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Guiding Teachers

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Coaching High Fives

Stephanie Affinito finds that simple, quick, and modest celebrations can be just what teachers need to get through a long day. She shares the value of these coaching high fives.

Navigating Conversations

We all know when we need to have a conversation that will help but feels tricky to enter. Instructional Coach Mary Brower offers sage advice for navigating conversations with principals.

Prepping a Fieldwork Site: Strategies for Launching Quality Partnerships

Teacher Educators Teach | Suzy Kaback reminds us that launching a fieldwork site is a critical first step in building respectful, relevant partnerships that invite complex learning. “What does this space encourage?” is a helpful question to guide the launch. 

The Coach’s Notebook: How to Capture, Organize, and Analyze Your Data and Responsibilities

Matt Renwick opens up his coach’s notebook and guides us in establishing a tool that supports teaching and learning.

Teaching from the Heart

Teacher Educators Teach is a neighborhood in our Leaders Lounge just for teacher educators. Julie Johnson shares how she tackled the problem of engagement and discovers practical ways to make connections.

Bridging the Gap (Session 2): Finding Your Footing

Mary Brower provides a second professional learning session to help ease the tension between teachers who have opposing views about literacy instruction. Mary provides a protocol for creating a school-wide document of foundational literacy beliefs.

When Coaching Fails: How to Help Educators Who Resist Help

Matt Renwick dives into the reasons why coaching sometimes fails and what we can do when we encounter colleagues who are “help resistant.”

Overcorrecting

“Did I do anything right?” Suzy Kaback receives a note from a gifted teacher that gives her pause. Suzy wonders if avoiding praise is damaging her relationships with teachers. She decides to give more feedback for continuation, which is praise’s smarter cousin for coaches.

Planning for PD in the Company of Teachers

Heather Fisher brainstorms with teachers to get the “big picture” of what makes a professional development experience exceptional.

When Harsh Words Are Said: Ways to Move Forward

Tara Barnett and Kate Mills offer sound advice and practical actions to maintain collaborative relationships when harsh words are spoken in professional settings.

Rethinking Flow in the ELA Classroom

When students are empowered to make decisions, they value the learning experience and take ownership of the outcomes. Matt Renwick turns to the concept of flow and imagines its importance for engaging readers and writers.

Tough Conversations

Engaging in conflict is challenging, especially since there is no guarantee that we will get the results we want. Yet, it is an expected part of literacy leadership. Julie Cox inspires us to step through conversations in ways that strengthens understandings and preserves relationships.

Design for the Edges: Strategies for Supporting Unique Readers and Writers

The phrase “design for the edges” is about creating more inclusive and welcoming spaces for all students. Matt Renwick pushes us to consider what this looks like in classrooms where all readers and writers are honored.

Swarm: Embracing the Unexpected

Gwen Blumberg is a beekeeper and when her bees began swarming, she sprung into action to collect her bees before they disappeared. In this reflective essay, Gwen recognizes how embracing the unexpected happens daily in our lives as educators. If you are feeling unsettled because of unexpected situations, you’ll find Gwens tips exactly what you need to move forward.

Teacher Booklist

Julie Cox offers a unique booklist compiled of non-education books that strengthened her literacy leadership skills.

Pedagogical Clarity in a Time of Changes

Stella Villalba encourages us to reflect on our core beliefs about teaching. She offers a list of reflection questions to encourage brave and meaningful consideration.

Hope

Hannah Tills digs into the science of hope and offers practical ways to use hope to uplift our professional learning.

Benefits and Challenges of Using AI as a Coach

Matt Renwick offers three ways ChatGPT can support the work of instructional coaches.

When Coaching Fails: How to Help Educators Who Resist Help

Matt Renwick digs into the reasons educators are resistant to change and offers advice for next steps when it seems like coaching has failed.

Tapping Novelty for What Teachers Need

Suzy Kaback engages in the power of novelty to uproot dissatisfaction during curriculum meetings. It begins by asking, “What do teachers need?” and then providing time to meet their needs.

Opening Moments

Suzy Kaback transfers an instructional practice from her elementary classroom to her college classrooms for preservice teachers. Read about the variety of ways Opening Moments can engage, teach, and build community with students of all ages.

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