WSQ 9:
This chapter helped clear up some questions I had involving PD. The qualities that stood out to me for professional development that seemed to be the most successful:
Sustained- I had never thought about PD being something that needs to be sustained. Most
of the professional developments I've been to have been workshops. We'd go once and
learn something and that was it. This idea of intensive process is interesting to me.
Active learning- I think this is important. Teachers need to be involved in the learning. It makes it
more meaningful.
Follow-up/Feedback- I think this would help teacher implement ideas. To have a group to bounce
ideas off of would be helpful.
Acknowledge Participants beliefs/teaching practice- This would help foster a trusting environment.
Teachers would feel valued. They'd also feel like the PD would fit into their lives. I can
remember some PD I've attended were the ideas were so off from my pedagogy that it was
hard to implement.
The section that talked about ways to support change was good. I think a lot of times when people develop PD, they forget this component. This might be one of the most important pieces. The idea of observing a teacher to help build understanding would really help teachers see a lesson in progress. Peer support groups would help teachers feel supported and have a community to ask questions. Even an online forum to help have an ongoing thread to ask questions would support teachers. This chapter really summarizes why PD needs to be an ongoing task. To really see change, you must sustain the effort of PD by supporting, listening, and helping teachers.
Article Sustained:
I really like the idea of training better teacher instead of just teaching another strategy. This is a novel idea. Many districts think giving teachers materials and strategies and they will be better teachers. Yet, there is more to it. By introducing an instructional framework for teachers, helps teachers become more consistent. Also there is a commonality across the school. The PD introduced in this article helps support teachers and their growth. They no longer depend on the curriculum to do all the teaching; the teachers now has support from administration and peers. The results from this school over a couple years showed how successful this idea of PD has been. I also thought it was interesting that this implementation was conducted over years not just a semester. I think real change comes from committing to an idea over several years.
Question:
Has your school or district ever bought into this idea of sustained PD? I was in Norman Public, I'm not sure if they have. NPS did implement technology over several years, I'm not sure it was like this though. This might have been their goal though!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
Week 6: Coaching and Communication
L&T Chapter 5 (questions 1 and 2)
Question 1:
I feel confident in critical communication. I feel like every time I would plan with a teammate (weekly), this was a type of communication that came up. We’d bounce ideas off each other. We’d ask each other for help in a certain area. We’d give each other ideas to try. Given, trust had to form to be able to do this. But after I’ve set the climate in my school, hopefully open and honest, I will be able to talk with teachers this way. I think the important part of this is asking teachers for their help and suggestions too. Not thinking, “because I’m the reading specialist, I need to know all the answers.” I feel my personality is good at admitting when I don’t understand, and I’m good at asking others for their help.
Questions 2: I think the area I’m struggling most with is the “speaker’s message” on page 89. I am going to be pre-conference, observing, and de-briefing a teacher on Thursday. She is so nervous. This chapter has helped me learn some ways to ease that anxiety. I’ve talked to her and tried to explain some of the questions I might present her with and this helped her grasp the ideas. She feels better about picking a goal and/or standard to focus on now. Before she’d never thought of teaching this way. The chapter helped me choose terms to use. For example, saying “ this sounds like an exciting lesson, can’t wait to learn from you.” Trying using “we” instead of “I”. I’ve already decided to bring a little treat to help break the ice! I’m thinking in the future a candy basket that comes with me to classes would be fun! Candy always makes me happy! I think my needs are just practice. It’ll get easier the more I do it!.
Finally, think about how communication skills are important as you read about working to create a shared knowledge base.
