Literacy Coaching and Collaboration

1. Literacy Coaching and Collaboration EDUC 611 Session 2

2. Session 2 Objectives In Session 2, you will: • Review Session 1 Content • Examine collaboration in action • Evaluate the Life Cycle of a Collaboration • Identify the Dimensions of Collaborative Leadership • Explain the work of a literacy coach • Examine Educational Change Benedictine University

3. Session 1 Review

4. Session 1 Review • Collaborationis a purposeful relationship in which all parties strategically choose to cooperate in order to accomplish a shared outcome • A collaborative leader accepts responsibility for the process leading toward achieving the success of a collaboration • A Reading Specialist is an expert in reading instruction, assessment, and leadership for the reading program • Responsible for the literacy performance of all readers, in particular those who struggle • A Literacy Coach works primarily with teachers in the area of professional development Benedictine University Rubin, Hank. (2009), Collaborative Leadership, Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools, Thousand Oak, Calif: Corwin Press,.

5. Session 1 Review • A collaborative leader manages relationships by affecting the perspectives, beliefs, and behaviors of another person • A key role of a collaborative leader is to initiate and sustain relationships by influencing individuals and institutions • This aspect of the collaborative leader is referred to as a Relationship Manager • Group Norms set the tone of a collaborative effort • Group Norms can be a mechanism for renewing our commitment to the collaboration • A Parking Lot allows collaboration participants to address concerns and ask questions that are not, at the moment, part of the formal agenda Benedictine University

6. Collaboration in Action

7. Collaboration • What are the benefits of effective collaboration? • What are the downsides of ineffective or non-existent collaboration? Benedictine University

8. Benefits of Collaboration Healthy collaboration within the educational system has enabled the following initiatives to be enacted: • Introduce integrated instruction • Launch systemic school-based reform • Mount a fundraising campaign • Organize to influence public policy • Develop and maintain effective team teaching • Coordinate a comprehensive package of family-focused social services • Link businesses, schools, and community resources • Coordinate joint purchasing among school districts • Meet the linguistic and cultural learning needs of English language learners and their families • Adequately support the learning and developmental needs of severely disabled students i.e., collaboration is a useful approach to achieving many diverse objectives and goals Rubin, Hank. (2009), Collaborative Leadership, Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools, Thousand Oak, Calif: Corwin Press, (pp. 10 – 11) Benedictine University

9. What Can You Expect If You Collaborate ‘Right’? • Everybody in the partnership will be clear regarding the partnership’s purpose • More can be accomplished in the partnership than any one person (or group) can accomplish alone • Work can be aligned by those in the partnership Rubin, Hank. (2009), Collaborative Leadership, Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools, Thousand Oak, Calif: Corwin Press, (pp. 10 – 11) Benedictine University

10. Collaboration: What Can You Expect? • All key stakeholders will be represented • All key decision makers will be represented • The logistics of the partnership will be managed • An action plan will be developed • Achievable and ambitious outcomes will be identified Rubin, Hank. (2009), Collaborative Leadership, Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools, Thousand Oak, Calif: Corwin Press, (pp. 10 – 11) Benedictine University

11. Collaboration: What Can You Expect? • Communication and relationships of people in the partnership will noticeably improve • The partnership will be a place in which people talk about systemic relationships of the partners; and how each partner can contribute to the whole partnership Rubin, Hank. (2009), Collaborative Leadership, Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools, Thousand Oak, Calif: Corwin Press, (pp. 10 – 11) Benedictine University

12. Life Cycle of a Collaboration

13. The Value of the Life Cycle • The life cycle phases are framed as questions to help the reader examine the utility of each phase in developing, assessing, and strengthening the collaboration process • This mental model comes together to help users: • Look at what it takes to do collaboration • Develop tools with which we can plan successful collaboration and assess the status, strengths, needs, next steps, and timeliness of existing collaborations • The 14 building blocks for the Life Cycle are named “phases” and not “steps” to avoid the implication that there is a sequential relationship between the 14 phases Benedictine University

14. Five Clusters of Collaboration The Life Cycle’s 14 phases can be conceptually organized into five clusters of activities Benedictine University

