Slice of Life #31: Levels of Coaching

Slice of Life #31:  Levels of Coaching/Duties

"In doing what we ought, we deserve no praise because it is our duty."
                                                                                                                        --St. Augustine



As I have read (and  continue to read) a variety of resources on literacy coaching, I notice that many carry criteria checklists.  Visiting the IRA's website (at reading.org), one can find a long list of articles, criteria, and responsibilities for a literacy coach.  They have a PDF brochure, "The Role and Qualifications of the Reading Coach in the United States" (linked here.)


My job description (since 2008) has looked like this:

1.      Demonstrate exemplary classroom literacy practice and possess a deep understanding of literacy theory (20 percent)

·         On-going teaching of children in a variety of settings and grade levels (K-12)

·         Extend literacy competencies through professional development opportunities and networking with other literacy coaches

2.      Help improve instruction by engaging teachers in intensive professional development and promote a school-based professional community (60 percent)

·         Provide demonstrations of literacy components

·         Observe and coach classroom teachers and special education teachers in effective practices

·         Provide sustained mentoring to classroom teachers and special education teachers

·         Plan and conduct professional literacy team data analysis sessions

·         Provide workshops on the literacy framework and differentiated instruction.

3.      Manage and monitor the school’s literacy program to ensure the highest level of quality (10 percent)

·         Collect data, analyze results, and report findings

·         Monitor student achievement and assist with placing students in appropriate intervention and support services

·         Monitor effectiveness of the overall literacy program

·         Identify needs and make recommendations for appropriate reading and writing materials

·         Provide records and research data to the Superintendent or designee

4.      Provide leadership for literacy across the school community (10 percent)

·         Meet regularly with the curriculum director and principals to report on progress and plan next steps

·         Network with other literacy coaches in developing, implementing, and researching the literacy-based program

·         Communicate literacy to parents, facilitating literacy meetings for parents.

Here is a chart from the IRA's website that I also find helpful, as it ranks the types of activities in which a coach might participate or facilitate.

Coaching Activities (Levels of Intensity)

Level 1
(informal; helps to develop relationships)
 • Conversations with colleagues (identifying issues or needs, setting goals, problem solving)• Developing and providing materials for/with colleagues• Developing curriculum with colleagues• Participating in professional development activities with colleagues (conferences, workshops)• Leading or participating in Study Groups• Assisting with assessing students• Instructing students to learn about their strengths and needs

Level 2

(more formal, somewhat more intense; begins to look at areas of need and focus)

• Co-planning lessons

• Holding team meetings (grade level, reading teachers)

• Analyzing student work

• Interpreting assessment data (helping teachers use results for instructional decision making)

• Individual discussions with colleagues about teaching and learning

• Making professional development presentations for teachers

Level 3

(formal, more intense; may create some anxiety on part of teacher or coach)

• Modeling and discussing lessons

• Co-teaching lessons

• Visiting classrooms and providing feedback to teachers

• Analyzing videotape lessons of teachers 

• Doing lesson study with teachers

I recently heard a speaker talk about "light coaching" vs. "heavy coaching." This model seemed to prize "Level 3" over the other two levels.   This made me think that I should be doing more of "Level 3" activities and less on Levels 1 and 2.  Today, I am thinking that while some of the activities in Level 3 can push harder (making them "heavier") I think it is essential to scaffold with activities in Levels 1 and 2--and to continue sustaining them in a variety of ways over time.  Everything about coaching hinges on the relationships and trust built at each level--one could not expect to coach someone at the "Level 3" without having first worked with that person at a Level 1 and 2 at some point.  

I feel blessed in that my job duties and supervisor have allowed me to judge this and to have the time to build relationships and "do this right."


In conversations with other coaches, I often wonder how they do their jobs effectively when they are basically forced into a Level 2 or 3 situation without first building relationships and trust.   

So I see that a Level 3 might be where the work and the types of thinking done are deepest, but I think that coaching is a dance of knowing when and where each level fits--and we move in and out of levels according to individual needs.

What are your thoughts?

Slice of Life #30: I Believe...

 Slice of Life #30:  The Literacy Coach’s Beliefs (for Teachers)

   

You are your own captain

            dreaming,   

                  charting

   

New course, coaching vessel

You harbor the questions,

            wonderings,

                   curiosities

Guidance and support anchor

You are good,

            brave and smart,

                 absorbing

Feedback shelters reflection

Distilling the answers,

            seeking,

                  percolating

                

Questioning channels thinking

Securing your dreams

          safe havens

               teaching ports

Conversation-rivers ebbing

Forming learning tributaries

          dynamic,

             flowing

Into your sea of knowledge

Slice of Life #29: Part 3: Influencing Learning--Reflecting on Patterns, Themes, or Trends

Slice of Life #29:  Part 3--Influencing Learning:  Reflecting on Patterns, Themes, or Trends


Using my chart from yesterday's post (see below), Cathy asks for the reader to take this last step:

"Look over your list and reflect on any patterns, themes, or trends you perceive."  

(She uses the rest of the book to discuss learning processes for students and teachers and shares perspectives on learning is influenced.)

