March 1st, 2016: Chapter 6

Summary and Thoughts / Connections for Chapter 6:  

Gathering information through Interviews
- It is good to have face-to-face meetings with different people to gather various perspectives -interview teachers, parents, and students.
Initial Teacher Interview
- First meeting with the student's reading teacher can reveal details about the nature of the difficulties  the student is having and the times and situations problems occur. It can also help give you a teacher's perspective on the student's reading difficulties. 
- Don't allow the interview to drift off course and become friendly chat, etc. Establish and maintain a professional problem-solving relationship. Skillfully redirect the teacher's responses and refocus on the reading difficulties if necessary.
- Keep in mind the teacher's time: only spend as much time as necessary gathering information.
- Maintain structure and open-ended questions. 
- Keep in mind that the teacher's responses are their beliefs, that may or may not be supported by information gathered. 
- End the initial teacher interview with a summary [like phases 1&2 in the SPS model from chapter five].
Interviews with the Parent
- Be cognisant of how you are interacting with a parent. Avoid professional language that parents may not know, or find threatening. 
- Keep in mind parents who have a different language or culture than you. 
- Some questions you could ask, include:
  *Vision or hearing problems that might affect his reading? Physical difficulties or medical conditions?
  * Problems with reading at home? Trouble when doing homework?
  * How long have you noticed these problems? Has it just started this year, or for has he struggled for quite awhile?
  *What sort of things does he say about reading at school. 
Interviewing Students
- Just ask the student! Keep a structured interview. They will likely provide you with insight into their attitudes toward reading, feelings of confidence in ability, and when they have the most trouble. [Sometimes the obvious thing to do is over looked. Simply talking to the student who is having trouble reading seems so simple to do, and yet is probably often overlooked.]
Gathering Information Through Assessments
- Phonemic Awareness: students who are having a very difficult time reading words presented to them in lists should be assessed to determine whether they have difficulty with phonemic awareness.
- Phonics and Decoding: Many classroom teachers will complain about comprehension problems, but the issue is probably decoding. If a student can't read the words, they aren't going to be able to comprehend the text.
- Oral Reading Fluency: A struggling reader's oral reading fluency is: slow, labored, choppy, and/or monotone. They may skip words they don't know. Before thinking a student has a fluency problem look into their decoding or phonics knowledge. DIBELS is good to use for testing oral reading fluency. Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor and the Reading Progress Monitor  are also tools for benchmark screening and progress monitoring. 
- Reading Comprehension: Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) is a great tool for a teacher or coach to use to assess a student's reading comprehension. You could also use the IRI to determine fluency. 
- Sequence of Assessment: Start with an IRI if the student is able to read simple text. If they are below grade level, the assessment QPS could be used to look into phonics/decoding issues. If the student has severe decoding problems, follow this with a test on phonemic awareness.
Gathering Information Through Observations
A reading difficulty is likely not just the student's fault, there are many things that play a part in one's ability to read. 
- Observing the Student in the Classroom: Conduct a functional (ABC) observation that tracks what happens before (antecedent) a behavior and after (consequence) the behavior. If you want insight into the student's off-task behavior, record the amount of time the student is on- or off-task during different instructional formats. 
- Follow a basic plan to prepare for a classroom observation: (1) Select and observation format. ASOS-R could be used. (2) Review the directions for conducting the observation you select. (3) Decide how many times, and for how long you will observe. (4) Schedule a time. (5) Prepare the teacher for what you will be doing. (6) Assemble your materials. (7) When you enter the classroom for the observation, find a place to sit where you are as unobtrusive as possible, but can see both the teacher and target student. 
- Observing Student-Teacher Interactions: ABC Observation. The primary goal as a reading coach is to help improve students' reading outcomes, not to help the teachers handle problems. Some students may try to get out of reading by acting out in class - because that gets them sent away and therefore away from the reading they would have to attempt, and potentially be embarrassed about. 
- Observing Active Student Engagement in Different Instructional Formats: This strategy help you determine whether problems are limited to the target student or are prevalent int he classroom as a whole and possibly due to the teacher's instructional or classroom management difficulties. [In all honesty, I think this would be hard for me to be tactful about. No teacher wants to hear that they lack classroom management or their instruction isn't engaging. How can you do this tactfully, especially if you don't have a classroom of your own?]
- Observing Reading Instruction: Most instruction will probably be effective for most students in a classroom, but some students will need more intense, supplemental instruction based on the same principles and delivered in small groups in addition to regular classroom reading instruction. Page 58 has a list of beneficial instruction qualities. 
- Three Useful Tools for Observing the Teacher: LIFT (Literacy Instruction Feedback Template), SS-TS (Student Success - Teacher Strategy Observation) and SCIE (Scale for Coaching Instruction Effectiveness). 
  *LIFT: a brief observation form that is directed specifically at the implementation of explicit instruction. You can record observations of the teacher's instructional strategies and the students' responses.
  *SS-TS: this places more emphasis on the interaction between student and teacher behaviors. 
  *SCIE: designed to enable peer coaches to provide feedback to teachers on specific components of instruction. After the coach has observed a 20 minute lesson, they can have a debriefing with the teacher rating the 51 items on the SCIE. The teacher can decide to set a goal(s) for instructional improvement. The coach continues to work with the teacher to provide support for achieving these goals. This is considered an advanced coaching tool. While this follows a similar approach an administrator does, it does NOT make any kind of evaluative decisions that would influence hiring, retention, or promotion. 
- Observing Interactions Among the Teacher, Instruction, Materials, and Student: The physical environment includes such things as lighting, noise, distractions, temperature, comfort of the student, arrangement of the seating, and general layout. Instructional environment includes: access to and adequacy of materials, instructional methods, expectations and demands, modifications, grouping, and scheduling. The social environment includes: the interaction between teacher and student, the way the teacher handles behavior management, peer interactions, and the general atmosphere of the classroom climate. Page 59 has a list of questions you could ask/answer about a classroom. 
- Providing Feedback to Teachers After Observations: Make sure that the teacher understands that your purpose of observing was to collect information that might support you and the teacher as you work together to help the student succeed. Make sure this was a 'typical' day, if not, schedule another observation. Try to link things you noticed the student doing, to strategies the teacher was using at the time. "Your main emphasis should be on the learning environment-access to appropriate and high-quality materials including text on the student's instructional reading level, instructional methods, especially active student involvement and the elements of explicit instruction, ambitious but realistic expectations and demands, and the effective use of grouping and scheduling. Be sure to provide at least three positive points of feedback. 
- An Alternative Approach to Observation and Feedback: co-planning, observe each other teaching, and discuss both lessons afterward. The coach has the opportunity to model three key dimensions of teaching -planning research-based reading instruction based on assessment results; providing effective, explicit, targeted instruction; and reflecting on one's own teaching afterward. 

