I am following these posts with great interest. I wonder if everyone has a common definition of "Balanced Literacy". I have seen so many different explanations, some simple and some very complex. There are teachers who believe they are using a balanced literacy approach, but I would have to disagree. I would be curious as to how some of you would define the term. It helps in discussions to be sure everyone is one the same page.
Thanks, Maureen -----Original Message----- From: mosaic-boun...@literacyworkshop.org [mailto:mosaic-boun...@literacyworkshop.org] On Behalf Of Beverlee Paul Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 8:00 AM To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] RTI And in a bit hotter hell on earth as a literacy coach or coach supervisor. On Wed, Dec 17, 2008 at 7:03 AM, Ljackson <ljack...@gwtc.net> wrote: > That would be nice except...our teachers of literacy have all had (or > are > having) the opportunity to participate in a year-long literacy class > focusing on balanced instruction. Our teachers have unbelievable > summer training opportunities. We have coaching support available in > all buildings. Teachers are supported in opportunities to observe. > These opportunities are carefully undertaken, with an opportunity to > visit before and after with the teacher they will observe. The visits > are facilitated by our coaching staff. Lack of training is not the issue for most of our staff. > > I realize how gloom and doom these two posts sound, and I don't mean > for them to be so. We have a number of teachers, a significant number, > who are simply doing amazing work with students. But after seeing > Regie Routman at N CTE this year, I am pondering her comments. She > said, basically, for an underperforming school impacted by poverty to > see systemic change, 90% of staff members need to be 'on board' with changes in literacy instruction. > That remark hit so deeply home with me, as we are so far from that > 90% mark in nearly all of our buildings. > > This year, under new leadership at the district level, the district is > exploring that issue of who is responsible for implementation and for > the first time, that conversation is going beyond the teacher level. > All of this makes me potentially giddy and terrified--I know that > under different circumstances, as in replace balanced literacy with a > prescribed same-page literacy program, this could be my own idea of hell on earth as a teacher. > > Lori Jackson > District Literacy Coach and Mentor > Todd County School District > Box 87 > Mission SD 5755 > > ----- Original message ----- > From: djchan <djc...@charter.net> > To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group < > mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> > Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 7:50 AM > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] RTI > > > Lori, > > > > To me, that sounds like insufficient training in literacy. A teacher > > may > not > > need to be 'on board' with the program, but they should definitely > > be > using > > appropriate and research supported teaching methods for literacy. If > > they don't, then whose responsible for the training that they should > > have received to make them effective literacy teachers? I have seen > > this in > the > > school system I retired from and it was a lack of training. However, > > that > is > > not to say that there aren't teachers who will deliberately sabotage > > a schools program because it requires them to move from their > > comfort zone > and > > they don't want to. I think your key phrase was 'effective teachers' > > and > my > > question becomes how did they become effective teachers and the > > others didn't? And what needs to happen to help the other teachers > > become more effective in their literacy methods? > > > > > > Deidra Chandler, NC > > MA Early Childhood Ed > > MA Reading > > MultiSensory Structured Language Intervention Tutor > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Ljackson" <ljack...@gwtc.net> > > To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" > > <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> > > Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 8:23 AM > > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] RTI > > > > > > > The 80% mentioned here probably refers to the RtI pyramid, in > > > which--ideally--80% of the student population have their needs met > within > > > the regular classroom and are performing within acceptable ranges > > > in > terms > > > of grade level expectations. To me, this implies that the first > > > step in beginning an RtI program is to carefully examine > > > curricular practices > but > > > it does not follow that there is necessarily a prescribed or > > > correct single means of doing this. Like Kelly, our district > > > feels that > balanced > > > literacy and a general pacing guide for unit study will support > teachers > > > in attaining this goal. I do see, however, a danger in my own > > > district > in > > > seeing this approach damned and dumped because we are not seeing > > > the > kinds > > > of results one would hope to see. As much as I am nervous about > > > the bantying of the term fidelity, I think Kelly has hit the nail > > > on the > head. > > > We have ample evidence to show that children in classrooms where > balanced > > > literacy practices are honored under the orchestration of > > > effective teachers, children are making excellent progress. The > > > issue we have to grapple with is this. How do we begin to address > > > the issue of teachers > who > > > aren't, for lack of a better term, on board? I can say that the > majority > > > of these teachers are implementing their own brand of instruction > > > that looks much more like traditional basal instruction than any > > > direct instruction program I have reviewed. > > > > > > > > > > > > Lori Jackson > > > District Literacy Coach and Mentor Todd County School District Box > > > 87 Mission SD 5755 > > > > > > ----- Original message ----- > > > From: Kelly Andrews-Babcock > > > <kandrews-babc...@killinglyschools.org> > > > To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group > > > <mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> > > > Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 6:56 AM > > > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] RTI > > > > > >> Oh my, how scary! I'm not sure what you mean by 80% requirement > > >> for > RtI, > > >> are you talking about implementing RtI up to 80%? Anyway, we were > > >> told that if you do not have a "program" that whatever your core > > >> curriculum > is > > >> will be fine as long as it's being implemented with integrity and > > >> fidelity. Our core curriculum consists of guided reading, shared > reading > > >> and independent reading. However it does not look the same in > > >> every classroom nor the same at each grade level. > > >> As a coach my job has become interesting in assisting grade > > >> levels to meet expectations. We also formulated some pacing > > >> guides for reading > last > > >> year which has helped us stay on track. I'm not sure I'm > > >> answering > your > > >> question here... > > >> Kelly AB > > >> > > >> On 12/16/08 5:05 PM, "Beverlee Paul" <beverleep...@gmail.com> wrote: > > >> > > >> Help!! I've been told that the only way a district can meet the > > >> 80% requirement for RTI is to adopt a direct instruction program > > >> as its > core > > >> curriculum. Please--those of you out there that still use > > >> balanced literacy, how do you fulfill the RTI requirement? > > >> Thanks. BP _______________________________________________ > > >> Mosaic mailing list > > >> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > > >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > >> > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > >> > > >> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> Mosaic mailing list > > >> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > > >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > >> > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > >> > > >> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > >> > > >> > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Mosaic mailing list > > > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > > > > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Mosaic mailing list > > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. 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