Literacy Coaching and Collaboration

Literacy Coaching and Collaboration

Session 4

EDUC 611

SESSION 4 OBJECTIVESIn Session 4, you will: Review Session 3 Content• Complete the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II and discuss the

implications of style/learning differences for a literacy coach • Analyze and evaluate a video on ‘Active Listening’• Examine the work of a Literacy Coach• Gain an understanding of how a Literacy Coach gets started

in the position• Examine ways that a Literacy Coach can begin a collaboration•

Benedictine University

Session 3 ReviewEDUC 611

• Effective Collaborative Groups: ◦Set clear agendas and identify goals ◦Find ways to follow through on assigned tasks ◦Look at the big picture and the broader interest or goals ◦Utilize respectful communication

• Effective strategic planning is essential and includes: Discovery Inquiry and Analysis Acceptance Implementation

• Effective action-oriented processes are required to accomplish specific goals/objectives

• Effective training is required to maintain high standards and skills• Effective processes are required to maintain ‘collaboration between

collaborators’; i.e., use the skills to address issues • Effective groups seek help when needed, enjoy the process and actively seek

new input and ideasBenedictine University

SESSION 3 REVIEW

SESSION 3 REVIEW


Surveys are a mechanism for obtaining quantifiable data that address your objectives• The survey should be guided by the objectives/purpose

• What do you want to find out?• Clarity: Simple words, short, direct statements, easy-to-use scales,

explicit meaning (avoid double-meanings)• Introduce with an explanation of purpose • Group similar items together • Multiple choice/Likert scale are easiest to score; open-ended

questions tend to give more enlightening information• Open-ended questions give respondents an opportunity to answer in their

own words, but are more difficult to interpret and categorize • Closed-ended questions are easy to standardize and data gathered lend

themselves to statistical analysis• It is more difficult to write clear and unambiguous questions since the

choices must include all possible answers a respondent could give for each question

Keirsey Temperament

Sorter IIEDUC 611

• The Keirsey Temperament Sorter®-II (KTS®-II) is the most widely used personality instrument in the world• It is a powerful 70 question personality instrument

that helps individuals discover their personality type• The KTS-II is based on Keirsey Temperament

Theory™, published in the best selling books, Please Understand Me® and Please Understand Me II, by Dr. David Keirsey


KIERSEY SURVEY

Effective Communication

EDUC 611

• Expressing our wants, feelings, thoughts and opinions clearly and effectively is only half of the communication process needed for interpersonal effectiveness

• The other half is listening and understanding what others communicate to us

• When a person decides to communicate with another person, he/she does so to fulfill a need

• The person wants something, feels discomfort, and/or has feelings or thoughts about something


EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Web Source: http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm

http://www.drnadig.com/listening.htm

• In deciding to communicate, the person utilizes the method or code which he/she believes will effectively deliver the message to the other person

• The code used to send the message can be either verbal or nonverbal

• When the other person receives the coded message, they go through the process of decoding or interpreting it into understanding and meaning

• Effective communication exists between two people when the receiver interprets and understands the sender’s message in the same way the sender intended to send it


EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION



• The state of active listening requires the full attention of an individual• Sources of difficulty that tend to interfere with effective listening are:– Being preoccupied and not listening– Being so intent on what you have to say that you listen mainly to find an

opening to get the floor– Formulating and listening to form your own rebuttal to what the speaker is

saying– Listening to your own personal beliefs about what is being said– Evaluating and making judgments about the speaker or the message– Not asking for clarification when you know that you do not

understand


SOURCES OF DIFFICULTY BY THE LISTENER



• Stop Working, watching TV, reading• Look at the person who is speaking• Keep a good distance between you and

the speaker• Sit-up straight (body language is important) • Nod your head and make statements such as “uh-

uh”, “I understand,” and “I see what you mean” to show the speaker that you are truly making an effort to understand what he/she is saying


HOW TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY

• If you do not understand, let the person know • Don’t ‘fake’ listen!• Repeat back (reflect) phrases to clarify what

the person is saying• Act interested and ask questions to

demonstrate that you are interested• Don’t interrupt the speaker


HOW TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY

Literacy Coach &

Collaboration

EDUC 611

Credibility is “in the eyes of the beholder”• Four tips to protect and bolster process credibility: – Invest in your professional stature – Develop ground rules when you begin to work with others to establish

work place etiquette– Develop expectations and benchmarks early in the collaboration

process to establish the accountabilities of each group member– Recruit and involve at least 1 or 2 highly visible civic or institutional

leaders with high credibility


LITERACY COACHING: STARTING COLLABORATION

Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative Leadership: Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

