In B&D
Chapter 7, developmentally appropriate practice was at the forefront as a
necessary component of emergent literacy. Being an early childhood advocate,
this is something I am very familiar with and was excited to see brought up in
conversation. Based on what is considered developmentally appropriate, it is
imperative to determine what the standards identify is most important skills
for comprehensive literacy program to focus on and include. Among those skills
are: alphabet knowledge, directionality and linearity, concepts of words in
texts, rhyming, segmenting, and blending words, knowing grade-level appropriate
phonics, and the ability to read grade-level appropriate texts with fluency.
The authors of the chapter go on to discuss the importance of
“moment-by-moment” interactions. There are many successfully implemented basal
programs have little to no impact on a students’ learning. The authors state,
“clearly it is not the use of materials or implementation of the script per se
that constitutes quality instruction; it is instead the moment-by-moment
interactions during which teachers respond to cues by children and adjust their
teaching accordingly” (p. 133). This particular quote stuck out to me in terms
of how we are adapting and implementing professional development. Many of
already have “scripted” curriculums that tell us what to say and how to say it.
What is more meaningful, however, is allowing our students to drive our
instruction, even when we are required to use the “script”. It discusses some
authentic ways to accomplish this, such as through interactive writing and read
alouds. These can provide our students with more meaningful and engaging
experiences than what our script provides us.
Question:
1. Looking at the case example, have
you faced any issues similar to Caroline’s, and how did you overcome them? If
you haven’t, how do you think Caroline may be able to overcome hers?
B&D
Chapter 8 provides an important quote that I felt encompassed a lot of what the
chapter had to offer. It states, “understanding that a solid literacy
curriculum must be comprehensive—including all the important components of
literacy—and balanced in nature is important for the kind of student
achievement gains that all literacy leaders would like to see” (p. 150).
Comprehensive and balanced, what a great way to describe what a literacy
curriculum should be! Among the components discussed in Chapter 7, there were
some additional ones mentioned in Chapter 8: concepts of print, phonemic
awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, critical thinking,
motivation, and writing. The standards set in place should aid teachers in find
ways to teach the literacy curriculum, and include these necessary components.
Literacy leaders can help teachers by developing curriculum maps, conducting
walkthroughs, and selecting a variety of texts and materials for students to
read. Literacy leaders must select a quality core reading program that spirals,
so that students are interacting with the same information multiple times, and
in more complex ways over time. The core reading program needs to be suitable
for all of the different populations represented at the school. In addition to
finding it, literacy leaders need to ensure that teachers are using the program
in the most effective and appropriate ways. Teachers may need assistance
matching texts with their students’ needs.
Question:
1. Based on reading this chapter and
your own experiences, what are some barriers likely to arise as literacy
leaders implement the standards described herein? How can these barriers be
overcome?
The ideas
presented in WSQ Chapter 4 were very similar to ideas presented in the B&D
readings. It discusses the idea of spiraling, as discussed in chapter 8, and provides
some suggestions for how to support literacy learning: foster a love of
reading, emphasize the use of vocabulary and help them make sense of print,
discuss the functions of print, aid them in acquiring print awareness, provide
opportunities to listen and respond to stories, provide an authentic experience
for learning the alphabet and the sounds letters make, provide phonics
instruction and opportunities for students to write independently. Chapter 4
provides a number of different strategies that can help teachers implement
these components into their classrooms. Assessment is an important component of
any literacy program. These assessments are used not only to determine the
growth of the students, but to also determine how successful the program itself
actually is.