Choice Article: 

Literacy Learning Through Team Coaching

The Reading Teacher Vol. 67 Issue 4 

DOI: 10.1002/TRTR.1219

Brief Highlights of the Article and connections/thoughts:

I chose to read this article in hopes of it connecting to the content of the chapters I've previously read in the textbook. It had some similar ideas, but definitely not the same. The main idea behind this type of coaching is to focus on and improve teachers. (Unlike our text, which focuses on students.)

The way this coaching model is set up is, a team of teachers (typically all teachers who teach fourth grade, for example) get together with a coach. They follow the CCCM (Community Coaching Cohort Model). They complete a reflective thinking exercise with the coach to help select an inquiry topic in literacy which is based on the needs of their students. The team researches and develops lessons addressing the topic. In the second phase, the team of teachers observes the coach teaching the lesson in one of the teacher's classrooms. After the observation, there is a debriefing and teachers reflect on their learning, then choose another inquiry topic in the area of literacy to research and discuss. In phase three, the grade-level team develops more lessons on the new topic, and observe the coach demonstrating the second set of lessons in another teacher's classroom from the grade-level team. 

-In this model, there is also time for individual coaching to take place. 

- The article suggests that coaching emerged in education to improve teacher instruction and student learning. One reason is the need to increase teachers' knowledge base, and the gap between best practices in literacy and common practices in the classroom. [Couldn't this be remedied in teacher education classes? Or is this more due to the change in technology?] 

- Many teachers find working with a coach to be admitting defeat, or that they are ineffective educators. This could be because some schools will bill/hire outside coaches to come into their building to conduct professional development with their staff. This could also include having the staff sit and listen to one presenter give information for an hour or so, with no hands-on application or practice. 

It is suggested that this model works because it is: 

  - ongoing" it is a nine week cycle, not just a 45-60 minute presentation at an inservice meeting. 

  - job-embedded: it takes place on-site with your own students, with a collaborative team in your building. 

  - collaborative: teachers are working with one another and a coach. The coach isn't taking charge, the teachers are.

  - reflective: there are continual opportunities for teachers to take ownership for their learning by reflecting on their students, their own learning goals, and how the cohort is addressing their needs. 

  - inquiry-based: each cohort will consist of different participants, which allows for each group to self-direct their learning/focus. 

This model is appreciated by staff because they are observing a live, non-prerecorded lesson with students they know. 

Coaches need to:

- use a clearly defined coaching model with established roles 

- be knowledgeable and qualified 

- initiating and maintaining a neutral, supportive coaching stance

Some of these qualities is similar to those listed in our textbook, but the purpose of the coach is definitely different in each text. 

February 23, 2016: Chapter 5

Summary and Thoughts / Connections for Chapter 5:  

Chapter Topic: "Systematic Problem Solving (SPS) involves moving from problem to solution using a traditional four-phase process: (1) problem identification and verification; (2) problem formulation and intervention development; (3) intervention implementation; and (4) evaluation." 

