Cracking the Teacher Code on Building Relationships as a 1st-year Literacy Coach: A Narrative Inquiry
Location
1049
Format Type
Event
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
January 2018
End Date
January 2018
Abstract
Literacy coaching is not new to education. With the 2001 shift in U.S. educational policy towards an emphasis on high-quality training for teachers and accountability of student achievement, literacy, or reading coach positions have been a core part of the institution (Department of Education, 2003). However, early in the initiative there was minimal impact because of unclear coaching roles and lack of adequate training, quality, and results (Dole, 2003; International Reading Association, 2004).
In the last ten years, with numerous coaching manuals and trainings, literacy coach positions have evolved into partnerships in which coaches working with teachers, implementing school-based professional development, and purposeful and effective curriculum and pedagogy (Toll, 2014). As part of this process, relationship building between coaches and teachers must take place. However, there is scant empirical evidence available on the various identities (Rainville & Jones, 2008) and responsive/directive distinctions (Ippolito, 2010) coaches must navigate in building collaborative relationships. I address this dearth of evidence in this narrative inquiry. In this proposal, I propose to share a personal narrative of my first-year as a literacy coach and two ELA teachers as we maneuver our way through teacher practice, collaboration, and building a professional learning community guided by the following a priori questions:
In what ways, do I as a literacy coach navigate between my roles and responsibilities to build partnerships with teachers? In what ways, do I as a literacy coach establish collaboration among teachers to build professional learning communities? In what ways do teachers impact my coaching, modeling, and building relationships?
This proposed narrative will be grounded in social constructivism (Ben and Kosnik, 2006), sociocultural theory (Bruner 1999; Vygotsky, 1978) and rooted in constructivism (Dewey, 1916, 1933; Piaget, 1954; and Vygotsky, 1978).
Cracking the Teacher Code on Building Relationships as a 1st-year Literacy Coach: A Narrative Inquiry
1049
Literacy coaching is not new to education. With the 2001 shift in U.S. educational policy towards an emphasis on high-quality training for teachers and accountability of student achievement, literacy, or reading coach positions have been a core part of the institution (Department of Education, 2003). However, early in the initiative there was minimal impact because of unclear coaching roles and lack of adequate training, quality, and results (Dole, 2003; International Reading Association, 2004).
In the last ten years, with numerous coaching manuals and trainings, literacy coach positions have evolved into partnerships in which coaches working with teachers, implementing school-based professional development, and purposeful and effective curriculum and pedagogy (Toll, 2014). As part of this process, relationship building between coaches and teachers must take place. However, there is scant empirical evidence available on the various identities (Rainville & Jones, 2008) and responsive/directive distinctions (Ippolito, 2010) coaches must navigate in building collaborative relationships. I address this dearth of evidence in this narrative inquiry. In this proposal, I propose to share a personal narrative of my first-year as a literacy coach and two ELA teachers as we maneuver our way through teacher practice, collaboration, and building a professional learning community guided by the following a priori questions:
In what ways, do I as a literacy coach navigate between my roles and responsibilities to build partnerships with teachers? In what ways, do I as a literacy coach establish collaboration among teachers to build professional learning communities? In what ways do teachers impact my coaching, modeling, and building relationships?
This proposed narrative will be grounded in social constructivism (Ben and Kosnik, 2006), sociocultural theory (Bruner 1999; Vygotsky, 1978) and rooted in constructivism (Dewey, 1916, 1933; Piaget, 1954; and Vygotsky, 1978).
Comments
The above abstract is my dissertation proposal. However, will be finishing the analysis of my data and beginning to write findings by the time this conference takes place in January 2018