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Are You Giving Effective Feedback?

These past few weeks I’ve been working on a homework assignment.

As part of my district role as a coach/mentor, I was asked to assess the effectiveness of my feedback.

No prob! I thought. I’m totally going to ace this assignment!

So off I went, ready to evaluate and document the feedback I provided in coaching convos.

What did I quickly discover? That I needed to slow. my. roll.

When I really tuned in, and payed close attention to what I was saying to teachers, I wasn’t always certain I would have given my feedback an A+.

Effective feedback = specific information you’re offering a teacher in their efforts to reach an identified goal.

And as I learned through my reading of this Grant Wiggins article, there are seven key factors to keep in mind to ensure your feedback is in fact effective. Scroll on!

Get your free printable of the Effective Feedback Infographic

So now with this new or reinforced learning in place…pop quiz time! Ready?!

OK. Which of the following statements would you consider to be effective feedback?

Nice job on that mini-lesson Sarah!
Next time Tom, I think you’ll want to spend a bit more time on the debrief.
Your lesson would definitely be more effective Melissa, if you used more visuals.
I thought the book you used to kick-off your Ant Expedition was a little unengaging.

And the answer is…none of the above! Tricked ya.

None of these statements would really be considered effective feedback. Here’s why:

The first and the fourth statements just name a personal liking or disliking for something, and neither are connected to a goal.
The second and the third statements are offered more as advice, vs feedback.

Both advice and praise can be great tools when supporting teachers, and they both have their time and place. However, they’re very different from feedback. Because as we just learned, effective feedback is information that supports a teacher in reaching their goal. Got it?!

Alright-ty. Now, how about we take a look at a few examples of what effective feedback could sound like:

One of our goals during this coaching cycle has been to improve lesson pacing. Last week I noted your mini-lesson was 20 minutes long. In today’s lesson I recorded your mini-lesson started at 9:00 and ended promptly at 9:15, which was 5 minutes shorter. What would you say you thought about or did differently in your planning and instruction that supported this improved pacing?
I noticed that after you sent students out to work independently, 10 out of the 20 students were struggling with getting started. When I spoke to student x, y, z, they were unclear on the directions. Where do you think the confusion may have been?

Hopefully these few examples give you an idea of how feedback can sound like when it is in line with the 7 Keys outlined above. Oh, and one side note…when giving a teacher more critical/next step feedback, I try to keep it to one-two points.

For some ideas on what areas you might offer feedback on, check out this post.

If you’re still with me, great job! Now if you want to take it one step further, try taking note of the feedback you offer teachers this week. Is it really effective feedback? Or maybe it’s advice or praise. Hmmm…Give it a try! You might be surprised at what you learn.

Oh, and here’s a handy PDF of the infographic above to pop in your planner or post near your desk.

Talk to you soon!

How to Tackle Your Time and Skyrocket Your Productivity: 3 Step System

Goals and Motivation, Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips, Time Management

You know that old Rolling Stones song that goes like this…(imagine me singing) “tiiiiiiime is on my side, yes it is!” If not, it’s a good one. You should listen to it.

Although the song says it should be true, it sure doesn’t always feel like time is on my side.

Sometimes I just wish I had a personal assistant (one at school and one at home), a private chef, and one of those Google self-driving cars. Or maybe I just need a magic wand to help me get it all done.

Ya know what I’m talkin’ about?

Well, since I’ve got some big goals on my list this year, and magic time giving wands don’t really exist, I knew I needed to get some systems and structures in place to help me really make the most of my time this year.

So I sat down, grabbed my notebook, and started working out a plan for myself.

The plan is pretty simple really, just 3 steps – List It, Map It, Block It.

Taking this bit of time to really think things through and get everything laid out on paper, has really helped me see my weeks and days more clearly, and therefore helped me be more productive with my time. And better productivity means more time with my Sommie dog!

Alright, enough chit-chat. Let’s start tackling some time!

STEP 1 – LIST IT

First things first. We’ve got to List It all out. And don’t be shy here.

