Teachers Guide
A Guide for Creating Sustainable Change in Secondary Schools
Supporting the growth process of teachers requires professional development that reaches beyond one-shot seminars or half-day trainings. In Literacy Learning Communities: A Guide for Creating Sustainable Change in Secondary Schools, ReLeah Lent offers a professional development guide to literacy learning communities (LLCs), groups of teachers guided by shared goals, inquiry, and literacy learning. Lent notes that “federal and state bureaucrats have been so insistent that everyone get on board the literacy train quickly that whole districts often leave the station without knowing where they are headed” (p. x). In the three sections of this book, Lent provides direction and resources for creating sustainable change through LLCs.
The first section of the book explores creating an environment for literacy learning. Relationships, central to this process, are encouraged through collaboration that is focused on a shared vision, peer feedback Vibram 5 Fingers opportunities, and collective learning. In this context, learning is at once personal and social, connecting both to knowledge and to other learners (Senge et al., 2000). Lent notes, “We must remind each other that the essence of community lies within our collective humanity, and the very qualities that give it life are those that are difficult to quantify, standardize, categorize, or assess” (p. 13).
To sustain a literacy learning environment, trust must be cultivated by establishing expectations and providing members with the time and space they need to grow as a community. Lent’s suggestions for developing trust include making time to meet for professional study, restructuring faculty meetings to include work sessions, and seeing tension as part of the change process. Ultimately, a culture of trust is vital, as “it immerses all its members, including students, in an environment where relationships have the potential of turning knowledge into wisdom” (p. 26). This potential makes the work of LLCs compelling. Literacy knowledge, the final element of a literacy learning environment, is more than one-dimensional school activities and narrowly focused reading strategy lessons. Lent argues that teachers must engage in their own learning process to meet the changing needs of students and to address the characteristics of 21st-century literacy learning (Warlick, 2004). By focusing on relationships, trust, and literacy knowledge, teachers and administrators can create an environment for literacy learning that sets the stage for LLCs engaged in sustainable change.
In the book’s second section, Lent presents a three-year action plan for building a community for literacy learning. The first year is for creating an initial community, assessing students’ learning needs, and developing a plan to meet those needs. Efficacy “results when a group assumes control over its own decision making and believes that it can improve teaching practices and student learning”. Engagement develops energy, social contact, and flow. These two elements help teachers develop a working definition of LLCs that emphasizes literacy learning, shared goals, and inquiry. To help with the first-year action plan, Lent shares examples of how an LLC should appear in terms of participation, members, tasks, and Five Fingers KSO literacy learning. She also provides resources, such as an invitation to join, a list of potential members, and a set of guiding principles. The plan for the second year expands LLCs to include study groups, peer coaching, and action research. A reflective cycle of inquiry is called for as teachers work to assess the literacy learning needs of the school and to focus on necessary changes for providing effective instruction. Lent suggests collecting data from a range of sources, including surveys, attendance records, and test scores. This reflective cycle informs the action plan and strengthens the work of the LLC.
The third year focuses on sustaining the LLC process. Lent provides an action plan template for framing the ongoing inquiry work of the LLC and asks a series of questions to generate discussion: “What factors or data led the group to determine the focus How, specifically, will the group’s study improve student learning How will the group know that their action has been effective in improving student learning” (p. 80). She also shares examples of developed action plans that are focused on literacy learning and designed to meet the needs of the teachers and students involved. The third section of the book examines three tools designed to help teachers in LLCs. The first is study groups, defined as “small groups of people who come together for a common purpose, learning that will directly benefit their students” (p. 98). Roles for study group members are explained and example study group topics are provided, including content area knowledge, reading and book clubs, and current events. Study groups are appealing in their immediacy of application and variety of topics.
About the Author
Cheap Vibram Five Fingers are offered at our online store. We’re sure you won’t be able to find such best collection of Vibram Fivefingers Shoes anywhere else
A Teacher’s Guide to Fixing No Child Left Behind
|
|
Chef’s Choice 310 Compact Diamond Hone Sharpener $42.26 The Chef’s Choice Diamond Hone sharpener uses high-speed orbiting diamond-coated plates to maintain razor-sharp edges on your kitchen, pocket, and filet knives. Powerful magnets hold the blade at the proper angle while you pull the blade through the grooves. Sharpening is a quick two-step process: The first stage sharpens the blade by putting the correct angle on the edge. The second hones it smoo… |
|
|
White Extra Jumbo Texas Size Muffin Cupcake Pastry Disposable Baking Cup Fluted Cake Liners ~ Size: Base 3 1/2, Wall 1 1/2, (Total Size = 6 1/2 Inch. Circles) ~ 500 Count Papers $21.95 … |
|
|
White Extra Jumbo Texas Size Muffin Cupcake Pastry Disposable Baking Cup Fluted Cake Liners ~ Size: Base 3 1/2, Wall 1 1/2, (Total Size = 6 1/2 Inch. Circles) ~ 1000 Count Papers $39.95 … |
|
|
Fender Presents: Getting Started on Electric Guitar — A Guide for Beginners $20.00 Over 3 hours long with 50 interactive guitar lessons on DVD. Covers tuning, essential chords and scales, practice tips, rhythm techniques, play-along tracks with a band, 3-D fretboard graphics, instrument care, and more. Includes 5 languages: English, French, Spanish, Japanese, and German. Hosted by Keith Wyatt of the Musicians Institute…. |
|
|
Meditations2Go Guided Audio Meditations CD Set 1 $14.99 Meditations2Go CD Set 1 features two full-length, fully immersive guided audio meditations (synchronized music and narration) on a single Audio CD. Track 1: “Restoring Balance and Clarity” (26:48 minutes). This guided audio meditation helps restore your natural calm and balance, emotionally, mentally, and physically, gathering in your strength, your energy and your clarity. It’s excellent as a ge… |
|
|
Leonard Bernstein – Young People’s Concerts / New York Philharmonic $86.90 Leonard Bernstein earned glory as a composer, conductor, and pianist (classical and jazz), but nothing gave him more pleasure than the joy of teaching. He presented the unique blend of spoken words and music known as the “Young People’s Concerts” throughout his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic and for several years after. His enjoyment, and his audience’s, can be seen vividl… |
|
|
Ashtanga Yoga Beginner’s Workout $2.99 … |
|
|
Ashtanga Yoga Beginner’s Workout $9.99 … |
|
|
Yoga For Flexibility $2.99 … |
|
|
Reading Owl Teacher on Books – 72H x 39W – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $107.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l… |
Tags: education, reference, resources, teacher's guide, teacher's guide to success, teachers guide to genirevolution, teachers guide to the holocaust, teachers guide to using facebook, teaching, technology
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 25th, 2007 at 7:23 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.