Collaborative professional development toward literacy learning in a high school through Connected Coaching

Abstract

This case study documented ways that participants in an urban high school collaborated to develop a Connected Coaching approach to literacy learning in the content areas. Analysis of interviews, observations, and archival documents provided detailed descriptions of ways the literacy coach and teachers worked together to integrate content concepts and literacy strategies. At the high school, the literacy coach served as a catalyst for professional growth. This study examined the progression of collaboration toward instructional improvement across a two‐year period. Collaboration with individuals grew to include clusters of colleagues teaching the same subjects, and then to involve grade‐level teams. Within these limitations, this study suggests a practical approach for other coaches in similar settings and helps illuminate the dynamics of professional development at the secondary level.

Keywords:

• collaboration
• high school
• literacy teacher education
• in‐service professional development
• instructional coaching

Notes

1. A KWL is a prereading activity in which students list what they ‘know’ about a topic and what they ‘want to know.’ After reading, they list what they ‘learned.’