Lead Lit Topic: Guiding Teachers
Here is where you'll find information on guiding teachers.
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From Somewhere to Somewhere
It’s been said that people can be only where they are and that everyone is on a path from somewhere to somewhere. When we are working with our colleagues, however,...
Maintaining Teacher Ownership in Coaching Conversations
I was sitting across from the literacy coach when I said, “Thanks for taking the time to meet this morning. Since I missed the post-conference you had with your teacher,...
Teachers Who Write
I always wanted to be a writer. As a little girl, I kept notebooks and folders filled with loose-leaf pages of my latest novel. I wrote a lot of haunted-house...
Making Fiction Writing Come to Life
We need to find a way to get our writers talking more. We need to get our writers elaborating in their stories. We need a way to make fiction writing...
A Chartbook Tour
During my years of working with teachers, one of my most valuable tools has been the sketchbook that contains my charts. I’m actually on my third rendition, not because I...
Coaching Minute: Literacy Master Document
Kathy Provost and Heather Fisher explain how the Literacy Master Document has simplified and improved their coaching.
Recipes and Lesson Plans: Process and Practice
Fitness and cooking are the interests I most often use as analogies when I work with new teachers. Nothing original there, I admit. It’s almost too easy to compare interval...
Professional Development with 10 for 10
Each year we join an event that celebrates books. The Picture Book 10 for 10 event is hosted twice a year by Choice Literacy contributors Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek....
PD Playlist
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. —Plato This summer we attended literacy conferences in Boston and Michigan....
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
In a quest to better myself as a literacy learner and leader, I recently enrolled in a doctoral-level literacy course at a local university. The instructor was kind enough to...
Book Buzz in Study Groups
Jason DiCarlo turns a third-grade study group over to a participant to share her enthusiasm for The Joy of Planning by Franki Sibberson, the book the group is using for...
Observation Visits: Getting Comfortable with the Unexpected
In this brief video excerpt from a leadership meeting focused on peer observation, teachers talk about taking risks and being comfortable with observation when things don't go according to plan.
Literacy Specialists and Case Studies
There are always a few students who puzzle even the most seasoned reading specialists. Even though these specialists carry a large bag of tricks, they don’t always know exactly what...
Talking Too Much
In this brief video excerpt from a meeting about colleague visits, teachers consider the thorny issue of why they talk so much when they want to listen more.
The Habit of Reflection
In this quick video excerpt from a teacher meeting on peer observations, the participants talk about why developing the habit of reflection after instruction (either alone or with colleagues) is...
Making Classroom Visits a Habit
In a previous article for Lead Literacy, I outlined my plan for becoming more organized and intentional as a school principal. I will check email only at certain times of...
Helping Struggling Writers in Second Grade
Melanie Meehan chats with second-grade teacher Nadia Egan about creative strategies for helping struggling writers.
Erasing the Lines in the Sand
Social media is a place of strong opinions. Political. Lifestyle. Educational. In one recent Facebook conversation, a young teacher sought clarification on the difference between book clubs and literature circles....
Making Coaching Meaningful: Establishing Goals and Roles
When I first became a coach, I made some big stumbles. Full disclosure: I still do. They’re just new ones. More than once, these stumbles were caused by a failure...
Planning a Coaching Cycle
Kathy Provost works with a third-grade teacher to plan long-term and daily goals in a coaching cycle.
Using Wait Time in Professional Development
We have gathered for our weekly staff meeting in the media center. The topic is student engagement, and I have just asked a rather thought-provoking question: How can you tell...
