Professional Development Thoughts and Recommendations

Hello There,

I have been thinking about professional development and how important that has been in my life. I was a "late bloomer" in the educational world in that I returned to university life in my late thirties and started teaching in my early forties. I saw myself as the perfect teacher candidate because I wouldn't leave the profession because of pregnancy. Half way through my first year, however, I thought about leaving because this career is darn hard. Professional development classes provided by our district saved me from throwing in the towel! Seriously!


In January of 1992 I signed up for the Jordan Writing Project, and that experience provided some tools to use with my seventh graders. Next, I enrolled in the Six Traits of Writing classes, and that supported a foundation for teaching writing. In fact, I can't think of a year when I did not take advantage of three or four professional development opportunities. Nor can I think of a one in which I did not glean something that made me a better teacher. Oh, some classes/workshops were better than others, but I never walked away empty handed. I still adhere to the belief that few professional development courses are a waste of time.


Our district mandates teachers to participate in school professional development days and individual professional development days. As I study the effects of professional development, I see the wisdom in this. Quoting Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher (2004) of San Diego State University, "... several researchers [including Allington and Johnston; Darling-Hammond; Joyce and Showers] suggest that the professional development of teachers is critically linked to student achievement and literacy levels of students."


They further state, "... it is not a program, a set of books, or a box of materials that creates a high achieving school. It is always teachers who matter, and what they do matters most" (2004, p. 3). With that said, I want to share some professional development experiences I recently enjoyed.


Courses and Presentations ~

Randy Olsen of Crescent View Middle School facilitated a workshop centered upon enhancing classroom discussions. The evening I attended, he demonstrated how he and his colleague Jolene Jenkins incorporate online discussions in their classrooms. Using Google Groups, these two educators opened up a world of communicating via written words that develops critical thinking, reading and writing. This discussion tool is especially supportive of students who hesitate to comment in class.


Randy is enthusiastic and willing to share the ins and outs of how he brought this instructional/technological strategy into his students' lives. Because of what I learned, I better organized my Google Group of board members of the Utah Council of Teachers of English/Language Arts. The process takes time, but it isn't all that hard, and it is extremely useful because I can draft the meetings' minutes on the discussion site for non-attending members to see in real time. Additionally, they can "chat" with me during our meeting, thus adding important input.


Another evening I dropped by the Jordan Council of the International Reading Association (JCIRA) meeting. Keri Corfield and Christie Despain, elementary school literacy facilitators, shared their expertise AND many helpful literacy products. Now, I am sure secondary colleagues might wonder what I extracted from the hour I spent with a dozen or so elementary teachers. Let me tell you, I walked away with a wealth of ideas and materials that can be adapted in the secondary classroom.

Guided reading is not a term often heard in the halls of middle or high schools, and yet I believe it can provide an avenue through which secondary teachers can differentiate curriculum. I want to research this more because there are undoubtedly many differences between elementary and secondary classroom conditions. But I surmise that the tools shared with the attendees at Monday's presentation could work with literature circles. Keri reminded us that lit circles, in and of themselves, are not guided reading; however, if teachers sit in with groups and facilitate the discussion using graphic organizers; comprehension cards, etc., circles can provide a guided reading experience. This, of course, is dependent upon being able to assess students' reading levels and matching them with texts that build comprehension. Thankfully, the ability to do that is coming our way via Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI).

Conferences ~

I recently attended "The Literacy Promise" conference, sponsored by The David O. McKay School of Education Alumni Association and the Brigham Young University-Public School Partnership. I gleaned so much valuable information, but my favorites were Timothy Shanahan, Chris Crowe, Donna Ogle's break-out session and Cathy Collins-Block's keynote address. Other wonderful presenters included Patricia Wolfe and Janet Allen, but I have attended their presentations in the past.

If you were unable to go to this conference, you can find presenters' handouts at the following site: http://education.byu.edu/cites/conferences/literacy_promise_handouts.html. This is perfect segue into another favorite professional development resource - the Internet.

Websites ~

I am constantly amazed by the expanse of educational resources available on the World Wide Web. I imagine there are sites that address nearly every teacher and student need. And most of the shared materials are free! For example, Randy shared PowerPoint presentations that can be used in classrooms to review tips for finding reliable websites; for structuring inquiry projects; and for defining plagiarism. All these PP presentations were found online! Just a few revisions personalized the slides for their particular classrooms.

