Choice Lit Topic: Literacy Coaches
A simple question – who will coach the coaches? If you’re a literacy coach, you already know there is no job more amazing or overwhelming in a school. Our Choice Literacy library includes a small sample of our resources for literacy coaches. If you work as a coach, you’ll want a subscription that includes access to our Leaders Lounge, where there are over 900 resources for coaches, including study group protocols, videos of demonstration lessons, and guides for designing coaching cycles.
Results
Helping Children Build Notetaking Skills
As a paid college notetaker, I shudder to think of the poor students who reviewed my laborious notes. Possibly the sole qualifications of that position were someone who meets deadlines...
Ways to Avoid Coaching Traps
When we first began providing staff development to schools, our mentor at Tufts University shared the book Strategies for Teacher Collaboration by Loviah Aldinger with us. We each carry a well-worn copy...
Language Patterns: Reflecting with Transcripts and Wordle
When a colleague shared the word cloud generator at www.wordle.net with me, I was intrigued. I pasted quotes, poems, lyrics and bios into the generator, and found an entirely new way of...
Supporting Successful First-Year Coaches
It's Friday, a little after noon, and Cristina Charney, Heather Sisson, Becky Lee and I are tucked around the small circle table with our lunches in my office. We are...
Quick and Thorough: Literacy Coach Conferring Notes
For most classroom teachers, it takes years to perfect a system for conferring during reading and writing workshops. In my role as a literacy coach I have supported many teachers...
Tips for Conducting Demonstration Lessons, or How to Avoid the “Am I Doing This Right?” Question
Teachers spend most of their day alone with their class, and each day they are required to make hundreds of "in the moment" instructional decisions. Here are just a few...
Coaching Beyond the Curriculum: Reframing Our Talk and Attitude Toward Difficult Students
"Can Darren spend some time with you? He needs to take a break from our classroom right now." Translation: Darren is driving me crazy and I need a break from him so...
From Teacher to Coach: Building Community in the Early Days
It's late August and next week I start my position as Instructional Coach. I am not new to working with teachers. I spent six years in higher education working with...
Coaching Codes
When I was teaching English in South Korea, I attended a parent night in the community to promote our school. At the conclusion of the program, I stood up to...
Jennifer Allen on Working with New Teachers (PODCAST)
Franki Sibberson chats with Jennifer Allen about the joys and challenges of working with new teachers. A transcript is below the player. Franki Sibberson: What have you found to be successful...
Undercover Coach: Making Time to Work with Children
Have you ever watched the television show Undercover Boss? Each episode shows what happens when a high ranking official of a company attempts to do an entry level job in the...
Jennifer Allen on Working with Veteran Teachers (PODCAST)
In this podcast, Jennifer Allen talks with Franki Sibberson about mentoring veteran teachers. A transcript is included below the player. Franki Sibberson: What is your role in working with...
Coaching Out of Chaos: Helping New Teachers Establish Management Systems
One of my friends is a highly creative type with many big ideas. The other night he was talking about website design, and wondering aloud if he created a business...
Who Rules?: Creating a Classroom Code of Conduct with Students
Each June I created a teacher report card for my students. Some of the most interesting feedback I got came from two continua that I asked students to place me...
“To Teach is to Learn Twice”: Creating Professional Communities in Schools
This year at our Choice Literacy Workshops the last gift we gave everyone was a backpack with the quote, "To Teach is to Learn Twice" printed on it. It was...
Calendaring a Literacy Coach
My husband and I married when we were sophomores in college transferring to the University of Washington. He was pursuing architecture and I was in education. We arrived in our...
Building the Reading Community Among Teachers
The starting point for teaching reading is always our own lives as readers—tuning in to our processes as proficient readers, and then tapping that knowledge to help the children in...
Assessing Professional Development: Focus on Feedback
This summer I was at the ocean with several families. A few adults and a slew of kids including my daughter Samantha were swimming out to an island. It was...
You Get What You Ask For: The Art of Debriefing
When I pick up my children from school and ask, "How was your day?" 99.9% of the time I get the f-word: fine. However, when I noticed the green outline...
Returning to Our Creation Chambers: Supporting Experienced Teachers
"Gorky built upon the achievements of the early modern artists he greatly admired and broke new ground during a remarkable moment to become an inspiration to a new generation of...
Creating Shared Learning Experiences for New and Veteran Teachers
Nothing brings people together more than shared experiences. Jimmy Fallon One of my many guilty pleasures is taping Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and watching...
