Literacy Coaching and Collaboration

Literacy Coaching and Collaboration Session 8 EDUC 611

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

Session 8 EDUC 611 Session 7 Review Benedictine University

Session 7 Review • In coaching conferences/conversations with teachers, a literacy coach gathers Information (through questions, visits, etc.), sets goals, plans for and forwards actions, asks questions that lead teachers to describe problems or interests and that encourage them to tell more and especially to Listen and Learn! • Listening is: noting what someoneelse says, paying attention to what you hear, making sense of what you hear and providing feedback to the speaker • To truly Listen, use silence as a tool: Do not immediately “answer” a teacher who asks a question, wait a moment – count two seconds – before responding • This pause has two purposes: offers you the chance to think and gives the other person another chance to say more • Focus on and engage the other person: “What do you think”, “Let’s find out”, “Say some more about that” Benedictine University

Session 7 Review Effective Questions are open-ended, devoid of judgment and contain carefully chosen words • Focused on problem rather than crisis, disorganization rather than mess, struggling rather than failing • 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 “You aren’t making sense.”) • Literacy Coaches must be constantly aware of the ‘partner’ aspect of their role in the school(s)… Be slow to speak, quick to listen Benedictine University

Session 8 EDUC 611 Partnership Model Benedictine University

Partnership Partnershipis defined as: • A cooperative relationship between people or groups who agree to share responsibility for achieving a specific goal • A contract between two or more persons who agree to pool talent and money and share profits, results, or losses Benedictine University

Partnership Models • A partnership model is designed for specific programs • The model should focus on distinct combinations of quality content, use of the most effective technology to support learning, and the development of co-operative partnerships in defining the quality of the program • Typically, superior content, delivery and service are enabled through a partnership between the people of the local school programs, university and private industry Benedictine University

Partnership Models • All parties have distinct and valuable core competencies • The partnership model of learning combines the strengths of content experts from academia and private industry to ensure that all students, regardless of location, will have the best possible learning experience Benedictine University

Partnership Models • Main stakeholders within a partnership are identified based on criteria that have been identified as critical to a successful program • Criteria examples are: • Financial • Research capabilities, i.e., universities • Core competencies • Human Resources • Expertise within a given field of study • Locations – target populations • Infrastructure Benedictine University

Partnership Models • Real world examples of educational partnerships can be found at: http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/school_program_profile • The examples on the “Alliance for Excellent Education” website incorporate school and program profiles that are intended to be illustrative only • The examples are meant to be profiles because some are in the early stages, they have not necessarily been proven to be effective by scientifically based research • Profiles are organized into four categories: • Adolescent literacy • College preparation • Small learning communities, • Teacher and principal quality. Benedictine University

Session 8 EDUC 611 School Improvement Plan Benedictine University

School Improvement & Literacy Coaches • Literacy coaches may be asked to participate in developing and/or implementing School Improvement Plans (SIP) • Some literacy coaches see their involvement in SIP teams as: • A way to further their work • And others view this as an obstacle to their work • Literacy coaches who participate on a leadership team responsible for the SIP are wise to use their best coaching skills of: • Listening • Learning • Gathering information • Asking good(relevant, insightful, effective)questions. Benedictine University Toll, C. (2006). The Literacy Coach’s Desk Reference: Process and Perspectives. NCTE. (pp.182-190)

School Improvement & Literacy Coaches • An important role literacy coaches can play in School Improvement Planning is to help the team think about the variety of data that might be considered in developing the plan • Literacy coaches can also assist team members in understanding the concept of literacy learning and teaching • Literacy coaches can influence the manner in which professional development is thought about in the SIP planning • For instance, the professional development plan will be most effective if it supports teachers as reflective decision makers rather than implementers of programs and behaviors • The SIP plan will support collaborative teaming and inquiry to maximize its impact Benedictine University Toll, C. (2006). The Literacy Coach’s Desk Reference: Process and Perspectives. NCTE. (pp.182-190)

School Improvement & Literacy Coaches • A literacy coach can: • Stay on track within the SIP process by: • Developing good relationships • Asking good questions • Explaining the rationale for their work • Take the SIP goals to a coaching conversation and share them with teachers Benedictine University Toll, C. (2006). The Literacy Coach’s Desk Reference: Process and Perspectives. NCTE. (pp.182-190)

