Literacy Coaching Learning to Collaborate

by Walker, Barbara J.

• ISBN13: 9780132301282
• ISBN10: 0132301288
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-03-20
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

Explore the possibilities for teacher development and student learning with celebrated educator, Barbara Walker! Drawing on her experiences with both pre-service and practicing teachers, Walker discusses the importance of learning to collaborate within the school and during classroom interactions while presenting literacy coaches and teachers with the "cycle of literacy coaching", a step-by-step process for adapting classroom instruction to increase learning. She also outlines best practice strategies for implementation, including the multiple decisions that teachers make before, during, and after a literacy lesson.

Author Biography

Barbara J. Walker is president of the International Reading Association (2008-2009), a professor at Oklahoma State University where she teaches courses in literacy leadership and coaching, and the co-editor for Literacy Cases Online, a publication of the College Reading Association. She has served as an elementary reading specialist in public schools, a director of college reading programs, and an international coordinator of educational programs. Dr. Walker is the recipient of the College Reading Association's B. Herr Award for outstanding contributions to reading education and is a distinguished finalist for the International Reading Association's 1991 Albert J. Harris Award for research in reading disabilities. She has written numerous articles and authored four books, including Diagnostic Teaching of Reading: Techniques for Instruction and Assessment (2008), Techniques for Reading Assessment and Instruction (2005), Supporting Struggling Readers (2003), all Allyn & Bacon.

Table of Contents

Literacy Coaching in a Learning Community	p. 1
Models and Characteristics	p. 2
The Learning Community	p. 6
Literacy Coaches in the Learning Community	p. 8
Knowledge about literacy and literacy instruction
Knowledge and Use of Collaboration
Supporting Teachers Practice
Teachers in the Learning Community	p. 12
Multiplicity of Experiences
Reflection
Practical Reasoning
Interrelationships of Classroom Interactions	p. 17
Literacy Coaches and Teachers in the Classroom
Students in the Classroom
Summary	p. 19
Coaching and Collaboration	p. 25
Attributes of Collaboration	p. 26
Trust
Active Listening
Shared Goals
Collaboration Adds Value
Perspective Sharing
Situations for Collaboration	p. 30
Collaboration in the learning community
Collaboration in classroom interactions
Collaboration in small groups
Reflective Discussion Groups
Study Groups
Teacher-Research Groups
Summary	p. 35
The Cycle of Literacy Coaching	p. 45
Getting Started	p. 46
Getting to Know Each Other
Initial Perceptions of Teachers
Setting the tone of collaboration
Coaching Conversations
Conversations about instructional practices
Conversations about student learning
The Literacy Coaching Cycle	p. 49
Preconference	p. 50
Selecting Target Students
Selecting instructional procedures
Selecting coaching procedures
Demonstrations
Collaborative teaching
Ongoing Support
Observation
Workshops
Selecting What to Observe
Student actions
Teacher Actions
Selecting Student Work
Instructional Event	p. 56
Conversations with students
The literacy coaches' observation process
The teachers' observation process
Personal Refection
Post Conference	p. 59
Reflecting on instructional adjustments
Describing reasoning in a one-on-one conversation
After the Coaching Process	p. 60
Small group reflection
Reflecting on practical reasoning
Reflecting on formal theories
Continuing the reflective cycle
A New Cycle of Literacy Coaching
Summary	p. 63
Gradual Release Model for Literacy Coaching	p. 75
Coaching through modeling	p. 77
Coaching in the zone	p. 79
Collaboratively Teaching
Supporting by asking questions
Supporting by prompting
Support for modifying instruction
Coaching for Independence	p. 82
Selecting examples to support teachers' learning
Collaboratively Reflecting Teacher and Coach Reflecting Together	p. 84
Practical Reasoning
Collaborative Reflective Groups
Summary	p. 86
Observations, Analysis, and Interpretation	p. 94
Observation	p. 95
Conducting Observations
Narrative descriptions
Checklists
Observing Teachers
Observing Students
Observing Teacher-students interactions
Observing and Collecting Student Work
Analysis	p. 101
Analyzing Teacher's Actions	p. 101
Using questions to analyze teacher actions
Analyzing teacher actions using rubrics
Analyzing Student Learning	p. 104
Are students actively engaged?
Do students talk within the classroom context?
Are students constructing meaning connecting and their background knowledge?
Are students verifying and checking their understanding?
Are students elaborating what and how they read?
Analyzing student-teacher interactions	p. 107
Analyzing Student Work	p. 109
Searching for Patterns
Using a Rubric
Interpretation	p. 110
Interpretation of classroom interactions	p. 111
Interpreting teachers' actions
Interpreting students' actions
Interpreting Conversations	p. 112
Conversational Interviews with teachers
Conversational Interview with students
Student conversations about their work
Instructional Techniques Section	p. 121
Directed Reading Thinking Activity	p. 123
Graphic Organizers	p. 126
Interactive Writing	p. 129
Retelling	p. 132
Semantic Mapping	p. 135
Story Mapping	p. 139
Summary Experience Approach	p. 142
Think-aloud Approach	p. 146
References	p. 154
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