Continuous Improvement in the English Classroom

by Janelle Coady

The groundbreaking L to J process is a way to lead school learning through charting the progress of students and improving their enthusiasm for learning. It allows teachers to set clear goals, get students involved, create a positive environment, improve learning, reflect on the process, and make improvements. L to J is a form of continuous improvement that gets its name from the visual of an L shaped curve at the beginning of the school year, a bell-shaped curve during most of the year, and finally a J shaped curve at year s end. In short, it is simply a way for a teacher to find out if their instruction is working and students are learning. The purpose of this book is to give readers an idea of how the L to J process works and the necessary tools to put the process to work in a classroom, without regard to grade level or content area. With this in mind, the first chapter gives background information on the purpose of the process itself and why it is important to today s classroom. The rest of the book is set up to take the reader through the steps of the process, covering everything from setting up a plan and monitoring progress to reflecting on the results and making adjustments.

124 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2010