School Improvement & Literacy Coaches • Literacy coaches: • Honor the amount of time that it takes to do coaching work and then collect additional data to show that they are having an impact • Frequently remind teachers, parents, and others of the purpose for literacy coaching • Literacy coaching is an investment that bears fruit over time • More like creating a strong retirement account rather than earning a large one-time bonus • If done carefully and properly, it will yield great future benefits for student learning across all subjects Benedictine University Toll, C. (2006). The Literacy Coach’s Desk Reference: Process and Perspectives. NCTE. (pp.182-190)

Session 8 EDUC 611 Response to Intervention (RtI) Benedictine University

RtI • RtIis: • Generally a school-wide initiative designed to increase student achievement • The practice of providing high-quality instruction and intervention that are matched to individual student needs • Student needs are identified through evidenced-based data • The evidence-based data is used to make collaborative educational decisions in the best interest of student learning Benedictine University Hentz, S. (2010). Response to Intervention Conference (Grades K- 8). Bellevue: WA: Bureau of Education and Research. (p.36)

RtI is not… • [Not] An instructional program • [Not] Possible to implement alone • [Not] A specific model for instruction • [Not] Completing steps in a process • [Not] A special education hoop for identification of students with learning disabilities Benedictine University Gudwin, D. M.. (2010). Response to Intervention Conference (Grades K- 8). Bellevue: WA: Bureau of Education and Research. (p.36)

RtI • RtI helps schools reach the No Child Left Behind Act’s goal of all students being proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014 • RtI combines best practice instruction with a tiered system of remedial interventions for children who need additional help in learning • RtI requires a joint effort between general, special education, and support professionals • In many schools, such collaborationrequires educators to adopt new ways of: • Thinking • Collaborating • Acting together Benedictine University Gudwin, D. M.. (2010). Response to Intervention Conference (Grades K- 8). Bellevue: WA: Bureau of Education and Research. (p.36)

RtI & Literacy coaches • Literacy Coaches are key members of RtI teams • In order for Literacy Coaches to be positioned to successfully implement a school-wide RtI process, they must be aware of seven core principles that must be present in the RtI process: • High quality, standards-based curriculum, research-based instruction and intervention to meet student needs • Quality assessments that inform instructional practices • Multiple tiers of instructional strategies that are progressively more intense and use scientific, research-based interventions matched to individual student needs • Parental involvement • A collaborative problem-solving team • Data-based decision-making • The belief that ALL children CANLEARN! Benedictine University Gudwin, D. M.. (2010). Response to Intervention Conference (Grades K- 8). Bellevue: WA: Bureau of Education and Research. (p.36)

RtI & Literacy Coaches • Reading professionals should understand and utilize the potential of RtI to help improve success rates • Refer to websites such as the two below for more information regarding reading professionals and RTI: • www.interventioncentral.org • http://www.reading.org/General/Default.aspx Benedictine University Toll, C. (2006). The Literacy Coach’s Desk Reference: Process and Perspectives. NCTE. (pp.182-190)

Session 8 EDUC 611 Your Role as a Literacy Coach Benedictine University

EDUC 611 Role and The Task at Hand: Jobs and Roles Benedictine University

Changing Roles • Prior to the title of Literacy Coach, reading specialists were hired in schools to work directly with struggling readings in: • Small groups • Pullout programs • Students would receive intense, skill-based instruction outside of the regular classroom (Pipes, 2004) • Typically there was little collaboration between the classroom teacher and reading specialists about the type of instruction each student received • Concerns were frequently voiced about the effectiveness of the pullout program model (Allinton & Walmsley, 2007; Dole, 2004) Benedictine University Source: Your Role and the Task At Hand – The Responsibilities of a Coach in Supporting Effective Literacy Instruction. Benedictine University 25

Changing Roles • Changing expectations for the role of literacy coaches produced new titles and job descriptions • Titles used to describe literacy coaches include the following: • Learning specialist • Literacy facilitator • Language arts specialist • Language arts coach • Curriculum specialist • Instructional specialist • Instructional coach • Academic facilitator Benedictine University Source: Your Role and the Task At Hand – The Responsibilities of a Coach in Supporting Effective Literacy Instruction. Benedictine University 26