On a daily and weekly basis, what are all of your need to-dos, want to-dos, or even forgot to-dos? Just list it all out on this handy printable. Everything from getting ready for school, to coaching prep, to food prep, to PD prep. You might want to put in a pill right out there to help you stay focused. A lot of safe options on BuyModafinilOnline and a lot of people swore by them!

STEP 2 – MAP IT

OK I know, we’re not stress free yet. Because now you may be staring at this giant, scribbled out list and thinking “Ahh! I seriously have too much to-do!” Don’t freak out, we’ll sort through it. And remember. This should not be a giant task-list. There should also be want to-dos for yourself, and your priorities and goals. Like going for a run before school, reading that professional learning book that’s been on your shelf for months, or going out for a coffee with friends.

OK? OK.

Now look at your list again. Is there anything on there you may be able to cross off? Delegate to someone else? Yes, there are a few. Find em.

Next, look at the items that are left, and highlight those that you really want to make sure you have time for on your schedule.

Got it? OK. Now categorize these most important to-do’s by day, priority, or project. For example, you may frequently have a lot of copies to make, or errands to run, or a big PD coming up. Separate each of these into a different category.

This is your Map It step, and will help you carve a clear time tackling path.

STEP 3 – BLOCK IT

Great job! Let’s keep going. We’re just about there.

Now that you’ve mapped out your to-dos, it’s time to block it! Time blocking is a proven time management strategy that will help guide your decisions and how you manage each day. This is where you officially claim your time and align your actions with your goals and priorities.

So take a look at the to-do categories you just mapped out, and find the ideal time slots in your week where it would make the most sense to plug them in.

Use this as your “Ideal Week” template. Keep it somewhere as a reference tool. It will help you plan out each week a bit more quickly, and guide you in what to say yes or no to when deciding what to take on.

And for long range time blocking and goal mapping, you can use this ready to go calendar!

I know I said there were only three steps, buuuuttt…there’s actually one more…

STEP 4 – WORK IT!

Now that you’ve put this awesome plan into place, you’ve got to take action!

Do everything you can to follow-through and maintain the commitments you’ve just made to yourself, and your goals and priorities. Work hard to defend it, and remember this isn’t a perfect process, so revise and adjust as needed.

For the ultimate planning tool that follows this exact system, check out the Time & ToDo Planner!

And for a few free printables to get you started….

If you’d like to add the Daily Schedule and Portrait Calendar to your tool-box, you can find them in my shop.

YOUR HOMEWORK

First find 20-30 minutes of time this week, and block it off on your calendar for “time tackling.” Then…

List It
Map It
Block It

And BOOM! You’ll be well on your way to better productivity and less stress.

Let me know how it goes, or what questions come up, in the comments below.

PS – If you have friends who may need some time tackling tips and tools too, I would greatly appreciate if you shared this post using the buttons below. Thanks!!

Stories from the Field: Interview with Natalie Chustz

Goals and Motivation, Instructional Coaching, Teaching Tips, Time Management

One of the requests that came through loud and clear on the MsHouser Annual Reader Survey, was to hear more “stories from the field.” Or an opportunity to learn from the experiences of real coaches doing the real work of coaching, day in and day out.

I’m right there with you, and I want to learn more too!

So I was so, super excited to kick off this new “Interview with a Coach” addition to the MsHouser blog, with an interview with Natalie Chustz.

Natalie is a second year instructional coach in a private school setting. Natalie is so easy going, friendly, and a total learner and we had such a fun time chatting. She really spent time to prepare for this interview, in an effort that the info she shared could “help a coach out there somewhere” – Natalie’s words :)

Here are some specific take-aways from our conversation:

How Natalie transitioned into instructional coaching
How Natalie works with her Director (during a time of transition)
Why it’s always important to continue to see yourself as a teacher
The importance of building relationships early on and how Natalie does it
How Natalie uses social media to connect with other coaches

Have any thoughts in response to this coaching convo? Let us know in the comments below.

And if you have any follow-up questions for Natalie or would like to connect with her further, here’s where you can find her:

Twitter: @natalieschustz
Email: nchustz@aesgators.org

Thanks so much for being a part of this conversation!

