7 Guiding Principles for Effective Literacy Coaching

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7 Guiding Principles for Effective Literacy
Coaching

• Enrique A. Puig
• Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence Center
• University of Central Florida

Handouts may be downloaded at flare.ucf.edu
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• Literacy coaches should teach students on a daily
  basis.

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(No Transcript)
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What does a literacy coach do? 40 of the
workweek work with students (15 hrs/per
week) 20 of the workweek dialogic
conversations with teachers and observations (7.5
hrs/per week) 10 of the workweek providing
observation lessons (3.75 hrs/per week) 20 of
the workweek planning and preparing for training
sessions (7.5 hrs/per week) 10 of the workweek
professional book study (3.75 hrs/per week)
Note based on an average 37.5 hrs. teacher
contract workweek.
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Pause Partner!!! Ponder???

• What does a literacy coach need to do to work
  towards this ideal schedule?

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What does a literacy coach do? 40 of the
workweek work with students (15 hrs/per
week) 20 of the workweek dialogic
conversations with teachers and observations (7.5
hrs/per week) 10 of the workweek providing
observation lessons (3.75 hrs/per week) 20 of
the workweek planning and preparing for training
sessions (7.5 hrs/per week) 10 of the workweek
professional book study (3.75 hrs/per week)
Note based on an average 37.5 hrs. teacher
contract workweek.
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• Understanding literacy processing is critical for
  a literacy coach.

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References Mosaic of Throught (1997), Keene
Zimmerman Change Overtime In Childrens Literacy
Development (2001), M.M. Clay Guiding Readers and
Writers Grades 3-6 (2001), Fountas
Pinnell Rousing Minds to Life (1988), Tharp
Gallimore
EAPUIG2006
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Pause Partner!!! Ponder???

• If every act of reading and writing is an
  exercise in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency,
  vocabulary, and comprehension, what impact should
  it have on literacy instruction?

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References Mosaic of Throught (1997), Keene
Zimmerman Change Overtime In Childrens Literacy
Development (2001), M.M. Clay Guiding Readers and
Writers Grades 3-6 (2001), Fountas
Pinnell Rousing Minds to Life (1988), Tharp
Gallimore
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• When a literacy coachs language is explicit,
  clear, and precise, theres less need for
  explanation, thus reducing confusion and
  misinterpretation.

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• For example
• Observation classroom vs. demonstration classroom
• Strategic activities vs. strategies
• Working systems vs. cueing systems
• Workstations vs. centers
• Generative response vs. corrective feedback
• Teaching for comprehending vs. teaching
  comprehension
• Instructional procedures vs. instructional
  strategies

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Pause Partner!!! Ponder???

• Whats the benefit of using new terms for
  familiar concepts?

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• For example
• Observation classroom vs. demonstration classroom
• Strategic activities vs. strategies
• Working systems vs. cueing systems
• Workstations vs. centers
• Generative response vs. corrective feedback
• Teaching for comprehending vs. teaching
  comprehension
• Instructional procedures vs. instructional
  strategies

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• A crucial aspect of a literacy coachs task is
  building relationships founded on trust and
  mutual respect.

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Pause Partner!!! Ponder???

• How can a literacy coach develop mutual trust
  and respect with colleagues?

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• The power in effective coaching is highly
  correlated to the degree that the literacy coach
  considers herself/himself to be a co-learner.

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Pause Partner!!! Ponder???

• What are the benefits of being a co-learner?

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• Literacy coaching has to be viewed as a continuum
  of broad-spectrum experiences.

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Continuum of Coaching
Intra-active coaching
Inter-active coaching
Provide observation lesson to improve
Instruction and student learning
Co-teaching with colleague to improve
Instruction and student learning
Pre-conference, observation and debriefing to
improve instruction and student learning
Study groups investigating common interest
topics to improve instruction and student
learning
Action research to seek resources after
reflection to improve instruction and student
learning
Facilitate a workshop or session to improve
instruction and student learning
increased external scaffolding
decreased external scaffolding
Subject-oriented
Problem-oriented
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Pause Partner!!! Ponder???

