GET PREPPED FOR THE YEAR AHEAD ARTICLES AND TIPS TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR BE A LEADER Become a school leader—without leaving the classroom STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL CO-TEACHING Fail-safe strategies to set up a successful co-teaching relationship FOUR TIPS FOR GUIDED READING SUCCESS Power strategies to launch your guided reading groups PARENT-TEACHER PARTNERSHIPS Start the year by building great relationships with families TAKING THE LEAD Eleven ways to become a leader in your school—without leaving the classroom. by calvin hennick when valda valbrun had success as a teacher, it didn’t take long before she was tapped to move up the ladder into admin- istration. But the bigger job wasn’t necessarily better, she says, because it meant she had to leave her students. “I was encouraged to leave the classroom,” says Valbrun, now a director of professional development at the education nonprofit ASCD. “In hindsight, I’m thinking, Wow, I’m really missing the classroom.” But do you have to leave teaching to demonstrate leadership? More and more, the answer is no. Teachers are stepping into a variety of roles that help to shape how their schools are run. Read on to see how you can take the lead in your school while continuing to do what you love most. Your Goals SCHOLASTIC INSTRUCTOR SPRING 2013 47 1. Start a Student Incentive Program Craig Martin and his colleagues at a Boston elementary school created a sticker incentive program to promote good citizenship. A teacher-led initia- tive has the advantage of coming with instant buy-in from the staff, he says. Daina Lieberman, a Fairfax County, Virginia, high school teacher who sits on a committee that runs a program rewarding positive student behavior, agrees. And her program gets results. “The feel here is very welcoming,” she says. “Kids will offer to carry things and hold doors open for you.” 34 SCHOLASTIC INSTRUCTOR BACK TO SCHOOL 2015 Power tips to launch your guided reading groups this school year. by kim greene strategies needed to advance to the next level. Children at the initial stage may need instruction about left-to-right progression, while those at a higher level can learn to use picture cues to decode new words. Small-group work with guided reading is critical to meet the needs of all learners.” According to Hepfer and other experts, the beginning of the year is a crucial time to set the tone for guided reading groups. From rules and routines to activities and assess- ments, we’ve compiled a guide to guided reading to help you get your groups up and running. many teachers have guided reading intheir instructional toolbox, and they consider it a necessary strategy, espe- cially in classrooms where differentia- tion is key. For Allison Hepfer, who teaches kindergarten at Hamagrael Elementary in Delmar, New York, guided reading is a cornerstone of her literacy instruction. She meets with small groups of students on a daily basis, supporting them as they learn to use reading strategies. “Guiding reading is one of the best ways to differentiate,” Hepfer says. “By grouping children by reading levels, I can target specific skills and Ready Readers Use our fail-safe strategies to set up your co-teaching relationship for a successful year. by anne beninghof SCHOLASTIC INSTRUCTOR BACK TO SCHOOL 2014 49 FILL IN THE BLANK: The marriage between co-teachers is like ______. In my work- shops on co-teaching, I ask participants to complete that simile. The responses run the gamut from horror story to every teacher’s dream: The marriage between co-teachers is like an elderly couple—constantly bicker- ing about trivial details but dependent on each other. The marriage between co-teachers is like a fine wine—it gets better with age. For the past 20 years, I have worked with schools on their co-teaching initiatives. I have seen an explosion of interest—not just among special education and general education teach- ers but among ELL teachers, literacy specialists, and speech and language therapists, all of whom are recognizing the benefits of inclusion teaching. They know that students with a wide range of special needs can thrive when they’re taught in classes with their peers. No matter co-teachers’ respective expertise, some relationships work smoothly, while others are rocky. Why is that? In my own co-teaching and my work with educators, I’ve found suc- cessful relationships boil down to three essen- tial ingredients, which I will discuss in detail. It Takes TWO... Scan the illustration for a co-teaching task chart. (For scanning directions, see page 5.) Tips for helping your teacher–parent partnerships make the grade. by calvin hennick SCHOLASTIC INSTRUCTOR BACK TO SCHOOL 2014 45 Your Goals Parents are the most importantpartners teachers can have. They, like you, want what is best for their kids—and will work tirelessly to that end. Still, even if it’s not intentional, they will occasionally act in ways that make your job tougher. Here are some surefire ways to fix or prevent the most common parent problems so that you can be the best partners possible in your students’ education. ProblemNO ONE READS YOUR NEWSLETTERS You spend hours compiling class information, and yet parents still have no idea that today is the class field trip! SOLUTION: DIVERSIFY AND SIMPLIFY Pernille Ripp, a middle school teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, gives parents the option of receiving paper or e-mail news- PARENTS A +
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Transcript
GET PREPPEDFOR THE YEAR AHEAD
ARTICLES AND TIPS TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR
BE A LEADERBecome a school leader—without leaving the classroom
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL CO-TEACHINGFail-safe strategies to set up a successful co-teaching relationship
FOUR TIPS FOR GUIDED READING SUCCESSPower strategies to launch your guided reading groups
PARENT-TEACHER PARTNERSHIPSStart the year by building great relationships with families
Taking The Leadeleven ways to become a leader in your school—without leaving the classroom. by calvin hennick
when valda valbrun had success as a teacher, it didn’t take long before she was tapped to move up the ladder into admin-istration. But the bigger job wasn’t necessarily better, she says, because it meant she had to leave her students.