Talk to you next week,

PS – If you have a quick sec, I’d really appreciate if you used the buttons below to share this post! Thanks a million.

Looking Ahead into 2016 – What’s Coming Up

Goals and Motivation, Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips

Oh man, oh man. A lot has been going on behind the scenes here at MsHouser Headquarters, and I’m so super excited for the plans I’ve been crafting up for 2016. And those plans I’ve been crafting up, are really for you! More on that in just a sec, but let’s first take a quick look back at the accomplishments and celebrations of 2015:

The number of MsHouser readers has grown to over 3,900!!! Everyday I get friendly emails and comments from the community, which is just so great.

We (Luke and I, but mostly Luke) redesigned the site with a fresh, new color scheme.

The Time & ToDo Planner, my first physical product, was launched and successfully funded through Kickstarter. This was one of my biggest and most celebrated accomplishments of the year. And I know many of you are making full use of it, so I’m thankful I chose to invest the time and energy into this project.

I finally got around to updating my Resource Page this summer. This is chock full of many of the helpful resources I use in both my professional and personal life.

The first MsHouser Annual Reader Survey was created and shared on the blog. With an overwhelming 763 reader responses collected, I learned so much about what’s working for the MsHouser community, but also what I can do even better…and that’s the exciting part!

After spending A LOT of time sifting through all the data collected, check out what I learned:

Lastly, many of you expressed with double exclamation marks…Don’t stop sharing!!

Don’t worry team! I’m going to keep this train going! And I’m going to keep it going strong.

As we look ahead into 2016, here are the highlights of what’s coming up:

INTERVIEW WITH A COACH/TEACHER SERIES

Many of you really enjoyed the post where I shared a “Day in My Life.” There were also several comments in the reader survey asking for more posts such as these. Well…I thought it would be really interesting to highlight other coaches and teachers, and their tricks and tools. What do you think?! I know, I’m excited too.

I’m looking for a few coaches and teachers to highlight in these posts. So, if you’d like to have a little chat with me and be featured on the site, please shoot me an email and let me know!

**I’ll also be opening the blog up to a few Guest Posts this year. If you are interested in providing value to the MsHouser community through your experiences as a coach or teacher, please contact me about being a guest author!

A WALK THROUGH A COACHING CYCLE SERIES – WITH VIDEOS!

When I was tallying up how many of you wanted more videos of coaching in action, there were a lot to mark down!

And sure, why not! I’ll be putting together a series of blog posts with videos, walking you through a full coaching cycle. I haven’t decided on the month I’ll release these yet, but it will likely be for the next Academic Year.

2016-2017 ACADEMIC TIME & TODO PLANNER

It’s coming(!!), and it’s going to be pretty awesome. We learned a lot after the first ever production and launch of the Time & ToDo Planner last year, and have been working hard on making this year’s planner even better.

The expected launch date is mid-April. You can sign up at timeandtodoplanner.com for additional info and updates.

A DIGITAL BOOK

Say what?! Yep, you heard me right. After five years of blogging, there is a ton of info on the site, but it’s not really organized in a way that’s super user friendly. And there are many of you who are new to coaching, and looking for a clear and well organized road-map for getting started and getting better. I think a book (with lots of visuals of course) is going to be a really helpful solution and resource for many of you.

If you have thoughts on info to be included, formatting, or anything else, here’s your chance to let me know! Please share your ideas in the comments below.

I may have a few other ideas up my sleeve, but these are the big ones I wanted to throw out there for now.

So much to look forward to, for sure!

I’m here to help make 2016 a fantastic year for you, and I hope you’re as excited as I am for these plans that will unfold throughout the year.

And remember, don’t forget to let me know:

What ideas/info would you love to see included in the Digital Book coming out this year?

Want to be a featured coach/teacher on the blog?

Thanks again and check you next week!

A Guided Reading Observation Template

Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips

Hello! How was your Thanksgiving Break?! Mine was pretty good overall. I was sick for a few days, but still managed to make time for some holiday decorating AND our long awaited home office project. Luke busted out his woodshop skills and built us the coolest desk ever! It’s L-shaped, so now we both have a super organized and inspired space to work in.

