Embracing a Workshop Model

Jaimie Howe contributed today's post.

I am embarking on a new journey this year with a new job in a new district; a district that has been implementing the Lucy Calkins's Units of Study for Teaching Writing for about two years and is starting the process of looking at the Lucy Calkins's Units of Study for Teaching Reading. I have wondered for a few years now what it might look like for a whole district to embrace a workshop model and how that might affect student achievement over time. I believe I am about to find out.

In my opinion, implementing a workshop model district-wide will be a very challenging task. In order for it to be successful, it will require extensive professional development, coaching, collaboration, and time for reflection. For many teachers, a workshop model is a huge shift in thinking and will be/is very challenging. It will take time on the front end to really engage teachers in its framework, research, and philosophy; however,  in the long run,  if we take this time, I believe we will see a remarkable increase in the depth of student discussion, thoughtful thinking and writing, overall love of reading/writing, and ultimately, gains in student achievement.

Lucy states that her . . .

“ . . . series builds on decades of teaching and research—in literally tens of thousands of schools. In states across the country, this curriculum has already given young people extraordinary power, not only as readers, but also as thinkers. When young people are explicitly taught the skills and strategies of proficient reading and are invited to live as richly literate people do, carrying books everywhere, bringing reading into every nook and corner of their lives, the results are dramatic.”

I am excited and nervous about the possibilities of this adventure and can’t wait to continue to share our progress as we move forward.  Stay tuned . . .