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4 MAJOR Collaboration Killers and 3 Mindsets to Combat Them!

2/12/2022

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Hey Fellow Educators!!  You don't want to miss this episode all about four major collaboration killers and three mindsets you can take on to combat them!  In this episode, I talk with Aimee Gilbert and Valerie Ayers, two instructional coaches from across the nation about what kills collaboration.  They share their experiences with collaboration and we dive deep into the work of what makes the most impact when trying to build a culture of collaboration! 

Catch the episode HERE!

You can read Valerie's blogpost about these on her website, On Deck Teaching.  ​

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The One thing I regret Most This year as an Instructional Leader

5/1/2021

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I don't often dwell in regret.  It's not a great feeling to hold onto and can easily transform and grow into something else entirely.  This is not to say I don't make mistakes every single day- things that I would have done differently in hindsight.  And these mistakes are usually easily addressed and simply make for a better future ahead.  In those instances, the regret is short lived.  I leave the situation feeling grateful to have learned from it.  But there is one thing this year that has stayed with me... something that I think about often... something I wish I could go back and have a "do-over".  Let me paint a picture for you.

It is imperative to note that the teacher in this scenario is of the utmost quality.  This is a teacher that you hear students share about years down the road as one who cared about them and made an impact on them as a learner. 
Begin scene:
It's the end of the third nine weeks.  Students have recently finished their nine-week benchmarks.  As an instructional leader, I have decided to meet with teachers to take a brief look at the data and see what their thoughts are instructionally for the nine weeks ahead as I work to support them.  I walk into the classroom to visit with the next teacher on my schedule and notice there are a few students in the classroom.  These students are working to finish some assignments before heading off to the next part of their schedule.  I offer to come back another time, but the teacher (that I adore), so graciously invites me to stay and visit with her at the back of the room while the students work.
Small Regret #1:  Instead of insisting on coming back another time, I accept her invitation to stay.  Not a big deal, easily fixable in the future.
We move to the back of the room to a table in the corner.  As per usual, I ask, "So what's on your mind in regard to the nine-weeks assessment?"  We visit about what went well for students, what skills may need to be retaught, and what commonalities we notice in the data based on standards.  (Seems harmless, right?  No foreseeable regrets, right?)  Looking at the data is not a problem.  But we all know that behind each set of data is the face of a child- a child that the teacher so adamantly wants to support as a learner.  And so naturally, the teacher begins sharing about specific individuals.
Not So Small Regret #2:  Instead of pausing the conversation until there were no students in the room, I allow the conversation to continue.  
The teacher shares about some students that surprised her, both positively and negatively.  The few students completing assignments in the classroom continue on, seemingly uninterrupted by us... seemingly unaware of our conversation that's becoming more personal... seemingly uncaring of the data we're discussing.  And then one of those students and his data, specifically, becomes the topic of conversation.  
Bigger Regret #3:  Yet again, instead of pausing the conversation, I let it go on.
The student seems oblivious to our talk of him.  The teacher continues, we wrap up our conversation and consider next steps for her instruction in the weeks to come.  I move on to another classroom.  
[Fast forward one week...]
I'm heading to the cafeteria to visit with a colleague on lunch duty.  Students from this teacher's class are lining up as they have finished lunch.  The aforementioned student, the one whose data became part of the conversation while he was in the classroom working, is at the front of the line.  I nonchalantly ask him how things are going and we engage in easy small talk.  I ask if he was able to finish the assignments he was working on in said teacher's classroom a few days back.  He simply says "Yes", and then he pauses for a moment, clearly contemplating what he wants to say next... and this is the replay of that conversation that has stuck with me so closely that I couldn't even begin to pry it off with the jaws of life:
Student:  I heard what (teacher) said about me the other day.  
Me:  What do you mean?
Student:  I heard what they said about me having potential to pass this year, but not potential for middle school....  I don't know how to feel about that? (concerned look on face)
Me:  Tell me more...
Student:  Yeah, I don't know how to feel about what they said.
Me:  Well, tell me about what you're thinking.  How do you think you feel?
(Student notices teacher walking down the hall to get the class from lunch.)
Student:  ​Uhmm, ya know...  uhmm, nevermind.  Nevermind...
End scene.
The biggest regret of all... The one thing I regret most:  I didn't address it with the teacher.  I didn't go back to further visit with the student.  And time went on as though the moment had never existed...  But it did, and it still does.  It exists in my mind and in my heart.  And what's worse, what I regret most, is that this moment exists for that student.
 I share this story and paint this scene not to simply confess my regrets to the world.  Rather, I hope that my attempt at being so completely vulnerable leads to better practices ahead for myself and for anyone that has happened upon this post. 

