MRT STUDY GUIDE
Competency 012: Master Reading Teacher as a literacy leader.
Submitted by: Madelyn Villegas-Lyle
Explanation: (Important Ideas, Concepts, Strategies)
Reading Coach is an experienced teacher who has strong knowledge base in
reading and experience providing effective reading instruction to students,
especially struggling readers. In addition reading coach has been trained to
work effectively with peer colleagues to help them to improve their students
reading outcomes and receives support in the school for providing coaching to
other teachers, instructional assistants, parents, or administrators.
Coaches undertake three kinds of efforts:
1. As facilitator, a coach helps effective, skillful teacher to succeed in
the effort to help students and school to experience academic
success.
2. A collaborative Problem Solver: work systematically with
teachers to address problems in the classroom that keep students
for making adequate gain.
3. As Teacher/Leader, a coach provides effective strategies through
professional development.
Goals for a reading Coach:
1. To improve students’ reading skills and competence.
2. To solve referred problems. Always keep goal 2 in context with
the primary focus on goal 1, the student.
3. To learn from each other. See personal learning opportunity in
every coaching encounter. (sharing knowledge or helping others)
4. To prevent future problems. Help teachers to increase their
understanding, knowledge, skills and confidence in their reading
instruction
The Sail Model is a 5 part model for improving students’ reading skills
and outcomes.
Standard- adopting standard to focus and guide instruction.
Assessment –using assessments to screen, diagnose, and the
progress of student learning.
Instruction and Intervention- Delivering instruction and
intervention design to meet the needs of the students
(abilities and skills)
Leadership – provide leadership to assist with the
implementation, evaluation, and improvement of each of the
three previous components. (Standard, assessment,
instruction and intervention)
Sustained schoolwide commitment – to help every student
achieve success in reading by adopting a no-excuse attitude.
The three cornerstones for coaching: Trust,
Confidentiality and professional ethics.
Reading Coach uses a systematic problem solver process:
Phase 1. Problem presentation and analysis.
Phase 2. Data analysis and Intervention Development
Phase 3. Implementation
Phase 4. Evaluation
Communication is an important element for a Reading Coaches and
Leaders. They need to develop an active listening skills and nonverbal
communication skills as part of their communication tools. One of
the communication technique recommended in the book is The
Soler Technique:
S - sit squarely in front of the other person.
O- Maintain an open posture.
L – Lean forward slightly as you speak and listen.
E – Maintain eye contact.
R – Throughout the process try to be relaxed, but alert
caring and attentive.
The MRT as Reading Coach provides professional development to
improve the school/students’ performance and support teachers.
The Three Commandments of Professional Development are:
1. Focus on Student outcomes and plan accordingly.
2. Promote instructional practices that are based on best
available research.
3. Plan all aspects of professional development in purposeful,
unified way.
ACTIVITY: Model to your teachers, students and colleagues.