EARLY GRADE READING STUDY Ms Gina Ermacora Virtual Coach 24 October 2018

COACHING HISTORY A Foundation phase English specialist who is extremely knowledgeable in all areas of the phase. Highly skilled in coaching teachers in English and Maths. Been in the teaching profession since 2007 2011: GPLMS coach 2012 – 2013: GPLMS supervisor 2016: EGRS II Quality Assurance Manager 2017 – present: EGRS II Virtual Coach It takes patience, passion, excellent content knowledge and previous teaching experience to be an exemplary coach

COACHING DOSAGE Province Mpumalanga District(s) Gert Sibande and Ehlanzeni Districts Subject (s) coached English as a First Additional Language Grades Supported 2017 – Grade 1 2018 – Grade 2 Number of Schools 49 Number of Teachers 81

COACHING RATIONALE Coaching specifically aligned to a programme comprised of: Daily and weekly routines Core methodologies for all content areas CAPS aligned lesson plans Assessments and rubrics Reading materials (Big Books & Graded Readers)

OUTCOMES OF THE COACHING MODEL Good communities of reading practice established and monitored by the coach Teachers use tablets effectively Teachers more skilled at teaching English as a First Additional Language Teachers become more able to manage their classrooms and create a positive classroom environment for their learners Teachers become more confident to teach reading and writing Better curriculum coverage

MODALITIES OF IMPLEMENTATION AVERAGE COACHING HOURS PER TERM School 49 Individual teachers in a school 15 minutes per call (average teacher) About 3 – 4 times per term 30 minutes per call (struggling teacher) About 6 – 7 times per term Start of term workshops Term 1: All teachers trained at a central venue over 3 days (one day is allocated to training teachers how to use the tablets, access lesson plans and resources and how to send messages via WhatsApp) Term 2 – 4: one day cluster based workshops (core methodologies are the focus) Virtual coach rotates training areas to train all teachers.

COACHING PROTOCOLS (Part 1) What is unique? Coaching conducted through technology using tablets that are loaded with lesson plans, videos, audio clips and core methodologies every term and data on a monthly basis Different types of contact: Telephone communication with teachers Two focus areas per term are concentrated on These focus areas are based on the core methodology taught during the training Coach will ask questions based on the focus areas to determine what assistance is needed Telephone communication with SMT members These focus areas are based on improving school management and encouraging teacher support within the schools

COACHING PROTOCOLS (Part 2) What is unique? Coach and teacher generated individual WhatsApp messages Questions and answers on any area of teaching Pictures and videos are sent and received to demonstrate good practice Corrections discussed and praise given Group WhatsApp messages to teachers and SMT members Bi-weekly competitions are held. These help with: Encouraging curriculum coverage Assisting coach to check methodologies Allowing time for corrections and praise to be given Used to share good practice Reminders and motivations are sent weekly

COACHING RECORDS Coach uses a data base to record progress. This data base is submitted to management on a bi-weekly basis. This includes: Core methodology knowledge Bi-weekly competition entries and the quality Coach generated contact Teacher initiated contact Comments on areas of need or excellence Teacher or SMT changes Any technical issues faced by teachers Collection of curriculum coverage results from teachers Record of any issues faced to the material development team

COMPENTECY AND TRAINING OF THE COACH Constantly developing different designs to: Encourage and motivate teachers Observe teaching practices Monitor curriculum coverage Improve classroom management and environment Professional development is on-going: Monthly meeting with Quality Assurance Manager Weekly meetings with management Termly training sessions

RESEARCH GAPS? How can sustainability be ensured? How can data, progress and compliancy be monitored accurately? Technical issues – how do we manage this? Network issues