October 2017 Leading Through Quality Literacy Instruction Fall Series

Hello Leadership Development Framework registrants,

Thank you for your active participation and discussion in the first session of Leading Through Quality Literacy Instruction.

This blog is open to your collective thinking.  Please feel free to look through posts from previous registrants and contribute your thoughts, comments or questions.

Consider posting thoughts following each session to continue the network of support that will build over the course of our inservices.

I look forward to seeing you at Session #2

Sincerely,

Mary mac...

Leadership Development Framework: Leading Through Quality Literacy Instruction

Hello Leadership Development Framework registrants,

I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

The four part series in which you have registered will focus on Leading Through Quality Literacy Instruction and  will mirror the four part series offered through a group in the Harry Ainlay Catchment.

Please feel free to look through posts from either group and contribute your thinking.This blog is open to your collective thinking.  Please consider posting thoughts following each session to continue the network of support that will build over the course of our inservices.

I will share the ppt with you directly.

See you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Mary mac...

Leading Through Quality Literacy Instruction: Harry Ainlay Catchment

Hello Harry Ainlay Catchment participants.

This four part series on Leading Through Quality Literacy Instruction will mirror the four part series offered through the Leadership Development Framework.

This blog is open to your collective thinking.  Please consider posting thoughts following each session to continue the network of support that will build over the course of our inservices.

Today's powerpoint will be shared with you.

I am really looking forward to spending the time with you.

Sincerely,

Mary mac...

The QLPT seems like a highly useful, reflective and flexible document that can fill so many uses and purposes when developing the understanding of literacy and its role and function within the school environment. Sharing what makes sense, filtering what makes best use of teacher time and applying learning and seeing the way forward seem so much more clear through this tool.

Welcome to Leading Through Quality Literacy Instruction!

Hi Group!

Thank you for your honest discussion around quality literacy instruction this morning.  I am looking forward to the series and learning from you as we share ideas around making literacy tangible for all students.
Leading Through Quality Literacy Instruction : Powerpoint

Getting Started

This first session was an overview of what literacy is and its importance.  My reason for being here is to have some ideas of how to present literacy to a K-9 school to develop consistent conversations with vocabulary, ideas, and direction as what a literacy program can look like in our school.  Also, literacy needs to be developed within Junior High classrooms in all subject areas, and intervention does need to be done in the classroom.  How do we do this?  How do we convince ELA teachers especially to develop leveled learning and interventions in their class for struggling readers and achievers?  I believe myself, and have practised, adapting materials for students who are below the class level (especially ELL).  I also believe that you start with where they are at, encourage them, and praise their success in order for them to buy in to reading and trying.  If they are reluctant readers at the Junior High level, they have been for a long time.  We need to be on the same page within our school, then become consistent throughout the district.  That is why I am here --- so how do we get there?  I learned a lot by talking to other teachers and what they are doing in their schools. Thank you and I look forward to our next session.

First Impressions

I decided to participate in these sessions as I have started emerging as a literacy leader within my school and I am want to learn more about how to guide a school into improving literacy for all students.  The one thing I have taken away from this first session is defining what literacy means.  The Denis Sparks quote, " In order to lead others you need to be clear about what you believe…" really resonated with me.  I need to spend time reflecting on what I believe literacy means to me.  I think this will be a critical first step as everyone on staff is going to have a different interpretation of this, so to help lead I will need to be grounded in my own beliefs.

A Whole New Literary World...

It seems, as the days role by and the year changes yet again, the ideas and challenges for Literacy continue endlessly. As we develop new understanding, change ideologies and pedagogy and finally begin to implement new practice that the world has moved again and we continue to aim for that moving target.

Literacy is an ever expanding, changing and challenging area to address and keep up with. The ideas of Literacy being everywhere, from a preschool class working on words for shapes to the highest levels of education where papers, readings and professional development challenge us to stay current, can make it daunting to try and apply it to our world.

Today we began a new road on the pathway of leadership as a cohort to develop our understandings of Literacy and Leadership. I look forward to continued learning, networking, sharing, collaborating and so very much more.

Thanks for a great morning one and all!

11 December final thought - when deciding to join LTQLP it was in response to a sense of inadequacy that I had been experiencing as a new instructional lead in an elementary setting. The myriad of supports offered through early ed, kindergarten and division is fantastic but for me, overwhelming. Beyond blind trust, how can I ensure each child is directly attended to and accommodated for? Mine has been a steep learning curve and attending these sessions and conversations have been a godsend. I have made commitments with my school and through the connections made here I am now much more competent at my job...much more to learn but it now seems possible.

james

In order to lead others you need to be clear about what you believe...

