This document outlines an administrative perspective on literacy in intermediate grades. It discusses the importance of effective instructional practices and teacher collaboration to improve student learning. It also provides an overview of the process for conducting classroom reviews to support teachers in meeting the diverse needs of all students.

1. Looking
at
Literacy
in
the
Intermediate
Grades:
an
administra5ve
perspec5ve
Quesnel
Administrators
August
26,
2015
Faye
Brownlie
www.slideshare.net/fayebrownlie/
quesnel

2. Learning
Inten5ons:
• I
have
a
beJer
understanding
of
the
big
pieces
of
intermediate
literacy
and
can
recognize
them
in
classrooms.
• I
have
a
plan
of
how
to
be
a
leader
of
learning
in
suppor5ng
intermediate
readers
and
writers
and
their
teachers.
• I
understand
the
process
and
structure
of
a
class
review.

3. The teeter totter
kids
kids curriculum

4. Big Ideas
– Teaching counts!
• Our
instruc5onal
choices
impact
significantly
on
student
learning
• We
teach
responsively
– All kids can learn and we know enough
collectively to teach all kids!
• An
unwavering
belief
that
everyone
has
the
right
to
be
included
socially,
emo5onally,
and
intellectually

5. McKinsey Report, 2007
• The
top-­‐performing
school
systems
recognize
that
the
only
way
to
improve
outcomes
is
to
improve
instruc5on:
learning
occurs
when
students
and
teachers
interact,
and
thus
to
improve
learning
implies
improving
the
quality
of
that
interac5on.

6. How the world’s most improved
school systems keep getting better
–McKinsey, 2010
Three
changes
collabora5ve
prac5ce
brought
about:
1. Teachers
moved
from
being
private
emperors
to
making
their
prac5ce
public
and
the
en5re
teaching
popula5on
sharing
responsibility
for
student
learning.
2. Focus
shiQed
from
what
teachers
teach
to
what
students
learn.
3. Systems
developed
a
model
of
‘good
instruc5on’
and
teachers
became
custodians
of
the
model.
(p.
79-­‐81)

7. • How
do
we
help
every
student
to
become
a
beJer
reader?

8. Reading is understanding.

9. Choice

10. Collaboration

11. Challenge

12. Respect

13. Access
not accommodate or adapt

14. Differentiation

15. “Know thy impact.”
Visible
Learning
for
Teachers
Maximizing
Impact
on
Learning
John
Haae,
2012
Is what you are doing,
getting you what you want?

16. We CAN teach all our kids to read.
• Struggling
readers
need
to
read
MORE
than
non-­‐struggling
readers
to
close
the
gap.
• Struggling
readers
need
to
form
a
mental
model
of
what
readers
do
when
reading.
• Struggling
readers
need
to
read
for
meaning
and
joy
☺
• Struggling
readers
do
NOT
need
worksheets,
scripted
programs,
or
more
skills
prac5ce.

17. Language Counts!
…our
language
choices
have
serious
consequences
for
children’s
learning
and
for
who
they
become
as
individuals
and
as
a
community.
…the
language
we
choose
in
our
teaching
changes
the
worlds
children
inhabit
now
and
those
they
will
build
in
the
future.
-­‐Peter
H.
Johnston,
2012

18. • My
class
is
a
3-­‐4
reading
level
to
a
32.
• This
is
my
low
group.
• I
have
14
IEPs
in
my
class.
• I
have
a
behavior
class.
• How
many
special
needs
do
you
have?
• I’ve
a
split
class.

19. Language Counts!
• Thank
you
• What
are
you
reading
that
is
interes5ng
to
you?
• I
think
we
have
come
off
course.
What
can
we
do
to
get
back
on
course?
• We
only
get
to
write
for
4
minutes!
• I
don’t
think
I
was
clear
enough
with
my
instruc5ons.
Can
we
stop
for
a
moment
and
have
you
help
me
be
clearer?