I learned…	Influences:
I will never be a "master teacher."  No one can master anything so complex.	Students have enlightened me--they will never let this be an easy job.  Their diverse needs challenge me in almost every way possible; the learnership of teachers never ends.  Stephanie Harvey said that we might become "specialists" who might respond to questions when we are well-informed... but to be a "master" implies that you have learned all there is to know... I can't imagine.
Teaching will always be challenging.  I will never be able to open a file or Teacher's Edition of a text and feel like my plans are ready to go.	Experience with students over the years taught me to realize that teaching was not getting easier... despite reading and seeking Prof. Dev.  Students have taught me that by being ever-changing, ever-diverse.  I taught myself, too, because I am never satisfied!  This is just another reason why we MUST be responsible for our own learnership in so many ways.  In order to be the truest professional, we need to have a large repertoire of strategies that can only be honed as we continuously strive to learn from experience, others' knowledge and experiences, and research.
I will love my students and colleagues almost as much as family; I will certainly spend more time with them.	Students and colleagues taught me this just by being there, being part of my life, guiding my thinking, and building relationships.  I've learned to try to look for the best in everyone and to try to understand motivations for actions which can guide me in understanding and treating each person with love.  Like I said, I TRY... it's a lifetime quest cause Lordy, I'm human.
I didn't dream that there would be pundits who would seek to blame teachers for virtually every ill of the world and then pay testing companies to prove themselves "correct..." and that the public would be so easily fooled.	I read bills, write to legislators, read professional journals, watch the news (and detect the biases), and simply know better.  I am a political advocate for education.  Regie Routman discusses all of the roles that we need to take on as educators (in CONVERSATIONS), and being a political advocate is one of them.  Who better to talk about teaching than teachers?
The digital age was right around the corner.	Students and the world taught me this.  Gradually, computers and iPads have become the way we share and seek information.  When I first started teaching, computers still had floppy disks and were “newfangled.”  Though funding slows us down a bit, it’s amazing how far we’ve come on the digital path and exciting to think about where it can lead.
I am responsible for my own professional growth.	Colleagues, especially LeAnn Meyers, who started the first book study I ever attended on Regie Routman’s INVITATIONS.  Life was never the same.  J  Our local reading council helped me to see that there were amazing teachers with a lot of information and ideas to share right here in my own community.  It's important to be part of professional organizations.  Early on in my careers, I heard a respected colleague say, "You get two professional days per year--USE THEM," carried great influence, as well.
I didn't know how to spiral curriculum or evidence learning/growth in authentic ways.	My grade-level colleagues and curriculum director taught me to determine what needed to be learned and what was most critical at each grade level—before any state or federal standards existed.
I didn't know how to teach reading or writing workshops.	Ann Rice, now a principal in one of our schools, participated in a Young Authors program and shared it with our school.  It changed my life.  Later, she was one of my coaches; her caring helped sustain my fledgling efforts with the workshop model.  All Write!!! came into existence in our area, and it still supports me in amazing ways through talking with other coaches to opportunities to see and hear famous teacher-researchers.
I needed to initiate change and cultivate with my peers.	I think seeing my former colleague, LeAnn, start a book study and Ann doing something innovative with courage led me to see that I, too, had power to initiate change.  Now I see this through professional organizations and in my work as a coach.  Serving on committees, such as the School Improvement Team, has contributed to thinking about creating and sustaining meaningful change, as well.
I didn't have a deep understanding of how to analyze students' work in order understand learners' needs.	My principals and curriculum directors over the years have definitely helped me in learning how to do this.  Even so, I think back to my friend/colleague LeAnn who kept checklists of mastery in her grade book, so that she knew which students had mastered which standards and when.  Genius before her time.  This kind of sharing among colleagues has really influenced my thinking about data as a problem-solving tool (vs. "doing" data).

PATTERNS, TRENDS, AND THEMES THAT I PERCEIVE FROM MY CHART OF LEARNING INFLUENCES:

PEOPLE--Especially students, colleagues, and educational leaders locally and nationally have been my key influences.  

• Students definitely influence my learning--they are my chief motivator.  They never let me off easy.  Even when I have the best-laid plans, someone will say or do something that causes me to think, pause, and alter the plan.   Experience in having a repertoire of how to respond to varied needs is what keeps me sane.
• Colleagues who reflect with me influence my learning.  Their stories, coupled with my own, about teaching and learning help me to seek answers to our questions and wonderings.  This is an ongoing process, and I realize that every time the bell rings and a new day begins, there will be more questions that demand our thought and response.  Those who work with me now as a coach, talk as a friend, and who try new initiatives cause me to be thoughtful in my work each and every day.
• Other professionals, such as principals, curriculum directors, and coaches.  These leaders were there to provide vision, skills, and resources needed to generate action in realizing our goals and dreams.
• Educators who write.  As I've mentioned, Regie Routman's book, INVITATIONS, was my first glimpse into professional reading as an educator.  That book opened the floodgates for me, right around the time that my favorite publishers, Heinemann and Stenhouse, really started an evolution of thought by publishing so many of the greats.
• Professional Organizations and Teams.  Our local reading council and my district's membership in the All Write!!! consortium have had major influences on my professional development.

It's interesting how these things are exactly what I mentioned when talking about being a professional and taking responsibility for our own learnership (see earlier post).  That's just a reflection/observation.

