Seeing Is Believing

By Kristen Heineman

As a new literacy coach in a building, I was presented with a common challenge from our kindergarten teachers: administering assessments.

?Pencil-and-paper assessments are a challenge in kindergarten," they said. "We need to meet with the students one-on-one or in small groups to see what they really know. But what do we do with the rest of the class while we are assessing??  

I immediately sang the praises of Daily 5. I knew it was the answer to their dilemma, but where should we go next?

The process was slow, as is common with change. I bought them each a copy of The Daily 5 and as they tried out bits and pieces, they kept saying, ?I'm not sure I'm doing it right.? I assured them over and over that it was going to take time and trial and error, but I really just wanted them to jump in and go for it. 

After some reflection I reminded myself that teachers are learners, too! What do you do when you want your students to do something independently? When thinking about launching Daily 5 with the 10 Steps to Teaching and Learning Independence, I was reminded of the importance of modeling. This was my solution! The teachers needed to see it to know what it looked like, felt like, and sounded like. I began reaching out to other schools in our district to see if a kindergarten classroom observation was an option. After receiving support from my principal to fund guest teachers, we were on our way to see it in action at a neighboring school. We observed Daily 5 in full force. Afterward we debriefed with their building coach and the classroom teachers for a quick question-and-answer session.

I can still remember one of the teachers walking out of the observation with a big smile on her face. She turned toward me and said, ?I can do that!? During the next few weeks, I saw the teachers digging into it further and trying it out more than ever before. Why? Because they had seen it in action, and seeing is believing!

Fortunately, technology has made it possible for anyone to see Daily 5 in action. If observing at other schools isn't an option for you, try one of these suggestions:

• Watch videos on this site.
• Skype with another teacher, near or far, who is implementing Daily 5.
• Connect with other teachers on the www.thedailycafe.com Discussion Board.
• Have a teammate who does Daily 5 make a video you can view.
• Connect with other Daily 5 and CAFE teachers on Twitter.

All of these ideas will help you see Daily 5 in action and help you start the process of implementation or discovering something new to try or refine. The power of modeling and observing can help anyone see what is possible.