Hands On Literacy Coaching

Integrating literacy instruction and coaching, this step-by-step guide is for literacy coaches, teachers, and administrators of all grade levels. It uses an explicit instruction model, complete with ready-to-use strategies, charts, checklists, protocols, and teaching scenarios.

This research-based handbook guides school leaders in successfully implementing a literacy coaching program to drive schoolwide literacy achievement.

Learn how to become a more effective literacy coach to ensure lasting changes in teaching and learning at your school. Literacy experts Diana and Betsy Sisson offer clear, research-based strategies that encourage professional development and growth. You’ll discover how to... Understand the various roles that a literacy coach plays, from "change agent" to "data analyst"; Determine which coaching model to use with your teachers; Support your classroom colleagues and raise student achievement; Tackle the literacy concerns present in today's schools, and any resistance from classroom teachers who don't want to be coached; Design a plan to promote growth centered on assessment and collaboration; and Manage the multi-faceted responsibilities of literacy coaching with practical strategies. Each chapter contains special features such as Coaching Moves and Coaching Questions to help you apply the information to your own situation. In addition, an Appendix offers photocopiable PD tools and study guide questions so you can discuss the ideas with others. With this practical book, you'll have all the guidance you need to overcome challenges and thrive in your coaching role.

This practical guide presents effective coaching strategies and best practices for enhancing literacy instruction, working with administrators and communities, and boosting student performance across all grade levels.

Making sure that all students read well is a top priority for schools, and literacy coaches are playing an increasingly important role in the effort. Their challenge? To deliver the kind of instruction and support best suited to the teachers they work with and most likely to help those teachers improve the literacy of their students. In Differentiated Literacy Coaching, Mary Catherine Moran presents a solution for meeting the diverse needs of literacy coaches and their charges. The heart of the book is an exploration of the Literacy Coaching Continuum, a series of professional learning formats that coaches can use singularly or in combination to design and deliver the most effective, most appropriate support: * Collaborative Resource Management * Literacy Content Presentations * Focused Classroom Visits * Coplanning * Study Groups * Demonstration Lessons * Peer Coaching * Coteaching Moran reviews the key considerations school leaders and literacy coaches must keep in mind when determining program focus and scope; describes the roles, responsibilities, and procedures involved in each coaching format; and offers guidelines based on research findings, exemplary coaching programs, and insights from her nearly 30 years as an educator. Readers will also find more than a dozen modules for coaches' professional development, including recommended materials and step-by-step procedures to help both new and experienced coaches expand their expertise. An extensive collection of print and online resources further enhances the book's usefulness for anyone interested in learning more about establishing—or improving—a literacy coaching program.

This innovative book moves beyond the day-to-day matters of coaching to a deeper examination of how literacy coaching can improve instructional practice. The authors offer research-based strategies that can be used to create the professional and dynamic relationships needed for successful teacher–coach collaborations. Readers will hear the voices of coaches as they analyze their own efforts to scaffold adult learning, guide collaborative inquiry, and support teacher reflection. Featuring concrete examples, this practical book: Provides a model for literacy coaches to analyze and examine their own practice. Details the importance of systematic observation of teaching and how to use observation to shape subsequent coaching sessions. Examines guiding teacher inquiry in whole groups, small groups, and pairs, to reflect and act on teaching and coaching. Charts the usefulness of teachers and coaches talking about teaching, and how this supports the change of teaching practices. “The authors have provided a rich description of what literacy coaches actually do as they work daily with teachers. Each chapter is soundly grounded in the research literature but goes beyond it to provide many practical examples.” —From the Foreword by Gay Su Pinnell, The Ohio State University “The authors deal deftly with key aspects of coaching that characterize successful coaches and for which even the most knowledgeable literacy coaches are often ill-prepared. An excellent resource for anyone whose responsibilities sometimes include the role of coach.” —Dorothy S. Strickland, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Whether you're new to literacy coaching or a seasoned coach, here's a resource with more than 50 easy-to-use tools for improving literacy instruction, honing your coaching skills, and creating an effective literacy program in grades K-12. All tools are also available for download.

This bestselling book gives preservice and practicing literacy coaches the tools they need to build a successful schoolwide reading program. The authors, well-known experts in the field, describe the literacy coach's crucial, evolving role in today's schools. They offer step-by-step guidelines for implementing curricula and assessments, selecting instructional materials, and planning for differentiation and intervention. Specific ways to support teachers by providing high-quality professional development are discussed. The book is grounded in state-of-the-art research on PreK-5 instruction and the characteristics of effective coaches. New to This Edition *Incorporates the latest research and instructional materials. *Expanded grade range now includes PreK and grades 4-5. *Content on RTI and the Common Core standards is woven throughout. *Strategies for making professional development more responsive to teachers' needs. See also The Literacy Coaching Challenge, which guides more experienced coaches in choosing among different coaching models and addresses typical issues of implementation.