In WSQ
Chapter 5, it discusses the implementation of an effective multi-year literacy
program based on the school’s infrastructure. It suggests, based on research,
using the Standards Based Change (SBC) Process. This process guides teachers to
creating their own curriculum, assessment, and instruction. It begins by
establishing three “pillars” that create the foundation of the infrastructure:
the principal, the curriculum leader, and a vertical leadership team. Each of
these “pillars” plays an integral, but different, part in assisting in creating
the change process. They follow what they call the “To Do Cycle”. This cycle
includes four stages: vision statements (identifying what you want your
students to accomplish), end-of-year learning goals, or the staircase
curriculum, evidence systems, and evidence-based teaching. These evidence
systems create different rubrics and scoring tools in order to determine what
the students learned. Once they collect evidence, they determine how to use the
information to foster improvement. Once they have collected all of their
evidence, the school shares what they have learned from their data, in order to
determine how well the entire school is doing. It also serves as a way for each
grade level to determine what they can do to improve their instruction
specifically.
Based on what we’ve read in Chapter
5, and looking at the results of the needs survey as it pertains to your own
school, think about and answer these questions:
1. How does infrastructure in your
school support literacy improvement efforts? What changes might be necessary to
ensure sustained change?
2. What steps has your school taken
to ensure teacher ownership over the curriculum? How well aligned are
expectations across classrooms and grade levels?
B&D Chapter 7
ReplyDeleteLooking at the case example, have you faced any issues similar to Caroline's, and how did you overcome them? If you haven't, how do you think Caroline may be able to overcome hers?
In reading Chapter 7, Caroline's predicament seems all too familiar. I think many beginning teachers have a similar experience in that they are ready to shoot for the stars; teach their students that they are amazing little learnings and can reach to the highest heights in their path through education. Honestly, I have seen more often than not, children (especially little ones) are excited and completely capable of taking on more advanced concepts and applying them with an excited teacher's support well beyond their grade level standards. I like when it states on pg. 133 "…it is not the use of materials or implementation of a script per se that constitutes quality instruction; it is instead the moment-by-moment interactions during which teachers respond to cues by children and adjust their teaching accordingly." Caroline must teach to her student's potential. In the end, she knows her kiddos-their background, socioeconomic situation, language barriers, and the millions of other reasons more experienced teachers have shied away from deviating from the same way they have taught for years and years. I always strive for more in my classroom even when the other teachers do not follow. At the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding. The children who are exposed to more advanced curriculum will know more going into the next year. It won't be long before teachers and administration will take notice. Also, this…I say as long as she is covering all of her standards, there should be no concern about going above and beyond.
B&D Chapter 8
Based on reading this chapter and your own experiences, what are some barriers likely to arise as literacy leaders implement the standards described herein? How can these barriers be overcome?
The greatest barrier I think literacy leaders need to overcome is getting all teachers in a school to subscribe to one common goal. In many cases, the standards have been set out for us to follow, but the way in which standards are addressed in the classroom must still fit the teacher's style of teaching. Still, each classroom dynamic is different and thus the way curriculum is presented to the students must suit their particular needs. I think the best way to keep all of the teachers on the same path is to bring each grade together for collaboration and creating of a Curriculum Map by which each should hold true to. This can be monitored via walk throughs and weekly meetings. I believe that teacher support is absolutely a non-negotiable, so being present and available for questions and support is imperative. I believe at their core, teachers want what is best for their students and to feel successful in whatever is being asked of them in their classroom instruction. I love the idea of creating an instructional strategies rubric as a team so that we all know what our goals are and what the expectation is within all classrooms.
I love how you said "the way in which standards are addressed in the classroom must still fit the teacher's style of teaching"! That is exactly true! Just because the standards tell us one thing, does not mean that we should just change who we are and how we teach to fulfill that. We need to stay true to ourselves and our students, while still accomplishing what we need to in order to meet the standards. The idea of collaborating and creating a Curriculum Map is something my team and I have done, and it makes our lives so much easier. We can use it to refer back to, and it allows all of us to be on the same page. It gives us the freedom to accomplish what is on the curriculum map in whatever way we want, but also keeps us accountable for what we need to accomplish.
DeleteCurriculum maps are everything! I agree with you Paige :) we do this in my school & it's so beneficial. You make sure you cover all the right things at the right time. The students do so much better when the teachers have a curriculum map! Do any schools y'all know of not let teachers do this and just give teachers one to follow?
