Title: Professional Development: Lessons for Literacy Coaches
1Professional DevelopmentLessons for Literacy
Coaches
2Our Goals and Strategies
- Review research related to our work in
professional development - Sharon will describe some findings and then ask
you to reflect on them - Show our general professional development plan
for GARF - Mike will present the nuts and bolts of our plan
and its relationship to research - PS Were just getting started. Well learn
more about all of this. Together.
3Research to Search!
- Literacy Coaches
- Teacher Learning
- Professional/Staff Development
- Reports from recent efforts
4(No Transcript)
5IRAs Reading Coach (2004)
6- How do the coaches with whom you will be working
measure up to these standards? What can we do to
support their growth?
7South Carolinas Reading Initiative(Morgan et
al., 2003)
Vision Reality
Observe, demonstrate, study groups Substitute? Testing proctor? Lunch monitor?
Regional coaches for institutes and support Literacy content, but not coaching content
Collaborative study groups for knowledge Many teachers uncomfortable
School and district support Varied support varied beliefs
3-year time frame Varied acceptance by teachers
8- How can we maintain the vision for our Literacy
Coaches?
9Research to Search!
- Literacy Coaches
- Teacher Learning
- Professional/Staff Development
- Reports from recent efforts
10A teacher change process(Guskey, 1986)
PD Target Areas
11- How can we help Literacy Coaches negotiate
tensions between changes in practices and changes
in beliefs and attitudes?
12Development of Expertise(Block, Oakar, Hurt,
2002)
Novice teachers Set and follow rules
Advanced beginners Sometimes bend their rules
Competent teachers Set priorities, strategies, and choose methods
Proficient teachers Add expert intuition
Expert teachers Add automatic, flexible, responsive adaptation
13- What implications do these stages of expertise
have for Literacy Coaches? How can we help them?
14Grade-Level Differences at Expert Level (Block,
Oakar, Hurt, 2002)
15- How can we help Literacy Coaches learn to balance
and adjust their strategies for different grade
levels?
16Research to Search!
- Literacy Coaches
- Teacher Learning
- Professional/Staff Development
- Reports from recent efforts
17Research on Math and Science(Birman et al., 2002)
Form Teacher networks and study groups
Duration Long and intense
Collective Participation Colleagues from same school and same grade
Content Combination of knowledge and practice
Active Learning Observation, lesson planning, review of student work and data
Coherence Integrated into the whole school curriculum plan
18- How can we communicate this understanding to our
Literacy Coaches? What obstacles are they likely
to face?
19From Staff Development to Student
Learning(Guskey Sparks, 1996)
Administrator Knowledge/Practice
School Policies
Content
School Culture Supervision/Evaluation
Process
Teacher Knowledge/Practice
Context
Improved Achievement
Connections with Families
Quality of Staff Development
Parent Knowledge/Practice
Parent Education
20Areas for Planning
Content
Process
Quality of Staff Development
Context
21- So what can we do to attend to content, process,
and context variables with our Literacy Coaches?
22Impact of Quality Staff Development
Administrator Knowledge/Practice
Quality of Staff Development
School Culture Supervision/Evaluation
Teacher Knowledge/Practice
Connections with Families
Parent Education
Parent Knowledge/Practice
23- So what can we do to help our Literacy Coaches to
maximize the impact of their staff development?
24Impact of Changes in Knowledge and Practice
Administrator Knowledge/Practice
School Policies
Teacher Knowledge/Practice
Improved Achievement
Parent Knowledge/Practice
25- So what can we do to help our Literacy Coaches to
maximize the impact of changes in knowledge and
practice?
26From Staff Development to Student
Learning(Guskey Sparks, 1996)
Administrator Knowledge/Practice
School Policies
Content
School Culture Supervision/Evaluation
Process
Teacher Knowledge/Practice
Context
Improved Achievement
Connections with Families
Quality of Staff Development
Parent Knowledge/Practice
Parent Education
27Research to Search!
- Literacy Coaches
- Teacher Learning
- Professional/Staff Development
- Reports from recent efforts
28An REA Staff Development Model(Mesmer
Karchmer, 2003)
29Lessons they Learned
- Collect multiple data sources to evaluate the
quality of the staff development - Rework the staff development sessions to respond
to teachers needs - Reward teachers for participation
- Be sensitive to other curriculum pressures
- Actively work with the state
30- What can we do to help our Literacy Coaches to
benefit from these lessons?
31REA in Georgia
32Choosing Whole Group Focus
- Issues that pertain to all (e.g., data analysis,
school-level planning and scheduling) - Good for short reviews of research, especially of
areas that apply to all - Introductory plans that are then taken to the
grade levels
33Whole Group Management
- Plan it carefully.
- Agenda, Handouts
- Procedure
- Time
- Physical setting
- Be thoughtful of weary teachers (e.g., movement,
short group and individual tasks) - Involve the administrators
34 Choosing Small Group Focus
- Keep attention on children at first
- What is it that we want children at this grade
level to know and do? - How will we measure it?
- What will we do if they dont know it?
- Shift attention to curriculum, especially
curriculum specific to the grade level - Make sure to plot the curriculum in large chunks,
so teachers can plan
35Choosing Small Group Focus
- Identify texts that address concerns for that
group (self-reported or after data analysis or
after observation) - Book study groups keep teachers from feeling
naked - Book study groups keep them learning together
rather than learning from you
36Small Group Management
- Establish a procedure time, agenda
- Have it during the regular day, with a regular
schedule - Be proactive in keeping members on task
- Make the setting positive (chocolate)
- Keep minutes
- Use the parking lot
37 Choosing Individual Focus
- Use data (achievement or observation)
- Be specific about what needs to change
- Ask the teacher what type of support is best
(e.g., modeling, reading, planning, visiting,
being observed) - Follow through immediately
38At all three levels, remember the loop
39- Birman, B.F., Desimone, L., Porter, A.C.,
Grant, M.S. (2002, May). Designing professional
development that works. Educational Leadership,
28-33. - Block, C. C., Oakar, M., Hurt, N. (2002). The
Expertise of Literacy Teachers A Continuum from
Preschool to Grade 5. Reading Research Quarterly,
37(2), 178-206. - Guskey, T. R., Sparks, D. (1996). Exploring the
Relationship between Staff Development and
Improvements in Student Learning. Journal of
Staff Development, 17(4), 34-38. - Mesmer, H.A., Karchmer, R.A. (2003). REAlity
How the Reading Excellence Act took form in two
schools. Reading Teacher, 56, 636-645. - Morgan, D.N., Saylors-Crowder, K., Stephens, D.,
DeFord, D.E., Hamel. E. (2003, October).
Managing the complexities of a state-wide reading
initiative. Phi Delta Kappan, 139-145.