Creating a Culture of CollaborationImplementing Adolescent Literacy Instructional

Practices

Krista L. McDanielLiteracy Coordinator & Coach, RtI CoordinatorLittleton High School, Littleton Colorado

Doctoral Candidate, University of Colorado Denver

Leadership in Educational Equity

Literacy Dreams

• Imagine your school or district in 10 years. Your colleagues have embedded literacy instructional practices across all contents and courses. What do classrooms look like, sound like, and feel like?

• How do we achieve the dream?

Identify your allies – Develop your Networks

Teaching Colleagues

Administrative Support

District Colleagues

External Networks

Administrator Advice: Create structures and systems for

communication among and between groups

Broaden Base of Knowledge

• Begin with your allies• Facilitate exploration of

research• Meet regularly with

principal • Share your knowledge• Become a source of

knowledge

Conceptual Framework: The Map

•What are

WE going?

• Guiding Principles

• Data• Progress

MonitoringHandout: Guiding Principles P. 3

Advice to Administrators: Expect Research-Based Recommendations

Be wary of the “program”

Effective Instructional Practices

Research, R

esearch, R

esearch

Current Focus for LHS 2008-2010

• Direct instruction in comprehension strategies• Activating/building background/prior

knowledge • Use of differentiated texts using Lexile scores• Summary Writing• Graphic Organizers• Text-Based Collaboration

Handout: LHS 2008 – 2010 p. 4

Professional Development: The “Why” Factor

• Always answer the “why”

• Big Picture Connections

• Data Informed Decisions

• Progress Monitoring

• Linking RTI PLC & PD Matrix.pdfHandout: RtI/PLC/PD

Connection for LHS

Develop a Collaborative Culture of Practice

• Workshop Approach PD• Differentiate for Content Areas• Options: Choice vs. Level• Study Groups• Implementation Time

Handout: What does good PD look like, sound like, and

feel like? (p.4)

Administrator Advice: Make Collaborative Professional

Development a Priority

Handout: What does good PD look like,

sound like, and feel like?

Patience, Patience, PatienceRepetition, Repetition, Repetition

Listen, Listen, ListenBelieve, Believe, Believe

Students, Students, Students

WE can Create a Collaborative Culture