What are the patterns, trends, and themes that you perceive from looking over your own influences?

Slice of Life #28: Influencing Learning, Part 2

Slice of Life #28:  Influencing Learning, Part 2

(See SOL #27 for Part 1)



Here is my list of 10 things that I didn't know when I first started teaching.  It's not a top-ten list, just a "jot."

1. I will never be a "master teacher."  No one can master anything so complex.
2. Teaching will always be challenging.  I will never be able to open a file or Teacher's Edition of a text and feel like my plans are ready to go.
3. I will love my students and colleagues almost as much as family; I will certainly spend more time with them.
4. I didn't dream that there would be pundits who would seek to blame teachers for virtually every ill of the world and then pay testing companies to prove themselves "correct..." and that the public would be so easily fooled.
5. The digital age was right around the corner.
6. I am responsible for my own professional growth.
7. I didn't know how to spiral curriculum or evidence learning/growth in authentic ways.
8. I didn't know how to teach reading or writing workshops.
9. I needed to initiate change and cultivate with my peers.
10. I didn't have a deep understanding of how to analyze students' work in order understand learners' needs.

Cathy's next question on p. 75 of LEARNERSHIP is:

"Now, think about how you learned each of the 10 things you listed.  Specifically, reflect on who or what influenced you to learn each item.  Some influences are human, such as colleagues, students, or one's own teachers.  Other influences come from situations, such as participation in grant programs or school projects or particular challenges that caused you to be, for example, more creative.  And some influences may be from others' formal learning, shared in books, workshops, or professional articles.  For each influence you identify, try to summarize in a phrase how it influenced you to learn."

I learned…	Influences:
I will never be a "master teacher."  No one can master anything so complex.	Students have enlightened me that they will never let this be an easy job.  They challenge me in almost every way possible.  The learnership of teachers never ends.  Stephanie Harvey said that we might become "specialists" who might respond to questions when we are well-informed... but to be a "master" implies that you have learned all there is to know... I can't imagine.
Teaching will always be challenging.  I will never be able to open a file or Teacher's Edition of a text and feel like my plans are ready to go.	Experience with students over the years taught me to realize that teaching was not getting easier... despite reading and seeking Prof. Dev.  Students have taught me that by being ever-changing, ever-diverse.  I taught myself, too, because I am never satisfied!  This is just another reason why we MUST be responsible for our own learnership in so many ways.  In order to be the truest professional, we need to have a large repertoire of strategies that can only be honed as we continuously strive to learn from experience, others' knowledge and experiences, and research.
I will love my students and colleagues almost as much as family; I will certainly spend more time with them.	Students and colleagues taught me this just by being there, being part of my life, guiding my thinking, and building relationships.  I've learned to try to look for the best in everyone and to try to understand motivations for actions which can guide me in understanding and treating each person with love.  Like I said, I TRY... it's a lifetime quest cause Lordy, I'm human.
I didn't dream that there would be pundits who would seek to blame teachers for virtually every ill of the world and then pay testing companies to prove themselves "correct..." and that the public would be so easily fooled.	I read bills, write to legislators, read professional journals, watch the news (and detect the biases), and simply know better.  I am a political advocate for education.  Regie Routman discusses all of the roles that we need to take on as educators (in CONVERSATIONS), and being a political advocate is one of them.  Who better to talk about teaching than teachers?
The digital age was right around the corner.	Students and the world taught me this.  Gradually, computers and iPads have become the way we share and seek information.  When I first started teaching, computers still had floppy disks and were “newfangled.”  Though funding slows us down a bit, it’s amazing how far we’ve come on the digital path and exciting to think about where it can lead.
I am responsible for my own professional growth.	Colleagues, especially LeAnn Meyers, who started the first book study I ever attended on Regie Routman’s INVITATIONS.  Life was never the same.  J  Our local reading council helped me to see that there were amazing teachers with a lot of information and ideas to share right here in my own community.  Early on in my careers, I heard a respected colleague say, "You get two professional days per year--USE THEM," carried great influence, as well.
I didn't know how to spiral curriculum or evidence learning/growth in authentic ways.	My grade-level colleagues and curriculum director taught me to determine what needed to be learned and what was most critical at each grade level—before any state or federal standards existed.
I didn't know how to teach reading or writing workshops.	Ann Rice, now a principal in one of our schools, participated in a Young Authors program and shared it with our school.  It changed my life.  Later, she was one of my coaches; her caring helped sustain my fledgling efforts with the workshop model.  All Write!!! came into existence in our area, and it still supports me in amazing ways through talking with other coaches to opportunities to see and hear famous teacher-researchers.
I needed to initiate change and cultivate with my peers.	I think seeing LeAnn start a book study and Ann doing something innovative with courage led me to see that I, too, had power to initiate change.  Now I see this through professional organizations and in my work as a coach.  Serving on committees, such as the School Improvement Team, has contributed to thinking about creating and sustaining meaningful change, as well.
I didn't have a deep understanding of how to analyze students' work in order understand learners' needs.	My principals and curriculum directors over the years have definitely helped me in learning how to do this.  Even so, I think back to my friend, LeAnn who kept checklists of mastery in her grade book, so that she knew which students had mastered which standards and when.  Genius before her time.  This kind of sharing among colleagues has really influenced my thinking about data as a problem-solving tool (vs. "doing" data).