It’s vital to foster an open and honest environment within a school. Knowing how to communicate in different situations will help in resolving conflict, delivering, information, and helping the environment learn. The coaching atmosphere is really dependent on the reading specialist. The reading specialist job is to listen, provide feedback, teach, model, discuss, persuade, encourage, create written documents, and present information. For each of those areas, communication in required. Reading specialist must be poised and precise with their words. I kind of think of a reading specialist as the ring leader. They get everyone excited. They help create an organized environment; while showcasing the special talents everyone obtains. They have to keep peace and help everyone get along. The reading specialist can improve or hurt the environment of a school depending on their attitude and communication skills. Allowing everyone to voice their thoughts and knowledge opens a shared knowledge base. Everyone can learn from each other. Teachers must feel heard and valued. Knowing your knowledge can help others, builds confidence. When your skills are acknowledged, you feel respected. Feeling free to be the teacher you are, helps everyone feel appreciated.
Meeting:
My birthday is Saturday, don’t plan it around me, BUT if at all possible I have family in all day Saturday to celebrate and would love to be able to see them! Other than that I can do any day in the evening to discuss our results. I would love to have Dr. Beach facilitate too! I’m feel unsure of exactly what needs to be done! How long do we need to set aside for this conference?
Also, for our survey results…
Dr. Beach, do you want us to send you the actual google excel form that the results collected in? Or would you like an organized chart showing the top results for each section? or both?
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Coaching 2
Goal Setting:
This chapter helped ease some of my concerns when beginning a coaching cycle. I liked how it gave an approximate time schedule (20minutes). I feel like that is doable. Actually I could see a lot of conversations going longer than that. I also liked the SMART format. That will be helpful.
Questions:
Are you going to have your teacher pick a standard (PASS) this semester for their goal? Would that be something we need to usually focus on when goal setting? or can it be anything they are wanting to work on for example implementing an iPad?
Modeling:
I like this idea of modeling instructional strategies. There were a few times when I was teaching, I would have liked someone to just have showed me what it looked like to use the ideas I'd learned. Then having a brief post conference to review the purpose of the modeling and share notes.
Co-Planning:
I use to co-plan weekly with my grade level colleague. I loved this time. We used it to fire off ideas and help each other. I think if you built a good relationship with others, as a literacy coach, it'd be helpful to co-plan with grade levels. This would be helpful to do once a month with each grade level during their plan. I think this would be a good start when trying to implement a school wide cohesiveness.
Co-Teaching:
I honestly had never heard of doing this with a literacy coach. This was a new concept for me. I've never had a coach that did this. I think this would be effective if you established a good relationship that allowed for open communication. I could imagine this going south, if the coach just came in the classroom and told the teacher what they were doing wrong.
Observing:
It is important when observing to let your teacher know you are coming to give support, not evaluate. This would ease a lot of tension. It would be beneficial to a school if there was a sense of help coming from the coach, not judgement. If teachers were able to be honest, to the coach, about their weakness and ask for help.
Repsonse
**This whole process is beginning to make sense. I am eager to begin my coaching cycle. Just waiting to hear back from my teacher when she is able to meet. I really like how the book has the template pages and next to the template is an example. This has been the most helpful when learning this cycle. One question I did have is, are we suppose to video all the meetings with our teacher :goal setting and debriefing? For some reason I only thought were were recording the debriefing session. Also is the debriefing session the same as the post observation conference?
This chapter helped ease some of my concerns when beginning a coaching cycle. I liked how it gave an approximate time schedule (20minutes). I feel like that is doable. Actually I could see a lot of conversations going longer than that. I also liked the SMART format. That will be helpful.
Questions:
Are you going to have your teacher pick a standard (PASS) this semester for their goal? Would that be something we need to usually focus on when goal setting? or can it be anything they are wanting to work on for example implementing an iPad?
Modeling:
I like this idea of modeling instructional strategies. There were a few times when I was teaching, I would have liked someone to just have showed me what it looked like to use the ideas I'd learned. Then having a brief post conference to review the purpose of the modeling and share notes.
Co-Planning:
I use to co-plan weekly with my grade level colleague. I loved this time. We used it to fire off ideas and help each other. I think if you built a good relationship with others, as a literacy coach, it'd be helpful to co-plan with grade levels. This would be helpful to do once a month with each grade level during their plan. I think this would be a good start when trying to implement a school wide cohesiveness.