Productive blogging, product creating, and efficient planning here I come!

I know our super cool L-shaped desk isn’t the intended topic of this post, but I’m just so dang excited about it, I had to share.

Alright, moving on!

Yesterday afternoon, during my coaching convo with Olivia, I was giving myself a big pat on the back for the handy observation template I had created and was referring to. As we were chatting, I realized just how helpful it has been!

Olivia is brand new to guided reading, so I knew I needed to really “break it down”…or translate a guided reading lesson into small, concrete steps or parts.

In a small group PD session right before the start of our coaching cycle, I was able to walk her and a few other of our new teachers through the basic structure of what a guided reading lesson looks like. I created an anchor chart that looks like this:

I then used this same structure to create an observation form.

Download Here

I shared this with Olivia at the start of our coaching cycle, so she and I were on the same page for where we were headed and what I would be looking for. She was on board!

Then I made a few copies and popped them into my Coaching Kit.

This observation tool has been really helpful in my classroom visits, because I have a handy reference for exactly what I’m looking for. I’m also able to refer to this together with Olivia in our debriefs, as we discuss what worked well and what we might want to tweak the next time around.

Maybe you can use the tool directly, or just adjust it a bit to better meet your needs. Either way, hope it helps you with your work!

Thanks so much for being a part of the MsHouser community, and I’ll see you next week!

PS – If you have a quick sec, I’d really appreciate if you used the buttons below to share this post! Thanks a million.

6 Tips for Effective Meeting Facilitation

Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips, Time Management

Pop quiz time. Ready?

What is the number one, most valuable resource for coaches and teachers?

a. Coffee
b. Time
c. Post It Notes
d. Technology

And the answer is (I’ll bet you guessed it)…b!! TIME! (although maybe this could have been tied with a)

As you know, we really need every single minute of it to get done everything we need to get done in our busy days.

So there’s nothing worse than when our time is wasted.

And you know what one of the biggest culprits can be? Meaningless Meetings.

Sure, meetings (planning meetings, PD meetings, business related meetings) are an essential part of working in a school. But if run poorly, they can be a huge waste of time.

But good news! As coaches there’s something we can do about this.

We facilitate lots of meetings, so let’s make sure the ones we’re responsible for leading are meaning-FULL, not meaningless.

I thought it might be helpful if I walked you through a case study of what it can look like to put this plan into action.

OK. So earlier this week I facilitated a curriculum planning meeting with our fourth grade team. Here’s how I went about making sure I had all my ducks in a row and the meeting was a meaningful use of this team’s time.

1. Identify Outcomes and Create an Agenda

To help me identify an outcome for our time together that felt supportive to the team, I sent out an email the week prior to meeting with them. After I received their response, I was able to create a purposeful agenda aligned to their needs.

2. Provide Helpful Resources

I always try to think about what resources (books, videos, examples, planning templates, etc.) would support teachers in the work they’re setting out to accomplish. In this particular case, I thought it would be helpful to give them a planning template they could use to help them with the logistics that go into planning a Celebration of Learning.

3. Use Google Docs

In curriculum planning meetings, there’s frequently a good amount of collaborative work and thinking going on. Google Docs/Drive makes it super easy for me to capture this work and share it with the team afterwards.

4. Listen First, Talk Second

I have lots of thoughts and ideas I’m excited to share with teachers in planning meetings. But I zip it up, and listen first. Then I can guide the discussion as needed with follow-up questions or suggestions.

5. Track Time and Keep it Tight

As the facilitator, it’s my role to track time and keep the team’s work on track. Since we only have 45 minutes for these planning meetings, this is super important. Including the estimated amount of time for each part of the agenda helps with this.

6. Identify Next Steps and Follow-Up

Don’t forget to leave 5 minutes at the end of your time to review what was covered and identify next steps. AND set a time/day for when you’ll follow-up.

And BOOM! You’ve got yourself a meaning-FULL meeting.

