1. Literacy Coaching: A School Team Approach

2. What is a Literacy Coach? “One who helps teachers to recognize what they know and can do, assists teachers as they strengthen their ability to make more effective use of what they know and do, and supports teachers as they learn more and do more.” Cathy Toll, Separating Coaching from Supervising, 2004

3. What is the Role of a Literacy Coach? To help teachers transfer what they learn about new practices to their classrooms Help establish a safe environment in which teachers can strive to improve their practices without fear of negative criticism or evaluation

4. Help teachers develop leadership skills with which they can support the work of their colleagues Provide small-group [and individual] professional development sessions for teachers Adapted from Neufeld and Roper, Educational Matters, 2003

5. What About Professional Development? Nothing has promised so much and has been so frustratingly wasteful as the thousands of workshops and conferences that led to no significant change in practice when teachers returned to their classroom. Fullan, “The New Meaning of Educational Change,” 1991

6. Sustained, ongoing, job-embedded professional development…with follow-up support!

7. What Works Best With Adult Learners? Collaboration with dialogue Participant driven: CHOICE Problem centered/inquiry based Action oriented Reflective practice TRUST

8. What is an Instructional Coach? An instructional coach partners with teachers to help them incorporate research-based instructional practices into their teaching. ~ Dr. Jim Knight

9. ALL Coaches… Collaborate with administrators, teachers, each other Communicate with administrators, teachers, each other

10. What Factors Increase the Success of Coaching Programs? Time Research-Based Interventions Professional Development for Coaches

11. More Success Factors… Protection of Coaching Relationship Principal and Coaches Work Together Hiring the Right Coaches Ongoing Evaluation of Coaching Program

12. A successful coaching program Will make An unmistakable positive impact on Learning and teaching. ~ Dr. Jim Knight

13. What’s In It For Me? New learning about best practices Lessons modeled in classroom Individual instructional conferences Support with looking at student work/data Co-teaching a lesson Support in parent conferences An extra pair of eyes You name it!

14. Wise teaching comes from a community in practice. ~ Lucy Calkins