English Language Arts (ELA)

Customized Consulting and Technical Assistance: English Language Arts (ELA)

Student with teacher explaining coursework while in a classroom

Book Talks: Building Professional Learning Community style discussions regarding a district selected professional text. The LEARN facilitator will develop the format, focus and facilitate the professional conversation. Implications for teaching and learning with the teachers with concrete goals, action plans and next steps. The series will conclude through a debrief and evaluation process regarding the impact of new learning on instruction.

Reading Workshop Model: Support for individual or groups of teachers with the Reading Workshop Model. Specific focus can include:

  • The mini-workshop and beyond-modeling skills and strategies
  • Conferencing and small group work- guided reading and probing questions
  • Talking about text (fiction and nonfiction)/ thinking critically, capturing thoughts and ideas through accountable talk that brings purposeful meaning to the learning
  • Adolescent and reluctant readers-motivating
  • The Reading Book Club- do's don'ts and more- leveling texts, managing the instruction

Writing Workshop Model: Support and guidance to the classroom teachers with the Writing Workshop Model. Specific focus may include:

  • Writing workshop at the secondary level. Understand ways to develop learning centers that focus on the specific skill a student needs support in: structure of the essay, tone and audience, research, revising work, mechanics, MLA formatting and more.
  • Writing workshop at the middle school level. Understand ways to manage the writing workshop that includes the use of Google classroom with students. Google will provide an easier forum for providing feedback and monitoring student effort. Identifying the skills students need and aligning instruction will frame this coaching.
  • Writing workshop at the elementary level. What are the challenges? This support is individualized to the specific teacher(s) and his/her class. Specific feedback will provide the staff with purposeful suggestions and next steps to advance student achievement.

New Teacher Support: One to one coaching, small group experiences, facilitating student-centered learning that aligns with Connecticut Core Standards, Common Core of Teaching Rubric, and/or 21st century skills. This individualized approach is an investment in staff that will result in greater student achievement, a robust culture and continuous improvement for schools.

Curriculum Bootcamp - MATH, ELA, SCIENCE, CTE or SOCIAL STUDIES: With the support of a LEARN coach, create a team of educators to align your curriculum to state and national standards. Understand the big ideas, the essential questions, resources, student tasks and the learning targets for the standards. Develop assessments that align to the learning and the standards with an emphasis on how to modernize curriculum with authentic assessments related to the field of study.

Different Learners/Different Research-based Strategies: This is not a one size fits all format. LEARN staff will work with grade level teams, individual teachers or content specific teachers to: address the needs of their students to develop small group and differentiated learning tasks to align with standards.

Students learning in classroom on computers with headphones on
Technology and Literacy:
How can Google expand, simplify and improve teaching and learning? Support and training can be provided by a LEARN educational IT professional and a literacy professional. The staff will not only learn how to use Google classroom, they will plan how they will use and set up the system for their immediate next day use with students.

Looking at Student Work: LEARN coaches will guide your data teams, grade-level teams or vertical teams in this learning. Instructional next steps are outlined, implemented and in follow-up sessions, analyzed and reviewed for efficacy.

Coaching for Classrooms with English Learners: Customized support for districts, schools, and teachers to increase their knowledge about English Learners and Language Acquisition. Modelling effective strategies, lesson design feedback, and data collection guidance are just some of the different supports that can be provided.

Tutor Training: focus on a foundational understanding of the needs of English Learners, including understanding the stages of Second Language Acquisition and academic language.
In addition, participants will learn best practice strategies to support English Learners in and out of content area classrooms.

Flipped Classroom and Blended Learning: What can students gain from this approach to learning? Self- directed learning, individualized approach, motivation and self-directed pacing. LEARN coaches can bring resources, strategies and the how-to's to life for staff. With time constraints and rigorous learning expectations, this is essential.

Coaching of Coaches: Support for coaches to maximize their capacity to support teachers across all subject areas. Using the Jim Knight model of instructional coaching to support the efforts of coaches in a building or across a district. Targeted professional learning to ensure coaches are effective and impactful.

Managing to Manage: Newly appointed mangers/supervisors/department heads are offered explicit and individualized support in developing the skills of an effective leader. New leaders will build skills as they learn about important aspects of management such as determining their management style, facilitating productive meetings, managing “difficult” employees and monitoring budgets.

Talent Development: Our educator workforce in Connecticut is sorely lacking in representation of a racially, ethnically and culturally diverse teaching and administrative workforce. Let us assist you with developing a plan and strategies to diversify your educator talent. Whether its recruitment, hiring, or retention practices, we can support you in this important effort.