If you have an upcoming meeting to facilitate, hopefully you can use these tips as a roadmap to get you started and check your work.

Have a question, or maybe a tip I didn’t include? Share it in the comments below.

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll talk to you soon!

P.S. If you liked this post and found it helpful, I’d GREATLY appreciate if you helped me spread the word using the share buttons below. Thanks!

The Time & ToDo Planner – 5 Years In the Making!

Instructional Coaching, Organization, Teaching Tips, Time Management

One Sunday night back in 2010, I picked up my notebook and started to draw. The new school year had just started, and I found myself suffering from that feeling of “too much to do and not enough time.” So I started sketching out a planning template that would allow me to organize everything that was in my head into my notebook. With everything on two facing pages, I could see my weekly schedule, priorities, and to-dos at the same time. I wanted everything together, not spread out between screens, sticky notes, or different pieces of paper.

It was around this time that my journey into design and creation began. I wanted to learn the design skills I needed to bring my planner sketches to life. So I signed up for a few classes on how to use Adobe Illustrator, then Photoshop, then InDesign and worked away on creating different planning tools after school and on weekends.

In March of 2013, I decided I would share one of the weekly planners I had created on my blog thinking other teachers trying to juggle everything, may like to use it too. Turns out, lots of teachers found it helpful! Three years later The Peek at the Week post was still one of my most popular, and the weekly planner was downloaded by 1,000’s of educators.

I took this as a little sign that maybe I wasn’t the only one trying to figure out the “too much to do, not enough time” feeling. Maybe I could make an upgraded version of the Peek at the Week planner, designed especially for teachers and other busy, creative professionals to help them manage their hectic weeks.

It was here that the Time & ToDo Planner really started to come to life. For the past nine months, I’ve been designing, tweaking, and testing….little by little, week by week.

After lots of drafts, I finally found a design to run with. A weekly layout that has helped me manage my time with my to-dos, providing a balance of flexibility with structure, and some style.

So now, 5 years later, I am super, super excited to share the culmination of this work: The Time & ToDo Planner.

A planner designed for the busiest of busy professionals…you!

Kickstarter Video!

Shop Planners

Take a flip through!

Shop Planners

Here, let me show you!

Map out your TIME on one side…

And your TO-DOs on the other side!

Want one?!

In an effort to bring this project to life, I launched a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign. Now, you can order your planner at TimeAndToDoPlanner.com

If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, it’s super cool and super easy to show your support. Just click on the amount you’d like to “pledge” towards the project.

When my funding goal is reached, production will begin and planners will be shipped!

My goal is to have your planner in your hands by early July, so you’ll be ready to plan and prepare for the new school year.

The foundation of being at the top of your game as a coach and/or teacher, is being planned, prepared, and organized. And I’m confident this planner will help get you there!

Whether it’s with a pledge or a share, your support at any level would mean so much.

Shop Planners

Thank you!

A Day in the Life of Ms. Houser

Goals and Motivation, Instructional Coaching

I keep a running list of blog post topics and one that has been on there for awhile is a “Day in the Life” post. I secretly love learning about the rhythms and routines of other people’s everyday schedules. When I’m out walking my dog at night, I’ll even walk a bit more slowly past open windows so I can peek inside. Is that weird?

Anyhow, I got to thinking that most of the posts I’ve written on this little blog of mine, have been more professional and less personal. I haven’t really shared much about the gal behind MsHouser.com. And I know that one of my favorite parts of reading a blog is making a connection with the person writing it. So in an effort to get to know each other a bit better, I’m opening up my window curtains and inviting you to take a peek inside.

My morning and evening routine is pretty standard, although my coaching days are always different. This day though {Wednesday of this week} reflects a pretty typical coaching day. Alrighty, let’s take a peek.

4:30am WAKEUP

The alarm goes off and my chocolate lab pup jumps on the bed to greet/lick me good morning. I’m a super early bird, so I don’t mind the 4:30am wake-up time. It gives me a few extra minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee, write in my journal, and map out my day. Starting the day this way, helps me get focused and organized for the day ahead.

