Read Liberia Virtual Coaching: A COVID-19 Silver Lining

• In Event: Alternative Models for Effective Instructional Coaching: Learning in the Time of Coronavirus, Cost-Awareness, and Social Responsibility

Proposal

While typically a face-to-face activity, with instructional coaches traveling to schools each month to meet with teachers and administrators and observe classes being taught, the COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for the USAID/Liberia Read Liberia Activity to adapt its implementation to virtual coaching. In Liberia, given a lack of more advanced technology-based communication options across regions, virtual coaching comprised phone calls and text messages. This pivot, however rudimentary, allowed coaches to continue fostering teacher mastery of the Ministry of Education early grade reading model. Via 15-30-minute interactive conversations between the coach and teacher on specific lessons (skills) selected from the Read Liberia teacher instructional guide, coaches provided mini-trainings in lessons and skills the teachers struggled with during the phone-based support. While these conversations were largely unstructured, coaches were given guidance on the kinds of skills to address and effective ways in which to do so. In addition, Read Liberia was able to capitalize on a Ministry of Education Teaching by Radio program—which aired radio-adapted versions of the Read Liberia daily lessons for students in grades 1 and 2 to engage with during school closures—by encouraging teachers to listen to the lessons, and then engage with the teachers about aspects of lesson content and delivery.
There were constraints affecting Read Liberia’s phone support, of course. For example, approximately 5% of teachers live in locations without network coverage and electricity and were, therefore, hard to reach. Other teachers, especially volunteer teachers, had taken temporary jobs to supplement their income and were unavailable. Read Liberia worked with the Ministry of Education to develop innovative methods for supporting the affected teachers. For example, in some locations district education officers went on community radio to encourage teachers to participate in this phone-based support, and school administrators reached out to teachers directly to engage them.
Read Liberia’s phone support to teachers was an innovative strategy designed to keep teachers reading and familiarizing themselves with the various skills and lessons that will help them gain more understanding of the content and lesson presentation for providing effective reading instruction to early grade students. It was also well-received, with most teachers reporting that they benefitted from the support given, even though done remotely. Teachers and coaches both responded positively to the creativity reflected in the pivot and to the ability to provide support to teachers even virtually. Of course, a coach cannot conduct a classroom observation and provide immediate feedback based on that observation over the phone. However, particularly in a context like Liberia, where flooding can make some schools inaccessible for months at a time, having a virtual coaching model available to complement the standard face-to-face visits is an option that Read Liberia will explore integrating into its standard school-based support once schools reopen.

Author

• Patrick Karnley, RTI