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Forms

Organization is important to every literacy leader. Not only do we need to organize ourselves, but teachers look to us for support structures they can use. One form may help you model conferring with young writers, the next gives you solid feedback at the end of a class and another prompts teachers’ reflection around student work. Finding the right form helps us preserve the tracks of our thinking in professional work.

Latest Content
Transforming Our Own Professional Learning

Hannah Tills and Josie Stewart were inspired by Elena Aguilar’s work about transformational coaching. They share ways to be vulnerable when trying a new coaching technique with teachers, as well as the powerful outcome of implementing new reflective practice ideas.

Capturing Meeting Notes to Boost Accountability

Hannah Tills and Josie Stewart discovered a template to help boost accountability after a planning session with a teacher.

Five Questions to Ask When Reviewing Literacy Curriculum

Matt Renwick uses five questions to lead a team through reviewing a literacy curriculum resource. Download the checklist to use during your own review process.

Back-to-School Coaching Reflection Survey

Lisa Mazinas offers a back-to-school coaching survey that taps the gift of time and space that summer provides. Download a copy of the survey to use when you return to school.

Using a Checklist for Powerful Post-Conferences

Lisa Mazinas gives a structure for post-conference conversations. These talking points are the perfect place to begin.

Coaching Minute: Set-Up Coaching Plans

Tara Barnett and Kate Mills share an important first step for instructional coaches to help teachers feel invited into the coaching relationship: Make shared coaching plans.

Changing Positions? How to Rethink Your Community (Download)

Cathy Mere offers practical steps to finding a new community when you switch positions. Download a copy of a guided reflection to intentionally seek a new community.

Watching Writers Work

Ruth Ayres leads us in developing confidence as teachers of writers through watching students work as writers. A printable observation and reflection form is available to download.

Affirm, Acknowledge, Ask: A Simple Protocol for Communicating Feedback

Matt Renwick offers an effective protocol for communicating feedback.

Measure for Measure

David Pittman thinks through what really matters and nourishes him as well as the teachers he serves when it comes to assessing his impact as a literacy coach.

Coaching in PLCs

David Pittman takes teachers in a PLC through a student-centered experience to help them understand a specific standard.

Establishing Trust

David Pittman is stunned when he offers help and teachers are hesitant to take it. He realizes he has lost their trust, and sets out to regain it.

Coaching Minute: Cycle Forms

Jean Russell explains the importance of establishing norms and a framework for coaching cycles.

Investing in Coaching Logs

After initial skepticism, David Pittman discovers coaching logs are an essential tool in planning, organizing, and documenting his work with teachers.

When There’s No Time for Debriefing

A debrief in the midst of a coaching cycle can seem like one more meeting there isn’t time for in the school day. Tara Barnett and Kate Mills share a virtual debrief option they have developed to use at times when it isn’t possible to meet.

The Literacy Master Document

Paper copies here. Paper copies there. Paper copies everywhere. If someone created a children’s book for literacy coaches with this refrain, it would be an instant best seller. Heather Fisher and Kathy Provost take on the challenge of creating an electronic master document to increase communication and save a few trees.

Helping Teachers Develop Their Own Chartbooks

Melanie Meehan personalizes learning for teachers by helping them develop chartbooks to use in workshops.

Reading Specialists: Using a Common Observation Form

Kathy Provost and Heather Fisher work with reading specialists who are observing individual students to study the transition of skills from targeted support to work in the classroom. The observation form everyone uses includes an engagement inventory and key questions.

Peer Observations with a Purpose

Dana Murphy works with teachers to design a peer-observation checklist to ensure everyone shares the same expectations and understanding.

Going Google as a Literacy Leader

Matt Renwick combines principles for productivity with Google tools to organize his work.

Next-Thing Thinking and Google Keep

Stephanie Affinito has learned to focus closely on one task at a time and use technology to keep track of all the other things on the horizon.

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