Teaching writers' workshop is the best thing I do all day. It is powerful to help young children to become writers. Great books, intentional instruction, high expectations, and wide open spaces. Think Katie Wood Ray. Think Ralph Fletcher. It all comes together here.

Same philosophies extend to instructional coaching. It's about clarity of intention, reflection, and ownership. Working side by side. Building communities of learners (of all ages).



Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Rethinking Collaboration



Measured by minutes on a clock, an instructional coach has opportunities to collaborate much more frequently than anyone else in the building. In the past week, for example, I have been part of:
  • Four grade level PLCs
  • RtI Planning with three grade levels (including horizontal teammates, paraprofessionals, and special education teachers)
  • Planning for a PBL unit with one grade level
  • Half day release time for unit planning with a small group that included a classroom teacher, digital teacher librarian, and tech integration specialist
  • Instructional planning with my principal
  • Big picture data analysis and UIP planning with our Instructional Leadership Team (including three classroom teachers, a special education teacher, teacher librarian, and principal)
  • Planning and debrief/reflecting conversations related to coaching cycles and/or modeled lessons with three teachers
  • A half day class learning/planning side-by-side with a grade level team plus special education teacher
  • More planning conversations than I can count supporting teachers in crafting their Individual Educator Goals that are due in the next few days (classroom teachers, specialists. . . everyone)
  • Follow up learning around the PLC process with coaches, principals, and district leaders
Almost all of the work I do is side-by-side with someone. And yet. . . how often is that someone another coach? In the past week, only one example included an opportunity to be in a role-alike situation. 

Ironic? Definitely.

I would argue that if research shows collaboration is key for teachers, that teachers are more effective when they deprivatize practice and leverage their collective expertise to engage in collaborative, results-oriented work, then the same should be true for coaches. 

Within buildings, we have redesigned schedules to reflect this shared value of collaboration for teachers. We are creative with resources to build extended planning blocks, to offer release time, and to make sure all stakeholders are at the table when we analyze data and plan for instruction. We have invested time in learning how to work together at higher levels. We have celebrated the impact this commitment has had on student learning and school culture. 

So. . . do we need to re-think our structures around how instructional coaches collaborate? 

When I look at my calendar, how often does it say, Planning for Formative Assessment PD w/ Coach X, or Observe and Reflect w/ Coach Y? Is there a regular time allotted for Coach PLC? Is it even okay to advocate with our principals for this kind of time out of our buildings, intentionally carving out space to collaborate with our fellow coaches? 

This is not to say that my district doesn't have processes in place to build community among coaches. We meet once or twice a month formally, in large groups and in smaller groups. We share via Schoology, and we build networks of go-to coaches for support and mentoring. We occasionally visit and observe each other in action. There is regular sharing going on, resources and ideas passing from coach to coach. We have structures for shared leadership. We have a strong coaching program, no question. 

But I do wonder what might be possible if the how we work together evolved to better align with what we know about the power of Professional Learning Communities.

Consider the 4 Questions of a PLC Through a Coaching Lens:

  • Q1: How are we prioritizing the essentials of the adult learning in our building (and its intended effects on student learning)? 
  • Q2: How do we know when teachers have it (and it's impacting student learning)? 
  • Q3: What do we do when teachers don't yet have it (and students aren't learning)? 
  • Q4: What do we do when teachers/students already have it? 

Wouldn't involvement in a coach PLC with other coaches focusing on the same goal be an ideal place to share this worthy thinking work?

What type of work (that we often do in isolation) would be more powerful if done with another coach (or coaches)? 
  • Planning for Professional Development: This includes both the long-view work involved in thinking through a year of connected learning as well as the weekly/monthly planning for each learning experience building up to the expected outcomes. Designing PD together and then reflecting on results and next steps. . . that would have a significant impact on adult and student learning. 
  • Structures and Sense-Making: The how is just as important (if not more so) than the what. So much time and thought goes into the systems and the framing for what happens in schools. And while it is critical for this work to include a wide variety of stakeholders from inside the building, the perspective of how things are organized in other buildings is just as critical. It's too easy to get mired down in, "This is how we do it." Outside perspective prompts us to inquire, "Why are we doing it this way?"
  • Development of Cognitive Coaching Skills: How do I get better at my coaching conversations, my group facilitation, my coaching cycles? What data points help me to reflect on my effectiveness as a coach? Do I have opportunities to give and receive growth producing feedback to and from other coaches? If I could do more regular work alongside other coaches, I would grow faster--guaranteed. 
  • Straight up Time-Savers (which gives us more time for higher leverage work): For example, coaches attend a training, with the understanding that we will "bring it back to our building." The process of translating a three hour training with 150 slides into an hour long learning experience with 15 slides takes several hours. It is incredibly inefficient for each of the 100+ coaches in my district to do this independently. And yet, all our buildings have different needs, so it's not about creating something one-size-fits-all. But if small groups of us with common needs or styles created this type of presentation together, it would save time--and would be higher quality. We would also have a common reference point to reflect on as the learning in the presentation played out in buildings. 
A system with dedicated structures in place to support the PLC process is a gift to educators. It's sacred time to do the most important work with the stakeholders closest to (and most invested in) that work. As I reflect on the impact on student learning arising from the shift towards the PLC process in our building, I feel the need to advocate for myself and for the other coaches in my community. What might the impact be on our work if regular engagement in the PLC process became part of our routine--as expected on the weekly calendar as the staff meeting or grade level PLCs?