DeleteI also agree with you Paige on how Caroline knows her students best! She has been with them the longest and knows them inside and out.
Our new vice principal is from a small town called Butner. There, they give their teachers a curriculum map to follow--which Im pretty sure, I'll have to ask again, they took from the school website of another very small district in Oklahoma...Maybe Lindsay? At the beginning of the year, she was sharing all of the maps she was ready to give our teachers to be sure we were doing the right thing (apparently this was a struggle at her last school). This went over like a lead balloon. It didn't take long for her to see that we have a really effective system in place and really didn't have a need for someone to "reinvent" what we'd already established as effective.
DeleteAlso, I have friends in Texas who have no control over decisions made for their classroom and students. Curriculum mapping is just one piece of planning that is done for them, and expected to be followed really wide. I have heard that although it is very nice to have this ready to rock and roll, it leaves little room to improvisation :)
Paige,
DeleteCurriculum mapping is given to teachers developed already from the district level. It would be helpful to unpack it at my school site. It would definitely be a collaborative effort with all grade levels. But the benefits would be teachers working together to see how each grade level builds on each other. Also to see what the specifics are that each grade level would need to focus on within each standard. Collaboratively grade levels could discuss and plan lessons, activities and assessments ahead of time. This would be helpful if I could get teachers to meet during the summer to plan for the upcoming year. You are lucky to have co-workers willing to spend some summer vacation getting a head start for the next year.
SWQ Chapter 5,
ReplyDeleteHow does infrastructure in your school support literacy improvement efforts? What changes might be necessary to ensure sustained change? What steps has your school taken to ensure teacher ownership over the curriculum? How well aligned are expectations across classrooms and grade levels? How does your school balance institutionalize new curriculum efforts with a continuous cycle of reflection and improvement?
Our school is so little, and really is very different from the bigger districts that I may not be able to answer this one correctly. Our teachers ALL communicate during the summer (many, many times) and before the year begins to create curriculum maps together which "staircase" each year. We do not have a literacy program that we subscribe to, so the revolving door struggle has never been one of ours, nor do we have a literacy coach or certified reading specialist. We create a plan together using the state standards, we insure that we are using the same "verbage" each year so that the children can connect concepts from one year to the next without struggle. I feel part of the success of our little school is that our curriculum is not only transparent, but discussed between colleagues and administration over dinners, and are posted for students in the classroom, and are sent home quarterly for parents…just to refresh them on what our goals are :
I think that's what makes you able to answer this question even better than we may be able to Paige! Your situation seems to be aligned closely with what the book describes. By allowing for you and your colleagues to have the discussions surrounding the standards and how they should be vertically aligned, it strengthens your ability to teach your students. You are all aware of what each grade level needs to accomplish and can make sure that translates into what you teach in each grade. By keeping the same verbiage, posting them in the classroom, and sending them home with parents, you are building the background knowledge for them to carry from grade to grade.
DeleteWe also vertically align in my school! :) we find it helps students transition from one grade to the next. Do you do that in your school Kaitlyn?
DeleteWe're somewhat vertically aligned, but I think that it needs to be more clearly defined for us as teachers. I find myself having conversations with other teachers about what we expect in second grade, or what the students from last year are lacking in third grade. I think that as it suggests, we need to meet and have a dialogue about what is expected in each grade level so that we're all clear and have similar expectations.
DeleteKaitlyn,
DeleteWe don't plan vertically also. I too had teachers in the past come to me and ask what do they need to be working on for next year when they come to 3rd grade. (when I taught 3rd). If we implemented vertical planning teachers would know what to expect at every grade level, not just their own. I like when Paige said the verbiage is aligned so students can make connections year after year. That would make sense if teachers were able to see students' progression of learning year after year.