It's a moment that should not be forgotten and dismissed.  This moment tells us as instructional leaders that students are always listening.  And yet somehow, we believe that they are incognizant of our conversations, or that they are unable to discern meaning from our coded teacher language, or that they even care about what we are saying.  Perhaps the opposite of that is also true.  Perhaps some educators believe that our students should be hearing what we are saying, even those negative comments, in an attempt to spur motivation in them to work toward "success" (which we know is not an effective approach).  

Regardless, it is our duty as instructional leaders to provide adequate professional learning that addresses these kinds of situations- professional learning that not only focuses on instructional practices, but that which focuses on supporting the whole child.  Because the pure fact is the teacher in this situation is completely unaware of the effect she had in that moment on this child.  This teacher didn't know any better...  and that's completely my fault.  What could have been a learning moment for the both of us simply turned into regret and an unchanged situation.  I end by saying this:  don't let this regret become your reality!!  Support teacher understanding of how our nonchalant and perhaps unconscious habits and behaviors must be monitored so that we are instead creatures of intentional and positive habits that support ultimate student growth.
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Learn more about how our language affects children's learning with this fantastic book by Peter Johnston (linked in the picture).

 The winner of this free book will be announced on May 10th, 2021!

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Collaborative Studies:  The One With a List of Topics

3/28/2021

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And so you've made it to the end- that's all there is to it!  If you've gone through the first three parts of this blog series, you know all there is to know about implementing collaborative studies!  

This last post on the blog series is SUPER fun!  This is where we get to think about all of the possibilities of topics and modes of delivery.  The only problem is that the possibilities are actually ENDLESS!!

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Have more ideas?!  Share away and let us know how it goes!  ​Together, our ideas are limitless.  Any of the possibilities listed above can be combined, tweaked, stretched, and arranged in a way that makes the collaborative learning experience one that attendees LOVE and remember!  

    Grab the Interest Survey Template!

Yes, I want the form!
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Intentionality in the Classroom:  Part 2

2/7/2019

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I will be the first to say that changing one's mindset can be a daunting task!  It is much easier said than done.  Unfortunately, and fortunately, many teachers have a way of holding themselves to very high standards- sometimes so high that they often feel as though they've failed more times than not.  This shouldn't be the case.  And if we can train our brains to think intentionally, we can better accept when things don't work out as planned or when we do actually fail.

​The first small step: Determining Purpose

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All it takes is one small step at a time.  This week, that first step we'll discuss is "Determining Purpose".  This sounds like an obvious thing to do when you're practicing the art of intentionality.  But how often do we find ourselves thinking about the PURPOSE of each thing we do in the classroom- each activity, each conversation, each line up time, and the list goes on and on and on?  If educators can take this first small step in changing our mindset and transform into intentional THINKERS, the other steps will easily fall into place.

Here is what I propose to begin:
  • Take just one simple part of your day- maybe even the easiest part (for me, this would most likely be lining up to walk in the hallway, or recess, or perhaps read aloud)
  • Each and every day, for at least one week (two, if you're ambitious), before this piece of the day begins, think about these questions: 
    • What is my purpose behind this?  
    • What do I want the students to be able to do?
    • How do I want the students to feel?​

... and that's it!  You don't even have to take steps to ensure follow through!  (Say whaaaaaatttt???)  Remember, the whole purpose is to BEGIN adjusting your mindset to THINK intentionally.  Building this habit with small pieces of your day will inevitably filter into other, more meaningful, parts of your day.  

Here is an example of what my thoughts might go when determining purpose as students line up:
  • What is my purpose behind this?  "My purpose for students lining up is to get them safely, calmly, and quickly to the next place/ activity."
  • What do I want the students to be able to do?  "I want students to be able to line up efficiently and successfully so that we can get to ___ in a timely manner."
  • How do I want the students to feel?​  "I want students to feel proud of themselves and confident that they can move from one place to another in a mature, calm way."
All of those thoughts came to mind in less than one minute, most likely because it's a very simple, seemingly meaningless part of the day (although we know that every moment counts!).

