Instructional Coach – Partnering with Teachers

Since literacy skills are at the core of all learning, it is essential for educators to be knowledgeable of how to teach literacy skills effectively in both elementary and middle school.  However, not all teaching programs adequately equip teachers with the knowledge they need to confidently teach literacy skills in their classrooms. Furthermore, the research in teaching reading has changed drastically over the past decade due to the work of respected researchers in the literacy field as well as recent brain research due to new technologies.  Reading is complex and becoming the literacy expert in the classroom requires more training than solely sitting through literacy professional development.  It begins with knowledge, and the literacy expert status is acquired through trial and error as teachers build their literacy toolbox and troubleshoot strategies with a variety of literacy learners. 

As an Instructional Coach I enjoy coming alongside teachers in an effort to teach, support, encourage, and collaborate in the process of building the literacy toolbox of best practices to utilize in the classroom. As an Instructional Coach, I believe in partnering with teachers to achieve their goals.  I am the guide on the side, the level of support deemed necessary by choice of the teacher, and the cheerleader to keep us focused and working towards our established goal. 

I use a coaching cycle to guide my instructional coaching practice (inspired by Jim Knight, the author of Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction).  Coaching cycles are effective with individual teachers, grade level teams, content teams, or a group of teachers interested in applying a similar strategy.

Contact Brynn for more info.

COACHING CYCLE DIAGRAM

Instructional Coach – Partnering with Teachers

Contact Brynn for more info.