Training Novice Literacy Coaches Through a Coaching Rounds Framework

Introduction

The literacy leadership course described focused on literacy coaching and served as a required capstone course for in-service teachers seeking Master Degrees in reading, delivered in an online format at two Midwestern universities. A central part of the course was the three-part coaching rounds assignment designed specifically to allow online students in these asynchronous courses to interact with course content and one another while developing practical coaching skills. Candidates participated in a three-part coaching assignment, termed the Coaching Rounds Framework, in which they applied the content of their literacy leadership learning within authentic coaching opportunities with peers and/or practicing teachers. The coaching cycle assignment (Puig & Froelich, 2011) consisted of three coaching rounds based on the gradual release of responsibility model (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983) in which candidates had the opportunity to study, rehearse, and enact various coaching stances (L’Allier & Elish-Piper, 2011) as well as reflect on their own use of these stances. Candidates viewed and analyzed exemplar coaching videos, practiced coaching skills when analyzing peer teaching videos, and then worked with a teacher colleague in analyzing a lesson and engaging in coaching conversations. Candidates developed novice coaching skills necessary for effective coach/teacher discourse within an online instructional environment. Please see Figure 1 for a visual depiction of the Coaching Rounds Framework described in more detail below.

Figure 1.

Coaching rounds framework

Goal Statement

Integral to the training of graduate students for the range of roles assumed by a literacy coach is the ability to work with teacher colleagues and design effective conversations to support mutual professional growth. Reflecting upon these experiences is also an important part of learning and growth. Reading specialists are expected to develop expertise in both literacy instruction and in supporting teachers through the use of coaching tools (International Literacy Association, 2018a). As a literacy leader, reading/literacy specialists are to “guide colleagues in implementing and aligning literacy instructional practices in and across classrooms” (ILA, 2018a, p. 40), “self-assess and reflect on their own roles as literacy leaders and learners” (ILA, 2018a, p. 40), and “coach colleagues as a means of improving classroom practices” (ILA, 2018a, p. 41). As a literacy coach, candidates must “support teachers in reflective inquiry and problem-solving…candidates, through coaching, support teachers’ sustained implementation of evidence-based, high-impact instructional practices” (ILA, 2018a, p. 52). To address these expectations, the goals of the study were to determine the following:

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  How do novice coaches use coaching language and stances during assigned coaching conversations as part of an online coaching course? (ILA 6.2, 6.3)

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  How does the gradual release of responsibility model of the coaching rounds assignment using video capture and analysis facilitate a novice coach’s learning? (ILA 6.1)