“i was encouraged to leave the classroom,” says Valbrun, now a director of professional development at the education nonprofit aSCd. “in hindsight, i’m thinking, Wow, I’m really missing the classroom.”
But do you have to leave teaching to demonstrate leadership? More and more, the answer is no. Teachers are stepping into a variety of roles that help to shape how their schools are run. Read on to see how you can take the lead in your school while continuing to do what you love most.
Your goals
scholastic instructor spring 2013 47
1. Start a Student Incentive Program Craig Martin and his colleagues at a Boston elementary school created a sticker incentive program to promote good citizenship. a teacher-led initia-tive has the advantage of coming with instant buy-in from the staff, he says.
daina Lieberman, a Fairfax County, Virginia, high school teacher who sits on a committee that runs a program rewarding positive student behavior, agrees. and her program gets results.
“The feel here is very welcoming,” she says. “kids will offer to carry things and hold doors open for you.” il
Use our fail-safe strategies to set up your co-teaching relationship for a successful year. by anne beninghof
scholastic instructor back to school 2014 49
Fill in the blank: The marriage between co-teachers is like ______. In my work-shops on co-teaching, I ask participants to complete
that simile. The responses run the gamut from horror
story to every teacher’s dream: The marriage between co-teachers
is like an elderly couple—constantly bicker-ing about trivial details but dependent on each other.
The marriage between co-teachers is like a fine wine—it gets better with age.
For the past 20 years, I have worked with schools on their co-teaching initiatives. I have seen an explosion of interest—not just among special education and general education teach-ers but among ELL teachers, literacy specialists, and speech and language therapists, all of whom are recognizing the benefits of inclusion teaching. They know that students with a wide range of special needs can thrive when they’re taught in classes with their peers.
No matter co-teachers’ respective expertise, some relationships work smoothly, while others are rocky. Why is that? In my own co-teaching and my work with educators, I’ve found suc-cessful relationships boil down to three essen-tial ingredients, which I will discuss in detail.
It Takes Two...
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tion
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scan the illustration for a co-teaching task chart. (For scanning directions, see page 5.)
Tips for helping your teacher–parent partnerships make the grade. by calvin hennick
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scholastic instructor BacK to school 2014 45
Your Goals
Parents are the most important partners teachers can have.
They, like you, want what is best for their kids—and will
work tirelessly to that end. Still, even if it’s not intentional,
they will occasionally act in ways that make your job
tougher. Here are some surefire ways to fix or prevent the
most common parent problems so that you can be the best
partners possible in your students’ education.
Problem No oNe Reads YouR NewsletteRs
You spend hours compiling class information, and yet
parents still have no idea that today is the class field trip!
solutioN: diveRsifY aNd simplifY
Pernille Ripp, a middle school teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin,
gives parents the option of receiving paper or e-mail news-
Parentsa+
INS1•Parents[45-47]v13tf.indd 45 7/9/14 5:28 PM
07092014163536
Taking The Leadeleven ways to become a leader in your school—without leaving the classroom. by calvin hennick
when valda valbrun had success as a teacher, it didn’t take long before she was tapped to move up the ladder into admin-istration. But the bigger job wasn’t necessarily better, she says, because it meant she had to leave her students.
“i was encouraged to leave the classroom,” says Valbrun, now a director of professional development at the education nonprofit aSCd. “in hindsight, i’m thinking, Wow, I’m really missing the classroom.”
But do you have to leave teaching to demonstrate leadership? More and more, the answer is no. Teachers are stepping into a variety of roles that help to shape how their schools are run. Read on to see how you can take the lead in your school while continuing to do what you love most.
Your goals
scholastic instructor spring 2013 47
1. Start a Student Incentive Program Craig Martin and his colleagues at a Boston elementary school created a sticker incentive program to promote good citizenship. a teacher-led initia-tive has the advantage of coming with instant buy-in from the staff, he says.
daina Lieberman, a Fairfax County, Virginia, high school teacher who sits on a committee that runs a program rewarding positive student behavior, agrees. and her program gets results.