5:15am EXERCISE

Most mornings I’ll head out for a long, brisk walk with the puppy, Sombra {spanish for shadow}. He’s pretty much the cutest thing ever, don’t you think? And he gives me a pretty good workout.

6:45am DRIVE IN

I hop in my car and head off to school, which is about a 25 minute commute. I’ll usually listen to a good podcast or audiobook on the way there.

7:20am SET-UP FOR THE DAY & BREAKFAST

I head into my coaching office, unpack my bag and get set-up for the day. I’ll have my breakfast while I check a few emails and see if there any changes I need to make to my schedule or anyone I need to get back to right away.

7:45am COACHING VISIT

I’m working fairly intensively with a kindergarten teacher right now in the mornings. So I’m in there longer than I would normally be in a classroom. We’re digging into rituals and routines. We’re both learning a ton and enjoying it! Kindergartners are pretty funny.

10:00am COACHING PLANNING

I always build some time into my daily schedule to review my coaching observation notes and plan for my debriefs with teachers. I think it’s important to be prepared for when you meet with teachers, just as you would be prepared for teaching a lesson. Teachers are sharing some of their limited planning time with you, in the hopes that you can help them and their students grow, so it should be worth their time!

11:00am COACHING COACHES

This isn’t a usual event in my schedule, but it was a fun one to add in! I chatted with a group of coaches about scheduling, the instructional coaching tools I use, lessons learned, goal setting and some Q&A at the end. Some of my lessons learned…be prepared and always be honest with teachers! It’s okay not to have all the answers and it’s okay to honestly talk through sticky situations.

12:00pm LUNCH {usually}

I always make time to eat lunch, but at what time that happens…it just depends on the day. As much as I love structure and routine, different things may come up during the day and coaching requires you to be flexible. When it is time for lunch, I’ll check in on email or do some reading.

12:45pm WORK ON DISPLAY

Its’s College Friday in Colorado, and I’ve been working hard all week on creating a “college dreams” wall for our kids. This is the center of the display, and it extends down the hall. Creating different displays or walls such as this throughout our building, is something I enjoy doing, and offer to help out with on occasion.

1:15pm FACILITATE VISITORS

A few times a year, we host groups of visitors from other schools. Today I facilitated a site visit for a group of 7 teachers, with a focus on identifying instructional practices that support the engagement and achievement of students.

2:45pm MEET WITH CHELSEA

Chelsea and I are just kicking off our coaching cycle together and are meeting today to review her updated assessment data, so we can set a goal and identify some instructional strategies for the focus group of students we’ll be working with.

3:45pm DRIVE HOME

Time to head home for the day. Another podcast plugged in, a snack to munch on, and I’m home!

4:15PM PLAY TIME!

This is one of my favorite times of the day. Sombra is crazy excited when I get home and I’m pretty dang excited to see him too. Luke, my fiancé, hears the commotion upstairs and comes up to greet us {he works from home}. Then we all head out back for some bone throwing and chasing time.

5:00pm PREP FOR NEXT DAY

This time includes unpacking my bags, making breakfast and lunch for tomorrow, cleaning up the house a bit, picking out tomorrow’s outfit, mail…all that kind of stuff.

6:00pm DINNER AND FAMILY TIME

We try pretty hard to have our meals planned out for the week and enjoy spending some time together in the kitchen cooking healthy meals. Tonight is one of our favorites, chicken burrito bowls.

7:30pm BIZ WORK

I’ve been working super hard on my side business, so I’ve been using this time to hustle. I’m in the process of launching a new, unique weekly planner designed for educators and other busy professionals. It’s been a long time dream in the making and I can’t wait to share it with you! You’ll hear more about it in the coming weeks.

9:00pm GET READY FOR SLEEP

I like taking a hot shower before I go to bed, just to wash the day off and relax. Then I’ll do a little fiction reading to help me get my mind off work stuff. Right now I’m reading The Maze Runner, and really liking it!

9:30pm LIGHTS OUT!

