Differentiated Coaching As a Professional Development Tool Research Paper

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Differentiated Coaching for Reading and Literacy

One approach to professional development that is gaining widespread acceptance among reading leaders is differentiated coaching. This paper examines how reading leaders can better engage in differentiated coaching for teachers of reading to meet the learning and culturally diverse needs of reading students in an elementary school, including the existing degree of comfort at my school with this tool, the readiness of the school's culture to implement this tool and a recommend approach for carving out time to use differentiated coaching in my school. Finally, a discussion concerning what type of data might be collected while using differentiated coaching concludes the paper.

What is the degree of comfort that exists with differentiated coaching at your school?

Although my school has used peer mentoring in the past, there has been no effort to employ the differentiated coaching model so the degree of comfort is currently suboptimal. According to Yendol-Hoppey and Dana (2010), the three models for differentiated coaching are peer coaching, culturally responsive coaching, and content-focused coaching. From a personal perspective, I have less experience with the types of activities that could be regarded as peer coaching and content-focused coaching, but I have significant experience and expertise in coaching other teachers in cross-cultural competencies that would represent a strength for the culturally response coaching model. In addition, because of the diverse student body in this school district, the majority of reading teachers are also already culturally responsive out of necessity.

Notwithstanding this lack of overall experience with differentiated coaching, most of the teachers at my school possess the acumen, inquisitiveness and recognition that it is important to avoid assumptions about other teachers that are required for applying these models in real-world classrooms. Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that with some in-service training and practice, all of the reading teachers at my school could employ these models depending on the goal and their individual circumstances in ways that would help develop a degree of comfort with this strategy. It will be important, though, for all participating teachers to accept some level of risk in becoming transparent concerning their teaching abilities, thereby opening themselves up to critique by their peers. In this regard, Yendol-Hoppey and Dana (2010) emphasize that, "Each member of the coaching dyad must demonstrate a willingness to take calculated risks with their teaching as they move out of isolation to make their professional work public" (p. 114).

Because differentiated coaching remains untested in our school, it remains unclear whether the strategy will receive support from the school's administration, especially given the amount of time required on the part of two teachers to achieve one coaching outcome. It will therefore be important for sponsoring teachers to present a solid case in support of the differentiated coaching model and its potential for improving academic outcomes in order to garner administration approval and ongoing support (Hall & Simera, 2008). According to Robbins (2015), however, there is a growing body of evidence concerning the efficacy of differentiated coaching in helping teachers become better reading instructors, and this evidence can help bolster the argument in support of its implementation. In this regard, Robbins advises that, "The intended outcome of the formal coaching process [is] high-quality teaching that generates improved student learning" (2015, p. 52). It will also be important to emphasize that both the coach and the invited teacher can benefit from the collaboration that is the hallmark of differentiated coaching (Robbins, 2015) as discussed further below.

How ready is your school's culture to implement differentiated coaching?

Although there is a solid consensus at my school concerning the need to provide a diverse student body with the high quality educational services they need and deserve to succeed academically and professionally, there is a general lack of willingness to collaborate that could potentially disrupt or even doom a differentiated coaching initiative unless steps are taken to overcome this constraint. In this regard, Yendol-Hoppey and Dana (2010) emphasize that, "Coaching thrives within a culture that is ready for collaboration and dedicated to learning" (p. 114). Consequently, selling the differentiated coaching strategy will require stressing the "what's-in-it-for-them" aspects of the approach, as well as the fact that this tool is not intended to be used for evaluation but rather as a collaborative learning tool that can benefit all participants. As Yendol-Hoppey and Dana (2010) point out, "Coaching is a . . . learning tool rather than an evaluation tool.

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There must be a clear distinction within your school between coaching and evaluation" (p. 114). Fortunately, and notwithstanding the current lack of collaboration between teachers, there is a high degree of mutual trust that will facilitate the implementation and administration of a differentiated coaching initiative at my school (Yendol-Hoppey & Dana, 2010).

There are also some proven strategies for using the three different differentiated coaching approaches that can be readily adapted to my school's needs as set forth in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Case studies concerning engaging reading teachers with peer coaching, culturally responsive coaching, or content-focused coaching

Approach

Description

Peer coaching

A daybook can be regarded as a hard-copy of a blog, what Stover et al. (2011) describe as "the composition books that store snippets of writing" (p. 501). One experienced teacher, "Martha," who participated in peer coaching with "Brian," used the daybook approach for collaborative purposes during debriefing sessions which focused on her reflections with respect to her effectiveness in the classroom. This approach may be less appropriate for novice teachers but can be used to good effect with any teachers provided the peer coach is knowledgeable and experienced. In this regard, Stover et al. (2011) point out that, "For all teachers, but particularly self-assured, knowledgeable veterans like Martha, a daybook can inspire deeper pedagogical reflection" (p. 501).

Culturally responsive coaching

Videotapes of reading teachers provide a cost-effective method of helping them identify their strengths and weaknesses in culturally diverse classrooms (Stover et al., 2011). In this regard, Stover et al. (2011) advise that, "Change occurs when teachers observe their own teaching practices. These observations lead to coaching conversations in which teachers reflect on their beliefs and attitudes. Through these conversations, their teaching transforms. This is the type of transformation coaches seek to foster with teachers" (p. 499). One coaching consultant, "Karen," used this approach to improve the acceptance and participation levels of teachers in a small-group differentiated teaching initiative. This approach involves five basic steps as follows:

1. Watch the lesson once.

2. Review the script tape and notes of the teacher -- coach discussion.

3. Watch the tape again and map each student's involvement, analyze the questions asked, and observe body language, depth of conversation, and use of reading strategies.

4. Meet with colleagues to discuss that initial assessment.

5. Reflect in writing before meeting with the coach again (Stover et al., 2010, p. 506).

The taping sessions of teachers in the classroom lasted for 30 minutes, followed by a 30-minute discussion session to identify strengths and weaknesses and to set goals for subsequent sessions. Reasonable goal-setting, collaboration and feedback were essential elements to this initiative's success (Stover et al., 2010).

Content-focused coaching

This approach is "designed to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities that help a teacher become and remain well equipped to help all students succeed in the content area" (Yendol-Hoppey & Dana, 2010, p. 114). To this end, one elementary school teacher, "Rebecca," used surveys to establish common goals and identify the professional wants and needs of the 40 teachers in her school, as well as what they already knew, what they wanted learn and their learning strategies. This approach was deemed highly appropriate and cost effective because the survey was self-administered at the teachers' convenience and online surveys further facilitate the process. By developing benchmarks concerning the foregoing issues, Rebecca was demonstrate subsequent staff development progress and develop insights concerning how these teachers viewed themselves as literacy instructors (Stover et al., 2010).

Within each of these foregoing examples, pre-conferencing, observation, post-conferencing, and reporting can be demonstrated as set forth in Table 2 below.

Table 2

Demonstration of pre-conferencing, observation and post-conferencing and reporting

Component

Demonstration

Pre-conferencing

This stage is demonstrated by the coach asking the reading teacher to explain the purpose of the lesson, the instructional strategies to be used, instruction preparatory to the lesson, what instruction will follow the lesson, strategies for engaging students, and corresponding measures of effectiveness. The coaches may also inquire concerning student attributes and classroom management techniques, as well as any issues concerning the observation or lesson. Other issues such as the physical seating arrangement for the observation and data collection techniques may also be discussed during this stage. The parameters for the post-conference can be discussed, as well as any other concerns the reading teacher may have concerning the process. In addition, Robbins advises that,.....

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