1/20/2014. Establishing Your Role as a Literacy Coach. Establishing your Role as a Coach

Transcription

1 Literacy coaching is similar to riding a bike in some ways. You learn to do it only by doing it (Toll, Cathy 2006). Elizabeth Crowder Literacy Coach St. Louis Charter School Establishing Your Role as a Literacy Coach Meet with principal to discuss your role as a literacy coach and define your work Most coaching roles will include the following: meeting with individual teachers, meeting with teams of teachers, study groups, providing professional development, modeling, co-teaching, program implementation, data analysis, assessment, and school culture Have principal introduce you and define the coaching role to the teachers Establishing your Role as a Coach Send out a survey at the beginning of the school year for teachers to indicate what they believe are their strengths in the area of literacy, and what topics they would like more information on Take time to establish your role in a positive way and make your presence known Reflect on your own role as a coach and continue to take time to reflect throughout the year 1

2 Qualities of an Effective Literacy Coach 1. Communicates well with Teachers 2. Builds relationships based on trust and respect with teachers 3. Implements the School-wide Literacy Goal and works closely with teachers and administrators 4. Take time to reflect, evaluate your own role as a coach, and have teachers complete an end of the year evaluation 5. Stay informed, continue learning, and researching Qualities of an Effective Literacy Coach-Building Relationships Listening Building Respect and Trust Problem-Solving Together Listening Pay close attention to what you are hearing Silence Think time Make sense of what you are hearing Ask questions Provide feedback so the speaker knows he or she was heard and understood 2

3 Building Respect and Trust Be Friendly, Approachable, and Polite Be a part of the Team and School Community Communicate and demonstrate you are listening to the teacher s needs, strengths, and efforts Problem-Solving Together You Are Not the Expert- work together to solve problems Provide support and resources May need more information- What do you think, Say more about that, or Let s find out. Implementing These Qualities into Facilitating Individual Teacher Meetings Create a friendly and relaxed, yet productive environment Listen to teacher and help the teacher reflect about their teaching, goals, lessons, or discuss any concerns they might have Demonstrate that you are there to support the teacher Create a safe and positive environment 3

4 Scheduling Individual Teacher Meetings Arrange meetings in advance Convenient time for the teacher, at least 30 minutes, and meet in teacher s classroom Schedule individual meetings-should be at least twice a month Send a reminder before the meeting Facilitating Individual Meetings Facilitate the meeting so there is a clear focus, but the teacher should be deciding on the topic for the conversation. Monitor to stay on topic, but not too intense. May have an idea at that moment, use a little humor, give examples, ask questions, but come back to the topic Discussion should flow like a conversation and begin with reviewing what was discussed from last meeting, and how things are going Always state the goal the teacher is working on, brainstorm action steps to accomplish the goal Individual Meetings Take notes on conversation, keep track of action steps, next meeting time and date, and future goals Share notes with teacher/principal-keep in folder or binder Follow through on commitments in a timely mannersuch as modeling, co-teaching, observing, gathering materials, analyzing data, or providing resources 4

5 Conference Sheet Teacher Grade Coach Date How It s Going: Items Discussed: For Future Discussion: Goal: Actions Steps: Teacher: Coach: Next Meeting: Bring to Next Meeting: Next Steps Conference Form Individual teacher meeting conference form Helps teacher to stay focused on their goal Helps coaches to stay informed, especially when gathering resources and stay on topic for the next meeting Supporting Teachers When Establishing Their Literacy Goals Know and understand the school-wide literacy goal, may need to help establish this goal Guide teachers through the process of establishing their literacy goal that corresponds to the schoolwide goal Start small with one goal and focus on accomplishing that goal before adding more goals Establish a reasonable plan of action, and ways to collect data to make sure the goal is being achieved Dealing with Resistance Do not judge, but examine why a teacher may be resisting Try to keep an open mind and be respectful Ask questions and see if that teacher would be willing to help you and collaborate Build trust and cooperation Establish positive relationships with their peers and begin working with them 5

6 Coaching Teacher Teams Team types-grade-level, units ( teachers serve same group of students, such as special education teachers), based on interest or a particular area of need, content area teachers As a group decide how often and how long the group will meet May need to establish some group norms, discuss the topic, and the focus of the group Start conversation, check on how things are going, review any notes, and help teachers focus and stay on topic at hand Coaching Teacher Teams Check in with all group members due to different levels of participation-may want to ask group members to discuss their participation preference before beginning Provide resources and research on topics being discussed-this may also help with topics that may seem confusing or new to team members Have teachers share what they have tried with their classes and related to the specific topic being discussed Coaching Teacher Teams Try to have teachers do most of the talking/ collaborating and help each other problem-solve and set up a plan of action Help establish how the group will monitor the progress of their goal and collect data to see if the goal is being achieved 6

7 Study Groups Discuss the level of commitment and the number of hours that group members are willing to spend on a topic If reading a book find which chapters they would like to read and share with the group If reading an article make sure the group has the reading ahead of time and a clear date of when to accomplish the reading by Create meaningful discussion by: having group members share a specific sentence or passage from the book and why they felt it was meaningful to them, have members share their reflections or their thoughts, share any marks or notes they made in their books Dealing with Disagreements Discuss that group members may not all agree with each other, authors we are reading, or research we are discussing, but it is important to be open-minded Seek a common ground and listen to each other Demonstrate respect for all people in the group Dealing with Disagreements The purpose of the group is to listen to each other and hopefully learn from one another, in order to improve our teaching and help students become successful in their own reading and writing Stay in contact with an individual teacher that may be having difficulty with the group or resisting to work with the coach 7

8 Overview-The Role of a Coach A Coaches Role is to: 1. Model 2. Co-Teaching 3. Collect Data 4. Provide Resources 5. Provide Feedback 6. Implement Professional Development Opportunities 7. Provide Teacher Guidance 8. Implement the School-Wide Literacy Goal A Coach Does Not: 1. Supervise 2. Evaluate 3. Judge 4. Serve as the Expert Change School Culture It is a gradual process and needs to start small, be patient Literacy Coaches work with school administrators, teachers, and support staff to determine the schoolwide literacy goal and what change needs to occur Need to have a positive attitude and outlook Change School Culture Realize some teachers will welcome change and some will resist the change Knowing that change is constant and ongoing Begin working with teachers that are ready and welcoming change first and then begin meeting with teachers that may be resisting 8

9 Change School Culture Everyone changes at their own rate and is not always in our control Change will happen positively when there is a safe environment present The best way to bring about change is to support teachers in their work and finding ways to help them out School Climate When teachers begin implementing small changes into their reading instruction, that are based upon research and the best practices, then students also begin to demonstrate growth in their own reading and writing abilities When students demonstrate growth in their own reading and writing, they gain confidence in themselves, and begin to have positive literacy experiences Websites Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse: Choice Literacy: 9

10 References Burkins, Jan. M. (2009). Practical Literacy Coaching: A Collection of Tools to Support Your Work. Newark: International Reading Association. Toll, Cathy. A. (2006). The Literacy Coach s Desk Reference: Processes and Perspectives for Effective Coaching. Urbana. Toll, Cathy. A. (2005). The Literacy Coach s Survival Guide. Newark: International Reading Association. National Council Teachers of English. 10