The Leading Teacher, Summer 2013, Vol. 8, No. 4
Finding your voice in facilitating productive conversations
Summer 2013
Vol. 8, No. 4
Learning to lead a meeting is more than just managing agendas. It means reading the group\'s mood and stepping in at the right moment to turn attention back to productive work. Learn how Jennifer Abrams encourages facilitators to challenge themselves as part of their learning process.
Tool: The polarity map
Facilitators guiding groups through difficult discussions need a range of protocols to support making such conversations productive. The polarity map is a tool for mapping paradoxes or dilemmas, providing structure for making invisible tensions visible, and providing a focus for the group to engage in dialogue from diverse perspectives.
Advancing the standards: Coaches lead professional learning on a road not always taken
By Jacqueline Kennedy
Most people have been faced with a fork in the road, where they were not sure which path to take. Decisions about teaching and learning paths can present a similar dilemma among educators today, especially when it comes to leveraging professional learning to meet curriculum and performance goals for students and educators.
In practice: Meet needs of individual teachers with differentiated coaching
By Alexandra Mcelwee
Alexandra Mcelwee, a literacy coach and teacher at Forest View Elementary School in Everett, Wash., sees differentiated coaching as similar to a differentiated classroom. Both have learners you work with a short time, others that you check in with to offer ongoing support, and those with whom you need to do more intentional planning.
