Why just "sit and get" professional development when you can take charge of it? Schools nationwide are using professional learning communities to revitalize staff development, and Literacy Learning Communities shows you how to adapt this powerful framework to target the literacy strengths and needs of students in secondary schools. Whether you're an administrator, a staff developer, or a member of a teacher-study group, Literacy Learning Communities shows you how to make them happen, why they work, and how to get the most from them.
In Literacy Learning Communities veteran staff developer ReLeah Cossett Lent shows how LLCs can energize the professional community of any middle or high school. She offers concrete steps toward success:
- a thorough review of the unambiguous research supporting both collaborative professional development models and the importance of authentic approaches to literacy learning and teaching
- specific steps for creating an initial literacy learning community to assess your school’s reading and writing needs and to develop a three-year plan for authentic, sustained, and embedded staff development
- practical ideas for meeting your schools’ challenges through professional development methods such as action research, peer coaching, and study groups.
Throughout Literacy Learning Communities Lent provides smart suggestions for working with resistant faculty, overcoming a school-wide culture of isolation (a particular problem in secondary schools), and strengthening the professional relationships in your school to improve the efficacy of your LLCs. She even presents Questions for Reflection at the end of each chapter to stimulate your thinking and help you move toward relevant and sustained professional learning.
Built on a combination of research and real-world experience, Literacy Learning Communities can help you build a culture of professional learning, peer support, and teacher engagement that will improve the performance of every learner—teachers and students alike.