IRA Defines the Roles • According to the IRA (2004), the primary responsibilities of the literacy coach should encompass: • Support for the classroom teacher • Instruction within and outside the classroom • Assessment of student strengths and needs • Leadership both within the school and between the home and school • Literacy coaches also provide professional development for teachers on effective reading practices and culturally informed teaching (Tatum, 2004) • Literacy coaches’ leadership models often include tasks such as: • Selecting reading program • Planning literacy lessons • Strategies with teachers • Modeling lessons for teachers and co-teachers Benedictine University Source: Your Role and the Task At Hand – The Responsibilities of a Coach in Supporting Effective Literacy Instruction. Benedictine University 27

Jobs and Roles Summary Benedictine University Source: Your Role and the Task At Hand – The Responsibilities of a Coach in Supporting Effective Literacy Instruction. Benedictine University 28

EDUC 611 Role and The Task at Hand: Relationships Benedictine University

Relationships • Effective coaching relationships are built on: • Principles of sound teaching practices • Fostered through collaborative professional environments • Which promote thinking through reflective inquiry and allow student data to guide instructional decisions • Coaching reinforces effective practices and helps teachers be more aware and intentional about their teaching • Coaching should trigger needed reflection on the reasons behind uses of a particular approach to reach students • Guided demonstrations in real-time classrooms are a key factor in establishing sustained changes in teaching behavior (IRA, 2007) Benedictine University Source: Your Role and the Task At Hand – The Responsibilities of a Coach in Supporting Effective Literacy Instruction. Benedictine University 30

EDUC 611 Home-School Connections Benedictine University

Parent – Teacher Interactions • If parents are involved in their children’s education, the children are more successful in school (Meyer & Mann, 2006) • Parent involvement is a strong indicator/predictor of academic achievement (Meyer & Mann, 2006) Meyer, J.A. & Mann, M.B. (2006). Teachers’ perceptions of the benefits of home visits for early elementary children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 34(1), 93-97 Benedictine University

Home- School • The characteristics of effective home-school collaboration include open communication and involvement of parents in all stages of the learning process • Being informed about a school’s processes are important for both parents and teachers • The article, “Middle and East Tennessee Schools Include Parents in the RtI Process,” discussed many approaches that have been used by different schools to involve parents Benedictine University Source: Middle and East Tennessee Schools Include Parents in the RtI Process Benedictine University 33

Effective Literacy Coaches –Summary – • Literacy coaches are as diverse as the teachers they lead • Some are quiet but expressive • Others are assertive but collaborative • Regardless of their personality type, there are common traits among literacy coaches who dedicate themselves to helping teachers fulfill the literacy mission of the school and enrich the literacy lives of their students • Effective coaches: • Are content experts • Are collaborativeadvisors and confidants • Honor the knowledge of the teacher Benedictine University Source: Your Role and the Task At Hand – The Responsibilities of a Coach in Supporting Effective Literacy Instruction. Benedictine University 34

Wrap-Up Activity Plus/Delta: • What are your Pluses & Deltas? • What worked for you + (Plus) • What would have been better for you ▲ (Delta) Benedictine University

Session 8 EDUC 611 Collaboration Self-Assessment

Self-Assessment • Based on the experiences of creating, conducting, and analyzing the Literacy Support Survey, please complete a “Collaboration Self-Assessment” • Download the assessment from the Sess. 8 Assignment 1: Collaboration Assessment (next slide) • After you have completed the self-assessment, post/attach it to the assignment and submit it to the assignment drop box on the next slide Benedictine University

Session 8 Assignments • Re-Read: • “Your Role and the Task at Hand” PDF located in the Session 8 Resource folder • Read: • Article: “Middle and East Tennessee Schools Include Parents in the RtI Process” [Located in Session 8 Resource Folder] • As you read this article, focus on the approaches that the different schools use to involve parents • Survey Presentations Due • Complete the IDEA Evaluation on your Benedictine email • Literacy Coaching Reference Folder & Reflection Paper • PDF Article “Working Together: School-Family-Community Partnerships”: PDF article Pages 11 – 16 • While reading, pay close attention to the survey tools provided for assessing school level of family and community partnerships • PDF Article “Building Community Through Service-Learning: The Role of the Community Partner” • Be prepared to complete the Literacy Support Survey “Collaboration Self – Assessment” • Congratulations on successfully completing EDUC 611 – Literacy Coaching and Collaboration Benedictine University

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

Literacy Coaching and Collaboration Session 8 EDUC 611

Literacy Coaching and Collaboration