20. Leadership Roles
-­‐keeping
the
vision
alive
-­‐providing
structures
and
supports
to
enable
others
to
provide
rich
learning
environments
-­‐maintaining
a
strengths-­‐based
perspec5ve
-­‐learning
together
about
evidence-­‐based
reading
prac5ces
-­‐encouraging
collabora5on

21. Structures and Supports
• Class
reviews
• Collabora5on
5me
• A
focus
on
co-­‐teaching
• Walking
the
talk
-­‐What’s
working?
-­‐What
do
we
need
to
polish?

22. Why a class review?

23. Goal:
to
support
students
in
working
effec5vely
in
the
classroom
environment

24. Goal:
to
work
together
to
beJer
meet
the
needs
of
all
students

25. Ra5onale:
By
sharing
our
collec5ve
exper5se
about
teaching
and
learning
we
can
beJer
implement
plans
of
ac5on,
and
thus
we
can
beJer
meet
the
needs
of
all
students.

26. A
Key
Belief
Interven5on
is
focused
on
classroom
support.
Classroom-­‐based
interven5on
does
NOT
mean
that
all
specialists
have
to
be
in
the
classroom
all
the
5me.
Instead,
the
RESULTS
of
their
work
have
to
show
up
in
the
classroom.

27. The Class Review Process
• Learning
in
Safe
Schools,
2nd
ed
–
Brownlie
and
King

28. • Meet
as
a
school-­‐based
team,
with
the
administrator
• Each
classroom
teacher
(CT)
joins
the
team
for
45
minutes
to
speak
of
her
class
• TOC’s
provide
coverage
for
CTs
• Follow
the
order
of
strengths,
needs,
goals,
individuals
• The
CT
does
not
do
the
recording
or
the
chairing

29. The
Class
Review
What
are
the
strengths
of
the
class?
What
are
your
concerns
about
the
class
as
a
whole?
What
are
your
main
goals
for
the
class
this
year?
What
are
the
individual
needs
in
your
class?

30. Class Review
Learning in Safe Schools
(Brownlie King, 2000)
Teacher:
Class:
Classroom Strengths Classroom Needs
Other
Socio-EmotionalLearningLanguageMedical
Goals Decisions
Individual Concerns
Class Review Recording Form

31. Frameworks for Learning
It’s All about Thinking (English, Humanities, Social Studies) –
Brownlie Schnellert, 2009
It’s All about Thinking (Math, Science)– Brownlie, Fullerton,
Schnellert, 2011

32. Universal Design for Learning
Mul5ple
means:
-­‐to
tap
into
background
knowledge,
to
ac5vate
prior
knowledge,
to
increase
engagement
and
mo5va5on
-­‐to
acquire
the
informa5on
and
knowledge
to
process
new
ideas
and
informa5on
-­‐to
express
what
they
know.
Rose
Meyer,
2002

33. Backwards Design
• What
important
ideas
and
enduring
understandings
do
you
want
the
students
to
know?
• What
thinking
strategies
will
students
need
to
demonstrate
these
understandings?
McTighe
Wiggins,
2001

34. Reading Theory and Practice
-the mental model

35. Features of High-Engagement Learning
Environments
• available
supply
of
appropriately
difficult
texts
• op5ons
that
allow
students
more
control
over
the
texts
to
be
read
and
the
work
to
be
accomplished
• the
collabora5ve
nature
of
much
of
the
work
• the
opportunity
to
discuss
what
was
read
and
wriJen
• the
meaningfulness
of
the
ac5vi5es
• Allington
Johnston,
2002;
Presley,
2002;
Wigfield,
1997;
Almasi
McKeown,
1996;
Turner,
1995

36. “Every
Child,
Every
Day”
–
Richard
Allington
and
Rachael
Gabriel
In
Educa5onal
Leadership,
March
2012
6
elements
of
instruc5on
for
ALL
students!

37. 1.
Every
child
reads
something
he
or
she
chooses.

