Becoming a Literacy Leader in the 21st Century: Fieldwork that Facilitates the Process

ABSTRACT

This study describes and analyzes a field experience that has provided advanced literacy specialist candidates the context for advancing their understanding of professional leadership through the lens of a literacy coach. The field experience described was born out of the ongoing work of teacher educators at a small, independent, liberal arts university and a collaborative effort between the university and a neighboring urban school district. First, we situate our conceptual and pedagogical understandings of literacy coaching in a body of theoretical work on which we have relied to craft the field experience. Then, we analyze the impact of the field experience through the lens of the literacy coaches. Finally, we discuss implications these findings have for our advanced literacy specialist program.

KEYWORDS:

• Clinical experience
• literacy coaching
• teacher education
• literacy specialist education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.