- Whether as a reading coach, or ELL Specialist, teachers assume that you will simply listen to their description of problems and then immediately provide a "prescription" of solution for solving them. [Is this because we are trained that we can do this at a doctor's office? At least once a week I have a teacher(s) email, message, or talk to me in person about a student or situation and want one quick fix-all answer. There isn't one, and until they understand that, they will continue to walk away disappointed. I do what I can at the moment, but it takes time to pinpoint the exact issue and know how to remedy it.
- Sometimes, it may be a good idea to not share the SPS model with the teacher, but for the coach to just use it as a framework for problem solving.

Phase 1: Problem Solving
- Get the facts - gather data from observations or assessments. NOT by word of mouth. [I had a student, during my first year of teaching, who teachers were not concerned about because he did his homework, didn't have behavior issues, answered questions, etc. When I pulled up his test grades -from their classes, they were all failing. When we looked at his state and district assessments, they were incredibly low. I found out that the teachers took it upon themselves to provide modified tests, projects, assignments, and accommodations -such as reading the test out loud with a para, even though I had never instructed them to do so. We stopped providing these supports and the student quickly struggled. We were able to identify what he needed help with, and provide the correct services.]
- Relevant: current, historical, and contextual information - Ask specific questions when talking to a teacher. (Is the student's reading challenge currently getting worse? Better? Is it pretty stable?. What interventions have you tried? Have the student's parents been involved? Have other teachers been involved?) Also, pay attention to how the teacher is communicating information to you. Body language, choice of words, hesitations, etc. can help through this first phase. This also helps you gather information about the teacher's tolerances, philosophy, background, skills, and style. Use your "coaching antenna". 
- Not one size fits all - what works for one teacher will not necessarily work for another teacher. It all depends on the person's philosophy, classroom organization, specific knowledge, training, resources, skills, and experience that the teacher has or is lacking. 
- Veteran versus novice. Veteran problem solvers know there is never "The Solution" for any problem. Although one goal of coaching is always to solve the referred problem, achieving this goal is not the problem solver's responsibility alone; it is a shared responsibility and collaborative effort. Sometimes the problem that was initially described, ultimately may not even end up being the targeted concern. 
- A coach needs two brains:
Brain 1: Have a clear picture of the presenter's interpretation/perception of the concern, regardless of its accuracy, take note of subtle cues to things like the teacher's belief systems, tolerances, and philosophy. (Listen Intently!: Use the SOLAR position, reflect feelings, paraphrase content, ask questions to clarify, check perceptions, seek elaboration, summarize at transitions, avoid jargon and unnecessary interruptions.)
Brain 2: Maintain a stance of the ultimate skeptic and remain thoroughly unconvinced of the presented information. Teachers may be so caught up with the situation and emotionally involved/frustrated, that they lost their perspective of the facts. 
- Hidden Agendas - You may find a teacher is carefully editing the information being shared to you. They may feel a student has been inappropriately placed in their classroom (and should be in SpEd or other alternate placement). What this teacher wants is to have the student removed, but is reluctant to say this to you directly. [I can think of at least one teacher who feels this way about a lot of students, unfortunately.] 
- The coach should be mentally formulating a list of questions or hypotheses about the presented information that will have to be addressed. Before moving to the next phase, any additional data should be analyzed. 
- Wrap up this phase by (1) briefly summarizing your understanding of the presented concern; (2) ask the teacher whether your summary is correct; and (3) ask whether the teacher wants to add any additional information. 

Phase 2: Define problem, set goals, develop a plan. 
1-Define the problem based on analysis of comprehensive and concrete data. 
Determine whether or not the plan of collecting additional data was carried out. Meet with teacher to discuss it, ask them to voice their opinion. Make sure that when the classroom observation took place, in phase 1, that it was during a 'normal' day. If not, reschedule. Begin to present the gathered information with a positive comment about what was seen. Present and reflect any other collected information focusing on they key elements: points that will lead to an accurate problem definition, not just presenting and reviewing data. Present data in a more interpretable format - charts or graphs, for example. 
Analyzing data takes a careful eye to see if there are patterns or clues that may explain why a problem developed or is continuing. Be sensitive to the teacher's pride: be skillful in presenting the information. Don't accuse or blame the teacher for their actions, lack of action, or implying fault. At the end, summarize what both the teacher and coach have observed, and state a concise, accurate, and complete definition of the problem. (Even if the problem doesn't match the original problem definition from Phase 1.) 
2-Help the teacher set realistic and achievable goals. 
Move the focus of the teacher away from the worries and concerns about 'the problem' and think instead about some potential positive outcomes. 
3-Develop an intervention plan to address the concern and reach the identified goal.  
"While developing the plan, it is important to include a process for the coach to both help ensure that the plan is being correctly implemented and provide support and assurance while the teacher attempts to make changes in the current patterns of interactions with the target student." Formative and summative assessments are good to include. The coach could use the formative data to help support the intervention, and summative to determine the degree in which the goals have been met.
- Go through summary wrap-up like at the end of Phase 1. 

