Emergent Literacy Coaching @ Your Library

Part II:Peer Coaching for

Professional Growth

So, what is peer coaching?

• Peer coaching is a mutual relationship in which two or more people agree to help each other apply new skills

Applying Peer Coaching to Emergent Literacy

• Emergent literacy: a statewide focus in MD libraries since the year 1998 and the It’s Never Too Early campaign

• Peer coaching was a logical next step…

CCPL 2006-2007 Pilot

What would I do as a peer coach?Overview from a coach’s perspective…

• Observe one another’s storytimes • Engage in self-reflection about your own storytime

performance (prior to conferencing with your peer)• Meet to share feedback & reflect with your peer • Discuss/review materials for storytimes

Learning from one another and supporting one another’s professional growth is the ultimate goal!

Why Peer Coaching?• Provides job-embedded professional

development in a non-threatening, supportive atmosphere

• Increases comfort level with performance responsibilities

• Fosters ownership of best practices

Video Clip - Gail Griffith, CCPL

Research on Literacy Coaching

Joyce and Showers model of professional development (Dole, 2004) - five types of support:

• Theory• Demonstration• Practice• Feedback• In-depth coaching

Theory Support

• Learning the rationale / underlying reasoning behind particular storytime strategies or techniques

Why am I doing these activities?

Demonstration Support

• Opportunities to directly see the activities through modeling or videotaping

What do these activities look like

in storytime?

Practice Support

• Opportunities in the workplace to practice the newly acquired skills in front of a peer coach

When I try these activities, what happens?

Feedback Support

• Assistance and support about practice performance from peers

What worked well in these activities?

What could I have done differently?

In-Depth Coaching• Collaboration with peers on newly

learned activities and strategies practiced in storytimes to solve any problems that arise during implementation

What do I do next?Where do I go from here?

The Emergent Literacy Peer Coaching Wiki

http://wiki.carr.org/traction

Effective Coaches…

• are willing to be reflective about their own practices in order to encourage reflection in their peers

• have a sense of humor and accept that things will go wrong with even the best laid plans

Effective Coaches…

• are able to articulate and share what they observed in a positive, constructive manner in order to nudge (as opposed to push) their peers along to more advanced stages of performance

Support and nudge

Effective Coaches…• are respectful and appreciative of the effort it takes to perform well in a variety of situations

• adopt a supportive and reflective stance, as opposed to an evaluative one

• maintain trust and confidentiality (the “Las Vegas” pledge)

Effective Coaches…

• share and discuss professional literature to stay informed in their field and to decide how to apply the information to their various job performance duties

Learning Communities

Effective Coaches…

• conference and observe one another in a variety of performance activities

Practice and feedback in a friendly, supportive

atmosphere

Effective Coaches…

• reflect individually and collaboratively on performance and growth

Journaling & peer conferencing

Making it Work:The Role of a “Lead Coach”

Possible activities:• provide an overview of Emergent Literacy Peer Coaching for staff (can use wiki

resources, including today’s Power Points and the Early Literacy Needs Assessment)

• facilitate scheduling for observations/reflection conferences• participate in the observation reflection process with another lead coach, if

possible/appropriate • have periodic meetings with the peer coaches to discuss how the process is

going • participate in a professional book study

How CCPL Incorporated Lead Coaches into the

Peer Coaching Pilot Study

Video clips - CCPL Pilot, Lead & Peer Coaches

Sharing:Coaching Experiences

Questions

C.E.U. Credit for Coaching Activities

• CCPL obtained credit hours for staff for peer observations, journaling and conferencing, as well as reviewing materials for storytime

• For more information on how to accomplish this, please contact Dorothy Stoltz: dstoltz@carr.org

Tips for Wiki Access• Wiki address: http://wiki.carr.org/traction• Click on Emergent Literacy under

Projects on left hand side of page.• Explore wiki by clicking on the various

Sections on left hand side of page.• If you would like to comment on any of

the content, click on Comments and follow the instructions on this page.