Transcript LITERACY COACHING: Challenges and Promising Practices

Literacy Coaching
Michele
Literacy
Zwart
Coach
Brady Elementary School
Aurora East District 131
[email protected]
What
does a Literacy Coach DO all
day?
Challenges and Promising Practices
My favorite “go-to” websites
Job Description Highlights
Work
collaboratively with building
administrators and literacy leaders.
Manage all core reading, supplemental and
assessment materials.
Offer ongoing support, modeling, coaching,
co-teaching and training to teachers;
provide collegial feedback when necessary.
Work
with teachers and students to
ensure the pervasive use of
consistent instructional approaches
and methods to actively engage
students in the five essential
components of reading.
Collect, interpret and mange all
required assessments.
Work
with teachers to analyze data
for the purpose of informing
instruction and determining
appropriate interventions or using
additional diagnostic assessment for
“at risk” students.
Attend all necessary training
sessions described in the Reading
First Professional Development Plan.
Actively
participate in developing and
offering a variety of staff
development opportunities for
individual teachers, grade level teams
and small groups within the school.
Follow all other responsibilities
assigned by the building
administrator .
LITERACY COACHING:
Challenges and Promising
Practices
Roadblock 1:
Defining What Coaching Means
Issues
Differences within
Half-time
Reading First
Promising
a district
Practices
Administrator
Credibility
Support
Roadblock 2:
Getting Into Classrooms
Issues
Teacher
“I
Concerns
can’t..” “I don’t…”
Perceived
Promising
role as evaluator
Practices
Building Rapport
Getting in through
the back door
Roadblock 3:
How To Differentiate Coaching
Issue
Different
things
Promising
teachers need different
Practices
Understanding change
Consider teacher needs
and wants
CBAM
(Hord, 1987)
Concerns-Based Adophtion Model
LEVEL 0
AWARENESS
Teacher knows nothing about innovation. “What is it?”
LEVEL 1
INFORMATION
Teacher collects information about innovation. “How does it work?”
LEVEL 2
PERSONAL
Teacher wonders how innovation will affect her/him personally. “How does
this impact me?” “What’s my plan to do it?” “Will I have enough time and
energy to do it?”
LEVEL 3
MANAGEMENT
Teacher addresses practical issues related to the innovation. “How will I fit it
into my schedule?” “How will I manage the materials?” “How will I organize
and manage the classroom to implement the innovation?”
LEVEL 4
CONSEQUENCE
Teacher determines effect of innovation on her/his goals and on student achievement.
“Is it worth it?” “Is it working?”
LEVEL 5
COLLABORATION
Teacher elaborates on innovation, making modifications and sharing ideas with others.
“It’s working fine, but how do others do it?”
LEVEL 6
REFOCUSING
Teacher is satisfied with innovation and is interested in moving on to new problems,
challenges, and questions. “Is there anything else that’s better?”
Roadblock 4:
Managing/Prioritizing Time
Issues
Ebb and flow of coaching
Half-time
Teacher schedules
Promising
Practices
Document and analyze
Use research findings
Master schedule
time
Roadblock 5:
Coaches Need Support Too!
Issues
Not a teacher…not an administrator
One coach per building
Promising
Practices
Mentor for coaches
Find a support system
Resources
Special Thanks..
The “Literacy Coaching: Challenges and Promising Practices”
presentation was co-authored and previously presented with
Dr. L’Allier and Dr. Laurie Elish-Piper from Northern Illinois University.
It has been edited for the audience of today’s presentation.
The full length article can be found in the Winter 2008-2009 Illinois
Reading Council Journal.
Elish-Piper, L., L’Allier, S.K., & Zwart, M. (2009). Literacy coaching:
Challenges and promising practices for success. Illinois Reading
Council Journal (37), 10-21.
My Favorite Websites
 Choice
Literacy
 www.fountasandpinnellleveledbooks.com
 http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/mywe
b3/index.htm
 http://www.literacycoachingonline.org/
 www.readinga-z.com
 http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/homePage.d
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