• What may occur when a literacy coach focuses
  only on one model of coaching?

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Continuum of Coaching
Intra-active coaching
Inter-active coaching
Provide observation lesson to improve
Instruction and student learning
Co-teaching with colleague to improve
Instruction and student learning
Pre-conference, observation and debriefing to
improve instruction and student learning
Study groups investigating common interest
topics to improve instruction and student
learning
Action research to seek resources after
reflection to improve instruction and student
learning
Facilitate a workshop or session to improve
instruction and student learning
increased external scaffolding
decreased external scaffolding
Subject-oriented
Problem-oriented
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• There is little room for an effective literacy
  coach to practice absolutism.

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Pause Partner!!! Ponder???

• What does absolutism promote?

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• Remembercoaching is a train ride!

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Coaching is a train ride. We get on. We ride. We
get off. We get back on and ride some more. There
are accidents and there are delays. At certain
stops there are surprises. Some of these will
translate into great moments of joy, some will
result in profound sorrow.
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  As a coach, when we first board the train, we
meet people whom we think will be with us for the
entire journey. Those people are our colleagues!
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Sadly, this is far from the truth. Our
colleagues are with us for as long as we need
each other. They too have journeys they must
complete. We live on with the memories of their
love, affection, friendship, guidance and their
ever presence.
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There are others who board the train and who
eventually become very important to us, in turn.
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These people are our friends, family, and
acquaintances, whom we will learn to love, and
cherish.
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Some colleagues consider their journey like a
jaunty tour. They will just go merrily along .
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Others, will encounter many upsets, tears, losses
on their journey. Others still, will linger on
to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.
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Some people on the train will leave an
everlasting impression when they get off. Some
will get on and get off the train so quickly,
they will scarsely leave a sign that they ever
travelled along with you or ever crossed your
path
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As a coach, we will sometimes be upset that some
colleagues whom we love, will choose to sit in
another compartment and leave us to travel on our
own. Then again, theres nothing that says we
cant seek them out anyway.
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Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may
not even be able to sit next to them because that
seat will already be taken.
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Thats okay everyones journey will be filled
with hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks and
goodbyes. We must strive to make the best of it
no matter what...
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As a coach, we must constantly strive to
understand our travel companions and look for
the best in everyone.
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Remember that at any moment during our journey,
any one of our travel companions can have a weak
moment and be in need of our help.
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As a coach, we too may vacilate or hesitate, even
trip hopefully we can count on someone being
there to be supportive and understanding
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The bigger mystery of our journey is that we
dont know when were going to stop. Neither
do we know when our travel companions will make
their last stop. Not even those sitting in the
seat next to us.
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Personally, I know Ill be sad if I stop. Im
sure of it! My separation from all those friends
and acquaintances I made during the train ride
will be painful. Leaving all those Im close to
will be a sad thing. But then again, Im certain
that one day Ill get to the main station only to
meet up with everyone else. Theyll all be
carrying their baggage most of which they didnt
have when they first got on this train.
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Ill be glad to see them again. Ill also be glad
to have contributed to their baggage and to have
enriched their lives, just as much as they will
have contributed to my baggage and enriched my
life.
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Were all on this coaching train ride together.
Above all, we should all try to strive to make
the ride as pleasant and memorable as we can.
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All aboard! Safe journey!! BON VOYAGE!
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References used

• The Literacy Coach Guiding in the right
  direction, Puig Froelich, 2006 (in print)
• The Literacy Coachs Handbook A guide to
  research-based practice, Walpole McKenna, 2004
• The Literacy Coachs Survival Guide Essential
  questions and practical answers, Toll, 2005
• Literacy Coaching A handbook for school leaders,
  Moxley Taylor, 2006
• The Reading Coach A how-to manual for success,
  Hasbrouk Denton, 2005
• Reading First and Beyond The complete guide for
  teachers and literacy coaches, Collins-Block
  Israel, 2005