Tomorrow, I will delve into Part 3:  Reflecting on any patterns, themes, or trends that I perceive on this list.

Are you trying this?  What are you thinking and discovering about your "learnership?"

Slice of Life #27: Learning Influences

Slice of Life #27:  Learning Influences and Influencing Learning

I have been reading Cathy Toll's LEARNERSHIP:  INVEST IN TEACHERS, FOCUS ON LEARNING, AND KEEP TEST SCORES IN PERSPECTIVE.

Simultaneously, I am reading John Maxwell's 21 IRREFUTABLE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP:  FOLLOW THEM AND PEOPLE WILL FOLLOW YOU.

Both authors have a focus on influence.  I'm thinking about how we influence learning in our students, our peers, and our leaders.

Cathy Toll (p. 75) poses the following.

"I'd like to ask you, the reader, to draw on your learning experiences.  Please grab a piece of paper and jot down 10 things you know now that you didn't know when you began your career as an educator.  This is not a top-ten list, so don't try to come up with the 10 most important things you have learned.  Rather, jot down the first ten things you think of."

Okay, Cathy, here is my list of what I didn't know back then (only 10 items, eh):

1. I will never be a "master teacher."  No one can master anything so complex.
2. Teaching will always be challenging.  I will never be able to open a file or Teacher's Edition of a text and feel like my plans are ready to go.
3. I will love my students and colleagues almost as much as family; I will certainly spend more time with them.
4. I didn't dream that there would be pundits who would seek to blame teachers for virtually every ill of the world and then pay testing companies to prove themselves "correct..." and that the public would be so easily fooled.
5. The digital age was right around the corner.
6. I am responsible for my own professional growth.
7. I didn't know how to spiral curriculum or evidence learning/growth in authentic ways.
8. I didn't know how to teach reading workshop or writing workshops.
9. I needed to initiate change and cultivate it with my peers.
10. I didn't have a deep understanding of how to analyze students' work in order understand learners' needs.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming up on tomorrow's "Slice of Life" in which Cathy asks us to consider the influences we had in HOW we learned each of our "truths" (stated on the top ten list).

What do you know now that you didn't know "then?"

Slice of Life #26: Considering Core Programs

Slice of Life #26:  The Basal…ah-hem… Core Program

We are preparing to adopt a new basal reading series, now called a “core program.”  Several teachers have asked me my opinion regarding which series I prefer.

Though I am truly their colleague, I have no say in this matter.  (Since I am not a classroom teacher, per se, I do not vote for a program.)  So I refrain from giving my opinion… besides, I am not sure I really have one.

Instead, I ask our teachers to consider some things as they cast their votes into the hazy time of having 1/3 of our staff teaching the CCSS and most still using Indiana’s Academic Standards along with Indiana’s Assessment Guidance documents and our curriculum guides that also help support the transition to the CCSS.

It is hard to know what is done and done well when we have not yet fully experienced the CCSS nor its assessments, as all of the programs are supposed to be CCSS-aligned.

However, here are some questions that seem logical in guiding our thinking (and votes):

1.     How well does the program balance literary and informational texts?

2.     Does the series provide enough quality texts that you won’t feel constantly pressed to “dig” for more resources?

3.     Are the materials conducive for differentiating instruction, particularly for your student population?

4.     How well does the program assist with teaching the CCSS? 

5.     Does this program provide materials to help you monitor students’ progress/growth?

6.     Is the program student-friendly?  Will the students enjoy the texts?  Does it help students love reading?

7.     Will teachers feel like they have options in their approach to teaching this?  (Does it treat the teacher as a thoughtful professional or is it too scripted in an attempt to make it “teacher proof?”)

8.     What kinds of online supports or apps are available?  How well do they work?  Will they enhance instruction?  Do they assist the teacher in her work or complicate it?

9.     Do you know which elements of the program are included in a purchase and in what quantity?   In other words, if you believe you are getting leveled texts, are there enough for small groups? 

10.  How easy are the CDs to use?  (One teacher mentioned that her series doesn’t tell you which selection number for any of the stories on the audio CDs.)

11.     What kinds of support materials are provided?  Do you think they    are useful?

12.   Are materials accessible online for ease of planning, referencing, or even for students to use at home when needed?

Remember, Indiana’s Reading Framework says that we have to adopt a core program and use it “with fidelity.”  To me, that means we must be more thoughtful than ever with what we are voting for—our votes represent our willingness to use the program for a long time to come. 

What would you add to this list?  

Slice of Life #25: Summer Book Studies

Slice of Life #25:  Summer Professional Book Study Ideas—Suggestions, Please?

With summer vacation approaching, I have been thinking about books that

I might suggest for our summer book studies this year, and I am certainly open to suggestions—so bring them on in the “comments” section (below). 

Our summer book studies have been very successful; in my district with 6 schools, we generally have about 80 teachers who choose to participate!  I think that is amazing and is one of many ways that our wonderful staff demonstrates their professionalism.  We get together at people's homes, in cafes, or our public library and talk, collaborate, and watch videos to support our reading.  This has been a great time to get to know colleagues that we almost never see and to deepen our professional relationships as co-workers.  

