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? 

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. . .

#Educoach Blogging Challenge!

I have been desperately in need of a kick in the pants to get re-blogging, and this is it. Kathy Perret and the #educoach community are encouraging instructional coaches to post one blog a week during the month of October to build community and to facilitate sharing. I follow the #educoach hashtag, but I don't often contribute, so this is the perfect opportunity to get more involved.

To learn more or to sign up, visit Kathy's website.

Until October. . .

Teaching as Gentling a Wild Horse

My brother’s new hobby is gentling wild mustangs. (Yes, my entire family that grew up in the suburbs has turned into cowboys without me.) Twice now, he has acquired a mustang from the Bureau of Land Management and then spent months training it until it was ready to be adopted.

It’s a magical process, watching horse and rider learn to trust each other. It requires great skill, patience, and love of horses.

So the other night at dinner my brother was complaining about how much more work it is on days when his 19 year old client comes by to “help” with the training.

“It takes forever when I know he's coming. First, there’s all the thinking ahead of time about what we need to do. How to break it down for him.”

“Then as we’re working, I have to constantly explain everything--the reasons behind every decision.”

“We try it together, and I have to show him over and over again until he can do it himself. It takes so much longer than when I can just go out there and get it done.”

(Pause for reaction.)

Me: “Yeah, it’s called teaching.”

Half the look he gave me was a thank-you-very-much for the smart ass remark. The other half said, “So THAT’s what you do all day every day?”

Yes. Yes it is. (Except I love it.)

Here’s what’s awesome--he completely nailed the essentials of good lesson design: intentional planning, the I-do we-do you-do of gradual release (including think-aloud), the formative assessment involved in deciding when reteaching is necessary, making the learning hands-on and authentic.

I have no doubt that this kid loves working with my brother--he is so obviously a natural teacher. All grumbling aside, he knows what it means to help someone really understand and apply something new. It is work. But without all those troublesome steps, there is a risk of teaching without learning.

And the, “Well, I taught it!” rationale isn’t comforting while being thrown from a horse!

Ten Things I did not Expect to Happen in my First Year as an Instructional Coach

Today’s blog post is inspired by Ruth Ayers’s post on her Two Writing Teachers blog. My own blog has been sorely neglected over the past year, mostly because I changed roles--from classroom teacher to instructional coach--and it’s taken me the better part of this year to even understand myself what the scope of my new work is and how I might write about it here. When I read Ruth’s post, it inspired me to try the same exercise as a reflective tool to think about my first year as a coach and to jumpstart writing on the blog again.

So. . . here goes.

Ten things I did not expect to happen in my first year as an instructional coach.

• I didn’t realize how much of my identity was wrapped up in feeling effective in the classroom every day. The shift from being the center of  my own little crew to suddenly being on the outside--and on the outside of a new building where no one knew me or had any idea what I could do--unsettled me to my core. I no longer had those million little moments throughout the day that let you know that what you’re doing is working--and that all the effort is worth it. Some critical piece of myself that makes me myself was missing, and I knew that it was not going to come back in a hurry. I had a lot of work to do to rebuild my own professional efficacy in this new role, and I had to be patient.

• I didn’t expect to have to think so hard--all the time. I found myself speaking more slowly, pausing more often--and I started to worry that people were going to think I wasn’t very bright. But teachers ask big, thoughtful questions, and they deserve the most careful responses I can give. As a coach I have to think about more than my own classroom and my own grade level. I have so much to learn about grade levels I’ve never taught and a building that is new to me. I’ve had to consider a more global view of the school and the system. And what I’m finding is that people don’t mind a few pauses in the conversation when they can tell the conversation is being taken seriously.

• I didn’t realize all the work and intention that goes into every staff meeting.

• I didn’t realize the baggage that comes with terms like “staff meeting.”

