Literacy Coaching and Collaboration

Literacy Coaching and Collaboration Session 4 EDUC 611

Session 4 Objectives In Session 4, you will: • Review Session 3 Content • Complete the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II and discuss the implications of style/learning differences for a literacy coach • Analyze and evaluate a video on ‘Active Listening’ • Examine the work of a Literacy Coach • Gain an understanding of how a Literacy Coach gets started in the position • Examine ways that a Literacy Coach can begin a collaboration Benedictine University

Session 3 Review EDUC 611

Session 3 Review • Effective Collaborative Groups: • Set clear agendas and identify goals • Find ways to follow through on assigned tasks • Look at the big picture and the broader interest or goals • Utilize respectful communication • Effective strategic planning is essential and includes: • Discovery • Inquiry and Analysis • Acceptance • Implementation • Effective action-oriented processes are required to accomplish specific goals/objectives • Effective training is required to maintain high standards and skills • Effective processes are required to maintain ‘collaboration between collaborators’; i.e., use the skills to address issues • Effective groups seek help when needed, enjoy the process and actively seek new input and ideas Benedictine University

Session 3 Review • Surveys are a mechanism for obtaining quantifiable data that address your objectives • The survey should be guided by the objectives/purpose • What do you want to find out? • Clarity: Simple words, short, direct statements, easy-to-use scales, explicit meaning(avoid double-meanings) • Introduce with an explanation of purpose • Group similar items together • Multiple choice/Likert scale are easiest to score; open-ended questions tend to give more enlightening information • Open-ended questions give respondents an opportunity to answer in their own words, but are more difficult to interpret and categorize • Closed-ended questions are easy to standardize and data gathered lend themselves to statistical analysis • It is more difficult to write clear and unambiguous questions since the choices must include all possible answers a respondent could give for each question Benedictine University

Keirsey Temperament Sorter II EDUC 611

Kiersey Survey • The Keirsey Temperament Sorter®-II (KTS®-II) is the most widely used personality instrument in the world • It is a powerful 70 question personality instrument that helps individuals discover their personality type • The KTS-II is based on Keirsey Temperament Theory™, published in the best selling books, Please Understand Me® and Please Understand Me II, by Dr. David Keirsey Benedictine University

Effective Communication EDUC 611

Effective Communication • Expressing our wants, feelings, thoughts and opinions clearly and effectively is only half of the communication process needed for interpersonal effectiveness • The other half is listeningand understanding what others communicate to us • When a person decides to communicate with another person, he/she does so to fulfill a need • The person wants something, feels discomfort, and/or has feelings or thoughts about something Web Source: http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm Benedictine University

Effective Communication • In deciding to communicate, the person utilizes the method or code which he/she believes will effectively deliver the message to the other person • The code used to send the message can be either verbal or nonverbal • When the other person receives the coded message, they go through the process of decoding or interpreting it into understanding and meaning • Effective communicationexists between two people when the receiver interprets and understands the sender’s message in the same way the sender intended to send it Web Source: http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm Benedictine University

Sources of Difficulty by the Listener • The state of active listening requires the full attention of an individual • Sources of difficulty that tend to interfere with effective listening are: • Being preoccupied and not listening • Being so intent on what you have to say that you listen mainly to find an opening to get the floor • Formulating and listening to form your own rebuttal to what the speaker is saying • Listening to your own personal beliefs about what is being said • Evaluating and making judgments about the speaker or the message • Not asking for clarification when you know that you do not understand Web Source: http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm Benedictine University

How to Listen Effectively • Stop Working, watching TV, reading • Look at the person who is speaking • Keep a good distance between you and the speaker • Sit-up straight (body language is important) • Nod your head and make statements such as “uh-uh”, “I understand,” and “I see what you mean” to show the speaker that you are truly making an effort to understand what he/she is saying Benedictine University

How to Listen Effectively • If you do not understand, let the person know • Don’t ‘fake’ listen! • Repeat back (reflect) phrases to clarify what the person is saying • Actinterested and ask questions to demonstrate that you are interested • Don’t interrupt the speaker Benedictine University

Literacy Coach & Collaboration EDUC 611

Literacy Coaching: Starting Collaboration Credibility is “in the eyes of the beholder” • Four tips to protect and bolster process credibility: • Invest in your professional stature • Develop ground rules when you begin to work with others to establish work place etiquette • Develop expectations and benchmarks early in the collaboration process to establish the accountabilities of each group member • Recruit and involve at least 1 or 2 highly visible civic or institutional leaders with high credibility Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative Leadership: Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Benedictine University