I usually offer a different study group for each of these levels:  K-2, 3-5, and 6-12.   I might be willing to combine K-5 if the “right” book comes along—which really looks like a great possibility this year... or I could go with two of the titles on the K-5 list and give teachers a choice about which group to attend...  There are a lot of configurations for study groups!

Here are some ideas.  What do you think, dear reader?

Grades 6-12 (ELA):

•  BOOK LOVE:  DEVELOPING DEPTH, STAMINA, AND PASSION IN ADOLESCENT READERS by Penny Kittle
• NOTICE AND NOTE:  STRATEGIES FOR CLOSE READING by Kyleen Beers and Harvey Daniels

Grades K-5:

•  I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN, VISUAL LITERACY K-8  (2^nd Ed.) by Steve Moline
• PRACTICAL FLUENCY by Max and Gayle Brand
•  OPENING MINDS:  USING LANGUAGE TO CHANGE LIVES by Peter Johnston
•  GENRE CONNECTIONS:  LESSONS TO LAUNCH LITERARY AND NONFICTION TEXTS by Tanny McGregor
• DAY BY DAY:  REFINING WRITERS WORKSHOP THROUGH 180 DAYS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE by Ruth Ayers and Stacey Shubitz
• GUIDING READERS:  MAKING THE MOST OF THE 18-MINUTE GUIDED READING LESSON by Lori Jamison Rog

Grades K-2:

•  MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR CORE READING PROGRAM:  RESEARCH-BASED ESSENTIALS by Peter Dewitz and Jonni Wolskee

Grades 3-5:

• WHAT READERS REALLY DO  TEACHING THE PROCESS OF MEANING MAKING  by Dorothy Barnhouse and Vicki Vinton

Please comment to share your thinking about these or other texts.  If you have read any of these, I'd enjoy hearing your "review" and insights.  Of course, I am open to suggestions.  We have had a lot of book studies over the summers, across grade levels, and  school years; so if something seems to be missing, it may just be that it's already been studied.  You never know, so please suggest all you like!

Slice of Life #24: Through a Coach's Eyes: Teachers' Learnership

Slice of Life #24:  Through  the  Eyes  of  a  Coach :  Teachers’ Learnership

My current read is Cathy Toll’s book, LEARNERSHIP:  INVEST IN TEACHERS, FOCUS ON LEARNING, AND PUT TEST SCORES IN PERSPECTIVE.

As a coach, I am constantly questioning how I can help teachers build their identities as learners.  How do they see themselves?  How can they move into or sustain the teaching identities that they most desire?  What is my role?

In my post, Slice of Life #22, I discussed a variety of actions that teachers can take to continuously redefine how they see themselves and their work.  Many of these can be done with/without a coach. 

However, when teachers opt to work with the coach, how can their opportunities be maximized?  In other words,  my goal is to foster teachers’ learnership so that their teaching identities are positively impacted:  forever changing who they are as teachers and learners, adding to their sense of agency.  How can I best influence what they know, believe, and do in such a way that it supports them in fulfilling their potential, their wants, and their needs?

I recently read this amazing quote from Deb Cale: 

"Research shows that if a [teacher] doesn't have feedback or a coaching component, only about 10 percent of what they've learned in professional development will stick with them.  But if the coaches are there to support a teacher in implementing a new practice or instructional method, the learning opportunity goes up to 90 percent."   

While this is a broad statement (and I think should be worded “…can go up to 90 percent”), I wondered, “Do teachers sustain that much of their learning when they work with me?  Is it really 50, 60, or 70 percent?  How can I know?  How can I improve?  Granted, working with a coach is clearly better for the brain than not—but, again, how can coaching help the most?

At times, I have felt like this is a matter of accountability.  I have asked myself, “What do I need to do to encourage this teacher to take increased responsibility for his/her learning?  How do I build  his/her confidence/independence with this task?”

However, I wasn’t sure if those were the “correct” questions to ask myself to produce the desired outcome.  Why?  Because every time I hypothesized and experimented with a possible answer, I still felt like the outcome was less than what I was hoping for.

Cathy Toll describes this type of thinking (“What can I do as the instructor?) to be instruction-centered.  This is different from (and not as desirable as) as focus on what she calls “learnership.”  Toll contends that when we focus on instruction, we focus on just the “best practice” aspects, which can tend to lead into a “one-size-fits-all” mode of thinking about instruction.  In other words, the idea that “if we just ‘do’ best practices, our problems will be solved.”   While I don’t think I believe this about teaching, I need to find ways to question and sustain teachers as learners.

The truth is that best practices tend to work, but as professionals we must consider to what degree and with which students one might be more effective than another… and then we must consider our implementation, the learning environment, the needs of the student(s).  This is where the idea of “learnership” enters.

Learnership focuses on learning—the teacher’s and the students’—and the tools that make the difference.  Learnership requires the coach/teacher to notice when learning occurs and inquire when it does not.  Learnership requires a solid foundation about HOW we learn and how learning is influenced by others.  Learnership recognizes that each individual has a story (as a learner) and that linking new learning to what is known is essential—and that looks different for each person.  This aligns to my coaching beliefs. 