Phase 3: Implementing the Plan
- The teacher takes over! S/he implements the new method, uses additional instructional materials, sees that the student receives whatever help was specified in the plan of action, and collects any formative data. The coach will support the teacher so that the developed plan gets gets implemented accurately and completely and that data collection is conducted as planned. The teacher and coach can determine together whether the intervention should be continued, modified, or ended for some reason. [This sounds nearly identical to the SAT model I just completed for a student.]

Phase 4: Evaluation and Next Steps
- Together the coach and teacher analyze the information and use the results to make a decision about next steps. Should the intervention be: terminated, continued, or restructured? Even if  the teacher feels all of the goals have been achieved, there are still a few things that need to be taken care of. For instance, was the original concern been sufficiently addressed? Are there other issues that require your assistance? Other students needing help? Etc. 

Managing the SPS Process (It's collaborative!)
- The teacher: describes the concern and presents critical contextual information. They carry out the developed plan. 
- The coach: decides what additional information is needed to help target the problem, leads the development of the intervention and evaluation plan, and supports the teacher during the implementation of the plan. 

Streamlined Problem Solving
- This process certainly seems to take a long time, but thankfully, not ever problem that will come across your desk will required such a systematic and complete process. 
Positives of a team: Sometimes it may be more efficient for a group of people to tackle a problem - such as a team of teachers versus just one individual. [Perhaps having multiple perspectives on a case, will lead to a clearer picture of what the problem is.] The more people that are working on the problem, the wider the diversity of possible solutions. Ideas generated by a team have a better chance of spreading and reaching other students - potentially preventing other issues to conspire. 
Negatives of a team: Finding the time for everyone to meet, tendency of some individuals dominating a situation, time for everyone to partake, greater chance of things getting off topic, and different styles, skills, knowledge, and personalities to work with. 

Having an established problem solving team in the building is one took that would be a school-wide approach to helping every student be successful. 

** Main points: SRS is a four-phase model that doesn't always have to be used in problem solving situations. It reminds me of the SAT process our building has in place.

February 23, 2016: Chapter 4

Summary and Thoughts / Connections for Chapter 4:  

Time Management 
- Having a schedule is crucial! It is more open-ended than a classroom teacher, but it can easily fill up. (Reminds me of a school psychologist or counselor's schedule.) 
- Phase 1 = Problem Presentation and Analysis: Consider using the 3T-SR tool-for tracking an analyzing how time is spent. One should monitor how they are using their time in order to be most productive with the time they have. 
- Phase 2 = Data Analysis and Intervention Development: Set 1-3 realistic goals for how you will use your time, "My goal in four weeks is to be spending no more than 50 minutes on average each day on my paper and materials management." Get organized! [Question: Is having work time frowned upon? For instance: conducting research on how to work with a specific issue, creating things for staff/students to use in the classroom, other paperwork.] 
- Phase 3 = Implementation: Implement the plan/goals. Make interim decisions based on how things are going; adjust as needed.
- Phase 4 = Evaluation: Collect and analyze new data to assess how time is being spent. Set new goals if the old ones have been met, or stick with the old goals if steady progress has been made, or revisit the list in phase 2 and consider rewriting the action plan and modifying goals.
- Feeling overwhelmed with trying to help everyone is probably going to happen. Before approaching your principal or supervisor, prepare data that shows how you are using your time (3T-SR). Consider having the supervisor read Ch. 10 of the book!
- [I doubt my principal would read the entire book, but he may read one chapter. I think the hard evidence of how my time is used would help him understand what I'm doing with my time. That way if teachers complained about me not being as available to help them as they would like, he would be able to understand and explain it to them.]

Communication
- "A key foundational skill for a coach is the ability to listen, understand, empathize, and share information effectively with colleagues."  

- The more tense and high stake and confusing the situation, the more you need to be skillful and formal in your communication. It is a good idea to have rehearsed some skills before a tense situation, so that you are able to remain professional and get the job done. 
- Nonverbal communication can include not just your body language but how you are being perceived. 
- SOLER Technique: Sit quietly, maintain Open posture, Lean forward, maintain Eye contact, be as Relaxed as possible. Really, following this technique is good for anytime you are supposed to be listening to someone! 
- Active listening is about not just listening, but truly understanding the meaning of the words that were stated and the nonverbal communication used. Active listening is more dynamic and engaged than passive. An active listener should: have empathy, be authentic, postpone interruption, suspend judgement, stay attentive to the speaker, have patience, and no interrupt. [Honestly, sometimes I find it hard to focus on what someone else is saying because I have a question or comment about what they're saying -that will better help me understand them. I know that by me focusing on remember what I want to say is also me not paying attention to them, but by the time they're done, I forget what I wanted to ask/say. This is definitely something I would need to work on!] 
- Use verbal and nonverbal encouragers, but use them sparingly. These include: 'oh' or 'mm-hmm'. Even 'oh?' or 'I see', 'go on'. Be sure to have patience through the quiet times of the speaker talking. Give them the opportunity to think things through and finish their thought before you try to guess what they're going to say. 

