We have been working in the field of professional development for the past sixteen years. We began our journey co-teaching an integrated first and second grade classroom in Medford, Massachusetts. We then spent four years as educational consultants for Tufts University in the Center for Applied Child Development. Our next professional home was Wayland, Massachusetts as the Directors of Curriculum for the Wayland Public Elementary Schools. We now run a private staff development business, Teachers for Teachers. We work with varied school systems to implement best practices in the field of literacy and to engage in institutional change.

Putting the "Gradual" Back into Gradual Release of Responsibility Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Doug Fisher was talking about the importance of the gradual release of responsibility. He believes that the gradual release of responsibility has morphed into the "sudden release of responsibility." Not only did he get the audience laughing, he got us thinking. Are we asking children to apply what they have learned too quickly? In our efforts to emphasize the importance of explicit modeling in our own demonstration lessons, have we de-emphasized the importance of guided practice? . . . more Whole-Group Share Sessions in Literacy Workshops: Essential Elements Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We survey teachers periodically to help us reflect on our professional development sessions, and plan next steps for our coaching. Recently, we have noticed a pattern in the reflections of the teachers. Many noted the aspect of reading workshop they are least comfortable with is the group share. . . . more Teaching Stamina Strategies to First Graders (VIDEO) Tammy Mulligan works with two seven-year-olds to teach them strategies for building reading stamina. . . . more Favorite Short Mentor Texts for Demonstration Lessons Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Teachers and coaches often ask us for a list of mentor texts to teach a particular strategy or genre unit of study. While we certainly have some favorites, we truly believe that when it comes to mentor texts we cannot lose sight of our purpose and audience. There are key factors teachers need to consider when selecting mentor texts: purpose, developmental stage of readers, and teaching objectives. Coaches have an additional factor - very limited time. . . . more Planning for a Demonstration Lesson (Part 2) In this second installment of a two-part video series, Clare Landrigan takes a team of grades 3-5 teachers through the steps of planning for a demonstration lesson. . . . more Planning for a Demonstration Lesson (Part 1) In this first installment of a video series, Clare Landrigan takes a team of grades 3-5 teachers through the steps of planning for a demonstration lesson. . . . more The Power of Checklists in Primary Literacy Workshops (TEMPLATES) Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We had the pleasure of hearing Atul Gawande speak recently at a local event. He is a bestselling author and surgeon who writes about how to get things right. He explained how our biggest problem today is not due to a lack of knowledge; in fact it is exactly the opposite. "Know-how and sophistication have increased remarkably across almost all our realms of endeavor, and as a result so has our struggle to deliver on them." He points out that a good proportion of our errors are no longer due to lack of knowledge, but rather due to knowledge being applied inaccurately. He attributes the reason to the fact that "the volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly or reliably." His solution is to use a strategy that makes up for our inevitable human inadequacies -- a checklist. . . . more Big Ideas: Balancing Plans with Authentic Response Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan The expression "from the mouths of babes" never holds more true than when you are teaching kindergartners! Last fall, a group of kindergarten students taught me a lesson that is still pushing my thinking as a teacher and a coach. . . . more Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan on Assessments, Data, and Balance In this podcast, Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan, the founders of Teachers for Teachers, talk with Franki Sibberson about data. The challenge for teachers and schools is grappling with the mountain of data, using it wisely, and still finding room for creativity and balance in classrooms. . . . more Off the Dance Floor and Onto the Balcony: Getting the Big Picture in Schools (TEMPLATE) Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We coordinate professional development efforts in schools. Periodically we visit classrooms during literacy blocks to think about how we are progressing toward our goals, and to identify next steps for the teachers in that school. We love these days, because they allow us to take a step back and think about what is working and what isn't. Professional development is complicated, and we find that we are constantly revising our plans based on what is happening for students and teachers. We learned the trick of "getting off the dance floor and getting on the balcony" from Heiftz and Linsky. . . . more Getting the Most Out of Visiting a Colleague's Classroom (PODCAST) Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan In this podcast, Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan chat with Franki Sibberson about how teachers can get the most out of observing a colleague's classroom. A full transcript is below the player. . . . more A More Literate Show and Tell Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Last week Tammy joined a kindergarten teacher, Vicki Haley, for her writer's workshop. As we all know, the reality of kindergarten is that even with the best-laid plans we can get a bit off schedule. When Tammy first arrived, Vicki apologized that she was a bit behind and shared that her students were getting ready for show and tell. We had planned to focus our time on strategies for generating important topics for personal narrative stories in writer's workshop. The level of excitement was too high to