• A Collaborative Leader – Controls the launch of the collaboration process– The time and conditions in which the process begins

– Carefully decides the right time to launch a collaboration– Recruits the Right Mix: • The leader enlists those who can:– Commit to the collaboration process– Recognize what is to be achieved (intended outcome)– Prioritize a pool of decision makers and individuals who have the capacity

to influence the decision makers– Identify a pool of stakeholders in the collaboration process…anyone who

has a stake in the collaboration


BEGINNING A COLLABORATION


Some key principles in recruiting: • Who do we trust and work well with? • For whom does the agenda/problem/need

overlap with their missions and self-interests• Who are the least controversial? • Who are of high enough profile and

credibility to attract and reinforce the involvement of other targeted partners?


RECRUITING FOR COLLABORATION

Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative Leadership: Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA, Co Corwin Press.

What Do Collaborative Leaders Do?

EDUC 611

• Develop a climate for which honest and productive communication occurs

• Connect the individual and institutional self-interests of partners to the goals and activities of the collaboration

• Establish the foundation of consensus building by laying one or more goals that articulate a clear and meaningful direction

• Create a balance between the whole and individual interests• Remain vision driven, selfless, and spreads the credit among all of

the parties• Do not have to be experts in all areas but need to understand some

of the context that others work-seeing the world through our colleagues eyes


COLLABORATIVE LEADERS

Rubin, H. (2009). Collaborative Leadership: Developing Effective Partnerships in Communities and Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA, Co Corwin Press (pp. 53-97)

• Understand that decision making models should be research based, data driven and devoted to best practice

–These characteristics improve the likelihood of successful collaboration• Understand the character, needs, work styles, capacities, and self-interests of the

people with whom they work• Serve the institution’s best interests• Pay close attention to the functional dynamics of the group• Clearly state ground rules for effective meeting management• Are the environmental engineers, group facilitators, grant operatives• Create an environment of care and caring about each other so that group

members want to help each other• Celebrate success, reward contributions


COLLABORATIVE LEADERS


How Does a Literacy Coach

Begin?EDUC 611

Literacy Coach’s collaborative process:• Coming together is the Beginning• Keeping together is an vital component of Progress• Working together is a major sign of Success


COLLABORATION PROCESS

To establish a collaborative process as a literacy coach…• Make a good impression– No mystery here…professional appearance, open and friendly

demeanor, self-confidence without ego• Be approachable– Here’s where ‘listening skills’ come in

• Introduce yourself to principal, staff, and the parents• Build trust and relationships– Be trustworthy, take time to be genuinely helpful

• Meet with the principal early on• As you get busy working with staff and parents-touch base with

students as often as possible


COLLABORATION PROCESS

Toll, C. A., (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide: Essential Questions and Practical Answers. Normal, Illinois, IRA. Chapter 3.

• Do not fix things – They support• Encourage a culture of collaboration

(by building relationships)• Encourage and promote reflection and

decision making• Honor both student and adult learners’

“learning styles”• Focus on student achievement


LITERACY COACHES

Toll, C. A., (2005). The Literacy Coach’s Survival Guide: Essential Questions and Practical Answers. Normal, Illinois, IRA. Chapter 3.

“NO COACH HAS EVER WON A GAME BY WHAT HE KNOWS;

IT’S WHAT HIS PLAYERS KNOW THAT COUNTS”

- Paul “Bear” Bryant


COACHING…

Session 4 Assignments – Due Session 5

EDUC 611


SESSION 4 ASSIGNMENTS

Session 4 & 5 Objectives

EDUC 611

SESSION 4 OBJECTIVESIn Session 4, you have:• Reviewed Session 3 Content• Completed the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II and discuss the

implications of style/learning differences for a literacy coach • Analyzed and evaluate a video on ‘Active Listening’• Examined the work of a Literacy Coach• Gained an understanding of how a Literacy Coach gets started

in the position• Examined ways that a Literacy Coach can begin a collaboration• Participated in Threaded Discussions


SESSION 5 OBJECTIVESIn Session 5, we will:• Review Session 4 Content• Discuss temperament types and implications

of this information for Literacy Coaches• Evaluate and peer edit surveys• Discuss Brainstorming Activities


WILLIAM ARTHUR WARD

Words of Wisdom:• We must be silent before we can listen• We must listen before we can learn• We must learn before we can prepare• We must prepare before we can serve• We must serve before we can lead


Literacy Coaching and Collaboration

Session 4

EDUC 611See you in Session 5

Documents

Literacy Coaching and Collaboration