Verbal Listening Skills
- Reflecting: listener offers a guess or hunch based on cues obtained from the speaker's presentation, both verbal and nonverbal. This should be nonjudgemental and concise. These comments are NOT about the quality or appropriateness of the interventions the teacher has tried. Instead, you should acknowledge that the teacher has worked hard and is probably feeling discouraged. [In the heat of the moment, this could be difficult. I should probably start practicing this, even with my toddler, just to get in the routine of it.] 
- Paraphrasing: This should be a response that restates the essence of the speaker's content in the listener's own words. This is condensed and concise. Don't parrot the information. "So what you're saying is..." -is a good way to do this. 
- Asking questions: Clarifying questions can follow a paraphrase, "Did I get that right?. Perception questions can help to make sure the reflection of feelings was correct. Questions that elicit elaboration can help the listener better understand the speaker, "Can you tell me a bit more about the types of things you've already tried with this student?" -This is also a close-ended question -eliciting a limited response. Open-ended questions are good to help begin a conversation or start the flow of shared information. 
- Summarizing: This should be a fairly brief statement of the important themes, issues, and feelings that have been expressed by the speaker. A well-constructed summary can help the speaker see an integrated version of the concerns and issues that the speaker shared. 
- Avoiding jargon, professional terminology, and slang. "Using words that are unknown, unclear, or possibly intimidating to the speaker could serve to make the speaker feel uncomfortable, unimportant, irrelevant, or incompetent." 
- Avoid unnecessary interruptions: If you MUST interrupt, do it when the speaker brings up something that is not relevant, begins to ramble, the conversation is not helpful to the problem-solving process, repeats information, or seems unsure how to end the conversation. 

Consider role-playing to help you prepare for various situations. [I recall doing this when I was a peer mediator in middle school. While it seemed silly at the time, it was amazingly helpful in guiding the mediation and remembering what to say.]

Choice Article: 

Understanding Coach-Based Professional Development in Reading First: How do Coaches Spend Their Time and How do Teachers Perceive Coaches' Work?

DOI: 10.1080/19388071.2011.569845

Brief Highlights of the Article and connections/thoughts:

"Because literacy coaching is unlikely to lead to improvements in reading achievement unless the teachers benefit from coaching, we believe it is critical to examine teachers' views of coaching and to understand the role of knowledge in coach and teacher interactions." --- I strongly agree with this. If teachers are not receptive to a coach's (or even case manager's) recommendations, suggestions, time, etc. the likelihood of progress being made with a student is quite limited. 

I appreciated a list of roles that some coaches did during this brief study:

• structural category
• planning
• pop-in visits in classrooms
• grade level meetings
• working with student one-on-one
• working with small group of students
• modeling lesson
• team teaching
• attending professional development
• leading professional development
• one-on-one meeting with teacher
• doing assessments with students
• teacher observation
• student observation
• assisting with K-3 classrooms
• teaching in classroom
• meeting with principal

- Coaches divided up their time as follows: 1/3 of their time went to direct contact with teachers and students. 1/3 of their time was spent planning and doing assessment related work (making graphs, distributing materials, and data entry). 13% of their time involved working with students, and another 13% of their time was spent meeting with the principal or other school-based specialists.

- Coaches were more secure with their ability to use assessment data to inform instruction, and were rated themselves lowest on their knowledges of teaching English Language Learners. I'm not terribly surprised. Using data can be easy if you understand how to read it and gather information from it. Data can change, but how you interpret it doesn't. Working with human beings (ELLs) is harder because it varies. Each student is an entirely new case to work with. Even if a coach "masters" a group of ELLs one year, does not mean the coach will be able to the following year. Even then, kids change throughout the year. Bottom line: working with ELLs is more difficult than working with data. 

- Coaches altered their coaching based on the knowledge level of the teacher they were working with. For instance, if a teacher seemed less knowledgeable, the coach would model lessons in the classroom; if a teacher had stronger knowledge, the coach was more inclined to discuss data and recent research findings.

- Assessment seemed to take up the most time of coaches. [Is this because teachers have less 'flexible' time to complete assessments themselves?]

-Teachers felt they most benefited from coaches when coaches would: 

• attend weekly meetings
• help interpret assessment data
• provide hands-on practice

- Coaching is an "all hands on deck" practice. If the principal supports the coach, the teachers are more likely to support the coach. Everyone is involved for improvement of students. 