I have also bookmarked scores of wonderful sites - some I use in my professional development classes and some function as my personal professional development courses. For example, I have learned valuable information about differentiating instruction. A recent website I want to share with you is about teaching the Holocaust. I know that social studies and language arts teachers introduce their students to this topic in upper elementary grades, middle and high school. This website offers an online course that supports educators in teaching this emotional unit with excellence. You can access this site and others near the end of Link 2 Literacy's page.


Books ~

When I attend educational conferences, I always browse through dozens of books provided by sponsoring vendors. I have shelves full that I have yet to read from cover to cover, but still I find that perusing chapters is very rewarding. In my current position, I find my library of teaching and learning texts has served me well. I enjoy books written by both practitioners and researchers, but when I think about sharing an instructional strategy, I see what the research says about it.

Now some effective tools do not boast of extensive research, but that does not mean they are not worth trying. In fact, such tools can provide the focus of action research, the results of which can be shared with others. One such tool is the Discussion Web developed by Donna Alverman, renowned reading educator from the University of Georgia. I have used it in a variety of settings and found it very helpful in deepening discussions.

The book I am currently reviewing is Improving Adolescent Literacy: Strategies at Work by Fisher and Frey. I recommend this book for two reasons: it was a required text in my reading comprehension class at the University of Utah and the instructional strategies shared by the authors are all researched-based. They include anticipatory activities; read-alouds and shared reading; questioning; note taking and note making; graphic organizers; vocabulary instruction; writing to learn and reciprocal teaching.

I was especially impressed with chapter 2: "Attention Getters: Using Anticipatory Activities to Inspire Learning" by Frey, Fisher (researchers), ElWardi and Mongrue (practicing teachers). Anticipatory activities should pique curiosity, stimulate questioning, induce recall of recently learned information and activate students' background knowledge. The four instructional strategies for gaining student attention, as suggested by Eggen and Kauchak (2001) are demonstrations; discrepant events (demonstrations that involve a surprising or startling occurrence designed to command the students' attention, p. 17); visual displays; and thought-provoking questions.

Some of the ideas require a significant investment of preparation time, but one idea I particularly liked does not. The authors call it "Thought-provoking Questions Through Quick Writes," but I entitle it "Beyond Quick Writes." The process and examples can be found on the LiteracyLinkUp wikispace: Beyond Quick Writes.

The point of this lengthy posting is that we can find many ways to professionally improve our teaching. Depending upon interest and time, we are fortunate to have so many available resources available to us. I hope you find this site numbered among them.

Best Wishes,

Renae

Exactly What Is "Writing to Learn"?

Hello there!

My apologies for the long lapse in posting another entry. I felt I had to complete my next multi-genre assignment before I created another blog, but so much is going on that I couldn't get to my that assignment! I want to make this experience a habit by posting as often as I can, and a weekly entry was my original goal. I will try to pick that up!

In January, Carolyn and I conducted a professional development workshop focusing upon writing in the content area. Many good ideas were shared with facilitators and participants alike. I think these tools, strategies, etc. are worth passing forward. One important concept is realizing the difference between "writing to learn" and "learning to write."

Quoting Kate Kiefer of Colorado State University, "writing-to-learn activities are short, impromptu or otherwise informal writing tasks that helps student think through key concepts presented in a course." She further iterates that these are brief writing tasks that often take less than five minutes of classtime. This illumination brightened attitudes of several teachers who perceived writing in the content area as creating, assigning and grading an elaborate essay that focused upon some aspect of their curriculum. While this is not an unworthy aspiration, it is not the only kind of writing that supports students' writing improvement.

The North Central Regional Education Laboratory shared the following research about "writing to learn":

• Student achievement on state assessments, exit exams, and other measurements greatly improves.


• Students demonstrate growth in core academic learning.


• Students' comfort level in school increases, and students become more encouraged and optimistic about their future.

Today, I encourage you to click onto my WikiSpace to see all the ideas for Role/Audience/Format/Topic (RAFT) assignments (https://literacylinkup.wikispaces.com/R.A.F.T.+Writing+Ideas). There are a variety of ideas for many content areas, and so I encourage readers of Link 2 Literacy to share them with colleagues. Furthermore, I have included Kate Kiefer's Writing Across the Curriculum website for additional "writing to learn" ideas.

Please let me know if this posting has been useful to you, and have a great day!

Renae

Two Letters

Hi all,
It seems like more than a week since I posted an entry on Link 2 Literacy. I have been busy working and preparing for the holidays as all of you have, but I wanted to share my latest addition to the multigenre project. I feel like I am co-teaching with Cherri and co-learning with her students in a technical way. Whether or not I have much of an audience, I still find writing daily an invigorating experience.

