Episodes in Teacher Learning in Early Literacy

• In Event: Cultivating Trust and Collaboration for Sustained Professional Development

Abstract

In this paper we share two case studies illustrating diverse ways that literacy coaches and teachers work together using collaborative structures such as professional learning communities and protocols to advance instructional practices and affect student reading outcomes. In Episode 1, a literacy coach and a kindergarten teacher use a coaching tool as a catalyst to make instructional improvements. Episode 2 illustrates a coaching cycle in which data collected from a universal screener in reading served as the beginning of a multi-faceted collaboration for student learning. In both episodes, teacher and student growth was evident through student foundational skills and an increase in engagement. Devoting time and energy to teacher development is an investment with direct implications for student outcomes.

Authors

• Anne C Ittner, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Lori A. Helman, University of Minnesota