Learning Labs: Igniting Inquiry & Inspiring Change

I have this mantra—

good work produces good work

When my kids were babies, their pediatrician would say, “good sleep produces good sleep.” Across the years, it proved to be true. None of my kids ever slept well when they were overly tired. If they were well rested, they rested well. I think a similar concept applies in schools. When good work is happening—it’s contagious. Good work ignites inquiry. Good work produces more good work and, in turn, inspires change.

Recently, I had the pleasure of supporting a school district that also believes good work produces good work. They’ve worked hard to stick with things that create growth. I’m fortunate to be included in some of their exciting work. They believe, like I do, that our work in schools is complex and that change doesn’t happen overnight. In addition, they believe that collaboration makes a difference. Following are some highlights — told through reflections and images — from my recent work with Enumclaw School District.

Reflection #1: Asking important questions and co-constructing solutions yields high-leverage, action-oriented results.

Reflection #2: Co-planning [through learning progressions or units of study] is essential because thinking together helps us close the knowing-naming-doing gap.

Reflection #3: Having choice in how we plan [templates, charts, high/low tech options, post-it notes, etc.] puts teachers in the planning driver’s seat—which is where they need to be!

Access to templates forthcoming [Benchmark, 2020].

Reflection #4: Learning Lab experiences are capacity building structures that create short and long-term impacts.

Reflection #5: Time and space to work collaboratively is necessary if we want to ignite inquiry and inspire change.

Writing to Make Sense of Our Work in Schools

Over a decade ago, a group of amazing women educators came together to study, define, collaborate, and write about what really matters in education. We spent a year — looking at research, creating sustainable professional learning structures, and naming and practicing our beliefs about learning. The positive implications from that time are deep and wide.

Across our year of study, we each kept a notebook filled with ideas, inquiries, and wonderings. Individually, we made a list of book titles that outlined what mattered most to us. These were books-to-be-written in the years to come. They captured what lived in our heads, hearts and guts and came directly from our years of teaching experiences and our love of education.

While miles separate us today, our work from that year continues to resonate with me. That year shaped me. It nudged me to think differently and it created space for me act bravely. I kept that notebook and continued to add to it. Eventually, the one notebook turned into seven—what fun—and out of those notebooks came writing that has helped me make sense of our work in schools.

I’m excited about some new books that I’ve written and co-written that are coming into the world—each with ties to that first writing crew all those years ago.

Side by Side instructional Coaching: 10 Asset-Based Habits That Spark Collaboration, Risk-Taking, and Growth [Benchmark, 2022]

Audience:  Instructional Coaches, Principals, Curriculum Directors, Department Chairs, Team Leaders [anyone who facilitates learning with and for others]

Gist: Every child deserves a teacher who has a thinking partner.  That’s because our work in schools is too complicated and important to go it alone.  The 10 Habits in this book are designed to create support structures for everyone and led by everyone—administrators, instructional coaches, department chairs, team leaders, grade level colleagues.  The key ingredient is working together in asset-based ways to build capacity across the learning community.  Whether you already have a well-established coaching program or you are trying to build support from the ground up, this book will give you lots of practical ideas, tips, tools, how-to lists, and protocols to support your efforts.  Although this book has a literacy focus, the 10 Habits are transferable to all content areas.

This book unpacks these 10 Habits:

1. Develop Relationships

2. Communicate Plans

3. Define Beliefs

4. Design Goals

5. Co-plan

6. Co-teach

7. Create Tracks

8. Reflect

9. Build Capacity

10. Prioritize Across the Year

BUY THE BOOK HERE!

What’s Our Response? Creating Systems & Structures to Support ALL Learners [FIRST Educational Resources, 2021]

Audience: Classroom Teachers, Intervention Specialists, Instructional Coaches, Administrators

Gist: In education time is never on our side.  Too much time is being spent in meetings to discuss students’ deficits and not enough time harnessing their assets. Students come to school each day with individual and collective wants and needs, and it’s our job to harness who and where they are. The RtI process doesn’t have to be a machine model approach with an over-reliance on short sided skill and drill; it can be a dynamic, flexible, in-the-moment response focused on good instruction.   This book explores how to keep students at the center of decision-making so that the focus is fidelity to our students instead of fidelity to content, curriculum or program by addressing 5 Problems of Practice with RtI which include:

• We need to break out of the RtI box.

• We need to honor and increase teacher autonomy and agency.

• We need child study teams focused on students’ assets.

• We need to increase students' thinking and doing time.

• We need good instruction because that makes the best interventions.

This book will provide dozens of ready-to-use, solution-oriented tools to create asset-based systems and structures so that you are better positioned to create an instructional response that will support all students’ growth.