“The feel here is very welcoming,” she says. “kids will offer to carry things and hold doors open for you.” il
lust
rati
ons:
ray
fen
wic
k
INS5•Lead[47-49]v8ds.indd 47 3/5/13 7:43 AM
2. Get Parents (Especially Dads) More Engaged If parents show up at your school only for open house night, conferences, and when their kids are in trouble, consider starting an initiative to get them more involved in the school and with their children’s education.
Martin has worked to bring fathers in for monthly breakfast meetings to discuss simple ways they can help their kids learn math, like talking about measurements and nutritional labels while cooking meals.
“The fathers really responded to that,” Martin says. “I believe that parents do want to know that they add value.”
6. Become a Policy Wonk If you want to make your voice heard beyond the walls of your school, apply for organized teacher leadership programs.
Lieberman says her participation in such programs has given her the chance to talk about education to policymakers in the federal government.
Or, says Tampa, Florida, fifth-grade teacher Megan Allen, teachers can try to influence policy in less formal ways, like attending school committee meetings. “It can be as small as crafting an e-mail, writing an op-ed, or looking for opportunities to get involved at the district level,” Allen says.
Allen argues that it’s vitally important for teachers to have a say in the policies that affect them and their schools. “In many situations, decisions are made by people who don’t teach. The huge missing piece is that teachers are the experts. They’re the ones who know how the policy and curriculum impact students.”
3. Develop Curriculum Some schools hire teachers to work on curriculum over the summer. If that’s not an option for you, consider approaching curriculum changes more informally, by pioneering creative units of study.
Charlotte Danielson, author of Teacher Leadership That Strengthens Professional Practice, tells the story of one teacher who designed a whole week of curriculum around bringing her students to the zoo every day.
“It was enormously more valuable for the kids than just going to the zoo one day and wandering around,” says Danielson. “The whole point is to figure out, What is it that I want kids to learn, and how can this help? It’s the teacher not just taking the teacher’s guide and doing a lesson, but taking initiative.”
5. Spearhead, and Share, ResearchLieberman took a course on how to be a teacher researcher and ran two studies in her classroom—one on remediation and another on using nonprint texts with at-risk students.
Once you’ve compiled research from your classroom observations, don’t keep it to yourself, says Lieberman, who shared her findings at a county-wide conference.
4. Chair a Team Christine Valenti, an elementary teacher in Boston, says leading grade-level team meetings has been an ideal way to take a step forward in her career. “I can work with teachers and lead them, but I’m still in the classroom.”
When suggesting potential improve-ments, team leaders can build trust by looking to their own practice first, rather than immediately calling out their colleagues. “If people don’t trust each other, they’re not going to put themselves out there,” Valenti says.
Jon Reid, a team leader at another Boston elementary school, says he keeps his colleagues involved by del-egating responsibilities and encourag-ing everyone to share ideas. “We’re all teachers here, and we can all benefit from one another,” he says.
taking the lead
7. Crunch the Numbers Most teachers know the value of using data to inform their instruction, but not all feel confident in their ability to comb through spreadsheets full of numbers. “I think a lot of teachers are like, ‘Ooh, data, I don’t do data,’ ” says Valenti.
She has spearheaded an effort to analyze test results, as well as “softer” data like student work, and use the findings to modify instruction. Teachers often think their teach-ing is “fine,” Valenti says, until they see the numbers. “Sometimes when you look at the data, you see it isn’t fine. So let’s take a look at this and figure out what we can do to improve it.”
INS5•Lead[47-49]v8ds.indd 48 3/5/13 7:43 AM
scholastic instructor spring 2013 49
Leadership do’s and don’tsDO
Work to develop a good relation-ship with your school’s admin-istrators. If they see you as an antagonist, they’ll be less likely to listen to your ideas.
DON’tDon’t be afraid to propose a new program. Most principals will be thrilled that you want to help solve a problem!
DORecruit other teachers to help. Being a leader means taking initiative, not going it alone. DON’t
Don’t be afraid to admit your own struggles. Leaders who acknowl-edge that they’re still learning build credibility with others.
DOJoin a network of area teacher leaders to share ideas and learn about new opportunities.
DON’tDon’t underestimate yourself. Remember that as a teacher, you know better than anyone what kids need. Your ideas matter.
DOCreate your own opportunities. Ask what programs or systems are missing in your school, and decide whether you’re the right person to implement them.
DON’tDon’t say yes to everything. If your plate is full, and adding a responsibility will force you to take the focus off your teaching, don’t hesitate to say no.