• I didn’t expect to end up in such an ideal place to grow and learn. I think change always brings opportunities for new learning, but this particular change has been so positive. I learn something new every day. I have an opportunity to work with motivated teachers and an exceptional administrator who is truly an instructional leader. I’ve had to jump into so many new challenges this year, but I have felt supported every step of the way--both inside my building and from mentors inside the district. I can only hope that as I get better at this job, I can foster that same feeling of support for all the teachers in my building.

• I didn’t expect that when I failed in front of someone it would actually build trust. The first time I cried in front of a teacher (out of absolute frustration), I was mortified. How unprofessional! What would she think? Well, it turned out that she thought I was overwhelmed in a new role in a new school (just like her). Imagine that. And that moment of vulnerability gave sea legs to the professional relationship we were building.

• I didn’t expect some of the windows that opened. I learned to keep an open mind, because some of the teachers most ready to work with a coach might not have been who I predicted. Windows opened suddenly and unexpectedly, and I had great experiences when I just jumped at any opportunity that presented itself. For example, I had a chance to co-teach writing in a grade level I had never taught before. This was not a teacher I expected to initiate collaboration. But then she did. And it was magic. There was something about teaching in front of each other that built trust like a bridge, and everything changed. She and I collaborated and engaged in reflection about writers’ workshop that led to significant growth in her use of conferring and feedback with kids. It was not a perfect collaboration (especially since it was my first real go at it), but it demonstrates the value of persistence--and the power of asking just the right question. Because of teachers like this one, who took a risk and invited me into the work with her, I learned so much--and I’m so ready to keep getting better at this!

• I didn’t realize all the different ways that people think--and how important it is to pay attention.

• I didn’t expect to have to run so many things past others before acting. I don’t think I appreciated the power I had to make unilateral decisions all day long in the classroom. As a coach, I am constantly making decisions in collaboration with others (principal, teachers, committees). When I get a great idea, I shoot it past my principal first, and then it goes past Instructional Leadership Team or another committee, whereas as a classroom teacher I hardly ever checked in with my principal (at all, let alone first thing). And while this was initially pretty uncomfortable, I’m realizing how lucky I am to be in a place that values true collaborative decision making. In the grand scheme of community culture and trust building, it’s much better to work as a team player than a lone ranger.

• I didn’t expect to be so inspired by what’s ahead!

Beyond Book Reviews

So after my philosophical crisis of conscience last week, I thought I'd share a unit we just wrapped up in writers' workshop that is exactly the kind of authentic writing I believe students should be engaged in daily.

Kids today are constantly writing about what they read--in literature logs, in reader's notebooks, in responses to listening centers--but I wanted this project to be different. Students know how to summarize, to make connections, to discuss their favorite parts and characters in the stories they read. However, a book review should have an audience and a purpose beyond the teacher.

We studied reviews as a genre, with our primary focus on book reviews. We did seek out other types of reviews--movie, restaurant, toy, service--to discuss the audience and purpose of review writing.

One resource I found online during the teaching of this unit that particularly connected with kids was book trailers. We found professionally produced and kid produced trailers online for a huge variety of children's literature. (Some of my favorite sites: http://www.mrschureads.blogspot.com/  http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/
http://www.kitlitbooktrailers.ning.com/)

The book trailers were powerful for multiple reasons. Projected on my (brand spanking new) SMART board, kids were captivated as they saw their favorite books come to life in the same way they were trying to make stories in their reviews jump off the page. Trailers have drama and voice and imagination. Trailers accomplish what reviews strive to accomplish: they get kids to want to read the book. Immediately.

Additionally, the trailers helped kids to see patterns in the structure of the review summary: set the stage, get the reader interested by telling just enough of the problem of the story to persuade them to keep reading/listening, then. . . end with a teaser that tells them that they will have to read the book to find out more. Watching book trailers is what internalized this concept for my kids so that they could transfer it to their own writing in a way that reading reviews had not.

I gave my kids an opportunity to bring their own reviews to life using EduGlogster. If you are not familiar with EduGlogster, it is a free, online resource for teachers and students. Kids create digital posters, to which they can import text, photos, links, drawings, and video. It is incredibly user friendly;  my second graders just took off after minimal directions.