So what are your 'a-ha' moments of quality literacy instruction?  Have you achieved clarity around your beliefs? How will you continue to champion quality literacy instruction?

In session #3 we looked more closely at selected aspects in the Quality Literacy Instruction section of the QLPT. 

•  In which aspects do you still have questions?
•  How will learning more about the aspects of quality literacy instruction affect your literacy programming in your classroom OR as you lead literacy programming/instruction?

Something to think about :  For our final session on Thursday Dec. 11,  you will be asked to share with your colleagues what impact the QLPT has had in your role.  

Discussions around Literacy happen in schools, homes, coffee shops, and countless other locals. Qualifying Literacy with Quality deepens those conversations and allows for new thinking and, I trust, will lead to improved literacy instruction. Thank you for a reliable and thorough tool that schools can use to establish a reliable base line as they seek to improve literacy instruction. This tool has helped me to establish an action plan to improve literacy instruction in my own practice and to guide our work school wide. Thank you!!

The fear of ...Literacy?

After the November session I realized that what I thought traditionally as "Literacy" is so much more.  I believed that as a junior high science teacher, and now admin, that I really didn't know what I was doing when it came to literacy programming in my school.  I knew I read a lot and weaved (thank Melissa) that into my teaching but was that enough?  But as a group we saw literacy as more than just reading and writing - it is listening, viewing and representing....in short, it is understanding.  So after 3 sessions, I know I still need some work, but I think i'm doing OK!  I even took a stab at doing Guided Reading with a group of Grade 1 students this week.  It's a small step but it is a step in the right direction.

One of the things that has really stuck with me after the first session was what the atmosphere of a school looks like as you enter it...is it evident that literacy is alive in our school?  Now, every time I walk around the school, I can see all things we need to do to make our school literacy focused.

Session #2 - Exploring the QLPT document

In this second session we walked and talk through the QLPT document in its entirety.  I observed networking among each other already starting.  

Our blog this time asks for you to consider the following:

• In which areas would you like to see continued focus for growth?  
• Was there a  category that you  naturally gravitate to? If so, why? 
• Which area do you need to strengthen your understanding

Thank you for openly sharing, questioning and discussing with one another. 

Yours in blogging,

Mary

October 2014 Leading Through Quality Literacy Programming series offered through the Leadership Development Framework

I am so pleased to start another series of Leading Through Quality Literacy Programming. It is truly exciting that you are all interested to learn more about quality literacy instruction.  In our first session you had an opportunity to share your ideas and beliefs about quality literacy instruction and then explore how your ideas were represented in Quality Literacy Programming: A Reflective Tool the Coles Notes version.
Check out the Resource Tab for the materials and powerpoint that was used at Session #1.

So, what were your "take away(s) or a-ha moment(s) from session #1?


Looking forward to another adventure in blogging...Blog away....

Mary mac...

Joining in..

I haven't posted yet, so I thought I'd jump in and offer my perspective.

By thinking about quality literacy practices and specifically looking at the QLPT in these sessions, it's allowed me to think about what I have to offer my colleagues and what that support could look like: modelled lessons, informal conversations, or introducing strategies during collaborative meetings.

It's also caused me to reflect on my own practice; where I'm solid and where I can improve in my literacy programming, but also on a grander scale: where do we excel as a school, and where can we improve?    Hopefully moving forward, my staff and I can use parts of the QLPT to enhance the literacy practices at our school.

Inspirational and Flexible

What struck me the most about the QLPT is how inspirational yet possibly daunting this reflective tool can be.

As with anything perspective is key.  As an experienced  educator I am inspired and  motivated by the tool. I see it as an excellent  device  for affirming  the quality programming  that is taking place in my classroom  and as a purposeful  means for setting personal improvement goals.  Yet, if I was given the tool as a new educator, I might feel  intimidated by the scope  of what it means to ensure quality programming.

I love the flexibility inherentl in the tool! Having the  ability to tailor the tool to suit the varied needs of our schools makes it so useful! I am excited to meet with my principal to discuss the best ways to use it with our staff and to begin reflections!

Quality Literacy Programming - Feb 13

I really enjoyed getting to know the Quality Literacy Programming: A Reflective Tool document.  There are so many aspects within the tool, and all of them are key to increasing effectiveness and excellence in literacy. We will have to sit down to see where we are with regard to the indicators, and how we can make it a working document for our own school.  I believe that our school culture will be positively impacted by continuing to overtly attend to the key aspects of literacy programming as guided by this document.
Thank you Mary for leading us into the future of education!

The QLPT document

This morning you had the opportunity to walk through each section of the QLPT.
                      What struck you about the QLPT?
                                                                             Mary