Lead Lit Topic: Getting Organized
Getting Organized
Results
Coaching Minute: Dividing Responsibilities Among Coaches
Kathy Provost and Heather Fisher explain how they worked to divide responsibilities fairly and efficiently over time.
Coaching Minute: Getting Started with Evernote
Ruth Ayres and Deb Gaby talk about how they are beginning to use Evernote and different ways of organizing the tool.
Coaching Minute: Building a Coaching Rapport
Coaches Deb Gaby, Ruth Ayres, and second-grade teacher Cathy Laker chat about building a rapport between coaches and teachers.
I Have Time
One of the first pieces of advice I was given as a new coach was this: Always be busy. This advice was followed with a list of suggestions of how...
Tips for Conducting Demonstration Lessons, or How to Avoid the “Am I Doing This Right?” Question
Teachers spend most of their day alone with their class, and each day they are required to make hundreds of "in-the-moment" instructional decisions. Here are just a few of the...
Coaching Letter to Jo
Jo is a fifth-grade teacher in Harlem. Although she has many responsibilities, Jo and I are working primarily on enhancing curriculum, instruction, and assessment related to her instructional reading block....
Coaching Letters
Does writing a letter lead a teacher to a deeper understanding of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, or does writing a letter lead an instructional leader to better serve those they...
Accountable Talk: Beginning Steps
As another set of state test scores reaches our doorway, our grade 3-6 teachers are frustrated at the amount of work they have done with students over the past four...
Coaching Minute: Read to Every Class
Principal Jennifer Schwanke has a simple strategy for building connections to every reader in her school: she regularly reads to every class.
Secrets of Coaching Revisited
Listen First Teach by Example Be Patient I first read these words of the late Juli Kendell back in 2007 in an article she wrote on the secrets of school-based...
Writer-ish
Thinking ishly allowed his ideas to flow freely. Peter Reynolds in Ish In my new position as a literacy coach, I no longer have a classroom of students. Although...
Coaching Minute: Punctuality
Heather Rader explains why starting professional development meetings on time is crucial in this quick video tip. A transcript is available below the player. I’ve noticed that...
Literacy Day
My suburban Ohio city is lucky enough to have excellent snow-removal crews, so my district leaders are typically able to avoid canceling school for inclement weather. Not so this year....
Failure to Thrive: Rethinking Assessment Binders
"Let's put together a binder for teachers that holds all the important assessment things they need. Let's make them color coded by grade level. And let's give them to every...
Coaching Minute: Ending the Day
Heather Rader shares a quick video tip about the importance of closing rituals at the end of the coaching day. A transcript is available below the player. Writers know...
Celebration Charts
Ruth Ayres, a Choice Literacy contributor, hosts a weekly meme on the web called Celebrate. We have been trying to share the spirit of celebration in our staff development sessions....
Coaching Minute: Birthday Tip
Heather Rader has a quick video tip for organizing low-stress birthday celebrations for colleagues. A transcript is available below the player. Most people like to be remembered...
Coaching Minute: Waiting to Respond
Heather Rader explains the WAIT strategy for responding to challenging email in this quick video tip. Email can be both a connector and a disconnector. Some colleagues...
Coaching Minute: Professional Development
Deb Gaby talks about the importance of professional development mirroring best practices in this quick video.
Coaching Minute: Set Your Alarm
Heather Rader has a tip for ensuring you stay on schedule and "in the moment" during your meetings in this brief video tip. A transcript is available below the player....
Changing Focus with New Teachers
I push together two tables, set resources out, and adjust a dish of seasonal treats in the center of the table. Soon six “new” teachers will hustle in for our...
