Chapter 7: Build a Culture of Ongoing Learning

by Lucy Calkins

My colleagues and I have helped tens of thousands of schools launch and sustain reading and writing workshops. In most of those schools, people tell us that the power of this work goes beyond what happens in particular classrooms. When schools undergo a schoolwide adoption of either a reading or a writing workshop, more often than not, this leads to powerful changes in the school culture. Above all, there is renewed energy for learning on the job and for shared professional study. This is both the result of adopting Units of Study and the means for achieving success with this curriculum.

In this chapter, you’ll find:

• Ways to make time for teachers to plan together
• Tips to ensure collaborative groups go well
• Suggestions for dignifying on-the-job learning by being a learner yourself
• Ways to anticipate and dissipate resistance
• Ways to energize your staff with celebrations of success

(Publication Date: 12/18/18)