4. Chair a team Christine Valenti, an elementary teacher in Boston, says leading grade-level team meetings has been an ideal way to take a step forward in her career. “I can work with teachers and lead them, but I’m still in the classroom.”
When suggesting potential improve-ments, team leaders can build trust by looking to their own practice first, rather than immediately calling out their colleagues. “If people don’t trust each other, they’re not going to put themselves out there,” Valenti says.
Jon Reid, a team leader at another Boston elementary school, says he keeps his colleagues involved by del-egating responsibilities and encourag-ing everyone to share ideas. “We’re all teachers here, and we can all benefit from one another,” he says.
7. Crunch the Numbers Most teachers know the value of using data to inform their instruction, but not all feel confident in their ability to comb through spreadsheets full of numbers. “I think a lot of teachers are like, ‘Ooh, data, I don’t do data,’ ” says Valenti.
She has spearheaded an effort to analyze test results, as well as “softer” data like student work, and use the findings to modify instruction. Teachers often think their teach-ing is “fine,” Valenti says, until they see the numbers. “Sometimes when you look at the data, you see it isn’t fine. So let’s take a look at this and figure out what we can do to improve it.”
10. Write Grants There’s one initiative no principal will ever fight you on—attempting to bring more money into your school.
Most grant writing is easier than you might think. Valbrun remembers a teacher who wrote a tiny blurb that turned into $16,000 in grant money.
“Some of those opportunities are so simple, they don’t really require a great deal of training,” Valbrun says. “Many of them are just a form. There are opportunities that range from $500 to thousands of dollars, if you’re looking for them.”
8. Lead Professional Development Some teachers don’t take their profes-sional days, preferring to skip out-of-school workshops in favor of more time with their students. But that approach may be robbing you of the opportunity to become an expert in new areas—and to share that expertise with your colleagues.
Valbrun, the ASCD professional development director, says that before teachers lead PD sessions for the first time, they should present their mate-rial to a small group of trusted peers and ask for feedback. Another tip—survey other teachers to find out what they already know about your subject and what they want to learn. “You’ll make sure you’re meeting the needs of your colleagues,” Valbrun says.
9. Start a Peer-Observation Program Lori Nazareno, who helped start a teacher-run school in Denver in 2009, says peer observation is a powerful tool because teachers work with col-leagues to identify areas of improve-ment. That can be more productive than sweating it out while your boss takes notes in the back of the room.
“If I know you’re coming in to give me feedback to help me get better, it’s going to be easier to have trust than if you’re signing off on the final evalua-tion,” Nazareno says.
To start a peer-observation program in your school, you’ll likely need your administration’s help in organizing coverage for teachers to observe one another. You’ll also need a good rubric to keep debriefings focused.
11. turn Your Classroom Into a teaching Lab Remember to keep the “teacher” in teacher leader. If there’s an instruc-tional strategy you think your school should implement, test it out in your own classroom to make your case.
“Run a little pilot with another teacher or two,” advises Nazareno. “If you have evidence in your own class that it works, why not advocate for other kids to have that terrific learn-ing experience?”
“The culture in schools has been, Yeah, yeah, I’m going to close my door and do my thing,” she adds. “Well, if you’ve closed your door and done your thing and it works, open your door and share it across the hall.”
INS5•Lead[47-49]v8ds.indd 49 3/5/13 7:43 AM
Use our fail-safe strategies to set up your co-teaching relationship for a successful year. by anne beninghof
scholastic instructor back to school 2014 49
Fill in the blank: The marriage between co-teachers is like ______. In my work-shops on co-teaching, I ask participants to complete
that simile. The responses run the gamut from horror
story to every teacher’s dream: The marriage between co-teachers
is like an elderly couple—constantly bicker-ing about trivial details but dependent on each other.
The marriage between co-teachers is like a fine wine—it gets better with age.
For the past 20 years, I have worked with schools on their co-teaching initiatives. I have seen an explosion of interest—not just among special education and general education teach-ers but among ELL teachers, literacy specialists, and speech and language therapists, all of whom are recognizing the benefits of inclusion teaching. They know that students with a wide range of special needs can thrive when they’re taught in classes with their peers.
No matter co-teachers’ respective expertise, some relationships work smoothly, while others are rocky. Why is that? In my own co-teaching and my work with educators, I’ve found suc-cessful relationships boil down to three essen-tial ingredients, which I will discuss in detail.
It Takes Two...
illu
stra
tion
: MiG
uEl
DaVi
lla/
thEi
spot
.coM
scan the illustration for a co-teaching task chart. (For scanning directions, see page 5.)