I want to find out! 

Monday, October 19, 2015

Feeling Thankful


It's not quite November, but I'm already feeling thankful. 

I had an opportunity to attend an all day learning experience on Friday that got me thinking about the kind of teachers I am fortunate to learn beside. We had the best day digging into the PLC process with Thomas Many, author of Learning by Doing and Leverage. As I reflect on what made the day so powerful, it all comes back to what these three teachers bring to the table every time we collaborate. 

Growth Mindset


These teachers are learners. The PLC process is new for us this year, and they are comfortable jumping in to figure it out, and then jumping out to reflect on how it's going. They seek out thought partners in this work. They don't get overwhelmed, because they don't expect to be perfect at it yet. They expect learning to be messy (but totally worth it). 

Vulnerability


These teachers aren't afraid to share what isn't working. As we contrasted Thomas Many's version of intervention with our own RtI process, to say we experienced some cognitive dissonance would be putting it mildly. Teachers asked some hard questions and shared some honest reflections on where we are in this process. Instead of taking us someplace negative, making the vulnerabilities visible led to deeper questions and collaboration from the group. It felt safe to explore what was difficult, instead of feeling pressured to prove we could solve it. In fact, I might argue that being openly vulnerable enabled us to see (and be ready for) next steps that we might not have seen (or been ready for) without the reflective conversation. 

Connected Work


The high level of collaboration on Friday was also a direct result of how connected our work is on a regular basis in the building. Because the special education teacher and I are part of their respective PLCs and/or RtI Planning time (plus coaching cycles and in-classroom time), we could connect our learning to specific examples from our recent work. Being able to say, "So last week when we. . ." or "Do you remember in that RtI meeting when. . ." was so affirming. We have begun to deprivatize practice in a way that facilitates deeper dialogue around our instruction. So when we engage in learning together, we can make sure it gets specific enough to lead to real growth. 

Openness to Shift


My brain hurt by the end of the session--in the best possible way. And judging by the BMIRS flashing around the table all day, I was not the only one who experienced cognitive shift. Getting energized when you figure out something new--even if that something new rocks the foundation of what you thought you knew--that is an exceptional quality that all three of these teachers share. 

This is the part of education that I love. The moments when you look around and appreciate what a gift it is to be a part of a learning community--whether we're talking about kids or adults. If we want to build learning communities with students, we must spend equal time and care building them with adults. Friday was my most recent "data point" that we're on the right track. 

As a teacher or coach, what are the signs that your professional community is continuing to grow? 

Monday, October 12, 2015

Transformational Professional Reading

What are those professional books that have rocked your pedagogical world? The ones that made you stop, think, and shift in some significant way? Here are my top three:

3. Awakening the Heart, by Georgia Heard


This is the book that changed me from a teacher who feared poetry to a teacher who cannot imagine a teaching (or a reading or a writing) life without poetry. Georgia Heard makes poetry so accessible, so connected to who we are as human beings. Her strategies support the most reluctant writer (and teacher) in taking creative risks and in beginning to "resee" the world through a poet's eyes.

I have relied on this book as a classroom teacher, and I have used it as a tool as an instructional coach. Years later, it is my go-to resource for supporting teachers (and students) who may be hesitant about their own efficacy around poetry. Georgia Heard makes poetry safe, and she connects it to the writing work we do throughout the year (not just in April).

2. The Comprehension Toolkits, by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis


You may be familiar with Stephanie and Anne's book, Strategies that Work, a comprehensive work on the how-tos of teaching reading comprehension. The Comprehension Toolkits (K-2 and 3-6), take the same content and break it apart into practical units, including non-fiction texts for instruction. Each lesson contains examples of teacher talk, student talk, and student work. I think of the toolkits as teaching resources; they are practical, yes, but through their use, the teacher learns so much. They are not intended to be "scripts," but examples of the level of thinking and talk that supports deep comprehension.

Stephanie Harvey is just so clear when she writes about comprehension. Her strategies make the thinking we do as readers visible--to kids and to us as we assess where kids are with their comprehension. The how and the why are completely transparent and transferable. She teaches us how to teach reading comprehension (not just practice doing it).

