What is it? One to three years of coaching and mentoring with principals, their literacy leaders and teachers. Gail will visit your school for 2, 3 or 4 days each term according to your school size, your particular needs, and your budget.
A programme of work will be designed specifically for your school to raise achievement and joy in writing. The starting point will be the analysis of your students’ writing, which will give us a school-wide picture of current achievement against the national norms and curriculum expectations. This work will require a commitment to:
learning about and using, evidence-based inquiry and knowledge building cycles to improve student outcomes
an evidence-based analysis of how teachers and school leaders are contributing to this picture.
a focus on improving literacy outcomes for all students, particularly those at risk of under achieving.
improving leader and teacher practices that ensure improved student writing.
What can you expect from this work? A strengthened, more effectively-led professional learning community resulting in:
improved student achievement
improved teacher knowledge
improved teacher practice
What can you expect from Gail? As a visiting leader, she will support the principal and literacy leaders as they lead change in their school. She will:
help leaders and teachers to gather and analyse assessment information
facilitate professional learning meetings with both leaders and teachers
observe teaching and leadership practice and provide feedback
model and/or coach effective literacy practice in classrooms and at teacher meetings
What will Gail expect from you? Principal and Literacy Leaders will participate fully in the professional learning. They will:
provide leadership in gathering, analysing and responding to data on student achievement
be part of all professional learning meetings
lead teacher meetings between Gail’s visits to support classroom initiatives
observe and provide feedback to teachers on aspects of their practice
support teachers to set goals for improving content knowledge and classroom practice
set their own goals as they improve the leadership of literacy in their school
Individual Teachers will participate fully in the professional learning. They will:
improve their knowledge around the analysis of writing in order to inform next teaching steps
engage in professional learning to build knowledge about writing and the teaching of writing
use new knowledge to reflect on current teaching practice
adjust teaching practice in response to new learning and to the feedback from classroom observations
inquire into the effectiveness of changed practice by monitoring the impact on student achievement