About
About Ann Stewart
Ann Stewart is extensively trained in helping you achieve education goals, enrich student learning, and keep you on a path to deeper, more meaningful knowledge. Utilizing her array of skills in literacy comprehension and translating real life experiences into educational tools, you are sure to see why so many individuals, institutions, and school districts use her expertise.
A professional development trainer and certified professional coach, Ann Stewart has over 30 years in the education industry. Over the past two decades she has developed and facilitated customized workshops and seminars for local and national school districts in literacy and English language acquisition techniques used by educators and administrators in grades PreK to 8. Ann Stewart completed her Master in Business Administration with an emphasis in Global Management and is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation.
Ann in Action
Ann Stewart Literacy Consulting has provided influence in the reading and literacy challenges faced by educational institutions and systems from coast to coast. Working directly with faculty, administrators, educators, and students, her work strives to connect individual experiences with literacy comprehension.
“Children move from forming stories in oral language to forming stories in written language,” and with proper resources and techniques. You can achieve your literacy goals faster than you could imagine.
Unique Approach: Shared Reading
Connecting the books a child has read, to help expand their competencies through the introduction of more advanced vocabulary, more developed characters, and more sophisticated plots, creates a comprehension based on solid evidence.
Without a doubt, Shared Reading is one of my favorite parts of the literacy teaching day! Can something so fun and interactive be powerful in supporting young students as they develop as readers and writers? The answer is YES!
Within this program, educators and faculty learn the techniques to saturate, and replicate their successes within individual student literacies.
HeartMath Resiliency Training
Working with schools, school districts, businesses and individuals in search of self-improvement, the training offered by Certified HeartMath® Resiliency Trainer will transform you for the better.
Empowering Teachers Through Lesson Reflection
As a literacy consultant and instructional coach, I’ve designed and led various professional learning opportunities for classroom teachers. The biggest challenge is designing something that meets the needs of the various teachers and grade levels represented in any training. Of course, some training is centered around a school or grade level initiative and so making sure that each team member has a base of knowledge is crucial. However, once those initial core trainings are in place, just as we do with our students, professional learning then needs to be differentiated for each teacher learner. One of the most effective ways to empower teachers to lead their own professional learning is through guided self-reflective coaching conversations.
Lesson reflection has the purpose of developing teacher self-awareness, applying new learning and strengthening reflective skills. “Teachers become practical researchers capable of generating new, useful knowledge for future instructional situations” (Martinelle ,2018). It is a tool for helping teachers identify positive aspects of their lessons which is essential for strengthening teaching and learning that lasts. It is a tool for preparing for the next day’s lesson or the next unit of instruction.
Conversations are led by the teacher and are intended for professional growth and not evaluation. The reflections can center around instruction, knowledge of students gained from formative assessment data, and elements of teaching practice such as lesson facilitation, equity, instructional goals/objectives or knowledge gained from student conferences (Center for The Collaborative Classroom, 2021). The focus of the reflection is not on every teaching possibility but rather on one or two elements tied to a professional goal or a team goal for a school initiative.
As teachers reflect, look for patterns. How can we construct new practice from our learning? Below is a sampling of reflection session questions (Norwood and Burke, 2013):
Recall and Summarize
- Talk about your lesson. How did it go? What do you remember as most important?
- What worked well? What do you feel GREAT about?
Deeper Analysis
- Compare and contrast what you planned to what actually transpired. How might you describe the differences?
- What had a positive impact on students?
- What was their level of engagement?
Construct and Apply New Learning
- What would you replicate and/or do differently next time?
Personal Learning
- What new information or insights have you gained (about students, curriculum, assessment and yourself)? Describe.
Sum It Up!
- What was most valuable for you today?
- How has this experience connected you to your “Big Picture” for the (week, unit, semester, year)?
Coaches, you don’t need a million questions and ultimately, any coaching conversation can happen in 10 minutes. The point is to allow teachers to work things out on their own and see that they are capable. “When we feel the pressure to get things done, it’s all too easy to default to giving advice and providing solutions. That’s often a hollow victory.” (Bungay Stanier, 2016) The essence of coaching lies in helping others unlock their potential.
References
Bungay Stanier, M. 2016. The Coaching Habit; Say More & Change the Way You Lead Forever. Toronto ON Canada: Box of Crayons Press.
Burke, Mary Ann & Kathy Norwood. 2013. School Coaching: What Is It and How Do You Do It? Henderson, NV: Designs for Change.
Center for The Collaborative Classroom. 2021. Being A Reader, Second Edition. Alameda, CA.
Lamkin, Steven & Todd Nesloney. 2018. “Spreading the Practice of Video Reflection.” Educational Leadership Vol. 76 No. 3: 50-54.
Rob Martinelle. 2018. “Video-Simulated Recall: Aiding Teacher Practice.” Educational Leadership Vol. 76 No. 3: 55.