If y'all can get the time to vertically align, DO IT! Ask your admin! It helps everyone :)
DeleteAs I was reading the case example about Caroline I really connected with it. I am a newer kindergarten teacher who is taking graduate literacy courses so I really enjoyed this case study because it was so relatable for me. I have had the same problem Caroline did but with centers. Most of my co workers are very worksheet heavy (even in kinder) and I am more play based experience teaching style. I wasn't sure who to reach out to but luckily unlike Caroline I knew I could go to my admin. They helped me work out how to approach my co workers because they have known them longer and what to say. I overcame that obstacle by talking it out with my admin first and then my co workers. Now they incorporate more hands on play experiences in their classroom and their students definitely benefit! You need to do what is right for you students. What is right isn't always easy and what is easy isn't always right. I think of that quote when my co workers give spelling tests and multiple worksheets to 5 year olds.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest barrier literacy leaders with face is getting everyone on board for change and improvement. It's easier for younger teachers to subscribe to new ideas and such because they are fresh out of college and they don't know much else. They are more game to try something new and different if it will benefit their students. It's the teachers who have been teaching for a long time and stuck in their own ways. The teachers who are the ones to just shut their door and do it their own way are the ones who will resist. Not to say that what they are doing is wrong but sometimes change needs to happen! To overcome the challenge of teachers not wanting to improve I would first pair them with a teacher who is more game and ready to implement. I would have them implement things slowly so they can get used to it as well as the students. I would give them a chance to ask questions or ask for help if they need it. I would do instructional walk throughs to make sure myself if they are implementing things right or if they have thought of something that will help other teachers! All in all it just takes time, positivity, and understanding to overcome barriers. You need to meet the teachers at their level and reason with them.
Yes Bre!
DeleteIt takes time, positivity, and understanding. I love that. Honestly, I think the teachers who are stuck in their ways often find it difficult to be positive. I know I've said it before, but change really is hard and it isn't always easy to try to hold a candle to new, youthful, idea ridden teachers who somehow have all the energy. Teachers who have been in the business a long time just want to be valued for what they bring to the world of education and their students. I try to remember, even if they print worksheet after worksheet, they feel like they are doing the right thing. I think the best thing is to wait and let the new ideas show themselves for what they are. The children love centers and can learn tons about organization, team work, and self control in addition to all the education they gain! The students will soar! The parents will be so thrilled their children are learning and loving their time at school. Future teachers will be singing your praises for the amazing strategies you've implemented in your classroom that have now benefited them because their new students are so much more prepared for the next grade. Principals and school leaders will notice your successes and before long, those senior teachers will be knocking on your door for support in their own transition to literacy centers (or whatever else is new, fun, and effective). I always found it really uncomfortable to go to administration and ask if doing something more in my classroom was appropriate. I almost felt like I was setting myself up for gossip and animosity among these coworkers I was trying to work along side-not against. We need all the support we can get :)
I completely agree Bre and Paige! It's about patience and understanding. Bre, I love your idea of pairing them with someone who is more on board with the idea. As you said Paige, change is hard, and sometimes it's easier for younger teachers to get behind. I think it's most important to give them the time to adapt and the support they need to implement those new strategies. As you said, Bre, it takes time for change to happen, and we need to allow them the time while being as supportive as possible.
DeleteBre,
DeleteIt feels good when you can be open with administration. My principal is very helpful and hands-on. She is willing to listen and open to new ideas even though she began teaching in the last 70s! I agree with all of you. Teachers have to do what's best for the students. Our readings suggest students should be collaborating and being interactive in their learning. When teachers model how fun and engaging reading can be it can be better than trying to convey that message through a worksheet. It is definitely hard to encourage seasoned teachers to try new ideas. I agree with everyone, the proof is in the pudding. Go forward with trying new ideas within your class and the results will speak for itself.
The infrastructure at my school supports improvement by having multiple people to help like our admin, resource teacher, outside help, etc. My school is huge so it takes a village to make improvements. We all use each other as resources to make sure that everyone is getting what to do, how to do it, etc. My schools helpful environment makes it so everyone feels comfortable and can ask for help without being called out for it, if that makes sense. This helps a ton with those who are more reluctant to improvements because they are surrounded by help and they see the benefits of improvements so they are more likely to subscribe to it. They over a lot of help in the beginning of change.