I’ve been blessed with incredible mentors, thinking partners, and editors. I’m inspired by a current writing group called The Radish Writers. Being a part of a writing tribe is one of the greatest gifts—if you don’t have one….go start one! Gather people who want to write and think and do together. It will inspire you. It will unleash you. It will change you.

BUY THE BOOK HERE!

Short Texts: Mighty Mentors for Readers and Writers

Audience: Classroom Teachers [K-5], Intervention Specialists [K-8], Instructional Coaches, Principals, Curriculum Directors

Gist: Short texts are everywhere, and so are the readers who love them.  In this anthology, learn how to select, plan with, and use short texts to increase reading volume and inspire opportunities for writing.  From novel excerpts to the writing on the back of a cereal box, short texts have so much to teach our students about the form and function of reading and writing in the world. And this amazing resource has so much to teach us about the power of “short” to help readers and writers go the long distance.

What you will find in this book:

• CONSUME, PRODUCE, SHARE, EXTEND—a process for considering what texts we choose to consume, how we mine texts for what matters, whether we want to produce something to share with others, and opportunities to extend our reading and writing

• 30 + short texts spanning non-fiction, fiction, poetry, environmental print and more!

• One-page Planning Templates that help you think through the trickiest parts of each text type and the stickiest ideas 

• Completed Planning Templates to give you a running start of ready-to-go lessons

• Ways to use short texts with all your readers (whole class, small groups, and one-to-one) and across the content areas

• Extensions for using each short text to inspire and inform writing

• Resources and templates for you to start finding and using your own short texts

COMING SOON!

Short Text + Note Catcher + Student Talk = Increased Engagement & Reading Volume

Short texts are everywhere—often within reach or quick glance. Think about all of the short texts that surround you each day such as:

• To Do List

• Take-out Menu

• Poem

• Magazine Article

• Signage at the Mall

• Pamphlet in a hotel lobby

• Ads on your web browser home page

• Instagram Posts

The list goes on and on. And, most short texts are packed full of meaning-making opportunities for readers of all ages. Elizabeth and I are excited to share lots of exciting ideas about ways to use short texts in our forthcoming book, Short Texts: Mighty Mentors That Move Readers and Writers Forward [Benchmark, 2020] which is filled with texts, templates, and planners which is sure to get you and your students jazzed up about reading [and maybe even creating] short texts of all types!

TRY THIS

1. Grab a short text that you think is interesting and that you think will pique your students’ interests.

2. Give students a copy of the Short Texts Note Catcher [see example below].

3. Read the descriptions under each shape and discuss with students.

   NOTE: If you believe more than 50% of your students will need support, choose a short text and a copy of the note catcher and create a shared reading experience. Display the short text and read it with students—making your thinking visible to them as you co-construct meaning and hold your thinking using the note catcher. This experience will give students an opportunity to try on a short text and this note catcher, providing support where needed and leading to greater success.

4. Group students in pairs, trios or groups of 4.

5. Give students 10-15 minutes to read and jot down their answers. Join small groups of students to provide support where needed.

6. Provide time for students to share their note catcher ideas with others.

EXTENDING THE LEARNING

• Grab other short texts and give students multiple opportunities to read, make meaning, jot down their thinking and share with others.

• Invite students to collect and share other short texts that could be used with this activity.

• Ask students if they have other shapes or question stems they might want to add to this note catcher. Invite students to create a Short Text Shape Note Catcher for others to try out.

INTERESTED IN OTHER NOTE CATCHERS?

Note Catchers can be used across settings and for many different purposes. The shape note catchers I blog about are inspired by ideas we developed in our book, What Are You Grouping For?, Grades 3-8: How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers—Not the Book [Wright & Hoonan, 2018]. If you like shape note catchers, check out A Little Bit About…which can help you get to know students and their interests.

Creating Entry Points #2: Try Using a Short Text to Ignite Reading & Writing Volume

We say it all of the time….READ, READ, READ.. Read a lot, read often, and read different types of books. We book talk, share hot reads, and work diligently to fill our bookshelves with interesting, culturally responsive, relevant books. In addition, we model lifelong reading habits by sharing with students how we [their teachers] live literate lives by talking about the books we read and love and how reading continues to shape our thinking and perspectives. On a professional level, we talk about ending “book deserts” and increasing reading opportunities for students during school breaks. Everyone is working pretty hard.

Kids get it! They understand that we want them to read often, widely and deeply. Why, then, are so many kiddos without books in their hands regardless of our efforts? In our forthcoming book, Short Texts: Mighty Mentors That Move Readers and Writers Forward [Benchmark, 2020], Elizabeth and I talk about the beauty of getting short texts in readers’ hands to ignite reading volume, among other benefits. We can’t wait to share this book — filled with dozens of short texts and ideas — that will fuel teaching and learning opportunities across content areas.

