Research on effective sports coaching suggests adults would do well by kids to cut down on criticism and focus more on the joy simply playing.
Category: coaching
Be a Writing Coach.
Would you like to help your striving writers so they can be more independent? Try a coaching conference to move them forward!
Coaching Writers in the Small Group
Coaches of young athletes often offer tips, reminders, and suggestions from the sidelines in hopes of eliciting the best possible performance from the team. As teachers of writing, we can borrow this structure in our small group settings.
Let’s Talk About Methods for Conferring
When I was a new teacher, I learned from Lucy Calkins that there are basically four overall methods to choose from when planning instruction: 1) demonstration, 2) coaching, 3) inquiry, and 4) telling/explaining. This four-method framework is useful for thinking about conferring.
A Data System For Tracking Progress
The last post I wrote was about what students will say leads to their growth as writers. In that post, I mentioned the data system we use to track their progress, and several people asked me about it. Therefore, I am trying to explain some of its major and duplicable features. We actually developed it during… Continue reading A Data System For Tracking Progress
Literacy Coaches: Schools out. Now what?
Four practical priorities for this summer.
Back to Basics: Writing Centers
As you head into this week, remember to keep your head up and check on the basics. In this post I share five things you might look for and notice about writing centers.
A Peek Into My Evolving Chartbook
Over the years, my chartbook has evolved. Here are some of the latest pages.
Literacy Coaches: The Art of Voicing-Over
Are you an instructional coach? As part of your work, do you demonstrate minilessons, conferring, or small group work in classrooms? If yes, then this post is for YOU!
Literacy Coaches: Conferring with Teachers and Co-Teaching in Writing Workshop
As a literacy coach, my preference is to visit on any given regular day to be a part of what is authentically happening, and to have genuine, in-the-moment conversations in the classroom. At the same time, it is helpful to have some structure around how a given classroom visit might go--so that people know what to expect. Conferring with teachers and co-teaching makes this possible.
Literacy Coaches: Three Ideas for Next Year’s Goals
Are you a literacy coach? Here are three ideas to try next year.
Ten Tips for Coaching into Writing Partnerships
Do you ever have the feeling that every time you come near a partnership, they stop what they were really doing? Here are ten tips for coaching into partnerships, without taking over.