ReplyDeleteMy school takes just a few steps to make sure we have ownership. They make sure to have us implement the curriculum in a way that it fits with our classroom and students. They understand that every classroom is different and encourage us to find how it fits within our classroom ourselves and make it work. It's not an one size fits all situation and I appreciate how they understand that! They don't give us strict rules and guidelines. They want us to work it in, in a way that makes sense for our students because they come first. We all collaboratively make our own curriculum maps to make sure we are hitting all of our standards at the right developmentally appropriate time. For example we all decide we won't start blending CVC words until we introduce all of the alphabet.
My school doesn't really do a good job of following through with balance institutionalizing new curriculum efforts with a continuous cycle of reflection and improvement. They give us lots of support in the beginning and then it slowly tapers off. For example when we adopted Wonders they had a specialist come in and talk about it and show us how it works. After that they told us we can incorporate it how we see fit in our classroom and we can ask them for help if need be. After that we didn't get any help. They made sure we all had our new materials and let us lose. There wasn't much support for continuing the improvement. Since our school is so large we have to rely on our coworkers and their helpful support rather than our admin most of the time.
We adopted Wonders a few years ago as well. I must say, it is still a work in progress. Whew! Little known fact we discovered out of a few desperate moments, there are a ton of videos and supplemental resources on teachers pay teachers and various other websites. We got together and googled all the things on the web teachers have created to support the existing curriculum. It's been very helpful!
DeleteI completely agree with you Bre about balancing new curriculum efforts. We have implemented Wonders, but me and my colleagues all struggle with using it. Granted, I wasn't around for the implementation process, but even still I feel like I don't have ample resources, or a person I can go to, to talk through the issues I am facing with it, or the ask the questions I need to ask. I have tried to do some research offsite, and I attended a PD about it, but I still don't feel super great about my ability to use it. I feel like that's something I would like to change through my PD is making sure that no one feels like they were left out in the cold, and has no idea what they need to do.
DeleteLit Ladies,
DeleteThis is our first year for implementation for Benchmark Literacy. I was getting use to it in 3rd grade then was moved to 5th!! I attended workshops during our Fall Break but I am still struggling. It is overwhelming. Being a grade level of one is also not helping. Chapter 5 of WSQ stated, "teachers have come to rely on packaged programs to teach reading, regarding the program and school literacy curriculum as one and the same." (p75) Since we all have packaged programs, how do you feel about this statement?
I agree with that statement!! When we have the option to pick a new curriculum they all seem about the same. Just different pictures and different names. Personally I supplement the heck out of my program because my kinders need a variety of different things and I believe most of these programs are too workbook heavy!
DeleteI completely agree Bree. I do think some teachers rely on package programs to teach reading. In fact, it might be what I do the first year a program is implemented, but through out the year our teachers discuss what we love and what we need to better reach our children. From the first year moving forward, we are better able to implement an effective literacy strategy which still utilizes what the district has paid for, but with a twist so that students are learning and developing literacy skills-not just reading a story from a textbook.
Delete
ReplyDeleteI have been in situations similar to Caroline’s. Fortunately, I have a principal who supports teachers bringing new ideas to the classroom. When my co-workers were not willing to try new ideas I brought back from workshops, I tried the ideas in my classroom anyway. Some worked, some didn’t. Sometimes my co-workers became interested in my new ideas and wanted to know more after they saw results with my class. Sometimes, I had seasoned teachers who listened to my ideas but then continued to teach their same routine. Whether or not I was supported by my co-workers, my principal has always been supportive. I would encourage Caroline to talk with her principal about her view of bringing in new ideas she is learning from her graduate classes to understand how her principal feels. If a teacher is supported by administration, she would be willing to try her new ideas despite support from her co-workers.