So now, I’m going back to the form that I use to hold our thinking when we plan coaching cycles.  Part of it is a checklist of expectations—defining what the teacher can expect from the coach and what the coach can expect from the teacher.  We set a SMART goal and generate ideas for how we might know if the goal has been reached—by looking at student work/achievement and through the instructional process.  We work together in a variety of ways over the allotted time.  This might include collecting and analyzing data, my conducting demonstration lessons, co-planning, co-teaching, and classroom observations.  It always includes coaching conversations and timely feedback. 

On paper and in practice, it feels almost complete, almost satisfactory… but not quite. 

I think this plan causes ME to be intentional about my work with the teacher but I’m theorizing now that it needs to be changed (along with our conversations) to cause the teacher to be intentional, as well.  I think our conversations assist with that, but perhaps they haven’t been enough—often because of lack of time in a given teacher’s schedule.  How to compensate?  As I know through my own life, written reflections (such as this piece that you’re currently reading) make a big difference in clarifying learning and in finding direction. 

We generally do a good job of redefining our instruction to meet students’ daily needs; but we might be missing something when it comes to completely articulating our teacher-coach learning and thinking.  Even though I am present for the process, I think I have been outcome-driven.  I’m thinking we need a greater focus on the teacher’s thinking and learning each and every day.  As a teacher, I know that my thinking shifts moment-by-moment.  We are continuously learning; learning is constantly in motion and changing shape—it’s dynamic.  While classroom time allows for a quick debrief (most days), perhaps this has not been sufficient to think deeply enough about the complexities of our work; when this lacks, perhaps learnership suffers… which means that the practices we are trying might not be sustainable once I depart from the teacher’s daily life.

I have been hesitant to consistently ask for written feedback because I don’t want to put “one more thing” on the teachers’ plates.  I know they are constantly pressed for time, and I want to be sure that all work that I ask of them is meaningful…  YET that’s just it.  Asking for feedback DURING and immediately after the class (perhaps in writing or even recorded and emailed digitally) is meaningful.  It causes teachers to bring agency to the work.  Even if they are observing, they should be thoughtful observers.  They can use that time to record their daily thinking so that, over time, they can see how they have evolved and more deeply understand the process we’ve gone through—and recall why.  Honestly, I think I have been hesitant to consistently ask for this, as well, because I was worried that the teachers might not work with me if it required “too much” effort.  But now I am realizing that they need to work at least as hard as I do—and that if they don’t, they will never really have agency for the work that is done via coaching.  That is not acceptable.

I have forms that I have used for teachers to complete during observations and co-teaching.  I am thinking of redesigning them to garner more specific feedback, which might prompt teachers to provide more thoughtful insights to help us in moving forward, clarifying thinking, and understanding the processes we are going through. 

I wonder, too, if I should consider how I plan to reach teachers as learners by completing a separate organizer for my thoughts.  This could help me to gauge how teachers are progressing as learners in a coaching cycle.  I am thinking that I could list the tasks that we will do together, how they will be done, what the desired outcomes will be (for each task during the learning process).  I might also include ways to assess progress and to note the teacher’s demonstrations of application of the learning.  This would build confidence/competence for independently carrying on with this work when the coaching cycle ends. 

I have also recently been thinking that I need to schedule follow-ups with teachers in a different way (after coaching cycles have ended).  Right now, I email and/or schedule meetings for  coaching conversations.  We discuss the teacher’s perceptions of his/her progress implementing the practices on which s/he has been coached. 

Oftentimes, they are telling me that “everything is fine” and even citing examples… but then months later, I hear some of them say, “Yeah, that WAS going okay but then I dropped it because…”  My heart sinks.  While I know that they have changed as learners and came away with new teaching identities that have improved their instruction across the day, I feel like I failed to sustain them at some point. 

My solution is that I think I need to expand my follow-ups—I think we need to agree to follow-up meetings in addition to some classroom observations.  Maybe we even need to consider how to link new learning to what has been tried during and practiced since a coaching cycle.  I am still thinking about ways to sustain teachers as learners.

These things seem to be part of the answer to my questions, “How am I doing as a coach?” and, “How can I improve?”

I’m still reading, thinking, and growing.  My agency for my work is changing as I consider these hard questions, hypothesize the varied outcomes, and then TRY and reflect on new strategies. 

I’ll keep you posted. 

 

  

Slice of Life #23: ROMANTIC NOVELLA ABOUT FLUENCY

I have been trying to get a teacher-friend to read a wonderful book called PRACTICAL FLUENCY by Max and Gayle Brand.  

Yesterday, she told me that she just couldn't get into it... that if it were a novel, she might be able to read it.  This is for her... and anyone else who appreciates silliness and literacy.  What a mix.

SLICE OF LIFE POST #23:  A Romantic Novella About Fluency: 

LEYENDO'S FIERY PASSION FOR FLUENCY

On a dark moonless summer night, with only occasional bolts of heat lightning to relieve the blackness, Fluency stretched her smooth legs as best as she could while driving the rented moving van.  All her favorite picture books and juvenile novels were stuffed behind her as she drove the long five hour trip. She turned left onto a gravel road, almost there now, almost to her new home in the country and to her new life in nearby Angola, Indiana.

