Literacy Coaching Cycles for Teachers
In-Person
For schools in the Washington, D.C. area that don’t have a literacy coach or for those where the caseloads are too high, we can help by taking some of your teachers under our wing. Coaching works best with frequent touchpoints, so we work with a limited number of teachers each quarter and connect with them weekly (at the very least) to implement a learning cycle. This includes meeting with teachers, reviewing lesson plans, observing lessons, reviewing student work, and creating a personalized learning pathway for them in our coaching portal. Coaching topics vary based on teacher need, but all are connected to the science of reading and implementing evidence-based literacy routines.
Virtual
Schools outside of the Washington, D.C. area can sign up for our virtual coaching services. All teacher meetings and observations are conducted via video conference, and professional development is administered using pre-recorded videos and resources on our online coaching portal. Districts who are using the TORSH Talent platform may also be interested in our bundled coaching service.
The Coaching Cycle
Initial Observation
To start things off, we meet with the teacher and observe a literacy lesson to get an idea of what the coaching focus should be.
Targeted PD
Then we break down the coaching focus into bite-sized action steps and offer professional development on each on our coaching platform. This includes a mix of reading articles, analyzing lesson plans, and watching instructional videos.
Observations and Feedback
After each PD, the teacher implements a corresponding action step. The action steps build on each other over the course of the coaching cycle, resulting in implementation of a high-impact literacy routine. We support by observing lessons, reviewing lesson plans, and offering feedback.
Plan
At various points during the coaching cycle, we review student work with the teacher and discuss how to use that information to plan instructional next steps.