Literacy Coaching and Collaboration

1. Literacy Coaching and Collaboration EDUC 611 Session 7

2. Session 7 Objectives In Session 7, we will: • Review Session 6 Content • Examine an IRA Reading Survey • Read, analyze, and synthesize questions and answers from Toll – Chapter 9 • Evaluate teacher/coach conferences • Evaluate examples of effective questions to use during a coach/teacher conference Benedictine University

3. EDUC 611 Session 6 Review Benedictine University

4. Session 6 Review • A Literacy Collaborative is a comprehensive school reform project designed to improve the reading, writing, and language skills of all children • Key components of a Literacy Collaborative are long-term professional development, training in research-based methods, consistency with recommended national standards for K-6 literacy education • Instructional framework for all students in all grades that includes Guided Reading, Writing Workshop, and Language and Word Study with a trained school-based literacy coach who provides professional development and in-class coaching to other teachers in the school • A school leadership team that supports and facilitates the school improvement process Benedictine University

5. Session 6 Review Ten Essential Characteristics of Literacy Collaborative School: • Teachers are comprehensively trained and are also coached in their classrooms by the literacy coordinator • Teachers participate in various professional development opportunities such as coaching, study groups, and action research • Materials and supplies support literacy instruction, including a collection of leveled books for guided reading • Reading Recovery is available for first-graders who need intensive tutoring; other services are provided at various grade levels • A home-school connection includes home support activities and books to promote home reading • The Kentucky Reading Project • Is committed to four core values: Achievingproficiency in literacy; promoting an atmosphere for reflective evaluation of teaching and learning; encouraging collaborative learning communities; fostering lifelong learning Benedictine University

6. EDUC 611 IRA Survey Benedictine University

7. IRA Survey • The International Reading Association supports the reading coach model as a professional development approach that can have a great impact on improving student reading proficiency • In 2005, the IRA surveyed reading/literacy coaches to determine what qualifications, duties and responsibilities were important for Reading Specialists • The survey used an online survey tool, Zoomerang, to provide a real-time survey to a list of reading coaches and other reading professionals obtained from Market Data Retrieval • The survey went to 1053 individuals and 140 completed surveys were returned for a 13.2% return rate Benedictine University

8. Toll – Chapter 9 EDUC 611 What about this issue? Benedictine University

9. What About This Issue? • As a Reading Specialist you will encounter many situations that have not been included in this course • To help address everyday situations that Reading Specialists may face, Chapter 9 discusses eleven key questions Benedictine University

10. Toll – Chapter 9 EDUC 611 Teacher / Coach Conferences Benedictine University

11. Coaching Conference • In an individual coaching conference / conversation, a literacy coach: • Gathers Information (through questions; visits; etc.) • Sets Goals • Plans for Action • Forwards the Action • Ask questions that will lead the teacher to describe a problem or interest • Ask questions that will encourage the teacher to tell more • Listen and Learn! Toll, Cathy. The Literacy Coach’s Desk Reference; 2006 NCTE;(chapters 5&6). Benedictine University

12. Communication Tips… • Listen– Listening involves four stages: • Using your senses to note what someoneelse says • Paying attention to what you hear • Making sense of what you hear • Providing feedback so the speaker knows that he or she was accurately heard and understood • Silence– Is a valuable tool • Do not attempt to immediately “answer” a teacher who asks a question • Wait a moment – count two seconds – before responding • This pause provides two valuable purposes: • It gives you the chance to breathe and think • The pause gives the other person another chance to say more Toll, C. (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide; NCTE;(chapters 5&6). Benedictine University

13. Communication Tips… • Filler Phrases – Use to give you time: • Fillers such as: “Hummm” or “Uh-huh” tell the teacher that you are listening to him or her and that you are engaged with what he/she is saying • Fillers, like silence, also leave ‘space’ for the teacher to say more • There are two rules for using fillers: • Intone it in a neutral way • Don’t over use it • “Say Some More About That” – shows interest • Makes explicit the fact that the literacy coach wants or needs some more information • It is ‘neutral’ – it does not commit the speaker to any opinion and does not take the discussion in any particular direction Toll, C. (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide; NCTE;(chapters 5&6). Benedictine University

14. Communication Tips… • “What Do You Think?” – Can provide time to answer one’s own question: • This question serves several purposes: • It demonstrates that the literacy coach values the teacher as a problem solver and decision maker • It shows the literacy coach’s belief that there is not just one expert in the room, and it gives the teacher a chance to listen to her own inner guide • “I Don’t Know…Let’s Find Out” – Shows that there is more than one expert • Demonstrates for teachers your comfort with not having all the answers • Without this phrase, you may muddle through a conversation by trying to “fake it,” an approach that is likely to be unhelpful to the teacher and may undermine your ability to be effective in the future Toll, C. (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide; NCTE;(chapters 5&6). Benedictine University

15. Communication Tips… • Wise literacy coaches develop communication skills that: • Minimize the chances that their words will be misunderstood or misinterpreted • Maximize trust and communication between themselves and those with whom they work • The tips presented in this section will assist you: • To practice the coaching skills of listening, mirroring and supporting and • To discover your own words to value in your literacy coaching work Toll, C. (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide; NCTE;(chapters 5&6). Benedictine University

16. EDUC 611 Effective Questioning Benedictine University

17. Characteristics of Effective Questions Effective Questions… • Are open-ended • Are devoid of judgment • Contain carefully chosen words • For example: • Problem rather than crisis • Disorganizationrather than mess • Strugglingrather than failing • Are asked in a neutral tone of voice with body language signifying openness • Use “I” more than “you” if discussing a negative response • “I’m confused” rather than “Youaren’t making sense.” Toll, C. (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide; NCTE;(chapters 5&6). Benedictine University

18. Examples of Effective Questions Positively framed questions can help Literacy Coaches begin a productive conversation with teachers – For example: • When you think about the reading and writing you want your students to do, the kind of teaching you want to do, and the kind of classroom you want to have, what gets in the way? • When you think about the understanding you want your students to have when they read and write about (insert content discipline here) what gets in the way? • When you think about the way you want to implement (guided reading; vocabulary instruction, etc.) and when you think about the kind of reading and writing you want students to do as a result, what gets in the way? • When you think about the data you have about students reading and writing and when you think about helping your students strengthen their reading and writing, what gets in the way? Toll, C. (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide; NCTE;(chapters 5&6). Benedictine University

19. EDUC 611 Session 7 Assignments Benedictine University

20. Session 7 Assignments • Journal Article Folder due Session 8 • Survey Presentations due Session 8 Benedictine University

21. EDUC 611 Session 7 & 8 Objectives Benedictine University

22. Session 7 Objectives In Session 7, we have: • Reviewed Session 6 Content • Examined an IRA Reading Survey • Read, analyzed, and synthesized questions and answers from Toll – Chapter 9 • Evaluated teacher/coach conferences • Evaluated examples of effective questions to use during a coach/teacher conference • Participated in threaded discussions Benedictine University

23. Session 8 Objectives In Session 8, you will: • Review Session 7 Content • Examine the role and expectations for Literacy Coaches • Evaluate partnership models • Examine the Literacy Coach’s relationship to the School Improvement Process [SIP] • Examine the role that Reading Professionals play in the RtI mandate • Analyze the jobs and roles of a literacy coach • (Discuss?) home-school and school – community connections Benedictine University

24. Literacy Coaching and Collaboration EDUC 611 Session 7