strategic approaches” is the phrase that catches me the most.  We need to be able to reflect on what we notice our students doing within their reading and modify our instruction to meet their needs. For many teachers this means going away from the consistent daily schedule of seeing 3-4 groups everyday.  It also means going away from the typical novel study or leveled reader and focusing on strategies.  Novels are not meant for guided reading. Novels are for book clubs or literature circles. 

In my coaching experiences over the past two years, I have found short text to be very beneficial for small group lessons. Short texts are great for modeling and then scaffolding because they are much more manageable.  Short texts are also typically paper copies and students have the ability to write right on the text, encouraging more “during reading” thinking. Ask yourself if all students really, truly need our support every day?  Are there some students that just do not fit into a group and would benefit more from one on one conferring sessions?  We need to be more reflective, strategic, and flexible in our teaching; our time with our students is too precious.

Another common trend I see happening is that when teachers get stuck in that schedule of seeing 3-4 groups every day, shared reading, read alouds, writing, and word work, fall by the wayside. Teachers are using their whole English language arts block for guided reading to be sure that they can meet with every student, every day. Guided reading is only one component of a balanced literacy framework, a very important one, but we need to continue to understand that our students are different every year and they change throughout the year.  At one point in the year we may be seeing several small groups everyday, but at other points in the year most of our time may be spent conferring. In any case, we have to be reflective and flexible enough to make these modifications when they are needed. We need to take a look at our own definitions of guided reading and determine if they truly meet the needs of all of our students.

Source:

Burkins, J. M., & Croft, M. M. (2010). Preventing misguided reading: New strategies for guided reading teachers. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.