Thanks so much for taking the time to get to know me a little better. I hope this post also gave you a better idea of what an instructional coaching day can look like. I know that’s something I’m always curious about.

Now it’s your turn!

If you’d like to send me a note or introduce yourself in the comments below, I’d love it!

Have a happy weekend and I’ll talk to you soon.

How to Structure a Close Read Lesson

Instructional Coaching, Teaching Tips

Have you been digging into Common Core and Close Reading lately? Us too. I’m actually in a coaching cycle right now, with a goal focused on supporting student independence with informational complex text. And man, this can sure be tricky to do well.

We’ve used a few resources that have been super helpful. The first is a book I’ve mentioned before, Transformational Literacy. This book helped us learn more about using close reading as an instructional sequence that helps all students access complex texts. We also referred to this video to help us get a visual of putting it all together.

Dina {my coachee} learned a ton in the process and so did I. This visual is a reflection of our learning.

And speaking of learning, I just saw a lesson in Dina’s room this week, where it all fell into place. All the bite sized next steps we worked to implement throughout the coaching cycle, came together and were reflected in her lesson. Kids were engaged and sharing their thinking while grappling through a complex, worthy text. Text based questions were used to guide student understanding and support critical thinking. And students synthesized their understandings at the end of the lesson using evidence from the text. Way to go Dina and Dina’s students!! Thanks for allowing me to learn with you.

Thank you cards from Dina and her class! What a great way to end a coaching cycle.

5 New Books to Add to Your Reading List

Instructional Coaching, Teaching Tips

I’m always on the hunt for new books to help sharpen my saw and I’ve recently found a few worth sharing.

Here is a list of 5 books I’ve found myself digging back into on a regular basis to help me answer questions, guide my coaching, and just work smarter.

Leverage Leadership, by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools

I heard about this one through the Coaching Teachers course I took on Coursera. As soon as I saw Orin {course facilitator} had recommended it, I jumped right on Amazon to purchase it! The chapter of the book that I’ve gravitated the most towards, is on Observation and Feedback. Reading through this chapter, in conjunction with the Coaching Teachers course, gave me a new way to frame my debrief conversations: probing questions to ask, examples of bite sized and high leverage action steps and building in time for practice/implementation.

It’s been super motivating for me to continue to push myself in the area of effective feedback. With each coaching conversation, I feel like I’m getting a little better, and this book has been helpful with that. Oh, and it comes with videos of coaching conversations which I’ve watched and rewatched.

Leverage Leadership by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

Transformational Literacy

Making the Common Core Shift with Work that Matters

I’ve been trying to get my hands on as much information as I can related to the Common Core and close reading of complex texts. And this book nails both areas on the head! The information it’s provided on the instructional sequence of close reading {in text and on video} has been super helpful for a current coaching cycle I have going with a 4^th grade teacher. We started by watching the video provided, doing some reading, and then thought about what parts would make sense to apply in the context of our work.

If you’re studying Common Core instruction at your school the book includes a professional development guide you can use. It’s more aligned to upper grades, so if you’re looking for primary Common Core, this one probably won’t be the most helpful.

Transformational Literacy by Ron Berger, Libby Woodfin

Great Habits Great Readers

A Practical Guide for K-4 Reading in the Light of the Common Core

Speaking of Common Core in primary, this book has been a great resource for me in this area. It’s the first, and so far only book I’ve found that speaks specifically to reading instruction as it relates to the CC standards.

The section on guided reading is especially good and I’ve been referring to it frequently through my coaching with teachers. What I think I’ve especially appreciated in the book is the emphasis it places on identifying next steps and choosing texts for students based on Lexile levels or bands. We’ve relied on the traditional Fountas & Pinnell leveling system for so long, it’s a push to think about text selection differently, but a good push I think. And I’ve got a lot more to learn in this area.

Great Habits Great Readers by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, Aja Settles, Juliana Worrell

Leaders of their Own Learning

Transforming Schools Through Student Engaged Assessment

If you’re interested in learning more about student engaged assessment, this is your book. Using data consistently and effectively with students is huge! Yet, this is an approach to assessment that many of us aren’t taking advantage of. I did some work with this book at the beginning of the year when I was teaching half-day, and I wished I’d had more time to put my learning into practice, as I had only just started to dip my toes into what could be done.

