Literacy Coaching: Processes & Perspectives on

Learning and Leading

Matthew HallKristin RainvilleNancy ShanklinKedra Gamble

nancy.shanklin@ucdenver.edu

Kristin Rainville

knjgamble@gmail.com

matthew.hall78@gmail.com

Nancy Shanklin

krain@optonline.netKedra Gamble

Matthew Hall

Coaching Methods

Experiences from the Field

90%

(Nation Staff Development Council, 2004)

“Effective professional development is…sustainedsupported by modeling

collective problem solving around specific problems of practice.”

eon-going

intensive

n coaching

c

Coaching is…Job-embedded

Responsive

CollaborativeFocused

(Toll, 2005)

Classroom EnvironmentClassroom VisitationDemonstration Lessons

Demonstration Lessons

Demonstration LessonsCollaborative LessonsEducational Discussions

Educational Discussions

Educational DiscussionsStudy GroupsBook ClubWorkshopsLab Classes

Lab Classes

“It is true that literacy coaching takes time, and it

may seem like a slow process to some.

listening and learningtelling and prescribing.”

(Toll, 2006, p. 186)

and start

However, there is not a productive way to rush it. When literacy coaches

hurry, they often stop

COACH TALK: EXPLORING THE LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION OF COACHING

Kristin N. Rainville, Ed.D.IRA-North WestMay 4, 2009

“LANGUAGE IS A POWERFUL TOOL” Power Positioning Identity

“I would love to visit your classroom to watch how you teach interactive writing”

“I am going to come in and observe you teaching interactive writing”

“I would love to visit your classroom to watch how you teach interactive writing”

“I am going to come in and observe you teaching interactive writing”

Shared Power

I

should

will

WeUsOur

could

try

Dynamics of Coaching “My role as a literacy coach is to……”

“I have various identities as a literacy coach….”

Dynamics of Coaching “I train teachers”

“I am a staff developer”

“I am involved in teacher education”

Train

Development

Education

How else are you communicating? Body language Facial expressions Movements Actions Gestures

Questions to ask yourself to begin reflecting on language Does our language invite teachers to

participate? What language makes teachers reluctant to

participate? What kind of statements am I making? What kind of questioning do I use? Who is doing most of the talking?

Open Ended Questions Tell me more about that… How is it going? How did it go? What are some questions you have about…? What are some other ways of looking at this? How do you feel about?

Resources and ReferencesDozier, C. (2006). Responsive coaching: Tool for creating and sustaining purposeful

change. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Gee, J. P. (1999). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. London: Routledge.

Ippolito, J. (2008, December). Understanding responsive and directive relationships in literacy coaching work. Roundtable paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Reading Conference, Orlando, FL.

Johnston, P. H. (2004) Choice words: How our language affects children’s learning. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

McAndrew (2005) Literacy Leadership: Six strategies for people work. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Rainville, K. (2007). Situated Identities, Power, and Positioning: Inside the Practices of Three Literacy Coaches in New Jersey. Ed.D. diss., New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.

Rainville, K. N. & Jones, S.  (2008) “Situated identities: Power and positioningin the work of a literacy coach” The Reading Teacher, 61(6), 440-448.  

Establishing Quality Coaching Programs at

the MS & HS LevelNancy L. Shanklin, Director

Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse

- A joint project of IRA & NCTE -University of Colorado Denver

Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse

-a joint project of IRA & NCTE-

www.literacycoachingonline.org

New Emphasis on Adolescent Literacy & Workforce Readiness

NGA Workforce Readiness Report on coordinated efforts on

adolescent literacy in 5 States Many states rewriting standards

to make them more rigorous Potential creation of voluntary

national standards in English/LA Growing Emphasis by IRA & NCTE

on Adolescent Literacy, ELLs, RTI

Increased Moneys for: Title 1

& other areas of ARRA $13 billion for Title I ($10 for

Part A and $3 for school improvement)

$12 billion for IDEA $ 5 billion for Secretary’s fund

– Centers of Innovation Schools– Schools making progress with at risk

Ss 27 months in which to usehttp://sites.google.com/site/iralatupdate

Other New Legislation IRA & NCTE are working

onThese include wording and funding

for coaches:

