10 of Our Most-Read ABPC Blog Posts of All Time

We’ve been using Google Analytics to poke through nearly a decade of ABPC Blog data, looking for the stories, articles and reviews that interested our visitors most. Over the summer we’ll be sharing several lists of popular reads.

Here’s the first – 10 of our “most read” posts, in no particular order. If blogs were icebergs, believe me, this would just be the tip!


►The Sorting: A Six-House System Unites Mill Creek Elementary’s Expanding Community

With 1000+ students in PK-6, Madison City’s Mill Creek Elementary has created a House System, writes principal Carmen Buchanan, “to ensure that our large school has a small feel.” The combination of Houses and “Families” promotes mentoring, positive relationships among faculty and students, a sense of school pride, and a framework for character education. (6/14/18)

Team Officium at Mill Creek Elementary

►Regie Routman: Students Learn Best When We “Frontload” Lessons

Frontloading begins “by consciously building a strong foundation of knowledge, processes, and strategies that will enable the learner to do the inquiry, problem solving, task, writing, reading, and so on, with minimal guidance and support,” says literacy leader Regie Routman. This excerpt from her bestselling book Literacy Essentials includes how-to’s and a link to a full lesson plan with frontloading charts, photos, student work examples and teacher reflections. (3/8/18)

►The Outsiders: The Story Behind the I AM Wall

This student project stemmed from an 8th grade language arts class at Liberty Middle School – part of a unit that had students reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. “We spent many months discussing how we can ‘shatter’ stereotypes in our society,” ELA teacher Ambra Johnson explained. Johnson’s students tell the story and their powerful video follows the progression of the Wall. Wonderful. (5/20/13)

►Five Insights on the 10th Anniversary of John Hattie’s Visible Learning Research

When a post appeared at the Corwin Connect blog celebrating the 10th anniversary of John Hattie’s Visible Learning – a groundbreaking global study of “what works” in teaching and learning – Cathy Gassenheimer shared some highlights and urged practitioners who are working with Hattie’s research to read this important article. Includes helpful links and resources. (2/14/19)

►3 Cognitive Coaching Skills Everyone Can Put to Use

ABPC’s Cognitive Coaching Institute held the first of four two-day workshops in November 2017. Cathy Gassenheimer, who joined 40 instructional coaches and other Alabama educators for the training, shares three cognitive coaching skills they learned that anyone can put to immediate use. (11/16/17)

Institute participants watch a demonstration of cognitive coaching skills.

►Using Data Notebooks for Student-Engaged Assessment

Instructional coach Amy Donnelly became interested in data notebooks after she read Ron Berger’s Leaders of Their Own Learning. In this popular post, she describes the development of a notebook strategy that helps students answer three questions: Where am I going? Where am I now? What strategy or strategies will help me get to where I need to go? (3/10/17)

►3 Ways Instructional Coaches Can Support the PLC Process

With professional learning communities as ground zero for the data cycle in our schools, it’s essential instructional partners and coaches find ways to promote and contribute to PLC success. Developing proficiency in three coaching support roles provides the foundation, writes Kay Haas, IP at Walker Elementary in Tuscaloosa County. (4/26/18)

►The Ripple Effect of Instructional Rounds

Perhaps the greatest leadership benefit of hosting an instructional round is that you have the freedom and choice to identify a problem of practice that is relevant to your own school’s greatest needs. Bryan Rebar, instructional partner at Florence Middle School, shares what it’s like to experience the ABPC Instructional Round process and highlights the positive ripple effects. (9/28/18)

FMS Instructional Round quadrant chart (click)

►Hattie Says Teacher Clarity Is One of the Top Learning Interventions. Here’s How It Works.

Learning should not be a mystery to students. John Hattie’s research shows that changes in practice to produce “teacher clarity” can have a huge impact on student success. A recent book from Corwin, Clarity for Learning, provides a roadmap for teachers and schools interested in engaging their students more deeply by making sure they understand what’s going on. Cathy Gassenheimer provides the Cliff Notes. (10/31/19)

►How One Alabama District Prepared for Virtual Teaching and Learning

In this article posted during the first weeks of remote teaching, Dr. Missy Brooks shared some of what Mountain Brook Schools did to respond to the coronavirus pandemic and prepare teachers, students and families for the virtual learning experiences. The MBS learning plan and the district’s two weeks of virtual professional learning helped ease the transition to remote teaching. (4/7/20)

Did we say 10? Let’s make it 11.

This very helpful post might not have made a big splash in all the recent pandemonium (it appeared during the second week of remote teaching) but we predict its focus on early engagement will make it a “most read” article in the months and years to come.

►How We Can Help Young Students Grow Their Mindset

“This is too hard.” “I can’t do this.” Tammy Smitherman’s first grade classroom sounded like this at the beginning of the year and she became consumed with how to fix those “I can’t do it” attitudes. As it always seems to happen, she says, “the perfect book fell right into my lap via the Elementary Powerful Conversations Network.” Learn how she turned her students around using Frey and Fisher’s SEL strategies. (4/16/20)

At the PCN Learning Fair, Tammy showed how she acted on what she learned.