15. Collaboration’s Life Cycle Rubin, Hank. (2009), Collaborative Leadership, Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools, Thousand Oak, Calif: Corwin Press, (pp. 44 – 52) Benedictine University

16. To prepare for the next section • Read chapters 1 & 2 of the Toll text • Read p. 38 (chapter 3) of the Toll text Benedictine University

17. What is Collaborative Leadership?

18. Collaborative Leadership • …is a process or method to guide a diverse group of people to find solutions to complex problems that affect them all • …is leadership shown by a group that is acting together to solve agreed upon issues • …uses supportive and inclusive methods to ensure that all people affected by a decision are part of the change process • …requires a new notion of power...the more power we share, the more power we have to use Benedictine University

19. Collaborative Leadership • The challenge we accept as mission-driven leaders of schools and nonprofits is to become agents of collaboration on behalf of our missions and to develop the collaborative skills that will enable us to achieve them • The difference between a collaborative leader and partner is a difference of volition or choice • One chooses to play a proactive role and others choose to play a participatory role in the collaboration Rubin, Hank. (2009), Collaborative Leadership, Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools, Thousand Oak, Calif: Corwin Press, (p. 8, 14 - 15) Benedictine University

20. Collaborative Leadership: Success Factors • A collaborative leader focuses on how to move the collaboration forward • Some of the best team builders are motivated by competition • Relationshipsare the vehicles through which collaborative leaders accomplish their mission • Factors that affect a successful collaboration process are: • Time & Formality • Sustained collaborations have three common elements: • Strategic planning • Flexibility • Management systems that require formality and structure Rubin, Hank. (2009), Collaborative Leadership, Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools, Thousand Oak, Calif: Corwin Press, (p. 14) Benedictine University

21. Collaborative Leadership: Success Factors • Collaborative leaders focus on using the strengths of all involved • Participants may be a facilitator or a leader, but there is no one participant whose ideas or words are more important than any others • When collaborating, teachers and literacy coaches listen and learn from one another, reflect together, and strengthen their relationship through the process • A key factor in healthy collaboration is recognizing that the relationship is asimportantas the outcome Toll, Cathy. The Literacy Coach’s Desk Reference; (2006) NCTE; (page 15). Benedictine University

22. Should collaboration skills be taught? Yes! • Relationship Building should be taught and encouraged in our schools • This is essential for our students to become competent adults • Collaboration skills can be learned • Purpose of collaboration is to align people’s actions to get something done Benedictine University

23. Key Factors in Successful Collaboration

24. School Parents Community Stakeholders • Collaborative Leadership in education includes three key stakeholders • Each has an interest in a successful educational system • Two areas that support successful group outcomes are: • Shared goal setting and decision making • Mutual accountability Benedictine University

25. How Parents Learn Best • Positive climate • Risk eliminated (or, at least, minimized) • Parents are recognized for having something worthwhile to contribute • Parents are actively involved in their own education • Curriculum addresses their concerns and needs • Parents discover the need for change on their own • Respect and encouragement • Real situations and analogies are used • Positive feedback • Different approaches • Problem solving and analysis • Relevant topics • Parents are considered part of the learning-teaching team Benedictine University

26. Types of Meetings Benedictine University Formal Lectures Lecture-forum Symposium Audio Audio visual Book review Debate Panel Informal Brainstorming Roundtable Concentric table Buzz sessions Workshops Role playing Dramatization Panel

27. Roles in Groups • Initiator • Leader • Information seeker • Clarifier • Questioner • Asserter • Energizer • Elaborator • Orientator • Opinion giver • Summarizer • Encourager • Harmonizer • Listener • Follower • Tension breaker • Compromiser • Standard setter • Observer • Recorder • Gatekeeper • Dominator • Aggressor • Negativist • Playboy • Blocker • Competitor • Deserter • Recognition seeker Benedictine University

28. Literacy Coaching

29. What is Literacy Coaching? A literacy coach • Helps teachers to recognize • What they know • What they can do • A literacy coach… • Assists teachers as they strengthen their ability to make more effective use of what they know and do • Supports teachers as they learn more and do more Benedictine University

30. Literacy Coaching Literacy Coaching • Supports significant change • Coaches encourage and promote reflection and decision making • Honors adult learners’ “learning styles” • Leads to higher student achievement Benedictine University

