Nancy Motley
Chief Learning & Innovation Officer
Nancy is the author of Talk, Read, Talk, Write: A Practical Routine for Learning in all Content Areas (K-12), 1st and 2nd editions. This effective resource and teaching routine is transforming classrooms across the nation into literacy-dense learning environments. She is also the co-author of The Diverse Learner Flip Book, and has developed hundreds of customized professional development modules focused on meeting the needs of multilingual learners, magnifying student engagement, and increasing reading, writing, and communication skills for all students. Nancy’s previous educational roles include: classroom teacher, reading specialist, intervention program coordinator, professional development instructor, and curriculum developer.
Because of her dynamic approach to teaching and learning, she was awarded the Alief Independent School District’s Teacher of the Year Award in 2003. Her passion for and commitment to education is still just as evident today as she trains and coaches teachers, collaborates with leadership, and creates new educational resources.
She holds a Masters of Arts in Counseling that she uses to help teachers build strong, authentic connections with their students. Nancy lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and two wonderful daughters.
Author Of
Small Moves, Big Gains
Small Moves, Big Gains offers educators a straightforward path toward increasing student outcomes. The small moves found within this resource are brief, actionable, and require little to no preparation. Each one is a high-yield strategy that benefits all types of learners and can be applied across content areas.
Talk, Read, Talk, Write
This practical resource gives teachers (K-12) a step-by-step guide to implementing structured conversation, active reading, and high quality writing in any class.
The Diverse Learner Flip Book
With the Diverse Learner Flip Book, you will discover how to support students who have different linguistic abilities, varied levels of background knowledge, an array of language disabilities/ abilities, and many learning differences like G/T, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum.
The TRTW was an incredible training. I already have 3 TRTW lessons planned for the next couple of weeks. Nancy is charismatic, purposeful and models the practices. The day flew by and it was time well spent!
Nancy is the best! We have used her for the past two years and plan on continue to use her this coming year for our calibration walkthroughs with the 7 Steps.
Nancy was great as always! Her sessions were tailored to the specific grade levels and she was well prepared. The teachers were all positive and willing to move forward with the work we will continue with Ms. Motley and Seidlitz.
Nancy was phenomenal, as usual. I had coaches telling me this was the best training they’ve EVER attended. Totally satisfied!
Featured In
September 13, 2017
• Language Magazine •
“…Students often spend much of their school day listening to teachers and then completing assignments related to the teachers’ mini-lessons or lectures. They have limited opportunities to orally process what they are learning, to make meaning in the company of their peers, and to read or write for authentic purposes. Why is this? Time. It takes time for students to talk, read, and write about academic topics. It is precious time that teachers are not sure they can afford to give….”
January 19, 2015
• Galveston County Daily News •
“…As part of an interactive learning lesson Thursday morning, Motley asked teachers to use things such as hand supports and group participation, which can be very beneficial to English language learners because often times, they may not have the vocabulary yet to properly communicate what they want to say in class…”
March 11, 2021
• Sharpstown Stories Project •
“Our Dean of Instruction, Christoper Wood, sat down with author Nancy Motley to discuss ESL best practices and an implementation of her Talk Read Talk Write teaching method at the high school level. A must watch for teacher and administrators that are seeking to revitalize literacy education on their campus or in their school district.“