Our hope—to inspire teachers and students alike—to be on the look-out for interesting, thought-provoking, fun texts that make kiddos want to read AND want to read more! Take a look at this short text.

1. What stands out to you?

2. Where do your eyes land and what do you want to read first?

Does it look familiar? When you were young, or maybe even today as an adult, was the back of a cereal box part of your morning eating routine? Did you ever have repeat readings across several days and see things you didn’t see the day before? Did reading something on the back of the box ever pique your curiosity and make you want to know more? Today, the back of cereal boxes often entertain, inspire creativity, inform. One of the biggest benefits is the invitation to re-read, read additional texts and write. In addition, they can open a door for further exploration. For example, the cereal box above:

Here is the point: Reading the back of a cereal box IS reading and counts as EYES ON PRINT which leads to increased reading volume. Since this type of short text is engaging, it might even motivate students to read more and initiate some writing experiences that they may otherwise have missed.

TRY THIS

1. Explain to students that a short text is…short. Share a few examples with them [picture book, poem, advertisement].

2. Share other examples of short texts [back of a cereal box, bag of pretzels, box of crackers, etc.].

3. Ask students to find a package at home that they can bring in to share with others.

4. In the next few days, create a bucket of “Package Short Texts”. When there are enough short texts to go around, have students share the package they brought from home with a small group [pairs or trios].

5. Give students 15-20 minutes to share their packages.

6. Gather students together. Model and share one of the packages that you find exciting. Think aloud for them about ways this short text entertained you, inspired creativity in you, informed you, and if you plan to read or write anything more because of this short text.

7. Ask students to work with their small group again and answer one [or more of the following] questions:

   • How did the package entertain you?

   • How did the package inspire creativity?

   • How did the package inform you?

   • Based on what you’ve read, is there anything related that you would like to explore further?

8. As students work, listen in [or kidwatch] so that you get a sense of students’ knowledge and understandings. if applicable, clear up any confusion.

9. If time permits, ask small groups to share out their findings with others.

SOME TIPS

• Invite students to bring in packages across several weeks to share with the class. If there’s time and interest, give students an opportunity to read and write from classmates’ packages too!

• If you are an administrator or instructional coach, consider asking colleagues to bring in packages to share during a staff meeting. They could:

  • Form a small group and talk to colleagues about their short text.

  • Brainstorm ideas about ways packages could be used in the classroom to increase reading and writing volume.

First 15 Days of Small Group Learning

As winter break approaches and your eyes turn to the first weeks of 2020, consider increasing small group learning opportunities for your students. We know there are often obstacles that make small groups difficult to manage. One way to overcome those challenges is through intentional and strategic planning. if you want to jumpstart your planning NOW [yes, even before the winter break!] or in January, take a look at the First 15 Days of Small Group Learning. Remember, small groups can be launched at any point in the school year!

The first 15 days were written with care, but of course did not take into account the specific needs of your students. So, don’t be afraid to adjust these plans to make them match your goals along with students’ interests, wants and needs. If any of these plans don’t quite fit, you might want to:

• Spend more time if needed [turn one day of learning and extend it across 2-3 days]

• Spend less time if needed [skip or shorten a workshop]

Also, remember…

• If you don’t have the suggested materials, swap them out for things that are readily available

• If the suggested focus for instruction is not what your students need—collectively or individually—change it up

• If you aren’t sure if the plans are working or helping students—remember to ask them to share their ideas and insights with you. Students are often the best self-assessors of what they know, are able to do, and what they need next. All we have to do is ask.

Flexible, small group learning yields great results with measurable impacts. Here’s to finding JOY in small group learning in the days, weeks, and months to come!

Creating Entry Points #1: Try Using a Photograph to Spark Curiosity & Interest

SOME BACKGROUND [SHARING MY ROOTS]

Many moons ago, I was a self-contained, intermediate teacher. I loved teaching, loved my kiddos, loved my colleagues and my school. From day-to-day, my students helped breathe life into the work I was doing. That was especially true when the work was extra hard—navigating school initiatives, trying to understand state and district mandates, making sense of curricula, and staying on top of the never-ending, to do list on my teacher clipboard.

Those days are vivid in my mind’s eye because it was the same time my firstborn, Sydney, showed her beautiful face to the world. I was a proud, new, working mom [missing my baby fiercely] which resulted in a daily quick share during Morning Meeting, referred by my students as “Sydney Story Time”. I shared stories about Sydney throwing Cheerios all over the floor, her refusal to keep baby socks on her feet, her babbles and first words, and descriptions of lost toys in our backseat. My kiddos learned a lot about Sydney, but they also learned a lot about me and the things that were important in my life.

