After more than four decades working in diverse classrooms and schools, I believe that professional development--what I prefer to call professional learning-- works best when it is schoolwide and ongoing. In order to raise and sustain literacy achievement for all learners, the most effective professional learning creates a culture of high expectations and trust, informed professional conversations, and shared learning and shared experiences as part of the daily fabric of the classroom and school. Therefore, my current focus is on working with school teams—teachers, coaches, and leaders—through my video-based, virtual residencies (Transforming Our Teaching Series), which are the actual weeklong residencies I conducted in diverse schools (see Residency model). In the Transforming Our Teaching Series, I demonstrate, discuss, and analyze what highly effective reading and writing practices look like and sound like in daily teaching, learning, and leading.
Transforming Our Teaching Series:
Virtual Learning
A self-pacing, literacy and video-based professional learning series that works with any existing curriculum and resources. The Transforming Our Teaching series includes three, comprehensive offerings: Reading/Writing Connections, Writing for Audience and Purpose, and Reading to Understand. A printed, consumable Professional Notebook for participants accompanies each offering.