1. About the Authors, by Katie Wood Ray


It's hard to pick just one Katie Wood Ray book (I've read them ALL). . . but this is the one that changed everything for me as a writing teacher (long, long, ago). This is the book that gave me a vision for the writing our youngest writers can do if we get out of their way and build a writing community that mirrors what writers do in the real world. Katie Wood Ray proves in this book the high level of thinking writers are capable of when they are taught to "read like writers" and have vision for the possibilities of their own work.

Katie Wood Ray taught me to adjust my stance--from teacher/student to writer/writer. As we began to notice and inquire together, my students developed their own writer identities. They became empowered, engaged, and motivated. They had purpose and audience for their writing. They could talk about their intentions as writers and refer to the mentor texts that inspired their thinking. Their growth mindset around writing inspired my own.

I have been an unapologetic groupie every since.

What does this say about me? 


I could go on and on with professional books that have helped to shape the teacher I am today. But my purpose today was to reflect, and perhaps to challenge you to reflect as well.

As I look over my list, I see a trend. All three of my transformational books share the idea that in order to teach, we must model--with our own writing lives, with the way we make our own thinking as a reader or writer visible. A walking the walk situation. All of these authors project that same authenticity that I aspire to live with my students and with the teachers I work beside. It's not about having all the answers. It's about having genuine curiosity for figuring it out together. It's about trusting that everyone (everyone) you learn beside has the capacity for greatness. As teachers, we must be vulnerable (and patient) enough to reflect on the process of figuring it out.

What are your transformational professional books? What do they say about your beliefs as an educator? 

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

What are you Reading?

I recently heard Leslie Blauman speak, and she made an observation about the reading habits of teachers that I cannot stop thinking about. She claims that teachers aren't reading professional books anymore.

In fact, she says, educational publishers are struggling in the current market, because teachers aren't buying professional books the way they used to. And the books educators are buying are smaller, more bite-sized and practical than the professional books of yore.

My first reaction was denial. I feel like my professional book budget gets bigger every year, not smaller. With all there is to learn (and the pressure to learn it), the book business should be booming!

On the one hand, I can see how resources like Twitter, blogs, and digital versions of journals like Educational Leadership are appealing to educators. Ideas flow fast, and there's no commitment if it's not what you need. I love having access to such great thinking on my phone or iPad at any time. It's essential to be a connected educator, and I would argue that I have learned just as much online from my PLN as I have from books.

But I don't think the educational publishing slump can be blamed entirely on social media and digital resources. . . And something tells me that the educators exploring new ways to access and share the latest thinking in education online are the ones who ARE still buying professional books (based on how many new books I hear about from Twitter).

The real question--and the one that scares me to answer--is: Are there teachers who have stopped reading, period?

I know the workload on teachers is crazy-unreasonable, but what happens to a profession if the professionals don't make time to learn? There is no way to master the craft and content we are expected to demonstrate if our only learning happens during the weekly staff meeting. It is just not possible (or appropriate) to expect that to be enough. If we are going to inspire a growth mindset in our students, then we need to model that growth mindset. We must read.

Additionally, I believe it's important to support the professional book industry so that we continue to have choices in the kinds of books being created. Print media is not the only way to have a voice in education, but it would certainly change the landscape of our profession if only the largest companies survive, homogenizing the professional literature.

What can we Do?


As an Instructional Coach, I would rather focus on the solution than bemoan the problem. If it is our reality that teachers are not finding (or making) the time to read--whether that is books or whether that is articles, blogs, or Twitter chats--then I wonder what my role might be in supporting a professional reading culture in my building.

Over the next month, I'm going to look for ways to feed the work I'm already doing with teachers with the "just right" resources to support that embedded learning. This might be one-on-one in a coaching cycle, in a team PLC, or as optional supports after some small or whole group learning.

If the right book in the right hand is too much, then I can target the right chapter of the right book instead. Maybe if that chapter is just what someone needs, it will build trust in future recommendations. If the thought of diving into Twitter is too overwhelming, perhaps a link to a blog from another reflective teacher might be just enough to open a door for collaboration.

My goal is to look for opportunities to be both invitational and intentional in supporting the professional reading community in my school. I don't want to overwhelm, but we need fuel on the fire if we're going to spark conversation about professional reading.

There are plenty of teachers in my building who are already voracious professional readers. But just like in our classrooms, if we aren't talking about what we're reading, it doesn't build a reading community. Without a reading community, there is no welcoming arm around the shoulder of the reluctant reader to pull him or her into the fold.

I'm thinking about ways to open the doors to our professional reading lives the way we strive to open the doors to our professional practice. . .