38. 2. Every
child
reads
accurately.
-­‐intensity
and
volume
count!
-­‐98%
accuracy
-­‐less
than
90%
accuracy,
doesn’t
improve
reading
at
all

39. 3. Every
child
reads
something
he
or
she
understands.
-­‐at
least
2/3
of
5me
spent
reading
and
rereading
NOT
doing
isolated
skill
prac5ce
or
worksheets
-­‐build
background
knowledge
before
entering
the
text
-­‐read
with
ques5ons
in
mind

40. 4. Every
child
writes
about
something
personally
meaningful.
-­‐connected
to
text
-­‐connected
to
themselves
-­‐real
purpose,
real
audience

41. 5.
Every
child
talks
with
peers
about
reading
and
wri5ng.

42. 6. Every
child
listens
to
a
fluent
adult
read
aloud.
-­‐different
kinds
of
text
-­‐with
some
commentary

43. 1. Every
child
reads
something
he
or
she
chooses.
2. Every
child
reads
accurately.
3. Every
child
reads
something
he
or
she
understands.
4. Every
child
writes
about
something
personally
meaningful.
5. Every
child
talks
with
peers
about
reading
and
wri5ng.
6. Every
child
listens
to
a
fluent
adult
read
aloud.

44. • Reading Next: A Vision for Action and
Research in Middle and High School
Literacy – Biancarosa Snow, 2004
• Instructional improvements

45. 1. Direct,
explicit
comprehension
instruc5on
2. Effec5ve
instruc5onal
principles
embedded
in
context
3. Mo5va5on
and
self-­‐directed
learning
4. Text-­‐based
collabora5ve
learning
5. Strategic
tutoring
6. Diverse
texts
7. Intensive
wri5ng
8. A
technology
component
9. Ongoing
forma5ve
assessment
of
students

46. • Reading Next: A Vision for Action and
Research in Middle and High School
Literacy – Biancarosa Snow, 2004
• Infrastructural improvements

47. • Extended
5me
for
literacy
• Professional
development
• Ongoing
forma5ve
and
summa5ve
assessment
of
student
learning
and
programs
• Teacher
teams
• Leadership
• A
comprehensive
and
coordinated
literacy
program

48. 15-­‐3=0
• What
are
the
3?

49. 49
15-­‐3=0
Without -
• professional development
• ongoing formative assessment of
students and
• ongoing summative assessment of
students and programs
Reading Next - Biancarosa Snow, 2004

50. Beginning with images…

55. Marco Cianfanelli, of
Johannesburg, sculptor
50
ten
metre
high
laser
cut
steel
plates
set
into
the
landscape,
represen5ng
the
50
year
anniversary
of
when
and
where
Mandela
was
captured
and
arrested
in
1962
(prior
to
his
27
years
of
incarcera5on).
Standing
at
a
par5cular
point
(presumably
the
spot
where
the
people
are
standing
in
Photo
#2),
the
columns
come
into
focus
and
the
image
of
Mandela
can
be
seen.
At
Natal
Midlands

56. What is the smartest adaptation
for the environment?
How do animals adapt?

60. The 10
A Scholastic Series for Inquiry
Editor: Jeff Wilhelm
• 100
5tles
grades
6-­‐10
• 50
5tles
grades
4-­‐8
Smartest Adaptations in Nature
-Scholastic

61. Resources
• Assessment
Instruc-on
of
ESL
Learners
–
Brownlie,
Feniak,
McCarthy,
2004
• Grand
Conversa-ons,
Thoughul
Responses
–
a
unique
approach
to
literature
circles
–
Brownlie,
2005
• Student
Diversity,
2nd
ed.
–
Brownlie,
Feniak
Schnellert,
2006
• Reading
and
Responding,
gr.
4,5,6
–
Brownlie
Jeroski,
2006
• It’s
All
about
Thinking
–
collabora-ng
to
support
all
learners
(in
English,
Social
Studies
and
Humani-es)
–
Brownlie
Schnellert,
2009
• It’s
All
about
Thinking
–
collabora-ng
to
support
all
learners
(in
Math
and
Science)
-­‐
Brownlie,
Fullerton
Schnellert,
2011
• Learning
in
Safe
Schools,
2nd
ed
–
Brownlie
King,
Oct.,
2011