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Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen is a literacy specialist in grades 3-5 for the Waterville, Maine, school district, where she works as a reading coach and leads professional development programs for teachers in a wide range of formats. Jennifer has presented her work to regional and national audiences through state literacy organizations, the International Reading Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English. She has written and published video and print workshops for Stenhouse Publishers, and is the author of Becoming a Literacy Leader: Supporting Learning and Change (
Stenhouse, 2006). Jennifer has chosen the topic of supporting new teachers as a year-long focus for her writing for Choice Literacy. She will post monthly updates on her progress in developing and leading a comprehensive program for a small group of teachers in her home district throughout the coming school year.
Jen leads small workshops for literacy coaches sponsored by Choice Literacy, featuring videos from her school site. (For more information on how to enroll in one of these seminars, click here.)
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Study Groups, Instant Messaging, and Writing
Jennifer Allen
I am so out of the loop or should I say SITD (Still In The Dark) when it comes to IM (Instant Messaging). As I sit and write, I even have a cheat sheet next to me of the "Top 50 Most Commonly Used Text Terms." This list was slipped into my mailbox by a young teacher after our last study group, when she realized just how clueless I was about the language of IM. . . . more
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On the Lookout: Considering Study Group Topics for Next Year
Jennifer Allen
You may be thinking that we are in the arctic freeze of winter (at least we are in Maine), so how could I possibly be thinking of study groups for next year? I agree that it is too early to set up study groups for the 2008/2009 year, but it is never too early to be scoping out and sifting through the latest resources. . . . more
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Cartwheels, Backward Rolls, and Literacy Coaching
Jennifer Allen
Just as in gymnastics, the new teachers that I work with have needed less direct support from me over time. I find that I am still providing teachers in their third and fourth year of teaching with support - it just looks different than it did during that crucial first year. I am no longer in many of their classrooms on a weekly basis, nor do we have set meeting dates. As a literacy leader, I try to be there when they need me, but also give them space to grow as individuals. . . . more
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Creating Structures to Sustain Our Work
Jennifer Allen
I wish I could bottle the inspiration I felt after listening to Bruce Morgan, Debbie Miller, and Ellin Keene at a recent NCTE presentation. They spoke about professional learning experiences that are successful and promote sustainability. Bruce and Debbie agreed that in their experience as classroom teachers, the most powerful professional development experiences were those in which they have had opportunities to reflect on and talk about their instructional practices with colleagues. Ellin Keene shared that the professional learning experiences that are most successful have a "spirit of experimentation." . . . more
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To Fart or Not to Fart?
Reflections on Boy Writers
Jennifer Allen
Not everyone around the table agreed that allowing students to write about farting was appropriate. The topic shifted from appropriate topics, to how we each define "quality" in writing, to strategies to motivate boys to write in the classroom. The conversation flowed naturally. Teachers disagreed with one another without any sense of tension. The conversation pushed all of us to think about the boundaries we establish within our classrooms. and the stereotypes we make regarding gender. . . . more
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From Compliments to Naming the Craft:
5th Grade Writing Workshop Share Session (VIDEO)
Jennifer Allen
This whole-class share session in Lesley Fowler's 5th grade classroom is the culmination of a nonfiction writing unit. Over the course of the year, we moved from having students compliment their classmates during these share sessions, to writing down specific aspects of the piece they enjoyed or had questions about during the reading. We found adding this brief writing element to the share sessions has made all the difference in helping students connect their writing and that of their peers to the lessons on craft we present throughout the year. . . . more
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Got Space?
Jennifer Allen
Upon my return to school this year, I was determined to create a resource space for the third grade teachers. As I looked around the closet space, I couldn't find any empty space except for behind the door. So the door it was! I created a Literacy News Resource Board on the back of the closet door in the 3rd grade book closet. . . . more
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Playing with Group Observations: Reflections on Learning with New Teachers
Jennifer Allen
The new teacher group is winding down. Our next and last meeting will be in June. Leslie Lloyd, the group's co-leader and I find ourselves constantly reflecting and refining the group as we go along. I find each month we approach some aspect of the group from a slightly different angle. This month Leslie and I played around with the classroom observations. Each month participants talk about the value of being able to observe other teachers and the time taken to debrief as a group. This month we had new teachers Jeni and Jess observe together. . . . more
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Building the Reading Community Among Teachers
Jennifer Allen
The starting point for teaching reading is always our own lives as readers - tuning in to our processes as proficient readers, and then tapping that knowledge to help the children in our care develop new skills and strategies. One of the most important things I strive to do as a literacy coach is build self-awareness in my colleagues of their reading. . . . more
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Reading Workshop for Teachers: Understanding Our Own Learning (VIDEO)
Jennifer Allen
In this four-minute video from a monthly study group meeting of new teachers, Jennifer Allen and Leslie Lloyd take the group through a book preview and reading activity as part of the workshop. The discussion after the activity highlights the importance of becoming aware of our own processes as readers in order to understand the literacy of students. . . . more
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Learning from the Shadows
Jennifer Allen
This past month I decided to try something a little different. I asked Jeni, a teacher in her third year to shadow me for a full day. New teachers have always made their observations alone. Selfishly, I wanted to be part of the observation, debriefing, and hear their thinking firsthand. . . . more
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The Power of Layered Coaching
Jennifer Allen
I have to admit I did not anticipate the power of these peer observations. Each month the new teachers enthusiastically return to the group eager to share new ideas gathered from their classroom observations in hopes of implementing them in their own rooms. Many of the new teachers have stated that the time given to observe other teachers is truly a gift. Others have said that the built-in time to observe is one of the best components of the new teacher support system. . . . more
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Portable Anchor Charts for Literacy Coaches
Jennifer Allen
I have to admit I have gone a little foam board crazy. I started with a foam board on revision strategies, and now we have moved to boards that include our strategies for alternative leads - leads for narratives, leads for nonfiction animal books, and also leads for biographies. Foam boards are durable, easy to store, and perfect for displaying ideas. . . . more
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How Study Groups Are Like Self-Cleaning Ovens
Jennifer Allen and Brenda Power
One of our favorite inventions ever is the self-cleaning oven. Set a timer, lock the oven door, and a few hours later - voila! You have a clean oven, and can feel virtuous about it, even though it required almost no effort on your part. Study groups can be like self-cleaning ovens - put a few key elements in place, and they can almost run themselves. We used to spend hours looking for the perfect activity or icebreaker for groups, but over time we've found that a standard format with regular components works best for us. . . . more
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