February 16, 2016: Chapter 3

Summary and Thoughts / Connections for Chapter 3:  

- A reading coach can take on various roles. With all teachers I work with, try to check in with them monthly to see how things are going: keep open communication.
  * Facilitator: If things are going well this will be the likely role.
  * Collaborative Problem Solver: This role will be used if a teacher identifies a concern about a student or group of students. 
  * Teacher/Learner: I would use this role if I found a lot of teachers seem to share the same concern. I would probably need to think about professional development here. Discussing with principals about these needs and student performance data will help steer the potential for needed professional development. 

Entry 
- What is my definition of a Reading Coach?
- Outline the tasks that I CAN do and tasks that I CANNOT do. (This will make it clear for teachers to know what I can help with.) Without ever being a reading coach, how will I know what I can/cannot do? I would hate to only list things I can do and then have something pop up that is out of my realm - only to put that on my list of "can nots" and have a teacher/student feel I'm just tossing them to the side. 

- Be sure to communicate with administration a clear description of the role of a reading coach and hold ongoing discussions about the role and expectations for performance. Ask him/her what sorts of tasks they envision me doing, if they've had previous experience working with a reading coach, etc. 

Confidentiality and Professional Ethics
- Understand the difference between coaching and supervision. Supervision is about making evaluative decisions on staff. Coaching has a focus on students; it has nothing to do with judging or evaluating teachers. (I think if teachers understood this, they would be more inclined to have a coach in their classrooms. Maybe.)
- Coaches must be invited by the teacher to observe the class. Principals can come by unannounced to observe as needed. If a teacher does not want a coach in his/her classroom, then the coach cannot go -it's that easy. 
- If I experience a teacher who is consistently providing poor or no instruction, making hurtful/derogatory statements about a student, or showing physically inappropriate behavior toward students, am I allowed to say anything to administration? I understand that there is a confidentiality piece with coaching, but if I must keep the students' best interests in mind, and I feel what is happening isn't what is best for them, how would I handle that situation?

Building a Caseload
- Begin with novice teachers. They're more likely willing to have others in their classrooms to assist, offer suggestions and feedback, model, etc. 
- Difficult to work with teachers. These teachers may feel that a classroom problem isn't their fault - but a student(s) fault. I KNOW there is at least one teacher in my building who is like this. She is more than willing to accept help, but it has to be on her terms, and she treats the help like a consulting friend. If a coach were to be in her classroom, how would one go about offering suggestions to her, about what she could do differently for the student -when all she has done in the past is complain about the kid because her usual 'tricks' and 'tools' didn't work? (This is one of my bigger fears as a future coach. Working with a teacher who just wants to pass a student on to someone else.)

Drum up Business
- Advertise: Don't just announce at a staff meeting about what you're doing, and able to do. Post signs around school (staff lounge, office, email, etc.). Provide a list of tasks and services I can do in addition to a schedule (when, where, and how a teacher can reach me). 
- Start small: Working with a willing colleague will not only be a nice way to start the coaching experience, it will also be a safe place to start before dealing with difficult teachers or situations. 
- Give credit to others. Coaching is a collaborative effort between the coach and teacher. Coaches aren't filled with a magic bag of tricks, it is the knowledge of the coach and teacher working together to make progress with students happen. 
- Don't separate roles: Engage in tasks and responsibilities that teachers do - as a way for them to see me as 'one of them'. If they start to see me as someone with an administrator role, they will probably be less likely to have me in their classroom, considering they already having principals observing them, etc. 

** Open and honest dialogue among all participants greatly facilitates the development of this new professional role. 

Choice Article: 

Promises and Cautions Regarding Using Response to Intervention With English Language Learners

ARTICLE in LEARNING DISABILITY QUARTERLY 30(3):213-218 · JULY 2007 with 12 READS

Impact Factor: 0.77 · DOI: 10.2307/30035565

Brief Highlights of the Article and connections/thoughts:

- This article references the IDEA. With new ELL laws set in place in the past couple of years, I wonder if this has changed much.

- Regardless of the native language ELLs have, they are mostly instructed in English-only classrooms. This itself may cause students to struggle more than their non-ELL peers. This doesn't meant that ELLs don't know the content, but they certainly aren't understanding what is being taught to them, because they do not know the language. 

- Explicit teaching, whether it's phonological awareness, decoding, or letter-sound relationships, can be taught to both ELLs and non-ELLs. 

- When ELLs are in the early primary grades (PreK-2), they often do okay with their peers -as teachers are doing explicit teaching for everyone. The later, in age, ELLs start school, the harder it will be for them to make up the 'lost time' of explicit instruction. It seems that in middle school, teachers spend less time teaching explicitly -compared to their elementary counterparts. Perhaps this is why we see more ELL Classes offered at secondary schools, where in elementary schools, ELLs are simply pulled for 30-45 minutes every couple of days a week. 

- Even if a school is familiar with RTI, is this something a reading coach could assist a teacher with? Could the coach provide suggestions that follow the RTI model for a teacher, even if the school didn't have training or expectations on RTI?