change direction, so we went with show and tell. Two sentences into the first show and tell, and we both knew that this was our opportunity for teaching. . . . more Ways to Avoid Coaching Traps Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan When we first began providing staff development to schools, our mentor at Tufts University shared the book Strategies for Teacher Collaboration by Loviah Aldinger with us. We each carry a well-worn copy of one chapter with us at all times - "What Goes Wrong in Teacher Collaboration?" The chapter explains the different types of traps that trip up consultants and coaches who work with teachers; how you get into the traps; how to get out once you are in a trap; and how to begin to recognize patterns so you can avoid traps in the first place. We have been in our share of traps over the years, but most of the time we use these strategies to avoid them. . . . more Relentless Consistency: Finding a Common Teaching Language Without Scripts Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We notice the lack of consistency in practices and language in many districts. These discrepancies may seem minor, but from a student's point of view they are confusing and can impact the speed of change. If districts identify core goals and practices and bring "relentless consistency" from kindergarten through sixth grade, then both teachers and students could spend more time for the "new learning required for continuous improvement." . . . more Small Group After Demonstration Lesson (VIDEO) Clare Landrigan In this small group after a demonstration lesson in a 5th grade classroom, Clare Landrigan talks through strategies for inferring the meaning of new words while reading. . . . more Balancing Assessments Through Better Classroom Notes Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Marie Clay reminds us, "The one closest to the classroom experience is in a unique position to see and communicate a reliable and valid instructional perspective of the child." (An Observation Survey, 1993) In data meetings and professional learning communities, we sometimes become concerned that conference notes and teacher observations are not being viewed as valid assessments. We are hearing that only "universal screeners" count in the world of response to intervention . . . more Demonstration Lesson: Inferring Character Traits (VIDEO) In this demonstration lesson from a 5th grade classroom, Clare Landrigan leads students through a reading and discussion of inference and character development. . . . more Making Data Analysis a Motivating and Worthwhile Process Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan At first glance, the task of data analysis seems simply to be mathematical. Teachers look at the numbers, decide what students need to learn, and then plan instruction. However, the reality is that those numbers reflect each teacher's hard work in his/her classroom; and unfortunately those numbers do not always exemplify a teacher's efforts. The data results are sometimes not what we expect. . . . more Is "Just Right" Still Just Right?: Helping Children Select Appropriate Books Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We taught together in an elementary classroom for years. One of the most important things we always talked about with students was the concept of "just-right" books. We used the analogy of the three bears, teaching our students that there were three types of books: Too Hard, Too Easy and Just Right. While it made sense to us back then, we are now unsure that this analogy is "just right" as we watch readers from across districts and grade levels. . . . more Teaching Revision to Struggling Writers Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Revision can be a difficult process for so many writers - kids and adults alike! As writers, we both know how difficult it is to come up with a topic, get our ideas down on paper, think about how to communicate what we are really trying to say, and then revise the piece to make it clear and engaging. Professionally, we tend to write in tandem. We typically begin by talking through an idea and generating thoughts. Then one of us takes a crack at the first draft. The other person reads it and gives suggestions for revisions. The revisions can go back and forth several times between us before the paper is complete. . . . more Making Predictions and Finding Evidence in Text (VIDEO) In this video from a fifth-grade small group, Clare Landrigan talks with students about making predictions and finding evidence in text. . . . more Helping Students Deal with Distractions Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We have had the privilege of spending the last few weeks in many teachers' classrooms supporting them as they launch their literacy workshops. The first few weeks of school are so important for making the structures and routines you want to use all year long consistent and predictable. It is amazing how exhausting it is to teach 26 little bodies to follow directions, sit in the correct spot, find their materials, not talk to the person next to them, and read! One topic that comes up again and again with the teachers we mentor is student distractibility. Distraction can play out in many forms depending on the grade level and chemistry of the class, but the concern is common across many classrooms, schools, and districts. . . . more What to Say on Parent/Teacher Night Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan As the school year gets in full swing throughout the country, many teachers and literacy coaches have been talking about and preparing for parent/teacher night or the annual school open house. This night is a once-a-year chance to talk with families not only about what their children will learn during the school year, but also about the ways in which children acquire new skills and knowledge. As teachers, we have so much experience watching a particular age group learn and grow. Parent/Teacher Night is a great time to share this knowledge with families . . . more Lessons from Family Writer's Workshop Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan While all of our professional instincts