31. Literacy Coaching Literacy Coaching focuses on: • Improving teaching: • Does not mean schools (or teachers) are “broken” • Supporting teaching in the context of continuous improvement and improving education • Teachers who can benefit from: • Guided practice • Feedback to change or improve teaching behaviors Benedictine University

32. Literacy Coaching • Literacy coaches are in the “change business” • Change is complex • Literacy coaches should ask themselves • “What am I trying to change?” • Literacy coaches should: • Make clear the desired behavior • Model the behavior Benedictine University

33. Educational Change

34. Educational Change • It is essential to plan for change • Then implement the plan step-by-step until the change is completed • Change depends on one or more change agents who create the vision and support educators • Change must be constant (no starts and stops) Benedictine University

35. Educational Change • Change is situational: • One ‘size’ does not fit all work situations • If educators think about change as situational (meaningit depends on myriad shifting factors), the number of teachers succeeding at their attempted changes will increase • Changes need incremental adjustments • Change is most likely to occur when individuals are either in a state of “discomfort” and/or feel “safe” • “Painful’ enough to create incentive to do something differently • “Safe” enough to take the risk of changing Benedictine University

36. Educational Change • Change takes time • Change takes place through relationship building • Emphasis is on the process to find new understandings and practices • The Change Process includes: • Questions • Data • Reading professional literature • Consulting with others in the field Benedictine University

37. Educational Change • The process of change should include reflection time and hypotheses development • i.e., time for thoughtful consideration of options • Process continues until the inquiry leads to the desired change(s) • “Mid-course” corrections are a necessary part of the process • A literacy coach’s role, from a systemsperspective, is to assist staff in examining broad issues • This is complicated, therefore the building principal’s involvement may be helpful • Building of trust is essential to facilitate a healthy change process • Openness to the ideas/feelings of others is a basic requirement Benedictine University

38. Jackson School Case Study

39. Jackson SchoolCase Study • Please read the “Jackson School” case study located on Slide 40 Benedictine University

40. Jackson School Case Study: In Jackson School, the principal wrote, and was awarded, a grant to support the work of a literacy coach, with an emphasis on an approach to reading instruction different from that used by the teachers. The teachers were surprised when the principal met with them and introduced the coach, who had not worked in the district, but had been a reading specialist for a number of years in a neighboring district. The principal explained that the coach’s responsibility was to “help” them improve their teaching on a regular basis. Much of what the principal was asking the teachers to do was contradictory to what their current reading program promoted. The teachers became frustrated, almost from the first day, with the idea of converting between two different approaches to reading instruction in their classrooms. The literacy coach was frustrated by the fact that teachers were voicing resistance to change despite their school’s poor performance in reading. Bean, R. M. (2009). The reading specialist: Leadership for the classroom, school, and community. New York: The Guilford Press Benedictine University

41. Session 2 Assignments

42. Session 2 Assignments • Read: • Article: Nine Habits of Highly Effective Practice Groups • This article is located in Session 3 Resource Folder • Be prepared to discuss the content during Session 3 • Readyour assigned chapters in preparation for the “Session 3 Chapter Presentation” activity • Group members are responsible for being fully prepared to present their opinions, actively listen to the opinions of others, and arrive at a consensus of the 5 – 6 key points supported by clear and concise rationale statements • Readthe Journal Article in preparation for your Journal Presentation in Session 3 Benedictine University

43. Session 2 & 3 Objectives

44. Session 2 Objectives In Session 2, you have: • Reviewed Session 1 Content • Examined collaboration in action • Examined the Life Cycle of a Collaboration • Explored the Dimensions of Collaborative Leadership • Explained the work of a literacy coach • Examined Educational Change • Participated in Threaded Discussions Benedictine University

45. Session 3 Objectives In Session , we will: • Review Session 2 Content • Analyze the best practices that have been identified from the experiences of Collaborative Practice Groups • Develop an understanding of how to design and develop a survey/questionnaire • Participate in Journal Article Presentations and Reflections • Evaluate two new facilitation techniques (One Minute Papers and Glows and Grows) Benedictine University

46. Literacy Coaching and Collaboration EDUC 611 Session 2 See you in Session 3