So, what say you?!

Will you accept the challenge and train your brain to begin thinking intentionally?  No, it won't be easy to be a full-fledged intentional educator from the start.  But the smallest steps, like determining purpose, can lead you there!
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Grab A Quote!  Inspiration for writers

2/6/2018

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If your students are anything like mine, they often get in a habit of writing in a certain style, where their writing almost becomes formulaic.  Or perhaps you have students that may have some great ideas for the body of their essay, but the introduction or conclusion are lacking a certain "je ne sais quoi".  Enter stage left:  'Grab a quote' lesson!

This lesson stemmed from a few different resources and clashing of ideas that constantly pop around in my brain.  We are always looking for ways to help our students write engaging, interesting essays that readers simply don't want to put down.  We also want to give our students a plethora of strategies and crafts to use so that they can put into place what works for their topic, their essay, and their style as an author.  As is often said, "to each his own". (Get what I did there?? Hehe.)

So, as can be seen in this super quick and easy flow chart I created via lucidchart, there were multiple factors involved in my brainstorming session.  I'll give the detailed version of the steps taken that I believe made this lesson successful, as well as ways that I will adjust in the future.
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Because I'm a "boxes and bullets" kind of gal, that's how I'll take you through the steps of this lesson.

PictureQuote of the week posted in our daily morning message...
Set Students Up for Success
  • Begin implementing "quote of the week" with your students.  ​
  • I usually think about what my students and I have been studying or what we will be studying in the future to help determine the quotes I choose.  I also might think about quotes that support social and emotional development.  OR you can snatch quotes from Comprehension Connections (McGregor, 2007).
  • I often give a brief background history of the person from which the quote is derived, but sometimes I find that the best quotes are written by an "anonymous" source.  We will ALWAYS discuss the meaning behind the quote.
  • Hearing the quote often allows students to ponder the quote, commit it to memory, and apply it in the future.  Therefore, I may use our quote as a transition between activities.  For example, I might say, "When you hear the quote of the week, leave the rug to gather your materials."  Or, "When you hear the quote of the week, safely line up at the door."  
  • Every week when we get a new quote, we post the previous week's quote on a designated door or wall space in the classroom and refer back to them continuously.  A few students have added quotes on sticky notes that they have found in the books they've read!  How cool is it that they are watching out for powerful quotes from authors!

Mini Lesson(s) Time!
  1. Crunchtime (Bernabei, Candler, and Hover, 2009) is a great resource for planning writing workshop lessons!   Within this book, a fantastic lesson on truisms is introduced.  I used truisms as a segue into the "Grab a Quote" lesson. 
  2. Once they were familiar with truisms and could generate truisms for many different pictures, scenarios, and prompts, we thought about how quotes might be similar to or different than truisms. 
  3. The students generated definitions for 'quotes' and 'truisms'.  THEY came to the conclusion that, while most quotes could be considered truisms, not all truisms are quotes.  THEY decided that quotes are well-known sayings from (generally famous) specific individuals and truisms could be written by anyone, at anytime, and by no known author.  
  4. After generating these definitions, I introduced the use of quotes in writing by simply stating, "You have stated that truisms and quotes are very similar.  Therefore, if truisms can hold such powerful meaning in our writing, could quotes do the same?"  Students obviously decided that, yes, quotes could engage readers and maintain their attention throughout our pieces.  
  5. At this time, we went out to search the classroom and the biographies we'd been reading to see where we noticed quotes.  This idea came directly from Jeff Anderson in his book 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know. (BTW, if you don't have it already, GET IT!!  So worth the purchase!)  Students immediately shared that we could use the quotes we've been collecting over the weeks (duh!).  
  6. Finally, I shared pictures and examples of flyers with perforated or stripped edges designated for valuable information.  We each created a "Grab a Quote" flyer and added quotes to each strip.  The requirements were: neat handwriting, correct spelling, quotation marks, and credit to the quotation-er.
  7. Students posted their flyer in any appropriately accessible location along the classroom walls.  During our writing workshop time, students were encouraged to try using a quote within their writing.  If they were having a hard time determining just the right quote, they had the option of perusing our flyers to grab the perfect one!
This has been, by far, one of the most successful lessons I have implemented!  It was relevant, exciting, active, and inspiring all at once.  Students are continuously approaching me with new quotes they have noticed both in and outside the classroom.  ​
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