The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy
October 1, 2011
Virtual Integrity
Real integrity is doing the right
thing when nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.
Oprah Winfrey
Attending a two-day training from a national presenter, I anticipated
learning many new things to add to my coaching toolbox. The
presenter had been a teacher, principal, university professor, and
superintendent. She now worked for a successful education
consulting firm. What unfolded was something quite different from
what I expected.
Within the first few minutes she embarrassed three participants who
lacked a prerequisite class in front of a group of 40 attendees. "You'll
need to talk with your supervisor," she told them sternly. Then
she told a story about teachers complaining, and how she wanted to
strangle one of them. But it was listening to her comment on a
video of a teacher in a classroom that really pushed my buttons.
As we watched the short clip, her commentary included "what really
scares me . . ." and "it's pretty awful when . . ." and "that needs
fixing . . ." If I had been the teacher on the video, I would have been
humiliated.
In our district we set a norm that when we watch instructional videos,
we watch them as if the teacher is in the room. We look at
evidence of student learning (or lack thereof) with a respectful eye,
and bring it back to what it means for our own practice. This
doesn't mean we can't laugh at a funny situation with a student that
we've all found ourselves in, or furrow our brows when a lesson becomes
chaotic. What we avoid is "shoulding" the teacher. She should
have said this. He should have done that. We can't change the
lesson that was taught; we can only change ourselves. Teachers on video
will never know that we handle them with care in our district, but we
know. Implicit in our care is the norm that we should treat what
we see live in our colleagues' classrooms with the same respect we
treat those strangers we're viewing on video from distant
schools. It takes courage to share your teaching with others,
never knowing exactly how it will be perceived or discussed when you
aren't present.
I took extra time in completing my evaluation for that training and
wrote, "For someone who is in education, I wonder about your criticism
of teachers you perceive as less skilled. What are you modeling
as you travel the nation and speak to others about trying something
new?"
This week we're highlighting resources to help young writers get
through slumps and try new genres. Plus more as always -- enjoy!
Heather Rader
Senior Editor, Choice Literacy
Free for All
[For sneak peeks at our upcoming features, quotes and extra links, you
can follow Choice Literacy on
Twitter: @ChoiceLiteracy]
We have a trio of features at the site to help you connect with
students who may be struggling in your writing workshops.
From the Choice Literacy Archives, Franki
Sibberson identifies two types of struggling writers - those
who don't know what to write about, and those who don't want to write.
She shares mentor texts and lesson suggestions to help each group:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/276.cfm
Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan draw on their own
experiences to assist young writers in Overcoming Writing Slumps:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/963.cfm
The way out of a slump for some young writers begins with trying
different genres. In a new podcast, Aimee
Buckner talks about the value of integrating more nonfiction
reading and writing into student notebooks:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/1668.cfm
Marie Nathalie Beaudoin gives
practical tips for building a more respectful environment among
colleagues in the latest issue of Education
Leadership online:
http://bit.ly/mRVl0E
Literacy leaders have the unenviable task of telling teachers they have
to change their priorities. In A
Question of Time, George Couros
considers the importance of "why" in presenting new goals to others:
http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/2213
Last chance to join us October 15 and 16 at the beautiful Samoset
Resort on the ocean in Rockport, Maine, for Choice Literacy
Workshops. Presenters will be Jennifer
Allen, Aimee Buckner, "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser),
Clare Landrigan, Tammy Mulligan, and Franki Sibberson. Topics
include assessment, mentor texts, literacy coaching, and integrating
technology into literacy workshops. You can click on the link
below for video previews, detailed descriptions, and registration
information:
http://bit.ly/qjsXgM
For Members Only
Parents understandably have many concerns about their children using
Facebook. In Facebook
101: Hosting a Family Facebook Night, Bill Bass shares the nuts and bolts
of organizing the event, as well as topics to cover:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1674.cfm
If you're trying to increase the amount of nonfiction reading and
writing your students do, you might want to revisit an old
friend: the class newsletter. Andrea
Smith explains how she integrates student collaboration around
producing a newsletter into the workshop routines in her classroom:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1657.cfm
The language we use to discuss our most challenging students frames the
way we think about them. In The
Power of Linking Words and Perceptions, Melanie Quinn designs a workshop
activity for a staff meeting that helps everyone view difficult
students more positively:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1666.cfm
We're starting a new print/video series this week. Throughout the
year, 4th grade teacher Beth Lawson
and Heather Rader will be
collaborating as Beth adds more nonfiction reading and writing to her
literacy workshops. In this first installment, Beth and Heather
talk about Beth's plans and needs. Heather recommends nonfiction
mentor texts, and writing activities linked to them:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1659.cfm
You can watch Beth Lawson in
action in this week's bonus video. Beth confers with a third
grader, helping him explore synthesis through his reader's notebook:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/1640.cfm
That's all for this week!
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About
Jennifer Allen
