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Getting Organized

Getting Organized

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Coaching Minute: Pinterest

Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan share the many ways Pinterest has enhanced their professional development with teachers.

Literacy and Technology: Changing Structures

Jennifer Schwanke finds her school's computer lab feels more like a relic from a 1980s typing classroom than an entry point to the digital world for students. Here's what she changed to bring the resources into the current century.

Infusing Technology into Writing Celebrations (Grades K–2)

Brian Sepe works in a school with iPads aplenty in grades 3 and up, but few available for first graders. He works with a first-grade teacher to find ways to showcase young students’ writing using an inexpensive tech app.

Aligning Coaching and Teaching Teams

Jason DiCarlo has practical tips for getting coaches and teachers on the same page when it comes to aligning goals and strategies.

Coaching Minute: Quick Connections

Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan share the value of informal chance meetings with teachers they are coaching in this three-minute video.

Coaching Minute: Editing

Heather Rader has some suggestions for editing emails and other important writing in this quick video tip.

Slow Down: The Power of Two-Word Goals

Jennifer Schwanke is a minimalist when it comes to setting goals, and her advice may help you focus your expectations in the new year too.

Making Time for Classroom Visits

Jason DiCarlo explains why classroom visits are his top priority as a principal, and shares his schedule and prompts he uses while visiting to learn from students and teachers.

Strength in Assessment: A Professional Development Protocol

How can you lead a discussion about assessment without getting bogged down in minutia? Andie Cunningham shares a protocol that sparks participation with the drawback of one or two people (or assessment tools) dominating the conversation.

From Bootcamp to School: Building Enthusiasm for New Initiatives

Jason DiCarlo finds there are parallels between the initial unenthusiastic response of participants at his gym to a new challenge and the process of initiating change in schools.

Collecting PLC Data with Google Forms

Bill Bass uses Google Forms as a tool for assessing the learning in professional learning communities and refining his role in supporting teachers. Included is a template for you to create your own Google Form.

Quick Check-ins: Touching Base Before Coaching Sessions

Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan describe the art of the three- to five-minute check-in before collaborating with teachers in classrooms.

The Power of the Spoken Word

Heather Sisson helps a fourth-grade teacher apply speaking and listening standards from the Common Core in his classroom, and collect data to analyze students' oral skills at the same time.

Coaching Minute: Working with Principals

Ruth Ayres has advice for how literacy coaches can work effectively with principals in this one-minute video.

A Small Group Coaching Cycle in Action

Kristin Houser explains how group coaching can be a useful structure for helping teachers make changes in their classrooms with this case study of two kindergarten teachers.

Picture It: Objectives and the Coach

Posting objectives is the norm in many classrooms. Heather Rader has a suggestion for making the practice more reflective for teachers and coaches.

Video and the Thoughtful Coach

Brian Sepe finds video is a wonderful tool for fostering both teacher and coach reflection.

The Dangers of Overplanning

Jennifer Allen discovers there are limits to planning, and too much of it can hinder growth in professional development settings.

Clarity and Connection: The Language of Change

Principal Jason DiCarlo thinks through the language he uses daily to promote a shared positive vision in his school.

Creating a Master Schedule

Karen Szymusiak explains why large blocks of time for literacy instruction are crucial, and how she worked as a principal to develop a master schedule for the school that included them.

Picture It: Pinterest for Professional Development

Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan find Pinterest is an excellent tool for organizing resources for professional development sessions.

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