Education Bill

Rewrite of NCLB

BUT, there is a trade off…

Emphasis on Accountability Coaches are well trained Coaches can really help teachers

improve their instruction Teachers, in turn, are able to

increase student learning Assessment and evaluation

systems are in place to demonstrate successes

Types of Coaches at the MS/HS Level

Reading Specialist

Interventionist

Reading Coach

Literacy Coach

Instructional Coach

2010 IRA Standards for Reading Specialists/Coaches Coaches need to have knowledge

and skills in literacy teaching, assessment, working with adults, and creating school change

Soon out for a second round of feedback

Idea: Let coaches self-assess their abilities to do

the job Once coaches are familiar with

their own strengths and weaknesses, they can seek the professional development that they need

Additionally, districts can develop PD in areas that coaches have identified

Standards for MS and HS

Literacy Coaches Skillful Collaborators Skilled Job-Embedded

Coaches Skilled Evaluators of Literacy

Needs Skillful Instructional Strategist

in ELA, Mathematics, Science, & Social Studies

What do you think are the 8 areas of the self-assessment?

8 Areas of the Self-Assessment for MS/HS Literacy/Instructional

Coaches Foundations of Literacy Assessment Content Area Instruction: Reading Content Area Instruction: Writing Differentiated Instruction Classroom Coaching Facilitating Adult Learning Building Capacity Within the School

Foundations of Literacy(8 skills)

Developing students’ oral language skills through discussion and dialogue

Developing students’ vocabulary Building students’ reading fluency Developing students’ meta-cognitive

reading skills Developing students’ text

comprehension skills…. Theories on adolescent development,

including strategies to spur motivation and interest

Assessment(16 skills)

Coherent, comprehensive, and explicit school assessment system

Norm-referenced assessments Course-specific assessments Diagnostic or screening assessments Assessment data to inform and

improve PD efforts Differentiate instruction

Content Area Instruction: Reading

(10 Skills) Discipline-specific student standards,

benchmarks, and goals Discipline-specific understanding of

foundational literacy (including fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension)

Discipline-specific methodologies of communicating and representing content

Discipline-specific texts at a variety of reading levels

Content Area Instruction: Writing (9

Skills) Knowledgeable of ways to develop students’

writing skills through scaffolding instruction Knowledgeable of forms of writing that are

specific to particular content disciplines Knowledgeable of ways to use writing to

think through understanding of a discipline Knowledge of effective instructional practices

to reach writers who are struggling, ELL, learning disabled, or gifted and talented in content area classes

Ways to help Ss revise drafts Ways technology can assist students’

development

Differentiated Instruction(11 Skills)

Interpreting diagnostic tools used to differentiate

Multiple classroom strategies & instructional practices that scaffold learning

Differentiating literacy content, process/assignment tasks, and products

Flexible classroom group structures Knowledge of effective instructional practices

to support struggling readers in content area classes

Knowledge of effective practices for ELLs

Classroom Coaching(9 Skills)

“Over-the-shoulder” coaching (coaching in the moment and providing teacher support during instruction)

Collaborative planning Gradual release model of coaching Modeling and demonstrating classroom

lessons Establishing classroom routines and

management structures On-going collection of data on the impact of

one-on-one classroom coaching

Facilitating Adult Learning(8 Skills)

Theories of adult development, learning, and motivation

Theory related to quality PD Adult learning processes that lead to

improved instructional practices Asset-based learning that focuses on

teachers’ strengths Facilitating change in the face of

resistance

Building Capacity Within

the School (13 Skills) Assessing school-wide literacy needs Establishing a school literacy team Determining key elements of a school-wide

literacy program Monitoring a school-wide literacy program for

level of implementation and effectiveness Problem solving “barriers” that may impede

the effectiveness of the literacy program Coordinating coaching efforts with other

classroom support specialists

How can you use this self-assessment to plan coaches’Professional Development?

Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse IRA and NCTE websites Thinkfinity.org Reading of books and articles Study Group PD through IRA Online PD through NCTE Pathways and

Webinars Professional groups and conferences in your

area University coursework – face-to-face, hybrid,

online

IRA Literacy Study Groups Modules

Reading Comprehension module Vocabulary module English Learners module Struggling Readers module Adolescent Literacy module Beginning reading module

In addition to a discussion guide that includes the full text of several journal articles, the module contains one or two books from IRA publications, a reading reflections journal, & a facilitator’s guide for use in school-based professional development.