I decided to complete the letter to my husband's grandmother first because I didn't think it would take much time. HA! Her letter is a long one - 13 feet, to be exact. (I'm sure you wonder why I referred to this epistle's length in terms of feet. She wrote her letter on toilet paper! It remains in tact and has lasted so long because the "tissue" is more like our paper towels.) Because I only own a photocopy, it was difficult to read parts of it. I spent an entire evening pouring over every word and then scanning the entire effort onto my computer. (I hope to post at least one page of her letter on my Wikispace).

I should have written little notes on stickies and placed them at corresponding points on the letter as I read it, but I was tired and thought I'd reread it and write the notes then. Well, I was so anxious to start my letter that I jumped right to it the next evening, trying to remember what I'd read. When all was completed, I ended up going back into the text at least a 1000 times to find the details that I failed to remember or to write on stickies!

The experience was a wonderful one for me. There were several terms or brand names in her letter that I did not recognize. I researched some but realized I'd never finish the letter if I kept that up. One day I'll continue the quest. Some parts of the letter sounded like they could have been written yesterday because Katie concerned herself with many of the same things that trouble women now: family, finances, neighbors, weather, etc. But her musings were also filled with words and "ways" we hear little of now.

I don't know how much education Katie had, but I doubt she finished school. In spite of that, her spelling was excellent. Grammatical construction was not as well done as her spelling, but I loved the quaintness of it, and I think it also reflected Midwestern colloquialism.

Just as Katie wrote a little each day, I wrote a little each night. It became a labor of love that helped me feel a kinship to this woman I never knew. Nevertheless, her influence upon her children, especially my father-in-law, impacts me. I think when I meet her "on the other side," I'll see that many of my husband's characteristics came from her - especially a sense of humor.

My letter isn't as long as Grandmother Katie's, but it stretches to 3 pages and includes over 2,000 words. Don't let that scare you! I hope readers catch a little glimpse into this cute lady and her era. Remember, letters like hers are primary sources that document times, people and places! You can find my letter by clicking onto this link: https://literacylinkup.wikispaces.com/Open+Letter+to+Katie.

Wishing you the happiest of holidays, I'll sign off until next year!

Renae

Getting Started on My Multigenre Project

Good Evening,
I have thought a lot about the multigenre project I am creating along with Cherri White's class of juniors at Copper Hills High School. At this point, I have settled on two genre ideas. I have a copy of a letter written by my husband's grandmother in 1919. There is little known about her, but that lengthy letter shares some details about her times and about her personality. I have decided to write a response to that letter. I will comment upon what she wrote, but I will also include questions that I would like to ask her because she is one of the five people I want to meet in heaven.

I decided to finally write a research-based article about Irene Colvin Corbett, the Titanic passenger from Utah. Besides fulfilling the requirements for this project, this article will also be submitted to Encyclopedia Titanica, an outstanding website that publishes quality research about the ill-fated ship and its passengers. I have wanted to do this for a long time and decided now is the time. I hope they will publish it.

As for my grandmother, I think I am going to write a narrative that can be added to our family history. I also believe this can be submitted to a geneology website. I still have to think about this choice because my grandma had a very sad childhood and a challenging adulthood. I really want to write something special to honor her.

I am editing this posting because, as often happens with students and teachers, I changed my mind about whom I want to focus upon. I decided to make this an "all-woman" project. Rather than write about Einstein and the Apostle Paul, I am turning my attention to a historical figure I met some years ago: Empress Elizabeth of Austria. She is a very interesting subject, AND she was among those topics that helped launch me into the World Wide Web.

As for the fifth woman, I am toying with the idea of creating something about Minerva Teichert, famed Western artist. I have long been familiar with her works but knew very little about this interesting woman. The students at Copper Hills High have long submitted their projects, but mine will eventually stagger in. If I were in Ms. White's class, I would receive a failing grade; but I had to place this assignment on the back burner. (Think she would accept that excuse?)

In the meantime, if any readers want to examine the details of this multigenre project, click on https://literacylinkup.wikispaces.com/Multi-genre+Project.

Until later,
Renae

My Multi-genre Project!