Beginning a Collaboration • A Collaborative Leader • Controls the launch of the collaboration process • The time and conditions in which the process begins • Carefully decides the right time to launch a collaboration • Recruits the Right Mix: • The leader enlists those who can: • Commit to the collaboration process • Recognize what is to be achieved (intended outcome) • Prioritize a pool of decision makers and individuals who have the capacity to influence the decision makers • Identify a pool of stakeholders in the collaboration process…anyone who has a stake in the collaboration Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative Leadership: Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Benedictine University

Recruiting for Collaboration Some key principles in recruiting: • Who do we trust and work well with? • For whom does the agenda/problem/need overlap with their missions and self-interests • Who are the least controversial? • Who are of high enough profile and credibility to attract and reinforce the involvement of other targeted partners? Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative Leadership: Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA, Co Corwin Press. Benedictine University

What Do Collaborative Leaders Do? EDUC 611

Collaborative Leaders • Develop a climate for which honest and productive communication occurs • Connect the individual and institutional self-interests of partners to the goals and activities of the collaboration • Establish the foundation of consensus building by laying one or more goals that articulate a clear and meaningful direction • Create a balance between the whole and individual interests • Remain vision driven, selfless, and spreads the credit among all of the parties • Do not have to be experts in all areas but need to understand some of the context that others work-seeing the world through our colleagues eyes Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative Leadership: Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA, Co Corwin Press (pp. 53-97) Benedictine University

Collaborative Leaders • Understand that decision making models should be research based, data driven and devoted to best practice • These characteristics improve the likelihood of successful collaboration • Understand the character, needs, work styles, capacities, and self-interests of the people with whom they work • Serve the institution’s best interests • Pay close attention to the functional dynamics of the group • Clearly state ground rules for effective meeting management • Are the environmental engineers, group facilitators, grant operatives • Create an environment of care and caring about each other so that group members want to help each other • Celebrate success, reward contributions Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative Leadership: Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Benedictine University

How Does a Literacy Coach Begin? EDUC 611

Collaboration Process Literacy Coach’s collaborative process: • Comingtogether is the Beginning • Keeping together is an vital component of Progress • Workingtogether is a major sign of Success Benedictine University

Collaboration Process To establish a collaborative process as a literacy coach… • Make a good impression • No mystery here…professional appearance, open and friendly demeanor, self-confidence without ego • Be approachable • Here’s where ‘listening skills’ come in • Introduce yourself to principal, staff, and the parents • Build trust and relationships • Be trustworthy, take time to be genuinely helpful • Meet with the principal early on • As you get busy working with staff and parents-touch base with students as often as possible Toll, C. A., (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide: Essential Questions and Practical Answers. Normal, Illinois, IRA. Chapter 3. Benedictine University

Literacy Coaches • Do not fix things – They support • Encourage a culture of collaboration (by building relationships) • Encourage and promote reflection and decision making • Honor both student and adult learners’ “learning styles” • Focus on student achievement Toll, C. A., (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide: Essential Questions and Practical Answers. Normal, Illinois, IRA. Chapter 3. Benedictine University

Coaching… “NO COACH HAS EVER WON A GAME BY WHAT HE KNOWS; IT’S WHAT HIS PLAYERS KNOW THAT COUNTS” - Paul “Bear” Bryant Benedictine University

Session 4 Assignments – Due Session 5 EDUC 611

Session 4 Assignments Benedictine University

Session 4 & 5 Objectives EDUC 611

Session 4 Objectives In Session 4, you have: • Reviewed Session 3 Content • Completed the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II and discuss the implications of style/learning differences for a literacy coach • Analyzed and evaluate a video on ‘Active Listening’ • Examined the work of a Literacy Coach • Gained an understanding of how a Literacy Coach gets started in the position • Examined ways that a Literacy Coach can begin a collaboration • Participated in Threaded Discussions Benedictine University

Session 5 Objectives In Session 5, we will: • Review Session 4 Content • Discuss temperament types and implications of this information for Literacy Coaches • Evaluate and peer edit surveys • Discuss Brainstorming Activities Benedictine University

William Arthur Ward Words of Wisdom: • We must be silent before we can listen • We must listen before we can learn • We must learn before we can prepare • We must prepare before we can serve • We must serve before we can lead Benedictine University

Literacy Coaching and Collaboration Session 4 EDUC 611 See you in Session 5

Literacy Coaching and Collaboration