told us that hosting writer's workshop with our own children was not the best plan. . . we decided to do it anyway. For each of the past few summers, our four children (two of Clare's, two of Tammy's) have attended camp together for five weeks, as having them in the same place helps us with our work schedules. . . . more Overcoming Slumps: Principles for Student Writers Clare Landrigan I began this summer in two slumps -- a running slump and a writing slump. I injured my lower back in early May and could not run for about six weeks. At the same time, life became hectic and for many reasons I seemed to lose my writing momentum. I was feeling badly about both and wondering how I was going to get back in the saddle. I can now proudly say that eight weeks later, I am back on track with both! As I reflect on how I came out of my slumps, I am finding that in many ways my experience paralleled that of students who have writing slumps in the classroom. . . . more Staying Focused in Literacy Workshops (VIDEO) Clare Landrigan In this video, Clare Landrigan meets with a group of 5th graders to talk about what's going well in literacy workshops, and to set individual goals. Stamina is an issue many of the students are dealing with, so many of the goals involve strategies for staying focused while reading and writing. . . . more Running and Reading Logs Part II (VIDEO) Clare Landrigan In this second video in a two-part series, Clare Landrigan meets with a group of 4th graders to talk about reading logs and goals. In this excerpt, Clare confers with students over their logs and debriefs with their teacher. . . . more Running and Reading Logs (VIDEO) Clare Landrigan In this first video in a two-part series, Clare Landrigan meets with a group of 4th graders to talk about reading logs and goals. In this excerpt, Clare uses the analogy of how runners use logs to chart progress and set goals. . . . more Triangulating: The Importance of Multiple Data Points When Assessing Students Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We went to a professional development session a few years ago with Elizabeth City and she gave us a name for something we have always believed - the importance of "triangulating" our data. Triangulating data means you use multiple sources of data to illuminate, confirm, or dispute what you learned from an initial analysis of one piece of data. . . . more Sharing Data with Families at Parent/Teacher Conferences Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan For many of us who teach, the change of the seasons to spring or fall brings glimpses outdoors we love - of flowers newly in bloom, or leaves turning to vivid bright colors. Unfortunately, in many schools the coming of spring or fall also means administering assessments and preparing for 20-30 early morning and/or evening parent/teacher conferences. Work can become unmanageable, as teachers spend many hours interpreting assessment results and culling through piles of completed student work in order to prepare for conferences. . . . more Creating Data Teams Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan A concern that arises in thinking about the collection and use of data is the number of schools that are assigning the job of "data manager" to their reading coaches/specialists. A good portion of the "data manager" job includes sorting and distributing paper; data entry; photocopying; filling in paper work; and walking around gathering assessments from teachers. We need to ask ourselves, "Are these the right duties for the most knowledgeable teachers of reading in our buildings?" . . . more Tips for More Effective Debriefing Sessions Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan We do a lot of demonstration lessons in our coaching work. Lately we have been reflecting on how we structure these sessions. We find the debriefing of the lesson to be the most difficult aspect of the demonstration lesson. This type of professional development is not about us being good teachers, it is about a group of teachers sharing a common classroom experience and then reflecting on what happened. Yet the debrief session after the lesson is often awkward for the coach . . . more How Do We Talk with Parents About What It Means to Be Challenged in Reading? Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan When we meet with the parents of young advanced readers, we begin by using data to show just how much their student knows as a reader. We want the parents to know that we have spent time learning about their child and that we recognize their child's particular strengths . . . more Challenging Advanced Young Readers: Harder Texts Aren't Always the Answer Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan As we work with primary grade teachers during reader's workshop, many ask us how to challenge the advanced readers in their classrooms. These young students learn to read quickly and quite naturally -- in fact many were reading before they entered kindergarten. Teachers sometimes find themselves struggling to challenge these students in a developmentally appropriate manner. How do we facilitate these students' continued development as readers while concurrently allowing them to embrace the joys of being 5 and 6 year olds? . . . more Moving from Data to Practice Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Data is now being used by many different constituencies and for many different reasons in schools. Districts are reporting data to state or federal agencies to meet grant requirements; school committees who want to evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum, programs or interventions; principals who want to monitor the progress of their school; curriculum directors who want to determine areas for professional development; and teachers who want to inform their instruction. Too often districts are duplicating efforts, trying to provide slightly different versions of similar data to all of these sources. The paperwork seems endless and overwhelming. . . . more From "Data Drowning" to "Data Wise": Helping Teachers Make Sense of Assessments Part 1: What Are We Doing Now? Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Our work brings us into many districts and we see daily how overwhelmed many teachers and schools are by the amount of data collected. Far from "data wise," we seem to be "data drowning." Data can help improve instruction, but excessive time spent collecting data can impede a teacher's ability to teach effectively. . . . more Selecting Texts for Strategy Teaching with English Language Learners in Mind Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Over the past several months we have spent time thinking and teaching with a group of educators whose students are predominantly English language learners (ELLs). During our visits to their classrooms we see teachers working diligently to use the texts in their district-mandated curriculum to teach whole class and small group lessons. Many of the passages, however, are difficult for English language learners to understand even when the teachers spend significant amounts of time building background knowledge and reading the texts aloud. . . . more Why and Watch Me: Making the Abstract Concrete for Readers Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Researcher Robert Marzano in Making Standards Useful in the Classroom concluded that if teachers simply included why students were learning what they were learning and how it would help them as a learner in every lesson, then student understanding would increase by 80%. This is powerful research that can be applied to any curriculum, program, or set of standards. We find that when teachers explain the purpose of the lesson to their students and tell them how it will help them as a reader, students have a better understanding of how to use the skills being taught strategically to make meaning from text. . . . more The Bed and Breakfast Model: An Analogy for Schools Clare Ladrigan and Tammy Mulligan We often use the lodging industry to explain our thinking around the art and the science in the practice of teaching. When you are going away on a trip, be it business or pleasure, there are certain "essentials" you are looking for when you choose a place to stay. Most travelers would like to have a bed, a lamp, a desk, a bathroom, maybe even room service. When they check in at their destination, they are expecting to find these "essentials." Now if you choose to stay at a hotel chain, you will quickly notice as you walk down the hallway that every room is an exact replica of the next. The same color scheme, the same bed, the same lamp, the same desk, and the same bedspread. Unless you paid for the suite, your room looks exactly the same as the room next to you. . . . more Making Book Logs Purposeful for Students Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan Recently we have been hearing from teachers about their concerns over the effectiveness of book logs. Teachers are finding that they constantly have to remind students to record their reading. These conversations pushed us to think about the purpose of the book log and about how we use logs in our daily lives. Students need to understand why they are logging their reading and how it is going to help them as readers. If students do not understand the purpose of the log, they may view it as laborious or a waste of their time. In order to use the log well we need to adjust it to meet the needs and goals of the reader. Once we make this shift, we find students are not only recording, but also setting goals based on the data collected in their logs. . . . more What Reading is Like: Sports Analogies to Use with Parents Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Parent conferences are just around the corner in many schools, and families are eager to learn about their child's growth and needs as readers. We often use sports analogies to help explain our thinking around text choice in school with parents, especially those who expect their children to be reading difficult texts at all times. Here are some of our favorites. . . . more Talking with Parents about Text Difficulty Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan Parents want what is best for their children, but often lack understanding of the importance of matching texts to readers. Many teachers come to us seeking advice about how to help parents understand this concept. Many parents advocate for their children by trying to convince teachers that they are not giving their children text that is challenging enough. As teachers, we know that students need "enormous quantities of successful reading to become independent proficient readers. It is the high accuracy, fluent, and easily comprehended reading that provides the opportunities to integrate complex skills and strategies into an automatic, independent reading process" (Allingon, 2002). How do we help parents understand our decisions around text levels and give them an avenue to advocate for the reading lives of their children? . . . more Structuring Coaching Conferences Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan When we think about the structure of a coaching session for a teacher, it reminds us of the structure of a conference for a student. Lucy Calkins set a structure for student conferences in her book The Art of Teaching Reading: "Research, Decide, Teach: Conferring first involves research in order to learn where the child is as a reader/writer and understand the child's intention, then deciding what we should teach, and then teaching in a way that can influence what that child does on another day with another text" ( p.102). . . . more Opening Classroom Doors Clare Ladrigan and Tammy Mulligan When we begin working with literacy coaches, we often ask for a breakdown of how they are spending their time with the faculty. In many cases, more than 90% of their time is spent outside of the classroom-- at the photocopy machine, with a small group in the hallway, in the bookroom getting resources . . . "anywhere but in the actual classroom," as one individual told us. We are asked time and again, "How can I get into the classroom? No one seems to want me." It is not surprising that coaches are encountering this problem. The culture of our schools does not always support adult learning or open door policies. . . . more