If you’re coaching and working with a more advanced teacher, this book would serve as a good push in learning, maybe for you both!

Leaders of their Own Learning by Ron Berger, Leah Rugen, Libby Woodfin

The Miracle Morning

The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8am)

I love routines {yep, sure do} and I’m a total early bird, so this book was right up my alley. Although I’ve always had some kind of morning routine going on, this book presented a new framework for taking full advantage of your AM time. Since reading it, I’ve done some shaking up of my own morning ritual and am working on being more consistent with it. Each morning I try to include time to work on my blog, exercise, journal, and have even started doing some visualizing of my goals.

I kind of want to write a book called “The Miracle Morning for Teachers” because I really believe it’s such an important daily ritual that supports your success and happiness in lots of different ways.

As teachers and coaches we’re giving so much of ourselves to others during the day, my vote is we give a little time to ourselves as well.

Effective feedback = specific information you’re offering a teacher in their efforts to reach an identified goal.

So now with this new or reinforced learning in place…pop quiz time! Ready?!

Both advice and praise can be great tools when supporting teachers, and they both have their time and place. However, they’re very different from feedback. Because as we just learned, effective feedback is information that supports a teacher in reaching their goal. Got it?!

The plan is pretty simple really, just 3 steps – List It, Map It, Block It.

STEP 1 – LIST IT

STEP 2 – MAP IT

STEP 3 – BLOCK IT

STEP 4 – WORK IT!

Do everything you can to follow-through and maintain the commitments you’ve just made to yourself, and your goals and priorities. Work hard to defend it, and remember this isn’t a perfect process, so revise and adjust as needed.

For the ultimate planning tool that follows this exact system, check out the Time & ToDo Planner!

YOUR HOMEWORK

Let me know how it goes, or what questions come up, in the comments below.

Here are some specific take-aways from our conversation:

Have any thoughts in response to this coaching convo? Let us know in the comments below.

Don’t worry team! I’m going to keep this train going! And I’m going to keep it going strong.

INTERVIEW WITH A COACH/TEACHER SERIES

A WALK THROUGH A COACHING CYCLE SERIES – WITH VIDEOS!

2016-2017 ACADEMIC TIME & TODO PLANNER

A DIGITAL BOOK

I’m here to help make 2016 a fantastic year for you, and I hope you’re as excited as I am for these plans that will unfold throughout the year.

What is the number one, most valuable resource for coaches and teachers?

So there’s nothing worse than when our time is wasted.

We facilitate lots of meetings, so let’s make sure the ones we’re responsible for leading are meaning-FULL, not meaningless.

1. Identify Outcomes and Create an Agenda

2. Provide Helpful Resources

3. Use Google Docs

4. Listen First, Talk Second

5. Track Time and Keep it Tight

6. Identify Next Steps and Follow-Up

A planner designed for the busiest of busy professionals…you!

Want one?!

The foundation of being at the top of your game as a coach and/or teacher, is being planned, prepared, and organized. And I’m confident this planner will help get you there!

4:30am WAKEUP

5:15am EXERCISE

6:45am DRIVE IN

7:20am SET-UP FOR THE DAY & BREAKFAST

7:45am COACHING VISIT

10:00am COACHING PLANNING

11:00am COACHING COACHES

12:00pm LUNCH {usually}

12:45pm WORK ON DISPLAY

1:15pm FACILITATE VISITORS

2:45pm MEET WITH CHELSEA

3:45pm DRIVE HOME

4:15PM PLAY TIME!

5:00pm PREP FOR NEXT DAY

6:00pm DINNER AND FAMILY TIME

7:30pm BIZ WORK

9:00pm GET READY FOR SLEEP

9:30pm LIGHTS OUT!

Now it’s your turn!

Leverage Leadership, by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo

Transformational Literacy

Great Habits Great Readers

Leaders of their Own Learning

The Miracle Morning

Do you have a book you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!