Explain The Five Key Dispositions For The Success Of A Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach

This has deepened my understanding of the big 5 concepts of literacy (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension) through understanding what criteria can be used to determinate what is effective developmental for a reader and what needs improvement. The Informal Reading Inventory is one example of this because it allows me to assess word recognition, oral and silent reading, comprehension, and literacy capacity. All of which is valuable information which I can then use as a reading teacher to determine further instructional moves. While I have yet to have a place to fully put these assessment techniques into my full practice as a first year teacher. Learning about how to properly assess these components has better equipped me to think about my students' literacy abilities and further strategize my instructional planning to meet the diversity of their literacy

There are many important components involved in learning to read, however, five main aspects stand out. These being early experiences with language and print, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary and fluency. All of these elements are important and depend on each other to generate the ultimate goal for reading which is comprehension. Teachers need to have a comprehensive understanding of the process of learning to read, intensive knowledge of effective strategies to help children thrive when learning to read

Currently, I am embarking on a captivating journey through the valley of literacy coaching. Before, enrolling in this program, I was apprehensive and unsure of how I would balance work, school, and home, but somehow I managed. I am roughly, two semesters away from my goal and anxiously awaiting everything to come in to fruition. Over the past two years, I have gained a great deal of knowledge and I have expanded my teacher tool-box. Focusing on adult learning, organizational change, professional development and school culture; I have learned the roles of a literacy coach and reading specialist and how they should contribute to schools.

In the primary grades, children should have a well-designed phonics program that promotes knowledge of letters, sounds, words, and phonological units (Dorn, Soffos. 2001. P. 21). The literacy coach should help the classroom teachers prepare for their literacy lessons by providing literary resources needed, modeling to show how certain components of the literacy block should look and making sure the teacher understands how to teach the skills they are working on at the time. For example, if a teacher is unsure how to effectively teach reading groups to beginner kindergarten readers, the literacy coach can model how to do so, provide the teacher with additional help and support, and even let the teacher observe other teachers teach. The literacy coach should also make sure the teachers have everything they need to assess students and that the teachers understand the importance of the assessments and how to get information from them to lead new

This is a very important component in education to be aware of and when you are a teacher. I interviewed a first-grade teacher at my local elementary school to gain more information about the processes that our local schools go through for professional training, interventions, and in the classroom to ensure that students are developing their abilities in reading. My main focus was on what our school’s process was, how support is given, professional training offered, and what more is needed to be done to increase success for students.

“Showing respect for your students includes listening to their needs and preserving their dignity. It also means living up to their expectations of you, such as greeting them at the beginning of class

A literacy specialist role has a leadership component that requires expertise knowledge in the areas of assessment and research data. Through this knowledge and understanding, they can help students, teachers, and schools set literacy goals and actually accomplish them. Research states, “Schools that have literacy coaches or a literacy specialist, who is involved in setting literacy goals and accomplishments, promote teacher and student literacy improvements and achievements (Journal of Language and Literacy Education, Volume 3,

I believe the fundamental goal of teaching is to foster, support and respect a safe learning environment for all students. In addition, to be passionate and commitment to give high equality education by providing an equal opportunity. Furthermore, my goal for students to explore, express themselves using effective communication and provide an open ear to listen to every in relationship and partnership in connection with each ELL/Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students to be successful Academic Achievement in learning. I believe learning takes place in many different learning styles, contexts, within a multicultural setting using different age appropriate activities, clues, learning strategies, and updated research through technology

Over the years, she has persistently worked with teachers and children in grades K-4 to increase the school’s reading scores. She readily tries new teaching strategies, which led to the implementation of guided reading in our school. Gale assisted in the training and execution of this research-based practice with overall success and approval by our entire faculty. She continues to conduct workshops and when asked, enters a classroom to offer suggestions and training for those teachers in need of extra assistance. Gale is swift, structured, and reliable which makes her someone teachers go to when they have questions, need assistance; and when they are new to the school and require further understanding and

The research problem evolved when there was a growth in the need of literacy coaches (Smith, 2012). More commonly, literacy coaches were utilized at the elementary level, but now they were being used at the middle and secondary levels too. The first concern arose because middle school coaches do not see themselves as teachers of reading. Common instructional elements found to support in the teaching of reading did not exist at the upper levels. Another concern presented deals with trying to figure out how literacy coaching aligns with the contexts of teaching the middle school grades. These concerns manifested the problem that was investigated in this study (Smith, 2012). This problem was not clearly stated, but once the first several paragraphs were reread, the problem becomes clearer.

My philosophy is that I want to provide children with the best education possible. Every student has the ability to read and write, but all students are going to have different ways of learning. Some strategies will work better for some than others. It is my responsibility to find creative and fun ways to spark their want to learn. I believe to be effective in literacy instruction and assessment I have to develop strategies that balance vocabulary, reading and writing. I think with these three components including a positive learning environment that my instructions will be effective. I believe by providing students with instructions, modeling, guided practices, and independent practices; that

As a new literacy coach at a middle and high school level, it is important to first outline your role as the literacy coach. The first things I would do is communicate with the teachers across those grade levels. I would have a meeting with those teachers that clearly outlines my roles and responsibilities as the literacy coach. This will help the teachers to understand what I will be doing and the process in which I will be completing observations and coaching. During this meeting, I would be sure to capture the attention of the teachers in order to make them feel engaged in the process. I would also discuss their role in the professional development and open the meeting up to discuss any concerns or feedback they may have. It will also

They all need different things and need to be taught in different ways. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to teaching children how to read. I believe that a teacher needs to know her student and know the student’s strengths and weaknesses. However, just as important is the teacher knowing how to motivate and get the child excited to read. I have also learned that it is important to build up a child’s confidence. Children need to have attainable goals so they can prosper in their reading

dimension of a role of a reading specialist is to improve reading for all students.

My philosophy of literacy is centered on providing a learning environment rich in authentic literature, instruction that is engaging, fun, and balanced, collaborative, and also involving families in the child’s education. My ultimate goal of literacy instruction is to help children become lifelong readers and writers by providing the skills necessary to comprehend, construct, and make meaning of text, speak, and write. (Torgesen, 2002). According to the National Reading Panel, there are five essential components that must be taught in effective reading programs: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. (Reading Horizons). According to Konza (2014), reading instruction should be changed to six foundational reading elements, adding oral language and early literacy. I also believe that early literacy should be