February 9th, 2016: Chapter 2

Summary and Thoughts / Connections for Chapter 2:  

- There is no gatekeeper for education; we just have to make sure we do not rely on results from single studies. 
- "The best teachers know that it is up to them to find out what their students know and do not know, what students can and cannot do, and what students are confused about, and then to teach those concepts and skills." This came from a paragraph referring to primary teachers. I wonder if primary teachers 'have more time' to do this for each of their students because they have a smaller class size compared to secondary teachers. How would secondary teachers do this with the 100+ students they are responsible for? 
- "Teachers who stick to only one approach, method, or published program may be missing out on other ways of teaching ..." This reminds me of StoryTown that my district adopted at the elementary level. It started out being a great tool to increase students' reading scores, but eventually the teachers felt it was too 'cookie-cutter' for their students who didn't fit the average mold.

Effective Reading Instruction
* Explicit Instruction: Not just looking at a sentence/word in a book, but modeling, demonstrating, or clearly explaining a concept or skill. Tyler does this when he teaches his students about word parts each week. (These are not always connected to a passage.)
* Targeted Instruction: Assessment is the essence of targeted instruction - using data from ongoing assessments to help steer instruction to the needs of the students. Independent, instructional, and frustration -level texts. I definitely have a student who concerns me; I feel the texts that seem to be at his frustration level are a level of difficulty that should be at an independent level for him. "Success is a strong motivator" - yes!
* Intensive Instruction: My building has classes for students such as Corrective Reading and Reading Strategies. Additionally, ELL students are able to take an ELL-centered Reading class. All of these classes are in addition to the required classes all students must take. 

Feedback
* Specific Praise: Praise must be specific and authentic. Our building spent some time on this last year (and a review this year) using the BoysTown model on praise. We are challenged to maintain a 4:1 ratio of specific/authentic praise versus negative/constructive corrections. 
* Scaffolding: It is designed to help students complete a task that they would otherwise not be able to successfully accomplish independently. This is temporary! I think so many teachers want success for students, that they forget that the scaffolding needs to be limited and eventually removed from supporting a student, in order to help them head toward independent success. (This is an issue in my building with the seventh grade teams.)
* Corrective Feedback: Key -keep a neutral tone. Don't jump the gun on providing corrective feedback, wait a few seconds to see if the students will notice the error on their own. I made a conscious effort to do this during my first couple of years of teaching, and now it happens automatically. It is rather rewarding to witness students identifying their own error and being able to correct it. 

Role of Assessment
* Screening: Short and quick - done at the beginning of the year or when a new student joins the school. "For students who are beyond the initial stage of reading instruction, brief assessments of oral reading fluency are surprisingly effective tools for quickly screening for reading difficulties." Should these quick one-minute oral fluency evaluations be completed by another student/partner, or a teacher?
* Diagnosis: Find strengths and weaknesses of a students, an use that to guide instructional decisions. We use an assessment called MAP testing. All students take this assessment at the beginning if the year; it breaks the results down into very specific information that can easily guide any classroom instruction. 
* Progress Monitoring: This should be done at regular intervals over an extended period of time. Does this HAVE to be done on a weekly basis, would monthly, or bimonthly, etc. be sufficient? 
* Evaluating Outcomes: "Students who can meet the standards independently are much more likely to thrive without further reading intervention." NeSA (Nebraska State Assessment) of Reading, Writing, Math, and Science is used in our district for this. 

Serious Reading Difficulties include: Decoding Problems, Comprehension Problems, and Processing Problems. 

A Three-Tiered Model of Intervention: This reminds me of the Response To Intervention (RTI) model. Tier 1 is quality classroom instruction. Tier 2 includes intensive reading instruction offered individually or in small groups in addition to the regular classroom instruction. Tier 3 is an intensive intervention delivers in smaller groups or individually, and for longer periods of time during the day. 

SAILS Model: (standards, assessments, instruction and interventions, leadership, and sustained school-wide commitment)
* Standards are clear and public expectations. There is no gray area - students know what is expected of them.
* Reading Assessments: includes screening and diagnostic assessments. Principals, or other instructional leaders in the building review the results and discuss with the teacher to view patterns of growth. 
* Instruction and Intervention: "Effective teachers are self-reflective and adopt a problem-solving approach when students experience difficulty. Effective teachers of struggling readers provide both accommodation and instruction." Thankfully, I feel like the majority of the staff in my building already do this. I have worked hard to remind them that they possess the skills to do this, but always offer assistance and suggestions when needed. The mindset is to do "what is best for kids." -Absolutely the mindset of our entire district!
* Leadership: "A common characteristic of all schools that have effective school wide approaches to reading success is the presence of an instructional leader." While our building principal works with data, and communicates results to staff, our building lacks someone who helps problem-solve, go into classrooms for coaching, or provide professional development. I am well aware that we are lacking a true instructional leader/coach for our building. 