At the end of our review unit, students selected their favorite reviews to publish on EduGlogster. They chose a wall (background), added their review as a text box, added titles, a photo, and a video of themselves talking about their chosen book. (EduGlogster gives kids so many fun choices as they build their glogs. And again, so easy.) I cannot tell you how motivated they were to do this, and the quality of their work demonstrates not only their new learning but their understanding of audience and purpose.

I wish I could post some of their projects here, but for digital safety reasons, I can't--especially since they contain photos and video. The nice thing is that we can publish privately on EduGlogster, and students can send the link to only those they select to see them. I also linked them to our classroom blog, which is private as well, so they can watch each other's projects. You'll just have to trust me that their work is exceptional.

The culminating piece to this unit was a collaborative project with a fourth grade colleague. (Her idea, I have to give her full credit! You can check her out at her teacherspirit site.) Her students are currently working on literary non-fiction books. Because their audience is younger kids, we paired her kids up with my second graders when her kids had finished the dummies of their projects. Then my students wrote reviews of the fourth graders' books--including suggestions for revision. The reviews will be passed back to the fourth graders, and then they will revise and publish their projects, hopefully incorporating some of the advice from the second graders.

How empowering is that for the second graders! And how purposeful does the revision process become for the fourth graders when they know their books have a specific audience!

I have to admit, I was a little worried about the advice that my second graders would give. . . However, I have been blown away with the thoughtfulness of my young writers. It is proof to me that they know how to talk and think about writing, and it validates everything we do every day in writers' workshop.

Teaching Outside the Box

Teachers today are under pressure to be systemic, to conform to the decisions of the group rather than stand out from the crowd. And while I have no issue with consistency in standards and curricular content, I do feel my soul beating its tiny fists against my insides as this profession tries to fit me into a smaller and smaller box. I can't help but think that in trying to make our classrooms the same, we will only succeed in making the minds within them the same. Who wants that?

Last week was the annual CCIRA Conference (Colorado Council of the International Reading Association), and I was fortunate enough to hear the mighty Katie Wood Ray and Regie Routman speak, among others. After three days of inspiration and new learning, I was left with one overwhelming message: the best way to fight against what is frustrating and just plain wrong in education today is with excellent, authentic, inquiry based instruction.

At a district technology fair last month, educator Karl Fisch said, "We are the system." I found that so empowering. His argument was that instead of complaining about what is wrong with the system, we need to realize that what we do every day in our classrooms IS the system. And if that is true. . .

My intention is to create the highest quality learning environment possible every day. If my kids are engaged, motivated, skilled, high-level thinkers, who will be able to take issue with that?

That means not being afraid to stand up for best practice and the individual needs of kids who are not all the same.

That means (respectfully) saying no sometimes, even when it is difficult, even when colleagues have expectations for "consistency" and "systemic" practices. I shouldn't have to apologize for having a different philosophy or a different style of teaching. Kids need to experience a diversity of learning and teaching styles.

I have a depth of knowledge in teaching primary aged children that legislators do not have. I am proactive about constantly seeking out new opportunities for professional development. If I cannot be trusted to make good decisions in my classroom, then I don't know who should. (I could do a whole other post on who shouldn't. . . .) My teaching speaks for itself, as it should for us all.

We need innovators in education, not just followers. At my core, I want to create and to foster creative thinking in others. As I feel my own creative spirit being squelched by those who strive for "standardization," I fear for the creativity of our students.

So my choice is to stand up. To speak up. I will not be put in a box. And I will not quietly go along with decisions that are not in the best interest of my students. (My bulletin boards will never match my teammates. Ever. That is not my ideal--that is my greatest nightmare.) I will collaborate, I will share and listen with rapt attention as others share and teach me, but I will no sooner blindly follow than I would want anyone to blindly follow me.

I hope one day we can get back to a place where differences are respected and expected in education. Our kids need us to think for ourselves if we will ever be able to teach them to do the same.