Co-Teaching:
I honestly had never heard of doing this with a literacy coach. This was a new concept for me. I've never had a coach that did this. I think this would be effective if you established a good relationship that allowed for open communication. I could imagine this going south, if the coach just came in the classroom and told the teacher what they were doing wrong.
Observing:
It is important when observing to let your teacher know you are coming to give support, not evaluate. This would ease a lot of tension. It would be beneficial to a school if there was a sense of help coming from the coach, not judgement. If teachers were able to be honest, to the coach, about their weakness and ask for help.
Repsonse
**This whole process is beginning to make sense. I am eager to begin my coaching cycle. Just waiting to hear back from my teacher when she is able to meet. I really like how the book has the template pages and next to the template is an example. This has been the most helpful when learning this cycle. One question I did have is, are we suppose to video all the meetings with our teacher :goal setting and debriefing? For some reason I only thought were were recording the debriefing session. Also is the debriefing session the same as the post observation conference?
Monday, September 8, 2014
Week 4- coaching 1
Honestly my first reaction to how the readings are connected is, "wow reading specialist/coaches do a lot." That aside, literacy coaches hold several job descriptions. They coach, teach, assist, implement, and model. I'm quite amazed at all the job titles they can hold. But the more I think about the word coaching, the more I think of this term as an umbrella term By this I mean all other job descriptions can fall under this one term. In the end, I want to be considered a coach, not a supervisor or boss to my future colleagues. I want to be seen as someone who helps guide their learning and supports them or coaches them into their potential.
One thing I saw threaded through out the chapters was this idea coaching others. The WSQ chapter focused on types of coaching visits. The article about coaching guidelines focused on guiding principals that literacy coaches can use to improve their coaching. The team coaching article focused on using the CCCM approach to coaching teachers. Then the EPL chapter showed ways to actually begin implementing the coaching cycles. The chapters related to our class discussions over the weekend by tying together the essence of what my future position as as literacy coach will be. Coaching will be a huge part of what I'll do in the school. I will have to understand and refine my coaching strategies. I will have to decide the most effective ways to implement coaching. Then I will actually have to know how to successfully begin a coaching cycle.
One of the most important things I learned this last week while reading is that some teachers have a negative idea of coaching. They see it as someone who needs coaching must have a weakness. I completely understand this view. We as teachers sometimes want to portray to everyone," we've got it all together." Yet, as I become wiser, I am realizing we are all continually learning, even the experts. It's when we think we know it all the real danger happens. Therefor, I want to debunk this idea that coaching is for the people who don't get it. When I begin as a reading specialist one day, that will be my first goal is to work on relationships. By working on relationships, I hope to help teachers see we are all life long learners. Each on of us has a strength to share. I want them to know I am not here as the reading specialist to "fix" problems. I am here to help teachers live into their potential and to improve on what they are already good at and then share it with others.
I also learned this week about how to begin a coaching cycle. I honestly felt a little uneasy after the weekend. I kept thinking, " love this idea of coaching, but uhhh how do I begin?" The review of ch 18 in EPL helped settle my anxieties. I feel I have an idea of where to begin. I really like the forms that can be used for the coaching cycles. Why reinvent the wheel?
I love this idea of team coaching. First I think it relieves everyone in the group of the idea, "I'm not the only one who doesn't get it." It also is an efficient use of time. There is only so much time in a school day. Therefore if a group of teachers needs help with an idea, why not implement the CCCM. Through team coaching, teachers can collaborate and find answers together. You are building relationships that will benefit the school in the long run. There are times though that individual coaching is needed. Maybe a teacher has a certain classroom problem that only she has. It would benefit her to have the individual coaching aspect. The coach can then suggest ideas and help that tailor to her needs. I also think individual coaching builds an intimate relationship that team coaching may not. There is a trust that forms when working in pairs. The similarities of team and individual coaching are that a common goal of improvement is needed. There just happen to be different ways of going about improvement in a school.