Off in the distance, an orange, yellow, and red glow flickered on the horizon. A fire! Oh no!

Fluency made a return sweep to the left, pulling into the long winding driveway as flames leaped, dancing in the wind, while devouring the old weathered schoolhouse. With natural prowess, she jumped from the van and effortlessly toward the blaze. That schoolhouse was supposed to be an rural library and headquarters for her new job. Fluency felt like she was watching a funeral pyre for her new life. What kind of sign was this for her new beginning?

The fire, hot as the engine of her van, singed her chocolate hair as she rhythmically ran into the choking cloud of billowing black smoke. She collided into what felt like a brick wall and her knees buckled causing her to pause at just the right moment... 

"Whoa…..   little seniorita," a voice broke into the darkness.  Large gentle hands clasped her shoulders to stop her from falling upon impact, and then guided her back out of the heat.  Little did he know, but Fluency would be the best thing that ever happened to him.

Fluency's heart caught at the sound of the deep, rich baritone voice. His ebony eyes locked onto her sapphire ones then widened with surprise. Or was it appreciation?  Perhaps the scorching heat was slowing down her rate of thinking?

Something firm pressed against her chest before she realized his brawny arms were filled with books that he was rescuing from the fire! Although glistening with sweat and smudged with charcoal, too sooty to distinguish his features, he seemed like a knight in not-quite shimmering armor. "Who are you?" Fluency whispered.

"I am….  Leyendo." He remembered his manners at the same time as the heavy weights in arms. "Here."

He thrust the bundle of books into her arms before brushing a stray lock of hair from her lovely heart-shaped face. He took a giant step back, as an emergent reader might retreat from a chapter book.   Her smooth, fluid form seemed out of reach. Leyendo wondered why no one warned him he would yearn for Fluency so very much.

"You.. must be Fluency, the new reading teacher," he tossed a book over his shoulder as he again moved toward the schoolhouse to save more precious literature. He had many false starts, heading toward the building, stopping for reasons unclear, then strangely backing up and restarting.  Fluency wondered if he would ever make it; he seemed so unsure of himself.  He seemed to be relying on only one strategy in determining how approach the texts.

Fluency settled with the books on the grass, well away from the blazing schoolhouse, as fire engines roared into the driveway. Firemen hollered out directions to each other, working in harmony with hoses to blast water into flames. Leyendo hauled out Newberys and Caldecotts, handing them, along with three more classics, Fluency, before dashing back for another rescue.  He had unsteady movements, yet she sensed his desire for her.

Professionals that they were, the firemen had the inferno down to a smolder in no time. One of the fire fighters led Fluency to a large neighboring ranch house at the end of the lane and told her to store her reading materials and conduct her lessons there for a while.

Although she kept her hands busy by wiping the soot from the books, her mind zoomed from one worry to another with the speed of a reader who thinks that rate is everything.

Oh no. Would her new teaching partner want to rebuild the library?  She'd never spoken with him directly.  What did the future hold for her?

Fluency sighed deeply.  Only two hours ago she was felt like her life was going smoothly with virtually no unnecessary pauses or stops.  She thought she was finally going to get to express who she really was and finally be deeply understood.

Despite the schoolhouse in ashes down the lane, again and again, she wondered just WHO precisely was Leyendo? Where had he come from and would she see him again? He wasn't what she would call handsome, covered head to toe in grime, but there was something about him – she sensed he needed her… and she was drawn to him… perhaps she could help him develop his prosody… he seemed so  unsure of himself.  When his gaze met hers, it was as alluring as eyes on text.  If only she could put him at ease, help him build confidence.

Well, Fluency conceded, their head-on collision could have knocked her senses out of whack. She'd simply misread their physical impact. Nah. It wasn't chemistry. He just had to put in so much effort but still seemed stilted, and unsure of himself when he met her.  He had to focus all of his attention on getting the books, but he didn’t seem to comprehend the importance of their contents.  He could not infer what this meant to her life.  She saw all of that in the dewy stare of his eyes when he had dropped the firm, heavy books into her arms.  It was as if he had all of the desire and tools but just didn’t know what to do with them.  Perhaps… yes, she could teach him.  She would start out with easy things to build his confidence, gradually trying harder and harder work.

She no sooner settled the books into a make-shift bed, than she heard the smooth baritone that Fluency recalled from earlier. She turned her head toward its source and her mouth went dry. Surely this wasn't Leyendo?  This man was freshly showered, his features no longer smudged and indistinguishable. She inhaled deeply as she detected the pleasant sensation of his desire to read with a hint of the smell of a newly opened book. With his bronzed coloring, salt and pepper hair, and ebony eyes that also held a mixture of uncertainty, particularly when he saw the books spread out on the bed.  This was Leyendo-the-book-rescuer, a hero of sorts.

‘

Yet he smiled slowly at her gaping mouth and that rich deep tone rumbled, "You okay… Fluency?"

Wow! Swallowing hard, she forced her gaze away from his before her face could betray her thoughts. He looked like a modern-day gladiator with broad shoulders, corded neck, and perfectly sculpted face. He leaned over her and picked up a book. 

