I’m thinking - Is social media the ONLY space where this exchange of ideas should happen? Teachers often trust their peers the most, but can we also trust that what’s shared on platforms like X/Twitter and Facebook represents the full picture of effective classroom practice?
While it’s clear that social media fills a huge gap in teacher collaboration—especially when district support is lacking—what happens when the curated, snapshot view of a teacher’s practice becomes the standard for everyone? How much of what’s shared is truly adaptable to different classroom settings, cultures, or students with varying needs?
The fellowship’s approach is innovative, and the networks created are invaluable, but the question remains: How can we make sure that these connections translate into systemic change, not just individual success stories? What happens when the impact of these teacher-to-teacher networks needs to be scaled beyond social media? The challenge could be in finding ways to bridge these personal connections with the broader, institutional changes that will sustain effective literacy instruction across all classrooms.
Hi Jo Lein! I run the program described in the piece, and you're asking some of the questions that keep me up at night! We definitely don't want or expect social media to be the only place where ideas (or videos) are being shared. In fact, it's not! Lots of districts and coaches use our fellows' materials as well because they see the pedagogical value in watching and discussing excellent teaching.
At the end of the day, our theory of change is about meeting teachers where they are, which is on social media, where they are demanding this content. And we believe that they deserve it. We decided NOT to invest in a fancy resource library that no one would use. And we know that our approach is working.
To be clear, it's not the only way to do this sort of peer-to-peer professional learning! Check out Chapter 10 in the Knowledge Gap to read about Aaron Grossman's Core Task Project, which shares many elements with the fellowship. (Aaron was also a member of our 2nd cohort of fellows!)
In re: systemic change, we don't believe that our program is or should be the only approach, but we do believe it's a very important part of systemic change. We see the work of literacy change as a community organizing endeavor, where teachers teach and lead other teachers. If that doesn't happen and if teachers don't buy in, it doesn't really matter how great and useable the curriculum or how deep the professional learning is. Change isn't going to happen without committed teachers. The fellowship attacks this part of the problem.
I am a private dyslexia tutor in Northern VA who has been teaching reading, spelling, and writing for ten-plus years. This program sounds wonderful, but I have one important question: are teachers receiving any education about the hallmarks of dyslexia? These students have fallen through the cracks for so many years. I took on teaching my now 19-year-old son how to read and spell when it became glaringly apparent that his 2nd grade teacher was not truly equipped to do so.
All students deserve high quality, structured literacy, but dyslexia is a unique neurobiological profile, which requires explicit and intensive instruction. Teachers must understand this, but sadly, the majority do not and valuable time is lost.
Fascinated by this work of the Goyen Foundation and look forward to watching some of these videos. A reminder of how much teachers can learn from watching other teachers. Short videos that can be watched on one's own schedule is so helpful. I also deeply appreciate the comment from Jo Lein and Kata Solow's response. Thank you.
I’m thinking - Is social media the ONLY space where this exchange of ideas should happen? Teachers often trust their peers the most, but can we also trust that what’s shared on platforms like X/Twitter and Facebook represents the full picture of effective classroom practice?
While it’s clear that social media fills a huge gap in teacher collaboration—especially when district support is lacking—what happens when the curated, snapshot view of a teacher’s practice becomes the standard for everyone? How much of what’s shared is truly adaptable to different classroom settings, cultures, or students with varying needs?
The fellowship’s approach is innovative, and the networks created are invaluable, but the question remains: How can we make sure that these connections translate into systemic change, not just individual success stories? What happens when the impact of these teacher-to-teacher networks needs to be scaled beyond social media? The challenge could be in finding ways to bridge these personal connections with the broader, institutional changes that will sustain effective literacy instruction across all classrooms.
Just thoughts.
Hi Jo Lein! I run the program described in the piece, and you're asking some of the questions that keep me up at night! We definitely don't want or expect social media to be the only place where ideas (or videos) are being shared. In fact, it's not! Lots of districts and coaches use our fellows' materials as well because they see the pedagogical value in watching and discussing excellent teaching.
At the end of the day, our theory of change is about meeting teachers where they are, which is on social media, where they are demanding this content. And we believe that they deserve it. We decided NOT to invest in a fancy resource library that no one would use. And we know that our approach is working.
To be clear, it's not the only way to do this sort of peer-to-peer professional learning! Check out Chapter 10 in the Knowledge Gap to read about Aaron Grossman's Core Task Project, which shares many elements with the fellowship. (Aaron was also a member of our 2nd cohort of fellows!)
In re: systemic change, we don't believe that our program is or should be the only approach, but we do believe it's a very important part of systemic change. We see the work of literacy change as a community organizing endeavor, where teachers teach and lead other teachers. If that doesn't happen and if teachers don't buy in, it doesn't really matter how great and useable the curriculum or how deep the professional learning is. Change isn't going to happen without committed teachers. The fellowship attacks this part of the problem.
Hi Kata,
I am a private dyslexia tutor in Northern VA who has been teaching reading, spelling, and writing for ten-plus years. This program sounds wonderful, but I have one important question: are teachers receiving any education about the hallmarks of dyslexia? These students have fallen through the cracks for so many years. I took on teaching my now 19-year-old son how to read and spell when it became glaringly apparent that his 2nd grade teacher was not truly equipped to do so.
All students deserve high quality, structured literacy, but dyslexia is a unique neurobiological profile, which requires explicit and intensive instruction. Teachers must understand this, but sadly, the majority do not and valuable time is lost.
Thank you for your efforts.
Fascinated by this work of the Goyen Foundation and look forward to watching some of these videos. A reminder of how much teachers can learn from watching other teachers. Short videos that can be watched on one's own schedule is so helpful. I also deeply appreciate the comment from Jo Lein and Kata Solow's response. Thank you.