In those days being digital was a 2 or 3 step process. Once a week, I added a picture to my narrative to add to the storytelling experience. My students would gather around our desktop computer to view the “Sydney Picture of the Week”. As I shared the play-by-play descriptions that accompanied the picture, my students would smile and laugh and ask questions and give advice. I knew I was onto something meaningful because if I was out of the classroom and missed Morning Meeting, my students expected 2 “Sydney Stories” upon my return. It was pure joy.

Each day during Reading and Writing Workshop, my students had 2 big chunks of work time where they were doing the work of READING [reading texts they chose] and doing the work of WRITING [writing a lot]. Among others, we had 2 goals that were consistent across every unit, every day. They were:

1. EYES ON PRINT, EYES ON PRINT, EYES ON PRINT to build reading volume.

2. PENCIL TO THE PAGE, PENCIL TO THE PAGE, PENCIL TO THE PAGE to build writing volume.

“Sydney Stories” often became entry points for my students’ reading and writing experiences. It was not unusual for a few details to show up in my students’ Writer’s Notebooks. Sometimes students recounted the events from Sydney’s point of view. Sometimes fictitious details were added. Other times, students would write a similar story, but change the main character or add a new ending with a twist. There were even times when a few students would launch some research and create things, based on something that was shared, which is how I acquired homemade, baby-safe, hanging toys in the backseat of my car.

SO WHAT? WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Kids want to know their teachers. They want to know about our experiences, talents, fears, family happenings, and the adventures of our daily lives. It’s reciprocal because we want to know our students in the same way. As the years passed, I expanded my Morning Meeting share to include lots of things about me— interesting things about my extended family, my passions, and curiosities. My sharing often inspired students to want to to do the same, giving everyone ongoing opportunities to learn about and know one another.

EFFICIENT & EFFECTIVE PRACTICES STAND THE TEST OF TIME

Recently, our family got a new puppy. Oh my…. it’s like having a toddler in the house! Here’s Denver, our 16-week old Bernedoodle.

As an instructional coach who visits schools, I often need to create opportunities to learn about students and ways for students to get to know me. Earlier this week I was working with some amazing 4th graders. To launch our work, I shared Denver’s picture above along with these details:

• My family got a new puppy.

• He is 16 weeks old.

• His name is Denver and he is a Bernedoodle.

• He came from a breeder in Indiana.

• His mom had a litter of 7 puppies.

• When Denver runs across the yard, he sometimes does a little somersault because he’s in that clumsy puppy stage.

Students broke into small groups for about 7 minutes to discuss anything they were thinking about. The room was full of productive chatter. Some students talked about their own pets. Others listed wonderings they had about Denver. During Reading and Writing Workshop, students were given several choices. They were invited to read or write something that they were previously working on OR they could do some work in response to Denver’s picture. During a quick brainstorm, we generated this list together of some possibilities.

Denver’s photo sparked curiosity and interest, but the key was students’ choice and autonomy in what they did [or didn’t do] after my quick share. Some students talked more about their own experiences with puppies. Some students researched about Bernadoodles and other points of interest. Some created lists of questions while others wrote Denver adventure stories. Most importantly, some went about with their own reading and writing projects because that is how they chose to spend their time. These 4th graders are just getting started—I can’t wait to see where their literacy journey takes them!

TRY THIS: USE A PHOTOGRAPH TO SPARK CURIOSITY & INTEREST

1. Find a photo/image that is meaningful to you [family member, recent experience, something from nature, etc.]

2. Project the photo/image so that students can see it and share a few details about it.. Note: If time permits, give students time to talk about the photo/image and/or ask you questions about it.

3. Explain that during Reading and/or Writing Workshop, students will have time to read or write something related to the photo/image you shared OR they can read or write something they were previously working on.

4. As a whole group, brainstorm some possible reading and writing ideas.

5. Give students time to read and/or write.

6. At the end of Reading or Writing Workshop, give students an opportunity to share what they’ve been working on [whole group or small groups].

7. As students share, listen in and kidwatch so that you can use this data/intel to impact your focus for instruction in the days to come. CONSIDER: Ask students if they would like more time to read and write using the photo/image as inspiration OR if they have had enough time. If students would like more time, plan accordingly based on students’ interests/needs and your school/district curricular calendars.

SOME TIPS

• Invite students to bring in a photo/image to share with the class. If there’s time and interest, give students an opportunity to read and write from classmates’ photos too!

• If you are an administrator or instructional coach, consider asking colleagues to bring in a photograph to share during a staff meeting. They could:

  • Form a small group and talk to colleagues about their photo.

  • Do a quick write about their photo or any photo in the room.

  • Brainstorm ideas about ways photographs/images could be used in the classroom to bolster reading and writing volume.