What does a literacy coach do? I continually asked principals, superintendents, teachers, parents—even students. Everyone’s response differed. In the early implementation of coaching, some viewed the coach as a resource provider, others saw the coach as the fixer who would remediate teachers. A few thought of the coach as another collaborator, someone who could inspire their work with students. Our district was new to coaching. While energized by our coaching model, I also experienced a tinge of doubt. Quickly, I learned if coaching were to have any chance of being successful in our district, its purpose needed to be clear to all stakeholders.

Coaching as Everyday Professional Development

Coaching, I knew, was professional development. Not the sit and get model where a teacher attended a session for a day to learn something, and then returned to the district, left alone to implement. Having taught for 30 years, I participated in many of those days and recall longing to work alongside a colleague, a critical friend with whom I could try out new ideas, give and receive feedback, and grow our learning in our own classrooms. I understood the coaching our district embraced had to be the type of professional development that would allow for this exchange. It needed to be woven into the everyday fabric of teaching.

The classroom was at the heart of that learning—the place where a coach could support a teacher which, in turn, served students. The purpose of coaching, in the end, was to impact student learning. Through our coaching model, we were able to redefine professional development by giving it life within the school district.

Leadership, A Matter of Visibility, and Trust

As an instructional leader, I viewed my role as one of a guide. Too often, I observed teachers feeling discouraged—they were given curriculum and told what the latest, greatest initiative. They were told to immediately embrace and implement in their classrooms. They mostly worked in isolation and were congenial, but not very collegial. I resolved to ground my work with teachers by finding a place where their voice was valued. I felt strongly teachers needed to be empowered to examine their own strength and weakness, to seek feedback from others, and make curricular decisions that worked for their students.  Coaching was the vehicle that would pave the road to empower our teachers to do these very things.

Leading does not happen from sitting behind a desk in a remote office. I wanted to support our coaches in an authentic way. My visibility was an essential component of making the coaching model a welcome part of our professional culture. I spent as much time as I could in classrooms with our coaches so I knew first hand what challenges and successes they faced. Both teachers and coaches recognized I was there to support coaching partnerships. I also carved out time to talk with and listen to teachers, asking them about their experiences with the coaching model. How is it going for you and your students? was my simple question of choice. It became clear to me my firsthand involvement was important to teachers. Often, as I walked through the elementary school hallways, teachers stopped me to share anecdotes of working with a coach. As our coaches focused on building trust, I noticed how teachers endorsed and sought out opportunities to work alongside a coach. At the same time, the coaches worked to establish trust with teachers, I was focused on growing trust with the coaches. Our shared vision to deepen best practices around a balanced literacy model was clear. They were knowledgeable, talented, and committed to supporting teachers! By giving the coaches autonomy to make decisions and try out their innovative ideas, trust flourished. I trusted in them, valued their judgment, and continually sought their input as literacy leaders.

Feedback Matters

As we implemented the coaching model, we were mindful of how essential feedback was for its success. We thought about feedback in two ways.

Teachers needed feedback from coaches. With our consultant’s lead, we thought it most respectful to offer several types of feedback methods to teachers.

The coach could whisper in to a teacher during the lesson by offering them feedback during the lesson, tweaking it together in real time. Some teachers involved the coach in the actual lesson, while others selected to have a brief conversation with the coach on the spot as students worked independently. Or, the coach could leave a note for the teacher with points for praise and points for growth. Of course, face-to-face follow-up happened at a later time. Additionally, the coach could follow up with an email giving some general feedback and setting up a convenient time to meet to discuss the lesson. Finally, the coach was open to any unique feedback process a teacher may suggest.

Most importantly, coaches shared these feedback choices with teachers, and left the decision to choose one or several with the teacher.

Coaches needed timely feedback. Whenever possible, the coaches, our consultant, and I set aside time to talk immediately following a classroom coaching block. The coaches reflected on how effective they felt their coaching had been. What went well? What could they have done differently? As a result of taking the time to examine their process, coaches adjusted strategies, and teachers could work with those adjustments in another classroom that same day.

One of our biggest take-aways from the creation of a literacy coaching model was the importance of viewing each coach and teacher as a thought leader. If you are in the midst of creating your district’s literacy coaching model ask yourself, “How can I create a culture where everyone is empowered to contribute to the coaching model in meaningful ways?”

In our next post, we will share our third take-away: establishing the relationship between the coach and the teacher.

Grace White has worked in education for more than 30 years, teaching grades 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8. In addition her experience designing and writing curriculum helped her transition to become Wyckoff School District’s first literacy coach. In one mid-sized school district, she collaborated with Gail Cordello, a classroom teacher, Chris Fuller, a literacy coach, and Gravity Goldberg, a literacy consultant, to establish a literacy coaching program, and years later, the team continues to meet and share. This post is one in a series from the educators to share their greatest take-aways from their collective experience. You can follow White on Twitter.