NCTE Pathways Adolescent Literacy

English Language Learners

21st Century Learners & Technology

More are forthcoming….

Format of an NCTE Online Pathway

Anchor classroom videos to unpack and reflect on new teaching strategies

Lesson plans and strategies to test out in your own classroom

Continued discussion and refinement of your new knowledge

Convenient ways to organize and share your new teaching materials with teachers

What have you done to promote your own PD as a

coach?

Please share 2 things that you have done with those on both sides of you

What have been the benefits of your personal PD “action plan”?

Exemplar programs meeting the needs of

MS & HS Coaches

Cantrell, S & Hughes, H. (KY) RAISSE (SC) Boatright, E. (WA) Adolescent Literacy Collaborative

(RI) Clrm Lrng Lab Professional

Residency (CO) Marsh, J. et al (FLA)

Cantrell, S. & Hughes, H. (2008),Teacher Efficacy & Content Literacy

Implementation Measures the self-efficacy and group efficacy

of 22 6th and 9th grade content Ts Quantitative results show the largest gain

occurred in Ts’ sense of personal efficacy Collective efficacy was significantly related to

the spring implementation A primary barrier to teachers’ sense of

efficacy was time: to develop skills, to implement, and to collaborate with colleagues

Ts affirmed feedback and support from the coaches was essential

Project RAISSE (2008)(See Brief in

www.literacycoachingonline.org) Qualitative Study Learnings about Implementation:

– Necessity of partnerships– Leadership of school principal– Intersecting theory with practice– Application of adult learning principles– Accommodations to Ts‘ schedules

Learnings about Teacher Change:– HS culture and infrastructure– T investment and motivation– Ts preparedness to implement new ideas– Ts as change agents

Study a external coach’s work with English/LA teachers of one HS that became 3 small schools

Work envisioned and supported by principal Observed 3 coaching cycles at each school

for a total of 18 days, 6 additional days observed Ts

Coach worked with Ts to examine student data; did modeling in classrooms

Ts changed their views about students’ intellectual abilities

Veteran teachers were hesitant to coach beginning teachers; all more receptive to critical comments from external coach

Boatright, E. (2007)

Brettschneider (2009), PLCs Meet PCs: Technology-Supported Literacy Coaching

(See Brief in www.literacycoachingonline.org)

Adolescent Literacy Collaborative was created by Education Alliance at Brown University

Overlapping Professional Learning Communities– Ts become members of face-to-face

interdisciplinary school team facilitated by a coach

– Simultaneously, become members of content specific groups drawn from multiple schools, meeting together online

– Begins with a five-day face-to-face institute

Ss of 2007-08 Adolescent Literacy Collaborative participants had larger gains in their fall to spring scores on NWEA MAP than comparison students

Professional Learning Lab Classroom Residency

(Aurora Public Schools, CO) For English/LA Teachers &

Coaches High School Curriculum for

regular English/LA is Readers & Writers Workshop

Also uses technology solutions to support instruction

Professional Learning Laboratory Classroom Residency – 4 weeks

Marsh, J. et al, Supporting Literacy

Across the Sunshine State: Florida MS Coaches

MS reading coaches from 8 districts over 06-07

While coaches were asked to work with all teachers, they worked extensively with reading teachers in the MS

Coaches indicated a need for PD around adult learners, working with special education & English Language Learners, & literacy across content areas

A coach was associated with small but significant improvement in average annual gains in reading for 2 of the 4 cohorts analyzed

Need for Evaluation Studies of Coaching

Programs Who exactly are they working with? What are they doing? How are they

spending their time? What data can you collect that

demonstrates progress coaches are making with the Ts they are working with? With administrators?

What data can you collect that demonstrates student learning is improving?

How does/could your district

evaluate its coaching program?

Share two ideas

“Coaching” as a Verb Doing Professional

Development Sessions

Leading Data Analysis Sessions

Leading Study Groups

Finding Resources Conversations “On-

the-Fly”

Organizing Peer-Coaching

Assisting with Action Research

Doing Modeling and Demonstration Teaching

Leading Teaching Labs or Lesson Study

Coaching Cycles: Pre, During, Post

Recent Developments IRA and NCTE have decided over the

past week to no longer fund the LCC They very much want to continue to

support coaches and coaching but will do so in new ways: sessions and conferences

They will embed information from the current LCC website into their own websites in ways that will be worked out in the coming months

In the urgency to help students keep pace in a

changing, world environment…

Is coaching nice, but not necessary fad?