Choice Article: 

Using Literature for Children and Adolescents for Intermediate Language Acquisition

1. MEI-LING CHEN EdD^1,† and
2. DAVID SQUIRES PhD^2,‡

Article first published online: 3 JAN 2012

DOI: 10.5054/tj.2011.259957

Brief Highlights of the Article and connections/thoughts:

The overarching theme of this text is that the simplicity (in language/vocabulary) of children and adolescent literature is not a negative quality. In fact, by providing a text that has an "independent" level of reading (as per Chapter 2 for this week) helps a student focus more on the texts. Additionally, explicit vocabulary instruction was not needed for children's literature (for children through adult-aged readers), as the language was learned incidentally.  

Focus on students' interpretation of a text, and not some prepackaged interpretations.


How could I use this as a Reading/Literacy Coach?
I would like to use the graphic from the text that show how children's and adolescent literature can provide the same applications of literature for language learning, as popular literature, or literature from the Canon. English Language Arts teachers like to challenge students to read texts; reminding them of this graphic, and reiterating what was mentioned in Chapter 2 about reading levels (independently, instructional, and frustration), may help them realize that providing for various students' needs and differentiating their content will not hinder learning outcomes when focusing on: language acquisition, language awareness, or literary awareness.  

February 2, 2016: Chapter 1

Summary of Chapter 1:  

Reading coaches' primary goal is to help students become better readers. This can take place with the Reading Coach as a facilitator, collaborative problem solver, and teacher/learner. This text will highlight key aspects of the Reading Coach position in each chapter. Chapter One was truly an introduction to the text and into "coaching." 

The Reading Excellence Act (REA) helped sway school districts to bring in reading coaches to their buildings. When REA went away and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) came into effect, reading coaches were sought as a professional development tool for staff. Unfortunately, there was not a clear process of how one would go about becoming a coach. This text should help clarify some of those concerns, outline various roles in schools, and guide a new reading coach into the trenches.

Choice Article: 

Blamey, K. L., & Meyer, C. K. (2009). Middle and high school literacy coaches: A national survey. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52(4), 310-323. 

Brief Highlights of the Article: 

This article was actually a result of a self-reported survey. According to the International Reading Association, the standards for a literacy coach include: collaborators, job-embedded coaches, evaluators of literacy needs, and instructional strategists in core classes. 

More research is needed on literacy coaches in secondary levels; only 24% of the participants (147 total participants) worked at the secondary level. 

The survey conducted indicated that literacy coaches spent most of their time as a collaborator. This included: examining curriculum materials and aligning them to state/local requirements, communication among staff, administration, and parents, remaining current in professional development and literature, responding to student and staff needs, and respecting confidentiality. Second, was spending time as a coach. Coaching activities included: working with teachers individually or on instruction in content areas, demonstrating instructional strategies, observing and providing feedback to teachers, and facilitating reflective dialogue, as well as professional development in instructional strategies. The final role, and least carried out, that was polled, was that of being an evaluator. Fewer than 25% of the polled coaches worked with selecting assessment tools or developing comprehensive assessment programs. Even fewer worked with teachers to analyze student achievement data for progress monitoring. 

Personal attributes were also highlighted in this article. Skilled listener, problem solver, and relationship builder were the top three attributes mentioned. Further attributes were: optimistic, expert communicators and collaborators, expert, and leader. Being optimistic is key to working with teachers who may not be interested in your assistance, or who have a negative perspective on their class or a few students. Communication is key -not only to teachers, but also parents, administrators, and collaboration with other literacy coaches. Being an expert does not mean one must be a 'fit-it' person, but more of a mentor; someone who has strong background knowledge in both content and content-specific literacy development and instruction. 

The polled literacy coaches also created a list of advice for future coaches:

• Make a conscious decisions about how you present yourself to teacher.
• Provide differentiated support to teachers; don't try to use a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Asses the needs of the school, teachers, and students by examining data.
• Be a strategic leader. 

Connections to / Reflection on the Readings

I'm quite surprised that there is such a lack of time spent with data! Our school district is VERY data-driven. I'm curious if the is a lack of interest because people don't understand it, don't know what to do with it, or don't have support to make necessary content changes to see the data change the way they'd like it to. This is definitely an area I am no concerned about for my future work as a reading/literacy coach. Finding the time to analyze data, reflect on it, etc. is where I begin to worry when it comes to data.

I believe this article parallels chapter one in the textbook quite well; it has a general outline of what a literacy coach's role includes. Hopefully I can add to the suggested 'further research in secondary literacy coaching' someday!

At this point, supporting a new teacher would not come as second nature, as I'm just getting my feet wet in the text. However, I would definitely want to gather information about what that classroom teacher is doing, what they find successful/unsuccessful, and take a look at their student data -whatever it is they have to offer. Hopefully this would provide enough information to guide me to give them a jumping-off point. Observing a few class periods would also give me insight as to what is working, or not, in their classroom. 

Final comments or things I'd like to discuss on Tuesday:

- Do I need to use APA or MLA when referencing an article? (I wrote this one as APA.)