Content Category: Lead Literacy
Results
Compass Points and Collaboration
Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, and working together is success. ...
Coaching Conversations: Overstepping and Realistic Modeling
In this podcast, Brenda Power and Krystal Nemeth chat about Krystal's experiences as a new coach, especially one situation when she was over-zealous in planning and leading a small-group demonstration...
Match-and-Move in Coaching
As I was closing the trunk on my last-minute camping groceries, I got my child’s “Please get me underwear” text. I sighed and returned to the store. If she needed...
Book Shopping as a Literacy Coach
On a gorgeous June day, a few days after our school year finished, I went to our local independent bookstore, Cover to Cover, with friends. This is always a dangerous...
Repurposing a Classroom Library for Coaching and Intervention: Hooking Reluctant Readers in Grades 3-5
When I found out that I’d be moving into the new position of literacy coach and third-grade intervention teacher next year, my first thought was What am I going to...
Coaching Minute: A Conduit for Resources
Heather Rader explains why professional reading needs to be a priority for literacy coaches in this quick video. A transcript is available below the player. As you...
Coaching Conversations: Defining Your Role
In this audio interview, Brenda Power chats with Kathleen Collaro about the challenges of carving out time for coaching when teachers are clamoring for additional instruction support for struggling learners....
Collaborative Conferring
Earlier in the year I was asked by a group of kindergarten teachers how they might be able to streamline the process of organizing the notes from their student conferences...
Pits and Peaks
One night, soon after we sat down for dinner, I was surprised when my husband announced that we were starting a new family tradition. He explained that every night at...
Picture It: Live Demonstration
We can tell about it. Better still, we can tell and read about it. Even better we can pair that reading with video in a real classroom. But when Heather...
ABCs of Coaching
Summer gives me time to think about the upcoming coaching season. In particular, I’m thinking about the new coaches—Vikki, Samantha, and Meghan—whom I’ll be mentoring in the fall as well...
First-Grade Nonfiction Retelling Small-Group Demonstration Lesson
Clare Landrigan leads a nonfiction retelling small-group demonstration lesson. The video includes a prebrief and debrief with the teacher.
Digital Clutter and Being Present with Teachers
With all the technology and interruptions in our lives today, it’s easy to be distracted during a conversation. I pride myself on multitasking and being efficient in my work, but...
A Secret to Successful Teacher-Coach Relationships
Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. Thomas Jefferson When...
Coaching Minute: Personal Story Barometer
Are you sharing too many anecdotes in your coaching? In this quick video tip, Heather Rader explains the "personal story barometer" she uses to gauge whether a story should be...
Getting Instructional Practices Up and Running
How long does it take to get an instructional practice up and running? A week? A month? A semester? A year? Is there any such thing as too much support?...
Coaching Owls, Larks, and Hummingbirds
What do birds have to do with coaching? More than I initially suspected. I first read about sleep patterns of larks, owls, and hummingbirds in John Medina’s book Brain Rules:...
Teacher Evaluation: A New Role for Coaches
To make dreams apparent to others and to align people with them requires not just more explanations or clarification, but the creation of meaning. Warren Bennis Like many districts...
Rubrics and Muggles: Common Frameworks and Instructional Coaching
My son is obsessed with Harry Potter. It started with an introduction by his older cousins to the first movie and has snowballed from there. He has taken to putting...
Systems Thinking and Educational Change
Making decisions can be challenging, and making good decisions that are systemic can be even trickier! Over the past several years I have worked to better understand Systems Thinking as...
Picture It: Celebrate!
There are many times throughout the year when it is important to take a moment to celebrate all the wonderful things happening in our school community. As a principal, I...