Questions:
1. As a reading specialist (if that's your end goal) do you hope to spend more time helping teachers? or working one on one with students?
I go back and forth on this issues. There are times I wish to eventually be a literacy coach, Focusing my time on teacher improvement. Then other times I think I'd love to especially work with struggling readers most of the time, pulling in and out of the classroom. Do you have a calling or feel especially drawn to one or the other?
One thing I saw threaded through out the chapters was this idea coaching others. The WSQ chapter focused on types of coaching visits. The article about coaching guidelines focused on guiding principals that literacy coaches can use to improve their coaching. The team coaching article focused on using the CCCM approach to coaching teachers. Then the EPL chapter showed ways to actually begin implementing the coaching cycles. The chapters related to our class discussions over the weekend by tying together the essence of what my future position as as literacy coach will be. Coaching will be a huge part of what I'll do in the school. I will have to understand and refine my coaching strategies. I will have to decide the most effective ways to implement coaching. Then I will actually have to know how to successfully begin a coaching cycle.
One of the most important things I learned this last week while reading is that some teachers have a negative idea of coaching. They see it as someone who needs coaching must have a weakness. I completely understand this view. We as teachers sometimes want to portray to everyone," we've got it all together." Yet, as I become wiser, I am realizing we are all continually learning, even the experts. It's when we think we know it all the real danger happens. Therefor, I want to debunk this idea that coaching is for the people who don't get it. When I begin as a reading specialist one day, that will be my first goal is to work on relationships. By working on relationships, I hope to help teachers see we are all life long learners. Each on of us has a strength to share. I want them to know I am not here as the reading specialist to "fix" problems. I am here to help teachers live into their potential and to improve on what they are already good at and then share it with others.
I also learned this week about how to begin a coaching cycle. I honestly felt a little uneasy after the weekend. I kept thinking, " love this idea of coaching, but uhhh how do I begin?" The review of ch 18 in EPL helped settle my anxieties. I feel I have an idea of where to begin. I really like the forms that can be used for the coaching cycles. Why reinvent the wheel?
I love this idea of team coaching. First I think it relieves everyone in the group of the idea, "I'm not the only one who doesn't get it." It also is an efficient use of time. There is only so much time in a school day. Therefore if a group of teachers needs help with an idea, why not implement the CCCM. Through team coaching, teachers can collaborate and find answers together. You are building relationships that will benefit the school in the long run. There are times though that individual coaching is needed. Maybe a teacher has a certain classroom problem that only she has. It would benefit her to have the individual coaching aspect. The coach can then suggest ideas and help that tailor to her needs. I also think individual coaching builds an intimate relationship that team coaching may not. There is a trust that forms when working in pairs. The similarities of team and individual coaching are that a common goal of improvement is needed. There just happen to be different ways of going about improvement in a school.
Questions:
1. As a reading specialist (if that's your end goal) do you hope to spend more time helping teachers? or working one on one with students?
I go back and forth on this issues. There are times I wish to eventually be a literacy coach, Focusing my time on teacher improvement. Then other times I think I'd love to especially work with struggling readers most of the time, pulling in and out of the classroom. Do you have a calling or feel especially drawn to one or the other?
Friday, September 5, 2014
Strengths with New Literacy Tools
Strengths with New Literacy Tools
Areas of expertise:
Areas of expertise:
- Interwrite Boards
- Ipad
- powerpoint
- Prezi
- blogging
- iauthor
- kindle
- Skype
- facetime
- adobe connect
- website development
These strengths will help aid me when I coach other teachers this semester. I have experience in these areas, therefore I will understand the basics when teachers bring them up during conversations. I will be able to share my experiences with my peers and other teachers. Having comprehension of new literacies is important when leading others.
Question:
What is your favorite app/website to share with students? Early childhood? Middle school/ High school?
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