Date of Graduation

2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Curriculum & Instruction/Literacy Studies

Committee Chair

Sharon Hayes

Committee Co-Chair

Patricia Obenauf

Committee Member

Steven Rinehart

Committee Member

Joy Saab

Committee Member

Samuel Stack

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how an elementary literacy coach supported teachers learning to teach reading in ways that meet the needs of their students. Second, I determined how the coaching influenced the ways in which a classroom teacher plans for and carries out reading instruction. Finally, I understood how the educational context influences the nature of the coaching and how classroom teachers learned to teach reading. The literature review suggests that "when schools function in a way in which staff members have opportunities to interact and talk collegially about issues related to their own, as well as student learning, and are supported by administrators who recognize the importance of collaboration, the school will have quality teaching and learning in both teachers and students involved" (Bean and Swan Dagen, 2012, p. xii). I conducted two interviews per participant and have a total of six interviews. Content analysis was used to analyze the data because it helped in the classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns of the data.;The findings of this study are presented through the literacy coach and teachers interview's responses; participants' descriptions of literacy coach supporting teacher learning, and descriptions of teacher learning through the support of literacy coach. My analysis indicated that teachers acknowledged the support provided by the literacy coach on the process of teaching reading. It was also found that the literacy coach used teachers' needs to provide support and planning her professional development. Analysis of the data revealed that teachers learned through the following support (a) the literacy coach came into teachers' classroom, and co-taught with them, (b) she modeled lessons while teachers watching the styles of practices, (c) she provided them with the opportunities to practice instruction while they have been observed and got feedback immediately, (d) she helped them to practice new things like the Daily 5 approach, running records, and Being-A-Writer, (e) she provided professional development, (f) she researched relevant literacy resources required by teachers to promote students' reading achievement, (g) she encouraged them to learn from other teachers during the weekly small grade-level groups of professional learning communities, and (h) she influenced them to learn planning instruction through the use of the students' interest. Because of the limitations of this study, the results would not be generalized but the results of the study should be helpful in both literatures because the voices teachers raised will be heard in the discussions of literacy coaches. The perceptions of the literacy coach can also provide insight on the basics of literacy coach discussions that would be most effective in the development of teacher learning and support on their instruction and on students' achievement.

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