Literacy Coaching: Approaches, Styles, and Conversations

Abstract

This study is an investigation of teachers' perspectives on coaching activities and styles of feedback language used by literacy coaches. Because literacy coaching processes represent a common approach to school-based teacher learning, it is wise to examine their usefulness. The teachers being coached have a key role in shaping and informing the coaching process. Their thoughts on helpful coaching activities and feedback language are important and could enlighten stakeholders in professional development of teachers. The data collection tools for this study included teacher questionnaires and a video-taped session with a focus group of elementary education teachers. The main findings were that teachers perceived literacy coaching activities, especially co-teaching and visiting colleagues, most helpful to construct conceptual and procedural knowledge when they include opportunities for on-going collaboration, teacher autonomy, and active construction of knowledge, and when they occur in classrooms settings with practice and feedback. These findings have implications for why and how educators do professional development in schools.