Top Four Posts of 2023
Feedback guidance, SoR podcasts, and a "How to..." article resonated most with readers last year
Below are links to the most read and shared posts on this space in 2023. I thought they would be worth revisiting as we transition to 2024.
Happy new year,
Matt
7 Questions I Ask Myself When Working with Educators Resistant to Change
When I facilitate professional learning for educational leaders at a conference or a workshop, I usually leave time for questions at the end. I’ve started documenting these questions; here are a few: “How do I help a teacher become more independent when they aren't being open-minded about where they might grow?”
When feedback fails between principal and teacher, one might look to blame others or outside conditions. This guide supports leaders to reflect on how well they have built trust, fostered genuine relationships, and co-navigated challenges with teachers prior to seeking improvement. (It also doesn’t hurt when your article gets featured in The Marshall Memo. Thanks Kim!)
How to write a weekly staff newsletter that at least 80% of teachers will read
Thank you to full subscribers for keeping much of his newsletter free. Take care, Matt A weekly newsletter can be an effective way to keep your school informed and engaged around your literacy initiatives. The key word is “effective”. A newsletter written doesn’t mean people will read it. It’s the proverbial “if a tree falls in the woods and no one was around to hear it, did it make any sound?”
After 15 years as a site-based administrator, I have come to believe that writing a weekly staff newsletter is one of the most effective ways to build and sustain a literacy culture. Every Friday, faculty and staff can be reminded of the “why” of the work through images, stories, and celebrations.
The Science of Reading Movement and The Never-Ending Debate: A Conversation with Paul Thomas
How long have “the reading wars” been a part of the national education discourse? What are the recurring themes? What can 4K-12 practitioners do to engage in a dialogue that leads to a better understanding of effective literacy instruction? In this episode, Paul Thomas shares his findings about the science of reading movement and how educators can naviga…
Our conversation with Dr. Paul Thomas, university professor, author, and blogger, covered a lot of ground about the science of reading (SoR):
the connection between SoR and previous reading wars,
the underlying reasons why this debate has persisted, and
ways to engage (or not) around this topic with colleagues.
The Science of Reading and the Media: A Conversation with Maren Aukerman
Several esteemed colleagues and I engaged in a question-and-answer session with Maren Aukerman around her three articles for the Literacy Research Association: Part 1: The Science of Reading and the Media: Is Reporting Biased? Part 2: The Science of Reading and the Media: Does the Media Draw on High-Quality Reading Research?
Dr. Maren Aukerman expanded on her highly-regarded journal series for the Literacy Research Association, sharing what she learned when she scrutinized media coverage of reading research and SoR.
Matt, Thanks for the terrific and wide-spanning information here, useful and powerful. And, thanks, for providing transcripts of podcasts, which makes them quick and easy to access. Regie