When she dared another glance, he stared at her for a moment. From the twitching at the corner of his mouth, Fluency guessed he was trying to read again. She wasn't sure if she wanted to slap him or kiss him now. Instead, she cleared her throat. Twice. "I'm as full of expression and accuracy as ever."

Leyendo leaned his back against the wall and stuck his hands in his belt loops, regarding her with that same forced smile and a look behind his eyes as if he knew he needed to increase his reading performance.  Disturbed, Fluency looked away.

Leyendo held out one large hand. "I'm Leyendo No-Fluidez by the way."

When her much smaller hand gripped his in a handshake, Leyendo attempted to regulate his breathing while he tried to find words for what he wanted to say.  He kept hesitating.  He would start to speak but then stop.   He'd prayed for God to smooth his way, to make his path to better reading more obvious.  Was Fluency the answer?

Now this woman was fresh-out of places to live until the schoolhouse was reconstructed as the new library. How did you invite a desirable creature like Fluency—something you have never known—into your life without sounding desperate?

He hesitated, then, "Welcome to Angola, Fluency."

She snorted, doubting his willingness to continue their relationship.

Leyendo tried to catch his breath, reminding himself of why he couldn't let himself pay so much attention to Fluency…  He had worked so hard just to decode her face, her words.  Now would he dare to get closer to her smooth, expressive body? 

Yet he reached for her toned, paper-cut fingers. Her touch was smooth, expressive. "Hmm. Start an inferno… is right."

He reluctantly released her hand when she tugged. She nibbled on her bottom lip as her sapphire eyes narrowed on him. Her honey-sweet voice seemed to pick up a little spice when she asked, "How was it that you were there at the fire so quickly?"

"I live here.  I… I have been reading… and re-reading… trying to build stamina… Fluency, you see, I am going to work here…  in the new school.  "

She swallowed hard, then practically squeaked her realization. "YOU … have been building your stamina?  Have you tried oral reading?  Cloze reading?  Partner reading?  REPEATED reading?"

It wasn't a question.  For the first time, Leyendo wondered if the attraction went both ways. She didn't sound necessarily pleased about it. In fact, her next statement sounded more like an accusation. "YOU are my new partner!" 

Leyendo nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Leyendo No-Fluidez at your service.  Don't worry.  We'll rebuild the library, while you and I build my… reading fluency.  You hold the key.”

She tossed her hands in the air before hitching a thumb back toward the lane. "I can't exactly live in that moving van while the library—and your reading fluency--are under construction."

Leyendo took a step toward her and closed the gap. He watched her breathing speed up. "You can live with me until then. There's lots of rooms to choose from. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.  We can read books together… we can cloze read, partner read, choral read, and re-read over and over again.  I promise to improve my stamina and my overall performance.”

She shook her head, flipping chocolate hair back over her shoulder, then tipped her stubborn chin in the air. "That's partnership, mister. Not relationship.  I can read you like a sight word."

"Yes," Leyendo agreed. "It takes an equal partnership for any relationship to work.  Just like reading rate and accuracy work together to build prosody.  I know that I need automaticity with sight words, too.  After you interviewed for the job, the teacher you're replacing told me you're sweet, big-hearted, and a smooth reader. He failed, however, to mention how beautiful you are and how much meaning you could bring to my… reading."

She grumbled, "He failed to mention my future partner could double for a male model if he needed a change of employment… and that he would need to put some work into understanding that he cannot just race through a text and think he will have Fluency."

She whipped her eyes off his form-fitting t-shirt toward a treasured copy of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY... she silently wondered if this text would firm up his desire for the work that needed done; but she knew she would have to provide a lot of extra tutoring.  Perhaps she'd start with having him track text with his fingers... perhaps she could even find his Lexile level.  How "lexy."

Leyendo shook his head.  Oh yes, this would be interesting.  She was definitely interested in him whether she wished it so or not. God had definitely handed Leyendo a blessing when He sent Fluency.  The schoolhouse’s burning down was like a flashing neon sign for Leyendo's life, sending Fluency into more than his business, sending her into his reading as well.

Leyendo motioned toward the hallway. "Pick a room, any room, for your stay.  Then I'll help you carry in your suitcases so you can shower away the smoke and soot from the fire. In the morning, I'll help you unload the books from the moving van."

He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Welcome home, Dr. Fluency Importante."   He seemed to accept that he needed to spend more time with Fluency.

Relieved, Fluency spun around and with a sweeping movement from left to right, headed toward the hallway.  She looked over her shoulder and smiled, “We will start tomorrow morning, first thing with Cloze reading.  I will need to cover text and keep you engaged.  It will be fun.”

Leyendo smiled after her.  Feisty.  Dang but if he didn't like that about her too. He would have to work for her.  He knew that she would never use the difference in their reading abilities to cause him embarrassment or confusion. He would learn to instantaneously recognize sight words and move into building his stamina across phrases… and longer, harder sentences.  He pictured long hours of tenderly cradling her books in his longing hands, listening to her smooth, expressive lips model prosody for him.  She might even have to direct him at first.  And then he would practice with her… over and over… until it felt natural and comfortable, which is what he desperately needed.  He would bring meaning to his work, opening up new worlds.

 And then one day, he would possess Fluency.  Yes, Fluency would be HIS.

THE END