1. Based on reading this chapter and your own experiences, what are some barriers likely to arise as literacy leaders implement the standards described herein? How can these barriers be overcome? The biggest barrier will be to get everyone to collaborate. Our school is small with one teacher per grade level for 1st through 6th grades, one 1st/2nd grade split and two teachers for pre-k and kindergarten. We are also part of a large district in which ready-made standards and curriculum is passed down. Many teachers feel we just have to follow what has been handed to us and work on it with our own students. There is not much collaboration as to discussing what individual students need. We discuss data, but because we are on different grade levels, it is more of listening to a teacher talk about their data and that is it. I feel suggesting weekly planning meetings to discuss learning goals, looking at the standards and planning activities, lessons and assessments and then looking at data would be helpful.
You and Bre both talked about how supportive your principals are, and mine luckily is too. It broke my heart reading about Caroline and how she didn't feel supported by anyone. I think I would almost feel better being supported by my administration, than being supported by my colleagues, but luckily my colleagues are also so supportive even when we don't do the same things.
DeleteCollaboration is such an important part of the implementation of anything and it's a theme we've seen throughout all of our readings. As you said, getting everyone to be on the same page, and work together, is a challenge. As you suggested, the idea of meeting for weekly planning meetings to set goals together may be beneficial. Giving teachers a time to talk each week where they have something specific to talk about, and the time to talk about it, will allow them time to collaborate and have a discourse about whatever needs to be addressed. I think that weekly meetings can be beneficial for all schools of all sizes.
1. How does infrastructure in your school support literacy improvement efforts? What changes might be necessary to ensure sustained change?
ReplyDeleteIn my school, the principal is an active participant in professional development and is supportive in collaborating with teachers in which all can share their expertise and ideas. At our school, we have an instructional coach who works strictly with teachers in helping them improve in their profession. We do not have a curriculum leader or reading coach nor a reading specialist at our school. Our district has an elementary literacy development coordinator. With one district curriculum leader, I feel like information is passed on top-down. It would be helpful to have a literacy leader or curriculum leader present in our school every day who would guide our teachers and principal with focus strictly on literacy improvement for our school, not district-wide. We have a leadership team at our school comprised of teachers from various grade levels and is led by our principal. Our principal is very hands-on and does a bulk of the work. The leadership members focus mostly on what teachers have told them what their needs are and how funds are distributed to meet those needs.
2. What steps has your school taken to ensure teacher ownership over the curriculum? How well aligned are expectations across classrooms and grade levels?
I feel these statements fit the climate of my school WSQ Chapter 5: “They demonstrated that curriculum coherence does not result automatically from adopting a packaged program but must be built through teacher discussion and collaboration.” And “Teachers make sure that their end-of-year goals address necessary content, skill, and strategies and are at least as rigorous as any external ones.”(p79). We follow the curriculum guide provided to us by the district. We follow the packaged reading program. We develop school wide, not grade level goals of where we would like the students to be at the end of the year. Focused discussion and collaboration on grade level learning goals, along with the creation of a formative assessment system would be a goal for our school to ensure teacher ownership over the curriculum. Creating the performance tasks may take time to do and may need professional development to ensure all understand what it is what it is used for and how to create them.
3. How does your school balance institutionalizing new curriculum efforts with a continuous cycle of reflection and improvement?
I feel my school receives the reading curriculum created by the district and the packaged program along with professional development at the beginning and middle of the year and then we are to do the rest ourselves. This year has been hard with one teacher per grade level.
Your situation is very unique being that you guys only have one teacher per grade level. Do you think this makes it easier to vertically align each grade, or is it more difficult because teachers feel that they have so much on their plate being the only teacher in their grade? I feel like it could go either way. In some aspects, it would be easier because it's less people and less ideas flying around, but it also doesn't allow you to bounce ideas off each other.
DeleteKaitlyn,
DeleteI feel it makes the situation more difficult because yes, teachers have alot on their plate. New reading textbook, still no Math textbook until possibly next year, 30 kids in a small classroom...I could go on. No, I've tried this year to talk with other teachers about some new ideas but it's hard. Vertical planning would probably be easier with one per grade level but it is not happening. Maybe planning time to sit and vertically plan would benefit the teachers.