Teachers Leading Change
We all know people with leadership titles, but what is leadership? Leadership is action. Innovation. Borrowing strengths from others. Solution-oriented. And passion to advocate for change that impacts and improves the lives of those around us. Who better to lead than teachers?
Are you a teacher who is passionate about the science of reading, structured literacy, and ensuring all kids learn how to read? Are you interested in becoming a change-maker? Are you trying to lead change in your classroom, school, or district but not sure where to begin? Leading change can be an overwhelming task. It’s hard to know where to begin. It makes sense to start in our classrooms, but can our reach go beyond our classroom doors? Here are some ideas of how to create change in three different spaces.
Making Change Within Your Classroom
As Dr. Julia Lindsay states in her book, Reading Above the Fray, “Routines can be swapped to trade out components of instruction that may not be serving you or your students. Think of swaps as, “more of this, less of that.” Sometimes we need to think about what types of instruction or activities to de-implement, but we also need to think about what instruction can just be tweaked. If you try to change too much at once in your instruction, you most likely will end up feeling overwhelmed. Instead, you may want to begin by reading on a certain topic from a recommended SoR book list, and then choosing some simple tweaks you could make to your instruction. You could do the same thing by watching some instructional videos and then taking a specific strategy back into your classroom to try. There are many teachers that post videos of their teaching on social media, or you could use a resource like PaTTAN literacy hub or snippets to find an effective strategy.
Here are some ideas:
One such change that could be a simple tweak is if you already use spelling lists or tests, you could think about tying that spelling instruction to your phonics instruction in the primary grades. Check out this article with an included video from themeasuredmom.com for an example.
In upper grades, if you are already using grade-level, complex text across your day, you could think about tying some syllable or morphological work as a scaffold to reading the text. Check out these resources on word study and morphology.
As we make shifts in our instruction it is important to make sure that the practices we are tweaking have research to support them, and that they are implemented successfully. The saying, “Go slow, to go fast,” is definitely an approach that applies.
Making Change Within a School
Oftentimes, teachers feel like they are charged with advancing the skills and knowledge of the kids that sit directly in front of them, but in order to achieve success within a school, there needs to be collaboration, a shared vision, and group efficacy by all players in order to achieve any goal. A school is no different than a business or a professional team. Each teacher is a player on the team, but we have a more global responsibility to have a positive impact on all of the children in our school. Making change is accelerated when we collaborate, as opposed to one person working in isolation. Although your classroom might feel like your domain and the easiest place to make change happen, there are in fact several ways that teacher leaders can induce change within their schools.
Teachers can host events for their colleagues such as podcasts, articles, or book studies. There are numerous podcasts that discuss various aspects of reading instruction as well as plenty of books about each facet of reading. You can start small and work with your grade level team, or you could invite any interested staff to join you. These are simple options because other teachers can access these resources quite easily and then come together to discuss their thoughts and how that might impact change in their understanding or change within their respective classrooms or school.
Another idea is to host a screening of a film. The Right to Read and the Truth About Reading documentaries, among others, showcase the impact of children not learning how to read. One way to grab attention and convince others is to speak to their heart. This leads to an open and honest conversation about what is happening in your school and what changes might need to be made to support reading instruction. Additionally, you could set up optional professional development opportunities for teachers. Some recommendations could be to take a class together such as The Writing Revolution classes, Keys to Literacy, or even a free course from Cox Campus, or just highlight free professional development opportunities through email. As teachers begin learning together, they can begin to implement new strategies to determine if shifting their instruction produced results. Along these lines, teachers that are finding they have success can invite others to observe or even showcase the data they have collected. Nothing is more convincing than real data from the students we serve. Who doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of someone that is having real success?
Influencing Change Outside of the Classroom
Abraham Maslow said, “In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.”
One way to lead a charge towards change is to present a service or opportunity that is beneficial to everyone. Building a network around yourself and providing a service to others grows everyone’s confidence and ability to believe in a cause. One way that teacher leaders can network is to connect teachers across their district. Book lists, articles, and podcasts as well as free professional opportunities could all be shared across a district. This allows others that are interested to connect. A district web page could be created that houses materials, in-house videos, or resources where teachers could go to learn more about the SoR or how to shift their practice. A discussion forum could also allow teachers across a district to engage with one another and learn together or ask questions. Allowing teachers to create a wider network across a district allows our collaboration, experiences, and resources to expand.
In my district, we have tried to support teachers by building an in-house district podcast. The podcast shares stories of teachers making shifts in their instruction, implementing curriculum, and allows us to bring in experts, at no cost, that are willing to share their expertise on certain areas of reading instruction. This benefits the larger community because it reminds us of our shared goals and brings us together while we are learning. Another additional idea could be to support a cause that would benefit the community which your school district supports. This could be a parent workshop or a tutoring program for kids or adults in the community that need support with reading.
No matter which way you decide upon to promote change, it is important to keep in mind that one stone can create a ripple effect. Your actions can and will influence others to stand beside you. Your goal should be to build your coalition one member at a time so that your voices grow loud enough to make change. Your efforts will then be amplified on a larger scale. If we are serious about the statement, “Literacy Matters” or “Literacy is Equity” then we need teacher leaders to throw those first stones.