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Guiding Teachers

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Scaffolding: The Key to Tackling Big Projects

Inspired by remodeling an old staircase, Mary Brower is reminded of the power of scaffolding. When planning professional learning, Mary guides us in ways to approach big challenges with a sense of structure and order.

Overcoming the Blame Game

Ruth Ayres and Becca Burk consider the nuances of the aftermath when dysregulation happens and how members of a school community can avoid blaming one another for the situation and instead work together.

Using Metaphors and Analogies to Help Educators Shift Their Thinking and Change Their Practices

Matt Renwick shares the power of using metaphors and analogies during coaching conversations.

Ways to Support Colleagues Part 2

Ruth Ayres and Becca Burk share ways to strengthen our teamwork and help lower the stress levels of adults in the school when students exhibit dysregulated behaviors. This is the second installment of a two-part series.

It’s All in the Delivery

Mary Brower offers ideas to set the stage for professional learning to reduce stress and anxiety for participants.

Ways to Support Colleagues, Part 1

Ruth Ayres and Becca Burk share ways to strengthen our teamwork and help lower the stress levels of adults in the school when students exhibit dysregulated behaviors. This is the first installment of a two-part series.

Small Wins

Gwen Blumberg shares the struggle that since the pandemic fewer people are showing up for professional learning meetings. She helps us flip the potential negativity by encouraging us to look for small wins. Small wins are a simple way to bring joy to your work and the work of others—and that is in fact a very BIG thing.

Teacher and Coach, Side by Side: Affirmations for Leaders in Maintaining a Supportive Presence

Heather Fisher helps her father create a pizza pie in his new outdoor pizza oven. Through trial and perseverance, they finally taste success. Heather connects this experience to the importance of encouragement and presence as instructional coaches.

Are Norms the Problem? Part 1

Ruth Ayres shares the details of developing and using norms in intentional and meaningful ways. This is the first of three installments in a series about norms.

Multiplier Mindset

Brian Sepe guides us in a reflective practice activity to help strengthen our mindsets as leaders who multiply and grow the intelligence of those around them. This article was inspired by Liz Wiseman’s book Multipliers.

It All Counts: Getting to Know Your Teacher Candidates

Teacher Educators Teach | Suzy Kaback shares ways professors can get to know teacher candidates, as well as the research behind mattering and the important connection to building relationships as educators.

A Necessary Survey for Your School Community

Ruth Ayres and Becca Burk share a necessary survey for your school community to begin engaging in conversations about managing emotional dysregulation in students. Drawing on their extensive experiences with managing emotional dysregulation as foster parents and educators, they make a case for beginning conversations among your faculty with this simple survey.

Off the Hook: How to Engage With and Reframe Our Obstacles to Reduce Anxiety and Stress

Obstacles are a part of literacy leadership. Matt Renwick offers three steps to reframe our obstacles to reduce anxiety and stress.

Lifting Teachers by Lifting a Teacher

Mary Brower shares a process to uplift teacher voices in professional learning. The effort is small, but the payoff is astronomical!

The Joyful Toolkit for Literacy Leaders

Vivian Chen is inspired to create a joyful toolkit for educators. While there can be a certain draw to wallowing in killjoys in education, ultimately, we need to disrupt the downward spiral for our own mental wellness.

Examining (and Changing) Our Literacy Beliefs over Time

Changing one’s mind in today’s educational world can feel risky. We fear looking incompetent or like we don’t know what we believe. Matt Renwick learned firsthand that when leaders share how their thinking and beliefs around literacy instruction has changed, it increases the level of respect from others.

Engaging from the Start: Considering Accessible Professional Development Experiences for a Range of Educators

Inspired by low-ceiling, high-threshold activities in classrooms, Heather Fisher offers three ways to plan professional learning so that it is accessible to a range of educators.

Developing Transcripts of Classroom Teaching with AI

Suzy Kaback provides a guide for using an AI chatbot to help generate transcripts to study explicit instructional moves. Download a progression to learn how to refine requests to create a high-quality transcript. This is the third installment in a series about using AI with teacher candidates.

AI in Teacher Prep

Suzy Kaback guides us in learning to use ChatGPT as a thought partner. She offers a compelling rationale, clear step-by-step directions, and resources to build a deeper understand of using AI to prepare for instruction. This is the second installment in a series about using AI with teacher candidates.

Meet Stevie, Our Imaginary AI Friend

Inspired by a third-grade teacher, Suzy Kaback uses AI to generate an imaginary student to engage her teacher candidates as they mediate teaching and learning through a proxy. This is the first installment in a series about using AI with teacher candidates.

Quiet Coaching

Matt Renwick offers insightful ideas about reaching colleagues who are resistant to coaching. Matt offers three steps and practical ideas to “quietly coach.”

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