OR Is coaching a crucial program/role

that works best when schools have high quality programs and well qualified people in place?

How can you use this self-assessment in your district to

improve coaches’ abilities?

Give sections of the self-assessment Match areas of the self-assessment to

professional development activities in your area or online & make this information available

Work with district leaders and principals to make funds available for coaches to attend PD

How can you use this self-assessment in a district to improve coaches’ abilities?

Plan for study groups in your district within or across selected schools

Plan PD yourself in areas where coaches need support

Plan and deliver PD using resources from professional associations & other sources

Partner with others in a district using a distributed leadership model

Partner with a local university to address needs

Partner with other districts and your state department of education to meet needs

Supporting coaches in deepening their work with teachers: Things that matter

Kedra N. GambleSupervisor of Language Arts, K-8

Freehold Township SchoolsFreehold, NJ

COACHES

Effective Coaches acquire deep conceptual understandings Reading and writing processes

How adults and students learn

How to create situations and opportunities for them to learn effectively

How to meet teachers’ individual needs (Kise, 2006; Lyons & Pinnell, 2001)

Coaching is about TransformationUnderstanding and creating the conditions

that promote change is complex.

Changing formal structures is not the same as changing norms, habits, skills and beliefs (Fullan, 1993)

Being able to guide teachers through the change process requires a complicated skill set.

j

Coaches need extensive support

• Information • Pedagogy

• Delivery of Support

• Context for learning

ContentInstruction

al Framework

Coaching Methods

Teachers as adult learners

Teachers as adult learnersInfluence of life experiences on

current perspectives of education and professional development (Lawler, 2003)

Diversity of adult learning styles

Variety of professional goals

Three Developmentally Different Types of Learners Instrumental knowers: concrete,

external, and transactive orientation

Socializing knowers: identify self through its relation to other people and ideas

Self-authoring knowers: take responsibility and ownership for their own internal authority

(Drago-Severson, Helsing, Kegan, Broderick, Popp & Portnow, 2001; Kegan, 1994)

WAY OF KNOWING CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNERInstrumental Knowers Knowledge is a kind of possession, an accumulation of

skills, facts, and actions that yield solutions; a means to an end. You get it and then you have it.Knowledge is constructed as an accumulation of facts and skills.Knowledge is right or wrong.Knowledge comes from external authority the right skills, facts, and rules you need to produce to get the results you want.

Socializing Knowers Knowledge is equated with objective truth.Knowledge is general information required for one’s social roles and to meet the expectations of authorities.Knowledge helps one gain entry into social roles and feel a sense of belonging.Knowledge happens during interaction with peers.

Self-Authoring Knowers Knowledge is understood as construction and truth, a matter of context. Bodies of knowledge and theories are models for interpreting and analyzing experience.Knowledge comes from self –generated curiosity and sense of responsibility for one’s own learningKnowledge helps to enrich one’s life, to achieve a greater competency according to one’s own standards, to deepen one’s understanding of self and the world to participate in the improvement of society.

( Portnow & Popp, 1998)

What implications does this have for coaching?Coaches should understand a teacher’s

existing way of knowing

Coaches must be alert to ways the teachers might be exploring and gradually taking on new and more complex ways of knowing

Professional development programs that recognize learners’ developmental diversity and support their growth accordingly will be more effective

Coaches need to be able to shift their approaches and perspectives.

The Real Face of Literacy Coaches

Coaches need extensive training

• Information • Pedagogy

• Delivery of Support

• Context for learning

ContentInstruction

al Framewor

k

Coaching Methods

Teachers as adult learners

Coaches need….Ongoing professional development addressing all

four quadrants that builds on coaches’ experience, incorporates collaborative inquiry and is relevant to their immediate work

Action plansTime built into their schedules for professional

reading and reflectionFeedback related to their work with teachersCollaboration and community with other coachesSupport in building and nourishing relationshipsOne-on-one, individualized support from

supervisors based on their ways of knowing

Keep this in mind…..

Coaches are adult learners, too.

Without extensive training and support……..