Good morning,
Students at a district high school are creating a multi-genre project as outlined by Tom Romano of Utah State University. Part of that assignment requires a research log. I am also working with those students and their teacher in a very small way; so I decided to post my research journal on my blog to model this process! I invite any interested parties to come along for the ride. To see details about his project, click here: https://literacylinkup.wikispaces.com/Multi-genre+Project

Deciding upon a topic:
As soon as I learned of this project, I instantly knew what I wanted to do. I don't know why the idea popped into my head so quickly, but I love it and further reflection convinced me that it's a topic I find interesting, fascinating and fun. I can't wait to get started!

I have never read the book or seen the movie adaptation of The Five People You Meet in Heaven, but I decided I want to center my paper upon that concept. My project will introduce the five people I would like to meet in heaven. Unlike the book, it will not explore the theories of the afterlife, just some great people who I believe are hanging out in that celestial realm.

Narrowing down the list of people I'd like to meet was a little more difficult than choosing the overall theme of my paper. But right now, this moment in my life, I'd like to meet these individuals:

• Irene Colvin Corbett - Utah passenger who sailed upon the Titanic in 1912
• Albert Einstein - world-renowned physicist who was also a great humanitarian
• The apostle Paul - ancient missionary who brought Christianity to the western world
• Katie Duncan Salisbury - my husband's grandmother
• Rebecca Wheelwright Howe - my maternal grandmother

I chose these individuals for a variety of reasons. I first learned about Irene in 1995 when my seventh grade students studied about the ill-fated Titanic. The bits and pieces I knew of her experience prompted me to research her story further.

I have never been a great student of science, but after reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Einstein I became intrigued with the genius - his work and his politics. As I studied the New Testament this year in Sunday School, I enjoyed learning about the apostle Paul, his conversion to Christianity and his missionary work throughout the Roman Empire.

I never met Katie Duncan Salisbury because she died when my father-in-law was 17, but I have a copy of a delightful letter she wrote to her sister in 1919 that unveils a spunky spirit that survived many hardships. My own grandmother, Rebecca Wheelwright Howe, died in a car accident when I was 13; nevertheless, she influenced my life in several ways.

I have so many questions I would love to ask these people, and so I thought it might be fun to start preparing for those heavenly interviews now - not that I expect to conduct them anytime soon. I just want to know more about them before I meet them!

Signing off and wishing you the best in your work,

Renae

Integrating Technology

Welcome class members of "Critical Perspectives of Technology in Education" - and any others who have dropped in,

Please respond to the poll attached to the Link 2 Literacy blog, and then share your thoughts about the following questions by posting a comment.

1. How do you think technology enriches learning?
2. Do you think students can better learn content when technology is a central part of the curriculum?
3. What concerns do you have that inhibit your use of technology in teaching content?
4. If you are happy with way you have integrated technology into your teaching and your students' learning, share the reasons why.

Thank you for taking the time to respond!

Renae

SWBS Instructional Tool

Good Morning –

Well, at least it started out nicely! I created a lengthy posting to share details about the SWBS instructional tool, and it disappeared when I pushed "publish." So this is a Reader's Digest version of that effort, okay? Today's entry is in response to a reader who asked me about the SWBS instructional tool.

SWBS is an acronym for "Somebody… wanted… but… so…." It functions as a summarizing tool, but if the word "THEN" is added, students will work their way deeper into the text through re-reading, drawing inferences and predicting.

Because SWBS(T) is an open-ended tool, it is especially helpful to use when differentiation of instruction is needed. Additionally, teachers can provide different texts at a variety of levels to accommodate the various achievement levels. At the UCRI Conference Debi May shared the following poem to use with the SWBS instructional tool. I think your students will enjoy "getting into it." (An added note: I also think this poem would be a fun SLAM poetry presentation!)

Madam and the Rent Man
By Langston Hughes

The rent man knocked.
He said, Howdy-do?
I said, What
Can I do for you?
He said, You know
Your rent is due.

I said, Listen
Before I'd pay
I'd go to Hades
And rot away!
The sink is broke,

The water don't run,
And you ain't done a thing
You promised to've done.
Back window's cracked,

Kitchen floor squeaks,
There's rats in the cellar,
And the attic leaks.

He said, Madam,
It's not up to me,
I'm just the agent,
Don't you see?

I said, Naturally,
You pass the buck.
If it's money you want
You're out of luck.

He said, Madam,
I ain't pleased!
I said, Neither am I!,
So we agrees!

SWBS example: Somebody – the rent man wanted the rent that was due, but Madam said she'd go to Hades before she paid, so she told him all the reasons why. THEN s… w… b… s…. (You fill in the blanks and repeat the process until you and your students have gone into and beyond the text!)

Hope this tool works for you and your students! Until next Monday, have a great week.

Renae