The three components of the Principal Priorities Framework are not to be analyzed and implemented in a linear way; they are interactively built over time, based on the needs of your community.
Collective efficacy is supported by the belief that teachers best impact the learning of students when they work as a team.
An organization clarifies its purpose by defining themselves through intentional choices and communicating those choices so that every member of the community knows the purpose and integrates it into their daily work
Creating and supporting a thriving school culture is the first of three principles in the Principal Priorities Framework components.
Research, practice, and ideas have changed and evolved, but certain elements remain: the heart of everything we do is the love of learning.
In the spring of 2020, teachers hit the ground running with a new way of teaching. With only a few days to prepare, classrooms were transformed from a supportive classroom environment to online learning. Considering the timeline, we did an amazing job. Now, we have the gift of time and experience to re-think and re-build
I spend a lot of time with teachers. They are my heroes. Like Clark Kent, when out in public, they look like any other mild-mannered, ordinary individual. But, the classroom serves as their proverbial telephone booth as they slip in and change from that ordinary person into a TEACHER!
As we plan for effective literacy instruction in all subject areas, standards suggest we provide a variety of complex texts while considering the learning needs of the reader and the tasks required to promote growth. In an article published on LightSail’s website, I share some introductory thinking about designing learning experiences to develop the brain′s ability to read BOTH digital and print!
I have been fortunate enough to visit hundreds of schools and have found so many that welcome you at the door with art, books, and the joy of literacy. Take a journey with me into an awesome example of an Elementary School that has cultivated a rich culture of literacy!
My most frustrating educational experience: writing my dissertation. It wasn’t the volume of research and work involved. It was the lack of high-quality feedback that provided direction as to what was expected during the process and what constituted an acceptable final product.
When a teacher confers, they change their stance. They become a fellow reader, but also an observer, assessor and data collector. The teaching purpose of conferring about students’ independent reading is to collect information that helps you plan.
Independent reading is incomplete if the teacher is not conferring with each child about their reading every week.
The goal of daily independent reading of student self-selected text is to foster wise readers who are self-motivated, self-directed, engaged readers that are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and meaning makers who love to read and choose to read!
Rituals and routines refer to all the planning, discussions and agreements between the teacher and students related to classroom management, organization and expectations.
The goal in a Balanced Literacy classroom is to build the group’s stamina to read for 30 minutes every day.